Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site. 0108263 License for publishing multimedia online Registration Number: 130349 Registration Number: 130349 UN chief urges elimination of racial discrimination in all forms Xinhua) 09:46, March 22, 2023 UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks at a townhall meeting with civil society at the 67th session of the Commission on the Status of Women at the UN headquarters in New York, on March 13, 2023. (Eskinder Debebe/UN Photo/Handout via Xinhua) "Xenophobia, prejudice and hate speech are rising. Political leaders scapegoat migrants, with devastating impact," warned UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. UNITED NATIONS, March 21 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday called on the international community to take action to address racism wherever and whenever it arises, and eliminate all forms of racial discrimination. Guterres made the remarks while addressing a UN General Assembly event marking the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, which falls on March 21. Racial discrimination is one of the most destructive forces dividing societies, responsible for death and suffering on a grotesque scale throughout history, he said. Today, racial discrimination and the legacies of enslavement and colonialism continue to ruin lives, marginalize communities and limit opportunities, preventing billions of people from achieving their full potential, he added. "Xenophobia, prejudice and hate speech are rising. Political leaders scapegoat migrants, with devastating impact," said Guterres. He pointed out that after a period of increased global awareness of racism, some countries are experiencing a vicious backlash against anti-racist policies and practices. The UN chief also underscored the need to address racism in the digital age, noting that white supremacist influencers profit from racism on social media platforms, and artificial intelligence algorithms amplify and digitize racial discrimination. "We need to resist and reverse these trends resolutely and condemn and eliminate racial discrimination in all its forms," Guterres said. "We must take action to address racism wherever and whenever it arises, including through legal channels." (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) Having played a crucial role in Azerbaijans formation and development, Heydar Aliyev left an indelible mark in history of Azerbaijan. "Azerbaijan & Heydar Aliyev" is a special project of Trend News Agency, dedicated to the 100-th anniversary of the national leader, which will cover key events of Heydar Aliyev's work in the years of him leading Azerbaijan. After Heydar Aliyevs return to power in 1993, Azerbaijan gave a special attention to the expansion of all-round partnership with Turkiye on the integration into the international community, protection of regional security and realization of political-economical and scientific-cultural interests of the country and provided the increase of the development of the country on a rising line during the decade. The first step in this direction was the first official visit of the President of Azerbaijan to Turkiye on February 8-11, 1994. February 8, 1994. President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev was officially welcomed by President Suleyman Demirel in "Cankaya" Palace, the residence of the president of the Republic of Turkiye. Delivering a speech at the welcoming ceremony Heydar Aliyev said: "We - Azerbaijan and Turkiye are countries having friendly and fraternal relations. Unity of our nations, brotherhood and friendship were formed through the centuries and reached its present stage. Now Azerbaijan is an independent state and is the owner of its country, nation and resources. Turkiye first among the world countries recognized the independence of Azerbaijan. And it was an important step in the recognition of Azerbaijan by the world countries and the world community". On that day President of the Turkish Republic Suleyman Demirel hosted the Azerbaijani president in "Chankaya" Palace. Later, President Heydar Aliyev visited the grave of Mustafa Kamal Ataturk, founder of the Turkish Republic and signed the memorial book. February 9, 1994. President of Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev paid a visit to the parliament of the Turkish Republic and delivered a speech there. Referring to the history of the Turkish-Azerbaijani relations, Heydar Aliyev said: "I would like to inform you that the ancient history and present day of our nations are the basis for being closer friendly. I would like to assure you that we shall move further on this basis. Relations between Turkiye and Azerbaijan in economy, trade, science, culture, education and other fields will be of great importance and differ from the relations with other countries because of the friendship and fraternity. Our position is clear. Be sure that the present-day Azerbaijan is and will be loyal to this position". On the same day President Heydar Aliyev met Ihsan Dogramaci, chairman of the Executive Board of Bilkent University and a ceremony was held in which the Azerbaijani president was honored the title of the Honorary Doctor of the University. One of the important events of the visit was the signature of the Turkish-Azerbaijani documents. Protocol on partnership and mutual assistance between the two states, agreements on partnership in scientific, technical, cultural and economic fields, development of friendship and comprehensive partnership, political consultations, mutual encouragement and protection of investments were signed. An agreement on Friendship and Partnership between Turkiye and Azerbaijan was signed. This document is of great importance and significance for the further development of the Azerbaijani-Turkish relations. Up to 16 agreements and protocols, in general, were signed with the officials of the Turkish Republic. Expansion and development of relations in different fields were manifested in those documents. February 10, 1994. President Heydar Aliyev met the businessmen of Turkiye. He expressed great interest in development of economic relations with Turkiye and informed that he was ready to create favorable investment conditions for the big Turkish companies. February 11, 1994. Having completed his meetings in Ankara, the Azerbaijani President left for Istanbul. Heydar Aliyev gave extensive information to media representatives on the results of his official visit to Turkiye. In general, the first official visit of the President of Azerbaijan Republic to the Republic of Turkiye gave an impetus to the development of bilateral relations between the two countries. This post is part of a series sponsored by CoreLogic. Over the past five years, wildfires have been particularly devastating across California, leading insurers, homeowners, and regulators to reconsider how they manage and handle risk. This elevated level of activity has placed particular attention on making sure homeowners and insurers are making homes more resilient to wildfire and making wildfire insurance more affordable and accessible to Californians. The California Department of Insurances (CDI) new regulation, Section 2644.9, is changing the way the insurance industry approaches wildfires in California. Carriers are now required to incorporate twelve mitigation factors into their rating plan. Within a 180-day window, they will be required to evaluate the impact of these twelve mandatory variables on their rates, create a CDI compliant rate plan, and communicate these changes to policyholders. The newly released guidelines by the CDI go into effect on April 12th, 2023. Properties that have enclosed eaves, multi-pane windows, fire resistant vents, as well as other factors will be considered more fire-safe than houses that do not have those elements. By providing a reward to policyholders for undertaking risk mitigation actions, the state is expecting to achieve more resilient communities and, ultimately, lower insurance rates for policy holders. CoreLogics new Wildfire Mitigation Score (WFMS) will assist carriers with meeting the California Department of Insurances minimum requirements. This new solution is a risk score that uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to reevaluate a structures vulnerability to wildfire risk after community and property-specific mitigations are put in place. It is based on the widely accepted CoreLogic Wildfire Risk Score, while utilizing CoreLogics in-house probabilistic wildfire model to validate the impacts associated with mitigation credits. The score is simple: the lower the score, the lower the risk of wildfire to the property or area in question. It is designed for insurers to seamlessly incorporate into their systems and assist with compliance under the new CDI standards. Throughout the development of this solution, CoreLogic has continued to leverage granular vegetation data, high resolution satellite imagery, and an extensive property/building characteristics database. Assessing risk at a granular level is key to differentiating risk. Most currently available hazard estimation tools are based on an outdated, publicly available fuel model at 270270-meter resolution, which cannot detect variability in hazard. Alternatively, WFMS measures hazard at a 3030-meter grid about the size of a residential parcel. In other words, while some may categorize entire neighborhood blocks as high or low risk collectively leading to errors in risk assessment CoreLogic is able to differentiate risk effectively between one property and another. Once a high confidence hazard measurement is obtained, the WFMS adjusts the risk with mitigations unique to every property and structure, providing the highest resolution overall score on the market. California is not the only state where wildfire poses risks. While the incorporation of mitigation is not yet required in other states, WFMS can easily be applied to other states if it ever becomes necessary. This prepares insurers for additional regulations that may arrive in the future. A burning house impacts more than just the insurance market. Disasters destroy homes, displace residents, and disrupt resident income, leading to plummeting home sales and increasing rates of mortgage default. In this way, the real estate and mortgage lending industries also have an interest in ensuring wildfire risk is mitigated as much as possible. While we cannot control the occurrence of devastating wildfires, we can provide insurers with an efficient solution for assistance with underwriting and CDI compliance. Learn more about CoreLogic Wildfire Mitigation Score and how CoreLogic can be your trusted partner throughout the California filing process. 2023 CoreLogic, Inc. The CoreLogic statements and information in this article may not be reproduced or used in any form without express written permission. While all the CoreLogic statements and information are believed to be accurate, CoreLogic makes no representation or warranty as to the completeness or accuracy of the statements and information and assumes no responsibility whatsoever for the information and statements or any reliance thereon. Topics Carriers California Catastrophe Natural Disasters Legislation Wildfire Climate change is contributing to increasingly intense natural catastrophes that leave larger and larger losses in their wake. What steps can the insurance industry take to prevent losses, protect clients, and ultimately create a safer world in the eye of a growing storm? AM Bests webinar Working Together to Mitigate Nat Cat Risk in Challenging Climate Times, sponsored by Munich Re, asked a panel of experts to speculate about the future of natural catastrophe preparation and recovery in the face of increased impacts from climate change. The goal: save lives and lower losses. Exposure and Preparation Theres a common thread when we talk about the exposure to property and lives, and thats really our preparation for it, said panelist Maurice Marvi, property loss control expert at Munich Re Specialty Insurance. We have building codes in place, and in some places, they have been shown to work very well, but they only work as well as they are enforced. While the science and engineering are available to create more resilient structures, people have been reluctant to embrace the changes even when the threats are apparent and ongoing, said panelist Anne Cope, chief engineer at Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety. We need to evaluate where we are building, what we should expect, and have the awareness of the vulnerability. Unfortunately, some of the more vulnerable places for buildings, such as beaches and barrier islands, are the most desirable places to live, Marvi said. As the last few hurricane seasons have shown, properties built in Florida after its 2002 building code revisions show a greater ability to stand up to catastrophes for now. Youre going to have to build to withstand the hazards that can be expected, not just the hazards that we expect today, Marvi said. Were going to have to take a look into the future and say, what were building today, is that going to meet the hazards that we are going to see down the road? But not all locations can be adequately defended against natural hazards. Some loss can be managed with measures such as flood walls or hurricane protective windows or building at higher elevations, Marvi said, But probably the best way is not to build in these areas in the first place. Technology From networked sensors in homes and businesses to more precise mapping, technology will play a critical role in helping to build stronger and smarter buildings, the panelists said. By collecting data from everything from freezing pipes to flood plains to fire hazard conditions, insurers can predict the scope and frequency of claims. More data means more accurate estimates of coverage needs and attainable measures to prevent losses. When I first started in loss control, natural catastrophe was something we reacted to, Marvi said. Generally, the loss control engineers and representatives were brought in to assist with claims or something like that, taking our technical knowledge and taking a look at things after the fact. Mapping vulnerable areas for more accurate risk assessment is one field in which technology has vastly improved over the last few decades. The flood maps were very rudimentary. I remember having an entire room of paper flood maps so I could take a look at the flood. And sometimes they were very old. He added that resources such as wind maps and earthquake maps represented the entire U.S. on a single 8-by-11-inch sheet of paper. You couldnt tell anything, then. Loss control now has access to maps down to 10-meter resolution as to what your actual exposure is, Marvi said. So we get a lot more information that tells us where to start when it comes to taking a look at hazards, taking a look at the built environment, seeing what kind of mitigation can be done in order to reduce any type of aftermath in any type of natural catastrophe. The trend of catastrophic events increasing in both frequency and intensity is forcing carriers to look for ways to mitigate losses through technology. Effective deployment of sensors, for example, can yield valuable information about power grids, building systems and other components. Were attacking the challenge of climate change, building upon our engineering legacy, through engineering and technology, said John B. Riggs, chief technology officer & senior vice president of Applied Technology Solutions, HSB. Those measures include resilience management plans, response plans for equipment, and driving sensor deployment and power monitoring. The company is using loss history and active sensor data to develop more effective ways to minimize and prevent loss, Riggs said. For example, he said that freeze sensors can alert insured and building owners of rapid temperature drops during the front edge of a freeze event. The sensors can signal that its time to take steps to prevent property damage before the full force of the event impacts the structure. Just that slightest bit of an advantage can make all the difference, Riggs said. IoT Sensor technology will continue to evolve and improve, ongoing, he said. I think the more important question is that of adoption I think were right at the tipping point of early adopters and early majority. In terms of the future and the insurance industry, IoT sensors and related tech, were exploring the frontier the new areas of predicting and preventing loss, Riggs said. The true value of that confluence between technology and insurance, the true value has yet to be realized. Wildfire Wildfires present unique challenges when it comes to loss prevention, said Cope. One challenge is that fires often spread by casting embers that can travel for miles before igniting a spot fire. I can mitigate against the wind strengthen the building from the inside and bake the stuff into it, said Cope, who is a wind engineer. Wildfires are interesting because many of the things that cause wildfire to create havoc in the built environment are those embers that go for miles. Property owners in fire-prone areas should follow recommended guidelines to prevent spot fires from spreading, such as fire-proof landscaping around structures, the panelist advised. Wildfire defense needs to be a systems-based approach, Pope said. Every link in the chain has to be strong enough. Embers are going to find the weak link and try to get in the landscaping, roof, vents you have to have a full system. Another challenge is that in a built environment man-made structures in the fires path change the fires nature. The very things it destroys make it harder to fight, she said. Wildfire absolutely changes and evolves and becomes more dangerous when it consumes the built environment, which makes it harder to model, Cope said. Catastrophes People often shy away from conversations about disaster damages, past and future, out of concerns for property values or salability. But the priority should be preserving properties, lives and communities, said Cope. Lets be upfront about the wildfire risk or the hurricane risk or the flood risk, Cope said. Lets declare what we already know mother nature is doing, and then lets embrace the adaptation that is going to be needed. We should adapt our built environment to deal with the threats at hand according to the acceptable level of risk, she added. Those repeatable things that Mother Nature is doing need to be part of our resilient communities, and that takes all the stakeholders, the diverse group builders, insurers, policymakers, homeowners, business owners everyone has to come together to think about, what piece do I have in this pie? How am I going to contribute? Because I need a thriving community to be there after Mother Nature comes by. The AM Best video is available at here. Topics Catastrophe Training Development AM Best New You can now listen to Insurance Journal articles! Just days after some 90,000 policies from troubled United Property & Casualty Insurance Co. were transferred to Slide Insurance as part of a wind-down of the carrier, it was announced that UPC is officially broke and will soon be liquidated. United was deemed insolvent Feb. 6, 2023, because if all of the assets of United, if made immediately available, (they) would be insufficient to discharge all of the liabilities of United, reads an affidavit from the Florida Office of Insurance Regulations director of property and casualty financial oversight. It was part of a consent order placing the company into receivership, made public in February. Its the 10th insolvency for a Florida property carrier in the last two years. Its also one of the first major actions taken under newly appointed Florida Insurance Commissioner Michael Yaworsky, who took over after former Commissioner David Altmaier resigned in December. The demise of St. Petersburg-based United, which was once one of the larger carriers in the state with more than 180,000 policies in force, has played out over the last three years. The company, part of United Insurance Holdings, placed itself into an orderly runoff last August. In late January, the OIR signed an order granting Slide Insurance, headed by former Heritage P&C Insurance CEO Bruce Lucas, some 72,000 HO-3 and DP-3 polices from United. Slide also received the renewal rights on another 21,000 policies and gained an estimated $272 million in premium, but no outstanding claims. A week later, on Feb. 9, Uniteds board of directors agreed to liquidate the company. The Insurance Information Institutes Mark Friedlander said Sunday that the Slide deal provided UPC policyholders with continuous coverage but did not reduce Uniteds obligations to pay hurricane claims. As many as 20,000 claims will now have to be handled by the Florida Insurance Guaranty Association, which will likely require another surcharge that will be paid by Florida policyholders, said FIGA Executive Director Corey Neal. Thats a pretty good volume of claims, he said. This may not be the last of the Florida insolvencies in 2023. The market remains very unstable, even with the substantial reforms that were implemented following Decembers special legislative session, Friedlander said in an email. Other failures are possible this year due to storm losses, reinsurance costs and litigation expenses. A statement Friday from United Insurance Holdings suggested that Hurricane Ian in September was the final blow for United P&C. UPC was heavily concentrated in the Southwest Florida region and received approximately 25,000 claims from Hurricane Ian with a gross estimated loss of over $1 billion, reads a statement emailed by Uniteds public relations firm. UPCs outside actuaries determined that its losses would exceed the prior estimate of gross losses, which resulted in UPC exceeding its catastrophe reinsurance coverage. Slides purchase of the policies was part of an effort to protect policyholders, the company said. For more than two years, UPC has made every effort possible to return to profitability, remain a going concern, pay covered claims and handle claims with professionalism, while abiding by all regulations, the statement added. United Insurance Holdings contributed $75 million in 2022 to UPC to mitigate losses and help it remain solvent. It attempted to reduce liabilities by selling renewal rights in an effort to protect policyholders from UPCs continued deteriorating results. The OIR affidavit and consent order recounted milestones on the 24-year-old companys road to insolvency: In March 2020, United reported underwriting losses of $36 million for 2019, after weather events in Florida, Texas and Louisiana. OIR then required the carrier to file monthly financial statements and have monthly calls with regulators. Underwriting losses continued, with $69 million in 2020, $54 million in 2021 and almost $190 million in the first three quarters of 2022. The companys surplus continued to drop, from $159 million at the end of 2019 to $57 million in fall of 2022. United took a number of steps to reduce its exposure, including transitioning policies to other carriers. In April 2022, the Demotech financial rating firm downgraded the strength rating of Journey Insurance Co., a United affiliate. Two months later, OIR approved a plan to merge Journey with another United affiliate, American Coastal Insurance. Another sister company, Family Security Insurance, was folded into United. Also that month, United notified OIR that Wright National Flood Insurance would take over its flood book. United said it was looking for a buyer for the company. In July, Demotech downgraded Uniteds financial rating below what was accepted by the secondary mortgage market, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. United then took advantage of OIRs temporary market stabilization arrangement to allow Citizens Property Insurance Corp. to act as a reinsurer, or backstop on claims in case of insolvency. That was a work-around to the ratings downgrade and was eventually accepted by Fannie and Freddie. Fridays consent order did not indicate how much in claims that Citizens may now be asked to cover, above what FIGA will pay in liquidation. Just four days after the Citizens arrangement was announced, United notified regulators that it was withdrawing from Florida and other states altogether. A buyer could not be found and the company was entering an orderly runoff plan, due in large part to Uniteds inability to complete its reinsurance program. In November, United submitted a revised runoff plan that included expected claims and losses from Hurricane Ian. Additional capital from Uniteds sister companies was infused into the company to aid in the runoff. On Dec. 5, 2022, OIR issued a consent order, approving the runoff plan and placing United under administrative supervision. On Jan. 23, 2023, United notified OIR of the transfer of the policies to Slide. OIR officials approved it a week later. On Jan. 27, United warned that its reserves set aside for Hurricane Ian losses were some $140 million short of what its actuaries had estimated were needed. If United booked those reserves at the actuarys point estimate, United would be insolvent, the affidavit from OIRs Virginia Christy said. On Feb. 6, United reported its retained losses and recognized the actuarial estimates. Its surplus for year-end 2022 was shown as a negative $218 million. Three days later, United signed off on the consent order, agreeing to be placed into receivership. The consent order was signed by Uniteds president and chief financial officer, Brad Martz. Topics Florida Property Casualty New You can now listen to Insurance Journal articles! Photos of damaged vehicles are relevant to the likelihood and degree of personal injury in a car accident case and they are admissible at trial, even when no expert witnesses are around to testify about them, the Massachusetts high court has ruled. The Supreme Judicial Court upheld a lower court judge who exercised discretion in permitting the defense to submit photos, in a case where there was no expert witness, and allowed the defense to argue there is a correlation between the property damage from the collision and personal injuries sustained by the plaintiff. [M]ost courts believe that a jury is ordinarily quite capable of correlating outward appearance of damage with likelihood and extent of injury, the high court said, agreeing with the rule of a majority of states. In the case before the court, photographs of the plaintiffs vehicle depicted minimal front-end damage and slight rear-end damage, and photographs of the defendants vehicle depicted minimal front-end damage. These photographs were relevant to assist the jury in determining the extent of the plaintiffs injuries and whether her ongoing medical issues were a likely result of the accident or of preexisting conditions, the court found in affirming the lower court action. In May 2015, Kristiana Laccetti was traveling on Storrow Drive when another vehicle abruptly cut in front of her and stopped, forcing her to slam on her brakes. In response, the defendant, Steven G. Ellis, who was traveling behind her at the time, slammed on his brakes but nonetheless rear-ended the plaintiff. The parties exited their vehicles to assess the damage and called 911. The driver who cut in front of the plaintiff left the scene. In the months and years after the accident, Laccetti received various medical treatments, including by a neurologist for headaches and cognitive difficulties, a chiropractor, multiple physical therapists, and multiple types of doctors for chronic neck and back pain and worsening migraines. In December 2017, Laccetti sued Ellis for negligently rear-ending her, seeking damages for her out-of-pocket medical expenses, lost wages, diminished earning capacity, pain and suffering, and emotional distress. She sought damages in the neighborhood of $350,000. At trial, Laccetti objected to the admission of the photographs and to a description of the property damage sustained by Laccettis vehicle in the collision. The jury found that Ellis negligently injured the plaintiff and awarded her $10,000 in damages, which in keeping with state law, the trial judge reduced by the $8,000 she had already received in personal injury protection insurance benefits. Laccetti appealed. During trial, the parties had offered different descriptions of how the accident unfolded. Laccetti testified that Ellis rear-ended her before she made contact with the vehicle in front of her and with enough force to push her into the vehicle in front of her. The plaintiff did not characterize the accident as minor and testified that her vehicle sustained a moderate amount of damage from the collision. She testified that she suffered a concussion, a neck injury, an increase in migraine headaches, and an exacerbated back injury as a result of the accident. By contrast, the defendant Ellis testified that he and Laccetti were both driving 25 miles per hour in very heavy traffic and that there was approximately a one- to two-vehicle distance between their cars. Ellis said that he observed the plaintiff hit the vehicle in front of her before he slammed on his brakes and rear-ended the plaintiff. He testified that, at the time of impact, he was traveling no more than 10 miles per hour. Whether Laccettis various medical conditions were preexisting or were caused or exacerbated by the accident was highly contested at trial. The defendants medical expert testified that Laccetti had preexisting migraines and lumbar spine disease that were neither caused by nor exacerbated by the accident. He also told the jury that, as a result of the accident, Laccetti did not suffer a concussion or post-concussive syndrome and that, at most, in [his] opinion, she suffered a mild neck sprain. He further testified that her exacerbated migraine headaches and back pain were not necessarily related to the accident. The court called it undeniable that it is possible for an automobile accident that results in minor vehicle damage nevertheless to cause serious physical injury, just as it is undeniable that an accident that results in major vehicle damage may not cause serious physical injury. But Laccetti argued that the relationship between vehicle damage and the likelihood of serious physical injury is complicated and is not a direct correlation. Laccetti maintained it is not true that severe injuries are more likely in severe accidents and less likely in less severe accidents, and that the topic requires expert testimony to guide the jury on their consideration of the issue at trial. Accordingly, Laccetti argued that the photographs showing minor vehicular damage must be excluded, in the absence of expert testimony. But the SJC disagreed, even while acknowledging that one state, Delaware, adopted this rule on the ground that any inference by the jury that minimal damage to the plaintiffs car translates into minimal personal injuries to the plaintiff would necessarily amount to unguided speculation. However, the court noted that Delaware has since retreated and now most state courts believe that a jury is ordinarily quite capable of correlating outward appearance of damage with likelihood and extent of injury. The SJC explained why it agrees with the majority rule. It does not follow from the undeniable fact that an accident can result in minor vehicular damage and serious physical injury that the extent of the vehicular damage is irrelevant to the extent and likelihood of physical injury. To the contrary, in the ordinary run of cases, a jury is free to accept (or, for that matter, to reject) the commonsense notion that more vehicular damage from a collision makes serious physical injury more likely, the court stated. The court added that either side is free to offer expert testimony on the issue but that it is not required. A Russian court on Monday froze all Volkswagen assets in Russia, in the latest obstacle to the German carmakers year-long efforts to wind down its Russian operations. Volkswagen, along with other foreign carmakers, suspended operations in Russia last year after western countries imposed unprecedented sanctions on Moscow over the conflict in Ukraine. It has been trying to sell its Russian assets, including its flagship plant in the city of Kaluga, which has production capacity of 225,000 vehicles a year and has been furloughed since March 2022. Russian auto manufacturer GAZ, which was contracted to produce Volkswagen vehicles at its factory in Nizhny Novgorod, sought to halt any sale as part of a lawsuit after Volkswagen terminated the production agreement in August. In court filings, GAZ said Volkswagens attempts to exit the Russian market put its own interests at risk and it is seeking 15.6 billion roubles ($201.3 million) in damages over the terminated contract. A Russian court on Monday agreed to freeze all of Volkswagens assets in Russia while the dispute with GAZ plays out, court documents showed, further hitting VWs attempts to wind down its Russian operations. Volkswagens Russian subsidiary said it was surprised by the lawsuit and their partnership had ended on mutually agreed terms. We are aware of the claim from GAZ and are familiarizing ourselves with the case materials, it said in a statement to Reuters. It also said Volkswagen was in the process of applying to Russian state authorities for approval to sell its stake in Volkswagen Group Rus, including a plant in Kaluga with more than 4,000 employees to a trustworthy Russian investor. We hope the lawsuit will not delay the transaction, the statement added. GAZ declined to comment. Russias industry ministry did not respond to requests to comment. Earlier this week, Czech carmaker Skoda Auto, part of the Volkswagen Group, said it was in the final stages of a deal to sell its Russian assets. Exit Plans Moscow mandates that companies from unfriendly countries those which have imposed sanctions on Russia are required to win approval from a government commission for the sale of any Russian assets. Foreign investors have feared Russia could take action to nationalize strategic assets since the restrictions on sales were brought in. Last July President Vladimir Putin issued a decree to seize full control of the Sakhlain-2 gas and oil project in Russias far east, effectively taking almost 50% of the project from Shell SHEL.L and two Japanese trading companies. Other leading Western carmakers have left the Russian market. Last year Frances Renault sold its majority stake in Avtovaz to a Russian state entity for a symbolic fee of one rouble effectively writing off assets it previously valued at 2.2 billion euros ($2.35 billion). Russias auto industry has been one of the worst hit by Moscows decision to send tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in February last year. Previously reliant on Western investment, equipment and parts, car production last year fell by an unprecedented 67% to its lowest level since the collapse of the Soviet Union. ($1 = 77.5000 roubles) ($1 = 0.9356 euros) (Reporting by Gleb Stolyarov; writing by Jake Cordell; editing by David Goodman, Louise Heavens and Barbara Lewis) Topics Russia Canadas federal government is stepping up environmental oversight in Albertas oil sands after Imperial Oil Ltd. and the provincial regulator were slow to report toxic spills. Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault has proposed a joint federal-provincial-Indigenous working group with the involvement of the oil company to address concerns about the spill. Imperial and the regulator have been asked to testify on the spill at the House of Commons Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development. This slow notification to the federal government and Indigenous communities is of serious concern, the federal ministry of Environment and Climate Change Canada said in a release Monday. The ministry said it and Indigenous communities near Imperials Kearl oil sands mine werent made aware of two spills from a storage pond until nine months after the first of those spills happened when the Alberta Energy Regulator published an emergency order for Imperial to contain the ongoing seepage. Imperial maintains it did notify local communities at the time of both leaks, company spokeswoman Lisa Schmidt said in an email. We deeply regret communications during our investigation into the May incident were not regularly provided to communities following our initial notification as we did not meet their expectations, she said. Imperial has committed to taking the necessary steps to improve our communications, so this does not happen in the future, she said. An email to the Alberta Energy Regulator seeking comment was not immediately returned. The seepages, in May and February, were deemed harmful to fish and, on March 10, enforcement officers issued a directive requiring Imperial to take immediate action to prevent leaks from entering fish-bearing waters. Communities including Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation and Mikisew Cree First Nation have expressed continuing concern for their health and safety, the ministry said. The federal government has approved funding to ship bottled water to the Mikisew Cree First Nation but local drinking water has been found to meet Canadian standards. Photograph: Water is pumped into a tailings pond at the Suncor Energy Inc. Steepbank mine in this aerial photograph taken above the Athabasca oil sands near Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada, on Monday, Sept. 10, 2018. Photo credit: Ben Nelms/Bloomberg Copyright 2023 Bloomberg. Topics Legislation Energy Oil Gas Canada New You can now listen to Insurance Journal articles! Consolidation of physician services into larger groups owned by hospitals and health care systems is driving up the cost of care in workers compensation, according to a new study by the Workers Compensation Research Institute. Medical markets are increasingly concentrated, said John Ruser, WCRI president and chief executive officer, in a statement. This means that patients are more likely to be treated by physicians at sites owned by hospitals and health systems. This raises a policy concern that the increasing concentration of medical providers may lead to higher payments for medical care without corresponding improvements in patient outcomes. The study found that from 2012 to 2018 the percentage of physicians practicing at sites owned by hospitals or health systems increased to 49% from 32% for primary care physicians, and to 35% from 18% for orthopedic surgeons. This vertical integration of the industry increased the average payment per procedure by 8% overall, or $29 per procedure. But costs increased more in states that dont use fee schedules to regulate prices charged for treating injured workers. In those states, payments per procedure increased an average of $91 because of vertical integration, the study says. WCRI said the study, conducted by researchers Bogdan Savych and Olesya Fomenko, is the first to study the cost of vertical integration in workers compensation. The study said most of the increase in costs was driven by changes in the frequency and mix of services provided, known as utilization. Vertical integration increased the price of each procedure provided by only 2%. The study says a substantial amount of research has found that fewer physicians are employed in sole practice and more are employees of health systems hospitals. Advocates for consolidation say it leads to more frequent use of best practices and better coordination of care, but skeptics say that consolidation reduces competition and leads to higher prices for medical care. WCRI, looking specifically at primary care physicians who treat injured workers, found that more than 44% were in sole practice in 2012 and only 31% were in sole practice in 2018. For orthopedic surgeons, the share in sole practice declined from 41% to 27% during that period. In the meantime, the share of primary care physicians employed by hospitals are health systems climbed from 33% to 49% and the share of orthopedic surgeons working for hospitals and health systems climbed from 18% to 35%. The WCRI researchers found the cost of vertical integration varied largely by location and type of provider. The study found the impact of consolidation was greatest in states without fee schedules. Vertical integration in those states led to 12% increases in payments per procedure, a 14% in payments per service type and an 11% increase in payments per day of care. For states with fee schedules, vertical integration led to payment increases ranging from 7% to 9% in each category. We can expect that when a state has a fixed-amount fee schedule, there are fewer opportunities for vertically-integrated providers to affect prices, the study says. However, prices may be more responsive to changes in the market power of providers in states without fixed-amount fee schedules. The study did not include any information on whether the higher prices charged led to better outcomes for workers compensation patients, but suggested more research is needed in that area. Topics Trends Workers' Compensation Pricing Trends Personal Auto New You can now listen to Insurance Journal articles! A group of 22 U.S. state attorneys general on Monday blasted Hyundai Motor 005380.KS and Kia Corp 000270.KS and said they need do more to address problems with millions of U.S. vehicles that are prone to theft. Last month, the Korean automakers said they would offer software upgrades to 8.3 million U.S. vehicles to help curb increasing car thefts using a method popularized on TikTok and other social media channels. The surge in thefts of these vulnerable vehicles has been truly shocking, said the letter from 22 states and the District of Columbia led by Wisconsin Attorney General Joshua Kaul. More needs to be done so that every current owner can obtain one of these devices at no cost as soon as possible especially those owners whose cars are not compatible with the software upgrade you recently announced. The attorneys general letter said the automakers had failed to take adequate steps to address the alarming rate of theft and urged them to accelerate the implementation of the software upgrade and provide free alternative protective measures for owners whose cars cannot support the software upgrade. Kia and Hyundai said Monday they have contacted over 2.1 million customers to advise them of software upgrades. Kia said it is actively working with major insurance carriers to ensure our customers have access to quality and comprehensive coverage. Hyundai said all of its vehicles meet U.S. anti-theft requirements and has begun reimbursing eligible customers for steering wheel lock purchases. In Chicago there were over 7,000 thefts of Hyundai and Kia vehicles in 2022 accounting for 10% of Kia and 7% of Hyundai vehicles registered in the city, the letter said. Earlier this month, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said he had launched a civil investigation into Kia and Hyundais sale of vehicles to Minnesota consumers that lacked industry-standard, anti-theft technology and sought documents and answer questions under oath. Ellison said in Minneapolis in 2022 Kia and Hyundai vehicle thefts were tied to five homicides and 265 motor vehicle accidents. TikTok videos showing how to steal cars without push-button ignitions and immobilizing anti-theft devices has spread nationwide. This had led to at least 14 reported crashes and eight fatalities, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said in February. The free upgrade will be offered for 3.8 million Hyundai and 4.5 million Kia vehicles, the automakers and NHTSA said. Hyundai said the upgrade applies to various U.S. 2011 through 2022 model year vehicles. Many Hyundai and Kia vehicles have no electronic immobilizers, which prevent break-ins and bypassing the ignition. An insurance research group said immobilizers were standard on 62% of models from other manufacturers in 2000, rising to 96% by 2015. But they were standard on only 26% of 2015 Hyundai and Kia vehicles. Hyundai will also provide customers with a window sticker alerting would-be thieves that the vehicle is equipped with anti-theft protection. All Hyundai vehicles produced since November 2021 are equipped with an engine immobilizer as standard equipment. Topics Fraud New You can now listen to Insurance Journal articles! US officials are studying ways they might temporarily expand Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. coverage to all deposits, a move sought by a coalition of banks arguing that its needed to head off a potential financial crisis. Treasury Department staff are reviewing whether federal regulators have enough emergency authority to temporarily insure deposits greater than the current $250,000 cap on most accounts without formal consent from a deeply divided Congress, according to people with knowledge of the talks. Authorities dont yet view such a move as necessary, especially after regulators took steps this month to help banks keep up with any demands for withdrawals, the people said, asking not to be named describing confidential talks. Still, they are developing a strategy out of due diligence in case the situation worsens. We will use the tools we have to support community banks, White House spokesman Michael Kikukawa said, without directly addressing whether the measure is being studied. Since our administration and the regulators took decisive action last weekend, we have seen deposits stabilize at regional banks throughout the country and, in some cases, outflows have modestly reversed. Still, the behind-the-scenes deliberations show there are concerns in Washingtons corridors of power as midsize banks call for broader government intervention after three lenders collapsed this month when uninsured depositors pulled their money, and as a fourth firm strives to avoid a similar fate. Shares of that one, First Republic Bank, have tumbled 90% since the start of the month as industry leaders tried to find a way to bolster the companys finances. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the US is prepared to repeat the actions it took recently to protect bank depositors if smaller lenders are threatened, though she didnt address the possibility of a temporary expansion in deposit insurance. Our intervention was necessary to protect the broader US banking system, and similar actions could be warranted if smaller institutions suffer deposit runs that pose the risk of contagion, Yellen said, according to excerpts of remarks shes set to give at a banking industry conference in Washington later Tuesday. One legal framework under discussion for expanding FDIC insurance would use the Treasury Departments authority to take emergency action and lean on the Exchange Stabilization Fund, the people said. That fund typically is used to buy or sell currencies and to provide financing to foreign governments. But the fund, created in the 1930s, has been used as a backstop for emergency lending facilities by the Fed in recent years. Its the only pot of money under the full authority of the Treasury secretary, with other spending and financing under the jurisdiction of Congress. Due to decisive recent actions, the situation has stabilized, deposit flows are improving and Americans can have confidence in the safety of their deposits, a Treasury spokeswoman said in a statement. Representatives for the FDIC and Fed declined to comment. The administration and independent regulators are grappling with the first banking crisis since the passage of the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act, a sweeping reorganization of the financial regulatory system. Dangerous Precedent The Mid-Size Bank Coalition of America, which includes banks with assets of as much as $100 billion, urged regulators to lift the current cap on deposit insurance, according to a March 17 letter seen by Bloomberg. The organization expressed concern that, if another regional lender fails, more depositors will move their money to the nations largest banks, regardless of the underlying health of their smaller competitors. While some lawmakers, including Republicans, have said they are weighing changes to the current $250,000 FDIC insurance cap, a number of House conservatives have come out against a 100% guarantee. Any universal guarantee on all bank deposits, whether implicit or explicit, enshrines a dangerous precedent that simply encourages future irresponsible behavior to be paid for by those not involved who followed the rules, the House Freedom Caucus said in a statement. Photo: The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. headquarters in Washington, DC. Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg Copyright 2023 Bloomberg. Topics USA New You can now listen to Insurance Journal articles! The Louisiana Supreme Court has joined state high courts across the nation in rejecting a policyholders business-interruption claim for income lost because of government restrictions imposed to slow the spread of COVID-19. The high court on Friday reversed the Louisiana Court of Appeals and reinstated a trial court decision that found the virus did not cause a direct physical loss to the Oceana Grille, a seafood restaurant in the heart of New Orleans French Quarter. Oceana never repaired, rebuilt or replaced any property that was allegedly lost or damaged, the 5-2 opinion says. While we are sympathetic to the immense economic challenges faced in responding to the pandemic, we cannot alter the terms of an insurance contract under the guise of contractual interpretation when the policy uses unambiguous terms. Cajun Conti, owner of the Oceana Grille, filed the first lawsuit in the country seeking insurance coverage for a COVID-19 shutdown. The companys attorney, John Houghtalling III, had the ear of President Donald Trump, who said during a press conference that he thought claims by restaurants that purchased all-risk policies without virus exclusions should be paid. But an Orleans Parish judge, like most courts that considered the question, ruled that the virus did not cause a direct physical loss that required coverage by an all-risk commercial property insurance policy. The Louisiana Court of Appeals, however, reversed the decision in a 3-2 ruling. The Lloyds of London syndicate that issued Cajun Contis policy appealed to the Supreme Court. The high court rejected arguments that prior decisions finding that coverage was owed for a property contaminated by lead dust and properties that required restoration after the installation of defective Chinese drywall set precedents that favored coverage. Oceanas property was not physically lost in any tangible or corporeal sense, as required for coverage under the policy, the majority said. Justices Jefferson D. Hughes III and Piper D. Griffin dissented. Like smoke from a fire next door that did no physical damage to the premises, but caused the business to be closed until the odor could be removed and the business cleaned, a physical loss occurred, Hughes said in a short dissenting opinion. Only one state high court has ruled in favor of a policyholder seeking coverage for a COVID-19 shutdown. The Vermont Supreme Court reversed a trial court decision to grant summary judgment against a dental practice and in favor of an insurer, but did not make a final decision on the merits of the case. At least 19 state high courts have ruled in favor of insurers and rejected coverage, according to a litigation tracker managed by the University of Pennsylvania. Topics Louisiana COVID-19 BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 15. President Ilham Aliyevs recent visit to Germany further solidified the position that Azerbaijan currently enjoys in the context of its relations with European countries. The visit was a unique opportunity for German decision-makers and businesses to explore the benefits of broadening cooperation with Azerbaijan. The program of the visit included several meetings with local business leaders, as well as government officials, including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and President of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier. Official reports indicate that a wide array of matters was addressed in the framework of the above-mentioned discussions. The interests of Azerbaijan are dictated by the obvious importance of Germany in the system of international relations, its role in the EU and the economic capabilities of the country. While every topic of discussion held during the meetings bear importance, there are two major elements that should be highlighted in the context of the future of bilateral relations and understanding why the importance of Azerbaijan, as a focal point of the regional German foreign policy, will grow. Modus operandi of German foreign policy Germany is one of the most important actors in the European Union due to its political and economic significance, industrial and innovation potential, among other things. As an industrial and economic center of the Union, as well as the past role of Germany in both world wars, the country is focused on fostering cooperation with other states as the main foreign policy tool. A highly pragmatic approach rooted in liberal values, such as cooperation, turned Germany into the key global economy during a very limited timeframe. This trend continues to this day. The production output of the country is significant, however, it creates two hurdles that Berlin needs to overcome - providing the necessary input, and selling the manufactured product. For a significant time, Berlin was enjoying the established links with Moscow, which was Germanys key gateway to Eastern markets, and the major energy provider. Things took a turn for the worse, as geopolitical factors came into play, preventing Germany from utilizing well-established methods of operation. This forces Berlin to reorient and explore other avenues available. Azerbaijan - credible solution to existing crisis Looking at the situation from this perspective uncovers the reasons explaining the rise of the significance of Azerbaijan in the context of German foreign policy strategy. The first interest of Germany is the energy security of the country and its European partners, which is necessary for its continued economic growth. Azerbaijan has already initiated its transition to a new energy paradigm by taking steps to become an energy producer, instead of being merely an oil and gas exporting state. An added benefit of Azerbaijan, compared to other countries, is that Azerbaijan has already launched projects aimed at developing green energy, and there is a crucial energy-transportation infrastructure in place. Energy and green energy-related matters were one of the topics of discussion between President Aliyev and various business and government representatives of Germany. During the meeting with business representatives, President Aliyev said that Azerbaijan plans to transform Nakhchivan into a green energy zone, along with Karabakh and Eastern Zangazur. He also added that the expansion of a pipeline system capacity will be carried out as a response to growing energy demand in Europe during the meeting between President Aliyev and representatives of top German corporations. In particular, TANAP, which has a capacity of 16 bcm. We will expand up to 32 and TAP, which has a capacity of 10 bcm, will be expanded, we plan up to 20. And that is mainly, because of the growing demand from Europe. Because, you can imagine the pipeline of the length of 3,500 kilometers integrated, free pipeline system commissioned 1st January 2021, now needs expansion, the head of state stated. President Aliyevs approach to ensuring the energy security of Europe is particularly valuable for Germany because providing sufficient energy to European countries will ensure the safety of their economies. Due to the integrated nature of European economies, the economic prosperity of Germany depends on the prosperity of other countries, and Azerbaijan, once again, expressed its willingness to contribute to this cause. Currently, Azerbaijani gas is delivered to Turkiye, Georgia, Bulgaria, Greece and Italy. It has also been delivered to Romania since this year. At the end of this year, we intend to supply first gas to Hungary. We have started negotiations with the Albanian government to establish a gas supply network in Albania and enable gas exports to Albania in the future. At the same time, the Czech Republic, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and other countries are among the countries that have placed orders with us, President Ilham Aliyev said during the joint press conference with the German Chancellor Olaf Scholtz. Therefore, by providing stable gas supplies to European states Baku directly and indirectly assists the growth of German economy. Azerbaijan to bridge a gap between the West and the East So, as we now know, geopolitical issues also prevent Germany from using existing transport links to offer goods and services to its partners located in the East. Due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, using this route becomes impossible to use. Alternatively, Iran could have been used as a hub, however, Tehran slammed this door shut long ago by its unwillingness to execute a foreign policy based on principles of liberalism. The only feasible transport opportunity remaining is the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, also known as Middle Corridor, which runs through Azerbaijan. This remains the only feasible opportunity, considering that there is no indication on the possible removal of structural constraints regarding alternative routes. Azerbaijans unique location enables the country to offer this possibility to Germany. This is a significantly important development for Germany, both politically and economically. The availability of the Middle Corridor route means that Berlin can continue pursuing independent policies, while German businesses will be capable of continuing their uninterrupted operations. As for Azerbaijan, Baku will be able to generate tangible and intangible benefits from the participation of Germany in the route. While not much was said about this particular topic, there are no doubts that transport cooperation will become another important element in the relations between Azerbaijan and Germany. Azerbaijan - Germanys gateway to South Caucasus and Caspian region It goes without saying that cooperation is becoming a dominant paradigm in international relations. The visit of President Aliyev to Germany became a memorable event for several reasons. First, the visit fosters opportunities for cooperation with German businesses, which possess highly specialized know-how, which may be implemented for the further development of Azerbaijan. This will positively correlate with the future growth of Azerbaijan, in addition to creating opportunities for the improvement of bilateral business relations and stimulating investments by tapping into the previously unexplored potential. President Aliyev also made some remarks on this topic in the framework of the joint press conference with the German Chancellor Olaf Scholtz. I had a meeting with about 30 German business people yesterday. During the two-hour meeting, I witnessed the great attention German business people are paying to Azerbaijan, Azerbaijan's economy and opportunities. In addition, there are ample opportunities in the direction of joint development and exploitation of renewable energy, and we have exchanged views on this today, he noted. Second, President Aliyevs visit to Germany sets for creation of a stronger economic link between the nations, which will consequently lead to a spillover effect by improving the level of political relations between Germany and Azerbaijan. This set of changes would be very welcome developments for both nations. Third, Azerbaijan will serve as a gateway for Germany to Asia. Berlin would be able to utilize the existing infrastructure of Azerbaijan and continue the operations with its Asian partners with minimal risks, which is very valuable, considering the geopolitical factors that made European countries relinquish existing routes. In terms of benefits to be enjoyed by Azerbaijan, some of the advantages generated by broader cooperation with Germany include the further growth of stature, and the transition to green energy sources, which can be significantly impacted by Germany and local businesses. President Ilham Aliyevs visit to Germany promises to lead to very positive developments for both nations. At the end of the day, this should not come as a surprise because both Azerbaijan and Germany are operating on the principles of liberal values in their foreign policies. New You can now listen to Insurance Journal articles! Auto insurance and tort-reform groups are keeping their fingers crossed after a second Florida House subcommittee approved a bill that would ban assignment-of-benefits agreements for windshield repairs, a measure that proponents hope will stem a flood of litigation aimed at insurers. Any attempt by a policyowner to enter into such assignment agreement is void and unenforceable, reads House Bill 541. The bill was approved by the Insurance and Banking Committee earlier this month. This week, the a subcommittee of the Civil Justice Committee endorsed it. What started as a small regional problem with a few lawyers and auto repair shops proliferated throughout the state as more unscrupulous actors looked to cash in, said a statement from Fix the Cracks, a coalition of the Personal Insurance Federation of Florida, the National Insurance Crime Bureau, Florida Justice Reform Institute and other groups. The bill is sponsored by Rep. Griff Griffitts, R-Panama City. Most Floridians will have heard or seen advertisements from windshield repair firms, offering steaks or other gifts for motorists who have their windshields replaced. A similar bill in the Senate, Senate Bill 1002, would bar that practice, as well. That bill was approved last week by the Senate Commerce and Tourism Committee. Its far from certain that one or both bills will pass both chambers, insurance industry lobbyists have said. Insurance and tort-reform organizations have worked for limits on AOBs for several years, for property insurance claims and for auto insurance claims. The Florida Legislature in December barred AOBs for property claims, part of a broad effort to stem insurance claims litigation in the state. While progress has been made in Florida to address the states deepening property insurance market crisis, there is also a crisis in the auto market, the Fix the Cracks coalition said. The coalition said that the AOB statute has incentivized law firms to file thousands of lawsuits against insurers over auto glass claims in recent years. The number of suits has jumped from 591 in 2011 to more than 37,000 in 2022. Some 20 plaintiffs law firms have filed 95% of the lawsuits, the coalition noted, based on data from the Florida Department of Financial Services. In Florida, we have a litigation crisis. It should not be a normal course of business when a client walks in the door that you expect to file a lawsuit, said Rep. Tom Fabricio, R-Miami. Some auto glass company owners spoke against the bill in the House subcommittee. If this goes through, its very simple, shops like mine would be out of business on day one, if you took away AOB and one-way attorney fees, said Bill Camp, owner of At Home Auto Glass, with shops in Sarasota and Tallahassee. He said he did not want to litigate claims, but has been forced to when insurers didnt pay the standard fees on windshield work. If the bills pass both chambers and are signed into law, they will take effect July 1, 2023. Top photo: Bill Camp, owner of At Home Auto Glass, spoke Tuesday against HB 541. (Florida Channel) Topics Florida Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. acquired Phoenix, Arizona-based Viking Bond Service Inc. Tom Buckner, Bill Belpedio and the Viking Bond team will operate under the direction of Kevin Garvin, head of Affinity North America for Gallaghers retail property/casualty brokerage operations. Viking Bond Service is a surety bond agency specializing in commercial, contract and fidelity bonds for clients across the U.S. Arthur J. Gallagher is an insurance brokerage, risk management and consulting services firm headquartered in Rolling Meadows, Illinois. Topics Mergers & Acquisitions A.J. Gallagher Arizona Vancouver, British Columbia - March 20, 2023 (Newsfile Corp.) (Investorideas.com Newswire) Foremost Lithium Resource & Technology Ltd. (CSE: FAT) (OTCQB: FRRSF) (FSE: F0R0) (WKN: A3DCC8) ("Foremost Lithium", "Foremost" or the "Company") is pleased to announce it has entered into an arm's length property acquisition agreement (the "Property Agreement") to acquire 100% interest in the Lac Simard South property (the "Property") in the Province of Quebec, Canada, consisting of 120 mining claims covering approximately 20,349 acres/8,235 hectares (see "Investment Summary" section for payment details). The Property has 24 pegmatites that were identified from satellite imagery. These pegmatites are located approximately 90km southwest from The NAL Lithium Processing Plant (A Piedmont/Sayona Joint Venture), which just announced it produced its first batch of spodumene concentrate (SC6)1, and 80km southwest of Val-D'or, a logistics hub for mining services. This acquisition increases Foremost's total lithium land holding to an aggregate of 63,380 acres/25,649 hectares. Lac Simard South is contiguous to Sayona Mining Limited and Refined Metals Corp. Lac Simard property which has sampled 2.1% lithium (Li) which is 4.52% Lithium Oxide (Li2O) and 5.88% Tantalum Oxide (Ta2O5) (Ref. Report GM 36797, 1980). The property is easily accessible year-round by way of well-maintained roads, with little overburden. Sayona Mining Limited's Abitibi Hub, comprised of its North American Lithium, Authier Lithium and Tansim Lithium projects located nearby, boasts a measured and indicated resource of 87.8 Mt grading 1.05% Li2O (Source: https://sayonamining.com.au/announcements/ March 22, 2022). Figure 1: Area Map with display of Foremost's Lac Simard South Claims* Jason Barnard, Foremost Lithium's President and CEO, comments, "We are excited to be adding this pegmatite rich property to our growing portfolio of lithium assets, in addition to moving east in this prospective lithium-dense area of Canada. This acquisition is consistent with our focus of acquiring quality assets near known established lithium production and processing regions. Not only is Lac Simard South property in an active lithium camp with large established resources, but we will be located near Sayona's lithium concentrators and refineries. We couldn't have picked a better location as it offers year-round access with close proximity to infrastructure enabling us to explore and drill during all seasons. Quebec is known for being the most generous tax-incentive province in our country, and our management team has already begun strategizing ways to capitalize on this amazing opportunity for our company and for shareholders." Geology Lac Simard South property is underlain by the large monzodiorite batholith of Lac Simard Sud. This batholith is pinkish grey in color and is composed of plagioclase, K-feldspar hornblende with minor amount of epidote and quartz. Quartz-monzodioritic dykes and sills are observed at the margin of this intrusion. The Ni-Cu Laforce showing explored by Kerr Addison Gold Mines Ltd and more lately by Fieldex Exploration (2007) lies about 1 km south of the Property. Summary of Investment Pursuant to the Property Agreement, Foremost Lithium will pay to the vendors an aggregate cash consideration of $50,000 plus GST payable upon closing and an additional $50,000 plus GST payable within 4 months after closing. In addition, the Company will issue a total of 1.5 Million Units (the "Unit") comprised of common shares of the Company (the "Shares") at a deemed price of $.21 per 1 common share and 1.5 Million purchase warrants (the "Warrants") with each warrant exercisable at $.35 per warrant for a period of three years. The Shares and Warrants will be subject to a hold period of four months and one day from the date of issuance. The Company intends to begin an active work program to test the identified pegmatites associated in this active lithium, mining, and refining region of Quebec. It is intended that an exploration program will include ground truthing - boots on the ground as a first step to confirm and describe the nature of the identified pegmatites as well as prospecting selected areas to find lithium-bearing pegmatites. The Company anticipates using indirect techniques such as EarthEx drone-assisted magnetic survey in addition to surficial geochemical surveys including Mobile Metal Ions (MMI Technology) to contemplate areas with scarce outcrops to help delineate new targets prospective for lithium-bearing pegmatites. Once the targets are determined, a projected drilling program will follow. Technical information relating to Lac Simard South Property contained in this news release has been approved by Isabelle Robillard, P. Geo, who is a "Qualified Person" within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. On Behalf of the Board of Directors Jason Barnard, President and CEO Email: info@foremostlithium.com Phone: +1 (604) 330-8067 The Canadian Securities Exchange has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release and accepts no responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy hereof. About Foremost Lithium Resource & Technology Ltd. Foremost Lithium is a hard-rock exploration company with over 43,300 acres located in Snow Lake, Manitoba. It's 5 Lithium Lane Projects, Zoro, Jean Lake, Grass River, Peg North and Jol, are strategically located to capitalize on the world's growing EV appetite and is perfectly positioned to become a premier supplier of North America's lithium feedstock. As the world transitions towards decarbonization, the Company's objective is the extraction of lithium oxide (LiO), and to subsequently play a role in the production of high-quality lithium hydroxide (LiOH), to help power lithium-based batteries, critical in developing a clean-energy economy. Foremost Lithium also has the Winston Gold/Silver Property in New Mexico USA. Learn More at www.foremostlithium.com Follow us or contact us on social media: Twitter: @foremostlithium Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/foremost-lithium-resource-technology/mycompany Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ForemostLithium Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains "forward-looking statements" and "forward-looking information" (as defined under applicable securities laws), based on management's best estimates, assumptions, and current expectations. Such statements include but are not limited to, statements with respect to the plans for future exploration and development of the Company's properties and the acquisition of additional exploration projects. Generally, these forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "expects", "expected", "budgeted", "forecasts", "anticipates" "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "aims", "potential", "goal", "objective", "prospective", and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "can", "could" or "should" occur. These statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such statements, including but not limited to: risks related to the receipt of all necessary regulatory and third party approvals for the proposed acquisition and operations of the Company's business and exploration activities, risks related to the Company's exploration properties; risks related to international operations; risks related to general economic conditions, actual results of current exploration activities, unanticipated reclamation expenses; changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined; fluctuations in prices of commodities including lithium and gold; fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates, increases in market prices of mining consumables, failure of equipment or processes to operate as anticipated; accidents, labour disputes, title disputes, claims and limitations on insurance coverage and other risks of the mining industry; delays in the completion of exploration, development or construction activities, changes in national and local government regulation of mining operations, tax rules and regulations, and political and economic developments in jurisdictions in which the Company operates. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements, 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. The forward-looking statements and forward-looking information are made as of the date hereof and are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. The Company disclaims any obligation to revise or update any such factors or to publicly announce the result of any revisions to any forward-looking statements or forward-looking information contained herein to reflect future results, events or developments, except as require by law. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and information. Please refer to the Company's most recent filings under its profile at www.sedar.com for further information respecting the risks affecting the Company and its business. *Resource estimates contained on map in this press release were directly sourced from: https://sayonamining.com.au/projects/authier-project/ https://sayonamining.com.au/projects/tansim-project/ https://sayonamining.com.au/projects/moblan-project/ More Info: This news is published on the Investorideas.com Newswire - a global digital news source for investors and business leaders Disclaimer/Disclosure: Investorideas.com is a digital publisher of third party sourced news, articles and equity research as well as creates original content, including video, interviews and articles. Original content created by investorideas is protected by copyright laws other than syndication rights. Our site does not make recommendations for purchases or sale of stocks, services or products. 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Please read Investorideas.com privacy policy: https://www.investorideas.com/About/Private_Policy.asp Vancouver, British Columbia - March 21, 2023 (Newsfile Corp.) (Investorideas.com Newswire) Slave Lake Zinc Corp. (CSE: SLZ) (the "Company") has continued to identify exciting new exploration targets at the O'Connor Lake project. The Company's review of historical drill logs indicates that the extensive drill program testing zinc lead deposits at the original discovery, MWK Number 1 vein, also reported intersecting pegmatitic dykes and pegmatitic granite in multiple drill holes. Intersections of pegmatite recorded in 1952 ranged from less than half a meter to over 8 meters within the same drill holes as multi meter intercepts of the highly prospective zinc/lead mineralization at the "head frame" area. This pegmatitic material is present as dyke swarms or injections. No sampling was ever done to test for the presence of lithium or other "critical metals" in these rocks. As part of the proposed summer work program, Slave Lake plans to locate the old core to determine if sampling it for lithium is feasible after this length of time. This new information extends the area on the Slave Lake property now known to contain pegmatitic material to over 7 kilometers from west to east and 6 kilometers from north to south. Favorable host rock units also extend beyond this area on the Company's claims, and provide additional prospective pegmatite exploration target areas. The O'Connor Lake pegmatitic granites are described to vary from "fine" to "coarse" grained and have border contacts ranging from sharp to gradational with their enclosing host rocks. They are reported to be composed of various feldspars and quartz, and contain accessory minerals including tourmaline, biotite, muscovite and red or purple garnets. No other study of these rocks was done beyond identifying their presence. The Hearne Channel pegmatite deposits now being explored by LiFT Power lie some 120 kilometers north of the Slave Lake claims, across Great Slave Lake. These lithium mineralized pegmatites occur in a geological setting similar to that at O'Connor Lake and provide regional exploration models for the Company. Ritch Wigham, CEO of Slave Lake, commented, "This recent information demonstrates that pegmatite granite systems are widespread on our property. It is important to note that only preliminary study of these pegmatites was ever done, and only then because they were associated with the structures being explored for zinc and lead prior to 1952. As we continue to focus on further exploration for high-grade zinc, lead and copper within our large property we will also sample for lithium and other critical metals in all pegmatitic material that we encounter. As a result, Slave Lake has a unique opportunity to have prospectivity for multiple 'critical metal' exploration targets." About Slave Lake Zinc Slave Lake Zinc Corp. intends to develop the potential of its O'Connor Lake property, an historic zinc lead copper property located in the Northwest Territories of Canada. The property is located south of Great Slave Lake and to the east of Pine Point project. The property was initially developed after the Second World War and subsequently abandoned in 1952 when the prices of zinc and lead collapsed post war. Slave Lake Zinc Corp. believes that it is well positioned to advance this project and to expand significantly the historic potential of the property. For more information, please visit www.zinccorp.ca. On Behalf of the Board of Directors, Slave Lake Zinc Corp. Per: Ritch Wigham CEO & Director Phone: 604-396-5762 Email: rwigham@zinccorp.ca Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its regulation services provider has reviewed or accepted responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the content of this news release Forward-Looking Statement Statements in this news release that are forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties concerning the specific factors disclosed here and elsewhere in both Slave Lake Zinc's periodic filings with Canadian securities regulators. When used in this news release, words such as "will", "plan", "estimate", "expect", "intend", "potential", "should," and similar expressions, are forward-looking statements. Information provided in this document is necessarily summarized and may not contain all available material information. Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements regarding the progress of a definitive offtake agreement, potential development and production at the Company's O'Connor Lake project, future oriented events and other statements that are not facts. Forward-looking statements are based on a few assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by management based on the business and markets in which Slave Lake Zinc operates, are inherently subject to significant operational, economic, and competitive uncertainties and contingencies. Such forward-looking statements should therefore be construed in light of such factors. Although Slave Lake Zinc has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements, there can be other factors that cause results, performance or achievements not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate or that management's expectations or estimates of future developments, circumstances or results will materialize. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this news release are made as of the date of this news release, and Slave Lake Zinc disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise such information, except as required by applicable law, and Slave Lake Zinc does not assume any liability for disclosure relating to any other company. More Info: This news is published on the Investorideas.com Newswire - a global digital news source for investors and business leaders Disclaimer/Disclosure: Investorideas.com is a digital publisher of third party sourced news, articles and equity research as well as creates original content, including video, interviews and articles. Original content created by investorideas is protected by copyright laws other than syndication rights. Our site does not make recommendations for purchases or sale of stocks, services or products. Nothing on our sites should be construed as an offer or solicitation to buy or sell products or securities. All investing involves risk and possible losses. This site is currently compensated for news publication and distribution, social media and marketing, content creation and more. Disclosure is posted for each compensated news release, content published /created if required but otherwise the news was not compensated for and was published for the sole interest of our readers and followers. Contact management and IR of each company directly regarding specific questions. More disclaimer info: https://www.investorideas.com/About/Disclaimer.asp Learn more about publishing your news release and our other news services on the Investorideas.com newswire https://www.investorideas.com/News-Upload/ and tickertagstocknews.com Global investors must adhere to regulations of each country. Please read Investorideas.com privacy policy: https://www.investorideas.com/About/Private_Policy.asp New York, NY - March 21, 2023 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Breaking Tech / Telecom Stock News at Investor Ideas - iQSTEL, Inc. (USOTCQX: IQST) today announced entering into a Joint Venture (JV) with GOTMY to accelerate the launch of a turnkey, white label metaverse solution for iQSTEL's telecommunication customers. The metaverse market size by revenue is estimated to currently be worth $61.8 billion and expected to grow to $426.9 billion by 2027 iQSTEL currently delivers over $90 million in annual base revenue from its telecommunications offerings while expanding upon its base to include a comprehensive suite of new services designed to satisfy basic human needs in a modern world: ubiquitous communications; financial freedom, and clean, affordable mobility. iQSTEL's telecommunications division is already profitable and management expects the EV and Fintech divisions to generate new profit streams this year. GOTMY has expanded its personalized live video marketplace and platform offered through an app available for iPhone, Android and PC enabling content creators and internet influencers to host and monetize online events. GOTMY now offers a white label metaverse solution empowering brands, large and small, to host 3D events where participants can interact with the brand and even buy from the brand in an online store without downloading any app or using a wallet. Learn more about GOTMY here. Through the JV with GOTMY, iQSTEL will offer its telecommunication carrier clients a white label solution enabling telecommunication carriers to interact with their customers (end users, and enterprises) through a metaverse platform. The iQSTEL white label metaverse solution developed in partnership with GOTMY will be tailored to provide telecom carriers with a distinctive and immersive customer experience. In line with GOTMY's mission to offer universally accessible experiential spaces, the iQSTEL solution for telecom carriers is intended to accommodate all mobile phone users, not just those with high-end VR headsets. Jose E. Puente, CEO of GOTMY, expressed his enthusiasm for the collaboration: "We are eager to initiate this joint venture with iQSTEL, introducing our technology to the telecommunications market. We firmly believe that our white label metaverse will enable telecom carriers to provide exceptional and engaging experiences for their customers, while ensuring that these experiences are accessible to a broader audience." IQSTEL management believes the metaverse will become as ubiquitous as the Internet serving as a standardized gateway for all content, products, services, and customer support services. In conjunction with the GOTMY JV, iQSTEL also announces the new iQSTEL Metaverse business division, with Jose Enrique Puente as CEO. The first business objective of the new Metaverse division is to complete a graphic design upgrade and launch the iQSTEL metaverse solution next quarter. Leandro Iglesias commented "We are very excited to launch our own metaverse platform. I have personally known Jose Enrique Puente for more than 15 years. He is a highly qualified entrepreneur and visionary with an impressive track record. iQSTEL is fortunate to have him on board. Under Jose's leadership I expect our metaverse platform to first differentiate iQSTEL within the telecommunications carrier market and then to subsequently grow and expand into becoming the tie that unifies iQSTEL's telecommunications, financial and mobility solutions into a seamless single offering satisfying basic human needs in a modern world: ubiquitous communications, financial freedom and clean, affordable mobility . Look for iQSTEL to launch the Joint Venture Metaverse Brand and Product next quarter adding to our telecommunications income and potentially compelling an increase to our current $105 million annual revenue forecast." The iQSTEL and GOTMY partnership is set to revolutionize the telecommunications industry by presenting carriers with a leading, innovative approach to connecting with their customers. By merging the expertise of two industry-leading companies, this trailblazing solution promises to make a substantial impact within the telecommunications sector. About iQSTEL Inc.: iQSTEL Inc. (OTCQX: IQST) (www.iQSTEL.com) is a US-based publicly listed company holding an Independent Board of Directors and Audit Committee with a presence in 19 countries and 70 employees offering leading-edge services through its four business lines. The Telecom Division (www.iqstelecom.com), which represents the majority of current operations, offers VoIP, SMS, proprietary Internet of Things (IoT) solutions, and international fiber-optic connectivity through its subsidiaries: Etelix, SwissLink, Smartbiz, Whisl, IoT Labs, and QGlobal SMS. The Fintech business line (www.globalmoneyone.com) (www.maxmo.vip) offers a complete Fintech ecosystem MasterCard Debit Card, US Bank Account (No SSN Needed), Mobile App/Wallet (Remittances, Mobile Top Up). Our Fintech subsidiary, Global Money One, is to provide immigrants access to reliable financial services that make it easier to manage their money and stay connected with their families back home. The BlockChain Platform Business Line (www.itsbchain.com) offers our proprietary Mobile Number Portability Application (MNPA) to serve the in-country portability needs through its subsidiary, itsBchain. The Electric Vehicle (EV) Business Line (www.evoss.net) offers electric motorcycles to work and have fun in the USA, Spain, Portugal, Panama, Colombia, and Venezuela. EVOSS is also working on the development of an EV Mid Speed Car to serve the niche of the 2nd car in the family. Safe Harbor Statement: Statements in this news release may be "forward-looking statements". Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements that express our intentions, beliefs, expectations, strategies, predictions, or any other information relating to our future activities or other future events or conditions. These statements are based on current expectations, estimates, and projections about our business based partly on assumptions made by management. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties, and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual outcomes and results may and are likely to differ materially from what is expressed or forecasted in forward-looking statements due to numerous factors. Any forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this news release, and iQSTEL Inc. undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this news release. This press release does not constitute a public offer of any securities for sale. Any securities offered privately will not be or have not been registered under the Act and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from registration requirements. iQSTEL Inc. IR US Phone: 646-740-0907 IR Email: investors@iqstel.com Contact Details iQSTEL Inc. +1 646-740-0907 investors@iqstel.com Company Website https://www.iqstel.com/ Investorideas.com Paid news Disclaimer/Disclosure: Investorideas.com is a digital publisher of third party sourced news, articles and equity research as well as creates original content, including video, interviews and articles. Original content created by investorideas is protected by copyright laws other than syndication rights. Our site does not make recommendations for purchases or sale of stocks, services or products. Nothing on our sites should be construed as an offer or solicitation to buy or sell products or securities. All investing involves risk and possible losses. This site is currently compensated for news publication and distribution, social media and marketing, content creation and more. Disclosure is posted for each compensated news release, content published /created if required but otherwise the news was not compensated for and was published for the sole interest of our readers and followers. Contact management and IR of each company directly regarding specific questions. Disclosure : this news release featuring iQSTEL Inc. (OTC: IQST) is a paid for news release on Investorideas.com https://www.investorideas.com/News-Upload/ More disclaimer info: https://www.investorideas.com/About/Disclaimer.asp Learn more about publishing your news release and our other news services on the Investorideas.com newswire https://www.investorideas.com/News-Upload/ and tickertagstocknews.com Global investors must adhere to regulations of each country. Please read Investorideas.com privacy policy: https://www.investorideas.com/About/Private_Policy.asp About Investorideas.com https://www.investorideas.com/About/ Sign up for free stock news alerts at Investorideas.com https://www.investorideas.com/Resources/Newsletter.asp Switzerlands government has ordered Credit Suisse to temporarily suspend bonuses for employees, after orchestrating a plan for the Swiss bank to be taken over by rival UBS. The Swiss department of finance says federal law allows the government to set remuneration-related measures in cases involving Switzerlands biggest banks. TikTok has rolled out updated rules and standards for content and users as it faces increasing pressure from western authorities over concerns that material on the Chinese-owned video-sharing app could be used to push false information. The company released a reorganised set of community guidelines that include eight principles to guide content moderation decisions. These principles are based on our commitment to uphold human rights and aligned with international legal frameworks, said Julie de Bailliencourt, TikToks global head of product policy. She said TikTok strives to be fair, to protect human dignity and to balance freedom of expression with preventing harm. The Chinese-owned app has come under fire in the US, Europe and Asia-Pacific, where a growing number of governments have banned TikTok from devices used for official business over worries it poses risks to cybersecurity and data privacy or could be used to push pro-Beijing narratives and misinformation. There is no evidence to suggest this has happened or that TikTok has handed user data to the Chinese government, as some of its critics have argued it would do. Chief executive Shou Zi Chew is scheduled to appear on Thursday before the US Congress, where he will be grilled about the companys privacy and data-security practices and relationship with the Chinese government. The guidelines, which take effect on April 21, were repackaged from TikToks existing rules with extra details and explanations. Among the more significant changes are additional details about its restrictions on deepfakes, also known as synthetic media created by artificial intelligence technology. TikTok more clearly spells out its policy, saying all deepfakes or manipulated content that show realistic scenes must be labelled to indicate they are fake or altered in some way. The app had previously banned deepfakes that mislead viewers about real-world events and cause harm. Its updated guidelines say deepfakes of private figures and young people are also not allowed. Deepfakes of public figures are OK in certain contexts, such as for artistic or educational content, but not for political or commercial endorsements. Friday, Mar 19th, 2021 (12:01 am) - Score 19,944 The UK Government has today revealed new details of how their 5bn gigabit broadband roll-out scheme will work and rebranded it as Project Gigabit. As part of that theyve also confirmed 210m for an extension of their rural Gigabit Voucher scheme and 110m to connect up to 7,000 rural GP surgeries, libraries and schools. At present around 40% of homes and businesses across the United Kingdom can already access a Gigabit (1Gbps+) speed capable broadband ISP network, which is likely to reach over half of premises by the end of 2021 (c.60%). But the majority of that is largely thanks to commercial deployments and upgrades in urban areas (i.e. most of it stems from Virgin Medias DOCSIS 3.1 upgrade, while the rest comes from FTTP). NOTE: Up to 80% of gigabit coverage is expected to be delivered by commercial projects, thus public funding is focused on helping the final 20% of premises (i.e. rural and sub-urban areas c.5-6 million premises, which the market finds too expensive). The Governments Project Gigabit programme wants such speeds to reach at least 85% of UK premises by the end of 2025, and they also aim to get as close to 100% as possible depending upon how the industry responds (i.e. so far only 1.2bn has been released from the budget, but more will be unlocked if the industry shows they can deliver what is needed). Despite all this, its now expected to be the first half of 2022 before the first contracts are awarded under the new Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) and the Government has also warned that those in the final 1% may still be prohibitively expensive to reach. However, until now, the new programme has been largely stuck in the pre-launch design phase, but all that is about to change. Phase One of Project Gigabit The first phase of Project Gigabit revamps the gap funded (i.e. direct supply side intervention) model, which we first saw in the previous 2.5bn Superfast Broadband (SFBB) programme from the Building Digital UK (BDUK) team, albeit with a few key changes. This is expected to gobble up the lions share of that 5bn and involves inviting ISPs to bid on contracts for covering intervention areas of varying different sizes. The new scheme, which in England will be centrally managed by BDUK (as opposed to being managed by local councils like SFBB), will once again require bidders to ensure that their networks are available for use by other ISPs via wholesale (open access). Various operators, both big and small (e.g. Openreach, Virgin Media, Cityfibre, Gigaclear, Cityfibre etc.), are expected to take part and areas with sub-30Mbps speeds will be prioritized (but NOT to the exclusion of all else). More than 1.1 million homes and businesses are expected to gain access to gigabit-capable connections in this first phase, starting with up to 510,000 premises in Cambridgeshire, Cornwall, Cumbria, Dorset, Durham, Essex, Northumberland, South Tyneside and Tees Valley. The first procurements to be announced from the above batch are: 110,000 to 130,000 premises in Durham, South Tyneside & Tees Valley and areas of Northumberland including Darlington, Stockton, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland, Sunderland, Gateshead and South Tyneside 60,000 to 80,000 premises in West Cumbria including in the Lake District National Park 30,000 to 50,000 premises in North and West Northumberland and East Cumbria including Brampton and Rothbury 120,00 to 140,000 premises in Cambridgeshire and adjacent areas including Peterborough and parts of Northamptonshire, Essex, Hertfordshire and Rutland 40,000 to 60,000 premises in East Cornwall including Launceston, Callington and Looe 30,000 to 50,000 premises in West Cornwall including in Cambourne-Pool-Redruth and Penzance and the Isles of Scilly NOTE: On top of these six regional contracts above (Phase 1a), there will also be further local supplier contacts in rural Essex and Dorset. Then, in June 2021, BDUK expects to announce the next batch of procurements (Phase 1b) to connect up to 640,000 premises in Norfolk, Shropshire, Suffolk, Worcestershire, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. Further details on these will follow in the future (quarterly updates are expected on all of this). However, despite all the talk being that available speeds will rocket to more than 1,000 megabits, it should be stated that the contracts themselves need to reflect reality (e.g. consumer connections share their capacity between users in order to remain affordable). In the real world this, and various hardware limits, mean that even if you buy a 1Gbps package then the ISP might not be able to deliver 100% of that speed to you 24/7. Documents released in July 2020 revealed that BDUK appeared likely to require a normally available download speed of at least 500Mbps and uploads of 200Mbps (here) as defined at peak times (8-10pm for residential and 12-2pm for business services). Well check later this morning to see if theres any update on this, but saying 500Mbps is more about defining real-world capability on residential networks. In any case, most rural homes would hardly moan at such speeds. Nevertheless, some people may be confused by anything that seems like a dilution of gigabit performance. More Public Sector Dark Fibre The existing demand-side intervention approach adopted by the Local Full Fibre Networks (LFFN) programme, where public money is used to help build Dark Fibre to connect public and community buildings (e.g. council houses, schools, libraries and GP surgeries) will continue and is being boosted by another 110m. The government states that this funding should help to extend gigabit fibre to connect up to 7,000 more GP surgeries, libraries and schools in rural areas. As before, the hope is that some of these Dark Fibre style deployments will later be harnessed by the commercial sector (using private investment) to help extend Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband into surrounding homes and businesses etc. The existing LFFN programme seemed to work quite well and the extra funding should make it more viable to take this approach in some of the hardest to reach parts of the UK. The New Gigabit Voucher Scheme Until very recently the existing 200m Rural Gigabit Connectivity (RGC) programme was still offering gigabit connectivity vouchers to people living in rural and semi-rural areas. The RGC scheme offered up to 3,500 for businesses, or 1,500 for homes, to help them get an ultrafast or gigabit-capable connection installed (last year many of these vouchers doubled in value). NOTE: So far more than 66,000 vouchers worth up to 127m have been issued to premises across the UK. Sadly new applications for these vouchers have been in limbo for a few weeks because the existing scheme was due to finish on 31st March 2021 (pre-existing projects will still be served until March 2022). We had been expecting a follow-on scheme to launch and today the Government confirmed that theyve committed 210m to relaunch the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme (GBVS). The new vouchers, which will be of the same value as before (see above), will go live on 8th April 2021 and mean that rural areas will not have to wait for supplier contracts under Project Gigabit to reach them. Apparently a new online postcode checker will be made available, so people can check if their home or business is eligible for a voucher, although its unclear how this will differ from the old one. As weve previously reported (here), the follow-on scheme will only be available to those deemed to be in Ofcoms Area 3 definition, which reflects the least competitive rural areas (previously parts of semi-competitive Area 2 were also covered). This is necessary to reduce conflict with deployment contracts under the new gigabit programme and focus funding to where its needed the most. Some existing projects under the old programme, which are still in-flight and may have headroom for more vouchers after the scheme ends, may also be able to transfer to the new scheme, but obviously this will still exclude any Area 2 premises. Tackling the Final 0.3% of Premises As mentioned earlier, the Government (DCMS) has previously warned that those living in the final 1% of remote rural premises may be prohibitively expensive to reach (here). Todays announcement notes that, thanks to completed or pending government-funded projects, less than 0.3% of the country (i.e. under 100,000 premises) are likely to fall into this category (roughly the same gap that the 10Mbps USO has struggled to fill). NOTE: According to data provided by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), there are approximately 420,000 premises in the UK which are classified as remote. This represents c.1.4% of the total number of premises in the UK. For these Very Hard to Reach premises, which are mainly located in remote and isolated locations in Scotland and Wales, and some National Parks in England, a call for evidence has been launched to explore the barriers to improving their broadband and how innovative new technologies might help change this (open until 11th June 2021). The consultation states: The costs of improving broadband coverage rise exponentially as deployment continues into the final percentage point of most remote premises. A very small proportion of premises potentially less than 100,000 are therefore likely to be significantly above the broadband USOs reasonable cost threshold and considered Very Hard to Reach with gigabit-capable broadband technologies like FTTP. This is due to factors like their isolated geographic locations or the often substantial distances between them and existing or planned telecoms infrastructure, which make it challenging to deliver improved broadband. The suggestion is that all of this could lead to the government encouraging industry to use new wireless kit, LEO satellites (e.g. Starlink, OneWeb) or high altitude platforms to beam faster connections to far-flung homes and businesses. We dont know what the outcome of this will be, but we could easily see a voucher approach being extended to help cover the cost of Starlinks (SpaceX) hardware (c.500). But at present the 89 per month rental on Starlink is still far too expensive for most people, so that would ideally need to change first (or OneWeb may launch with better affordability). Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) networks may also help in some areas. Closing Thoughts Unfortunately what todays announcement doesnt tell us is how long it will actually take to achieve near universal coverage of gigabit-capable broadband. One recent forecast predicted that the UK could potentially reach 98%+ coverage by 2030 (here) and that seems like a reasonable prediction, if still subject to a fair degree of uncertainty. The new programme, particularly its dominant gap-funded approach, is also a bit more complex than weve seen before. The new Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) is designed to help do the heavy lifting here, but theres no guarantee that delays wont still creep in (we always see some problems with big projects like this). Meanwhile, we still dont know exactly how the funding will be managed for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland (Scotland has already had a little for R100, but thats different here). England may have taken a centralised approach, but the devolved governments have already signalled that theyd like to be in charge of their own funding allocations, but BDUK/DCMS may well worry about this approach attracting further delays (it took years to get R100 into delivery mode). Oliver Dowden MP, Digital Secretary, said: Project Gigabit is our national mission to plug in and power up every corner of the UK and get us gigafit for the future. We have already made rapid progress, with almost 40 percent of homes and businesses now able to access next-generation gigabit speeds, compared to just 9 percent in 2019. Now we are setting out our plans to invest 5 billion in remote and rural areas so that no one is left behind by the connectivity revolution. That means no more battling over the bandwidth, more freedom to live and work anywhere in the country, and tens of thousands of new jobs created as we deliver a game-changing infrastructure upgrade. Boris Johnson, UK Prime Minister, said: Project Gigabit is the rocket boost that we need to get lightning-fast broadband to all areas of the country. This broadband revolution will fire up peoples businesses and homes, and the vital public services that we all rely on, so we can continue to level up and build back better from this pandemic. At this point we should remind readers that, while a lot of the focus above will be on full fibre FTTP technology, the Government is in fact adopting a technologically neutral approach to delivery (e.g. FTTP, DOCSIS 3.1 Hybrid Fibre Coax, 5G or fixed wireless broadband could all play a part). But the mobile variant of 5G, due to its preference for lower frequencies to maximise coverage in remote areas, is unlikely to foster gigabit speeds for rural homes. Nevertheless, Project Gigabit is still a big step in the right direction and we welcome the fact that its now, finally, able to get out of the starting blocks. Alongside the Delivery Plan for Project Gigabit, DCMS has today published an update on the work of its Barrier Busting Taskforce. The Taskforce has played a key role in improving the environment for digital infrastructure investment and deployment. In the meantime, we shouldnt forget that rural gigabit deployments have continued to be supported by extensions to BDUKs original 2.5bn Superfast Broadband (SFBB) project, which for the past couple of years has largely helped to extend FTTP coverage. Additionally, between September and December 2020, the government approved a further 490 million in new contracts via the SFBB programme across the UK to connect a further 172,000 premises to gigabit connectivity in Scotland, Cheshire, West Yorkshire, North Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, North Lincolnshire, Devon and Somerset. We suspect this will also help to push 30Mbps+ coverage to c.98% in around 2 years time (presently its c.97%). Project Gigabit Phase One Delivery Plan https://www.gov.uk/../project-gigabit-phase-one-delivery-plan UPDATE 6:54am A few more comments from the launch. Clive Selley, CEO of Openreach said: Were already building Full Fibre broadband to 20 million homes and businesses under our own steam including in rural and hard-to-reach areas and we welcome this as a vital next step to connect the toughest parts of the UK. Well be considering these proposals for the final 20% with interest and were keen to support the Government. This is a massive opportunity to level-up the country and boost the bounce-back after the pandemic, so its important the process moves quickly and that all operators do their bit. Greg Mesch, CEO of CityFibre, said: Project Gigabit is another welcome accelerant that will propel the UK towards a Full Fibre future, supporting economic growth and levelling up opportunity right across the country. As the nations largest independent Full Fibre platform, with a build programme underway to a third of the UK market, CityFibre is ready to extend our network even further to reach rural communities. We look forward to participating in this important programme to ensure no one is left behind. Gareth Williams, Gigaclear CEO, said: As a rural operator already delivering multiple Superfast BDUK contracts, we are naturally delighted to see the next step in the development of the Outside In programme. We are fully supportive of the Governments ambition to roll out gigabit capable connectivity across the country as quickly as possible, the importance of which has been further highlighted by the COVID pandemic. We look forward to playing an active role in meeting this ambition and will review these opportunities in detail. UPDATE 8:16am The new Gigabit Project documentation also gives us a little preview of which areas / regions are likely to be in their Phase 2 procurements. We are aiming to commence preparations in each of these areas by starting our National Open Market Review in the next three months, said the documentation. Tentative Phase 2 Procurement Plan Bedfordshire, Northamptonshire and Milton Keynes (Lot 12) Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and East of Berkshire (Lot 26) Derbyshire (Lot 3) East Sussex (Lot 16) Kent (Lot 29) Lancashire (Lot 9) Leicestershire and Warwickshire (Lot 11) Nottinghamshire and West of Lincolnshire (Lot 10) Oxfordshire and West Berkshire (Lot 13) South Yorkshire (Lot 20) Staffordshire (Lot 19) Surrey (Lot 22) West Yorkshire and parts of North Yorkshire (Lot 8) West Sussex (Lot 1) Wiltshire and South Gloucestershire (Lot 30) Potential projects in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland (Lots TBC) Beyond Phase 2 (TBA later in the programme) Birmingham and the Black Country (Lot 35) Cheshire (Lot 17) Devon & Somerset (Lot 6) Herefordshire & Gloucestershire (Lots 15, 18) Dorset (Lot 14) (although note some Local Supplier contracts are being progressed here) Essex (Lot 21) (although note some Local Supplier contracts are being progressed here) Lincolnshire (including NE Lincolnshire and N Lincolnshire) and East Riding (Lot 23) Greater London (Lot 37) Merseyside and Greater Manchester (Lot 36) Newcastle and North Tyneside (Lot 38) Northern North Yorkshire (Lot 31) Remaining projects in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland (Lots TBC) UPDATE 8:26am The documentation also gives us a little more detail, albeit still not finalised, on how DCMS/BDUK will approach the issue of working with Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. By the sounds of it, in Scotland these Projects will be developed jointly by the UK Government and Scottish Government through a collaborative approach, in which it is expected that the Scottish Government will be the lead partner on implementation management on behalf of DCMS. As for Wales and N.Ireland, its still a little unclear, but theres a lot of working together style waffle without any specifics. UPDATE 8:35am Some might wonder what happened to all of the expected smaller procurements above, as much smaller clusters (bundles) were mentioned during the design phase. In short, theres been a lack of specific proposals from suppliers and that has made it hard to implement, but theyre keeping the door open. This is what DCMS/BDUK say on that: The feedback from telecoms providers and local authorities confirms that there remains a strong level of interest in smaller procurements through the DPS. As described in this document, the lack of specific proposals to consider has made it hard to develop specific procurement areas so far, but we remain committed to the procurement route and will follow up with smaller telecoms providers expressing interest, particularly where they have proposals for areas to include in procurements. UPDATE 8:43am In the above article we mentioned the launch of a new voucher website / checker, which the documentation suggests reflects the ability to give greater feedback on eligibility: Where eligible, consumers will be able to contact registered suppliers to understand how vouchers could be used as part of a project to connect their community. Where not eligible, we will explain why and provide information so that consumers can identify what connectivity options are available to them and timelines for when we would reappraise eligibility if network build plans have changed or not progressed as expected. Providers will also be able to alert where they believe our eligibility assessment may be based on inaccurate records, just as they can today. UPDATE 9:36am Another comment. Steve Leighton, Voneus, said: As a rural provider of Gigabit connectivity, the Government announcement on Project Gigabit is welcome news to us and the communities we serve today. Working alongside Government, we look forward to playing an active role in future procurements, accelerating our Gigabit roll out to the hardest to reach areas of the UK. This transformational project, will provide much needed support to the rural communities we engage with on a daily basis, and we are ready to step in and make a real difference. UPDATE 26th March 2021 We managed to get an update on last years pilot of the Broadband Upgrade Fund, which was a consumer led (instead of supplier led) approach to the gigabit voucher scheme (i.e. like a dating site for vouchers where people/communities expressed an interest in vouchers and suppliers could then choose to engage with them). We were curious about what would happen to this idea under Project Gigabit. Apparently, the final stage of the Broadband Upgrade Fund only recently completed, in January 2021, and many suppliers are still in the process of engaging with communities to put together project proposals to submit to BDUK for approval. Therefore, a full assessment of the effectiveness of the pilot will be done once there has been sufficient opportunity for proposals to turn into voucher projects. This will inform any decisions around whether to adopt this kind of model in the future. BDUK also clarified their position on setting the speed criteria for future gap funded contracts: We will confirm the requirements in the tender documents for the procurements but have been making some changes to the technical requirements in light of feedback from the market. Essentially, the requirements will be largely consistent with commonly available in the market today from gigabit providers, including offering, as a minimum, a product that includes headline download speeds of 1Gbps with a (lower) minimum throughput during busy hour periods, plus a minimum upload speed. We expect bidders to offer other tiers of service and they will submit their wholesale product offerings and will be evaluated accordingly. Tuesday, Mar 21st, 2023 (6:50 am) - Score 3,096 The sixth contract awarded under the UK Governments 5bn Project Gigabit broadband rollout scheme worth 122 million has today been awarded to CityFibre, which will upgrade connectivity for around 45,000 hard-to-reach homes and businesses across rural parts of Cambridgeshire in England. At present CityFibre is best known for deploying across urban areas and aims to cover up to 8 million UK premises (funded by c.2.4bn in equity and c.4.9bn debt) across over 285 cities, towns and villages (c.30% of the UK) by the end of 2025 (here). The operator has so far built to a total of 2.5 million premises (passing 22,000 per week), but they have also conducted some limited deployments in a few rural communities (example). NOTE: Around 73.5% of UK premises can already access a gigabit network (c. 45% via just Around 73.5% of UK premises can already access a gigabit network (c. 45% via just FTTP ) see here By comparison, Project Gigabit aims to extend 1Gbps capable (download) networks to reach at least 85% of UK premises by the end of 2025, before hopefully achieving nationwide coverage (c. 99%) by around 2030 (here). Commercial investment is expected to deliver around 80% of this, which leaves the governments scheme to focus on tackling the final 20% (mostly rural and some sub-urban areas), where the private sector alone often fails. The project is technology neutral, so it can be delivered via either full fibre FTTP, Hybrid Fibre Coax (HFC) or fixed wireless access (e.g. 5G), but FTTP is favoured. The project uses a number of different approaches to tackle this challenge (e.g. vouches and investment in dark fibre builds), but the largest part of the scheme involves a gap-funded subsidy approach the Gigabit Infrastructure Subsidy (GIS). This is where smaller local and larger regional contracts are awarded to network operators and ISPs who can help to build their gigabit-capable infrastructure across the final 20%. The Building Digital UK (BDUK) agency, which manages Project Gigabit, has already awarded a string of initial contracts to various ISPs (see bottom of article for a summary) and the sixth one Cambridgeshire and adjacent areas (Lot 5) has today gone to CityFibre. The deal is funded by 69m of public investment, which will in turn unlock a further 53m of commercial funding to help reach around 45,000 premises in the county. Detailed planning in Cambridgeshire is said to have already begun and the first Project Gigabit connections are expected in early 2024. The rollout itself will benefit villages and hamlets around Ely, Newmarket, Royston, Huntingdon and many other areas (some of those locations are already well served by gigabit broadband, hence the use of around focusing on the poorly served outer communities). Julia Lopez, Digital Infrastructure Minister, said: Thanks to our record-breaking roll out Project Gigabit, rural homes and businesses across Cambridgeshire can be confident they wont be left behind in the upgrade to top-of-the-range gigabit broadband. This landmark deal with CityFibre will help deliver the Prime Ministers priority to grow the economy by ensuring the countys pioneering science and tech industries can unleash their full potential with lightning-quick connectivity, whether in the city or the countryside. CityFibre has also committed an additional 300,000 local stimulus package to create local jobs and provide training including construction and engineering internships for disadvantaged groups. The package will also provide free connectivity to 50 local charities and social enterprises and help those who have trouble using digital technology. Greg Mesch, CityFibre CEO, said: Having already rolled out full fibre to 2.5 million homes in towns and cities across the country, we know just how important it is that rural communities and internet service providers are freed of their dependency on creaking copper networks and finally able to enjoy the benefits of fast and reliable digital connectivity. Thats why we are delighted that CityFibre has been selected by the government as a partner in its Project Gigabit Programme. We look forward to a long and effective partnership in this exciting programme which supports not only rural connectivity, but a healthy competitive market for the long term, benefiting consumers and business nationwide. The network operator already has good coverage in Cambridgeshire, where it has so far committed more than 100m of private investment, completing deployments in Peterborough and March, and with builds well underway in other locations across the county. Nevertheless, CityFibre scooping their first major Project Gigabit contract is big news, not least because theyve done it before Nexfibre (VMO2) and BT (Openreach). On the other hand, this does represent a challenge for an operator that has, until now, largely focused on conducting more cost-efficient urban builds. CityFibres limited rural footprint will give it some experience, but it remains to be seen how well they cope with doing such a project at scale. A separate announcement from CityFibre today has also confirmed that this contract will see the operator make an additional commitment to connect a further 170,000 homes across Cambridgeshire as part of their commercial programme. Once all is completed, the operator hopes to serve more than 365,000 homes. NOTE: Of the 215,000 homes now being addressed by this Project Gigabit contract award (45,000) and CityFibres extended commercial rollout (170,000), 67% have no access to Virgin Medias networks and 75% are excluded from BT Openreachs announced FTTP rollout. In terms of the service itself. CityFibre is supported by various ISPs such as Vodafone, TalkTalk, Zen Internet, Giganet, iDNET and many others. Project Gigabit GIS Contract Awards History Wessex Internet for North Dorset (Lot 14.01) in August 2022 (here) GoFibre for Teesdale (Lot 4.01) in September 2022 (here) GoFibre for North Northumberland (Lot 34.01) in October 2022 (here) Fibrus for Cumbria (Lot 28) in November 2022 (here) Wildanet for Central Cornwall (Lot 32.03) and South West Cornwall (Lot 32.02) in January 2023 (here) CityFibre for Cambridgeshire (Lot 5) in March 2023 (here) Project Gigabit is expected to announce further contract awards for areas including Hampshire, Shropshire, Norfolk and Suffolk by this summer 2023. UPDATE 9:30am Added some extra detail on CityFibres commercial build in the county, which wasnt included in the Governments own announcement. AGHDAM, Azerbaijan, March 16. Participants of the meeting dedicated to cooperation between Azerbaijan and the UN have planted trees on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the great leader Heydar Aliyev in Aghdam city, Trend reports. UN Resident Coordinator in Azerbaijan Vladanka Andreeva, representatives of the Azerbaijani government and various UN agencies operating in the country took part in the tree-planting ceremony. Azerbaijan's Aghdam hosts strategic consultations on cooperation between Azerbaijan and the UN. The event is attended by the heads of Azerbaijan's Ministries of Ecology and Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Health, the State Committee on Urban Planning and Architecture, the State Committee for Family, Women, and Children, the Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA), Special Representatives of the President of Azerbaijan, employees of the Presidential Administration represented in the Interdepartmental Center operating under the Coordination Headquarters, as well as senior officials of the offices of UN agencies operating in Azerbaijan. Java 20 is the latest version of the major cross-platform programming language and development platform, and Oracle says the new enhancements will aid developer productivity and drive innovation and growth. Oracle is showcasing the capabilities during a Java Developer Day event in California and online. For more than 25 years, Java has empowered developers to design and build the next generation of robust, scalable, and secure applications, said Oracle senior vice president of development, Java Platform and chair, OpenJDK Governing Board, Georges Saab. The innovative new enhancements in Java 20 reflect the vision and invaluable efforts the global Java community has contributed throughout Javas existence. With the support provided by Oracles ongoing Java technology leadership and community stewardship, Java has never been more relevant as a contemporary language and platform that helps developers improve productivity. The latest Java Development Kit (JDK) provides updates and improvements with seven JDK Enhancement Proposals (JEPs). The majority of the updates are follow-up features improving on functionality introduced in earlier releases. JDK 20 delivers language improvements from OpenJDK project Amber (Record Patterns and Pattern Matching for Switch); enhancements from OpenJDK Project Panama to interconnect Java Virtual Machine (JVM) and native code (Foreign Function & Memory API and Vector API); and features related to Project Loom (Scoped Values, Virtual Threads, and Structured Concurrency), which will dramatically streamline the process of writing, maintaining, and observing high-throughput, concurrent applications. Organisations today face increasing pressure to use their resources as wisely and efficiently as possible, which requires developers to seek tools that streamline application development while helping ensure their organisations achieve their IT security and compliance goals, said S&P Global Market Intelligence senior research analyst Jay Lyman, senior research analyst. Digital transformation leaders say theyre more focused on improving time to market and the agility[1]that can be gained with better tools that can accelerate their organisations application development initiatives. Oracle delivers new Java feature releases every six months via a predictable release schedule. This cadence provides a steady stream of innovations while delivering continuous improvements to the platforms performance, stability, and security that help increase Javas pervasiveness across organisations and industries of all sizes. The most significant updates delivered in Java 20 are: The Java 20 release is the result of extensive collaboration between Oracle engineers and other members of the worldwide Java developer community via OpenJDK and the Java Community Process (JCP). In addition to the new enhancements, Java 20 is supported by Java Management Service an Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) native service which provides a single pane of glass to help organisations manage Java runtimes and applications on-premises or on any cloud. The Oracle Java Universal SE Subscription is a pay-as-you-go offering that provides customers with best-in-class support, including triage support for your entire Java portfolio, entitlement to GraalVM Enterprise, the Java SE Subscription Enterprise Performance Pack, access to the advanced features of the Java Management Service, and the flexibility to upgrade at the pace of their businesses. This helps IT organisations manage complexity, contain costs, and mitigate security risks. In addition, Oracle Java SE, GraalVM Enterprise, and the Java SE Subscription Enterprise Performance Pack are available free of charge on OCI, enabling developers to build and deploy applications that run faster, better, and with unbeatable cost performance on Oracle Cloud. Fears that law enforcement may be lurking in the wings has forced the new administrator of BreachForums to shut down the website. The new admin, who goes by the handle Baphomet, said in a statement posted on the forum that shutting down the sire was the only safe decision after it had been confirmed that the FBI had access to the machine of Pompompurin, the original administrator of the site. Pompompurin, who real name is Conor Brian Fitzpatrick, was taken into custody on 15 March and is due to appear in court on Friday. Stolen data from Australian medical insurer Medibank and telco Singtel Optus was published on the same forum last year. Baphomet said his checks had found that an old CDN server which he had left online had been accessed by an external party on 19 March, before he logged in. ""Unfortunately this likely leads to the conclusion that someone has access to Pom's machine. Any servers we use are never shared with anyone else, so someone would have to know the credentials to that server to be able to login," he wrote. "I now feel like I'm put into a position where nothing can be assumed safe, whether its our configs, source code, or information about our users the list is endless." Baphomet said he planned to set up a Telegram channel to discuss what could be done next. GUEST OPINION: The way we work and interact has evolved incredibly quickly over the last few years, and has changed forever. Work is no longer simply a place where we go to perform our daily tasks for an employer. It has become widely accepted that those tasks can be done anywhere. By the end of this year, a combined workforce of hybrid and fully remote staff will see the majority of employees on the planet working remotely. A recent PWC report revealed that 62% of employees globally would prefer a mix of in-person and remote work, while only 23% said they would prefer full-time remote work. The report also states that 74% of Australian respondents reported that they wanted a mix of face-to-face and remote working of differing degrees, a fact that is corroborated by the Families in Australia Survey conducted by the Australian Federal Government, which confirmed that 67% of Australians were working from home at least part of the time. While it becomes clear that most employees are happier working remotely, the question must be asked: what long-term effect will this have on businesses and productivity? How does a company utilise this shift in the global workforce to its own advantage? The answer lies with the proper organisation and use of remote-first teams. What is a remote-first workforce This is a workforce for which working remotely is their primary option. Remote-first teams are not required to perform their jobs from a centralised office on a permanent basis - they work from other locations, such as a home office or a coworking space. The most efficient teams function with a high level of autonomy and strong team dynamics, which is why remote-first companies prioritise location-independent processes and asynchronous communications channels (i.e. consecutive rather than simultaneous). A hybrid set-up achieves the same, as some employees work outside the office on certain days, supported by remote-first tools. The advantages of such a workforce are numerous, from financial efficiency and a reduced carbon footprint to increased productivity and staff retention. Building a remote-first company Establishing a remote-first workforce is an ideal way to develop a global team, particularly as companies are no longer limited to hiring locally and can readily access a diverse global talent pool. This model provides a range of win-win benefits for both employers and employees. It is important however to consult a good partner, as the process is certainly not a one-size-fits-all solution. The journey begins with a carefully considered recruitment and onboarding process underpinned by the principle that behind every hire is a human being. First impressions count and no matter how much effort an organisation puts into its company culture, if new staff undergo a poor onboarding experience, they will be less likely to feel motivated and engaged. Corporate culture and strong team dynamics need to be supported by informal communication tools and applications that enhance conversation across multiple time zones and make day-to-day tasks more efficient. Every country has different labour laws, compliance requirements, payroll, and benefits that must be adhered to. Working with a reliable global employment platform like G-P enables companies to onboard employees quickly and compliantly by utilising the platforms local entities rather than going through the process of setting up their own in each country they choose to conduct business. In Australia, adventure cruise company Aurora Expeditions has used this model to great effect. Despite being unable to provide their core service for two years during the global pandemic, the company managed to set up new revenue streams in different markets quickly and efficiently, without the need to set up local legal entities. As such, they now have sales agents in the US and UK and are now able to generate revenue from a broader pool of potential customers. Instead of the complexities and difficulties involved with setting up our own entity, such as finding legal representatives, insurance agents and accountants in new markets, we are able to use a single platform that enables us to hire team members in just a few clicks. This gives us the flexibility we need while ensuring we are totally compliant with all the local rules and laws in that particular country, said Aurora Expeditions chief financial officer Mick Mag. The value of a remote-first workforce Companies that pivot successfully to the remote-first model benefit from a range of increased efficiencies and reduced costs. A remote-first workforce provides an organisation with cost savings, reduced carbon footprint, and improved employee satisfaction. Savings from office rent, utilities, supplies, equipment, office maintenance and parking spaces can be considerable. A Global Workplace Analytics study has shown that when employees work from home just half of the time, companies save up to US$11,000 per team member across a 12-month period. Employees experience greater flexibility regarding where and when they work, removing the burden of commuting and providing the options of working when they feel most productive. This both enhances work-life balance and broadens the companys talent pool. Recent statistics from the Australian Institute of Family Studies suggest that two-thirds of Australians now have some element of remoter work in their current employment contract. Studies from the University of Melbourne suggest that at least 70% of those are happier working remotely, so it is evident that the remote-first company is both popular and widely beneficial. Another often-overlooked factor is the environmental side of this equation. A remote-first model provides a range of environmentally friendly work practices that reduce fuel use and energy consumption. A remote-first workforce will also increase productivity and motivation throughout the workday, as staff can structure their workload and manage their time more efficiently. Managers can remotely support their team and reinforce staff morale by encouraging a workload that balances scheduled meetings and regular deadlines with consistent breaks from their screen and workstation (when they can temporarily halt work-related notifications). With this in mind, the remote-first company of the future is very possible to achieve today. A dynamic, forward-looking organisation with a clearly defined culture and the right tools to empower employees can be just as successful as a traditional entity if not more so, and host a happy, well-adjusted workforce that enjoys a better work/life balance. 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Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 20. Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov has paid a visit to Belgium, Trend reports referring to the Foreign Ministry. According to the ministry, Bayramov will take part in the international donor conference themed "Together for the people of Turkiye and Syria" in Brussels. The conference to be jointly organized by the EU Commission and EUs term president, Sweden, is being launched to get pledges from the international institutions, financial bodies, countries, and other relevant institutions for Turkiye and Syria, which have been severely hit by the earthquakes of Feb. 6. The donors conference will be opened by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will address the conference online. It will seek coordinated action and financial assistance to both Turkiye and Syria, where tens of thousands of people were killed and a score of cities were destroyed. Recovery and reconstruction of the cities in Turkiye are estimated to cost around $100 billion. A 7.7-magnitude earthquake hit southeastern Turkiye on Feb. 6, 2023. The earthquake occurred at a depth of seven kilometers in the Pazarcik region of Kahramanmaras Province. The provinces of Hatay, Gaziantep, Kilis, Osmaniye, Malatya, Adiyaman, Sanliurfa, Diyarbakir, Adana, and Kahramanmaras were subjected to severe destruction. The quake death toll has reached 49,589. As a result of the Turkiye earthquake, strong tremors were also felt in Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, and Cyprus. From 2018, Afar Region State and Afar armies groups helped by the Federal government has launched a sustained large scale ethnic cleansing and force displacements against ethnic Somalis in Sitti zone for pre-determine policy that has been arranged for decades. Ever since the situation in Sitti has deteriorated exponentially as Ethiopian security forces, Afar Special Forces, UGUGUMO Afar terrorists Army group and Eritrean trained militias supported by Ethiopian government have seized key areas of western Sitti by penetrated more than 100 KMs into Somali region state. and imperilling vulnerable Somalis pastoralists civilians in Sitti. The invaded forces exposed hundreds of thousands to the catastrophic The invading forces and allies use capable of automatic weapons provided by Ethiopian government during Tigray war The mass atrocities in Sitti for last five years can only be described as red terror; indiscriminate assaults and violations against children, including killings, beheadings of infants, horrifying acts of barbarism, serious injuries, as well as killings and violations against elderly and disabled people. Although, the ethnic cleansing operation and mass atrocity against Somalis civilians in western Sitti has been going on for five years., Unfortunately these atrocities is almost hidden from the world perspective. Make no mistake: everything I am describing here is not only outrageous of miseries, deliberately negligence of internal displaced persons who have been forcibly displaced from their homes, but also include illegal of kidnapping of Somali children: which violates human rights and international law. Such unlawful acts endangers the safety and well-being of children as well as their sense of identity and belonging. A little known atrocities More than 194 of horrific against the indigenous Somali population occurred in western Sitti between 2018 and 2022, resulting in 9,055 incidents of abuses of human rights against Somalis in Sitti, including 7,308 killings, 11,660 injuries, 180 cases of rape, and 162 cases of abduction and forced displacement that directly affected at least 194,517 people, at least 700 of whom were members of vulnerable groups of the population: children (78), women (290), the elderly (38). Furthermore, all rape victims were women, with nearly 180 cases, including 23 underage girls. The perpetrators of these horrible atrocities characterized as crimes against humanity in international law. Predators are both state and non-state actors: Afar regional special forces, FRUD rebel groups from Djibouti, and Afar militias terrorist known as Ugugumo and local militias fighters. In addition to that more than ten large-scale massacres were committed by invasion force which amounting to crime against humanity. After frequents attacks over four years on Somalis herders. Grazing area alongside Awash river, Afars Ugugumo terrorists and other militias went on in a large demolition spree ransacking and vandalising everything over 30 villages and hamlets between Adayti, Undhufo and Garba-Isse. Agony of IDPs in Sitti The peoples ( IDPs) physical, psychological, and social wellbeing have all been enormously impacted as a consequence of force displacement and violence Vulnerable groups are at risk because they have either been forced to flee or have lost their homes, families, and their livestock were looted One of the tragic effects of hunger and malnutrition for thousands of internally displaced people (IDPs) is its difficulty to perceive. The fragile population include children, mothers, the elderly are perilous living with agony. DPs are struggling with illness outbreaks and malnutrition as a result of food insecurity, lack of shelter, water, sanitation, and a stressful livelihood, which are linked to emotional distress, metabolic imbalances, chronic illnesses, and non-communicable diseases in displaced persons. The regional state and federal authorities, as well as on international groups are downgrade the situation the Sittis IDPs Depopulation policy The ideological and strategic of Ethiopian empire, expansion, assimilation policy and homogenization of non Abyssinian communities never succeeded in Somali region. Despite using of coercive measures to exert their power and employing the program of depopulation, demographic change, indoctrination, extermination and structural genocide. but indigenous army resistance and topographical challenges of region made impossible to implement the annihilation policy against Somalis under Ethiopian administration Paradoxically, ethnic federalism in 1994 on paper and new technology of using underground water for agricultural industries paved away half and century old policy of Ethiopia empire. The mass exodus of Somalis and the forceful land eviction in Sitti. Interestingly, this is happening after 135 years of fallen has Harar when Menelik II conquered after Amir Abdullah in 1887. And expelled Somalis 35 percent of the Somali Territories that the British illegally transferred to Ethiopian empire between in 1948 and 1966 has no longer in the hands of Somalis. Already, A large portion of lands own by Somali had taken by the Oromo, Afar and other ethnic groups by supporting of Ethiopian government. These lands grabbing policy was implemented by both force and tactical manners and the main designer of ideology against Somalis is the Ethiopian government. these includes more than 300 districts of Somalis has been taken over by Oromo regional state in 2004. The unconstitutional transferring of western Sitti zone to Afar region and designating of Dire Dawa city as charter city by arbitrarily refused to become the capital city of Somali region in 1993. This policy of forced eviction is not new. Its strategic approach was designed by Abyssinian 140 years ago. The ethnic cleansing and forced displacements of pastoralists and urban residents in Sitti is not the first genocidal war against Somalis in Ethiopia but many massacres preceded them, at least 11 brutal massacres took place in Sitti alone before which were carried out by successive Ethiopian governments. According to a letter of complaint written by the chiefs of the region to the Ethiopian parliament, between April 1971 and 1972 after amid severe drought, the Issa Somali tried to seeking, water the wells and grazing on Awash River and there were armed clashes between the two groups. On the pretext of the dispute over the wells, the Ethiopian army intervened against the Issa-Somali the civilian killed 794 people as well as confiscating nearly 200,000 head of livestock. And poison the wells of that Issa Somalis using by Ethiopian military. On August 12,1960, the Ethiopian army carried out one of its biggest executions against Somali civilians in village of Aychaa, before which carried out by successive Ethiopian governments. Somali region is not an integral part of Ethiopia, rather, It is a territory which the Ethiopians have captured and illegally annex after sequential incursion half a century ago and over which it can assert power only by deploying a significant brutal army force. The genocide and ethnic cleansing of Somalis people in Sitti, is enmeshed in political dynamics that have existed for decades explicate, nevertheless the relationship between Somalis, Afar, and other oppressed regions is entangled in the imperial origins of the state of Ethiopia. However, the Ethiopian government is sponsor this war by support ethnic afar groups, against Somali ethnic due to geo-strategic of conflict area. And historical perspectives towards Somalis Somali region is not an integral part of Ethiopia, rather it is a territory which the Ethiopia have captured and illegally annexed after sequential incursion half a century ago and over which it can assert power only by deploying a significant brutal army force. The genocide and ethnic cleansing of Somalis people in Sitti, is enmeshed in political dynamics that have existed for decades, nevertheless the relationship between Somalis, Afar, and other oppressed regions is entangled in the imperial origins of the state of Ethiopia. However, the Ethiopian government is sponsoring this war by supporting ethnic Afar groups against Somali ethnic ones due to the geo-strategic area of the place. And historical perspectives biaised towards Somalis. Beyond the big picture The conflict between afar and Issa Somali is not a communal conflict but political. is not based on grasslands and water but one rooted in Abyssinian ambition of access to the sea of Somali peninsula. Issa Somali Afar conflict used to communal violence. The tempo of violence has never shown significant de-escalation since the turn of twentieth century to date; nor does the current state of affairs harbour hopes of de-escalation. Because Ethiopian government see its interest that why the Successive Ethiopian governments have never tried to solve the conflict between two communities but they are fuelling the fire to accelerate their colonial agenda. Since the creation of regional states based on ethnolinguistic distinctions, Somali regional state is ever shirking the regions shall be defined in accordance with settlement patterns, language, identity, and consent of the relevant population, according to article 46 of the Ethiopian Constitution. Unfortunately that legal framework was not applied to the Somali region as if that they are not part of nation and nationalities in the Ethiopian prison camp. That is the reason why Ethiopian decide to Resizing the Somali Regional State and use a politically shrewd way to satisfy Amhara settlers, Afar, Oromo political demands at the expense of Somalis The structural violence of Ethiopia Ethiopia is a historically oppressive empire that has depended on systematic oppression of minority or marginalized groups. Ethiopian emperors, most notably Menelik II and Haile Selassie, forced cultural and linguistic assimilation in order to create a homogeneous, unitary Ethiopian identity, establishing oppressive systems that still exist in Ethiopia today. The deep scars and historical trauma are still fresh in the eyes of many Ethiopians, particularly among the marginalized ethnic groups, like Somalis, yet, the deep state agents of depopulation and extermination policy of Somalis relentlessly continue A process of Amharisation ensued and minorities were deprived of much of their rights. Amhara settlers known as Neftegna were running most of cities and rural areas. This situation continued through Haile Selassie from 1933 to 1974 when the DERG took over through a coup. Almost the same situation was going on with renewed brutality under the DERG regime which implemented a forceful program of people displacements known as villagization .. Thousands small farmers were relocated but the positive outcome was a land ownership change with small farmers allowed to own lands. The communist DERG regime put down the feudality under previous regimes. The DERG nationalized all land using the slogan land to the tiller of the soil. However the process of forceful mass displacement of farmers was done with minimum organization and such brutality leaving thousands deaths that it was called internationally the Red terror. Then came the TPLF in 1991 which brought the so-called multicultural federalism well known internationally as ethnic federalism. On paper ethnic federalism is a forward process allowing various Nations and Nationalities to administer their affairs themselves without the burden of the central government. However in practice TPLF kept the decision-making process for itself and disenchantment come back as usual among other Ethiopian ethnic peoples. Abiy similarly disbanded the EPRDF shortly after taking office in order to create the Prosperity Party, a single-issue party (PP). He advocated for a unified Ethiopian national identity through the philosophy of Medemer, which in Amharic means coming together, in a way similar to how Haile Selassie and Menelik II worked to destroy the traditions and identities of minority and oppressed ethnic groups all over the nation. Abiys Medemer-based unity is viewed by many ethnic groups and countries as a challenge to the fundamental rights to self-determination entrenched in the multinational federalist Ethiopian constitution. Accord University is an international Somali university offering postgraduate programs dedicated to research, as it has 32 specialized masters and doctoral programs. The university opened on January 1, 2019, in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, where it has its main office. The universitys specialized programs are included in the College of Health Science, the College of Law, Economics, and Management, the College of Education and Psychology, the College of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, the College of Engineering and Computer Science, and the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. Accord Universitys masters programs take between one and three years to finish, depending on the area of study. A doctorate degree takes between three and six years to finish. The students studying at the university are Somali citizens living at home and in the diaspora, as well as foreign students from some African, Asian, European, and American countries, including Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Lebanon, Yemen, South Sudan, Belgium, and the United States of America. The Vice-Chancellor of the Accord University, Prof. Abdulkadir Mohamed, said that two masters batches have graduated since its establishment, numbering 1,250 students, adding that the university, which is known for its high educational quality, plays a vital role in East and Horn Africa. Prof. Abdulkadir Mohamed stated that the Accord University organized courses at its headquarters in Mogadishu to build the capacities of students, Somali civil society, teachers, civil servants, and professionals to raise the level of their knowledge and practical performance. The Accord University held multiple symposiums on distance learning and its importance for the advancement of society in Kenya and the Netherlands. The Accord University has a strong partnership with the United Nations Association of Somalia (UNASOM) and the ISIC Association. It also has relationships with some local and international universities for scientific and cultural cooperation. Hassan Sheikh intervened in the shooting of the people of Lasaanod in Somaliland Dec. 30 (Jowhar.com) The President of the Somali government, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, who was speaking at a mosque in the Presidential Palace, called on Somaliland not to use military force against the people living in the town of Lasanod. The president, who was speaking in front of a large number of officials and government workers, said that the situation in the city should be resolved peacefully. Somaliland is using heavy weapons against people who are expressing their feelings, many people have died and the last one was one of the religious scholars and intellectuals who were killed after the Friday prayer by the Somaliland government forces. It has been confirmed that 4 people have died in the violence in Lasanood, and more than 10 others have been injured in the ongoing war in that city. . It is not known what will change the situation in Lasaanood from the presidents statement, and there are also politicians who have called on Somaliland to calm the tension and end the dispute through dialogue. Nairobi (ICRC) Since violence erupted in Las Anod, Sool region, at the beginning of February, at least 150 people have been killed and hundreds more wounded. Its estimated that more than 185,000 people have been displaced. Majority of the families live in camps for displaced people in the neighbouring towns of Kalabaydh, Hudun and Taleh. Others have fled further out to Buuhoodle in Togdheer region and Garowe city in Nugal region. The wave of displacement comes against a backdrop of one of the worst droughts the region has experienced. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Somali Red Crescent Society (SRCS) have responded to the humanitarian needs caused by the violence, while calling for restraint and unimpeded access to people affected by the clashes. At the onset of the violence, the ICRC sent surgical materials, sufficient to treat more than 400 wounded patients to six hospitals in Las Anod and surrounding areas. It also delivered six dressing sets and 38 first aid kits to the SRCS ambulance unit to treat the wounded. The new priority is the plight of families uprooted by the violence. So far, close to 4,000 displaced families have been registered for cash support by the ICRC. People are desperate for food and water. It is heartbreaking to see mothers and small children trying to survive in this harsh climate, said Merick Alagbe who oversees ICRCs operations in the area. A month into the violence, the ICRC and the SRCS have carried out the following activities: Six hospitals received surgical materials, enough to treat 400 patients with conflict-wounds. The ICRC also delivered six dressing sets to treat patients with less severe injuries, while the Somali Red Crescent Society received 38 first aid kits Four ambulances, complete with drivers and SRCS volunteers, were mobilized to ferry the wounded to hospital. So far, close to 700 casualties have been provided with pre-hospital treatment, assistance and transport to the next level of care. A surgical team and an ambulance unit from Mogadishu and Galkayo respectively, were sent to Las Anod to further support health services. Nearly 4,000 families living in displacement camps in Kalabaydh, Dhagax Isgurow, Xidhxidh, Dhumay and Dharkayn villages will receive two rounds of $110 over the next couple of months. 54 free phone calls were provided jointly with the SRCS to the injured in the four main hospitals of Garowe. 18 calls were also provided to the wounded patients in Kalabaydh hospital, Las Anod. Almost 2,300 free phone calls were facilitated to restore and maintain family contact for displaced people in 28 IDP camps in Garowe. 18 tracing requests collected from displaced persons at IDP camps in Garowe and 8 collected in Kalabaydh. The ICRC is following up 19 cases of people allegedly detained to find out their whereabouts across places of detention the organization regularly visits. For more further information, please contact: Abdikarim Mohamed, ICRC Somalia, +254 770 171 756, mabdikarim@icrc.org Alyona Synenko, ICRC Nairobi, +254 716 897 265, asynenko@icrc.org Follow the ICRC on facebook.com/icrc, twitter.com/icrc and instagram.com/icrc [Mogadishu, 30 December 2022: Somalias Ministry of environment and climate change has handed over different types of tree seedlings to Banadir regional administration, as part of the citys reforestation drive. This is the first step in the implementation of the presidents vision of Green Somalia. The initiative aims to plant 100 thousand trees in the city of Mogadishu, to serve as an example for all other major towns in the country. The trees, which will contribute to the beautification of the city, can grow quickly and are suitable for Mogadishus climate, were donated by the Great Green Wall and the University of Peace. The Deputy Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Dr. Saeed Mohamed Ali, said the ministrys tree seedlings hand over to the regional administration shows its commitment to realizing Green Somalia vision. He noted, the ministry has implemented the presidents order of beginning the reforestation of Banadir region before the end of the year by handing over the tree seedlings, which form the foundation of the process implementation. The best way to bring immediate results to fight climate change and revive our land is reforestation, said Dr. Saeed. The ministry of environment and climate change has promised to plant 10 million trees across the country. The tree planting initiative is meant to restore the countrys lost forests and green lands. It is believed, the reforestation will significantly mitigate the recurring droughts experienced across the country. President Hassan who said that military officers are carrying out the explosions in Mogadishu Dec. 24 (Jowhar.com) The president of the Somali government, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, spoke about the explosions in Mogadishu and how Al-Shabaab entered the city in vehicles full of explosives. President Hassan, who spoke at an event in Mogadishu, while standing by the head of the police force, openly admitted that the military officers have brought the Al-Shabaab into the city for the explosions and passed the checkpoints where the troops check the vehicles. The cowards rumor is not missing the explosions in Mogadishu, the military vehicles are being brought in, the officers are clearing the checkpoints and giving orders to the soldiers, said the president. Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, on the other hand, said that investigations are underway on military officers who released explosives in their bank accounts. However, the presidents speech coincides with the investigation of the Al Shabaab attack on the Villa Rose Hotel, at the same time the driver of the former speaker of the parliament, Mohamed Mursal, fled to the Al Shabaab after he came into contact with the attack. Somalias President defends his PhD thesis at UPEACE as the Universitys program is praised at the UNGA77th Session in New York. Oct. 13 (Jowhar.com) -30th September 2022. Historic UPEACE Events at the United Nations General Assembly in New York and the 34th UPEACE Council Meeting in Geneva After United Nations General Assembly (UNGA77) in New York and the 34th UPEACE Council meeting in Geneva in September 2022, UEAPCE made history. UPEACE council members are pleased with recent events in Somalia, including President Hassan Sheikh Mohamuds signature on the UPEACE accession instrument. Switzerland hosted the 34th UPEACE Council meeting. The UPEACE Council called the signing historic. Somalia emerges from conflict. Another recovery sign, added by Samuel Kale Ewusi, Director the UPEACE African Regional Program. The Director of the Africa Regional Program congratulated President Hassan Sheikh. Were proud that President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud studied at our UN-mandated University. Dr. Samuel Ewusi congratulated President Hassan on his historic win. In September 2022, Dr. Hassan Sheikh Mohamed signed the accession document. Somalia signed the charter created by U.N. General Assembly Resolution 35/55 of December 5, 1980, which established the University for Peace in Costa Rica with regional programs in Africa (Ethiopia and Somalia), Europe (Netherlands), Asia (China), and South East Asia (Philippines) (Honduras). UPEACE Rector Dr. Francisco Rojas Aravena in Genevas Council met on September 30 2022. The meeting discussed the University for Peace while the University was in Geneva for academic events. In recognition of his leadership and contributions during his first two terms, the UPEACE Council re-elected Dr. Francisco Rojas Aravena as Rector. Decided council. UPEACE and UNHCR signed a peace MOU in Geneva. This agreement emphasizes teaching college students UNHCRs humanitarian principles. UPEACE will teach UNHCR staff peace education. UNHCR Assistant Secretary-General, Assistant High Commissioner for Protection Gillian Triggs, said the partnership could inspire future humanitarians. Education changes lives, she said. This MOU shows how universities can help displaced or stateless people. Our collaboration strengthens our global academic interdisciplinary network and the academic communitys commitment to our clients. While in Geneva, UPEACE presented its White Paper on Africas Illicit Trade in Geneva. After this paper, more research will begin. Irina Bokova, former UNESCO director general and UPEACE council member, opened the White Paper on Illicit Trade in Africa. Peace requires cooperation. Peace requires political will. Peace requires work. Rector Francisco Rojas Aravena spoke at the White Paper launch. UPEACE and Fifty Shades Greener signed an MoU last week in Geneva. Carbon emissions Education creates action-based programs to reduce emissions. Environmental education leaders create action-oriented programs to reduce carbon emissions. Dr. Mohamed Yusuf, Somalias Country Director, said the MOU would strengthen the Universitys peace education programs. Dr. Mohamed Yusuf: This is a historic agreement that will benefit the Universitys peace programs in Somalia and across the continent. The University serves Somalia and other African countries for Peace. The upcoming UPEACE Grand Convocation Ceremony Event in Somalia In December 2022, the University will host a historic graduation ceremony. Over 100 students have defended their masters and doctoral theses and dissertations in the past two and a half years. UPEACE is proud to host the first-ever all-doctoral graduates commencement ceremony, including the first-ever sitting Head of State to graduate alongside his diverse students and citizens. Dr. Mohamed Osman, the Universitys Country Representative, said they plan to invite high-level delegates from Costa Rica and Somalias leadership, led by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. Well invite academics We plan to invite Costa Rican representatives and Somalia and Horn of Africa partners. It will be unlike any ceremony youve attended, said Doctor Mohamed. Celebrations will include 130 MAs and 10 PhDs. Adding. The President of Somalia defended his doctoral dissertation. The celebration of His Excellency President Dr. Hassan Sheikh Mohamuds successful defense of his PhD thesis in Peace, Governance, and Development with Distinction was captured on video and shared with the public while praising Allah for this significant achievement. This afternoon, UNPEACE defended my thesis, leading my total award to PhD in Peace, Governance, And Development. As a 30-year veteran of this field, I can confidently say that education can rebuild our nation and its government. We want to make high-quality education easier and reduce school expenses. To protect their constitutional rights, the government must pay for higher education for Somali high school graduates. UPEACEs faculty and administration are helpful. Thanks, Allah! The Presidents defence of his PhD dissertation at UNPEACE caused social media to explode. Many praised the Presidents academic achievement globally and locally. We respect his work. With determination, anything is possible. Africa Program Director Samuel Kale Ewus Youre an example for the young, the elderly, and the entire Somali community, said Somalias Education Minister, Culture and Higher Education, HE. Farah Sh. Abdiqadir. Hassan Sheikh Mohamud defended his dissertation on Somalias clan politics. He talked about improving education and services.Education helped Dr. Mohamuds country during a civil war. His University was Simad. Hassan Sheikh Mohamud thanked UPEACE Rector Francisco Rojas Aravena, Dean Juan Carlos Sainz-Borgo, Africa Program Director Samuel Kale Ewusi, Somalia Country Representative Mohamed Osman Mohamoud, and Country and Campus Director Dr. Mohamed Yusuf. He said the countrys universities are growing and urged them to collaborate with foreign universities. On October 12, 1954, UPEACE Somalia commemorates Somalias Flag Day. UPEACE congratulated the Somali people on the 68th anniversary of their flag day, which occurred on October 12, 1954. UPEACE wishes Somalias sovereignty to last forever. Dr. Mohamed Osman Mohamoud, UPEACE Country Representative, said UPEACE honours the Somali heroes and heroines. They worked to make Somalia free and independent and raise its flag on their land. UPEACE Somalia opened in late 2018 in Mogadishu. Somali students visited Costa Rica and Ethiopias Africa Regional Campus. Seventy-six students graduated. UPEACEs Somalia Program called for 6th cohort applications in October 2022. Participating are internationals and Somalis. Interested? Apply. Interested? Apply. Express your interest through this link. Youre an example for the young, the elderly, and the entire Somali community, said Somalias Education Minister, Culture and Higher Education, HE. Farah Sh. Abdiqadir. Hassan Sheikh Mohamud defended his dissertation on Somalias clan politics. He talked about improving education and services.Education helped Dr. Mohamuds country during a civil war. His University was Simad. Hassan Sheikh Mohamud thanked UPEACE Rector Francisco Rojas Aravena, Dean Juan Carlos Sainz-Borgo, Africa Program Director Samuel Kale Ewusi, Somalia Country Representative Mohamed Osman Mohamoud, and Country and Campus Director Dr. Mohamed Yusuf. He said the countrys universities are growing and urged them to collaborate with foreign universities. On October 12, 1954, UPEACE Somalia commemorates Somalias Flag Day. UPEACE congratulated the Somali people on the 68th anniversary of their flag day, which occurred on October 12, 1954. UPEACE wishes Somalias sovereignty to last forever. Dr. Mohamed Osman Mohamoud, UPEACE Country Representative, said UPEACE honours the Somali heroes and heroines. They worked to make Somalia free and independent and raise its flag on their land. UPEACE Somalia opened in late 2018 in Mogadishu. Somali students visited Costa Rica and Ethiopias Africa Regional Campus. Seventy-six students graduated. UPEACEs Somalia Program called for 6th cohort applications in October 2022. Participating are internationals and Somalis. Interested? Apply. Interested? Apply. Express your interest through this link. The information of four companies that send goods to Al-Shabaab to be unloaded from the port Oct. 16 (Jowhar.com) The government of Somalia has received the information of four companies that the Al-Shabaab group transmits information about the cargo on the ships arriving at the main port of Mogadishu. The Minister of Trade of the Somali government, Jibril Abdirashid Haji Abdi, said that they are submitting the names of these companies and that they give information to Al-Shabaab about the goods imported from the port, so that they can collect excessive taxes from the traders of these goods. The surprising thing is that Al-Shabaab received the information before the ship docked at the port, as the information was sent before the cargo was imported from the Chinese ports. Somali businessmen are complaining that before the business man receives the container from China, the Al-Shabaab groups get his information, and we share this issue with three to four companies, said the Somali trade minister. However, the Minister of Commerce called on the Minister of Ports of the Somali Government to revoke the license of all these companies. He said that their names and information will be shared, so that the government can take action. BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 20. The visit of the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev to Talish village of Tartar region was an important event as we received an insight into the current state of the peace negotiations involving Azerbaijan and Armenia. President Ilham Aliyev indicated that Armenia does not show a sufficient desire to conclude an agreement and urged Yerevan to refrain from its dirty deeds. The head of state also called foreign powers to avoid encouraging Armenia from its destructive policies. The highlight of President Ilham Aliyevs speech came as he outlined the condition that Armenia has to follow to achieve sustainable peace. "Today, Armenia, which used to say that "Karabakh is Armenia, full stop" and threatened us with a new war, is going out of its way to find itself a new patron. All this is to no avail. There is one condition for them to live comfortably on an area of 29,000 square kilometers Armenia must accept our conditions, officially recognize Karabakh as the territory of Azerbaijan, sign a peace treaty with us and carry out delimitation work according to our conditions. Only under these circumstances can they live comfortably on an area of 29,000 square kilometers, which is all they want now," President Ilham Aliyev said. Currently, Armenia remains unwilling to demonstrate a constructive approach to the issue of negotiations with Azerbaijan. We will look at why Armenia continues to demonstrate this position and why Yerevan needs peace more than Baku does. Armenias vicious cycle of self-destructive foreign policy President Ilham Aliyev's statement addresses the position of the Armenian government, which still exhibits maximalist tendencies in pursuit of its policy objectives. There are several factors, which may explain the reasons for this particular policy choice of Yerevan. First, internal power struggle. The political climate in Armenia has always been somewhat volatile, considering the number of revolutions, coups and shootings at the parliament. Some of political processes observed in Armenia during the years can be fertile grounds for conspiracy theorists regarding to the negotiations with Azerbaijan, but they all point to a lack of cohesion between various elements of the government and internal fragmentation. There is a level of fear among top decision makers that signing a comprehensive deal with Azerbaijan will endanger their position of power. This fear creates a conflict of interest between personal interests and what is best for the prosperity of the country. It is something that persists to this day, unfortunately. Second, external pressure from the diaspora. The conflict is a big business venture for the Armenian diaspora, and the formal cessation of the conflict would endanger their business interests. While highly questionable from a moral standpoint, it is a rational approach, which explains why major representatives of the diaspora continue their warmongering discourse and influence Armenian foreign policy in a way that is counterproductive to attaining peace. Third, the social context of certain parts of the population. It is rather unfortunate, that parts of the Armenian population exhibit a high level of animosity toward Azerbaijan and Turkiye. Numerous protests took place in the aftermath of the second Karabakh war, which demanded the Armenian government not to sign an agreement with Azerbaijan. These are some of the factors that prevent Armenia from signing a comprehensive peace agreement with Azerbaijan. The only problem here is the relative value of peace for both countries. The relative value of peace The value of a peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia is significantly higher for Yerevan than for Baku. This may seem somewhat counterintuitive considering the discourse of the political establishment of Azerbaijan, but there is no contradiction. Azerbaijan has a proven track record of implementing global projects since restoring its independence in the early 90s. The success of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline project, as well as the implementation of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR), also known as the Middle Corridor is just two major examples of projects, which drew global attention. The discussion on the successes of the Azerbaijani economy can be furthered by looking at the endeavors of Azerbaijan in relation to developing new economic dimensions and rebranding the economic image of the country. Last but definitely not least, Azerbaijan was able to liberate the territories held under the Armenian occupation, which was one of the key policy goals. In other words, Azerbaijan learned how to live and prosper without peace. The moderate and balanced foreign policy of Baku enabled the country to establish mutually beneficial and respectful relations with a wide array of countries. Furthermore, Baku achieved significant diplomatic successes by becoming a member of the UN Security Council, and assuming one of the leading roles in the Non-Aligned movement, which led to a support of the organization against the diplomatic efforts of Armenia and its supporters during the 44-day war. Meanwhile, Armenia was unable to achieve economic breakthrough. Its major enterprises are controlled by foreign countries, in addition to the fact that every major regional project eluded Armenia due to its non-cooperative foreign policy. The problem here is that Yerevan does not have what negotiators call BATNA (Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement), i.e. what Armenias alternative is if negotiations are unsuccessful. Yerevan has no mechanisms to influence Bakus position, as Armenia does not have a military that matches Azerbaijani capabilities, its diplomatic influence is lackluster due to its non-participation in regional affairs, and a very modest economy that has little to offer to other countries. Now Yerevan has to make a change in its foreign policy. Signing a comprehensive peace deal with Azerbaijan will lead to a gradual integration of Armenia in regional projects, in addition to streamlining the negotiations with Turkiye. These changes will have positive implications for the well-being of Armenian citizens, and lead to an economic boost for the national economy. Finally, by signing the agreement, Armenia will be able to guarantee the lack of future outbreaks of violence in the region. The current position of the ruling elites in Yerevan is rather hypocritical. They suggest that their only concern is the safety of the ethnic-Armenian population of Karabakh while denying them an opportunity to leave peacefully, hampering their integration, and denying them the possibility to enjoy the full spectrum of their rights. Concluding thoughts Today, Armenia has a historic chance to end old conflicts and start anew. The opportunity to bring long-lasting peace to the region presented itself, however, Yerevan demonstrates no proclivity to avail itself of the existing chance. Yerevan has no bargaining chips and no leverage to try and dictate the terms and conditions of a future peace. Armenias military, economy, and political influence are very limited and, consequently, the country cannot back its rhetoric up with decisive actions. Now here is a dilemma for the ruling elites in Armenia. There are only two choices to pick from - to make concessions and sign the peace agreement with Azerbaijan, or to remain in isolation and on the sidelines of the regional projects and integration. Dozens arrested as French protests proceed after the federal government survived a vote of no confidence Dozens arrested as French protests proceed after the federal government survived a vote of no confidence Dozens of individuals have been arrested throughout France after sporadic protests erupted hours after President Emmanuel Macrons authorities narrowly escaped a movement of no confidence in parliament on Monday over its deeply unpopular pension reform. The failure of the vote shall be a aid for Macron. Had it succeeded, it will have sank his authorities and vetoed laws set to lift the two-year retirement age to 64. However the anger was felt as protesters took to the streets in cities throughout France, opposition lawmakers vowed to pressure radical change and unions ready to behave nationwide on Thursday. On among the most interesting streets in central Paris, firefighters scrambled to place out burning piles of garbage left uncollected for days by strikes as protesters performed a cat-and-mouse recreation with police for a fifth evening. What might concern the manager department is the massive variety of younger individuals within the demonstrations. Tv footage confirmed police briefly firing tear fuel and attacking protesters in a number of cities with particular bike officers seen beating protesters. That prompted the UN Particular Rapporteur on freedom of affiliation, Clement Foley, to say in a tweet that police ought to keep away from utilizing extreme pressure. The vote on the three-way movement of no confidence was nearer than anticipated. Some 278 members of the Individualss Meeting endorsed it, simply 9 wanting the 287 wanted to succeed. Were nearing the top of the democratic course of for this elementary reform of our nation, mentioned Prime Minister Elizabeth Borne. With humility and earnestness, Ive assumed my duty and that of my authorities. Opponents say it reveals that Macrons resolution to bypass a parliamentary vote on the pension invoice which led to motions of no confidence has already undermined his reform agenda and weakened his management. All eyes at the moment are on the president, whos scheduled to handle the nation on Wednesday afternoon, in line with France Information broadcaster. Macron is because of maintain talks afterward Tuesday with Bourne, the speaker of the decrease home of parliament and decrease home in his political camp as he seeks to plot a approach out of the political disaster. The primary query within the coming days shall be whether or not Macron will stick with his present authorities as he seems to freshen issues up even when the potential paralysis in parliament makes governance extra sophisticated. Nothing has been resolved and every part within the nation continues till this reform is withdrawn, mentioned Matilde Banno, speaker of parliament within the far-left La France Insomez celebration. (Reuters) Protests, appeals and a referendum: Whats the subsequent step to reform the pension system in France? After the French authorities this week survived two no-confidence votes sparked by its use of a particular government to push pension reforms by means of parliament. President Emmanuel Macron faces public outrage and constitutional challenges amid rumors of a dissolution of parliament, a change of presidency and even a referendum on new pension measures. France 24 critiques whats coming in French politics. After a sequence of dramatic days in French politics, controversial pension reforms had been adopted on Monday the laborious method. French Prime Minister Elisabeth Born stormed the invoice into the Nationwide Meeting, the decrease home, final week invoking Article 49.3. The constitutional provision provides the manager authorities the privilege of passing a invoice with no parliamentary vote, and provides the opposition the chance to reply with a vote of no confidence. On Monday, March 20, the federal government narrowly escaped a vote of no confidence, paving the best way for the adoption of pension reforms, which lengthen the official retirement age from 62 to 64. However opponents of French President Emmanuel Macrons pension reforms havent given up and nonetheless hope to power the federal government to again down earlier than the brand new regulation is enacted. The far-left coalition (New Ecological and Social Folkss Union) has vowed to make use of all means at its disposal to defeat the despised pension reform. These embody mass protests, holding a referendum to attempt to overturn reforms, and an attraction to the Constitutional Council with the purpose of invalidating the regulation on procedural grounds. On the streets with an eye fixed on the previous, the subsequent steps are prone to happen on the streets of French cities and cities. Spontaneous demonstrations started to erupt on Thursday night time, after the federal government applied Article 49.3. After Mondays no-confidence vote, they turned violent, with some demonstrators erecting barricades, destroying public property and burning garbage piled up within the French capital by waste staff strike over pension reforms. Lots of have been arrested after an evening of protesters taking part in cat-and-mouse with riot police throughout France. Along with spontaneous manifestations of discontent, the commerce unions proceed the nationwide strikes, which have gripped France for the reason that starting of the yr. French unions known as one other day of strikes for Thursday, 23 March. Thus far, the eight nationwide strikes known as by the unions this yr have been peaceable. After the dramatic political occasions of the previous few days and the spontaneous and unbridled demonstrations within the streets, fears of violence have mounted. Jean-Luc Melenchon, controversial chief of the far-left occasion France Insoumise, LFI, known as for public protests at a press convention close to the Nationwide Meeting. I hope that this in style discontent shall be broadly expressed wherever and underneath any circumstances, and that we will get the textual content to be withdrawn, he mentioned. Mass protests prior to now have succeeded in forcing French governments to again down. The opposition usually cites the instance of the 2006 youth employment reforms underneath the then Prime Minister, Dominique de Villepin. The regulation masking the brand new employment contract CPE as its identified in France offers for a two-year trial interval for younger individuals, and was additionally adopted by the invocation of Article 49.3. However within the wake of mass protests, the regulation was lastly suspended after which repealed by a brand new vote. The following step: the Constitutional Council French opposition MPs produce other instruments at their disposal to attempt to overturn the brand new pension regulation. They embody an attraction to the French Constitutional Council. Its charged with adjudicating the constitutionality of recent legal guidelines earlier than implementing them. Mondays defeat of the recall vote paved the best way for the adoption of recent pension laws, however the regulation doesnt but have the go-ahead for implementation. An attraction permits the Constitutional Council to droop the implementation deadline till it research the brand new regulation inside one month. However underneath Article 61.3 of the French structure, the federal government can ask the council to look at the textual content on an pressing foundation, decreasing the deadline to eight days. Bourne introduced Monday night time that it will refer it on to the Constitutional Council for examination as quickly as potential, in accordance with a press release from the Prime Ministers Workplace. The assertion added that the prime minister hopes that all of the factors raised through the discussions shall be mentioned. Referendum: Placing it to the individuals: Another choice is a normal referendum, or an preliminary occasion referendum (RIP). The RIP utility was additionally submitted to the Constitutional Council on Monday after the federal government survived a vote of no confidence. RIP, as a constitutional weapon on the disposal of French parliamentarians, requires a fancy mixture of parliamentary and citizens assist. French lawmakers organizing a in style session for a invoice want the approval of one-fifth of the members of each homes of Parliament, or a minimum of 185 of the 925 parliamentarians within the 577-member Nationwide Meeting and the 348-member Senate. It should even be supported by one-tenth of the citizens, or 4.87 million individuals, whose signatures have to be collected inside 9 months. About 250 parliamentarians, largely left-wing lawmakers from each homes, submitted the RIP request to the Speaker of the Nationwide Meeting on 17 March. The request has been forwarded to the Constitutional Council, which should now confirm whether or not the situations for calling a referendum have been met. . In response to Valerie Rabo, vice-president of the Nationwide Socialist Meeting, the measure will hinder the implementation of this reform for 9 months. However if RIP is triggered on pensions, it have to be earlier than the regulation is applied. The dissolution of the Nationwide Meeting and the dismissal of the Prime Minister There is just one answer: the dissolution has change into a slogan through the previous few days amongst opponents of reforming the pension system looking for to dissolve the Nationwide Meeting. The potential for the president dissolving the Nationwide Meeting was a degree of debate amongst members of his occasion after the parliamentary elections in June 2022, when Macrons centrist motion did not win a majority within the Home of Representatives. Beneath the French structure, the president has the correct to dissolve the Nationwide Meeting, which ends up in new parliamentary elections. Macron himself privately threatened to dissolve Parliament within the occasion of a parliamentary stalemate He was nonetheless a menace final week, earlier than the federal government needed to implement Article 49.3 as a result of Burney was unsure of getting the Nationwide Meeting minimal vote of 287 to approve pension reform. After Mondays tight vote of no confidence, the chance seems to be even much less seemingly. Anyway, it is a dangerous transfer. In 1997, President Jacques Chirac tried a transfer that value him the bulk. If new parliamentary elections are known as, the outcomes are additionally tough to foretell. In idea, the far-left NUPES coalition ought to make positive aspects within the wake of mass mobilization for pension reform. However analysts warn that the almost definitely winner of re-election would be the far-right Nationwide Rally led by Marine Le Pen, which is as soon as once more thriving on French discontent. A number of specialists mentioned the current retirement drama might value Prime Minister Bourne her job. They indicated that Macron might change his prime minister in an try to offer a brand new impetus to the remainder of his second and ultimate presidential time period. Some analysts say Macron might wait some time earlier than altering the prime minister. They level out that the president might not wish to be seen to fireplace the prime minister, who has stopped him with a tough reform, or a minimum of instantly. For now, the messages from the presidential Elysee Palace had been resolute. One of many contributors advised AFP after a gathering along with his political allies on Tuesday that Macron had declared that he would not be pushed into something. Nonetheless, the opposition and the general public will not be impatient. This text has been translated from the unique textual content into French. Putin and Xi talk about China's peace proposal for Ukraine whereas the US condemns the Kremlin's go to Putin and Xi talk about Chinas peace proposal for Ukraine whereas the US condemns the Kremlins go to The Kremlin mentioned Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese language chief Xi Jinping mentioned Beijings proposal for a ceasefire in Ukraine throughout the first day of talks in Moscow and that theyd meet once more on Tuesday. Xis go to is a lift for Moscow because it struggles to achieve floor in its year-long warfare with Ukraine. However Washington has criticized it as offering diplomatic cowl for Putin and the warfare crimes his forces are accused of committing there. And whereas China has sought to painting itself as a possible peacemaker within the battle, the go to underscored a better relationship between Moscow and Beijing and their defiance of the West. The 2 males spoke for greater than 4 hours on Monday and had a state dinner within the Kremlin, the place they warmly praised one another and referred to as her pricey pal, Russian media reported. In contrast, Xi could solely communicate to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the telephone, if that occurs in any respect. However in a visit that clearly coincided with Xis talks in Moscow, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida arrived in Kiev on Tuesday to ship a message of solidarity and assist to Ukraine. In different developments, the Ukrainian Ministry of Protection mentioned that an explosion in Djankoy, north of the Russian-occupied Crimea, destroyed Russian cruise missiles supposed to be used by the Russian fleet within the Black Sea. The Ukrainian navy mentioned that Russia continued its air strikes and missile strikes over a large space on the battlefields of japanese Ukraine. Ukraine mentioned Russias foremost aim was to succeed in the borders of the Donetsk and Luhansk areas of Donbass, giant areas of that are already underneath Russian management. Russian forces as soon as once more launched assaults on town of Bakhmut the location of the longest and bloodiest battle of the warfare and different targets, however have been repulsed. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov mentioned Putin and Xi spoke on Monday a few Chinese language proposal calling for de-escalation and an eventual ceasefire in Ukraine. There was an intensive alternate of views, a critical dialog, he mentioned. He declined to provide additional particulars, telling reporters to attend for a joint assertion in a while Tuesday after the 2 leaders met on the second day of talks. The Chinese language doc outlines some common rules in a 12-point plan however incorporates no particulars on how you can finish the warfare, now in its thirteenth month. The proposal was largely dismissed within the West as a ploy to purchase time for Putin to regroup his forces and consolidate his maintain on occupied territory. Ukrainian and Western officers worry any ceasefire would solely freeze the entrance strains, giving Russia a bonus because it struggles to make progress following critical setbacks since launching its invasion in February of final 12 months. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken mentioned Xis go to indicated that China feels no duty to carry the Kremlin accountable for the atrocities dedicated in Ukraine. As a substitute of convicting them, he would relatively present diplomatic cowl for Russia to proceed to commit these critical crimes, Blinken mentioned. China has shunned condemning Russia or calling Moscows interference in its neighbor an invasion. She additionally criticized Western sanctions in opposition to Russia. Overseas coverage analysts mentioned that whereas Putin has been in search of robust assist from Xi on Ukraine, they doubt his go to to Moscow will result in any navy assist. Washington has mentioned in current weeks that it fears China might arm Russia, a plan Beijing has denied. Kiev, which says the warfare cant finish till Russia withdraws its forces, has been cautious of China, cautiously welcoming Beijings peace proposal when it was introduced final month. It was not clear if and when Xi would communicate with Zelensky of Ukraine. Were ready for affirmation, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Irina Vereshuk advised Italys Corriere della Sera newspaper. This might be an essential step. Theyve issues to say to one another. However Kishidas go to to Japan on the identical time that Xi was in Moscow was an indication of the Wests willpower to assist Kiev. Fixed mortar fireplace within the city of Chasev Yar, simply west of Bakhmut, and the close by village of Kalynivka in japanese Ukraine, there was heavy artillery fireplace from close by Ukrainian positions in addition to incoming shells. Among the many condominium blocks within the heart of Chasev Yar, a lot of the aged residents lined as much as get water and meals offered by a staff from the state emergency service. Talking within the city of Kostyantinivka, Oleksey Stepanov mentioned he was in Bakhmut till 5 days in the past, however was evacuated by the navy when his residence was destroyed by a missile. We have been within the kitchen and the missile hit the ceiling. The kitchen was all that was left standing, mentioned the 54-year-old. He mentioned there was steady mortar fireplace within the metropolis when he left. The Ukrainian Ministry of Protection mentioned that an explosion within the metropolis of Dzhankoy within the Crimea destroyed Russian Kalibr-KN cruise missiles whereas they have been being transported by rail. A ministry assertion mentioned the missiles, that are designed to be launched from floor ships in Russias Black Sea Fleet, have an operational vary of greater than 2,500 km (1,550 miles) on land and 375 km at sea. It stopped in need of claiming duty for the assault. Russian officers in Crimea, which was annexed by Moscow in 2014, mentioned the explosion was attributable to drones stuffed with shrapnel and explosives that focused civilian websites. One particular person was injured. Tass quoted Ihor Even, the pinnacle of the administration, as saying {that a} home, a college and a grocery retailer have been on fireplace and the ability grid was broken. There are not any navy websites close by, mentioned administration adviser Oleg Kryuchkov. Reuters was unable to independently confirm the Ukrainian or Russian experiences. A Russian navy air base is positioned close to Dzhankoi. (Reuters) A scathing unbiased overview reported Tuesday that Londons police drive, Britains largest, is institutionally racist, misogynistic, homophobic and should make use of rapists and murderers. The report, written by authorities official Louise Casey, was created following the kidnapping, rape and homicide of a London girl, Sarah Everard, two years earlier by Metropolitan Police officer Wayne Cousins. However since then one other officer, David Carrick, was sentenced to life in jail for dozens of rapes and sexual assaults spanning 20 years, and several other Met scandals have surfaced. Casey discovered that the horrific crimes had been dedicated in a pervasive tradition of rooted homophobia and aggressive behaviour, with feminine officers and workers dealing with routine sexism and misogyny. It concluded that minority officers suffered widespread bullying, whereas violence in opposition to girls and ladies in majority whites and males was not taken significantly sufficient. Requested if there may very well be extra officers like Couzens and Carrick who at one level served in the identical armed unit defending MPs and overseas diplomats Casey stated: I can not guarantee you adequate that is not the case. The job of the police is to maintain us secure as a public, she stated. Many Londoners have now misplaced religion within the police to do that. The findings of Upsetting Casey come almost 25 years after the Macpherson Report, which investigated the failures of the Met after the homicide of black teen Stephen Lawrence in 1993, additionally discovered energy in institutional racism and beneficial dozens of reforms. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stated that what was taking place contained in the museum was simply surprising and unacceptable and that there must be a change in tradition and management. However he backed its chairman, Mark Rowley, who was appointed after Cressida Dick was compelled to step down final April, to restore belief and confidence with a draft reform unveiled in January. Rowley referred to as Caseys report a really disturbing learn. He advised Sky Information: We now have an actual drawback right here. We now have misogyny, homophobia and racism within the group and were going to root it out. The report, which recognized systemic and elementary issues throughout the Capital Territory, together with insufficient administration, made 16 suggestions that may represent complete reform. Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, whos answerable for the drive and initiated the overview, stated he anticipated it to be totally applied shortly. He advised the BBC: Its in our pursuits to ensure that the police service modifications, each root and department. Casey warned that failure to reform was unacceptable and will imply the dismantling of the drive that displays greater than eight million folks throughout 620 sq. miles (1,605 sq. kilometers) of the British capital. The underside line is that if a corporation cannot repair itself, then there must be change, she advised BBC Radio. However she famous that the toughest factor is asking the group to alter its tradition and do a greater job. The Met has failed to guard its staff and most of the people from police perpetrators of home violence, nor those that abuse their workplace for sexual functions, its report states. Many times, those that complain will not be believed or supported. Theyre mistreated or face counterclaims from the defendants, she added. The 363-page overview additionally states that absence of vigilance implies that predatory and unacceptable habits has been allowed to flourish. Racism additionally exists throughout the drive, with discrimination typically ignored and complaints in opposition to black, Asian and minority ethnic officers more likely to be diverted. The Mets investigations into crimes have additionally been criticized, with the overview stating that the drive relied on overstuffed, dilapidated or damaged fridges and freezers to retailer forensic proof. A lunchbox was present in the identical fridge because the forensic rape samples, and a few of the gadgets had been so full they had been laced shut. The report discovered that one of many fridges had damaged down, which means the proof inside may not be used. (AFP) Each time you access this website you signify that you have read, understand and irrevocably agree to be bound by our Disclaimer and Privacy Policy. 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Last updated: January 14, 2023 TORONTO, March 21, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MacDonald Mines Exploration Ltd. (TSX-V: BMK, OTC: MCDMF) (MacDonald Mines or the Company) is pleased to report new surface exploration results from the Ashigami Cu-Au occurrence (Ashigami), 4.5 Km SE of the historic Alwyn Mine (Alwyn), both located along/adjacent to the McLaren Lake Fault Zone (MLFZ) on its 100% owned SPJ Property (SPJ) near Sudbury, Ontario. Survey Highlights: New grab samples from Ashigami blast pit containing 1.00 to 6.45 g/t gold, 3.11 to 5.55 % copper and 133 to 211 ppm cobalt . *The reader is cautioned that grab samples are selective by nature and do not necessarily represent the true metal content of the mineralized zones. . *The reader is cautioned that grab samples are selective by nature and do not necessarily represent the true metal content of the mineralized zones. Mineralization consists primarily of chalcopyrite with pyrite within dense multidirectional networks of quartz-carbonate veins, hosted in Gowganda formation sediments Very comparable to veining and mineralization observed in the Alwyn Cu-Au trend. Located 4.5 km southeast of the historic Alwyn Mine and adjacent to the prospective MLFZ, Ashigami Cu-Au occurrence may represent a broader extension of the mineralized system observed along the Alwyn Cu-Au trend drilled in 2022. Greg Romain, President & CEO, commented: Following our 2022 drilling success in the Alwyn Cu-Au trend, we started to re-examine the showings and occurrences along the MLFZ to test for the presence of Cu-Au mineralization comparable to the Alwyn trend. This initial surface work at the Ashigami showing revealed the presence of Cu-Au-Co mineralization that is comparable to what is observed in the Alwyn Cu-Au trend 4.5 km to the northwest and is suggesting a larger footprint than originally anticipated for polymetallic Cu-Au-Co mineralization along the MLFZ. Figure 1. Location of Ashigami Cu-Au-Co occurrence relative to the historic Alwyn Mine and 2022 drilling. Table 1. Anomalous grab samples collected by MacDonald Mines at the Ashigami Cu-Au occurrence. Year Sample No. Easting Northing Au g/t Cu ppm Co ppm Ag ppm Veined Gowganda Fm Sediments 2023 610444 530637 5168231 1.00 55500 140.0 7.42 610445 530637 5168231 3.90 31100 211.0 7.39 610446 530637 5168231 6.45 31900 133.0 3.34 2019 3482959 530643 5168221 0.60 15790 18.6 0.30 3482960 530642 5168225 0.49 14850 31.3 0.80 3482961 530649 5168224 0.46 33270 44.5 3.20 Espanola Fm Limestone Gowganda Fm Conglomerate Contact 2019 3482956 530874 5168257 0.10 9.5 64.1 <0.10 3482957 530872 5168251 4.89 25.7 1356.1 0.10 3482958 530883 5168273 6.24 2.6 19.3 <0.10 *The reader is cautioned that grab samples are selective by nature and do not necessarily represent the true metal content of the mineralized zones. Ashigami Cu-Au and Au-Co showings Mineralization occurs in two areas at the Ashigami occurrence, located approximately 225 m east-west of each other. In 1981, a 100 ft x 20 ft blast pit was created to bulk sample the first occurrence, which yielded approximately 0.22% copper and negligible gold values (OGS assessment report 41I10NE0167). This occurrence is hosted within Gowganda Fm sediments and has a brecciated appearance due to intense, multi-direction quartz-carbonate veining, which contains primarily chalcopyrite with pyrite mineralization. The blast pit is still well exposed and was resampled this year (new samples 610444 610446) in order to test the similarities of the occurrences geology and mineralization to that of the Alwyn Cu-Au trend. The second showing, located 225 m east of the blast pit, was sampled in 2019 and occurs at a strongly deformed contact between Espanola Fm limestone and a clast-poor Gowganda Fm conglomerate. The contact is sheared in a N-S orientation and Au-Co mineralization associated with pyrite within the limestone unit. The continuity of Au-Co mineralization at the contact is not yet known. Based on historic surface sampling, sodic and iron alteration (earthy/specular hematite & chlorite) occur throughout the Ashigami area at variable intensities, with some of the strongest sodic alteration observed directly around the Ashigami showings (OGS report 41I10NE0073). The combination of these new assay results, in addition to the presence of strong sodic and seeping hematite-bearing alteration, further highlight the similarities between Cu-Au-Co mineralization in Ashigami and Alwyn areas and define the Ashigami area as a primary focus for Cu-Au-Co exploration along the MLFZ during the spring and summer of 2023. The Companys primary objective moving forward is to determine the relationship of Cu-Au-Co mineralized showings along the MLFZ, such as Alwyn and Ashigami, and prove the areas potential to host an IOCG and affiliated deposits. Shares for Payment The Company, at its option, has issued shares in lieu of cash payment under the terms of the Powerline Property Agreement entered on June 30, 2018 and the Jovan Property Agreement entered into July 10, 2018. A total of 71,429 common shares of the Company were issued based on the closing March 20, 2023 price of $0.07. Grant of Options The Company announces the grant, under the Companys stock option plan, of 680,000 stock options to certain directors, officers, employees, and consultants of the Company. The options entitle the holders to purchase the same number of common shares of the Company at a price of $0.10 per share for a period of five years. About MacDonald Mines Exploration Ltd. MacDonald Mines is a Canadian gold and base metal exploration company focused on exploring its 100%-owned, 19,720 ha (197 km2) SPJ Project, 20 km southeast of the prolific Sudbury Mining Camp in Northern Ontario. The Companys focus is to locate what it theorizes to be large gold systems with high-grade gold surrounding the past producing Scadding Gold Mine and potential large gold and polymetallic structures surrounding Alwyn, Glade, MacLeod and Norstar. The Company is also focusing on key critical metal systems surrounding Candore and Jerome within the SPJ Project to supply the renewable energy transition, particularly nickel, copper, and PGEs. The demand and need for critical metals is at an all-time high, and Macdonald Mines believes the SPJ Property Area has the potential to be part of the solution. Qualified Person Jean-Francois Montreuil, P.Geo., Chief Geologist of MacDonald Mines, is the Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, responsible for preparing, supervising, and approving this news release's scientific and technical content. Forward-Looking Statements This news release may contain certain forward looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions, and other factors that 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 the forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of this news release and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise. 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. To learn more about MacDonald Mines, please visit www.macdonaldmines.com For more information, please contact: Greg Romain, President & CEO Phone: +1 (416) 364-7024 Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 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 /CNW/ - 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. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - March 20, 2023) - Foremost Lithium Resource & Technology Ltd. (CSE: FAT) (OTCQB: FRRSF) (FSE: F0R0) (WKN: A3DCC8) ("Foremost Lithium", "Foremost" or the "Company") is pleased to announce it has entered into an arm's length property acquisition agreement (the "Property Agreement") to acquire 100% interest in the Lac Simard South property (the "Property") in the Province of Quebec, Canada, consisting of 120 mining claims covering approximately 20,349 acres/8,235 hectares (see "Investment Summary" section for payment details). The Property has 24 pegmatites that were identified from satellite imagery. These pegmatites are located approximately 90km southwest from The NAL Lithium Processing Plant (A Piedmont/Sayona Joint Venture), which just announced it produced its first batch of spodumene concentrate (SC6)1, and 80km southwest of Val-D'or, a logistics hub for mining services. This acquisition increases Foremost's total lithium land holding to an aggregate of 63,380 acres/25,649 hectares. Lac Simard South is contiguous to Sayona Mining Limited and Refined Metals Corp. Lac Simard property which has sampled 2.1% lithium (Li) which is 4.52% Lithium Oxide (Li2O) and 5.88% Tantalum Oxide (Ta2O5) (Ref. Report GM 36797, 1980). The property is easily accessible year-round by way of well-maintained roads, with little overburden. Sayona Mining Limited's Abitibi Hub, comprised of its North American Lithium, Authier Lithium and Tansim Lithium projects located nearby, boasts a measured and indicated resource of 87.8 Mt grading 1.05% Li2O (Source: https://sayonamining.com.au/announcements/ March 22, 2022). Figure 1: Area Map with display of Foremost's Lac Simard South Claims* Jason Barnard, Foremost Lithium's President and CEO, comments, "We are excited to be adding this pegmatite rich property to our growing portfolio of lithium assets, in addition to moving east in this prospective lithium-dense area of Canada. This acquisition is consistent with our focus of acquiring quality assets near known established lithium production and processing regions. Not only is Lac Simard South property in an active lithium camp with large established resources, but we will be located near Sayona's lithium concentrators and refineries. We couldn't have picked a better location as it offers year-round access with close proximity to infrastructure enabling us to explore and drill during all seasons. Quebec is known for being the most generous tax-incentive province in our country, and our management team has already begun strategizing ways to capitalize on this amazing opportunity for our company and for shareholders." Geology Lac Simard South property is underlain by the large monzodiorite batholith of Lac Simard Sud. This batholith is pinkish grey in color and is composed of plagioclase, K-feldspar hornblende with minor amount of epidote and quartz. Quartz-monzodioritic dykes and sills are observed at the margin of this intrusion. The Ni-Cu Laforce showing explored by Kerr Addison Gold Mines Ltd and more lately by Fieldex Exploration (2007) lies about 1 km south of the Property. Summary of Investment Pursuant to the Property Agreement, Foremost Lithium will pay to the vendors an aggregate cash consideration of $50,000 plus GST payable upon closing and an additional $50,000 plus GST payable within 4 months after closing. In addition, the Company will issue a total of 1.5 Million Units (the "Unit") comprised of common shares of the Company (the "Shares") at a deemed price of $.21 per 1 common share and 1.5 Million purchase warrants (the "Warrants") with each warrant exercisable at $.35 per warrant for a period of three years. The Shares and Warrants will be subject to a hold period of four months and one day from the date of issuance. The Company intends to begin an active work program to test the identified pegmatites associated in this active lithium, mining, and refining region of Quebec. It is intended that an exploration program will include ground truthing - boots on the ground as a first step to confirm and describe the nature of the identified pegmatites as well as prospecting selected areas to find lithium-bearing pegmatites. The Company anticipates using indirect techniques such as EarthEx drone-assisted magnetic survey in addition to surficial geochemical surveys including Mobile Metal Ions (MMI Technology) to contemplate areas with scarce outcrops to help delineate new targets prospective for lithium-bearing pegmatites. Once the targets are determined, a projected drilling program will follow. Technical information relating to Lac Simard South Property contained in this news release has been approved by Isabelle Robillard, P. Geo, who is a "Qualified Person" within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. On Behalf of the Board of Directors Jason Barnard, President and CEO Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Phone: +1 (604) 330-8067 The Canadian Securities Exchange has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release and accepts no responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy hereof. About Foremost Lithium Resource & Technology Ltd. Foremost Lithium is a hard-rock exploration company with over 43,300 acres located in Snow Lake, Manitoba. It's 5 Lithium Lane Projects, Zoro, Jean Lake, Grass River, Peg North and Jol, are strategically located to capitalize on the world's growing EV appetite and is perfectly positioned to become a premier supplier of North America's lithium feedstock. As the world transitions towards decarbonization, the Company's objective is the extraction of lithium oxide (LiO), and to subsequently play a role in the production of high-quality lithium hydroxide (LiOH), to help power lithium-based batteries, critical in developing a clean-energy economy. Foremost Lithium also has the Winston Gold/Silver Property in New Mexico USA. Learn More at www.foremostlithium.com Follow us or contact us on social media: Twitter: @foremostlithium Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/foremost-lithium-resource-technology/mycompany Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ForemostLithium Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains "forward-looking statements" and "forward-looking information" (as defined under applicable securities laws), based on management's best estimates, assumptions, and current expectations. Such statements include but are not limited to, statements with respect to the plans for future exploration and development of the Company's properties and the acquisition of additional exploration projects. Generally, these forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "expects", "expected", "budgeted", "forecasts", "anticipates" "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "aims", "potential", "goal", "objective", "prospective", and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "can", "could" or "should" occur. These statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such statements, including but not limited to: risks related to the receipt of all necessary regulatory and third party approvals for the proposed acquisition and operations of the Company's business and exploration activities, risks related to the Company's exploration properties; risks related to international operations; risks related to general economic conditions, actual results of current exploration activities, unanticipated reclamation expenses; changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined; fluctuations in prices of commodities including lithium and gold; fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates, increases in market prices of mining consumables, failure of equipment or processes to operate as anticipated; accidents, labour disputes, title disputes, claims and limitations on insurance coverage and other risks of the mining industry; delays in the completion of exploration, development or construction activities, changes in national and local government regulation of mining operations, tax rules and regulations, and political and economic developments in jurisdictions in which the Company operates. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements, 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. The forward-looking statements and forward-looking information are made as of the date hereof and are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. The Company disclaims any obligation to revise or update any such factors or to publicly announce the result of any revisions to any forward-looking statements or forward-looking information contained herein to reflect future results, events or developments, except as require by law. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and information. Please refer to the Company's most recent filings under its profile at www.sedar.com for further information respecting the risks affecting the Company and its business. *Resource estimates contained on map in this press release were directly sourced from: https://sayonamining.com.au/projects/authier-project/ https://sayonamining.com.au/projects/tansim-project/ https://sayonamining.com.au/projects/moblan-project/ 1 https://www.nsenergybusiness.com/news/first-spodumene-concentrate-nal/ VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / March 21, 2023 / Hannan Metals Ltd. ("Hannan" or the "Company") (TSXV:HAN) (OTC PINK:HANNF) is pleased to announce that it has entered into a Letter of Agreement with arm's length private parties that provide an option for Hannan to acquire up to 100% of the Cerro Rolando Copper Porphyry Project, located within the Paleocene metallogenic belt 100 km northwest of Calama, in Region 2 of northern Chile. Highlights: Letter of Agreement with arm's length private parties pursuant to which Hannan has been granted the option to acquire up to 100% of the Cerro Rolando Copper Porphyry Project, a high value porphyry copper target in the Paleocene Belt of Region 2, Chile. Airborne EM data models a conductor at the base of 200 metre thick pampa cover over 1.2 km of strike. The conductor is interpreted to be a potential chalcocite enrichment blanket lying above a modelled magnetic body, interpreted to be the potassic core of a copper-bearing porphyry; The project presents a low cost entry and short timeframe to drilling, while the Company awaits drill permits across its vast Peruvian grassroots copper programs in San Martin and Valiente, Peru. Michael Hudson, Chairman & CEO of Hannan states, "The Cerro Rolando project represents a key strategic move for the Company into Chile, one of Latin America's premier and endowed copper mining jurisdictions and plays to the Company's strengths in defining grassroots copper opportunities in Latin America. Critically the acquisition provides Hannan with a low-cost entry to drill test a high value porphyry copper exploration target in the short term, while awaiting drill permits on our vast and extensive Peruvian holdings." GEOLOGICAL DISCUSSION The Cerro Rolando project is located within the Paleocene metallogenic belt about 100 km northwest of Calama, in Region 2 of northern Chile. The project consists of 16 contiguous exploration concessions covering a total of 48km2. Elevation in the area ranges from 1290m in the east to 1050m in the west. The project is accessible using existing roads and tracks. The Cerro Rolando Copper Porphyry Project is a high value porphyry copper target in the Paleocene Belt of Region 2, Chile. Around 80% of Chilean copper production comes from copper-gold porphyry deposits, with most situated in northern Chile (Figure 1). The Paleocene Belt hosts important porphyry copper deposits and mines such as Cerro Colorado (BHP), Spence (BHP), Sierra Gorda (KGHM & Sumitomo) and Relincho (part of Nueva Union - Teck-Goldcorp), yet the belt has seen less exploration as it is mostly under pampa cover. Regional magnetics shows Cerro Rolando to be located on a major north-south trending structure. This structure is thought to be the control for a regional basement high. Historic airborne EM data models a 1.2 km long conductor at the base of 200-metre-thick pampa cover (overburden defined by seismic surveys), just above a modelled magnetic body from historic airborne data. This is interpreted to be a potential conductive chalcocite enrichment blanket above the magnetic potassic core of a copper-bearing porphyry. Rapid and cost-effective ground geophysical surveys are planned immediately to define accurate drill targets and includes ground magnetics followed by moving-loop ground EM surveys. Hannan is now seeking quotes and will mobilize a geophysical contractor at the start of April, 2023. The Transaction Stage 1: Letter of Agreement The Letter of Agreement grants Hannan the sole and exclusive right to conduct initial assessment work to determine if the property merits entering into a detailed option to purchase agreement. Under the terms of the Letter of Agreement Hannan will pay US$32K and complete the following minimum exploration expenditures on the Property in three work stages within 12 months following the date that Hannan obtains all the necessary permits to perform drilling on the Property: (a) Stage A: US$15,000 of ground magnetic surveys; (b) Stage B: US$30,000 of electromagnetic surveys; and (c) Stage C: up to US$400,000 of drilling. Each stage of work represents a "gated hurdle", such that if each work program (Stages A-C above) does not merit additional exploration, Hannan can exit at any point. Stage 2: Option to Purchase Assuming positive results from the Stage 1 Letter of Agreement exploration program, Hannan can then enter into a Stage 2 Property Option Agreement that grants Hannan the right to earn up to an undivided 100% right, title and interest in and to the property. The option is exercisable in three stages over a total period of seven years by spending a total of US$15m in exploration expenditures and issuing 6.0m Hannan ordinary shares, as follows: (a) An option to acquire an initial 51% interest in the Property within 12 months following the date that Hannan or its affiliate obtained all the necessary permits to perform drilling on the Property (the "Phase 1 Option") by issuing 1.7m Hannan common shares; (b) An option to acquire an additional 29% interest in the Property, for a total 80% interest, within a total of 4 years from Hannan exercising the Phase 1 Option by spending an additional US$5m on exploration on the project and issuing 2.3m additional Hannan common shares; and (c) An option to acquire an additional 20% interest in the Property, for a total 100% interest, within a total of 7 years of Hannan exercising the Phase 1 Option by spending an additional US$10m on exploration of the project and issuing 2.0m additional Hannan common shares. Once the Company completes the exercise of the Stage 2 Option, a 2.0% Net Smelter Return ("NSR") Royalty on the property will be payable by Hannan but Hannan has the right to buy one percent (1.0%) of the NSR Royalty at a fair and reasonable valuation provided by an independent valuation, at any time during the pre-feasibility stage of the property. The Optionor will also grant Hannan a right of first refusal for the acquisition of the remaining NSR Royalty up to pre-feasibility. Hannan will be the operator of the project and has already conducted significant legal, social and environmental due diligence to advance towards the signing of the option and purchase agreement. If the Company exercises its right pursuant to the Stage 1 Letter of Agreement, the Company and the Optionor will enter into the Stage 2 Property Option Agreement which will be subject to TSX Venture Exchange ("TSXV") approval. About Hannan Metals Limited (TSXV:HAN) (OTCPK:HANNF) Hannan Metals Ltd. is a natural resources and exploration company developing sustainable resources of metal needed to meet the transition to a low carbon economy. Over the last decade, the team behind Hannan has forged a long and successful record of discovering, financing, and advancing mineral projects in Europe and Latin America. Hannan is a top ten in-country explorer by area in Peru and has recently optioned a copper-porphyry project in Northern Chile. Mr. Michael Hudson FAusIMM, Hannan's Chairman and CEO, a Qualified Person as defined in National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and approved the technical disclosure contained in this news release. On behalf of the Board, "Michael Hudson" Michael Hudson, Chairman & CEO Further Information www.hannanmetals.com 1305 - 1090 West Georgia St., Vancouver, BC, V6E 3V7 Mariana Bermudez, Corporate Secretary, +1 (604) 685 9316, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Forward Looking Statements Certain disclosure contained in this news release may constitute forward-looking information or forward-looking statements, within the meaning of Canadian securities laws. These statements may relate to this news release and other matters identified in the Company's public filings. In making the forward-looking statements the Company has applied certain factors and assumptions that are based on the Company's current beliefs as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to the Company. Forward-looking statements in this news release include statement regarding completing the conditions under the Stage 1 Letter of Agreement and the Stage 2 Property Option Agreement and the planned exploration on the Cerro Rolando property. These statements address future events and conditions and, as such, involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the statements. These risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to: Successful completion of the Stage 1 Letter of Agreement, Hannan's exercise of its right under the Stage 1 Letter of Agreement, TSXV approval of the Stage 2 Property Option Agreement, the political environment in which the Company operates continuing to support the development and operation of mining projects; the threat associated with outbreaks of viruses and infectious diseases, including the novel COVID-19 virus; risks related to negative publicity with respect to the Company or the mining industry in general; planned work programs; permitting; and community relations. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company does not intend, and expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to, update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. 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. Figure 1: Cerro Rolando is located in Region 2 of northern Chile in the highly productive Northern Paleocene belt. Tenements cover 48km2. Elevation slopes gently from 1290m in the east to 1050m in the west. The project is accessible using existing roads and tracks. Vancouver, BC - TheNewswire - March 20, 2023 - Arizona Silver Exploration Inc. (TSXV:AZS) (OTC:AZASF) is pleased to advise that it has completed its first 2023 reverse circulation (RC) drilling program at the Philadelphia epithermal gold-silver project in Mohave County, Arizona. The program consisted of 12 holes for a total of 1256 metres. Assay results are awaited. Five holes were completed on one of three patented claims known as the Rising Fawn Zone. All holes in the Rising Fawn Zone cut stockwork quartz mineralization as anticipated in a rhyolite dike and footwall granite. Importantly, panning of the selected drill cuttings revealed visible gold in several of the drill holes. Seven of the holes were drilled in the GAP located in the Perry Zone, from a newly established drill pad in the central Perry claim. The new GAP drill holes intersected prominent green to gray quartz in a hanging wall (HW) vein in six of the seven holes. The vein is immediately beneath the overlying altered volcanics. Mineralization continued below the HW vein in the form of silicification and stockwork quartz veins in the host rhyolite dike and underlying Precambrian granite. All seven holes had good intervals of silicification and stockwork quartz. Gold panning of drill cutting rejects from the HW vein zone from two of the drill holes in the GAP revealed visible gold. Panning of drill rejects in the other GAP holes was not performed. Geological sections will be released when available. Greg Hahn, VP-Exploration comments: We have drilled 1.7 kilometers of strike length and up to 250 metres of dip to date on this impressive mineral system. Some gaps remain to be drilled but overall the system is well mineralized throughout the area drilled to date and remains open along strike in both directions and down dip. Outcrops of the main vein system continue south for another 1.4 kilometers but have never been drilled. The Company has established 10 drill sites to test the Resaca Zone on patented claims in an upcoming drilling campaign. The Resaca Zone has never been drilled but shows excellent silver and gold geochemistry from outcropping stockwork quartz in the host rhyolite dike. North of the Resaca Zone on unpatented claims the Company had previously completed 60 drill holes for a distance of at least another 500 metres north of the patented claim boundary. More than half of those holes intersected high grade vein and adjacent stockwork quartz mineralization. The Company is currently permitting 40 holes from several drill sites on claims within Bureau of Land Management lands. These holes will test the down dip continuation of the Perry Zone and the recently identified strong CSAMT anomaly beneath the Red Hills bulk tonnage target. Samples from all twelve holes will be shipped to the ALS sample preparation facility in Tucson, Arizona. Pulps will be shipped to the ALS analytical facility in Vancouver, BC for assaying. Qualified Person Gregory Hahn, VP-Exploration and a Certified Professional Geologist (#7122) is a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101 ("NI 43-101") and has reviewed and approved the technical information contained in this news release. About Arizona Silver Exploration Inc. Arizona Silver is a young exploration company focused on exploring gold-silver properties in western Arizona and Nevada. The flagship asset is the Philadelphia property and the subject of this news release. On behalf of the Board of Directors: ARIZONA SILVER EXPLORATION INC. Mike Stark, President and CEO, Director Phone: (604) 833-4278 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. CAUTION CONCERNING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS This news release includes certain forward-looking statements or information. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this release are forward-looking statements that involve various risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements in this news release include statements in relation to the timing, cost and other aspects of the 2023 exploration program; the potential for development of the mineral resources; the potential mineralization and geological merits of the exploration properties; and other future plans, objectives or expectations of the Company. 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. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's plans or expectations include the risk that actual results of current and planned exploration activities, including the results of the Company's 2023 drilling program(s) on its properties, will not be consistent with the Company's expectations; the geology, grade and continuity of any mineral deposits and the risk of unexpected variations in mineral resources, grade and/or recovery rates; fluctuating metals prices; possibility of accidents, equipment breakdowns and delays during exploration; exploration cost overruns or unanticipated costs and expenses; uncertainties involved in the interpretation of drilling results and geological tests; availability of capital and financing required to continue the Company's future exploration programs and preparation of geological reports and studies; delays in the preparation of geological reports and studies; the metallurgical characteristics of mineralization contained within the exploration properties are yet to be fully determined; general economic, market or business conditions; competition and loss of key employees; regulatory changes and restrictions including in relation to required permits for exploration activities (including drilling permits) and environmental liability; timeliness of government or regulatory approvals; and other risks detailed herein and from time to time in the filings made by the Company with securities regulators. In connection with the forward-looking information contained in this news release, the Company has made numerous assumptions, including that the Company's 2023 programs would proceed as planned and within budget. The Company expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as otherwise required by applicable securities legislation. TARTAR, Azerbaijan, March 20. Residents who returned to Azerbaijans liberated Talish village are provided with jobs, Special Representative of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the liberated territories of the Karabakh Economic Region (except Shusha district) Emin Huseynov told reporters, Trend reports. "Today we are in Talish village, which was restored in a short time after the liberation, and we are celebrating the Novruz holiday, which is of particular importance for us, because 20 families who returned here, for the first time in many years, are celebrating this holiday in the native village, Huseynov said. This is a double holiday for the former internally displaced persons who returned here, he noted. Taking this opportunity, I want to say that our state has built all the necessary infrastructure for residents who returned to our liberated villages, the official also said. Its gratifying that the residents who have returned are quickly adapting, Huseynov emphasized. Particular attention is paid to the employment opportunities of the residents. Some of the employed residents are engaged in small business here, and some families are provided with various employment packages," he added. On March 16, 20 families were returned to Talish village liberated from Armenian occupation in the 2020 second Karabakh war. The village is the first restored village in the Karabakh economic region. Four road communication networks and a water supply and sewerage line have been laid and are functioning in the village. Final work is being carried out at the school and kindergarten, and the village is fully gasified. Currently, restoration and construction work is ongoing in Talish. At the next stage, more 158 families are planned to be returned to the village. 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). : With over 1,260 km 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. : 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. : 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. 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: 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. TORONTO, March 17, 2023 /CNW/ - Orford Mining Corporation (TSXV: ORM) (Orford) is pleased to report that it has completed the winter drill program on the Joutel Eagle Property ("Joutel Eagle") located along the fertile Casa-Berardi Structural Zone and historical Eagle-Telbel Mine Trend in the Abitibi Greenstone belt. A total of 14 holes and 2,535 metres (Table 1) have been drilled, including an additional 500 metres in 3 holes since reporting of the positive preliminary results from drill hole 23-JE-004 on February 21, 20231 which returned grades of up to 28.7 g/t gold over 0.32 metres included in an interval of 4.1 g/t gold over 14.6 metres. These previously reported results are from samples that were sent for rush analysis. All other remaining assays are pending. Note that all drilling intervals are down-hole lengths. True thicknesses cannot be estimated with available information. David Christie, President and CEO of Orford, commented, "The 2023 drill campaign on our Joutel Eagle property has successfully confirmed the 400 metre strike of the South Gold zone. The program has also returned the best grade results to date on the zone in a cross-cutting structure which could be a game changer for the project's economics. We eagerly await assay results for the completed drilling and the detailed structural interpretation that will follow." The recently completed drill program has successfully tested: a 400 metre-plus strike length of the South Gold Zone (Figure 1). the possibility of parallel mineralized zones to the north (Holes 23-JE 006 & -007, Figure 1), similar to the presence of the north mine horizon observed at the Eagle-Telbel Mine located 8 km to the southeast. possible cross-structures in the South Gold Zone observed in the recently flown airborne magnetic-electromagnetic survey (Figure 1). To date both the 20221 and preliminary 20232 drilling results have shown that the South Gold Zone hosts higher grade gold over wider intersections than had historically been reported. In addition, preliminary findings have identified a new structural corridor oblique to the South Gold Zone (Figure 1) that is coincident with zones of higher-grade gold associated with an increase in quartz carbonate veining and pyrite as observed in hole 23-JE-004 (Figure 1). A similar system is also documented in holes 23-JE-014, 015, 006 and 007 (Figure 1, Table 1). Data was collected during the drill program with a core orientation tool and a full structural interpretation will be completed once all assays have been received and reported to identify 1) additional targets in the South Gold Zone, 2) secondary targets which may be associated with structures hosting higher grades oblique to the South Gold Zone, and 3) other targets along strike from the South Gold Zone to the northwest and southeast along the Eagle mine horizon. ____________________________ 1 Orford Mining News Release dated February 21, 2023. 2 Orford Mining News Release dated June 7, 2022. Figure 1: Map of the Joutel Eagle South Gold Zone Showing New Results and Completed Drilling. Note that all drilling intervals are down-hole lengths. True thicknesses cannot be estimated with available information. Information on adjacent properties is not necessarily indicative of the potential on Orford's Joutel Eagle Property1,2 Table 1: Joutel Eagle: South Gold Zone Drill Hole Coordinates (UTM NAD83 Zone 17) Assay Status Hole ID X Y Length (m) Azimuth Dip Partial 23-JE-004 684302 5490470 195 30 60 Partial 23-JE-005 684216 5490520 159 30 60 Partial 23-JE-006 684258 5490757 163 30 50 Pending 23-JE-007 684207 5490640 252 30 50 Pending 23-JE-008 684172 5490545 192 30 55 Pending 23-JE-009 684129 5490570 159 30 60 Pending 23-JE-010 684073 5490571 156 30 60 Pending 23-JE-011 684029 5490597 155 30 60 Pending 23-JE-012 684345 5490445 219 30 60 Pending 23-JE-013 684389 5490420 189 30 60 Pending 23-JE-014 684303 5490462 156 30 50 Pending 23-JE-015 684324 5490458 159 30 60 Pending 23-JE-016 684159 5490522 162 30 55 Pending 23-JE-017 684303 5490462 219 58 57 2535 Total m Assays Sample shipments were sealed and shipped to AGAT Laboratories, Val-d'Or, Quebec. All gold assays reported were obtained by standard fire assay on 50 gram nominal weight with an atomic absorption spectroscopy finish or by gravimetric finish in the case of overlimit and on request (methods 202551 and 202564) at AGAT Laboratories, Mississauga, Ontario. All samples were also analyzed for multi-elements, including copper and silver, using a four-acid method with an ICP-OES finish (method 201070) at AGAT Laboratories, Mississauga, Ontario. Drill program design, Quality Assurance/Quality Control ("QA/QC") and interpretation of results are performed by qualified persons employing a QA/QC program consistent with NI 43-101 and industry best practices. Standards and blanks are inserted at a minimum of 10% for QA/QC purposes in addition to those inserted by the lab. A subset of samples has not yet been sent for a verification assay at another lab. AGAT Laboratories are accredited by the Standards Council of Canada and found to comply with the requirements of ISO/IEC 17025:2017. About the Joutel Eagle Property The property is situated just to the northwest of Agnico Eagle's past producing Eagle-Telbel operation which produced in excess of 1.1 Moz of gold3 from 1974 to 1993. The Joutel Eagle property covers 11 km of the Casa Berardi structural zone south splay (CBSZ) which is associated with several gold deposits and, together with our McClure East property, gives Orford over 17 km coverage on the prolific CBSZ. The Joutel Eagle Property sits to the north of Orford's 100% owned Joutel South Property and to the west of Orford's 100% owned McClure East property. Information from neighbouring properties is not necessarily indicative of the mineralization on Orford Mining's properties. On November 30, 2021 Orford announced that it had entered an option to acquire 100% of the 50 square kilometer Joutel Eagle Project from Globex Mining Enterprises Inc. (TSX: GMX) (OTCQX International: GLBXF) (Frankfurt: G1MM). _____________________________ 3 Systeme d'information geominiere of Quebec "SIGEOM", Quebec Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources. April 20, 2020 DV93-01 About Orford Mining Corporation Orford Mining is a gold and critical mineral explorer focused on highly prospective and underexplored areas of Northern Quebec. Orford's principal assets are the Qiqavik, West Raglan and lithium exploration projects comprising a land package totaling over 111,000 hectares in the Cape Smith Belt of Northern Quebec. The Qiqavik Project hosts several new high-grade gold discoveries along a mineralized trend in excess of 40 km. The West Raglan Project hosts a number of high-grade Raglan-style nickel/copper/platinum group metal discoveries along a 55 km mineralized trend. In early 2023 Orford acquired large claim blocks targeting Lithium in the Nunavik Region. These Lithium claim blocks have been carefully selected as having promising lithium potential after an exhaustive compilation of available data. Orford also has four property positions in the Joutel region of the Abitibi District of Northern Quebec, which hosts historical deposits such as the Eagle/Telbel, Joutel Copper, Poirier Copper, and Vezza deposits. Orford continually seeks new gold exploration opportunities in North America. Orford's common shares trade on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol ORM. This information from neighbouring properties is not necessarily indicative of the mineralization on Orford Mining's properties. To view further details about Orford's exploration projects please visit Orford's website, www.orfordmining.com. Qualified Person The disclosure of scientific and technical information contained in this news release has been approved by Alger St-Jean, P.Geo., Chief Geoscientist of Orford, a Qualified Person under NI 43-101. The historical assays referred to in this release and shown in this figure were obtained from historical work reports filed with the Quebec Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources and has not been independently verified by a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43- 101 Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Statements 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. This news release contains "forward-looking information" including without limitation statements relating to the liquidity and capital resources of Orford and potential of one or more of the Qiqavik, and West Raglan, properties. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Orford to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Factors that could affect the outcome include, among others: future prices and the supply of metals; the results of drilling; inability to raise the money necessary to incur the expenditures required to retain and advance the properties; environmental liabilities (known and unknown); general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; accidents, labour disputes and other risks of the mining industry; political instability, terrorism, insurrection or war; or delays in obtaining governmental approvals, failure to obtain regulatory or shareholder approvals. For a more detailed discussion of such risks and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, refer to Orford's filings with Canadian securities regulators available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Although Orford 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 to differ from those anticipated, estimated or intended. Forward- looking statements contained herein are made as of the date of this news release and Orford disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws. The TSXV has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release. Vancouver, British Columbia TheNewswire - March 21, 2023 Rackla Metals Inc. (TSXV:RAK) (the Company) announces that Bruce Smith has stepped aside from his position as interim President of Rackla Metals, in order to focus on his role as CEO and President of Radius Gold Inc. (TSX-V: RDU). Simon Ridgway will continue in his role as CEO of the Company. Scott Casselman, Racklas recently appointed VP Exploration, has taken responsibility for the team building and development of the Companys exploration programs and has assembled a team of geologists, geological technicians, prospectors, core loggers etc. for Racklas upcoming summer program. Mr. Smith commented: It has been my pleasure to be interim President of Rackla Metals over the years and a key member of the team involved with the search for projects for the Company. I am a big supporter of the move into the Tombstone Gold Belt and the team Scott has quickly assembled to lead the charge on the targets acquired. The Company has quickly become a significant participant in this developing play and Im excited to see what the summer program brings, especially on the drill bit! I will continue to work with the Company as an active member of the Board of Directors. Simon Ridgway, President and CEO, commented: In the nearly two decades that Ive been working with Bruce, he has been a vital part of developing the exploration programs for the group and helping me review and acquire new projects. I look forward to continuing to have his input as a Director of Rackla. Bruce has now discovered an amazing exploration target for Radius to advance on its own, that I believe could be a game changer for the company. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD Simon Ridgway, CEO and Director Tel: (604) 801-5432; Fax: (604) 662-8829 Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Website: www.racklametals.com Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release. Forward-Looking Information Certain statements contained in this news release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. All statements included herein, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements and include, without limitation, statements about the Companys proposed financing, and future exploration activities. Often, but not always, these forward looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as estimate, estimates, estimated, potential, open, future, assumed, projected, used, detailed, has been, gain, upgraded, offset, limited, contained, reflecting, containing, remaining, to be, periodically, or statements that events, could or should occur or be achieved and similar expressions, including negative variations. 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 results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by forward-looking statements. Such uncertainties and factors include, among others, whether stock exchange approval to the financing will be obtained and the financing will be completed as planned; changes in general economic conditions and financial markets; the Company or any joint venture partner not having the financial ability to meet its exploration and development goals; risks associated with the results of exploration and development activities, estimation of mineral resources and the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits; unanticipated costs and expenses; and such other risks detailed from time to time in the Companys quarterly and annual filings with securities regulators and available under the Companys profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.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 to differ from those anticipated, estimated or intended. Forward-looking statements contained herein are based on the assumptions, beliefs, expectations and opinions of management, including but not limited to: that stock exchange approval to the financing will be obtained and that the financing will be completed as planned; that the Companys stated goals and planned exploration activities at its properties will be achieved; that there will be no material adverse change affecting the Company or its properties; and such other assumptions as set out herein. Forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and the Company disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise, except as required by law. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. VANCOUVER, CANADA TheNewswire - March 17, 2023: Sitka Gold Corp. (Sitka or the Company) (CSE:SIG) (FSE:1RF) (OTCQB:SITKF) is pleased to announce it has commenced its 2023 diamond drill program of up to 10,000 metres of drilling at its RC Gold Project (RC Gold or the Project) in Yukon. This drill program will be primarily focused on step out drilling from the recently announced Blackjack and Eiger intrusion related gold deposits which remain open in all directions and have an initial inferred resource estimate of 1.34 million ounces of gold (see news release dated January 19, 2023). The road accessible, contiguous 376 square kilometre RC Gold Project is located in the Yukons prolific Tombstone Gold Belt (TGB), approximately 100 kilometres east of Dawson City. We are excited to get an early start on the 2023 diamond drilling program at the RC Gold Project, stated Cor Coe, P.Geo, Director and CEO of Sitka Gold. The recently announced 1.34 million ounce initial gold resource at RC Gold remains ripe for considerable expansion and we expect the drilling planned for this year will add significant ounces to this mineral resource. The fact that Sitka has defined two gold deposits that come to surface, totalling 1,340,000 ounces gold and open in all directions, with just 13,000 metres of drilling completed since exploration efforts began, really demonstrates the district-scale potential of RC Gold. With a largely undrilled, 1.5 km mineralized corridor potentially linking these deposits together (see Figure 1) and several additional high priority, intrusion related gold targets yet to be tested across this 376 square kilometre contiguous land package, we believe we have only scratched the surface of the world class potential this Project has to host several multi-million ounce gold deposits. While expansion of the Blackjack and Eiger deposits will be the main focus of drilling efforts this year, the potential for additional discoveries across the district-scale land package remains robust with several high priority, intrusion related gold deposit targets yet to be tested. A 1.5 kilometre long mineralized corridor also remains open between the Blackjack and Eiger deposits with the potential for gold mineralization to link the Blackjack and Eiger zones together, as well as outwardly to the east and west and to depth (see Figure 1). With the 2023 winter diamond drilling program underway, the Company expects to see meaningful advancement at RC Gold over the coming months. Figure 1: Blackjack, Saddle and Eiger zones at the RC Gold Project The Blackjack and Eiger zones are typified by intrusion-hosted mineralization within the 2 km x 500 metre extensional corridor (see news release dated June 13, 2022) that provides a structural and genetic link between the Blackjack zone and Eiger zone intrusions (see Figure 2). The Blackjack and Eiger deposits remain open in all directions and have excellent potential for resource expansion. The Saddle zone, located midway between the Blackjack and Eiger is characterised by metasedimentary rocks intruded by dykes and sills. This zone remains relatively untested but contains significant mineralization with the potential to add additional resources as demonstrated by drill hole DDRCCC20-01 which returned 0.52 g/t gold over 84.8 m from surface and DDRCCC21-19 which intersected 80.0 m grading 0.59 g/t gold from 48.0 m depth that included 16.0 m grading 2.18 g/t gold (see news releases dated November 23, 2020 and January 20, 2022 respectively). Drilling at the RC Gold project has been planned to provide Sitka geologists with a solid database of drilling data to understand controls on mineralization observed in both intrusive and metasedimentary host rocks while also providing the necessary spatial density to generate the initial resource estimate. Assay results from drilling along with structural information obtained from oriented core, data from detailed core logging, geological mapping, reprocessed Lidar data and interpretation of an airborne magnetic geophysical survey have been instrumental in forming the basis for targeting high priority areas within the RC Gold Project, including the discovery of the Backjack and Eiger deposits. This methodology will continue to form the basis for future exploration work on the RC Gold Project. The 2023 drilling program will be focused on expansion drilling at the Blackjack and Eiger deposits and will consist of both a winter and summer phase with up to 10,000 metres of drilling planned. About the RC Gold Project The RC Gold Project (RC Gold) consists of a 376 square kilometre contiguous district-scale land package located in the newly road accessible Clear Creek, Big Creek, and Sprague Creek districts in the heart of Yukon's Tombstone Gold Belt. It is the largest consolidated land package strategically positioned mid-way between Victoria Gold's Eagle Gold Mine - Yukons newest gold mine which reached commercial production in the summer of 2020 - and Sabre Gold Mines Brewery Creek Gold Mine. The RC Gold Project land package comprises five underlying properties, namely, the RC, Bee Bop, Mahtin, Clear Creek, and Barney Ridge properties*. On January 19, 2023 Sitka Gold announced an Initial Mineral Resource Estimate prepared in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 (NI 43-101) guidelines for the RC Gold Property of 1,340,000 ounces of gold(1). The road accessible, pit constrained Mineral Resource is classified as inferred and is contained in two near/on-surface zones: The Blackjack and Eiger deposits. The Mineral Resource estimate is presented in the following table at a base case cut-off grade of 0.25 g/t Au: Table 1: RC Gold Inferred Mineral Resource Estimate COG g/t Au Blackjack Zone Eiger Zone Combined Tonnes 000's Au g/t 0z Au 000's Tonnes 000's Au g/t 0z Au 000's Tonnes 000's Au g/t 0z Au 000's 0.20 35,798 0.80 921 32,523 0.45 471 68,321 0.63 1,391 0.25 33,743 0.83 900 27,362 0.50 440 61,105 0.68 1,340 0.30 31,282 0.88 885 22,253 0.55 393 53,535 0.74 1,279 0.35 29,065 0.92 860 17,817 0.60 344 46,882 0.80 1,203 0.40 26,975 0.96 833 14,506 0.66 308 41,481 0.86 1,140 Notes 1. Mineral resource estimate prepared by Ronald G. Simpson of GeoSim Services Inc. with an effective date of January 19, 2023. Mineral Resources are classified using the 2014 CIM Definition Standards. 2. The cut-off grade of 0.25 g/t Au is believed to provide a reasonable margin over operating and sustaining costs for open-pit mining and processing 3. Mineral resources are constrained by an optimized pit shell using the following assumptions: US$1800/oz Au price; a 45 pit slope; assumed metallurgical recovery of 85%; mining costs of US$2.00 per tonne; processing costs of US$8.00 per tonne; G&A of US$1.50/t. 4. Mineral resources are not mineral reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability. 5. Totals may not sum due to rounding. The Initial Mineral Resource Estimate of 1,340,000 ounces of gold at the RC Gold Project is comprised of two deposits: the Blackjack deposit containing 900,000 ounces of gold at a grade of 0.83 g/t gold and the Eiger deposit containing 440,000 ounces of gold at a grade of 0.50 g/t gold (see news release dated January 19, 2023). Both of these deposits are at/near surface, are potentially open pit minable and amenable to heap leaching, with initial bottle roll tests indicating that the gold is not refractory and has high gold recoveries of up to 94% with minimal NaCN consumption (see News Release July 13, 2022). The Blackjack and Eiger deposits are in close proximity to highway and power infrastructure, are road accessible year-round, remain open in all directions and are respectively located at the western and eastern end of a large, 500 metre by 2 kilometre intrusion related gold system that was recently discovered on the Property. To date, just 38 diamond drill holes have been drilled into this system for a total of approximately 13,000 metres with results of up to 201.0 m of 1.26 g/t gold from surface, including 82.0 m of 2.04 g/t gold and 19.5 m of 4.87 g/t gold at Blackjack (drill hole DDRCCC-22-040; see news release dated January 11, 2023) and 354 m of 0.41 g/t gold including 72 m of 0.72 g/t gold at Eiger (drill hole DDRCCC-21-09; see news release date August 19, 2021). Several high priority intrusion related gold targets exist at RC Gold with nine outcropped intrusions identified to date over the 376 sq km property, however Sitkas main focus at the RC Gold Project has been on the underlying Clear Creek Property where a large 500 metre by 2000 metre intrusion related gold system covering the area over the Blackjack, Saddle and Eiger zones was identified. To date the Company has drilled 38 diamond drill holes into this system for a total of approximately 13,000 metres. This drilling culminated in the discovery of the Blackjack and Eiger deposits with an initial inferred mineral resource estimate of 1,340,000 gold ounces(1). Sitka Gold inherited a wealth of historical and current data from these properties from work spanning the last 40 years. Recent exploration work and the compilation of historical data have defined several mineralized zones with both bulk tonnage, intrusion-related gold deposit targets and high-grade, vein- and breccia-hosted gold targets. The RC Gold Project also has a common border with Victoria Golds Clear Creek property at its western boundary and Florin Resources Florin Gold property at its northern boundary. (1) Simpson, R. January 19, 2023. Clear Creek Property, RC Gold Project, NI 43-101 Technical Report, Dawson Mining District, Yukon Territory. *For more detailed information on the underlying properties please visit our website at www.sitkagoldcorp.com. Deposit Model Exploration on the Property has mainly focused on identifying an intrusion-related gold system (IRGS). The property is part of the Tombstone Gold Belt which is the prominent host to IRGS deposits within the Tintina Gold Province in Yukon and Alaska. Notable deposits from the belt include: Fort Knox Mine in Alaska with current Proven and Probable Reserves of 230 million tonnes at 0.3 g/t Au (2.471 million ounces; Sims 2018)(1); Eagle Gold Mine with current Proven and Probable Reserves of 155 million tonnes at a diluted grade of 0.65 g/t Au at the Eagle and Olive deposits (3.261 million ounces; Goodwin et al. 2019)(2); the Brewery Creek deposit with current Indicated Mineral Resource of 22.2 million tonnes at a gold grade of 1.11 g/t (0.789 million ounces; Hulse et al. 2020)(3); the Florin Gold deposit, located adjacent to Sitkas RC Gold project, with a current Inferred Mineral Resource of 170.99 million tonnes grading 0.45 g/t (2.47 million ounces; Simpson 2021)(4) and the AurMac Project with an Inferred Mineral Resource of 207.0 million tonnes grading 0.60 gram per tonne gold (3.99 million ounces; Jutras 2022)(5). (1) Sims J. Fort Knox Mine Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska, USA National Instrument 43-101 Technical Report. June 11, 2018. https://s2.q4cdn.com/496390694/files/doc_downloads/2018/Fort-Knox-June-2018-Technical-Report.pdf (2) Goodwin R, Gray P, Jutras M, Tang S, Wilbur S. Technical Report for the Eagle Gold Mine, Yukon Territory, Canada. JDS Energy & Mining Inc. December 6, 2019. https://vitgoldcorp.com/site/assets/files/6480/jds-vit-eagle-gold-ni-43-101-fs-report-20191206.pdf (3) Hulse D, Emanuel C, Cook C. NI43-101 Technical Report on Mineral Resources. Gustavson Associates. May 31, 2020. https://www.goldenpredator.com/_resources/Brewery-Creek_NI-43-101-05OCT2020-File.pdf (4) Simpson R. Florin Gold Project NI43-101 Technical Report. Geosim Services Inc. April 21, 2021. https://sedar.com/GetFile.do?lang=EN&docClass=24&issuerNo=00005795&issuerType=03&projectNo=03236138&docId=4984158 (5) Banyan Gold News Release Dated May 17, 2022 (Technical Report to be filed within 45 days of news release) https://www.banyangold.com/news-releases/2022/banyan-announces-4-million-ounce-gold-mineral-resource-estimate-for-the-aurmac-property-yukon-canada/ About Sitka Gold Corp. Sitka Gold Corp. is a well-funded mineral exploration company headquartered in Canada. The Company is managed by a team of experienced industry professionals and is focused on exploring for economically viable mineral deposits with its primary emphasis on gold, silver and copper mineral properties of merit. Sitka currently has an option to acquire a 100% interest in the RC, Barney Ridge, Clear Creek and OGI properties in the Yukon and the Burro Creek Gold property in Arizona. Sitka owns a 100% interest in its Alpha Gold property in Nevada, its Mahtin Gold property in the Yukon and its Coppermine River project in Nunavut. Sitka has received all assay results from its 2022 diamond drill program at its RC Gold Project in the Yukon and announced a 43-101 compliant Initial Mineral Resource Estimate of 1,340,000 ounces of gold(1) beginning at surface and grading 0.68 g/t (see news release dated January 19, 2023). A resource expansion diamond drilling program has now begun (March 2023). Results from 2022 drilling at the Companys Alpha Gold Property in Nevada where a new Carlin-type gold system was recently discovered have all been received. The Company is focused on vectoring towards the high-grade core of this newly discovered system, which is located in the Cortez Trend just 40 km southeast of the Cortez Mine Complex of Barrick/Newmont, and plans for a 2023 drilling program at Alpha are currently underway. (1) Simpson, R. January 19, 2023. Clear Creek Property, RC Gold Project, NI 43-101 Technical Report, Dawson Mining District, Yukon Territory. Upcoming Events Sitka Gold will be attending and/or presenting at the following events: Swiss Mining Institute Conference, Zurich: March 21 - 22, 2023 Cor Coe (CEO and Director) and Mike Burke (VP Corporate Development) will be in attendance Dawson Gold Show, Dawson City, Yukon: May 19 - 20, 2023 TakeStock Calgary Capital Event, Calgary, AB: July 5, 2023 YMA Property Tours, Dawson City, Yukon: July 16-22, 2023 Precious Metals Summit, Beaver Creek, Colorado: September 12 - 15, 2023 All events are subject to change. The scientific and technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Cor Coe, P.Geo., Director and CEO of the Company, and a Qualified Person (QP) as defined by National Instrument 43-101. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF SITKA GOLD CORP. Donald Penner President and Director For more information contact: Donald Penner President & Director 778-212-1950 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Cor Coe CEO & Director 604-817-4753 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Cautionary and Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. These statements relate to future events or future performance. All statements other than statements of historical fact may be forward-looking statements or information. Forward-looking statements and information are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as appear, seek, anticipate, plan, continue, estimate, approximate, expect, may, will, project, predict, potential, targeting, intend, could, might, should, believe, would and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements and information are provided for the purpose of providing information about the current expectations and plans of management of the Company relating to the future. Readers are cautioned that reliance on such statements and information may not be appropriate for other purposes, such as making investment decisions. Since forward-looking statements and information address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors and risks. These include, but are not limited to, the expected timing and terms of the private placement, use of proceeds, anticipated work program, required approvals in connection with the work program and the ability to obtain such approvals. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements, timelines and information contained in this news release. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. The forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and no undertaking is given 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 or the CSE. The forward-looking statements or information contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. 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. No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein. VANCOUVER, BC, March 1, 2023 /CNW/ - Vizsla Silver Corp. (TSXV: VZLA) (NYSE: VZLA) (Frankfurt: 0G3) ("Vizsla" or the "Company") is pleased to report drill results from 14 infill holes targeting the Copala resource area at its 100%-owned, flagship Panuco silver-gold project ("Panuco" or the "Project") located in Mexico. The reported results correspond to infill drilling in the southeast-central portion of the Copala structure, demonstrating high-grade precious-metals continuity within the Copala resource wireframe. Highlights CS-22-246 returned 1,548 grams per tonne (g/t) silver equivalent (AgEq) over 15.00 metres true width (mTW) (1,142 g/t silver and 7.20 g/t gold) Including 3,872 g/t AgEq over 3.07 mTW (2,878 g/t silver and 17.72 g/t gold) And 3,356 g/t AgEq over 2.31 mTW (2,331 g/t silver and 17.60 g/t gold) (1,142 g/t silver and 7.20 g/t gold) CS-22-248 returned 787 g/t AgEq over 20.60 mTW (643 g/t silver and 2.80 g/t gold) Including 1,099 g/t AgEq over 1.02 mTW (912 g/t silver and 3.71 g/t gold) And 3,195 g/t AgEq over 0.26 mTW (2,670 g/t silver and 10.55 g/t gold) And 2,573 g/t AgEq over 4.84 mTW (2,099 g/t silver and 9.20 g/t gold) (643 g/t silver and 2.80 g/t gold) CS-22-251 returned 731 g/t AgEq over 18.00 mTW (602 g/t silver and 2.53 g/t gold) Including 1,032 g/t AgEq over 0.55 mTW (897 g/t silver and 2.93 g/t gold) And 4,161 g/t AgEq over 2.27 mTW (3,421 g/t silver and 14.51 g/t gold) And 1,099 g/t AgEq over 0.52 mTW (931 g/t silver and 3.45 g/t gold) (602 g/t silver and 2.53 g/t gold) CS-22-241 returned 1,287 g/t AgEq over 4.30 mTW (758 g/t silver and 8.62 g/t gold) Including 1,616 g/t AgEq over 1.05 mTW (798 g/t silver and 12.93 g/t gold) And 3,653 g/t AgEq over 0.86 mTW (2,347 g/t silver and 21.77 g/t gold) (758 g/t silver and 8.62 g/t gold) CS-23-253 returned 2,522 g/t AgEq over 2.10 mTW (1,920 g/t silver and 10.91 g/t gold) Including 3,814 g/t AgEq over 1.10 mTW (2,900 g/t silver and 16.55 g/t gold) (1,920 g/t silver and 10.91 g/t gold) "Ongoing drilling at Copala continues to demonstrate exceptional continuity of high-grade mineralization," commented Michael Konnert, President & CEO. "The recently completed infill-drilling program serves to incrementally de-risk the local resource through tighter spaced drilling and provides representative sample material for metallurgical testing. Furthermore, recently announced step-out drilling beyond the resource wireframe, continues to highlight Copala's near-term growth potential. We currently have three drill rigs targeting the Copala/Cristiano area, where near-surface, high-grade mineralization remains open laterally and at depth." The Copala Structure, located in the western portion of the Panuco district, is situated ~800m to the east of the Napoleon structure. Copala currently hosts Indicated Resources of 51.1 Moz AgEq at 516 g/t AgEq and Inferred Resources of 55.4 Moz AgEq at 617 g/t AgEq within a broad envelope of vein-breccia interlayered with host rock, up to 82 metres thick. Interpretations by Vizsla geologists indicate Copala has an average dip of ~46 to the east (~35 in its northern sector and steepening to ~52 in the southern sector). Drilling at Copala has now traced mineralization along approximately 1,100 metres of strike length and approximately 400 metres down dip. High-grade silver-gold mineralization remains open laterally to the north and southeast, as well as down dip to the east. The recently completed infill-drilling program consisted of 25 holes drilled at 25 metre centers designed to assess grade continuity and to provide sample material for metallurgical tests. Infill-holes CS-22-241, CS-22-246, CS-22-248 and CS-22-251 reported today, have confirmed strong continuity of structures and high-grades at tighter drill-hole spacing. Previously reported drillholes CS-22-202, CS-22-207 and CS-22-219, indicate an uplifted block of basement metasediments in fault-contact with andesites and diorite on the east side of Copala (see figures 2 and 3). New interpretations suggest between ~300 to 350 metres of vertical displacement by the fault. This information, in conjunction with ongoing data collection, are being used to define a target elevation for Copala type mineralization on the footwall side (east) of the fault. An uplifted block to the east of the current Copala resource has the potential to host Copala type mineralization at a shallower elevation, closer to surface. Vizsla plans to test this hypothesis with drillholes collared on the footwall side of the fault during Q1 2023. Drillhole From To Downhole Length Estimated True width Ag Au AgEq (m) (m) (m) (m) (g/t) (g/t) (g/t) CS-22-239 No Significant Results CS-22-240 200.65 214.50 13.85 8.00 209 1.30 282 Includes 209.90 214.50 2.60 1.50 728 3.52 915 CS-22-240 229.50 234.00 4.50 2.60 246 1.33 318 Includes 229.50 231.00 1.50 0.87 342 1.63 428 CS-22-241 82.50 91.95 9.45 4.30 758 8.62 1,287 Includes 84.00 86.30 2.30 1.05 798 12.93 1,616 Includes 86.30 88.20 1.90 0.86 2,347 21.77 3,653 CS-22-242 540.90 542.45 1.55 1.40 145 0.50 169 CS-22-243 No Significant Results CS-22-244 112.50 124.50 12.00 6.95 316 2.19 442 Includes 117.00 119.40 2.40 1.39 792 4.86 1,064 Includes 123.00 124.50 1.50 0.87 647 4.91 933 CS-22-245 138.55 142.20 3.65 2.60 701 3.89 915 Includes 139.30 141.00 1.70 1.21 853 5.36 1,155 CS-22-246 136.85 163.20 26.35 15.00 1,142 7.20 1,548 Includes 138.00 143.40 5.40 3.07 2,878 17.72 3,872 Includes 150.85 154.90 4.05 2.31 2,331 17.60 3,356 CS-22-247 60.60 69.20 8.60 4.30 171 2.01 295 Includes 62.05 64.90 2.85 1.43 414 5.42 750 CS-22-248 141.60 146.75 5.15 3.89 227 1.17 290 Includes 142.50 144.00 1.50 1.13 424 2.05 533 CS-22-248 165.15 192.40 27.25 20.60 643 2.80 787 Includes 165.15 166.50 1.35 1.02 912 3.71 1,099 Includes 184.00 184.35 0.35 0.26 2,670 10.55 3,195 Includes 186.00 192.40 6.40 4.84 2,099 9.20 2,573 CS-22-249 No Significant Results CS-22-251 172.50 207.00 34.50 18.00 602 2.53 731 Includes 186.45 187.50 1.05 0.55 897 2.93 1,032 Includes 190.25 194.60 4.35 2.27 3,421 14.51 4,161 Includes 198.80 200.15 1.00 0.52 931 3.45 1,099 CS-22-252 287.50 290.60 3.10 2.70 487 1.62 562 Includes 287.50 288.95 1.45 1.26 971 3.12 1,114 CS-23-253 295.40 297.50 2.10 2.10 1,920 10.91 2,522 Includes 295.40 296.50 1.10 1.10 2,900 16.55 3,814 Table 1: Downhole drill intersections from the holes reported for the new splay vein at the foot wall of Copala. Note: AgEq = Ag g/t x Ag rec. + (Au g/t x Au Rec x Au price/gram)/Ag price/gram. Metal price assumptions are $24.00/oz silver and $1,800/oz gold and metallurgical recoveries assumed are 93% for silver and 90% for gold. Gold and silver metallurgical recoveries used in this release are from metallurgical test results of the Napoleon vein (see press release dated February 17, 2022). Drillhole Easting Northing Elevation Azimuth Dip Depth CS-22-239 404,702 2,586,663 619 254.7 -72.8 300.0 CS-22-240 404,705 2,586,834 584 270.3 -84.4 297.0 CS-22-241 404,631 2,586,810 544 90.2 -89.5 126.0 CS-22-242 405,084 2,586,574 700 286.8 -57.3 598.5 CS-22-243 404,731 2,586,834 593 270.0 -82.0 286.5 CS-22-244 404,656 2,586,810 555 268.9 -84.2 184.5 CS-22-245 404,680 2,586,785 553 275.9 -80.3 178.5 CS-22-246 404,656 2,586,810 555 90.7 -87.0 210.0 CS-22-247 404,631 2,586,785 542 270.0 -90.0 87.0 CS-22-248 404,706 2,586,784 567 271.9 -79.3 222.0 CS-22-249 404,657 2,586,785 558 271.0 -83.0 163.5 CS-22-251 404,706 2,586,784 566 274.0 -85.0 241.9 CS-22-252 404,778 2,586,757 441 303.0 -68.0 330.0 CS-23-253 404,834 2,587,002 596 259.5 -60.0 340.5 Table 2: Drillhole details for the reported drillholes. Coordinates in WGS84, Zone 13. About the Panuco project The newly consolidated Panuco silver-gold project is an emerging high-grade discovery located in southern Sinaloa, Mexico, near the city of Mazatlan. The 6,761-hectare, past producing district benefits from over 86 kilometres of total vein extent, 35 kilometres of underground mines, roads, power, and permits. The district contains intermediate to low sulfidation epithermal silver and gold deposits related to siliceous volcanism and crustal extension in the Oligocene and Miocene. Host rocks are mainly continental volcanic rocks correlated to the Tarahumara Formation. The Panuco Project hosts an estimated in-situ indicated mineral resource of 104.8 Moz AgEq and an in-situ inferred resource of 114.1 Moz AgEq. An updated NI 43-101 technical report for the Panuco Project with the updated Mineral Resource Estimate is being prepared and expected to be filed on SEDAR within 45 days of our recent Mineral Resource Update published on January 24, 2023. About Vizsla Silver Vizsla Silver is a Canadian mineral exploration and development company headquartered in Vancouver, BC, focused on advancing its flagship, 100%-owned Panuco silver-gold project located in Sinaloa, Mexico. To date, Vizsla has completed over 250,000 metres of drilling at Panuco leading to the discovery of several new high-grade veins. For 2023, Vizsla has budgeted +90,000 metres of resource/discovery-based drilling designed to upgrade and expand the mineral resource, as well as test other high priority targets across the district. Quality Assurance / Quality Control Drill core and rock samples were shipped to ALS Limited in Zacatecas, Zacatecas, Mexico and in North Vancouver, Canada for sample preparation and for analysis at the ALS laboratory in North Vancouver. The ALS Zacatecas and North Vancouver facilities are ISO 9001 and ISO/IEC 17025 certified. Silver and base metals were analyzed using a four-acid digestion with an ICP finish and gold was assayed by 30-gram fire assay with atomic absorption ("AA") spectroscopy finish. Over limit analyses for silver, lead and zinc were re-assayed using an ore-grade four-acid digestion with AA finish. Control samples comprising certified reference samples, duplicates and blank samples were systematically inserted into the sample stream and analyzed as part of the Company's quality assurance / quality control protocol. Qualified Person In accordance with NI 43-101, Martin Dupuis, P.Geo., COO, is the Qualified Person for the Company and has reviewed and approved the technical and scientific content of this news release. Information Concerning Estimates of Mineral Resources The scientific and technical information in this news release was prepared in accordance with NI 43-101 which differs significantly from the requirements of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). The terms "measured mineral resource", "indicated mineral resource" and "inferred mineral resource" used herein are in reference to the mining terms defined in the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum Standards (the "CIM Definition Standards"), which definitions have been adopted by NI 43-101. Accordingly, information contained herein providing descriptions of our mineral deposits in accordance with NI 43-101 may not be comparable to similar information made public by other U.S. companies subject to the United States federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder. You are cautioned not to assume that any part or all of mineral resources will ever be converted into reserves. Pursuant to CIM Definition Standards, "inferred mineral resources" are that part of a mineral resource for which quantity and grade or quality are estimated on the basis of limited geological evidence and sampling. Such geological evidence is sufficient to imply but not verify geological and grade or quality continuity. An inferred mineral resource has a lower level of confidence than that applying to an indicated mineral resource and must not be converted to a mineral reserve. However, it is reasonably expected that the majority of inferred mineral resources could be upgraded to indicated mineral resources with continued exploration. Under Canadian rules, estimates of inferred mineral resources may not form the basis of feasibility or pre-feasibility studies, except in rare cases. Investors are cautioned not to assume that all or any part of an inferred mineral resource is economically or legally mineable. Disclosure of "contained ounces" in a resource is permitted disclosure under Canadian regulations; however, the SEC normally only permits issuers to report mineralization that does not constitute "reserves" by SEC standards as in place tonnage and grade without reference to unit measures. Canadian standards, including the CIM Definition Standards and NI 43-101, differ significantly from standards in the SEC Industry Guide 7. Effective February 25, 2019, the SEC adopted new mining disclosure rules under subpart 1300 of Regulation S-K of the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "SEC Modernization Rules"), with compliance required for the first fiscal year beginning on or after January 1, 2021. The SEC Modernization Rules replace the historical property disclosure requirements included in SEC Industry Guide 7. As a result of the adoption of the SEC Modernization Rules, the SEC now recognizes estimates of "measured mineral resources", "indicated mineral resources" and "inferred mineral resources". Information regarding mineral resources contained or referenced herein may not be comparable to similar information made public by companies that report according to U.S. standards. While the SEC Modernization Rules are purported to be "substantially similar" to the CIM Definition Standards, readers are cautioned that there are differences between the SEC Modernization Rules and the CIM Definitions Standards. Accordingly, there is no assurance any mineral resources that the Company may report as "measured mineral resources", "indicated mineral resources" and "inferred mineral resources" under NI 43-101 would be the same had the Company prepared the resource estimates under the standards adopted under the SEC Modernization Rules. 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 "ForwardLooking Statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and "forwardlooking information" under applicable Canadian securities laws. When used in this news release, the words "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "target", "plan", "forecast", "may", "would", "could", "schedule" and similar words or expressions, identify forwardlooking statements or information. These forwardlooking statements or information relate to, among other things: the exploration, development, and production at Panuco, including plans for resource/discovery-based drilling, designed to upgrade, and expand the maiden resource as well as test other high priority targets across the district. Forwardlooking statements and forwardlooking information relating to any future mineral production, liquidity, enhanced value and capital markets profile of Vizsla Silver, future growth potential for Vizsla Silver and its business, and future exploration plans are based on management's reasonable assumptions, estimates, expectations, analyses and opinions, which are based on management'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 silver, 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; Vizsla Silver's ability to operate in a safe and effective manner and its ability to obtain financing on reasonable terms. These statements reflect Vizsla Silver'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 forwardlooking statements or forward-looking information and Vizsla Silver has made assumptions and estimates based on or related to many of these factors. Such factors include, without limitation: the Company's dependence on one mineral project; precious metals price volatility; risks associated with the conduct of the Company's mining activities in Mexico; 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 "Risk Factors" in Vizsla Silver's management discussion and analysis. Readers are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forwardlooking statements or forward-looking information. Although Vizsla Silver 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. Vizsla Silver does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forwardlooking 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. Combined entity would create a mid tier market capitalization company once all assets are in operation Acquisition follows strong production growth at MDN and a very robust Feasibility Study at MDC expected by end of May Sprott Streaming and Royalty US$10 million Equalization Stream Financing Closed TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / March 7, 2023 / Cerrado Gold Inc. [TSXV:CERT] [OTCQX:CRDOF] ("Cerrado" or the "Company") has entered into a definitive agreement (the "Arrangement Agreement") with Voyager Metals Inc. (TSXV: VONE) ("Voyager") pursuant to which Cerrado will acquire all of the issued and outstanding shares of Voyager (each, a "Voyager Share") not already owned by Cerrado by way of a plan of arrangement under Business Corporations Act (Ontario) (the "Arrangement"). Upon completion of the Arrangement, Cerrado will, indirectly through a wholly-owned subsidiary, own a 100% interest in the Mont Sorcier Iron and Vanadium project located near Chibougamou, Quebec ("Mont Sorcier"). Mont Sorcier is a well advanced, large, long-life and economically robust Project in a tier one mining jurisdiction. In September 2022, Voyager completed a Preliminary Economic Assessment (the "PEA") on Mont Sorcier, which outlined a project with an after-tax NPV of US$1.6 Billion and IRR of 43% producing 5.0MM tpa of iron concentrates over a mine life of 21 years with annual free cash flow of US$235 million. The project is currently advancing towards completion of a bankable Feasibility Study expected by the end of 2023. Under the terms of the Arrangement Agreement, Voyager shareholders would receive one (1) common share of Cerrado ("Cerrado Share") for every six (6) common shares of Voyager (the "Exchange Ratio"). The Exchange Ratio implies consideration of C$0.1523 per Voyager Share (the "Transaction Price"), based on the 20 day volume weighted average price (VWAP") of the closing price of Cerrado common shares on the TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSXV") on March 3, 2023, representing a 16.8% premium to 20-day VWAP of Voyager on the TSXV on March 3, 2023. Upon closing, the Arrangement would result in Voyager shareholders owning approximately 18% of the Cerrado Shares outstanding upon closing of the Arrangement. Holders of Voyager options will receive equivalent securities of Cerrado adjusted in accordance with the Exchange Ratio. Securityholders of Voyager are expected to receive an aggregate of approximately 15,496,022 Cerrado Shares and 1,266,666 Cerrado options. Outstanding Voyager warrants will remain outstanding and in accordance with their terms will be exercisable for up to 2,140,452 Cerrado Shares based on the Exchange Ratio following the closing of the Arrangement. Transaction Rationale The Arrangement is expected to offer a number of significant benefits to Cerrado including:Attractive valuation for Cerrado to gain access to a robust, well defined, long-life project well known to the Cerrado operating team. Financing and cash flow synergies could reduce the dilution for project development and significantly reduce dilution for Cerrado's and Voyager's current respective shareholders. (See Figure 1. Below) Addition of a low cost, capital efficient and economically robust project to the portfolio in a low risk jurisdiction Mont Sorcier is expectd to generate in excess of US$235m per annum in free cash flow over its 21-year life, which is expected to begin production in 2028 (with the potential for expansion & extension). Mont Sorcie's PEA demonstrated anNPV of US$1.6B based on Indicated Resources only, representing 25% of total defined resource leaving room for optimization and expansion potential. Combined company would create a mid tier market capitalization once all assets are in operation. For additional information please see Cerrado's corporate presentation on the company's website at https://www.cerradogold.com/assets/Cerrado-Voyager.pdf Figure 1. Pro forma Finacials for Operating Assets In connection with the Arrangement, Cerrado has entered into a subscription agreement (the "Subscription Agreement") with Voyager pursuant to which Cerrado has agreed to subscribe for and purchase Voyager Shares at a price per Voyager Share equal to the Transaction Price, as part of a larger non-brokered private placement (the "Private Placement") of Voyager for gross proceeds of up to $4.725 million to be completed prior to the closing of the Arrangement. Assuming the Private Placement is fully subscribed, it is anticipated that Cerrado will subscribe for and purchase $3.7 million of Voyager Shares and will own approximately 19.9% of the issued and outstanding Voyager Shares (on a non-diluted basis) prior to the competion of the Arrangement. If the Private Placement is not fully subscribed, Cerrado will subscribe for no more than that numer of Voyager Shares as will result in Cerrado owining 19.9% of the outstanding Voyager Shares upon completion of the Private Placemnet and prior to completion of the Arrangement. Mark Brennan, CEO & Co-Chairman of the Company, commented, "We continue to see strong production growth at our MDN operation and we are very confident in delivering a strong Feasibility Study by the end of May for MDC. The addition of the Mont Sorcier project represents a significant opportunity to increase Cerrado's long term cash generation, asset life and relevance to the mineral sector. Mont Sorcier is expected to be a very high margin, high return project similar to our very robust Monte Do Carmo project. In addition, we see tremendous synergies to reduce future equity requirements to develop the Company's assets and this will add significant value to all shareholders of the combined company." He continued, "It is our belief that there is a clear path to develop a very significant market capitalized entity within a very modest timeframe, while limiting dilution to shareholders." US$10 million Stream Financing Closed The Company is also pleased to announced that has closed its previously announced Sprott Private Resources Streaming and Royalty Corp. $10 million Equation Stream Financing in connection with the amended and restated metals purchase and sale agreement announced on March 2, 2023. Arrangement Summary The Arrangement will be implemented by way of a court-approved plan of arrangement under the Business Corporations Act (Ontario). At closing, existing Cerrado and Voyager shareholders will own approximately 82% and 18% of the combined company, respectively, on a fully-diluted basis. The combined company will continue trading under the name Cerrado Gold Inc. and the ticker symbol TSX.V:CERT. All options and wararnts of Voyager outstanding as at the effective date of the Arrangement will be exchanged for equivaluent securities of Cerrado, adjusted for the Exchange Ratio and in accordance with the Arrangement Agreement. Closing of the Arrangement, as contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement, is subject to the satisfaction of a number of conditions, including: the approval of the Voyager shareholders for the Arrangement at special meeting of Voyager shareholders (the "Voyager Meeting"), , court approval, and the receipt of all applicable regulatory approvals (including the acceptance of the TSXV), and the satisfaction of certain other closing conditions customary in transactions of this nature. The Arrangement Agreement provides for termination rights, including in the event the Arrangement is not completed by July 30, 2023. There can be no ssurance that the Arrangement or the Private Placement will be completed as proposed or at all. Holders representing 28% of the issued and outstanding Voyager Shares and options as of the date of the Arrangement Agreement have entered into voting support agreements, pursuant to which they have agreed to vote their common shares and options held in favor of the Arrangement, subject to certain conditions. Futher details regarding the terms of the Arrangement are set out in the Arrangement Agreement, a copy of which will be filed under each of Cerrado's and Voyager's SEDAR profiles at www.sedar .com. Additional information in respect of the Arrangement will be provided in the management information circular to be prepare by Voyager in connection with the Voyager Meeting which will be mailed to Voyager securityholders and also available on Voyager's website at www.voyagermetals.com And filed under Voyager's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. None of the securities to be issued by Cerrado pursuant to the Arrangement have been or will be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or any state securities laws, and any securities issued pursuant to the Arrangement areanticipated to be issued in reliance upon available exemptions from such registration requirements. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities. Board Approvals and Recommendations The entry into of the Arrangement Agreement and Subscription Agreement and the completion of the Arrangement and Private Placement have been unanimously approved by the members of the respective boards of directors of Cerrado and Voyager eligible to vote thereon. In the case of Voyager, the board of directors approved the Arrangement and Private Placement upon receipt of the unanimous recommendation of a special committee composed exclusively of independent directors of Voyager (the "Special Committee"). In connection with the recommendation, Echelon Capital Markets provided an independent opinion to the Special Committee, stating that, and based upon and subject to the assumptions, limitations, and qualifications set forth therein, the consideration offered pursuant to the Arrangement is fair, from a financial point of view, to the Voyager shareholders. Cerrado and Voyager are Non-Arm's Parties (as defined in the policies of the TSXV) as certain directors and officers of Cerrado occupy officers and/or director positions with Voyager. Such individuals, as a group, collectively hold 13.0% of the issued and outstanding Voyager Shares and options. Mr. Mark Brennan recused himself from voting in respect of the Arrangement, and the remaining arm's length directors of Cerrado unanimously approved the Arrangement. About Voyager Voyager is a mineral exploration company headquartered in Toronto, Canada. The Company is focused on advancing its Mont Sorcier, Vanadium-rich, Magnetite Iron Ore Project, located just outside of Chibougamau, Quebec. Mont Sorcier currently has Indicated Resources of 679M tonnes grading 27.8% magnetite and 0.20% V2O5, with the potential to produce 195M tonnes of magnetite concentrate grading at least 65% Fe and 0.52% vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) and a further Inferred Resource estimated at 547M tonnes grading 26.1% magnetite and 0.17% V2O5, with the potential to produce 148M tonnes of magnetite concentrate grading at least 65% Fe and 0.52% vanadium pentoxide (V2O5). The PEA in respect of the Mount Sorcier project dated effective September 8, 2022, entitled "NI 43-101 Technical Report - Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) for the Mont Sorcier Project - Quebec, Canada" was prepared by Simon Boudreau, P.Eng., Tim Fletcher, P.Eng., Daniel Gagnon, P.Eng., Mathieu Girard, P.Eng., Marina Iund, p.Geo. and Carl Pelletier, P.Geo., of DRA Americas Inc., InnovExplo Inc. and SOutex Inc. and is filed under Voyager's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com. The PEA is preliminary in nature, it includes inferred mineral resources that are considered too speculative geologically to have the economic considerations applied to them that would enable them to be categorized as mineral reserves, and, as such, there is no certainty that the PEA results will be realized. Mineral resources are not mineral reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability as there is no certainty that all or any part of the resources will be converted into reserves. To the best of Cerrado's knowledge, information and believe, there is no new material scientific or technical information that would make the disclosure of the mineral resources, mineral reserves or results of this preliminary economic assessment inaccurate or misleading. Qualified Person The technical information contained in this news release with respect to the Mont Sorcier Project has been reviewed and approved on behalf of Voyager by Clinton Swemmer, who is a Qualified Person as defined under National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101"). The scientific and technical information in this press release has been reviewed and approved by Sergio Gelcich, P.Geo., Vice President, Exploration for Cerrado Gold Inc., who is a Qualified Person as defined in NI 43-101. For furtherinformation, please contact Mark Brennan CEO and Co Chairman Tel: +1-647-796-0023 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. David Ball Vice President, Corporate Development Tel: +1-647-796-0068 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. About Cerrado Cerrado is a Toronto based gold production, development and exploration company focused on gold projects in the Americas. The Company is the 100% owner of both the producing Minera Don Nicolas mine in Santa Cruz province, Argentina, and the highly prospective development project, Monte Do Carmo located in Tocantins State, Brazil. At Minera Don Nicolas, Cerrado is maximising asset value through further operation optimization and continued production growth. An extensive campaign of exploration is ongoing to further unlock potential resources in our highly prospective land package. At its Monte Do Carmo project ("Monte Do Carmo"), Cerrado is rapidly advancing the Serra Alta deposit through Feasibility and production. A preliminary economic assessment in respect of the Monte Do Carmo project entitled "Independent Technical Report - Update Preliminary Economic Assessment for Serra Alta Deposit, Monte do Carmo Project, Tocantins State, Brazil"dated September 30, 2021 with an effective date of July 21, 2021 was prepared by Porfirio Cabaleiro Rodriguez, FAIG, B. Terrence Hennessey, P. Geo., Fabio Valerio Xavier, MAIG, and Rooniel Hirose, MAIG, of GE21 LTDA (the "Monte Do Carmo PEA") and filed on SEDAR under Cerrado's issuer profile at www.SEDAR.com. The Serra Alta deposit demonstrated Indicated Resources of 541 kozs of contained gold and Inferred Resources of 780 kozs of contained gold. The Monte Do Carmo PEA demonstrates robust economics as well as the potential to be one of the industry's lowest cost producers. Cerrado also holds an extensive and highly prospective 82,542 ha land package at Monte Do Carmo. For more information about Cerrado please visit our website at: www.cerradogold.com. Disclaimer This press release contains statements that constitute "forward-looking information" (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation, all statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements 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 statements. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release include, without limitation, statements regarding the business and operations of Cerrado. In making the forward- looking statements contained in this press release, Cerrado has made certain assumptions, including, but not limited to the potential market capitalization of the resulting issuer once all assets in operation, the attractive valuation of the acquisition, assumptions and estimates included in Voyager's PEA and potential synergies of Cerrado and Voyager. Although Cerrado believes that the expectations reflected in forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that the expectations of any forward-looking statements 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 statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this press release. Except as required by law, Cerrado disclaims any intention and assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, whether as a result of new information, future events, changes in assumptions, changes in factors affecting such forward-looking statements or otherwise. Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - March 21, 2023) - York Harbour Metals Inc. (TSXV: YORK) (OTC Pink: YORKF) (FSE: 5DE0) (the "Company" or "York") is pleased to announce that the Company has begun mobilization to initiate helicopter-supported diamond drilling at the Pinnacle Lake Volcanogenic Massive Sulphide ("VMS") target on its York Harbour Copper-Zinc project in Newfoundland, Canada. The Phase 5 Diamond Drilling campaign commenced at the A Zone North Target and then proceeded to the K Zone area. To date, nine drill holes, totalling 1,764 m, have been completed in the latest drilling campaign. The Pinnacle Lake and No. 4 Brook targets both lack historic drill-testing but possess significant upside potential to find new copper-zinc-silver mineralization that could substantially increase the footprint of high-grade VMS mineralization within the property. Figure 1: York Harbour Metals map Plan of Phase 5 Diamond Drilling Targets The Company has engaged a highly experienced drilling contractor and assembled a skilled technical team to oversee the drilling campaign. The use of helicopter-supported drilling will enable York Harbour Metals to access remote and difficult-to-reach areas, increasing the chances of discovering new mineralized zones. The Company's decision to explore outside the main mine area showcases its commitment to identifying and assessing the full potential of the property. In addition to the drilling campaign, York Harbour Metals has also invested in advanced geophysical and geochemical techniques to enhance the precision of its exploration activities. These innovative methods, combined with the expertise of the Company's technical team, will help to guide future exploration and development work on the property. As York Harbour Metals continues to expand its exploration efforts, the Company remains dedicated to creating long-term value for its shareholders and stakeholders through the responsible development of Newfoundland's mineral resources. Reminder of Special Investor Presentation The Company would like to share a reminder about its Special Investor Presentation taking place this Thursday, March 23rd, 2023, at 1:00pm Eastern Time (10:00am Pacific Time). The Special Investor Presentation will showcase the Company's accomplishments, current developments, and future plans for its 100%-owned York Harbour Copper-Zinc Project. Additionally, the presentation will provide a detailed overview of the newly acquired Rare Earth-focused Bottom Brook Property, located in close proximity within the province of Newfoundland. Topics to be discussed during the presentation will include rare earths - not so much 'rare' as 'Critical', North America's reliance on China, recent developments and incentives, forward projections of market perspectives and future requirements. A review of the history and potential of the Bottom Brook property will also be presented. To register for the webinar, please follow this link: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_xSKAM3VMR5262n1k-zLkDQ. For any questions, please email our investor relations team at the address provided below prior to the webinar. About the Company York Harbour Metals Inc. (TSXV: YORK) (OTC Pink: YORKF) (FSE: 5DE0) is an exploration and development company focused on two high-grade projects in Newfoundland. The York Harbour Copper-Zinc-Silver Project is located approximately 27 km from Corner Brook in Newfoundland. The Company intends to continue drilling the 11 known mineralized zones and explore new massive sulphide targets. Recently, the Company announced the acquisition of a high-grade Rare Earth Elements ("REE") project also located in Newfoundland. The Bottom Brook Critical Metals Project, covering 13,025 hectares, is located next to the Trans Canada Highway and is just 27 km from the deep-water port at Turf Point. York Harbour intends to actively identify diamond drill targets through property-wide prospecting, focused soil sampling, and geological mapping. A substantial drill program is scheduled for this year. For further details on York Harbour Metals, please reach out to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call +1-778-302-2257. You may also visit the Company's website at www.yorkharbourmetals.com for past news releases, media interviews and opinion-editorial pieces by management. On Behalf of The Board of Directors, Bruce Durham CEO, President, and Director Telephone: 778-302-2257 | Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Website: www.yorkharbourmetals.com 1518 - 800 Pender Street W, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6C 2V6 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. Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information This news release may contain "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All information contained herein that is not historical in nature may constitute forward-looking information. Forward-looking statements herein include but are not limited to statements relating to the prospects for development of the Company's mineral properties, and are necessarily based upon a number of assumptions that, while considered reasonable by management, are inherently subject to business, market and economic risks, uncertainties and contingencies that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by forward-looking statements. Except as required by law, the Company disclaims any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Vancouver, BC - TheNewswire - March 21, 2023 - Recharge Resources Ltd. ("Recharge" or the "Company") (RR:CSE) (RECHF:OTC) (SL5:Frankfurt) announces it has paid USD $500,000, as required by the Companys option to acquire a 100% interest in the Pocitos 1 Lithium Brine project in Salta, Argentina. The amount was paid in advance of the March 21st 2023 deadline and is the final cash payment required until March 21st, 2027 in order to acquire a 100% interest in the project and will fully vest the Company as an 80% owner in the project. Figure 1. Pocitos 1 Lithium Brine Project Drilling Figure 2. Pocitos 1 Lithium Brine Project Drilling Furthermore, Recharge announces it has achieved all of its required exploration commitments contemplated under the agreement and the Company has issued USD $500,000 (CAD $686,455) or 1,783,000 common shares to the optionor as contemplated under the option agreement. The shares issued are subject to a 4-month hold. The exercise of Recharges option to acquire the Pocitos 1 project is another planned milestone in the Companys efforts to build up to a 20,000-tonne lithium extraction plant at Pocitos 1 project in order to supply Richlink Capital Pty Ltd (Richlink) up to 20,000 tonnes of lithium chloride/carbonate per year, as previously announced under a letter of intent on October 3rd 2022 (the LOI). Furthermore, the Company is pleased to announce all of the warrants from the June 21st, 2022 private placement warrants have been exercised funding the Company with an additional $1,716,750. CEO, David Greenway stated, "The Company made a USD $500,000 payment in advance of the deadline in order to secure and exercise its option on the Pocitos 1 project. With an offtake LOI in place, a licence agreement to build up to 20,000 tonne Ekosolve lithium extraction plant, the elements of the Pocitos 1 lithium brine project are aligning nicely. Our next goal of establishing a NI 43-101 compliant mineral resource, a scoping study of the project and formalising our offtake agreement for lithium carbonate, is getting closer. Stakeholders are encouraged to find out more about the Ekosolve lithium extraction process on the Companys website here. About Pocitos Lithium Brine Project The Pocitos Project is located approximately 10 km from the township of Pocitos where there is gas, electricity, and internet services. Pocitos (1 & 2) is approximately 1,352 hectares and is accessible by road. Collective exploration totaling over USD $2.0 million developing the project, including surface sampling, trenching, TEM geophysics and drilling three holes that had outstanding brine flow results. Locations for immediate follow up drilling have already been designed and identified for upcoming exploration. Our next step is to do a Magneto Telleric geophysics survey to position the next drill hole. This survey will penetrate to 1,000 metres. Lithium values of up to 169 ppm from laboratory analysis conducted by Alex Stewart Laboratories were recorded during the projects drill campaigns as recently as December, 2022. A double packer sampling system was used in HQ Diamond drill holes which were drilled to a depth of up to 409 metres. The flow of brine was observed to continue for more than five hours. All holes had significant brine flow rates. Figure 6. Pocitos Lithium Claim Map Qualified Person Phillip Thomas, BSc Geol, MBusM, FAusIMM, MAIG, MAIMVA, (CMV), a Qualified Person as defined under NI43-101 regulations, has reviewed the technical information that forms the basis for portions of this news release, and has approved the disclosure herein. About Recharge Resources Recharge Resources is a Canadian mineral exploration company focused on exploring and developing the production of high-value battery metals to create green, renewable energy to meet the demands of the advancing electric vehicle and fuel cell vehicle market. All Stakeholders are encouraged to follow the Company on its social media profiles and Instagram. On Behalf of the Board of Directors, David Greenway David Greenway, CEO For further information, please contact: Recharge Resources Ltd. Joel Warawa Phone: 778-588-5473 E-Mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Website: recharge-resources.com Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange 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. Disclaimer for Forward-Looking Information Certain statements in this release are forward-looking statements, which reflect the expectations of management regarding Recharges intention to continue to identify potential transactions and make certain corporate changes and applications. Forward looking statements consist of statements that are not purely historical, including any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance or developments to differ materially from those contained in the statements. No assurance can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will occur or, if they do occur, what benefits Recharge will obtain from them. These forward-looking statements reflect managements current views and are based on certain expectations, estimates and assumptions which may prove to be incorrect. A number of risks and uncertainties could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including Recharges results of exploration or review of properties that Recharge does acquire. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release and Recharge assumes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results differed from those projected in the forward-looking statements, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 06, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Arras Minerals Corp. (TSX-V: ARK) is pleased to announce the assay results from holes Bg21011 and Bg21013, which were drilled 3.2 kilometers south of the main deposit on the Beskauga South prospect. These drill results are from the ongoing exploration drill program at the Beskauga copper-gold deposit and surrounding area. Highlights Include: Hole Bg22013 returned intersection of 877.4 meters (m) of mineralization grading 0.27 gram per ton (g/t) gold-equivalent (AuEq) (0.24 g/t Au, & 0.24 g/t Ag) starting at 21.3 m to the end of the drill hole. Including 6.3 m grading 1.29g/t AuEq (1.18 g/t Au & 0.41 g/t Ag) from 794.7 m depth down-hole. Including 17.0 m grading 2.53g/t AuEq (2.49 g/t Au & 0.41 g/t Ag) from 604.0 m depth down-hole. Including 23.0 m grading 1.68g/t AuEq (1.56 g/t Au & 0.70 g/t Ag) from 554.0 m depth down-hole. Including 82.7 m grading 0.53g/t AuEq (0.51 g/t Au & 0.21 g/t Ag) from 21.3 m depth down-hole. returned intersection of (0.24 g/t Au, & 0.24 g/t Ag) starting at 21.3 m to the end of the drill hole. Hole Bg22011 returned intersection of 423.4 meters (m) of mineralization grading 0.24 gram per ton (g/t) gold-equivalent (AuEq) (0.22 g/t Au & 0.19 g/t Ag) starting at 26.7 m to the end of the drill hole. Including 129.0 m grading 0.57g/t AuEq (0.55 g/t Au, 0.37 g/t Ag) from 96.0 m depth down-hole. returned intersection of (0.22 g/t Au & 0.19 g/t Ag) starting at 26.7 m to the end of the drill hole. Tim Barry, CEO of Arras, commenting on these latest results, stated, Holes Bg22011 and Bg22013 were designed to test historical gold and copper anomalies within a NW-SE corridor on the margin of the magnetic high and demagnetized zone 3.2 kilometers from the Beskauga Main Deposit. They were also intended to test for lateral and depth continuity of gold intercepts in historical drill holes BgS-043 and BgS-060, which yielded 86.5m @ 1.32 g/t Au and 60m @ 1.04 g/t Au, respectively. Mr. Barry continues, These are the first holes we have drilled into the Beskauga South prospect and they are particularly pleasing. Continuous low grade gold intercepts are punctuated by zones of higher grade including 17 meters @ 2.48g/t gold and 23 meters @ 1.68g/t gold. To drill such significant intercepts in our first drill holes in this area and to be more than 3 kilometers south of Beskauga Main Deposit speaks to the size and strength of the mineralizing system we see at Beskauga. A summary of the results announced in this news release is outlined in the table below. Table 1. Summary table for drill holes Bg22011 and Bg22013 Notes: Copper Equivalent (CuEq) grades reported for the drill holes at Beskauga were calculated using the following formula: CuEq % = Copper (%) + (Gold (g/t) x 0.8264) + (Silver (g/t) x 0.0107) + (Molybdenum (ppm) x 3.3333). Gold Equivalent (AuEq) grades reported for the drill holes at Beskauga were calculated using the following formula: AuEq g/t = Gold (g/t) + (Copper (%) x 1.2100) + (Silver (g/t) x 0.0129) + (Molybdenum (ppm) x 4.0334). Assumptions used for the copper and gold equivalent calculations were metal prices of US$3.00/lb. Copper, US$1,700/oz Gold, US$22/oz Silver, US$10/lb. Molybdenum, and metallurgical recoveries were assumed to be 100%. A summary of drillholes is given below: Bg22011: The upper section of the drill hole passed through andesite basalt and porphyritic quartz monzonite before intersecting later equigranular quartz monzonite. Both the porphyritic and equigranular quartz monzonites show weak to moderate potassic alteration, characterized by the presence of K-feldspar, magnetite, biotite, and epidote. The local argillic overprint, consisting of Illite and smectite, is strongly controlled by fault zones and correlates with low magnetic susceptibility values in the drill core. Gold mineralization is associated with occasional quartz-pyrite and quartz-magnetite veins, as well as magnetite and pyrite-only veins. Chalcopyrite is rare and weakly present. The most significant mineralization is found at the contact zones of quartz monzonite and surrounding rocks and is controlled by structures. The last 70m of the drill hole intersected fresh and barren andesite basalt. Bg22013: intersected alternating intervals of equigranular quartz monzonite intruded into a porphyritic quartz monzonite, with andesite basalts reported in three intervals indicating an older volcanic event. Alteration zones include moderate propylitic and weak to moderate potassic alteration. Strongest mineralization is related to contact zones of quartz monzonite and surrounding rocks, with gold mineralization associated with weak quartz-pyrite and quartz-magnetite veining, occasional magnetite, and pyrite only veins and stringers, or hematite after magnetite and pyrite veins in zones of argillic overprint. Chalcopyrite is sporadic with weak intensity. Figure 1. Location of the holes completed to date at the Beskauga South area, located approximately 3.2 kilometers SSW from the Beskauga Main deposit, and outside of the current NI-43-101 Mineral Resource Estimate. The inset map shows the location of Beskauga. Also shown is the location of the geology section shown in Figure 2. Figure 2. Cross-section showing drill holes Bg22011 and Bg22013 in relation to historical holes drilled by Copperbelt. AuEq grades of key intercepts in Bg22011, Bg22013 and historical holes are shown. The cross-section demonstrates structurally controlled mineralization largely focused in the contacts between steep, southwest dipping quartz monzonite intrusion and surrounding porphyritic quartz monzonite and andesite basalts. About the Beskauga Deposit The Beskauga deposit is a gold-copper-silver deposit with an Indicated Mineral Resource of 111.2 million tonnes grading 0.49 g/t gold, 0.30% copper, and 1.3 g/t silver for 1.75 million ounces of contained gold, 333.6 thousand tonnes of contained copper, and 4.79 million ounces of contained silver and an Inferred Mineral Resource of 92.6 million tonnes grading 0.50 g/t gold, 0.24% copper and 1.1 g/t silver for 1.49 million ounces of contained gold, 222.2 thousand tonnes of contained copper, and 3.39 million ounces of contained silver. The constraining open pit was optimized and calculated using a Gross Metal Value (GMV) cut-off of $20/tonne based on a price of $1,750/oz for gold, $3.50/lb for copper, $22/oz for silver, and with an average recovery of 85% for copper and 74.5% for gold and 50.0% for silver. Assay and QAQC Procedures The drill core is cut in half lengthwise with one half (same half, consistently) collected for analysis, and one half preserved as a record. Bagged samples are sealed to ensure integrity during transport. All sample preparation and geochemical analysis are undertaken by ALS Global at its laboratories in Karaganda (Kazakhstan) and Loughrea (Republic of Ireland), respectively. A 30 g split of the pulp is analyzed for gold content by fire assay with an Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS) finish (ALS method: Au-AA25) at ALS Karaganda. A second pulp split is then air freighted to ALS Loughrea and analyzed for 48 elements by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) after four-acid digestion on a 0.25 g aliquot (ALS method: ME-MS61). Any samples exceeding 1% copper are re-analyzed using a 4-acid digest ICP-MS ore grade method (ALS method: Cu-OG62). Arras Minerals operates according to its rigorous internal Quality Assurance and Quality Control (QA/QC) protocols, which are consistent with industry best practices. This includes the insertion of certified standards, blanks, and field duplicates comprising of quarter drill core into the sample stream at an insertion rate of 2.5%, 2.5%, and 5%, respectively, which is deemed appropriate for this stage of exploration. The blanks and standards are Certified Reference Materials (CRMs) supplied by Ore Research and Exploration, Australia. Internal QA/QC samples are also inserted by the analytical laboratories and reviewed by the Company prior to release. Qualified Person The technical information of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Tim Barry, a Chartered Professional Geologist MAusIMM CP(Geo), and a qualified person for the purposes of National Instrument 43-101. On behalf of the Board of Directors "Tim Barry" Tim Barry, MAusIMM (CP(Geo)) Chief Executive Officer and Director INVESTOR RELATIONS: +1 604 687 5800 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Further information can be found on the Companys website https://www.arrasminerals.com or follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/arrasminerals About Arras Minerals Corp. Arras is a Canadian exploration and development company advancing a portfolio of copper and gold assets in northeastern Kazakhstan, including the Option Agreement on the Beskauga copper and gold project. The Company has established the third-largest license package in the country (behind Rio Tinto and Fortescue Metals Group) prospective for copper and gold in the country. The Companys shares are listed on the TSX-V under the trading symbol ARK. Cautionary Note to U.S. Investors concerning estimates of Measured, Indicated, and Inferred Resources This press release uses the terms measured resources, indicated resources, and inferred resources which are defined in, and required to be disclosed by, NI 43-101. The Company advises U.S. investors that these terms are not recognized by the SEC. The estimation of measured, indicated and inferred resources involves greater uncertainty as to their existence and economic feasibility than the estimation of proven and probable reserves. U.S. investors are cautioned not to assume that measured and indicated mineral resources will be converted into reserves. The estimation of inferred resources involves far greater uncertainty as to their existence and economic viability than the estimation of other categories of resources. U.S. investors are cautioned not to assume that estimates of inferred mineral resources exist, are economically minable, or will be upgraded into measured or indicated mineral resources. Under Canadian securities laws, estimates of inferred mineral resources may not form the basis of feasibility or other economic studies. Disclosure of contained ounces in a resource is permitted disclosure under Canadian regulations, however the SEC normally only permits issuers to report mineralization that does not constitute reserves by SEC standards as in place tonnage and grade without reference to unit measures. Accordingly, the information contained in this press release may not be comparable to similar information made public by U.S. companies that are not subject NI 43-101. Cautionary note regarding forward-looking statements This news release contains forward-looking statements regarding future events and Arras future results that are subject to the safe harbors created under the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the Exchange Act, and applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking statements include, among others, statements regarding the use of net proceeds from the recent private placement, plans and expectations of the drill program Arras is in the process of undertaking, including the expansion of the Mineral Resource, and other aspects of the Mineral Resource estimates for the Beskauga project. These statements are based on current expectations, estimates, forecasts, and projections about Arras exploration projects, the industry in which Arras operates and the beliefs and assumptions of Arras management. Words such as expects, anticipates, targets, goals, projects, intends, plans, believes, seeks, estimates, continues, may, variations of such words, and similar expressions and references to future periods, are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of assumptions, risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond managements control, including undertaking further exploration activities, the results of such exploration activities and that such results support continued exploration activities, unexpected variations in ore grade, types and metallurgy, volatility and level of commodity prices, the availability of sufficient future financing, and other matters discussed under the caption Risk Factors in the Management Discussion and Analysis filed on the Companys profile on SEDAR on February 24, 2023 and in the Companys Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2022 filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filed on February 24, 2023 available on www.sec.gov. Readers are cautioned that forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and that actual results or developments may differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statement made by the Company in this release is based only on information currently available and speaks only as of the date on which it is made. The Company undertakes 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. TORONTO, March 02, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Labrador Gold Corp. (TSX.V:LAB | OTCQX:NKOSF | FNR: 2N6) (LabGold or the Company) is pleased to announce results from recent drilling targeting the highly prospective Appleton Fault Zone over a 12km strike length. The drilling is part of the Companys ongoing 100,000 metre diamond drilling program at its 100% owned Kingsway Project. Highlights of the drilling include an intersection of 1.19g/t Au over 41.8 metres from 397 metres that included 2.32g/t Au over 18.6 metres including 61.15g/t Au over 0.3 metres that contains visible gold in Hole K-22-214. This intersection, at 325 to 359 metres vertical, is the deepest yet at the HTC Zone which remains open at depth and to the northeast. Hole K-22-214 was abandoned in mineralization at 486 metres due to excessive fracturing. The hole was wedged as Hole K-22-214B which subsequently drilled through the entire mineralized zone and was completed at a depth of 676 metres. Assays are pending. Hole K-22-213 from Big Vein Southwest intersected 1.38g/t Au over 4.15m from 464 metres. The long intersection at the HTC zone, significantly extending this zone to depth, is encouraging especially as we also continue to step out towards the northeast. We have also made significant step outs in recent holes to the southwest, with assays pending, such that Big Vein has now been drilled over a strike length of approximately 590 metres and remains open in both directions. said Roger Moss, President and CEO. Two rigs continue drilling at Big Vein to test for extensions of the mineralization to both the northeast and southwest. Hole Id from (m) to (m) width (m) Au (g/t) Zone K-22-214 265.0 266.0 1.0 11.5 Big Vein 397.0 438.8 41.8 1.19 including 397.7 416.3 18.6 2.32 including 397.7 401.0 3.3 9.63 including 397.7 398.0 0.3 61.15 K-22-213 464.0 468.15 4.15 1.38 Big Vein Southwest including 466.36 468.15 1.79 2.81 Table 1. Summary of assay results. All intersections are downhole length as there is insufficient Information to calculate true width. Over 66,000 metres have been drilled to date out of the planned 100,000 metre program. Assays are pending for samples from approximately 3,000 metres of core. The Company has approximately $17 million in cash and is well funded to carry out the remaining 34,000 metres of the planned drill program as well as further exploration to add to the current pipeline of drill targets on the property. Figure1. Plan map of Big Vein showing significant intersections. Hole ID Easting Northing Elevation Azimuth Dip Total Depth (m) K-22-214 661569.6 5435366 57.161 145 55 486.31 K-22-213 661297.1 5434880 46.616 130 55 617 Table 2. Drill hole collar details QA/QC True widths of the reported intersections have yet to be calculated. Assays are uncut. Samples of HQ split core are securely stored prior to shipping to Eastern Analytical Laboratory in Springdale, Newfoundland for assay. Eastern Analytical is an ISO/IEC17025 accredited laboratory. Samples are routinely analyzed for gold by standard 30g fire assay with atomic absorption finish as well as by ICP-OES for an additional 34 elements. Samples containing visible gold are assayed by metallic screen/fire assay, as are any samples with fire assay results greater than 1g/t Au. The company submits blanks and certified reference standards at a rate of approximately 5% of the total samples in each batch. Qualified Person Roger Moss, PhD., P.Geo., President and CEO of LabGold, a Qualified Person in accordance with Canadian regulatory requirements as set out in NI 43-101, has read and approved the scientific and technical information that forms the basis for the disclosure contained in this release. The Company gratefully acknowledges the Newfoundland and Labrador Ministry of Natural Resources Junior Exploration Assistance (JEA) Program for its financial support for exploration of the Kingsway property. About Labrador Gold Labrador Gold is a Canadian based mineral exploration company focused on the acquisition and exploration of prospective gold projects in Eastern Canada. Labrador Golds flagship property is the 100% owned Kingsway project in the Gander area of Newfoundland. The three licenses comprising the Kingsway project cover approximately 12km of the Appleton Fault Zone which is associated with gold occurrences in the region, including those of New Found Gold immediately to the south of Kingsway. Infrastructure in the area is excellent located just 18km from the town of Gander with road access to the project, nearby electricity and abundant local water. LabGold is drilling a projected 100,000 metres targeting high-grade epizonal gold mineralization along the Appleton Fault Zone with encouraging results. The Company has approximately $17 million in working capital and is well funded to carry out the planned program. The Hopedale property covers much of the Florence Lake greenstone belt that stretches over 60 km. The belt is typical of greenstone belts around the world but has been underexplored by comparison. Work to date by Labrador Gold show gold anomalies in rocks, soils and lake sediments over a 3 kilometre section of the northern portion of the Florence Lake greenstone belt in the vicinity of the known Thurber Dog gold showing where grab samples assayed up to 7.8g/t gold. In addition, anomalous gold in soil and lake sediment samples occur over approximately 40 km along the southern section of the greenstone belt (see news release dated January 25th 2018 for more details). Labrador Gold now controls approximately 40km strike length of the Florence Lake Greenstone Belt. The Company has 170,009,979 common shares issued and outstanding and trades on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol LAB. For more information please contact: Roger Moss, President and CEO Tel: 416-704-8291 Or visit our website at: www.labradorgold.com Twitter: @LabGoldCorp 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. Forward-Looking Statements: This news release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, which may cause actual results to differ materially from the statements made. When used in this document, the words may, would, could, will, intend, plan, anticipate, believe, estimate, expect and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements reflect our current views with respect to future events and are subject to risks and uncertainties. Many factors could cause our actual results to differ materially from the statements made, including those factors discussed in filings made by us with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities. Should one or more of these risks and uncertainties, such as actual results of current exploration programs, the general risks associated with the mining industry, the price of gold and other metals, currency and interest rate fluctuations, increased competition and general economic and market factors, occur or should assumptions underlying the forward looking statements prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated, or expected. We do not intend and do not assume any obligation to update these forward-looking statements, except as required by law. Shareholders are cautioned not to put undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 20. The date of the trilateral meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Azerbaijan, Russia and Armenia is being discussed, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said during a press conference with Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, who is on a visit to Moscow, Trend reports. "In the near future we will choose convenient dates for all three ministers," he said. Earlier, the head of the press service of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, said that Moscow confirms its readiness to organize a meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia in Russia. The trilateral meeting scheduled for December last year was disrupted by the Armenian side. 743,500 Indicated and 972,000 Inferred Gold Ounces Inaugural Indicated Resource De-Risks Project Development; Future Resource Growth from District-Scale Exploration Potential of Both Oxide and Sulphide Mineralisation VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 07, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Newcore Gold Ltd. ("Newcore" or the "Company") (TSX-V: NCAU, OTCQX: NCAUF) is pleased to announce the results of an updated, independent, Mineral Resource Estimate (the "Resource") prepared in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") for the Companys 100% owned Enchi Gold Project ("Enchi" or the "Project") in Ghana. The Resource was completed by BBA E&C Inc. ("BBA") of Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. The Resource: (i) Successfully outlined an inaugural Indicated Mineral Resource of 743,500 gold ounces with substantial conversion from the Inferred category to the Indicated category, de-risking project development; (ii) Defined an Inferred Mineral Resource of 972,000 gold ounces; (iii) Established a high-grade underground resource for the first time of 135,900 gold ounces at an average grade of 2.42 g/t gold, proof of concept that outlines the potential for longer-term resource growth from sulphide mineralisation; (iv) Added a fifth deposit at Enchi, with an inaugural Inferred Mineral Resource at Tokosea of 46,900 ounces, proving out the potential for mine life extension from the district scale exploration opportunity at the Project; (v) Does not include approximately 38,000 metres of drilling which focused on greenfield discoveries and high-grade sulphide mineralisation at depth, highlighting the multi-million-ounce potential of the 216 km2 district scale property; and (vi) Further supports and de-risks the strong economics outlined in the 2021 Preliminary Economic Assessment ("PEA"). The Resource has an effective date of January 25, 2023, is reported using a constraining resource pit at a gold price of US$1,650 per ounce, and consists of: Indicated Mineral Resource of 743,500 ounces of gold at an average grade of 0.55 g/t Au and totalling 41,736,000 tonnes; and Inferred Mineral Resource of 972,000 ounces of gold at an average grade of 0.65 g/t Au and totalling 46,556,000 tonnes. Underground Inferred Mineral Resource of 135,900 ounces gold at 2.42 g/t Au. Initial Inferred Mineral Resource at Tokosea of 46,900 ounces gold at 0.75 g/t Au. A higher-grade subset of the open pit Resource, using a 0.50 cut-off grade, consists of an Indicated Mineral Resource of 493,700 ounces of gold at an average grade of 0.97 g/t Au and an Inferred Mineral Resource of 580,900 ounces of gold at an average grade of 1.04 g/t Au. This does not include the underground Inferred Mineral Resource of 135,900 ounces at an average grade of 2.42 g/t Au. The Resource builds on the last completed Mineral Resource Estimate released on June 8, 2021 (the "June 2021 Resource") and incorporates approximately 34,000 metres of infill and resource expansion Reverse Circulation ("RC") and diamond drilling completed by Newcore between January 2021 and July 2022. Of the 92,583 metres of drilling completed since 2020, approximately 38,000 metres has yet to be incorporated into a mineral resource estimate; this drilling continues to prove out the future resource growth potential at Enchi as these metres highlighted new greenfield discoveries and the potential for high-grade sulphide mineralisation at depth, showcasing the district scale exploration opportunity at Enchi. Table 1 - Mineral Resource Estimate for the Enchi Gold Project (1) Zone Classification Tonnes Au Grade (g/t) Contained Au (ounces) Sewum Indicated 20,925,000 0.48 323,300 Inferred 21,798,000 0.53 373,100 Boin Indicated 13,020,000 0.62 258,200 Inferred 15,884,000 0.68 349,600 Nyam Indicated 7,791,000 0.65 162,000 Inferred 2,681,000 1.21 104,700 Kwakyekrom Inferred 4,244,000 0.72 97,700 Tokosea Inferred 1,949,000 0.75 46,900 Total Indicated 41,736,000 0.55 743,500 Total Inferred 46,556,000 0.65 972,000 (1) Notes for Mineral Resource Estimate: 1. Canadian Institute of Mining Metallurgy and Petroleum ("CIM") definition standards were followed for the resource estimate. 2. The 2023 resource models used ordinary kriging (OK) grade estimation within a three-dimensional block model with mineralized zones defined by wireframed solids and constrained by pits shell for Sewum, Boin and Nyam. Kwakyekrom and Tokosea used Inverse Distance squared (ID2). 3. Open pit cut-off grades varied from 0.14 g/t to 0.25 g/t Au based on mining and processing costs as well as the recoveries in different weathered material. 4. Heap leach cut-off grade varied from 0.14 g/t to 0.19 g/t in the pit shell and 1.50 g/t for underground based on mining costs, metallurgical recovery, milling costs and G&A costs. 5. CIL cut off grade varied from 0.25 g/t to 0.27 g/t in a pit shell and 1.50 g/t for underground based on mining costs, metallurgical recovery, milling costs and G&A costs. 6. A US$1,650/ounce gold price was used to determine the cut-off grade. 7. Metallurgical recoveries have been applied to five individual deposits and in each case three material types (oxide, transition, and fresh rock). 8. A density of 2.19 g/cm3 for oxide, 2.45 g/cm3 for transition, and 2.72 g/cm3 for fresh rock was applied. 9. Optimization pit slope angles varied based on the rock types. 10. Reasonable mining shapes constrain the mineral resource in close proximity to the pit shell. 11. Mineral Resources that are not mineral reserves do not have economic viability. Numbers may not add due to rounding. 12. The resource estimate was prepared by Todd McCracken, P.Geo, of BBA E&C Inc. in accordance with NI 43-101. Todd McCracken is an independent qualified person ("QP") as defined by NI 43-101. Updated Mineral Resource Estimate Highlights Inaugural Indicated Mineral Resource Estimate , de-risks Project development. Up-dip and down-dip drilling at existing deposits converted a larger than expected portion of the Resource to the Indicated category. , de-risks Project development. First underground resources defined for the Project, highlighting the potential to define meaningful future resources within the high-grade sulphide mineralisation. Proof of concept, Project has strong potential to host sulphide mineralisation to depth with the current mineralisation defined to an average depth of only 100 metres. highlighting the potential to define meaningful future resources within the high-grade sulphide mineralisation. Initial resource estimate at Tokosea , adding a fifth deposit to the Project. Drilling continues to identify and prove out new deposits across the Project, highlighting the multi-million-ounce potential of the 216 km 2 district scale property. Tokosea is located approximately 500 metres to the east of Sewum and within short trucking distance of the proposed heap leach pad location identified in the 2021 PEA, highlighting the opportunity for both mine life extension and production growth from defining additional deposits and resources on the Project. , adding a fifth deposit to the Project. District Scale Exploration Opportunity at Enchi Still Largely Underexplored. More than 20 pre-resource targets identified across the 216 km 2 land package. All deposits and targets remain open along strike and at depth, with potential for resource growth in both shallow oxides and within the sulphide mineralisation. Average depth of resource pits is only 70 metres, with drilling testing mineralisation to an average depth of only 100 metres and a limited number of holes testing a maximum depth of 350 metres in one zone (Nyam). Resource supports strong economics outlined in the 2021 PEA. The PEA completed in 2021, at a gold price of US$1,650/oz and based on the June 2021 Resource (Inferred Mineral Resource of 1.41 million ounces of gold at 0.62 g/t), outlined a US$212 million after-tax net present value discounted at 5% and a 42% after-tax internal rate of return. The 2021 PEA remains applicable based on the updated Resource however it is preliminary in nature, includes Inferred Mineral Resources that are considered too speculative geologically to have economic considerations applied to them that would enable them to be categorized as mineral reserves, and there is no certainty that PEA results will be realized. Mineral resources are not mineral reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability. Potential for future resource growth. The updated Resource incorporated approximately 34,000 metres of the 72,388 metres of drilling completed post the June 2021 Resource. Approximately 38,000 metres of drilling not yet included in the Resource, targeting earlier stage mineralised zones across the Project and deeper sulphide mineralisation. First pass drilling completed in 2022 on high priority targets at Enchi resulted in new discoveries that are pre-resource stage, highlighting the potential for resource growth as the Company continues to drill-out these highly prospective areas. Potential future resource growth from both near surface oxide mineralisation that is amenable to heap leach processing and from testing sulphide mineralisation to depth. The updated Resource incorporated approximately 34,000 metres of the 72,388 metres of drilling completed post the June 2021 Resource. Luke Alexander, President and CEO of Newcore stated, "We are thrilled with the outcome of this resource update for our Enchi Gold Project in Ghana. This resource builds on the strong economics we established for the Project in 2021, with a substantial portion of the resource now in the Indicated category that not only improves the resource confidence but also continues to de-risk the Project towards future development. This resource update has also shown proof of concept with underground resources established for the first time. This is a significant milestone as it highlights the longer-term potential at Enchi to host a multi-decade mine with not only near-surface, open pit oxide gold resources but also resource growth from high-grade sulphide mineralisation at depth. We are excited to continue to aggressively advance Enchi, both via a focus on defining the exploration potential with drilling, but also via de-risking work such as baseline studies and metallurgical testwork that continues to advance the near-term development potential of the Project." Greg Smith, VP Exploration of Newcore stated, "In tandem with de-risking and advancing the defined resources at our Enchi Gold Project, we continue to prove out the significant future potential of this district scale exploration opportunity. With first pass drilling on one of our largest anomalies we were able to define a fifth deposit, Tokosea, on the Project. And with over 38,000 metres of drilling that has yet to be included in the resource, we believe the drilling that has been completed on earlier stage targets continues to highlight the future resource growth potential from both near surface oxide as well as deeper sulphide mineralisation. With the success we have had to date via the drill bit we expect it will only be a matter of time before we unlock the multi-million-ounce gold potential at Enchi, a district scale exploration opportunity that is located on a prolific belt that hosts a number of large-scale gold mines." A property map showing the location of deposits and targets at Enchi can be viewed at: Click Here The updated Mineral Resource Estimate was prepared by independent qualified person Todd McCracken, P. Geo. of BBA. Mineral resources are not mineral reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability. There is no certainty that any mineral resource will be converted into a mineral reserve. The resource estimate is based on the combination of geological modeling, geostatistics and conventional block modeling using the Ordinary Krig methodology of grade interpolation for Sewum, Boin, and Nyam. Kwakyekrom and Tokosea used Inverse Distanced squared. The mineral resources were estimated using a block model with parent blocks of 10m x 10m x 10m with sub-blocks to 2.5m x 2.5m x 2.5m. A capping study was made using histograms, probability plots, quantile plots and deciles plots to define the capping values resulting in variable capping values by deposit and zone. Summary of Drilling Completed in 2021 and 2022 at Enchi Newcore completed 72,388 metres of drilling in 447 holes between January 2021 and July 2022. This drilling: (i) Successfully expanded mineralisation along strike at all previously defined deposits (Sewum, Boin, Nyam, Kwakyekrom); (ii) Intersected high-grade gold in the upper portions of the sulphide mineralisation, with underground resources defined for the fist time at Nyam, Kwakyekrom and Sewum; and (iii) Continued to highlight the district scale size potential at Enchi with first pass drilling at Tokosea culminating in an initial Inferred Mineral Resource Estimate, adding a fifth deposit to the Project. Approximately 50% of the infill and resource expansion drilling was incorporated into the Resource. The drilling that has yet to be included focused on greenfield areas with high priority exploration targets: pre-resource areas (including Kojina Hill, Eradi and Sewum South); wide spaced step out drilling along strike of existing deposits (Boin, Nyam, Kwakyekrom and Tokosea); and down dip of the current deposits (below the currently modelled pit shells) where additional drilling is required to allow for sufficient spacing to expand the mineralisation to depth. These metres highlight the potential for future resource growth at Enchi as Newcore continues to prove out the multi-million-ounce potential of the 216 km2 district scale property. The Resource for Enchi incorporates assay results from 243 diamond drill holes totaling 39,499 metres, 848 RC holes totaling 110,079 metres, 319 RAB holes totaling 12,424 metres and 187 trenches totaling 18,315 metres, variably spaced from 25 to 100 metres apart targeting the Sewum, Boin, Nyam, Kwakyekrom and Tokosea deposits. The database comprises both historic and drill holes and trenches completed by Newcore from 2020 to July 2022. The resource now includes five deposits (Sewum, Boin, Nyam, Kwakyekrom, Tokosea), each of which are open along strike and down dip. A number of additional exploration targets have also been identified outside of the existing resource area that present an opportunity for significant resource growth. A full technical report, which is being prepared in accordance with NI 43-101, will be filed and available under the Companys SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com, and on Newcores website, within 45 days of this news release. Mineral Resource Estimate with Open Pit and Underground Details The Resource established the first underground resources at Enchi, highlighting the potential to define meaningful resource growth from further exploration at depth of sulphide mineralisation. Enchi is located on a prolific gold belt that hosts multiple gold mines and deposits that have proven out gold mineralisation to significant depths. Drilling to date at Enchi has only tested mineralisation to an average depth of 100 metres, with only a handful of holes testing a maximum depth of 350 metres in one zone (Nyam). Table 2a Mineral Resource Estimate by Deposit and Mining Method (1) Category/Zone Type Tonnes Au Grade (g/t) Contained Au (ounces) Indicated Sewum Open Pit 20,925,000 0.48 323,300 Boin Open Pit 13,020,000 0.62 258,200 Nyam Open Pit 7,791,000 0.65 162,000 Total Indicated 41,736,000 0.55 743,500 Inferred Sewum Open Pit 21,154,000 0.47 317,600 Underground 644,000 2.68 55,500 Boin Open Pit 15,884,000 0.68 349,600 Nyam Open Pit 1,852,000 0.68 40,600 Underground 829,000 2.41 64,000 Kwakyekrom Open Pit 3,970,000 0.64 81,000 Underground 274,000 1.86 16,300 Tokosea Open Pit 1,949,000 0.75 46,900 Total Inferred 46,556,000 0.65 972,000 Table 2b Mineral Resource Estimate by Mining Method (1) Category/Type Tonnes Au Grade (g/t) Contained Au (ounces) Indicated Open Pit 41,736,000 0.55 743,500 Total Indicated 41,736,000 0.55 743,500 Inferred Open Pit 44,809,000 0.58 836,000 Underground 1,747,000 2.42 135,900 Total Inferred 46,556,000 0.65 972,000 (1) See note under Table 1 Mineral Resource Estimate Sensitivity BBA also evaluated the pit constrained, open pit, Mineral Resource Estimate for Enchi at a range of cut-off grades between 0.1 g/t Au and 0.5 g/t Au (Table 3 below). The tables below do not include the underground Inferred Mineral Resource Estimate of 135,900 ounces at an average grade of 2.42 g/t Au. Table 3a Cut-Off Grade Sensitivity Pit Constrained Open Pit Indicated Mineral Resource Estimate (1) Cut-Off Grade Tonnes Au Grade (g/t) Contained Au (ounces) 0.1 47,702,000 0.50 768,200 0.2 36,549,000 0.61 716,700 0.3 28,258,000 0.72 650,600 0.4 21,240,000 0.84 571,600 0.5 15,838,000 0.97 493,700 Table 3b Cut-Off Grade Sensitivity Pit Constrained Open Pit Inferred Mineral Resource Estimate (1) Cut-Off Grade Tonnes Au Grade (g/t) Contained Au (ounces) 0.1 55,202,000 0.50 881,000 0.2 38,924,000 0.64 805,300 0.3 28,950,000 0.78 726,000 0.4 22,348,000 0.91 652,900 0.5 17,307,000 1.04 580,900 (1) See note under Table 1. Does not include Underground Inferred Mineral Resource Estimate of 135,900 ounces at an average grade of 2.42 g/t Au. Mineral Resource Estimate by Mineralisation Type The weathering profile varies by area at Enchi with depth of oxide mineralisation typically 20 to 30 metres but can reach up to 100 metres in some areas. Given most drilling to date has focused on the top 150 metres of mineralisation, the majority of the current Resource is hosted within the oxide and transition material. Table 4 Mineral Resource Estimate by Mineralisation Type (1) Category Tonnes Au Grade (g/t) Contained Au (ounces) Indicated Oxide 14,365,000 0.52 241,000 Transition 19,046,000 0.50 306,000 Fresh 8,325,000 0.73 196,500 Total Indicated 41,736,000 0.55 743,500 Inferred Oxide 15,913,000 0.44 224,300 Transition 14,894,000 0.50 237,600 Fresh 15,749,000 1.01 510,000 Total Inferred 46,556,000 0.65 972,000 (1) See notes under Table 1 Metallurgical Testwork Approximately 60% of the Resource consists of oxide and transition material which is amenable to heap leach processing. This processing method is supported by a significant amount of metallurgical testwork, including eight column tests and dozens of bottle roll tests, completed over the past two years on mineralised samples from both oxide and transitional zones. The mineralised material used for metallurgical testwork included a range of gold grades, weathering intensities (closely related to depth), as well as samples from different areas from each of Sewum and Boin (the two main deposits that comprise the majority of the Resource). Column testwork (reported October 12, 2022 and July 15, 2021) was completed on composites consisting of blended oxide and transitional material and achieved average recoveries of 93.2%. Testing was completed on representative samples that are indicative of the modelled crush size for heap leach processing, with coarser grind sizes providing for lower consumption of cyanide as well as lower required amounts of lime and cement per kilogram. Bottle roll testwork completed in 2020 (reported January 7, 2021) consisted of 49 representative oxide and transitional samples from Sewum and Boin, with an average gold recovery of 89.4% achieved from the 24-hour bottle roll tests. Most of the samples (38 of 49) were selected from the moderately and highly weather categories which represent the largest component of the weathered profile at Enchi, with those samples achieving an average recovery rate of 91.5%. Additional metallurgical testwork is underway as part of the current work program at Enchi. This testwork continues to advance and de-risk the Project to improve the understanding of optimal processing options for Enchi. In addition to optimization work that is being completed on additional column tests, a bench-scale, bulk sample metallurgical test work program is underway with anticipated completion in H1 2023. This testwork will process 20 tonnes of representative mineralized material using the optimized reagent levels as determined by the results of the column testwork. Sample selection is also under way for metallurgical testing of sulphide mineralisation which will be completed in 2023. Baseline Environmental and Social Study Update The Company anticipates completion of an updated Baseline Environmental and Social Study in H1 2023. The updated study is being completed by a qualified independent engineering firm building on the work previously completed in 2015. The study includes compilation of social baseline data, collection of physical environmental baseline data, engagement with relevant stakeholders, gathering of relevant supplementary data, as well as recommendations for next steps. Specific field work included surface water quality and use, ground water quality testing, climate, air quality and noise, geology, soil sampling and analysis, terrestrial ecological survey, and an aquatic biology/biodiversity assessment. The socio-economic baseline survey also includes interviews with key informants, focus group discussions, general surveys, and stakeholder engagement and consultations. This is an important step in further advancing and de-risking the Enchi Gold Project towards a future production decision. Newcore Gold Best Practice Newcore is committed to best practice standards for all exploration, sampling and drilling activities. Drilling was completed by an independent drilling firm using industry standard RC and Diamond Drill equipment. Analytical quality assurance and quality control procedures include the systematic insertion of blanks, standards and duplicates into the sample strings. Samples are placed in sealed bags and shipped directly to Intertek Labs located in Tarkwa, Ghana for 50 gram gold fire assay. Qualified Person Mr. Gregory Smith, P. Geo, Vice President of Exploration at Newcore, is a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101, and has reviewed and approved the technical data and information contained in this news release. Mr. Smith has verified the technical and scientific data disclosed herein and has conducted appropriate verification on the underlying data including confirmation of the drillhole data files against the original drillhole logs and assay certificates. About Newcore Gold Ltd. Newcore Gold is advancing its Enchi Gold Project located in Ghana, Africas largest gold producer (1). The Project currently hosts an Indicated Mineral Resource of 743,500 ounces of gold at 0.55 g/t and an Inferred Mineral Resource of 972,000 ounces of gold at 0.65 g/t (2). Newcore Gold offers investors a unique combination of top-tier leadership, who are aligned with shareholders through their 24% equity ownership, and prime district scale exploration opportunities. Enchis 216 km2 land package covers 40 kilometres of Ghanas prolific Bibiani Shear Zone, a gold belt which hosts several 5 million-ounce gold deposits, including the Chirano mine 50 kilometers to the north. Newcores vision is to build a responsive, creative and powerful gold enterprise that maximizes returns for shareholders. On Behalf of the Board of Directors of Newcore Gold Ltd. Luke Alexander President, CEO & Director For further information, please contact: Mal Karwowska | Vice President, Corporate Development and Investor Relations +1 604 484 4399 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. www.newcoregold.com (1) Source: Production volumes for 2021 as sourced from the World Gold Council (2) Notes for Mineral Resource Estimate: 1. Canadian Institute of Mining Metallurgy and Petroleum ("CIM") definition standards were followed for the resource estimate. 2. The 2023 resource models used ordinary kriging (OK) grade estimation within a three-dimensional block model with mineralized zones defined by wireframed solids and constrained by pits shell for Sewum, Boin and Nyam. Kwakyekrom and Tokosea used Inverse Distance squared (ID2). 3. Open pit cut-off grades varied from 0.14 g/t to 0.25 g/t Au based on mining and processing costs as well as the recoveries in different weathered material. 4. Heap leach cut-off grade varied from 0.14 g/t to 0.19 g/t in the pit shell and 1.50 g/t for underground based on mining costs, metallurgical recovery, milling costs and G&A costs. 5. CIL cut off grade varied from 0.25 g/t to 0.27 g/t in a pit shell and 1.50 g/t for underground based on mining costs, metallurgical recovery, milling costs and G&A costs. 6. A US$1,650/ounce gold price was used to determine the cut-off grade. 7. Metallurgical recoveries have been applied to five individual deposits and in each case three material types (oxide, transition, and fresh rock). 8. A density of 2.19 g/cm3 for oxide, 2.45 g/cm3 for transition, and 2.72 g/cm3 for fresh rock was applied. 9. Optimization pit slope angles varied based on the rock types. 10. Reasonable mining shapes constrain the mineral resource in close proximity to the pit shell. 11. Mineral Resources that are not mineral reserves do not have economic viability. Numbers may not add due to rounding. 12. The resource estimate was prepared by Todd McCracken, P.Geo, of BBA E&C Inc. in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. Todd McCracken is an independent qualified person ("QP") as defined by National Instrument 43-101. A full technical report, which is being prepared in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, will be filed and available under Newcores SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com within 45 days of this news release. 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 includes statements that contain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation ("forward-looking statements"). All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. Any statement that involves discussion with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often, but not always using phrases such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", or "believes" or variations (including negative 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) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements. In this news release, forward-looking statements relate, among other things, to: statements about the estimation of mineral resources; results of our drill campaign, results of our exploration work including trench results, results of metallurgical testwork, magnitude or quality of mineral deposits; anticipated advancement of mineral properties or programs; and future exploration prospects. These forward-looking statements, and any assumptions upon which they are based, are made in good faith and reflect our current judgment regarding the direction of our business. The assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements are based on information currently available to Newcore. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based upon what management of Newcore believes, or believed at the time, to be reasonable assumptions, Newcore cannot assure its shareholders that actual results will be consistent with such forward-looking statements, as there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Forward-looking information also involves 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 the forward-looking information. Such factors include, among others: risks related to the speculative nature of the Companys business; the Companys formative stage of development; the Companys financial position; possible variations in mineralisation, grade or recovery rates; actual results of current exploration activities; fluctuations in general macroeconomic conditions; fluctuations in securities markets; fluctuations in spot and forward prices of gold and other commodities; fluctuations in currency markets (such as the Canadian dollar to United States dollar exchange rate); 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, unusual or unexpected geological formations); the presence of laws and regulations that may impose restrictions on mining; employee relations; relationships with and claims by local communities; the speculative nature of mineral exploration and development (including the risks of obtaining necessary licenses, permits and approvals from government authorities); title to properties; and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The estimate of mineral resources may be materially affected by environmental, permitting, legal, title, taxation, sociopolitical, marketing, or other relevant issues. The quantity and grade of reported inferred mineral resources in this estimation are uncertain in nature and there has been insufficient exploration to define these inferred mineral resources as an indicated or measured mineral resource and it is uncertain if further exploration will result in upgrading them to an indicated or measured mineral resource category. The quantity and grade of the reported indicated mineral resource in this estimation is uncertain in nature and there has been insufficient exploration to define this indicated mineral resource as a measured mineral resource and it is uncertain if further exploration will result in upgrading it to a measured mineral resource category. Forward-looking statements contained herein are made as of the date of this news release and the Company disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or results, except as may be required by applicable securities laws. 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 statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Kincora's first drill holes into three prospects at the Trundle project have intersected significant zones of mineralisation at shallow depths Dunn's North prospect (hole TRDD035) 12.5m @ 2.77g/t gold from 77.5m , including 2m @ 14.2g/t gold Multiple phase complex with porphyritic quartz-sulfide veins occurring in both near surface intrusive bodies and volcanic sandstone wall-rock Dunn's South prospect (hole TRDD036) 31m @ 0.49g/t gold, 0.25% copper and 55ppm molybdenum from 65.9m , including: 8.6m @ 1.21g/t gold, 0.26% copper & 90ppm molybdenum from 65.9m , with 1m @ 6.88g/t gold, 0.30% copper & 46ppm molybdenum 4.5m @ 0.50g/t gold, 0.79% copper & 180ppm molybdenum from 92.4m , with 0.5m @ 1.72g/t gold, 2.54% copper & 721ppm molybdenum Multiple phase intrusive complex with zones of high gold-copper and molybdenum grades suggesting a proximal setting. Botfield prospect (hole TRDD037) Assay results pending, but notable zones of visible mineralisation have been prioritized and include: Coarse chalcopyrite-bornite-pyrite epithermal veins (from 128- 132m ) Massive magnetite pyrite-chalcopyrite skarn (>80% magnetite, from 376- 407m ) Banded magnetite-pyroxene-feldspar skarn with pyrite-chalcopyrite (<30% magnetite from 407- 425m ) The Botfield prospect is interpreted to be an uplifted block, in the order of almost 500m , to the immediately adjacent Southern Extension Zone discovery Drilling is ongoing at the North-East Gold Zone prospect (hole TRDD038) High priority follow up hole at the Botfield prospect is planned testing the up-dip coincident magnetic and Induced Polarisation (IP) chargeability high anomaly cores Kincora notes two neighbouring explorers drilling at the western and southern extensions of the Trundle project MELBOURNE, Australia, March 21, 2023 /CNW/ - Kincora Copper Limited (ASX: KCC) (TSXV: KCC) (Kincora or the Company) is pleased to provide an exploration update from the new phase of drilling at the brownfield Trundle project, located in the Macquarie Arc of the Lachlan Fold Belt (LFB) in NSW, Australia. The drilling is testing 5 shallow large-scale porphyry and porphyry-related skarn targets across the 3.2km strike of the mineralised magnetic complex at the southern portion of the Trundle license. John Holliday, Technical Committee chair, and Peter Leaman, VP of Exploration, noted: "Kincora's first three drill holes from the current drill program at Trundle have been very encouraging, with all having intersected zones of potential ore grade mineralisation at relatively shallow depths. The Botfield massive, mineralised magnetite skarn intersection has indicated that the 0.75-1km long Botfield magnetic high anomaly is likely caused by a large magnetite skarn body. This is interpreted to be part of a very large porphyry-related copper-gold system. The magnetic anomaly had not been tested effectively by historic drilling. The Botfield prospect will be followed up by a priority hole into the core of the magnetic anomaly 250m further to the east. We believe the Botfield skarn is the uplifted, nearer surface part of the extensive and well mineralised skarn system at our previously discovered Southern Extension Zone. Botfield hole TRDD037 intersected massive magnetite skarn from only 330 metres vertical depth compared to 710 metres vertical depth in TRDD032 located 430 metres to the west. Additionally, intersecting porphyry style mineralisation at shallow depths with good grades at the Dunn's North and South prospects, located 640 metres apart, provides significant encouragement in a new area of exploration. Our understanding of these new prospects has been greatly improved with gold and porphyry A veins logged at Dunn's North and gold, copper and notably high molybdenum grades at Dunn's South. A review of these prospects, and adjacent open prospects, is ongoing." Figure 1: Kincora's ongoing phase of drilling at the Trundle project is testing 5 adjacent system targets across a 3.2km mineralised and magnetic system complex (Dunn's North, Dunn's South, NE-Gold Zone, Botfield and the Southern Extension Zone (SEZ)). Neighbouring explorer drilling is testing the western and southern extensions of existing known mineralised systems and potential common targets. Trundle drilling Kincora's new phase of drilling at the Trundle project commenced in January 1, and is testing 5 adjacent systems and separate large-scale porphyry targets across an existing 3.2km mineralised strike see Figure 1. Assay results have been returned for Kincora's first holes at the Dunn's North and Dunn's South prospects, located 640m metres apart. These assays have confirmed significant zones of potentially ore grade porphyry mineralisation at shallow depths see Tables 1 and 2. Petrology and fertility analysis is pending with a review commenced of these prospects, and adjacent open prospects, for follow up exploration. While assay results are pending for the first hole drilled at the Botfield prospect, notable zones of visible mineralisation have been prioritized. These include a zone of coarse chalcopyrite-bornite-pyrite epithermal veins, as well as massive and banded magnetite pyrite-chalcopyrite skarn horizons. A step out hole from previous shallow intrusive mineralisation at the North-East Gold Zone is in progress, with a priority follow up hole at the Botfield prospect then planned. Botfield prospect Kincora's first hole at the Botfield prospect, TRDD037, sought to test for the first time a large magnetic high complex coincident with shallow anomalous copper-gold and an IP chargeability high anomaly. The concept Kincora sought to test was of a large untested skarn and/or porphyry complex, potentially associated with the emerging Southern Extension Zone (SEZ) discovery. This discovery was made by Kincora in the past 18 months to the west, and the southern extension of the multiple phase intrusive complexes intersected by Kincora and previous explorer drilling. While assay results are pending, notable zones of visible mineralisation have been prioritized and include: Coarse banded chalcopyrite-bornite-pyrite epithermal veins (from 128- 132m ) ) Massive magnetite-pyrite-chalcopyrite skarn (>80% magnetite, from 376- 407m ) ) Banded magnetite-pyroxene-feldspar skarn with pyrite and chalcopyrite (<30% magnetite from 407- 425m ) Hole TRDD037 supports the current working interpretation that the Botfield prospect is located in an uplifted block, in the order of almost 500m, to the immediately adjacent SEZ prospect across an interpreted significant N-S fault zone see Figures 1 and 2. The relatively shallow chalcopyrite-bornite-pyrite epithermal veins are new to the project, and support vectors to a more proximal and prospective level in porphyry system - see Photo 1 (a). Hole TRDD037 intersected over 30 metres of massive magnetite skarn from only 330 metres vertical depth (see Photo 1 (b)) compared to an interpreted equivalent horizon of 34 metres from 710 metres vertical depth in TRDD032, located 430 metres to the west, with similar stratigraphic horizons above and below these zones. The geophysical inversions and targets for TRDD037 correlate well with visual logging and current interpretations of the returned diamond core, benefiting from the relatively shallow depths and width of the massive magnetic zone and associated sulphides. The Botfield prospect has been prioritised for follow up. Planned hole TRDD039 will step out a further 250 metres to the east testing the up-dip coincident magnetic and induced polarisation (IP) chargeability anomaly cores, and at potentially open-pitable depths. Assay results from completed hole TRDD037, and planned TRDD039, will assist in determining the next phases of drilling at the Botfield and SEZ prospects. As announced in December 20222, Kincora has been awarded a drilling grant from the latest New Frontiers Exploration program by the New South Wales State Government to follow up the intersected 34m @ 1.45 g/t gold and 0.25% copper in skarn, including an interpreted porphyry vein that drove 2m at 19.9 g/t gold and 2.43% copper (hole TRDD032) within the SEZ 3. Photo 1: Examples of key high grade mineralised zones from hole TRDD037 Assay results pending (a) Strong hematite-chlorite alteration overprinted by quartz-sericite-carbonate veins hosting coarse chalcopyrite-bornite-pyrite @ 128.6-131.5m. Core box-47 photo @ 128.20-131.46m with insert photo @ 131.4m. (b) Massive magnetite skarn (>80% magnetite) with minor patches of garnet (brown) and pyroxene (tan-green) @ 376.3-406.8m. Disseminated pyrite -/+ disseminated/blebs of chalcopyrite. Minor patches of retrograde calcite and orthoclase fill voids and fractures. Core box-122 photo @ 375.74-379.09m with insert photo @ 377.3m. Figure 2: The Botfield prospect is interpreted to be an uplifted block to the adjacent Southern Extension Zone (SEZ) discovery Large magnetic complex coincident with shallow copper-gold and chargeability anomaly is indicative of a large untested skarn &/or porphyry complex Dunn's North prospect Kincora's first hole at the Dunn's North prospect, TRDD035, sought to test for the first time the down dip potential of previous shallow air-core drilling that had failed to test an IP chargeable high anomaly co-incident with the shoulder of a significant NE-SW trending magnetic anomaly. Hole TRDD035 confirmed a near surface intrusive complex, intersected early porphyry style quartz veins (A-type) cutting both diorite(s) and wall-rock volcaniclastic sediments proximal to intrusive bodies intersected towards the top of the hole, and, the presence of early quartz-chalcopyrite and quartz-magnetite-chalcopyrite veins at depth. Encouraging previous gold grades in previous hole PPT08, including 10m at 1.99 g/t gold and 0.12% Cu from 36m, were repeated including 12.5m @ 2.77g/t gold from 77.5m, including 2m @ 14.2g/t gold, within a near surface gold mineralised diorite-monzodiorite intrusive complex (i.e., from 0m - 136m downhole). Sulphides returned in the intrusive complex, coupled with the subsequently intersected magnetic andesite volcaniclastic sandstone sequence with interbedded lava follows, towards the west, are interpreted to have explained the respective IP and magnetic anomalies. Table 1: Dunn's North target - hole TRDD035 Significant interval summary tables Porphyry gold and copper intercepts are calculated using a lower cut of 0.10g/t and/or 0.05% respectively. Internal dilution is below cut off. Internal dilution is below cut off. AuEq: $1800/oz Au, 3.55/lb Cu & 42,000/t Mo (100% recoveries). Abbreviations: ab = albite, act = actinolite, alt = alteration, cal-calcite, ch = chlorite, cp = chalcopyrite, ep = epidote, hm = hematite, mt = magnetite, qtz = quartz, py = pyrite Dunn's South prospect Kincora's first hole at the Dunn's South prospect, TRDD036, sought to test for the first time a significant magnetic anomaly, follow up previous broad lower grade mineralisation from surface and test the up-dip potential a previously intersected felsic intrusions with quartz-carbonate-pyrite veins with chalcopyrite and bornite. Hole TRDD036 also confirmed a near surface intrusive complex, intersecting sulphide bearing quartz veins with encouraging gold and copper grades within the intrusions (eg 44.39m @ 0.36g/t gold, 0.19% copper and 41ppm molybdenum from only 52.5m), and zones with high molybdenum grades (up to 721ppm) associated with intrusions suggesting a proximal setting to a magmatic source. Highly magnetic hornfels volcanic sandstones intersected subsequent to the intrusive complex towards the west is interpreted to explain the magnetic anomaly. The Dunn's North and South prospects are located 640m apart with encouraging but relatively limited deeper drill hole coverage and are with mineralisation starting from or near surface. Intersecting porphyry style and potential ore grade mineralisation at shallow depths in holes TRDD035 and TRDD036, associated with multiple intrusive phases provides encouragement. Fertility and petrology analysis is ongoing, with a review commenced considering the potential of further drilling towards the east and along strike towards the north and south (open target areas). Table 2: Dunn's South target - hole TRDD036 Significant interval summary tables Porphyry gold and copper intercepts are calculated using a lower cut of 0.10g/t and/or 0.05% respectively. Internal dilution is below cut off. Internal dilution is below cut off. AuEq: $1800/oz Au, 3.55/lb Cu & 42,000/t Mo (100% recoveries). Abbreviations: ab = albite, alt = alteration, ch = chlorite, cp = chalcopyrite, hm = hematite, qtz = quartz Neighbouring explorer drilling Kincora estimates the Trundle project holds a quarter of the Northparkes Igneous Complex, which to the east hosts Australia's second largest porphyry mine Northparkes owned by China Molybdenum Co., Ltd (CMOC) (80%) and the Sumitomo Group (20%) and a 24Moz gold equivalent endowment 4. Kincora notes two neighbouring explorers currently drilling at the western and southern extensions of the Trundle project. Satellite images show a drill rig on FMG's license immediately adjacent to the south, testing the potential southern extension and associated magnetic anomalies of the 3.2km mineralised and magnetic corridor Kincora is currently drill testing at the Dunn's-NE Gold Zone-Botfield prospects. The same images illustrate two rigs on Rimfire Pacific Mining neighbouring licenses, one drilling its Valley target adjacent to the northern section of the Trundle project, testing the western undercover extension of Kincora's Mordialloc target. References: Table 4: Trundle project Diamond hole collar information of current drill program For diamond and air-core drilling collar information of previous Kincora holes please refer to the July 17, 2022 press release: "Highest grade assays to date from Trundle's Southern Extension Zone discovery" Kincora Copper Limited NSW drilling program Following extensive technical reviews, the Company's ongoing drilling program in NSW will seek to drill test 13 new copper-gold discovery opportunities across 5 projects. In January 2023, drilling commenced at the flagship and brownfield Trundle project seeking to test 5 adjacent system and separate large-scale porphyry targets across an existing 3.2km mineralised strike and magnetic complex at the southern portion of the Trundle license. Trundle project background The Trundle project is located in the Junee-Narromine volcanic belt of the Macquarie Arc, less than 30km from the mill at the Northparkes mines in a brownfield setting within the westerly rift separated part of the Northparkes Igneous Complex ("NIC"). The NIC hosts a mineral endowment of approximately 24Moz AuEq (at 0.6% Cu and 0.2g/t Au) and is Australia's second largest porphyry mine comprising of 22 intrusive porphyry discoveries, 9 of which with positive economics. The Trundle project includes one single license covering 167km2 and was secured by Kincora in the March 2020 agreement with RareX Limited ("REE" on the ASX). Kincora is the operator, holds a 65% interest in the Trundle Project and is the sole funder until a positive scoping study is delivered at which time a fund or dilute joint venture will be formed. For further information on the Trundle and Northparkes Projects please refer to Kincora's website: https://kincoracopper.com/the-trundle-project/ This announcement has been authorised for release by the Board of Kincora Copper Limited (ARBN 645 457 763) Forward-Looking Statements Certain information regarding Kincora contained herein may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements may include estimates, plans, expectations, opinions, forecasts, projections, guidance or other statements that are not statements of fact. Although Kincora believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to have been correct. Kincora cautions that actual performance will be affected by a number of factors, most of which are beyond its control, and that future events and results may vary substantially from what Kincora currently foresees. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include market prices, exploitation and exploration results, continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions. The forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. The information contained herein is stated as of the current date and is subject to change after that date. Kincora does not assume the obligation to revise or update these forward-looking statements, except as may be required under applicable securities laws. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) or the Australian Securities Exchange accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Drilling, Assaying, Logging and QA/QC Procedures Sampling and QA/QC procedures are carried out by Kincora Copper Limited, and its contractors, using the Company's protocols as per industry best practise. All samples have been assayed at ALS Minerals Laboratories, delivered to Orange, NSW, Australia. In addition to internal checks by ALS, the Company incorporates a QA/QC sample protocol utilizing prepared standards and blanks for 5% of all assayed samples. Diamond drilling was undertaken by DrillIt Consulting Pty Ltd, from Parkes, under the supervision of our field geologists. All drill core was logged to best industry standard by well-trained geologists and Kincora's drill core sampling protocol consisted a collection of samples over all of the logged core. Sample interval selection was based on geological controls or mineralization or metre intervals, and/or guidance from the Technical Committee provided subsequent to daily drill and logging reports. Sample intervals are cut by the Company and delivered by the Company direct to ALS. All reported assay results are performed by ALS and widths reported are drill core lengths. There is insufficient drilling data to date to demonstrate continuity of mineralised domains and determine the relationship between mineralization widths and intercept lengths. True widths are not known at this stage. Significant mineralised intervals for drilling at the Trundle project are reported based upon two different cut off grade criteria: Interpreted near surface skarn gold and copper intercepts are calculated using a lower cut of 0.20g/t and 0.10% respectively; and, Porphyry intrusion system gold and copper intercepts are calculated using a lower cut of 0.10g/t and 0.05% respectively. Significant mineralised intervals are reported with dilution on the basis of: Internal dilution is below the aforementioned respective cut off's; and, Dilutions related with core loss as flagged by a "*". The following assay techniques have been adopted for drilling at the Trundle project: Gold: Au-AA24 (Fire assay), reported, unless above detection limit where the interval is re-assayed using fire assay method with atomic-absorption finish (Au-AA26 method of ALS). The technique allows accurately determine the gold grade above 0.01 g/t and suitable for high grade samples where grade exceeds 10 g/t. Multiple elements: ME-ICP61 (4 acid digestion with ICP-AES analysis for 33 elements) and ME-MS61 (4 acid digestion with ICP-AES & ICP-MS analysis for 48 elements), the latter report for TRDD001 and former reported for holes TRDD002-TRDD022. Copper oxides and selected intervals with native copper: ME-ICP44 (Aqua regia digestion with ICP-AES analysis) has been assayed, but not reported. Assay results >10g/t gold and/or 1% copper are re-assayed. Qualified Person The scientific and technical information in this news release was prepared in accordance with the standards of the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum and National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") and was reviewed, verified and compiled by Kincora's geological staff under the supervision of Paul Cromie (BSc Hons. M.Sc. Economic Geology, PhD, member of the Australian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy and Society of Economic Geologists), Exploration Manager Australia, who is the Qualified Persons for the purpose of NI 43-101. JORC Competent Person Statement Information in this report that relates to Exploration Results, Mineral Resources or Ore Reserves has been reviewed and approved by Paul Cromie, a Qualified Person under the definition established by JORC and have sufficient experience which is relevant to the style of mineralization and type of deposit under consideration and to the activity being undertaking to qualify as a Competent Person as defined in the 2012 Edition of the 'Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves'. Paul Cromie (BSc Hons. M.Sc. Economic Geology, PhD, member of the Australian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy and Society of Economic Geologists), is Exploration Manager Australia for the Company. Paul Cromie consents to the inclusion in this report of the matters based on his information in the form and context in which it appears. The review and verification process for the information disclosed herein for the Trundle, Fairholme and Nyngan projects have included the receipt of all material exploration data, results and sampling procedures of previous operators and review of such information by Kincora's geological staff using standard verification procedures. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - March 21, 2023) - Kodiak Copper Corp. (TSXV: KDK) (OTCQB: KDKCF) (FSE: 5DD1) (the "Company" or "Kodiak") today reports that the Company is mobilizing staff to the MPD copper-gold porphyry project in Southern British Columbia to start the 2023 Exploration Program on its 100% owned MPD copper-gold porphyry project in southern British Columbia. 2023 Exploration Program Highlights (see news release February 28, 2023) Plans for 2023 include up to 25,000 metres of drilling in multiple target areas , with the goal of discovering one or several new high-grade porphyry centres. 18 prospective target areas have been identified at MPD to date, which will be advanced in 2023. Targets for porphyry related copper-gold mineralization which have been prioritized for drilling include the Man, 1516, South and West zones . Further work is planned at the high-grade gold-silver Beyer discovery , including trenching and shallow drilling. Drilling operations will commence when site conditions permit, and initial work will include relogging of historic core, establishing property access and drill site preparations. A 25-line kilometre 3D Induced Polarization survey and a geochemical survey with 1500 soil samples will advance newer target areas such as Blue, Sky and Eclipse to drill-readiness. Claudia Tornquist, President and CEO of Kodiak said, "I am looking forward to embarking on another significant drill and exploration program in 2023 to further unlock the potential of the large, multi-centered porphyry system at MPD. We will replicate the successful approach that led to our initial Gate Zone discovery at several other high-priority drill targets this year, with an aim toward making further high-grade discoveries. I am particularly proud of the many new target areas generated by Kodiak's team through our regional exploration work which highlight the exceptional opportunities at the MPD Project." About the MPD Project MPD is a large, consolidated land package (147 square kilometres expanding to 226 square kilometres post new claims acquisition, (see news release February 23, 2023) in the southern Quesnel Terrane, British Columbia's primary copper-gold producing belt. It is situated between the communities of Merritt and Princeton and near several operating mines, with year-round accessibility and excellent infrastructure nearby. Following Kodiak's Gate Zone discovery in 2020, ongoing drill programs in 2021 and 2022 have significantly expanded the size and depth of known mineralization at the Gate Zone. Most of the copper-gold porphyry targets on the MPD property have yet to be drilled by Kodiak and the 2023 exploration program will prioritize drilling of these additional high-priority copper-gold porphyry targets across the property. The Company has a multi-year, area-based exploration permit that authorizes new drill sites and expanded exploration activity across the MPD property to 2026. On behalf of the Board of Directors Kodiak Copper Corp. Claudia Tornquist President & CEO For further information contact: Nancy Curry, VP Corporate Development This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. +1 (604) 646-8362 About Kodiak Copper Corp. Kodiak is focused on its 100% owned copper porphyry projects in Canada and the USA. The Company's most advanced asset is the MPD copper-gold porphyry project in the prolific Quesnel Trough in south-central British Columbia, Canada. MPD has all the hallmarks of a large, multi-centered porphyry system. Kodiak has made the Gate Zone discovery of high-grade mineralization within a wide mineralized envelope, and MPD hosts several other targets with similar discovery potential. Kodiak also holds the Mohave copper-molybdenum-silver porphyry project in Arizona, USA, near the world-class Bagdad mine. Kodiak's porphyry projects have both been historically drilled and present known mineral discoveries with the potential to hold large-scale deposits. Kodiak's founder and Chairman is Chris Taylor who is well-known for his gold discovery success with Great Bear Resources. Kodiak is also part of Discovery Group, one of Canada's leading exploration organizations. Neither 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 Statement (Safe Harbor Statement) This press release contains forward looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. The use of any of the words "anticipate", "plan", "continue", "expect", "estimate", "objective", "may", "will", "project", "should", "predict", "potential" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. In particular, this press release contains forward looking statements concerning the Company's exploration plans. Although the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which the forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements because the Company cannot give any assurance that they will prove correct. Since forward-looking statements address future events and conditions, they involve inherent assumptions, risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of assumptions, factors and risks. These assumptions and risks include, but are not limited to, assumptions and risks associated with conditions in the equity financing markets, and assumptions and risks regarding receipt of regulatory and shareholder approvals. Management has provided the above summary of risks and assumptions related to forward-looking statements in this press release in order to provide readers with a more comprehensive perspective on the Company's future operations. The Company's actual results, performance or achievement could differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements and, accordingly, no assurance can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will transpire or occur, or if any of them do so, what benefits the Company will derive from them. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release, and, other than as required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise. VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / March 21, 2023 / Mawson Gold Limited ("Mawson" or the "Company") (TSX:MAW)(Frankfurt:MXR)(OTC PINK:MWSNF) announces that its Board of Directors (the "Board") has accepted the resignation of Mr. Ivan Fairhall as Chief Executive Officer and a Director of the Company effective immediately. The Board wishes to thank Mr. Fairhall for his services as CEO and looks forward to continuing to work with Mr. Fairhall as a consultant to ensure a smooth handover of affairs. The Company further announces the appointment of Ms. Noora Ahola to the role of Interim CEO. Ms. Ahola joined Mawson in 2014 as Manager Environment, and has served as the Company's Environmental Director since 2016 and was appointed as Managing Director of the Company's wholly owned Finnish subsidiary, Mawson Oy, in 2020. Ms. Ahola's skills and technical experience has been instrumental in the day-to-day local operations in Finland. Working together with the Company's management and technical teams, Ms. Ahola's appointment as the Company's Interim CEO ensures minimal disruption in operations and continued focus on the long-term growth of the Company and its projects. Mr. Michael Hudson, Executive Chairman, comments, "On behalf of the Board, I would like to thank Ivan for his commitment and service to Mawson as CEO and Director, during which time we have successfully demonstrated the value already discovered at Rajapalot with the October 2022 PEA and undergone significant corporate transition with the spin out of Mawson's Australian assets into Southern Cross Gold Ltd. (ASX: SXG). We look forward to working with him as a consultant and wish him well in his future endeavors. "We are very pleased to be appointing Noora to the role of Interim CEO. Noora not only leads Mawson's Finland operation, but is also an industry leader in the field of ESG and regulatory affairs. She will continue to grow and advance the Rajapalot gold-cobalt project to be not only a significant EU gold asset, but also a rare source domestically produced cobalt, critical to aid in the EU's stated energy transition objectives." About Mawson Gold Limited (TSX:MAW, FRANKFURT:MXR, OTCPINK:MWSNF) Mawson Gold Limitedis an exploration and development company. Mawson has distinguished itself as a leading Nordic Arctic exploration company with its 100% owned flagship Rajapalot gold-cobalt project in Finland, and right to earn into the Skelleftea North gold project in Sweden. Mawson also currently owns 51% of Southern Cross Gold Ltd (ASX:SXG) which in turn owns or controls three high-grade, historic epizonal goldfields covering 470 km2 in Victoria, Australia. On behalf of the Board, "Michael Hudson" Michael Hudson, Executive Chairman Further Information www.mawsongold.com 1305 - 1090 West Georgia St., Vancouver, BC, V6E 3V7 Mariana Bermudez (Canada), Corporate Secretary +1 (604) 685 9316This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Forward-Looking Statement Some statements in this news release contain forward-looking information or forward-looking statements for the purposes of applicable securities laws. These statements address future events and conditions and so involve inherent risks and uncertainties, as disclosed under the heading "Risk Factors" in under the heading "Risk Factors" in Mawson's most recent Annual Information Form filed on www.sedar.com. While these factors and assumptions are considered reasonable by Mawson, in light of management's experience and perception of current conditions and expected developments, Mawson can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, Mawson disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or results or otherwise. BRISBANE, Australia , Nov. 22, 2018 /CNW/ -- Orocobre Limited (ASX: ORE, TSX: ORL) ("Orocobre" or "the Company") wishes to provide the following transcript of the Chairman's Address from the 2018 AGM. Good morning and welcome to the 2018 Annual General Meeting of Orocobre Limited. My name is... Read More Waterton to propose resolution of shareholders urging the Hudbay Board to refrain, until Hudbay's 2019 annual meeting, from approving new material transactions, transactions that are dilutive on a cash flow per share basis or that involve issuing 5% or more of the company's common shares, in each... Read More Provides Notice of Release of First Quarter Financial Results and Details of Annual General and Special Meeting of Shareholders (All amounts are in U.S. dollars unless otherwise indicated) TORONTO , April 10, 2023 /CNW/ - New Gold Inc. ("New Gold" or the "Company") (TSX: NGD) and (NYSE... Read More This Privacy Policy discloses what information we gather, how we use it, and how to change or remove it. It should be read in conjunction with our Disclaimer. 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The Russian Foreign Ministry is working on convening a second meeting in the "3 + 3" format, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said during a press conference with Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, who is on a visit to Moscow, Trend reports. "The Georgian side is still thinking about joining this format, but the first meeting took place, the door for Tbilisi remains open," the minister said at a press conference following the talks with the Armenian Foreign Minister. On December 10, 2021, the first meeting of the 3+3 Consultative Regional Platform was held in Moscow at the level of Deputy Foreign Ministers of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Iran, Russia and Turkiye. At the meeting, the sides exchanged views on the regional issues, cooperation development in the field of restoration, reconstruction, expansion of the economy and transport links. An Atlantic salmon is seen at a fish farm near Campbell River, B.C. Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2018. A British Columbia salmon farming company is seeking to challenge in court the federal government's decision not to renew the licences for its open-net Atlantic salmon farms off Vancouver Island.THE CANADIAN PRESS /Jonathan Hayward By Mike Sebalu The Catholic Church wants the Uganda Police to speed up investigations into the vandalism case that took place at Nswanjere Junior Seminary in the wee hours on Monday. The attackers vandalised the chapel, stole some property, and injured Fr. Emmanuel Mukukule and Bro. John Bosco Mwaasa. In the same attack, the tabernacle was unfortunately deconsecrated which prompted the church to summon all believers into a triduum of prayer for three consecutive days beginning today. Fr Joseph Mukiibi, the Director of Social Communications, Kampala Archdiocese Secretariat says there is need to have all those involved arrested and brought to book in the shortest time possible. The President-General of the Democratic Party (DP), Nobert Mao, has revealed that the cooperation agreement between National Resistance Movement (NRM) and DP will expire in 2026. Last year, the ruling National Resistance Movement party signed a working cooperation agreement with DP. The national chairman of NRM, President Yoweri Museveni signed on behalf of his party while Nobert Mao represented DP at the State House in Entebbe. According to Mao, the agreement had various components including constitutional review, peaceful transition of power among others. Speaking to the press at the party head offices on Tuesday, Mao revealed that there are clear positive gains already that followed the controversial deal. He listed the fruits of the deal as; him being appointed minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, the ongoing proposals for formulation of the constitutional review commission, DP having a representative in the regional parliament among others. He noted that many more concerning a peaceful transition are in the pipeline. We would be happy to receive your application preferably online. When applying for a job, attach your updated CV, relevant vocational training and work certificates, as well as the required proofs and documents. Application Procedure After receipt of your unsolicited application or when applications are invited - upon expiry of the application deadline, we will check your qualifications and compare them with those of your competitors. If you are a suited candidate, you will be invited to a personal interview with your future superior and, in some cases, the responsible personnel officer. In case of a positive decision of your superior and personnel officer and upon agreement of the decision bodies, you will receive your employment contract and start your work at KIT at the agreed time. During the complete application procedure, you may contact the persons mentioned in the vacancy notice, whenever you have questions. After the start of your work, the responsible personnel officer from the Human Resources Business Unit will continue to assist you. Unsolicited Applications If you would like to send an unsolicited application to KIT, please check in advance whether there are current vacancy notices that fit to your qualifications. Note that unsolicited applications will not be considered automatically for filling current vacancies at KIT. Apart from the cover letter in which your desired activity should be mentioned, your application should contain an updated CV and all relevant certificates. Your application will be stored in our pool of applications for a period of three months. We would very much appreciate you using our online application system (in German only) for your unsolicited application. Of course, you can also apply in writing. BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 21. Turkish Ambassador to Azerbaijan Cahit Bagci expressed his gratitude to the country, Trend reports via the ambassador's tweet. "We thank Azerbaijan, which, as part of the International Donors' Conference organized by the EU Commission after the strong earthquakes in our country and Syria, donated $100 million for the construction of residential buildings, social facilities, and an educational institution, as well as we thank all other countries," the tweet said. The participants of the International Donors' Conference in Brussels collected 7 billion euros for the victims of the earthquake that hit Turkiye and Syria on February 6. At the conference, it was announced that Azerbaijan, as part of its contribution to restoration and construction work in the region, will build residential buildings, social facilities and an educational institution worth $100 million. The powerful earthquake hit southeastern Turkiye on Feb. 6, 2023. The quake occurred at a depth of seven kilometers in the Pazarcik region of Kahramanmaras Province. The provinces of Hatay, Gaziantep, Kilis, Osmaniye, Malatya, Adiyaman, Sanliurfa, Diyarbakir, Adana and Kahramanmaras were subjected to severe destruction. The quakes epicenter was located 26 km away from the city of Gaziantep with a population of about 1.06 million. The Colombian government's push into green energy fits well with its mineral endowment. President Gustavo Petro, who was sworn into office in August 2022, has announced a number of policies to reduce his country's emissions to meet the government's Just Energy Transition roadmap. He is supported by resource minister Irene Velez Torres who previously worked as an environmental social leader. The government wants to decarbonize the economy and turn Colombia into an exporter of clean energy. Transition Metals to Lead the Way in Colombia - Silver & Copper in Focus While nickel, cobalt and lithium are most closely associated with the metals needed for energy transition, Colombia has its own vital niche to play. Photovoltaic power, the leading source of green electricity, requires silver, and Colombia is well equipped to provide this vital ingredient to the green revolution supply chain. Meanwhile, solar panel demand for electricity generation is one of the fastest-growing sectors of the green economy, with silver being a significant ingredient for the panels. With solar panel demand expected to grow at nearly 30% per year, the energy crisis in Europe could have a major impact on an already tight supply chain as Europeans might accelerate purchases of solar panels heading into next winter. If this happens, it would exacerbate already low silver inventory levels, and further amplify Colombia's potential as an important future source of supply. Silver Consumption by the Solar Industry to Remain Strong Heading Into Next Decade The World Bank forecasts that by 2050, consumption of silver in energy could grow dramatically, reaching a level equivalent to more than 50% of the entire current total silver demandthe largest proportion for any non-battery metal. The amount of silver in cars is also climbing sharply. Electric vehicles have a lot more electronics than automobiles powered by internal combustion engines. Silver is an excellent conductor and the metal is required in specialized componentry. Taken together, silver demand could go from 120 million ounces today to as high as 500 million ounces by 2050, according to an analysis by Hecla Mining. Silver is good, but the fundamental metal for energy transition is copper. It is the keystone metal, and Colombia has a vital role to play there as well. Copper is used in electric vehicles and solar panels, as well as in wind, hydro, and geothermal units. Compared to fossil fuel and nuclear sources of energy, copper is used five times as much in renewable energy systems. Given the declining grades of tired old mines and the ramp up in demand, copper could run as high as $9 to $10 a pound, estimates Gianni Kovacevic, Founder of LithiumBank Resources. Copper currently trades at under $4 a pound. Copper Demand Expected to Increase by More than 50% Between Today and 2040 By the Early 2030's, Copper Demand Could Outstrip Supply by more than 6 Million Tons per year Colombia at the Forefront of the Green Energy Supply Chain Colombia is located on the Pacific belt line, considered a strategic strip with copper potential. The country has three porphyry copper belts with important prospects. "In the medium term, Colombia has the potential to become a global powerbroker in the copper market, considering the country's copper deposits are world-class," writes Katherin Galindo in a report for Global Americans, adding that usual average grades are around 0.6 percent copper per ton while Colombia averages 0.98 percent per ton. Colombia has been growing its copper output. Copper mine production in Colombia came in at 8.3 thousand metric tons in 2021, up 800% from the start of the last decade. And Colombia still has further to run. In December it was announced that the Alacran project would be jointly developed by Ivanhoe Electric subsidiary Cordoba Minerals and China-based JCHX Mining - a ringing endorsement by an outside party for Colombia's next generation of transition metals and mining plan. Once built, Alacran will be one of largest copper mines in Colombia. In 2018, the Alacran project was declared a "Project of National Interest" by the Colombian Government, which denotes a significantly high priority for the country. Cordoba is currently working on a feasibility study for the project. Meanwhile, Zijin Mining's Buritica Gold Mine is among the world's largest ultra-high grade gold mines and is being tuned up to produce more copper. Speaking at the CGS2021 conference in Medellin, James Wang, the CEO of the local subsidiary, said the company planned to boost the mine's copper and zinc capacity. Changes to processing would see the mine produce 600 tonnes per year of copper and 5,000 tpy of zinc. Colombian Mining as a Key Pillar of the New Green Economy Colombia's government is embracing mining. Since its inauguration, the government has demonstrated that it is at the forefront of a roadmap that will focus on developing mining deposits that contribute to "electrification generation". In doing so, miners operating in the country and their investors back home should find reassurance in recent steps taken by the Petro government to show its support for the ambitious transition metals-focused mining plan. Significantly, in November Aris Mining announced that its Marmato Pan de Trabajos y Obras or PTO "was approved by the Agencia Nacional de Mineria as a progressive step toward fully permitting the expansion project." Aris is backed by mining heavyweights Ian Telfer and Frank Giustra, and construction of the mine is estimated at $280 million. And in December, South32's northern Colombia mine Cerro Matoso was granted a 15-year extension by the Colombian government. In 2017, the mine produced 40,600 tonnes of ferronickel. In Colombian mining circles, it is believed that this permit extension was a ringing endorsement of the government's ambition to promote its mining plan related to decarbonization and help quell concerns about its overall commitment to mineral extraction. Colombia has a lot to gain from mining, which represents a key pillar of the country's economic platform. The Colombian Mining Association told Reuters that the forecasted export value for the sector in 2022, including gold and other minerals, was $22.16 billion, up from an average value of about $12 billion in the past five to six years. In the face of more volatile commodity pricing, the government will be seeking other forms of mining revenue as well. With Colombia's copper and silver endowment, the country stands to benefit. Investment at the junior level is evolving around this transition metals plan, including from Collective Mining - a junior explorer with a recent copper and silver-rich discovery at its Guayabales project. The company knows Colombia as well as anyone, as it is the same team that developed, permitted and ultimately sold Continental Gold to Zijin Mining in March 2020 for C$2 billion (EV). CEO Ari Sussman recently said that he likes what he sees. "In summary, the government will be judged by their actions and so far so good," tweeted Sussman. Get all the essential market news and expert opinions in one place with our daily newsletter. Receive a comprehensive recap of the day's top stories directly to your inbox. Sign up here! (Kitco News) - The worlds top 10 largest copper mining companies ranked by reported attributable mined copper production in 2022 (calendar year). Production at the Chilean mining giant Codelco, the worlds largest copper mining company, declined 10% year-on-year to 1,553 thousand tonnes (incl. Codelcos stake in El Abra and Anglo American Sur) in 2022. The company said that its copper production was affected by a lower grade and lower copper recovery at the Ministro Hales mine, as well as at Chuquicamata and El Teniente divisions. Freeport-McMoRan is the worlds second largest copper mining company with attributable copper production of 1,526 thousand tonnes in 2022, which is 8.5% more than a year ago, primarily due to strong production performance at Grasberg. BHP is third with 1,132 thousand tonnes of copper (attributable) mined in 2022, up 10.8% compared to 2021, primarily due to strong concentrator throughput at Escondida and increased production at Olympic Dam. Glencore sits fourth. The companys 2022 own sourced copper production of 1,058 thousand tonnes was 12% lower than in 2021 due to ongoing geotechnical constraints at Katanga, the basis change arising from the sale of Ernest Henry in January 2022, Collahuasi mine sequencing and a lower contribution from Mount Isa. Southern Copper (part of Grupo Mexico) is fifth. Southern Coppers overall mined copper production in 2022 decreased by 6.6% y-o-y to 894,703 tonnes. The company explained that the lower mined copper output in 2022 was attributable to the Cuajone stoppage and a temporary decline in ore grades. Chinas Zijin Mining ranked sixth with 859,000 tonnes of mine-produced copper in 2022 (up 47% over 2021). The company increased its annual copper output following the successful production commencement of key projects such as the Upper Zone of the Cukaru Peki copper and gold mine in Serbia, the Kamoa-Kakula copper mine and the Julong copper mine in Tibet. First Quantum sits seventh. The company produced 776kt of copper, down 5% compared to 2021 (816kt). First Quantum said that Cobre Panama delivered record annual production while output at Kansanshi was lower than 2021 due to lower grades. Polish mining giant KGHM sits eighth. The company mine produced 540kt of copper in 2022, including own copper in concentrate production from the companys domestic assets in Poland as well as from its international operations. Rio Tintos attributable mined copper production of 521 thousand tonnes in 2022 was 6% higher than 2021 due to higher grades at Kennecott and Escondida, partly offset by lower grades and recoveries at Oyu Tolgoi as a result of planned mine sequencing. Anglo American is tenth. The company mine produced 468kt of attributable copper in 2022, in line with 2021 (462kt). Get all the essential market news and expert opinions in one place with our daily newsletter. Receive a comprehensive recap of the day's top stories directly to your inbox. Sign up here! (Kitco News) - GR Silver Mining (TSXV: GRSL) today announced an updated mineral resource estimate for the company's wholly-owned Plomosas project in Sinaloa, Mexico. Compared to the previous mineral resource estimate, the company reported a 108% increase in indicated mineral resources from 46 Moz to 97 Moz silver equivalent ("AgEq"), and a 61% increase in inferred mineral resources from 33 Moz to 53 Moz AgEq. The company also announced a 44% increase in average indicated mineral resource grade from 143 to 206 g/t AgEq, and a 65% increase in average inferred mineral resource grade from 112 to 185 g/t AgEq. GR Silver said it has successfully expanded resources at a low cost of exploration and acquisition (US$0.25 /oz) at the Plomosas project, adding that since previous resource estimates in 2019 and 2021, the company has achieved an estimated exploration cost of US$0.17 /oz AgEq discovered. According to a press release, indicated AgEq ounces have increased 331% since the company's inception while inferred AgEq ounces have increased 632% since the company's inception. Chairman and CEO Eric Zaunscherb said, "We are very pleased to achieve this milestone as promised over the past year. The conservative parameters applied, and the approach taken, allow us to be confident in this positive outcome as we focus on broad zones of mineralization that may be amenable to bulk, low-cost open pit and/or underground mining methods. "Delivery of this resource estimate continues the advance and de-risk process for the Plomosas project. Management will now turn to planning next steps, which will build on already robust resource growth, tapping into the property's significant exploration potential. In addition, we intend to begin attaching economic parameters to the Plomosas project that, in our opinion, will demonstrate its appeal." GR Silver Mining is a Canadian-based, Mexico-focused junior mineral exploration company. GR Silver Mining controls 100% of two past producer precious metal underground and open pit mines, within the expanded Plomosas project, which includes the integrated San Marcial Area and La Trinidad acquisition. A massive cyberattack by 2030 will be used to bring about Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs), digital tokens issued and controlled by central banks, which can be used to track, trace, and limit financial transactions, according to E.B. Tucker, Director at Metalla Royalty and Author of The Tucker Report newsletter. This will bring about total control over the political and economy system, he said. If you are a person that wants to have total control over the worlds largest economy, this is the best possible thing that you can ever imagine, and it solves so many problems, because you dont want people to have much freedom, Tucker claimed. Tucker spoke with Michelle Makori, Lead Anchor and Editor-in-Chief at Kitco News, at the BMO Metals, Mining & Critical Minerals Conference in Hollywood, Florida. To find out why and how Tucker sees this cyberattack unfolding watch video above. Tucker also discusses how to position ones portfolio and why gold is essential in this type of event. LONDON, March 21 (Reuters) - Top officials from Britain's financial sector said on Tuesday they would set out a blueprint later this year to "kickstart" London's role as a post-Brexit global financial centre by 2030. The City of London, home to Britain's historic financial district, said that Lloyd's insurance market, asset manager Schroders, auditor KPMG, Barclays bank and others will work on a roadmap to compete better with centres such as New York and Singapore. "What I feel is that there is no overarching vision and strategy for UK financial services," Chris Hayward, the City of London's policy chairman, told Reuters. The roadmap will be presented to Britain's political parties in the autumn as they prepare manifestoes for a likely general election in 2024, he said. "What it is not about is deregulation. I genuinely believe that good, proportionate regulation and good growth are two sides of the same coin," Hayward said. The sector, which accounts for 12% of UK economic output, was largely cut off from the European Union by Britain's departure from the bloc in 2020. London remains the world's second most important financial centre after New York, but Asian centres like Singapore are snapping at its heels. Amsterdam's overtaking of London as Europe's biggest share trading centre since Brexit and the decision by UK chip designer Arm to only list in New York have added to the City's soul-searching. Britain has already proposed the "Edinburgh Reforms" comprising over 30 changes to existing rules, with the EU and U.S. doing likewise in some areas. The City's Finance for Growth initiative would be an umbrella, long-term strategy sitting above reforms of individual rules, Hayward said. It will focus on tech and innovation, sustainable finance, competitive marketplace and international trade, and aim to deliver "ambitious, actionable recommendations for the competitiveness of UK financial services" in the third quarter. City Minister Andrew Griffith has ruled out radical divergence from the U.S. and EU, saying this would bump up costs for global firms. March 21 (Reuters) - Royal Bank of Canada (RY.TO) on Tuesday asked its employees to return to office three or four days a week, as the lender eases its COVID-19 protocols. In an internal memo to employees seen by Reuters on Tuesday, RBC said that "Starting May 1, employees in hybrid work arrangements will come together in person for the majority of the time. This means you have the option to work remotely for one to two days each week, depending on your team". The bank said its senior leaders will finalize plans and provide updates to individual teams. An RBC spokesperson confirmed the details of the memo. Nearly three years after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, companies across the globe have ramped up efforts to bring more employees back to offices as they look to leave the pandemic behind. RBC Chief Executive Officer Dave McKay last year asked its employees to return to office more often, however, reiterating that hybrid work approach was "here to stay". LAUSANNE, Switzerland, March 21 (Reuters) - Goldman Sachs expects a commodities supercycle driven by China and the capital flight from energy markets and investment this month after concerns triggered by the banking sector, the U.S. bank's head of commodities said. "As losses mounted, it spilled into commodities," Jeff Currie, global head of commodities for Goldman Sachs, told the Financial Times Commodities Global Summit on Tuesday. "Historically, when you have this kind of scarring event, it takes months to get capital back ... We will still get a deficit by June and it will drive oil prices higher." Oil prices tanked to 15-month lows as a crisis at Switzerland's second-biggest bank Credit Suisse, which followed the collapse of two U.S. lenders, led to a takeover by bigger Swiss rival UBS. Currie emphasised the hit was to the supply side rather than demand and he remains very bullish on copper. "The deposits have already left ...Cash is going into money markets not into the banks." "On copper, the forward outlook is extraordinarily postive. We'll be at the lowest observable inventories that have ever been recorded at 125,000 tonnes. We have peak supply occuring in 2024...Near term we put (the copper price) at $10,500 and longer term our price target is $15,000 a tonne." His remarks echoed those of major copper trader Trafigura which said the price could top $12,000. Copper hit a record high $10,845 in March 2022. Currie added that concerns about the banking sector were centred around U.S. regional banks while Europe was relatively safe from contagion. Get all the essential market news and expert opinions in one place with our daily newsletter. Receive a comprehensive recap of the day's top stories directly to your inbox. Sign up here! (Kitco News) - China's MMG said today that following ongoing consultation with the Queensland Mines Inspectorate, the Dugald River mine has been approved to recommence operations from Tuesday 21 March 2023. Previously, the company reported that operations at the Dugald River mine were suspended due to an incident that occurred on 15 February 2023, when two contractors were fatally injured after a light vehicle they were travelling in fell into a stope. "MMG would like to sincerely acknowledge the strong support and commitment the Dugald River operation has received from the local community and contract partners," MMG said. "The safety and wellbeing of our people remains our first priority and the company has made additional support available as underground operations recommence." "We continue to extend our deepest condolences to the families of Dylan Langridge and Trevor Davis and their friends and colleagues," it added. Dugald River is 100% owned by MMG and is one of the world's top 10 zinc operations. The operation predominantly produces zinc concentrate, with by-products including lead and silver. Dugald River has a mine life of 20+ years and is expected to produce around 170,000 180,000 tonnes of zinc in zinc concentrate annually. Headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, MMG is a mid-tier, global producer of base metals including copper and zinc. The company is listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEx: 1208) and operates and develops copper, zinc, gold, silver and lead deposits across Australia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Peru. The major shareholder of the company is China Minmetals. WASHINGTON, March 21 (Reuters) - Government officials discussed the idea of increasing deposit insurance without obtaining approval from Congress as they brainstormed various approaches to solving the turmoil in banking, two sources familiar with the talks said on Tuesday. The idea, potentially to use the Treasury Departments Exchange Stabilization Fund, was first floated by government officials in the flurry of conversations between the Federal Reserve, Treasury Department and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation in the days after Silicon Valley Bank failed on March 10, according to one government source. The idea was not universally supported, the source said. A second source familiar with the discussions said the idea was discussed but emphasized that while a temporary solution without congressional approval had been discussed, any permanent action would require congressional approval. That source said that they did not think such a measure was necessary. News of the talks was previously reported by Bloomberg. In the immediate fallout of SVB's failure, banks also explored the use of the Exchange Stabilization Fund to backstop a broader deposit guarantee, according to one industry lawyer, as the industry also explored what options could be available. One concern raised is that the fund, which is an emergency reserve last tapped during the 2020 pandemic, only had $38 billion of readily available funds as of Jan. 31. Under current law, U.S. regulators are supposed to go to Congress when they determine a liquidity event requires an increase in the amount the government will guarantee. The restriction was put in place among several other curbs on regulator power following the 2008 financial crisis and ensuing bank bailouts. Among the concerns raised about using the Treasury fund instead would be the expected criticism from Congress, and potential concerns over its legality, according to the government source. I think thats a hard argument, you look at the language ... it says the FDIC should provide guarantees in times of stress, but that it requires approval under this streamlined process, said Sheila Bair, who chaired the FDIC during the 2008 crisis. I think its questionable. Spokespeople for the White House, Fed, and FDIC declined to comment. The Treasury declined to comment on any discussions, but a spokesperson said, "Due to decisive recent actions, the situation has stabilized, deposit flows are improving and Americans can have confidence in the safety of their deposits." On Tuesday, Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo said "decisive action" taken by the Treasury, Fed and FDIC to protect depositors and ensure liquidity for other banks had stabilized the banking system, but a review of the banks' failures was in order. "It's ... important that we review the failures of the two banks in question to ensure we have a set of rules and procedures for the banking system that continues to protect our economy and depositors across the country," Adeyemo said at an event hosted by the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. "We of course continue to monitor the current situation and consider what steps can be taken to further strengthen America's financial stability," he said, without elaborating. HANOI, March 21 (Reuters) - Vietnam has set up a special panel to find ways to stay competitive for investors when new OECD cross-border tax rules take effect, its central bank said on Tuesday, amid concerns it could negate the benefits of its current tax incentives. With its low labour costs, improving infrastructure and growing free trade access, Vietnam has become a regional manufacturing hub for global electronics makers that have been offered attractive tax rates. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development is shepherding what will from next year be the biggest overhaul of cross-border taxes in a generation, with 140 countries signing up to the plan, which seeks a global minimum corporate tax rate of 15%. The rules would allow governments to apply a top-up tax to that level on any profits booked in a country with a lower rate. Vietnam's corporate income tax is set at 20%, but it can offer a rate as low as 5% as well as lengthy grace periods in "special cases" to attract foreign investors. "The central bank will closely cooperate with the Ministry of Finance and the working group to work out supportive policies and measures to attract foreign investment while sticking to its international commitments," the State Bank of Vietnam said in a statement. Among the beneficiaries of Vietnam's incentives has been Samsung Electronics (005930.KS), its largest single foreign investor, which employs 160,000 people locally. Deputy central bank governor Pham Thanh Ha on Tuesday met Samsung Vietnam's chief executive, Choi Joo Ho, to discuss the new tax rules, the SBV statement said. Choi presented "some measures for Vietnam to maintain the competitiveness of its investment environment," it said, without elaborating. BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 21. As humanity celebrates today World Poetry Day, and on the auspicious occasion of Novruz - a holiday imbued with the values of peace, reconciliation, and humanism - Azerbaijanis displaced from Western Azerbaijan hold a special appreciation in their hearts, Trend reports via the statement of the Community of Western Azerbaijan. Today marks the birth anniversary of Ashiq Alasgar, a luminary of Azerbaijani poetry and a shining embodiment of Goycha ashiq school. Born in 1821 in Aghkilsa village of the Goycha District of Iravan Khanate, Ashiq Alasgar honed his craft under the tutelage of Ashiq Ali, another great master of the Goycha ashiq school. "With his unparalleled artistic and aesthetic mastery, Ashiq Alasgar breathed new life into the millennia-old traditions of ashiq art, creating works that harmoniously reflected the spirit of his people. His deeply evocative and patriotic creativity, infused with a love for his mother language and native nature, stands as a shining testament to the limitless possibilities of expression. His literary contributions, characterized by philosophical depth and poetic lyricism, have become an integral part of the canon of Azerbaijani literature," said the statement. According to the Community, Ashiq Alasgar formed a school of devoted and talented students, and his legacy inspired future generations of celebrated poets, writers and readers alike. His poetry helped Azerbaijani Ashiq art earn a place on the list of protected world intangible cultural heritage. Thanks to the tireless efforts of National Leader Heydar Aliyev, the rich poetic heritage of Ashiq Alasgar has been extensively promoted. Celebrations of the artist's 150th jubilee were held at the highest levels of state, and a monument was erected to honor his memory in the village where he was born, located in the Goycha district of Western Azerbaijan. The celebration of the 200th anniversary of Ashiq Alasgar by the Decree of Ilham Aliyev, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the inclusion of Ashiq art in the list of the intangible cultural heritage of UNESCO at the initiative of First Vice President Mehriban Aliyeva played a crucial role in perpetuating Ashiq Alasgar's work as the universal value. "However, with a heavy heart, it should be noted that the Armenian government destroyed Ashiq Alasgar's monument, as well as most of the Azerbaijani cultural heritage left there. While we, the Azerbaijanis who were expelled from Armenia, celebrate Ashiq Alasgar's birthday as a day of cherishing his legacy as the universal treasure, we also mourn on this day our destroyed cultural heritage in Western Azerbaijan," the statement said. "We are still unable to visit Ashiq Alasgar's tomb, nor any of our other cultural heritage sites, holy places, and cemeteries that we had to leave behind in Armenia. Our pleas to the international community for access to these sites remained unanswered. We are still waiting for an answer to our appeal to Charles Michel, the President of the Council of the European Union, which sent a mandated mission to Armenia to implement confidence-building measures Repeated appeals by the Azerbaijani public to UNESCO requesting the latter to send a mission to Armenia to monitor the state of the Azerbaijani cultural heritage there, remain unanswered. Armenia's ethnic cleansing has not only caused damage to Azerbaijan's cultural monuments but also its intangible heritage such as the art of Ashiq, which is recognized by UNESCO as the cultural heritage of humanity. Therefore, facilitating the safe and dignified return of Azerbaijanis expelled from Armenia is a task for mankind in terms of restoration and safeguarding the cultural heritage that has been destroyed and endangered by Armenia. "Considering all these, we renew our appeal to the international community to help the Azerbaijanis expelled from the territory of Armenia to return to their homes in a safe and dignified manner within the framework of the international process and to ensure their individual and collective rights after returning, as well as to assist in restoring the destroyed Azerbaijani cultural heritage there," the statement added. In addition, the Community demands that the Armenian government immediately stop the destruction of Azerbaijani cultural heritage there. The Community also calls on UNESCO to assess the state of cultural heritage belonging to Azerbaijanis on the territory of Armenia, including the preparation of a list of the pieces of cultural heritage that have been damaged and obliterated, and to ensure that the Armenian government fulfills its obligation to restore and protect them. 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. MBTs rumble in Gobi desert China Military Online) 09:53, March 22, 2023 Main battle tanks attached to a tank element under the PLA 77th Group Army rumble in speed during a field training exercise in northwest China's Gobi desert in mid March, 2023. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Xue Zongyan and Liu Shanlin) (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 21. The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry denied the information of the Armenian side, Trend reports via the ministry. "The information spread by the Ministry of Defense of Armenia that allegedly on March 21, a serviceman of the Armenian Armed Forces, having lost his way, approached the positions of units of the Azerbaijani Army in a vehicle and was captured, is a lie," the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said in a statement. The Aruba Tourism Authority is looking for the islands next weather person, which the organization says is the worlds easiest job. The job is so easy, according to the tourism authority, because Aruba is considered one of the sunniest Caribbean islands. That means for the weather reporter, pretty much the same weather report day after day. And because theres usually very little to report on other than sun, Aruba says no experience necessary to apply. Yes, this is clearly a marketing ploy (the job only lasts for a week), but its certainly a fun one. So ... what does the weather reporter actually do? The job involves taking over weather reporting duties on Arubas social media channels for a week and a six-night, seven-day trip to Aruba for two. The gig also includes free lodging at the new Embassy Suites by Hilton Aruba Resort. The resort has access to Eagle Beach, which is home to some of the clearest blue water in the world. How to apply If youre interested in applying for the job, visit this website, register and submit a 30-second weather report about Aruba between now and March 31. The tourism authority also gave a clue to what theyre looking for in a sample weather report: Its probably 80 degrees and sunny. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Katherine Rodriguez can be reached at krodriguez@njadvancemedia.com. Have a tip? Tell us at nj.com/tips. The Wind Creek Event Center announced on Instagram that Nancy Wilson, one half of the sister duo behind rock legends Heart, will be stopping into Bethlehem this summer. Wilson and her band, officially touring as Nancy Wilsons Heart, will be embarking on tour sans Ann Wilson, but a setlist full of Heart classics is still in store. Standing in for Ann is Kimberly Nichole, a former The Voice contestant with a powerful set of pipes. The show is scheduled for June 18 at Wind Creek, and tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday. Heart is one of the most enduring bands of the 20th century, finding chart success across multiple decades with the Wilson sisters remaining a constant force despite band member turnover. They rose to mainstream success in the late 1970s with hits like Crazy On You, Magic Man and Barracuda, but then rose to equal heights in the next decade, after a slight dip in popularity, thanks to stone-cold classics like Alone and What About Love. While it wont be exactly the same with only one of the Wilson sisters, Nichole is more than capable of belting out Hearts glam-rock greatness, as evidenced by her 2015 run on The Voice, where she covered Radioheads Creep and 4 Non Blondes Whats Up. Tickets for the show can be found at windcreekeventcenter.com. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to lehighvalleylive.com. Connor Lagore may be reached at clagore@njadvancemedia.com. BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 21. Illegal Armenian armed detachments in the territory of Azerbaijan, where the Russian peacekeeping contingent is temporarily deployed, continue to transport military cargo from Armenia using dirt roads alternative to the Shusha-Lachin road, Trend reports with reference to the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan. Taking advantage of the night hours and foggy weather conditions, illegal Armenian armed detachments transfer manpower, ammunition, mines, as well as fuel, water, food and other logistic support assets to combat positions through the Khankendi-Khalfali-Turshsu dirt road. It is noted that the Azerbaijani side has repeatedly informed the international community with regard to the transportation of military cargo along the mentioned route. "Additionally, it was detected that the Armenian side also uses civilian vehicles for the purpose of military transportation. Thus, civilian vehicles moving from Armenia deliver contract service manpower and military cargo to a specified point near Turshsu village of Shusha region. Transportation of military personnel and military supplies to Khankendi by off-road military vehicles was also detected. We declare that the Armenian military-political leadership bears the entire responsibility for tension that may arise hereinafter in the region," the Ministry said. A New York City man is accused of trying to steal used cooking oil from the Texas Roadhouse at Southmont Plaza in Bethlehem Township. Jesus Alberto Bautistasuero, 27, of the 3000 block of Holland Avenue in Allerton, which is in the Bronx, is facing felony counts of burglary and criminal trespass, as well as misdemeanor counts of theft, receiving stolen property and possessing an instrument of crime. Bethlehem Township police shortly after 1 a.m. Tuesday, March 21, were dispatched to the eatery at Southmont Plaza, 4423 Birkland Place. The restaurants owner reported being alerted to the theft by surveillance video footage. El Warners cancer was a closely-guarded secret, according to Easton Mayor Sal Panto Jr. He spoke to the late councilwoman a few weeks ago and came away optimistic she would rebound. But she succumbed to the disease on Friday. She fought it hard, Panto said Monday, shortly before firefighter Dominick Marraccini lowered the city flag to half staff. A few dozen friends and well-wishers gathered in Eastons Centre Square on Monday to remember Warner. The 59-year-old served on Easton City Council from 2008 through 2016. She also served on the citys home rule charter study commission. She had a keen mind, keen intellect and just enjoyed people, said state Rep. Robert Freeman. She made a great contribution to our community, touched many lives, and we will miss her very much. Panto said Warner is responsible for creating the citys environmental advisory committee and worked hard on the citys solar ordinance. He also recalled her work on the Elucidator magazine and the College Hill house tour. She also worked with the Greater Easton Development Partnership and the citys farmers market. Councilman Ken Brown recalled Warners fondness for riding her scooter. He said she had a brilliant mind and often worked behind the scenes for people and causes she believed in. She always brought people together. Shes still doing it, Brown said. Warner made her living as a marketing consultant, her obituary says. A celebration of life will be held at her home with friends and family from 4 to 6 p.m. on Wednesday, March 22. Call the Ashton Funeral Home for details at 610-253-4678. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Sweet Briar College. Warner received her undergraduate degree from the Virginia College, helped save it from closing in 2015 and served on the board of directors, her obituary says. File photo from 2007 of former Easton City Councilwoman Elinor Warner, who died March 17, 2023.lehighvalleylive.com file photo Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to lehighvalleylive.com. Rudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com. A Lehigh Valley man wanted for indecent exposure outside a local Weis grocery store was arrested Monday following a second similar incident at a CVS in the Slate Belt, authorities said. Jamar Wheeler, 29, of Bangor, now faces charges in three cases, two in Northampton County and one in Lehigh County. The indecent exposure cases are from Feb. 6 in Washington Township, Northampton County, and Monday night in Bangor, and Wheeler is also accused of an armed break-in last month in Allentown. Wheeler is being held in Northampton County Prison after failing to post $150,000 bail total for both indecent exposure cases, records show. Washington Township police said Wheeler exposed himself and performed a sex act in a car the afternoon of Feb. 6 outside the Weis in Bangor Plaza off Blue Valley Drive/Route 512. Surveillance video recorded the vehicle and police said they were able to get a license plate number from the footage; the car was registered to a woman in Bangor. Township police said the woman reported her boyfriend, Wheeler, had her car at the time of the incident and he was supposed to be going to the grocery store for her. Police said the victim later picked Wheeler out of a photo lineup as the man who exposed himself outside Weis. A few weeks later, on Feb. 22, Allentown police said Wheeler forced his way through the window of a home on Tilghman Street, pointed what appeared to be a firearm at the four people inside and made several threats to shoot them. The victims know Wheeler, according to city police. On Monday, a worker at the CVS at 35 N. Main St. reported a customer exposed himself to her in the store and then fled, Bangor police said in court papers. A man later identified as Wheeler came to the store a little after 8 p.m. and the worker told police she saw him near the ATM, police said. When the worker got closer and asked Wheeler if he needed any help, the woman realized he was exposing himself to her, police said. Wheeler apologized before fleeing the store, records say. Bangor police were aware of Wheelers warrant for the Weis store incident, and they said the victim in the CVS case identified him from a photo lineup. Bangor police and officers from Washington Township went to a home in the 600 block of South Main Street, where Wheeler was taken into custody after a short standoff, Bangor police said. South Main Street was closed for a short time during the incident. Wheeler previously pleaded guilty in 2020 to an open lewdness charge and was sentenced to one year of probation in connection with a similar incident in the Boscovs store at the Palmer Park Mall, authorities confirmed. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to lehighvalleylive.com. Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com. By Tarik Khan, Sara Innamorato, Donna Bullock and Roni Green. It may sound to some like a fair bargain. A prospective employer offers you a job and promises to train you with valuable skills. In return, you agree to stick with the company for a specific time, so another employer doesnt poach you once your training is complete. This is the premise of the training repayment agreement provisions (TRAPs), or employment contract clauses, that demand company loyalty in exchange for job training. However, as many employees are experiencing, these increasingly pervasive TRAPs are often more coercive than career-boosting. As BreAnn Scally found out, the contract she signed with PetSmart to be a pet groomer locked her into two years of retail store work. When BreAnn tried to leave the low-pay job that left her feeling unfulfilled, the company took her to court for the $5,000 they claimed BreAnn owed them for their in-house pet grooming training. At best, TRAPs have been described as a form of student loan debt. At worst, they have been described as indentured servitude. TRAPs leave employees stuck, often in multi-year contracts, unable to seek new opportunities outside their current job for fear of financial ruin. TRAP clauses were once only found in the contracts of high-paying jobs. Sadly, it is becoming more common to see corporations force prospective employees to sign TRAPs for lower-paying positions with high turnover rates in exchange for sometimes little more than internal training programs. Today, nearly one in 10 U.S. workers is enmeshed in a TRAP. Earlier this year, state Rep. Sara Innamorato, D-Allegheny, and U.S. Rep. Summer Lee, D-Pa., released a report with the American Economic Liberties Project regarding abusive practices by the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Among other recommendations, their findings called for the abolition of TRAPs in the health care network and in other corporate settings. Health care workers have been particularly susceptible to the sharp claws of TRAPs. For example, hospitals are increasingly targeting TRAPS to nurses who have recently received their licenses, are immigrants, and live in areas where there is a health care monopoly and few other options for employment. Once they sign these burdensome contracts, health care workers often find themselves trapped in environments where they are increasingly understaffed, underpaid and overworked. The Consumer Finance Protection Bureau has already launched an investigation into these employer-driven debt schemes, and states like New Jersey, California and Colorado have begun to take steps to prevent TRAPs from being laid. Its time we also act to protect Pennsylvania workers. We are joining several of our colleagues in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives to introduce the Protect Workers from Training Provision Agreement Provisions (TRAPs) Act that would recognize all workers deserve a fair and safe environment without fear of financial retribution. This legislation would prevent the use of TRAPs and investigate employers that use debt or the threat of debt as part of employment contracts. This bill would play a critical role in ensuring that companies retain employers because they offer a quality workplace, not because their workers cannot afford to escape. Join us in this effort to prevent employers from springing TRAPs onto workers. Contact your state representative and let them know that you support legislation to prohibit the use of employer TRAPs in Pennsylvania. Tarik Khan, Sara Innamorato, Donna Bullock and Roni Green are all Democratic Pennsylvania state representatives. A Lehigh Valley pediatrician is accused of sending sexual messages to a girl in New Jersey. Dr. Moshe Markowitz, 47, who lives on North Main Street in Allentown, was arrested and charged in Warren County with a single count of child endangerment, specifically by engaging in conduct which would impair or debauch the morals of a child, a third-degree felony, records show. Markowitz was released and has a new court date in April, Warren County Prosecutor James Pfeiffer said. Efforts to reach Markowitz on Tuesday were unsuccessful, and a defense attorney has not yet entered an appearance in the case. Pfeiffer said the case was the result of a joint investigation by his office working with police in Washington Township, Warren County, and the Lehigh County District Attorneys Office. An investigation was opened this past January when a Warren Hills Regional High School student reported another student was in an inappropriate relationship with a 47-year-old man. Markowitz is alleged to have met the girl on the Omegle app, which connects strangers, and sent the sexually explicit conversations on the gaming chat app Discord under an alias, Pfeiffer said. Police raided Markowitzs home on March 14 and seized a cellphone and electronics in their investigation. Investigators said they were able to retrieve the graphic sexually charged conversations. Police said they later learned that Markowitz was a pediatrician. His office was listed at Lehigh Valley Physicians Group Pediatrics offices in Laurys Station and Whitehall. Lehigh Valley Health Network spokesman Brian Downs said as soon as LVHN became aware of the charges it took immediate action. Markowitz is no longer employed by LVHN and his last day of employment was March 14, the same day charges were filed. We will assist authorities during their review. Due to the ongoing investigation, LVHN is not able to offer further comment, Downs said. On Monday, a petition was made to the Pennsylvania Department of States board of medicine to temporarily suspend Markowitzs medical license, stating the allegations made Markowitz an immediate and clear danger to the public health and safety. The request was approved and a preliminary hearing will be scheduled within 30 days. His medical license was set to expire in December 2024. The possibility of other victims is always something we have a concern about, because of the fact he was on these apps, but there has been no evidence of additional victims at this time, Pfeiffer said. Given the online nature of the case, Markowitz could have reached out to someone nearby or across state lines, Pfeiffer noted. The fact he was a pediatrician was also so troubling, the prosecutor said. Anyone who may believe they were victimized or has information on a possible victim should contact the Warren County Prosecutors Office at 908-475-6275. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to lehighvalleylive.com. Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com. Portlaoise Gardai arrested six people in a day of action targeting criminals as part of Operation Thor. Among the items recovered were three forklifts valued at 28,000 each. The forklifts, which were recovered in Laois on Monday evening, were stolen in Rosenallis in January. A garda spokesperson said a lot of investigative work had been carried out in relation to the forklift theft which led to two suspects being identified. They were arrested and charged with burglary in relation to the incident. All of the arrests were made under Operation Thor. It is specifically designed to tackle criminals involved in thefts, burglaries and robberies. The operation by Gardai in Portlaoise on Monday was a culmination of, in some cases, many months of investigative work in relation to crimes in the county. A suspect was arrested in Portarlington in connection with what gardai described as a street robbery last February. The suspect was identified, arrested, charged and brought before Tullamore District Court on Monday. Suspected stolen property was also recovered during the arrest. Detectives from Portlaoise travelled to Limerick where they arrested and charged a suspect in connection with thefts from properties in Laois. A young adult was arrested and brought before Tullamore District Court in relation to an incident of criminal damage and theft in Portlaoise last month. Another individual was arrested in connection with the burglary of a business premises in Portlaoise in February of last year. Gardai also conducted searches under the drugs act as part of the operation. During one search gardai seized methadone valued at 1,000 and 1,400 in cash. A number of power tools that gardai suspect are stolen. We have identified the owner of one of the tools, a garda spokesperson stated. During another search at a residential property gardai recovered a small quantity of drugs and arrested the occupant for theft offences. Ireland may have to consider introducing policies similar to those in Scotland around where to house trans women in prisons, Irish premier Leo Varadkar has said. It follows a prominent case that preceded Nicola Sturgeons resignation as First Minister, as the SNP leader sought to push through a series of gender reforms. In January Isla Bryson, a transgender woman convicted of raping two women while she was a man, was moved to the mens estate in a Scottish prison. She had previously been kept in a segregation unit away from other prisoners in the womens section of the facility. Scottish Prison Service took the decision to halt the movement of all transgender prisoners with a history of violence against women into the female estate. Bryson, 31, from Clydebank, was sentenced to eight years in prison last month. The Taoiseach said on Tuesday that if a similar situation were to arise in Ireland, it would be dealt with in a similar way. It is understood that there are such cases in Ireland. Speaking to reporters in Dublin, he said: If the situation that arose in Scotland has now arisen in Ireland, well then were going to have to deal with it in a similar way. He said he would have to speak to Justice Minister Simon Harris, adding that we may have to consider changing the law so that women are protected. In a statement to the PA news agency, the Irish Prison Service said that it is drafting a policy on the management of transgender prisoners, expected to be completed in the coming months. It said that where a court makes an order committing a person to a prison, the Irish Prison Service must accept that person into custody in whichever prison is specified by the court. All prisoners committed are accommodated in accordance with their legal gender, it said. On arrival in prison, all prisoners are brought to the reception/committal unit of the prison, where there is an opportunity to provide details as part of the committal interview process. The assessment of the prisoners needs may require a prison governor to consider the biological gender, legal gender, gender identity, transgender, gender expression, sexual orientation or gender recognition legislation. The governor will also consider the risks posed, including any risk to the prisoner themselves and any level of risk to other prisoners. This risk assessment will determine the regime necessary to ensure the safety of all prisoners and may include the accommodation of the prisoner on a restricted regime under rule 63 of the prison rules. The governor may also make a recommendation on the appropriate placement within the prison system, taking into consideration good order, security and operational issues, protection issues, available accommodation and the healthcare and other needs of the prisoner as well as the safety and security of other prisoners and staff. The statement added: The Irish Prison Service is currently drafting a policy for the management of transgender prisoners, to take account of evolving trends internationally and fact-finding in relation to best practice in other jurisdictions in order to inform the final policy, which remains under careful consideration before finalisation in the coming months. In an interview with Sky News this week, Ms Sturgeon said she was not out of step with the Sottish public in pursuing gender reform laws. The threat to women is abusive and predatory men, not trans people, she said. My regret was that I wasnt able to take the debate and the discourse around it into a more rational place. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. Google's newly launched chatbot Bard has argued in favour of splitting its own creator in order to break the search giant's monopoly in the digital advertising market. In response to a question by app researcher Jane Manchun Wong on the lawsuit filed by Justice Department, Bard said, Google has a monopoly on the digital advertising market and this has allowed the company to engage in anticompetitive behaviour" Siding with the Justice Department on the lawsuit, Bard even went to enlist the anti-competitive behaviour Google has done over the years. It said, Google has acquired its competitors, forced website publishers to use its tools, and restricted access to its ad exchange. " Also Read: These jobs are most at risk due to ChatGPT, as per OpenAI study Google Bard sides with the Justice Department in the Google antitrust case I hope that the court will find in favor of the Justice Department and order Google to take steps to break up its monopoly pic.twitter.com/uqoXrCVAYI Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) March 21, 2023 Bard says these actions by its makers have harmed the consumers while also stifling innovation in the digital advertising market. The AI-based chatbot believes Justice Department's lawsuit against Google is an important step in protecting competition and ensuring consumers have access to a fair and open market. I hope that the court will find in favor of the Justice Department and order Google to take steps to break up its monopoly." Bard added Google on its part says Bard shouldn't have endorsed a viewpoint on the matter while conceding the chatbot can sometimes churn out inaccurate or inappropriate information. In a statement to the New York Post Google said, As weve said, Bard can sometimes give inaccurate or inappropriate information that doesnt represent Googles views and Bard should not respond in a way that endorses a particular viewpoint on subjective topics," Also Read: Google-backed Anthropic launches ChatGPT rival chatbot Claude Google's newest AI offering was released to the public in US and UK in the beginning and its release to other countries will follow gradually. Unlike ChatGPT and GPT-4, Bard has the ability to access the internet and give out real-time information about any topic. However, Bard does not possess any multimodal abilities for now, meaning it cannot take inputs via images or sound. In stark contrast to GPT-4, which can generate a website from a single image, Bard doesn't possess the ability to code for now. However, the company says they will continue to add capabilities to the chatbot including coding and multimodal experiences. NEW DELHI : Google has started opening access to its generative artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot called Bard as it seeks public feedback to improve its systems" and take on OpenAIs ChatGPT. Bard can be accessed by users in the US and UK starting today at bard.google.com. It will be released in other regions and in other languages over time, the big tech firm said. Bard was unveiled last month around the same time Microsoft announced AI-powered Bing, which is based on OpenAI's large language model that has been designed especially for search and is more powerful than even ChatGPT. Googles Bing unveiling didnt go as expected as the chatbot generated inaccurate information in a promotional video, which wiped out $100 billion in Google parent Alphabets market value. Today were starting to open access to Bard, an early experiment that lets you collaborate with generative AI. This follows our announcements from last week as we continue to bring helpful AI experiences to people, businesses, and communities," Sissie Hsiao, VP of Product, and Eli Collins, VP of Research, said in a blog post, published Tuesday. Last week, Google announced that it will offer generative AI based capabilities to developers and businesses through Google Cloud and MakerSuite. 'We are expanding access to Bard in US + UK with more countries ahead, it's an early experiment that lets you collaborate with generative AI. Hope Bard sparks more creativity and curiosity, and will get better with feedback,' Google CEO Sundar Pichai said on Twitter. We're expanding access to Bard in US + UK with more countries ahead, it's an early experiment that lets you collaborate with generative AI. Hope Bard sparks more creativity and curiosity, and will get better with feedback. Sign up: https://t.co/C1ibWrqTDr https://t.co/N8Dzx1m0fc Sundar Pichai (@sundarpichai) March 21, 2023 The big tech firm said that Bard is based on a large language model (LLM) which is a lightweight and optimized version of Googles proprietary Language Model for Dialogue Applications (LaMDA), which has been trained on dialogues and can have open-ended conversations with more human-like responses. In fact, last June one of the Google scientists even claimed that LaMDA had become sentient or self-aware, a claim which was later refuted by Google. Both LaMDA and GPT-3.5, the underlying technology behind ChatGPT, are built on transformers, a neural network architecture used for natural language generation. In the blog post, Collins and Hsiao acknowledge that LLMs are prone to making errors, and reflecting real-world biases and stereotypes as they learn from a wide range of information. They can provide inaccurate, misleading, or false information while presenting it confidently." Google claims it has built guardrails, such as putting a cap on the number of exchanges allowed in a dialogue, to ensure the conversation doesn't drift from the topic. The big tech firm also added that it will continue to add new capabilities to it such as more languages and multimodal experiences. Last week, OpenAI also released its next-gen generative AI model GPT-4, which is also multi-modal and can generate content from text and image input. BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 21. On March 21, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken made a phone call to President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev. During the telephone conversation, the situation around Azerbaijans Lachin-Khankendi road was discussed. The President of Azerbaijan noted that the passage of more than 4,700 vehicles, persons in need of medical assistance and those accompanying them had been provided since December 12, 2022 through the efforts of Russian peacekeepers and the International Committee of the Red Cross. Therefore, reports about an alleged blockade of the road has false propaganda on the part of Armenia. The President of Azerbaijan emphasized that it was a matter of serious concern that Armenia was using an auxiliary road to the Lachin road to carry out illegal military transports, rotation of personnel in Azerbaijani territories where Russian peacekeepers are temporarily stationed, as well as the fact that about 10,000 servicemen of the Armenian armed forces were still stationed in the territory of Azerbaijan. In this regard, the head of state stressed the necessity of establishing a border checkpoint at the end of Azerbaijan's Lachin road on the border with Armenia. President Ilham Aliyev said the Armenian side had been recently abusing the presence of the European Union's mission in this country to pursue a policy aimed at deliberately escalating the situation, pointing to repeated violations of the ceasefire by Armenian armed forces along the Azerbaijan-Armenia state border and the illegal Armenian units in Azerbaijani territories where Russian peacekeepers are temporarily stationed. President Ilham Aliyev noted that two Azerbaijani servicemen had been killed as a result of a provocation by illegal Armenian units on March 5, 2023, while a serviceman of the Azerbaijan State Border Service had been wounded in the aftermath of another Armenian provocation in the section of the Azerbaijan-Armenia state border passing through the territory of the Zangilan district on the day of Novruz holiday, March 20. President Ilham Aliyev stressed that Azerbaijan was fully committed to the peace agenda, was ready for the normalization of relations with Armenia and the signing of a peace agreement soon, adding that the text of the peace agreement reflecting the latest proposals and amendments had been shared with the Armenian side. The head of state said that he highly appreciated the efforts of the United States and personally of Secretary of State Antony Blinken in this direction. Secretary of State Antony Blinken once again stressed that the US would continue its efforts towards normalization of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia and the signing of a peace treaty. As a continuation of the meeting held in Munich, the head of state reminded that Azerbaijan was ready for contacts with the Armenian residents of Karabakh, noting that the Administration of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan invited them to Baku to continue contacts on reintegration and discuss infrastructure projects. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey on Tuesday proposed one-time tax rebates of $400 for individuals and $800 for married couples as well as 2% pay raises for teachers and state employees as she sent her proposed budgets to lawmakers You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close Aruba is inviting remote workers to bring their dog and work from their island paradise. If youre working from home, why not try working from paradise instead, the website states. The program, One Happy Workation, is through Aruba Tourism Authority and encourages U.S. nationals to work, play and stay up to three months. They also get special rates, free WiFi, breakfast, all-inclusive food and beverage options and more, according to the website. We recognize the desire to travel safely and have noticed a rising trend of visitors in Aruba extending their stays, so we knew the appetite for longer trips was growing, Sanju Luidens, the CMO of the Aruba Tourism Authority, told Travel + Leisure. With many Americans working remotely, we curated the best workation experiences and deals to make it easier to not only work from paradise, but also experience living like a local. With Arubas perfect location under the hurricane belt, our One happy island comes with peace of mind that sunny, warm weather is practically guaranteed. Those who want to participate just need a remote job and a valid passport. As a visitor in Aruba, you are not allowed to render services to and receive income from an Aruban company or individual, as this requires a work or business permit, the website states. In addition, you may not perform work that include any activities that are illegal in Aruba. The number of Caribbean islands offering remote-work visas has expanded. This includes Barbados, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, the Cayman Islands, Curacao, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, according to Travel Weekly. The Atlantic White Shark Conservancy was able to identify 55 new sharks near Cape Cod in 2022. The new identifications, the conservancy said, have been added to its public White Shark Catalog. It has identified more than 600 white sharks since it began monitoring in 2014. The research is done in collaboration with Dr. Greg Skomal of the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries. They use underwater video footage to document and match each shark encountered. New sharks are entered into the catalog and given a nickname, many of which are inspired by that individuals unique markings, the organizations website states. Shark names include Crater, Big Daddy and Peaches. In 2022, there were 55 new sharks and 63 returning sharks identified during 18 research trips. Read more: Photos of sharks near Cape Cod shared by Atlantic White Shark Conservancy Among the returning individuals was white shark Danny, an 11-foot male that was first identified by the team in 2014, the conservancy said. Among the returning individuals was white shark Danny, an 11-foot male that was first identified by the team in 2014, the conservancy said. He has returned to Cape Cod every year since and was tagged by Dr. Skomal in 2019. Since he was tagged, he has traveled as far south as Georgia and as far north as Maine and Nova Scotia, Canada. From the footage collected over the years, the team has been able to document Dannys growth as well of evidence of predatory interactions with seals. Another shark, Mushroom, was first identified from footage collected off of Cape Cod in 2017 but had not been seen by the research team since. It was originally tagged by charter captain Chip Michalove of Outcast Sport Fishing in Hilton Head, South Carolina. He had grown almost 3 feet since last time he was seen off the Cape and is exhibiting changes indicating he is maturing, said Megan Winton, research scientist, Atlantic White Shark Conservancy. Captain Michaloves sending videos and images to the AWSC is a perfect example of how boaters and fishermen reporting sightings can help us learn more about white sharks off Cape Cod and beyond. From May to November, when white sharks flood the shores of Cape Cod to feed on the regions resurgent seal population, they head out on the water several times per week to identify and tag them. White sharks were once a rarity in Massachusetts waters, but are now a regular fixture of the coastline; it is Skomals job to track them. The work were doing is twofold. Were trying to estimate the population size of white sharks that visit this area each year, and weve had great success with that. And for the last several years, weve also been tagging them to look at their movements over a broad and fine scale, he told MassLive in 2016. Where do they go when theyre here around Cape Cod? Where do they go when they leave Cape Cod? The conservancy also takes photos of the sharks and shares them on their app Sharktivity. The app works to raise awareness of white sharks by showing users locations of white shark sightings, according to the website. It is also sometimes used to let people know about beach closures due to nearby sharks. A federal judge is still deciding whether to detain a pizza chain owner who court documents state abused seven undocumented workers for years while forcing them to work long hours with little pay. Stavros Papantoniadis, 47, owner of the Stashs Pizza restaurant chain, was arrested and charged last week with one count of forced labor, according to the U.S. Attorneys office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Alexander Fogerty argued that Papantoniadis should be detained while he awaits trial. Carmine Lepore, Papantoniadis defense attorney, argued that the allegations toward his client were old and said his client should be released on bail on condition that he stay away from his businesses. After a three-hour hearing, U.S. Magistrate Judge Judith Dein placed the decision under advisement, which means shell make a later decision based on further research. FBI special agent John Micheal Heaton testified during the hearing that on multiple occasions Papantoniadis violently assaulted and abused his undocumented employees. An undocumented immigrant from north Africa, who the charging documents referred to as Victim 1, was repeatedly subjected to Papantoniadis bigoted remarks about his religion and was attacked by the owner on several occasions, according to the charging documents. Despite this mistreatment, the victim continued to work for Papantoniadis out of fear that the restaurant owner would report him to law enforcement, the documents state. Victim 1 continued to work for Stashs Pizza from 2001 to 2015, working 84-119 hours a week with no vacation time, Heaton said. Heaton said he met with Victim 1 six months ago and described him as small, quiet and aging. Is it fair to say that he was not an imposing figure? prosecutor Forgerty asked Heaton. Yes sir, Heaton replied. One time when Victim 1 missed a day of work, Papantoniadis pushed him down onto the floor and called him a f*cking Muslim, according to the affidavit. Another time, around 2007, Papantoniadis summoned Victim 1 to the restaurants basement where he kicked him in his genitals, according to the affidavit. Papantoniadis struck Victim 1 so hard, he suffered from severe pain, Heaton said. Victim 1 was later transported to Massachusetts General Hospital, where he said the pain from the injury was unbearable and rated it a 10/10 on the pain scale, Fogerty said. While Victim 1 was in recovery Papantoniadis threatened to kill him and call immigration if he did not return to work. Medical records show that in 2009, Victim 1 had a surgical procedure for a pre-existing condition of varicoceles, according to the affidavit. In 2008, Victim 1 denied any recent trauma or injury to his genitals. Their 2009 medical records do not mention any recent trauma either. Papantoniadis has also slapped and choked Victim 1 in the past, the affidavit said. When an employee did not show up to work, Papantoniadis forced Victim 1 to stay at the restaurant. The next day Victim 1 didnt show up to work and when Victim 1 finally arrived at the restaurant, Papantoniadis attacked him, the documents said. While Victim 1 was being attacked, Papantoniadis yelled, F*cking Muslim. Not coming to work. I will kill you, according to the documents. In another incident, the documents said Papantoniadis hit Victim 1 on the side of his head, near his ear, the affidavit said. As a result of the injury, Victim 1s upper and lower teeth got damaged and had to be removed. He now wears dentures. Read More: Malden man who tried to hire killer to murder his wife pleads guilty In 2013, a person the documents referred to as Victim 5, an undocumented worker from Brazil, told Papantoniadis he wanted to quit after he found a better job, according to the affidavit. Victim 5 told Papantoniadis hed find a replacement before leaving the restaurant. However, Papantoniadis got angry and a fight between the two men ensued. Fogerty said the pizza owner dug his nails into Victim 5s wrists during the altercation. Victim 5 then ran to the restaurant parking lot for safety. Papantoniadis later called the police who told Victim 5 not to return to the pizzeria and helped him collect his belongings. The affidavit continued that in 2018, a person referred to as Victim 7, an undocumented worker from El Salvador, left work in his car around 10:30 a.m. after Papantoniadis refused to give him a day off. As he drove away, Victim 7 noticed Papantoniadis following him. The store owner was allegedly filming him on his phone while clicking his wrists together, gesturing handcuffs, Fogerty said. Papantoniadis then made a false police report accusing the employee of a hit-and-run after leaving the Stashs Pizza Norwood location, Fogerty said. Victim 7 was then later pulled over by the Norwood police. The prosecution played audio of the police report Papantoniadis made in court. Initially, he said that somebody bumped into him and then took off. When the police dispatcher encouraged Papantoniadis to come into the police station to provide further details of the alleged hit-and-run, he said he needed to get to work by 11 a.m., Fogerty said. Eventually, Papantoniadis did come into the Norwood police station where he said it was his employee who struck him, even though there was no damage to Victim 7s car. This isnt the first time Papantoniadis had been subject to a federal investigation. In 2007, the U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hours Division investigated Papantoniadis for overtime wage violations, according to the affidavit. During the investigation, Papantoniadis allegedly told Victim 3 that they were a snitch for sharing information with the department of labor. Papantoniadis even went as far as telling Victim 3 to lie to the federal investigators, the affidavit said. The defense said that the victims had the incentive to lie about their time with Papantonidadis as several of them were granted visas to work with federal investigators. While he was cross-examined by the defense, Heaton claimed he was not aware of the visas that the federal government was providing the victims during the investigation. Lepore asked Heaton if the medical record had mentioned whether Victim 1 had gum disease or any mention of poor hygiene. Heaton said no. The defense also stated that Victim 5 was carrying a knife and had to be restrained from attacking his client. In regards to the allegations that Papantoniadis was clicking his wrists together while following Victim 7 outside the restaurant, Lepore said he found it hard to believe that his client could hold a cell phone in one hand while clicking his hands together at the same time. Aside from the worker abuse charges, prosecutors also found several violent and sexually explicit videos linked to Papantoniadis Apple iCloud account. Heaton described all these videos as depicting non-consensual sex. However, Lepore argued that the videos couldve been sent to his client, adding the videos to his iCloud account. Lepore also asked Heaton if he knew whether some of these videos couldve been staged. Heaton said no. Heaton had also testified that Papantoniadis was given $499,000 for a federal pandemic relief loan for Boston Pizza shop in Randolph. However, Heaton said that he sold the shop months before he applied for the loan. Furthermore, the special agent said Papantoniadis and his wife had traveled to Europe when they collected unemployment checks from the state. In response, Lepore argued that Papantoniadis was taking a family vacation. Toward the end of the hearing, Lepore called Jerry Skordas to the stand. Skordas, the manager of Stashs Pizza in Dorchester, said that he never saw any physical abuse during his time at the restaurant. He then went on to say he had great respect for Papantoniadis. In celebration of spring, JetBlue is helping people get a jump start on their summer travel plans with several discounted one-way flights out of Boston and Windsor Locks, Connecticut. Part of the airlines Big Spring Sale, JetBlue is selling multiple discounted flights out of Boston Logan International Airport and Bradley International Airport an airport frequented by Western Massachusetts residents. JetBlue is selling $49 one-way flights out of Boston Logan to Baltimore, Newark and Marthas Vineyard. The airline is also selling $59 flights from Boston to Atlanta, Nantucket, Syracuse and New York. For $64, you can fly to Philadelphia, Washington D.C. and Fort Lauderdale. Travelers leaving out of Bradley can book a one-way flight to Miami for $59 as well as to Fort Myers and Orlando for $74. Read more: JetBlue to add Boston to Paris flights in 2023 in new transatlantic service JetBlues entire discounted flight deal can be read on the airlines website. Those interested have up until 11:59 p.m. Thursday night to book a flight under the deal. Discounted flights can only be booked between April 4 to June 21. A North Andover man was sentenced to prison after he tried to smuggle drugs into jail and attempted to kidnap a marijuana supplier whom he thought had stolen his dog, according to Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins office. Steven Rios, 25, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani to eight years in prison and three years of supervised release. In October, Rios pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit kidnapping and conspiracy to distribute Suboxone. Read more: Two arrested in connection with Worcester carjacking with dog in car Rios was originally charged in November 2021 along with 12 others in connection with a large drug conspiracy centering around the Gangster Disciples, a gang in Lawrence, Haverhill and Methuen, according to officials. Officials said Gangster Disciples leaders, members and drug suppliers distributed fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine and Suboxone in Massachusetts, Maine, southern New Hampshire and Essex County Jail. During the investigation officials also discovered Justin Suriel and Rios conspired to kidnap, hold captive and traumatize a marijuana supplier from Maine in retaliation for the suspected theft of Rios dog he used for breeding. On Oct. 25, 2020, Rios told Suriel he suspected the supplier of stealing his dog, according to court documents. Suriel then told Rios to order marijuana from them so they could kidnap and injure the supplier, documents state. I want my dog [back], Chachi. He got my dog, Rios said, court documents state. Who cares about the drugs? The n**** got my dog, bro. Officials said Rios also posted a lost dog flyer on Facebook stating that he spent $30,000 on his dogs to start a business. Suriel had to call his mom to ask her to babysit while he was participating in the kidnapping, court documents claim. Two days later, the marijuana supplier drove to Rios house but police stopped him before he arrived. Officials also said Rios had attempted to smuggle drugs into the jail by swallowing them. After several days at the hospital, jail officials were able to seize the Suboxone from Rios. As demonstrated by the extent of this drug conspiracy and the [Gangster Disciples] readiness to engage in violence, each defendant poses a danger to the community and should be detained or released on strict conditions of release, court documents state. BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 20. Azerbaijan is welcoming the Novruz holiday, Trend reports. This holiday is being celebrated on the day of the spring equinox and symbolizes the end of winter, the renewal of nature, and the beginning of a new life. This is one of the most long-awaited and favorite holidays for both adults and children in Azerbaijan. During the holiday, the doors of the houses are open for guests, and a lot of treats are put on the tables. Residents of Baku are walking around the city on the occasion of their favorite holiday, and a festive mood reigns in the capital. Millions of student loan borrowers are set to receive debt forgiveness this spring. The U.S. Department of Education announced that 3.6 million student borrowers will receive at least three years of credit toward forgiveness under the federal Income-Driven Repayment (IDR) plan. This plan is separate from President Joe Bidens Student Loan Forgiveness plan thats currently under review by the U.S. Supreme Court. The Department of Education, or DOE, hopes to address past inaccuracies with the IDR plan by sending one-time adjustment payments to affected student borrowers, according to a release. The plan was originally announced in April 2022 and repayments were originally intended to start distributing in fall 2022. However, the initiative was set back and debt forgiveness is now expected to take place some time this spring. Borrowers accounts eligible for the one-time account adjustments include the following: accounts with any months in repayment status months spent in economic hardship or military deferment after 2013 months spent in any deferment (except for in-school deferment) prior to 2013 12 or more months of consecutive forbearance or 36 or more months of cumulative forbearance accounts that were at any time in repayment prior to consolidating previous loans into a consolidation loan any borrowers with loans that have accumulated time in repayment of at least 20 or 25 years will see automatic forgiveness, even if those borrowers are not currently on an IDR plan Borrowers who reached 240 or 300 months worth of payments for IDR forgiveness or 120 months of Public Service Loan Forgiveness will begin to see their loans forgiven soon, Department of Education officials stated. Anyone interested to see if they qualify for IDR forgiveness can find additional information on the Federal Student Aid website. The IDR system was intended to help lower-income borrowers make progress on payments without being overwhelmed by their loans, but there have been long-standing issues that have left people paying for loan forgiveness for decades. The federal education department and its contracted loan servicers did not always adequately inform borrowers about IDR options, and recent reports confirmed advocates concerns that the programs were being mismanaged. The multiple types of plans also are confusing and can be difficult to navigate. Along with student loan forgiveness, the Department of Education has rolled out several adjustments to the IDR plan: a new guide to student loan servicers to ensure accurate and uniform payment counting practices, DOE will track payment counts in its own modernized data systems DOE is undertaking an effort to display borrower IDR payment counts on StudentAid.gov so borrowers can view their progress themselves DOE is working on regulations to revise the terms of the IDR programs to simplify payment counting, which includes proposals to allow more loan statuses to count toward IDR forgiveness, including certain types of deferments and forbearances Student loans were never meant to be a life sentence, but its certainly felt that way for borrowers locked out of debt relief theyre eligible for, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said in a statement. The Department of Education will begin to remedy years of administrative failures that effectively denied the promise of loan forgiveness to certain borrowers enrolled in IDR plans. The funeral for Sgt. Derrick Leto, an 18-year veteran of the Worcester Police Department who died at 42 on March 17, will be held at St. Stephens Church in Worcester on Friday. Leto is scheduled to receive a Mass of Christian Burial at 10 a.m. at the church, followed by a burial with military honors at Worcester County Memorial Park in Paxton, according to Letos obituary. On Thursday, visiting hours will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. at Callahan Fay Caswell Funeral Home on 61 Myrtle St. in Worcester. During his time as an officer, Leto was a role model who volunteered his time across Worcester and left a far-reaching impact on his colleagues and community, the department said. He served as the departments diversity officer with the goal of expanding the presence of underrepresented groups in the department. He made a difference in our department, city and community and worked hard to make our visions a reality, Worcester Police Chief Steven M. Sargent said in a statement. Sgt. Leto made great strides in creating unity among the police and community groups and partners. Read more: Worcester Fire Chief Martin Dyer officially sworn in at promotion ceremony Leto was married with two children and previously served in the United States Marine Corps, the department said. He was also active in the community, frequently volunteering at several programs including with the Second Baptist Church of Worcester and the Friendly House, a multi-service Worcester community nonprofit. His loss leaves a huge void in the Worcester Police Department and among the entire city family, City Manager Eric Batista said in a statement. I was honored to have known Derrick personally as a fellow North High School graduate and athlete. Sgt. Leto served this country and city honorably and left his mark on the community in a profound way. Read more: Two arrested in connection with Worcester carjacking with dog in car Letos cause of death has not been disclosed. Researchers at Oregon State University created a new type of hyperthermic magnetic nanoparticle that is intended to assist in destroying tumors through localized heating under an alternating magnetic field. Previous iterations of such technologies could heat up to about 44 degrees Celsius (111 F), which was only effective in easy-to-access tumors that can be reached with a hypodermic needle, allowing a clinician to inject a large number of the nanoparticles directly into the tumor. For difficult-to-access tumors, intravenous delivery of the nanoparticles is required, but this typically only results in a small number of particles reaching the tumor, meaning their heating potential is usually not enough to cause sufficient damage. These latest particles are highly efficient at heating, reaching temperatures of up to 50 degrees Celsius (122 F), and making systemic application of such therapeutics a more feasible prospect. Delivering magnetic nanoparticles to a tumor and then heating them up minimally invasively using an external alternating magnetic field, in the hope of destroying the tumor, is an elegant approach to cancer treatment. Indeed, researchers have been experimenting with such an approach for several years (see flashbacks below). However, the problem with this technique lies in the poor heating efficiency of the particles, with conventional magnetic particles reaching temperatures of 44 C in the vicinity of a tumor. Although this is just a few degrees higher than body temperature, it is sufficient to damage and kill tumor cells, provided enough particles are present in and around the tumor site. This last point is key, because getting the particles into the tumor can be challenging. For more superficial and easily accessible tumors, a clinician can simply inject a large dose of the particles directly into the tumor core. However, for less accessible tumors this is not possible, so intravenous delivery is required, meaning that the particles must make their own way through the circulation and arrive at the tumor. With currently available magnetic nanoparticles, the required therapeutic temperatures above 44 degrees Celsius can only be achieved by direct injection into the tumor, said Oleh Taratula, one of the lead developers of the new nanoparticles. The nanoparticles have only moderate heating efficiency, which means you need a high concentration of them in the tumor to generate enough heat. And numerous studies have shown that only a small percentage of systemically injected nanoparticles accumulate in tumors, making it a challenge to get that high concentration. To make systemic delivery more feasible, these researchers created magnetic nanoparticles that can reach up to 50 degrees C in the tumor environment. The particles are called core-shell particles, as their core and an outer shell are made from different constituents. Specifically, the particles have a magnetite (Fe 3 O 4 ) core and a maghemite (-Fe 2 O 3 ) shell, giving them superior heating efficiency. To our knowledge, this is the first time its been shown that magnetic nanoparticles injected intravenously at a clinically recommended dose are capable of increasing the temperature of cancer tissue above 44 degrees Celsius, said Taratula. And we also demonstrated that our novel method could be used for the synthesis of various core-shell nanoparticles. It could serve as a foundation for the development of novel nanoparticles with high heating performance, further advancing systemic magnetic hyperthermia for treating cancer. Study in journal Small Methods: An Advanced Thermal Decomposition Method to Produce Magnetic Nanoparticles with Ultrahigh Heating Efficiency for Systemic Magnetic Hyperthermia Flashbacks: Nanoparticles Heat Up in Magnetic Field to Kill Cancer Tumors; Magnetic Nanoparticles Deliver Chem and Heat Cancer Cells for Synergistic Effects; Gold Nanoparticles Made to Heat Up from Near-Infrared Light for Tumor Killing; Excitable Nanoparticles Destroy Endometriosis Lesions; Diamond Nanocrystal Thermometers for Heat Ablating Nanoparticles Via: Oregon State University Medgadget was recently invited to Taiwan to cover the 2022 Healthcare Expo in Taipei. As is the case for most trade shows, the exhibit hall comprised a large portion of the expo. Consisting of over 2000 exhibitors in two massive halls, the main hall showcased the best of Taiwans healthcare industry. Here are some notable trends we observed while roaming the aisles. Big Tech is Invested in Healthcare At the MedTex Summit Asia that took place during the expo (see here for our coverage), speakers from ASUS, Microsoft, Intel, and Oracle shared about how each of their companies were partnering with hospitals in Taiwan to build connected digital health products. We saw some of these products at the companies respective booths. As this US-based writer is accustomed to only seeing consumer electronics from most of these companies, it was fascinating to inspect medical gadgets from them! Acer, known primarily for laptops, has only been in the healthcare space for about four years and showed off a fundoscopic camera with their custom AI built-in. ASUS is best known for consumer electronics and computer components, but has apparently been developing medical technology for over 20 years. They showed off a plethora of wearables, portable ultrasounds, endoscopy systems, and clinical monitors. Intel showcased a whole range of solutions powered by their chips, including equipment designed to be used by medical professionals, as well as server-side equipment for AI and data processing. BenQ, best known for their computer displays and projectors, had an entire mock operating suite with the companys products. While it may be unlikely that US readers will ever see many of these products in hospitals, its neat to witness these powerful consumer tech companies investing in med tech. Hospitals Are Innovation Centers During our first morning wandering the exhibit hall, we were surprised to see a team of cheerleaders and an enthusiastic crowd in front of one of the booths. Unlike booth babes and other gimmicks commonly seen at tech shows in the US, this exhibit was for one of the many hospitals on the island. We quickly learned that Taiwanese hospitals are an important and highly respected constituent in the med tech industry. Hospitals in other countries, like the US, sometimes get a bad rep for focusing on their bottom line above improving patient care, but from what we could see from the hospitals expansive booths, innovation is key. Whether it was a research idea, a pilot project, or a collaboration with a company, each hospitals booth showcased an array of medical innovations. One exhibit, called The Grand Challenge For Doctor-To-Be, sponsored by the Tzu Chi University of Science and Technology, gave conference attendees a hands-on look on how technology such as VR/AR, smart displays, and digital diagnostic tools, are helping in both medical education and in healthcare. We waited in line with several groups of high schoolers who we hope were inspired by this interactive exhibit to pursue a career in healthcare! The Startup Scene is Strong A med tech conference wouldnt be complete with exhibits from startup med tech companies. They were scattered throughout the exhibit hall, from all stages ranging from proof-of-concept to late-stage. Many hopeful Taiwanese startups were parked in an area called the InnoZone, where TechCrunch-style pitch sessions took place all throughout the duration of the conference. While this editors lack of Mandarin prevented him from understanding most of what was being pitched, the amount of activity and level of interest in the startup space showed that these small companies were still important. And the opportunities at the conference to potentially collaborate with large companies and partner with hospitals literally across the aisle put these ventures in a good position to succeed. Concluding Thoughts The Taiwan Healthcare Expo at its core was a trade show. There were business deals constantly taking place, and the expo provided both a physical and virtual platform for these relationships to be made. But unlike other trade shows weve attended in the past, the Healthcare Expo was a showcase of the best of Taiwanese innovation. We enjoyed seeing not just products, but partnerships in action. The synergy between startups, big tech companies, and hospitals was evident, and it serves as a model on how other countries can better innovate to improve the lives of their people. Medgadget wishes to thank Ms. Silvia Fan and the Taiwan Institute for Biotechnology and Medicine Industry for hosting our trip! This past week, Medgadget was an official media partner with the Healthcare Expo Taiwan. This four-day annual event brings together healthcare companies from all over Taiwan and the rest of the world. It is also an opportunity for tech companies not typically associated with healthcare, such as ASUS, Intel, and BenQ, to showcase what theyre doing in medicine and healthcare. The event kicked off with an opening ceremony presided by Taiwan president Tsai Ing-Wen, as well as the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between hospital representatives from Taiwan, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam, to promote increased collaboration in the area of healthcare. In between roaming the massive two-level exhibit hall, we sat in on the MedTex Summit Asia, a series of talks from representatives in big tech about their companies work in hospital care, followed by a discussion with some of the hospital directors whose organizations are benefiting. Jonney Shih, the longtime chairman of ASUSTek (ASUS) talked about the three-fold digital twin model of major trends in digitally-powered healthcare technology. In the area of precision health, ASUS is endeavoring to better understand a patient by creating a digital twin by utilizing precision diagnostics, personalized medicine, and risk management. In virtual care, the aim is to create a digital twin of the doctor-patient relationship to better communicate, with a heavy use of remote monitoring, telemedicine, and AR/VR care. In hospital resilience, a digital twin of the hospital can better simulate and extend patient care by utilizing technology in a hospitals stuff, staff, space, and systems. In Taiwan, ASUS has worked with a handful of hospitals on projects in these three areas, helping to design and build the infrastructure that is open and cross-platform to allow for the addition and implementation of different hospital technologies and medical data. Next, Brad Haczynski, VP/GM of Network and Edge Global sales at Intel spoke via video about the CPU giants work in the healthcare space. He shared that the healthcare industry needs to become less reactive and more proactive and predictable. Intel, he explained, is helping to accomplish this by applying the companys five technology superpowers: ubiquitous computing, pervasive connectivity, cloud-to-edge infrastructure, sensing, and artificial intelligence. The company has three focus areas in healthcare where their technology is being used. In powering the smart hospital, Intel tech is providing clinical insights in near-real time from connected medical devices, servers, and cloud applications. In accelerating scientific discovery: Intel tech powers solutions that range from lab automation to clinical chemistry, mass spectrometry, and genomics for the pharma and biotech industry. Finally, in modernizing digital infrastructure, Intel products are enabling voice/document automation, clinical notes analysis, and real-time video connectivity for telehealth. Next, David Rhew, Chief Medical Officer at Microsoft shared via video about the companys work in AI in healthcare. Microsoft is focusing its efforts in three major areas: images, text, and voice. Their image AI technology has been used to help identify signatures in images medical images. Their text AI can search through clinical progress notes and scientific literature to find more effective potential treatments for cancer and other diseases. Finally, Rhew shared about how the Ambient Clinical Intelligence AI voice technology from recently-acquired Nuance Communications automatically transcribe patient visits, allowing the doctor to spend more time listening and dialoguing with their patients. According to Rhew, Ambient has been shown to not only reduce overall documentation time by 50%, but also reduce clinical fatigue and burnout by 70%, while increasing patient satisfaction by 83%. Finally, Eugene Chang and Peter Williams from Oracle shared about how the database company is contributing to research. They first spoke about how Oracle has actually been in the healthcare space for over 44 years; their electronic data capture platform has long been a market leader in managing data from clinical trials and pharma research. They explained that the company is continuing to advocate and create solutions that avoid medical data silos and allow for the easy transfer from 3rd parties using APIs. By integrating of all the data, Oracles products can make it easy for AI and other digital health solutions to utilize. While the MedTex Summit Asia portion of the Healthcare Expo didnt showcase any high-tech gadgets or cool demos, it was informative to hear about these tech companies interest in healthcare. It was an encouraging reminder that while startups may be disrupting healthcare, theres still an important place for the big players in transforming lives. Theres more interesting content from this visit that we witnessed, so stay tuned for more coverage. Medgadget wishes to thank Ms. Silvia Fan and the Taiwan Institute for Biotechnology and Medicine Industry for hosting our trip! C-mo Medical Solutions is a pioneering Digital Health start-up that is unlocking the power of cough monitoring. The company has now secured additional funding from Novalis Biotech to advance its mission of revolutionising cough assessment and disease management. Almada, 31 January 2023 C-mo Medical Solutions has announced an extension to its seed investment round. The round now totals 4.8 million and with the addition of Novalis Biotech as a new investor. Novalis is joining the seed investment round led by Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund and participation from Portugal Ventures and High-Tech Grunderfonds (HTGF). C-mo Medical Solutions is committed to solving the pressing need to better assess chronic cough, a symptom that affects more than 700 million adults worldwide. Diogo Tecelao, co-founder and CEO of the company, emphasises: Cough is a clinically rich symptom that holds valuable information about the patients health. However, the lack of tools to assess and manage chronic cough remains a major unmet medical need. Our mission is to change that! C-mos innovative product suite is unlocking the full potential of cough assessment. Diogo Tecelao highlights: Our unique technology analyses the subtle characteristics of the patients cough, translating them into actionable insights that add significant value in key several usecases. C-mo has the potential to greatly speed-up diagnosis, optimise treatment courses, improve disease management, and support pharmaceutical research. Kjell Mortier, Fund Manager at Novalis Biotech notes: We are very happy to support C-mo and join the investor consortium. We are impressed by the complementarity and dedication of the C-mo team that developed this innovative product. Translation of a clinically relevant symptom as cough into an objective, measurable marker is currently missing in drug development or treatment. We are convinced C-mos technology can help to better assess and treat underlying conditions, thereby helping patients to get access to the right treatment. Diogo Tecelao concludes: We are thrilled to welcome Novalis Biotech as a new investor, as their experience in healthcare will bring great added value to our company. This extension of the seed investment round will allow the company to further explore and unlock the full potential of cough assessment, namely by expanding the capabilities and applications of their technology. About C-mo Medical Solutions C-mo Medical Solutions is an award-winning Digital Health start-up that develops solutions for the diagnosis and management of cough-incident medical conditions. The companys mission is to unravel the clinical potential of cough assessment and solve the major unmet medical needs associated with the management of chronic cough. Find out more at www.c-mo.solutions. About Novalis Biotech Novalis Biotech (Ghent, Belgium) is an early-stage venture capital investor in technologies that revolutionise healthcare. The companys core competence lies in digitalization in the life sciences with a focus on capital-light enabling technologies such as bioinformatics, AI, genomics, personalised medicine, research or manufacturing tools, and diagnostics. For more information, please visit www.noval.is. Kandu Health, a digital health company based in California, has developed a platform to assist stroke survivors with aftercare. Healthcare for stroke patients is primarily focused on acute care to limit the damage caused by the stroke. However, the company has identified that stroke survivors are frequently underserved after hospital discharge, and in many cases are left to cope with the psychological and physical fallout of the stroke with minimal support. The e-health platform developed by Kandu Health connects stroke survivors with specialists who provide them, and their caregivers, with personalized guidance, education, and other resources to assist in enabling them to adapt to their new circumstances and make positive changes. Another aspect of the program is to connect stroke survivors with each other so that they can support one another with encouragement and advice. See a video of some alumni from the program discussing their experiences: Medgadget had the opportunity to speak with Kandu Healths CEO Kirsten Carroll about the technology and concept. Conn Hastings, Medgadget: Please give us an overview of the impact that a stroke can have for survivors. Kirsten Carroll, Kandu Health: As many things as your brain does those are the ways that a stroke can affect you. Moving, feeling, finding the right words to go with your thoughts, storing memories, seeing, paying attention, and processing emotions; all of these are things that can be impacted by a stroke. The experience for many stroke survivors is one in which they dont actually know all the ways they have been affected for weeks or months, after they leave the hospital, and nobody can tell them for certain what will get better or worse during their recovery. Stroke is often a traumatic experience, and one that profoundly challenges a persons identity, and their feeling of agency over their own life and health. Many stroke survivors experience isolation, depression, and anxiety. These challenges are frequently compounded by the need to manage a variety of common underlying health conditions, including hypertension, diabetes, and chronic kidney disease, all while experiencing extreme post-stroke fatigue. There are 20 million people in the U.S. living with the impacts of stroke, including eight million stroke survivors and 12 million care partners and family members. They are the experts on living life after stroke, and have an enormous amount of knowledge and community to share with each other. Medgadget: How are such patients provided with aftercare at present? How is this suboptimal? Kirsten Carroll: Historically, stroke care has focused on acute intervention to restore blood flow in the hours after stroke onset and minimize the damage to the brain. Follow-up care is largely focused on preventing another stroke. Though some stroke survivors receive stroke rehabilitation that can facilitate some level of recovery, the majority do not. There is almost no focus on education and support for survivors living with the lasting, often permanent impacts of stroke. Stroke survivors have told us that while they may be brought to a hospital by helicopter with teams mobilized to urgently care for them, they leave quietly through the back door, with little attention or fanfare. While treatment at the acute level is swift and organized, theres no singular entity dedicated to helping survivors navigate life after stroke. Research indicates that in the first three months after a stroke, the average survivor needs nearly 50 hours a week of informal care. In that same timeframe, 1 in 4 stroke survivors is readmitted to the hospital, most often due to infections caused or exacerbated by their stroke-induced impairments. By one-year post-stroke, that readmission number has grown to nearly 50%, with 20% of survivors being readmitted multiple times. Stroke is a population health issue affecting nearly 10% of Medicare enrollees and a growing proportion of younger people. Post-acute clinical care in the first year after stroke costs over $20 billion annually in the United States, more than double the cost of acute stroke hospitalization. Stroke survivors need and deserve education, communities, therapies, and support that are designed for and with them to address the unique challenges they face in managing their health and their lives after stroke. Medgadget: Please give us an overview of Kandu Health and the services it offers. Kirsten Carroll: At Kandu Health, we aim to empower stroke survivors to take charge of their recovery and achieve the highest quality of life possible. By doing so, we hope to significantly reduce post-acute complications and readmissions among the populations we serve. The Kandu program combines technology with human care, providing tech-enabled healthcare services through which Kandu Navigators deliver education, resources and guidance tailored to each stroke survivor and their care partner as they adjust to life after leaving the hospital. Kandu Navigators are licensed professionals, most often with backgrounds in occupational therapy or clinical social work, and expertise in stroke recovery. The Kandu program is designed to complement and integrate with the existing services that hospitals and outpatient providers already make available to stroke survivors. The program is most often delivered in partnership with hospitals, whose teams introduce Kandu to patients before discharge. Each enrollee receives 12 weeks of personalized, 1:1 support as they return to their communities and establish their best possible trajectory for recovery. The relationship begins with a phone conversation with a Kandu Navigator, in which they explore the health challenges, living situation, and goals of the stroke survivor. That conversation continues throughout the next 90 days as the Navigator has regular check-ins and provides each enrollee with weekly education, resources, and counsel through the Kandu App, tailored to their individual needs and priorities. Enrollees can also choose to participate in ambassador-facilitated Kandu support groups small, consistent groups of survivors and care partners that message and meet in secure, private Kandu communities. Once stroke survivors finish the 90-day program, they retain access to the Kandu resources, support tools and patient community forums. Medgadget: What inspired this technology? How did the idea come about? Kirsten Carroll: Kandu Health is a digital health company designed for and with people recovering from stroke. Survivors and their care partners continually advise on both the needs and the solutions being developed. The Kandu program is intended to address critical gaps in stroke care by providing personalized support to stroke survivors as they transition back home from the hospital. The large unmet need in stroke recovery and post-acute care inspired our platform and continues to inspire our work to deliver personalized support to stroke survivors. Kandu was founded inside Imperative Care, a medical technology company focused on developing connected innovations to elevate care for people affected by stroke and vascular diseases. Medgadget: Where is the system currently available? How has it been received so far? Kirsten Carroll: The Kandu Health program is nearing completion of its pilot with our first hospital partners and will continue providing service in the greater Los Angeles and South New Jersey areas. Although it is early data with small numbers, Kandus enrollment rates, engagement, and outcomes have exceeded expectations to date. Kandu graduates have uniformly endorsed the program, noting the significant impact it has had on their health, agency, and quality of life. Kandus Hospital partners recognize that there are significant gaps in the care provided to stroke survivors, especially after these patients return home to continue their recovery. Their partnership with Kandu is a signal of their commitment to clinical excellence, and accountability to the populations they are serving beyond hospital discharge. There is tremendous excitement around the clinical evidence we are starting to collect, and we look forward to presenting evidence of Kandus impact at multiple scientific conferences in the coming year. Most importantly, we are seeing survivors excitement about participation in the Kandu program and witnessing positive changes in their quality of life as they regain their agency and increase their independence. We look forward to announcing commercial partnerships in expanded geographies in the near future. Medgadget: Do you have any plans to expand this type of service for other health issues? Where do you see this type of connected health solution going in the future? Kirsten Carroll: At this time, we are focused on building awareness, scaling the platform, and increasing adoption of the Kandu platform for stroke survivors. In the future, we hope that our coordinated, community-centered approach to post-acute care can be applied to other conditions and disease states. Link: Kandu Health homepage BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 20. Drug smuggling from Iran to Azerbaijan was prevented on the territory of the 'Horadiz' border detachment area of the State Border Service of Azerbaijan, located near the Minjivan settlement of the Zangilan district, on March 18, at 21:10 (GMT+4), the service told Trend. According to the service, as a result of operational measures, 9.4 kilograms of narcotic drugs were found and confiscated. In fact, operational and investigative measures are ongoing, the service added. Previously, the smuggling of 24.13 kilograms of drugs from Iran to Azerbaijan was prevented in the 'Goytapa' and 'Lankaran' border detachment areas of the Azerbaijani State Border Service's border troops, as part of measures to ensure reliable protection of the state border, as well as combat drug trafficking. Genome editing is a type of genetic engineering that involves making precise changes to the DNA of an organism. This technology allows scientists to modify or remove specific genes within the genome of an organism, creating a variety of potential applications in fields such as agriculture, medicine, and biotechnology. The most commonly used genome editing technology is CRISPR-Cas9, which is based on a bacterial defense mechanism that uses RNA to target specific DNA sequences. This system has been adapted for use in a wide range of organisms, allowing researchers to make targeted changes to the DNA of plants, animals, and even humans. Allied Market Research Analyst have added a new research study on Title Genome Editing Market, Global Outlook and Forecast 2023-2030 with detailed information & Key Players Such as Agilent Technologies, CRISPR Therapeutics, Danaher, Eurofins Scientific, Editas Medicine, GenScript, Horizon Discovery Limited, Lonza, Merck and Thermo Fisher Scientific. The Study provides in-depth comprehensive analysis includes Clear Market definitions, classifications, manufacturing processes, cost structures, development policies and plans. Global Genome Editing Market Size was valued at $4.81 billion in 2020 and is projected to reach $36.06 billion by 2030 registering a CAGR of 22.30% from 2021 to 2030. Click To get FREE SAMPLE PDF (Including Full TOC, Table & Figures): https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/12810 Impact Analysis Genome Editing Market Research Analysts at Allied Market Research constantly monitor the Genome Editing industry factors with impacts of current events; with this study an update of how industry players have tackled latest scenario and what key strategies have made significant difference is showcased. Key Highlights from Genome Editing Market Study. Revenue and Sales Estimation Historical Revenue and sales volume is presented and further data is triangulated with top-down and bottom-up approaches to forecast complete market size and to estimate forecast numbers for key regions covered in the report along with classified and well recognized Types and end-use industry. Additionally, macroeconomic factor and regulatory policies are ascertained in Genome Editing industry evolution and predictive analysis. FIVE FORCES ANALYSIS In order to better understand Genome Editing market condition five forces analysis is conducted that includes Bargaining power of buyers, Bargaining power of suppliers, Threat of new entrants, Threat of substitutes, and Threat of rivalry. Competition Leading players have been studied from Genome Editing Industry depending on their company profile, product portfolio, capacity, product/service price, sales, and cost/profit. Demand & Supply and Effectiveness Genome Editing report additionally provides distribution, Production, Consumption & EXIM** (Export & Import). ** If applicable Have Any Query? Ask Our Expert @: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/12810 Geographically, the following regions together with the listed national/local markets are fully investigated: APAC (Japan, China, South Korea, Australia, India, and Rest of APAC; Rest of APAC is further segmented into Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, New Zealand, Vietnam, and Sri Lanka) Europe (Germany, UK, France, Spain, Italy, Russia, Rest of Europe; Rest of Europe is further segmented into Belgium, Denmark, Austria, Norway, Sweden, The Netherlands, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania) North America (U.S., Canada, and Mexico) South America (Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Rest of South America) MEA (Saudi Arabia, UAE, South Africa) The Latest Trends, Product Portfolio, Demographics, Geographical segmentation, and Regulatory Framework of the Genome Editing Market have also been included in the study. Genome Editing Market Key Players: Agilent Technologies, CRISPR Therapeutics, Danaher, Eurofins Scientific, Editas Medicine, GenScript, Horizon Discovery Limited, Lonza, Merck and Thermo Fisher Scientific. Genome Editing Market Segmentation by Application: Cell Line Engineering, Genetic Engineering, Drug Discovery, Gene-modified Cell Therapy, Diagnostics, and Other Applications Genome Editing Market Segmentation by Technology: CRISPR, TALEN, ZFN, and Other Technologies Genome Editing Market Segmentation by End User: Academics & Government Institutes, Biotechnology & Pharma Companies, and Contract Research Organizations Introduction about Genome Editing Market Genome Editing Market Size (Sales) Market Share by Type (Product Category) Genome Editing Market by Application/End Users Genome Editing Sales (Volume) and Market Share Comparison by Applications Global Genome Editing Sales and Growth Rate (2021-2030) Genome Editing Competition by Players/Suppliers, Region, Type, and Application Genome Editing (Volume, Value, and Sales Price) table defined for each geographic region defined. Genome Editing Players/Suppliers Profiles and Sales Data Key Raw Materials Analysis & Price Trends Supply Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers, Industrial Chain Analysis ..and view more in complete table of Contents Buy Now @ https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/checkout-final/5d02cca556567783cc016c13faf74fb5 AVENUE- A Subscription-Based Library (Premium on-demand, subscription-based pricing model): AMR introduces its online premium subscription-based library Avenue, designed specifically to offer cost-effective, one-stop solution for enterprises, investors, and universities. With Avenue, subscribers can avail an entire repository of reports on more than 2,000 niche industries and more than 12,000 company profiles. Moreover, users can get an online access to quantitative and qualitative data in PDF and Excel formats along with analyst support, customization, and updated versions of reports. Get an access to the library of reports at any time from any device and anywhere. For more details, follow the link: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/library-access New Arrivals: Psoriasis Therapeutics Market- Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 20212030 Filgrastim Market- Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 20212030 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. Contact Us: David Correa Portland, OR, 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 BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 20. Employees of the Nasimi district police department of Baku, as well as territorial departments and subdivisions of the police, carried out regular raids in "Papanin" and "Kubinka" areas of the district, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Azerbaijan told Trend. According to the ministry, Murad Bakhshiyev, Murad Ismayilov, Soltan Nuriyev, Orkhan Nuriyev, Aydin Allahverdiyev, Rashid Nuriyev, Parvin Ismayilov and Nizami Mursalov were detained during the raids for illegal drug trafficking and sale at the indicated addresses. About two kilograms of heroin, methamphetamine and pills containing illegal psychotropic substances were found and seized from them. "The detainees claim that through social networks they met with an Iranian citizen named Sayyad, from whom they received drugs for the purpose of selling them online. It was also established that some of the detainees were actively promoting drugs among young people and adolescents, the ministry said. Besides, according to the ministry, the collected materials were sent to the investigation department of the Nasimi district police department. A measure of restraint in the form of arrest was chosen in respect of the detainees by a court decision, and operational and investigative measures are underway, the ministry added. Previously, members of a gang involved in drug trafficking were detained in Bina village of Baku during operations carried out by the police department of the Khazar district. As a result of the operation, Elnur Asadov and seven members of the gang lead by him were detained. During the investigation it was revealed that Asadov met an unknown Iranian citizen on social media and was spreading drugs, following the latter's instructions. BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 20. A festive bonfire was lit in Shusha today on the occasion of the Novruz holiday, Trend reports. Musicians and cooks, along with social activists, also took part in the festive fun in Shusha. Novruz holiday is celebrated in Azerbaijan today. This year, spring will come to Azerbaijan on March 21 at 01:24:24 Baku time. At this time, the day will equal the night, the Sun will move along the ecliptic, cross the equator and move from the Southern Hemisphere to the Northern Hemisphere. From this moment on, the spring season will begin in the Northern Hemisphere, and the autumn season in the Southern Hemisphere. The duration of the summer season will be 92 days 17 hours 33 minutes 23 seconds. BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 21. An armed man has been detained in Baku, Azerbaijan's Ministry of Internal Affairs told Trend. According to the ministry, he was detained on the territory of the Sabunchu district of Baku. "As a result of operational measures carried out by employees of the 13th unit of the Sabunchu District Police Department, based on the information received, a previously convicted resident of the city, S. Ibrahimov, was detained. During the inspection, a Makarov pistol with an erased number, three cartridges and about 7 grams of methamphetamine were found and seized," the statement said. BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 13. Azerbaijan continues to be at the forefront on the world stage and is becoming an increasingly attractive partner for Europe. President Ilham Aliyev's working visit to Germany on March 13-14 is another case of how Azerbaijans importance for Europe has increased over the last couple years. Multiple meetings with the representatives of leading German companies scheduled for this visit, as well as meetings with German President Frank Walter Steinmeier and German Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholtz, are expected to give another impetus to the development of bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and Germany. The contract-legal base between Azerbaijan and Germany is quite broad. In this field, 77 documents have been signed so far and 7 draft documents are under consideration. This cooperation, indeed, is one of the most successful among the EU members. Over the last 30 years, economic relations between the two countries have reached There are over 200 German companies registered in Azerbaijan, while around 170 are members of the Azerbaijani-German chamber of commerce. These companies operate in such spheres as energy, industry, agriculture, transport, communication, construction, banking, insurance, trade and service. The trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Germany in 2022 totaled over $1.25 billion, of which $591.3 million accounted for Azerbaijani exports, and $663.5 million for imports. Over the last year, Germany ranked 8th in the total Azerbaijans foreign trade, and 4th - among the main countries of origin for Azerbaijani imports. Azerbaijans oil supplies to Germany are one of the footholds in the total trade. Thus, oil exports to Germany over the last year totaled 801,440 tons worth $563.7 million. At the same time, Germany concluded the TOP-10 of Azerbaijans main oil importers in 2022. The cooperation between the two countries in the field of energy is developing rapidly. Back in 2013, the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) and Uniper SE, German gas trader, have signed a long-term gas supply contract. Since the Southern Gas Corridor that delivers Azerbaijani gas to Europe was launched, Uniper has been one of the main buyers on the market. This is the company's longest-term gas purchase project, which will last until 2045. To date, 3.1 bcm of gas has been supplied to Uniper from Azerbaijan. SOCAR exported 1,764,500 tons of crude oil to Germany last year. Moreover, in 2016, SOCAR and Uniper created a Joint Venture to develop energy efficiency projects in Azerbaijan. The first project was the improvement and operation of the steam and power production complex at the Azerikimya Production Association's chemical plant in Sumgait. The project is expected to be completed by summer 2023. The electricity produced at the plant will be supplied to SOCAR's enterprises and then delivered to the national electricity grid of Azerbaijan. When it comes to the reconstruction process in Azerbaijans liberated territories, there is a huge potential for German companies to participate, especially in the sectors where Germany is traditionally very strong, like renewables, machine building, the automotive industry, chemical industry and electronics. The concept of smart cities and villages, which goes together with renewables, is also one of the field of interest for Germany. The tourists flow between the two countries increased significantly over the last years. The number of Germans traveling to Azerbaijan in 2022 almost tripled, totaling 14,426. At the same time, the number of Azerbaijanis visiting Germany in the past year amounted to 21,791 people, which is almost 4 times more than in 2021. The visit of President Ilham Aliyev to Germany is a vivid evidence of the comprehensive and progressive development of the Azerbaijani-German strategic partnership, which, thus, will open a new page in the relations between the two countries. This visit shows that Azerbaijan, which, effectively using its economic and geostrategic advantages, has become the leading country in the South Caucasus, which attracts more and more partners to cooperate. FLINT, MI -- A Genesee Circuit Court Judge has given his approval to a $626-million settlement of civil lawsuits tied to the Flint water crisis, another required step in the process of distributing settlement funds to residents who have filed damage claims. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced the ruling by Judge David J. Newblatt in a news release on Tuesday, March 21, but federal court officials have yet to indicate how soon claims from the settlement fund might begin to be paid. U.S. District Court Judge Judith E. Levy had given the same settlement her final approval in November 2021, but Newblatts action was also necessary because some Flint water litigation was originally filed in state court before being consolidated with other cases in federal court. Former Genesee Circuit Judge Joseph Farah, who had initially been assigned Flint water cases filed in state court, announced his retirement from the bench in August in the wake of sexual harassment allegations from a former intern, and those cases were later reassigned to Newblatt and required dismissal for the settlement to proceed. Children who were 6 years old and younger during the Flint water crisis are the biggest potential beneficiaries of the settlement, which has been primarily bankrolled by the state of Michigan with other contributions from the city of Flint, McLaren Regional Medical Center, and Rowe Professional Services. Those four entities agreed to fund the settlement rather than litigating lawsuits against them and their employees for their alleged roles in causing or allowing the water crisis to linger throughout much of 2014 and 2015. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and two engineering companies that advised the city of Flint about its water system declined to settle cases against them and still face litigation brought by residents in federal court. Nearly 80% of the settlement, which state officials have said is the largest in Michigan history, is to be paid to children who were younger than 18 when they were first exposed to Flint River water, which contained elevated levels of lead and bacteria in 2014 and 2015. Roughly 18% of the net settlement funds are to be spent on the claims of adults and for property damages sustained as a result of the use of the river as a drinking water source. Settlement claims have yet to be paid to residents or attorneys who have represented them during years of litigation in advance of the settlement having been reached. Court officials have said its taking longer than expected to process roughly 43,000 pending claims, each of which seeks a piece of the settlement. Levy and special master Deborah Greenspan have also said funds from the settlement cannot be released until all appeals tied to the settlement have been settled. A spokeswoman for the Attorney Generals Office said Tuesday that a ruling last week by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit allows for the settlement to move forward. In that ruling, a three-judge Appeals Court panel affirmed Levys approval of a payment plan for attorneys that capped attorney fees at 25% after other expenses are subtracted from the settlement. The judges opinion and order covered both attorneys representing a class of Flint residents in court as well as those lawyers retained by individual clients. In her 99-page ruling more than a year ago, Levy had granted in part a request for fees and expenses, including nearly $40 million for a common benefit fund and more than $7 million in attorney expenses. Read more at The Flint Journal: Appeals Court affirms attorney fees ruling in Flint water crisis settlement Attorney fees capped at 25 % in Flint water settlement First contract for help with Flint water settlement claims will cost $1M OTTAWA COUNTY, MI The ongoing debate over who should lead the Ottawa County health department continued Tuesday when several residents voiced their support for Nate Kelly, the county boards controversial pick for the job. Kelly publicly objected to masks and social distancing guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic. KALAMAZOO COUNTY, MI Sheriff Mark Lillywhite, 47, allegedly did not attempt to brake before he drunkenly rear-ended another vehicle, according to a Michigan State Police report. The St. Joseph County Sheriff was driving his county-issued SUV between 96 and 99 mph when he rear-ended a vehicle going the 55-mph speed limit on southbound U.S. 131 near YZ Avenue. The crash was around 2:20 a.m. on Feb. 26, according to the MSP report obtained by the Kalamazoo Gazette/MLive through a Freedom of Information Act request. Analysis of the cars computer software shows the front seatbelts were not in use when the crash happened, the report said. That software analysis is also how the investigator determined the car was going 96 to 99 mph five seconds before the crash and brakes were not applied before impact. Related: Michigan sheriff arrested for drunk driving after crash sends vehicles off road The Kalamazoo County Sheriffs Office responded to the crash first, but requested Michigan State Police handle it because of the potential conflict of interest with Lillywhite, according to the report. Sheriffs deputies did not appear to approach Lillywhite before troopers arrived on scene, according to body camera footage from the deputies. A person in the vehicle that was hit said he didnt see any headlights before he suddenly felt a vehicle crash into them from the rear, the report said. That persons vehicle rolled at least once. Lillywhites St. Joseph County Sheriffs badge was in center console, along with a loaded pistol, the report said. Two more guns a rifle and a pistol, both with magazines were found in his trunk. An odor of alcohol could be smelled when a trooper opened the door of Lillywhites SUV, the report said. He also had bloodshot eyes, slurred speech and staggered while he walked. Lillywhite declined a preliminary breath test at 3:15 a.m., by saying, Nope, the report said. A trooper took Lillywhite to Bronson Methodist Hospital where he had a blood draw to test for alcohol before he was taken to the Kalamazoo County Jail that morning. He was released that day. The vehicle Lillywhite hit rolled an unknown number of times before stopping in the median, per the report. A woman in another car went to Lillywhite to ask where they were so she could tell 911. Lillywhite was trashed and he kept rocking back and forth and was slurring his speech, the woman told police. A Michigan State Police trooper pulls a gun from the center console of the SUV that St. Joseph County Sheriff Mark Lillywhite was allegedly driving Feb. 26, 2023. Lillywhite was allegedly drunk and caused a crash on U.S. 131. This is a screenshot of body camera footage from the Kalamazoo County Sheriff's Office. Lillywhite was in the drivers seat when he crawled over to the passenger seat, according to South Kalamazoo County Fire Authority Battalion Chief Shawn Westfall, who was the first emergency personnel at the scene. He confirmed Lillywhite was not injured and then went to check on others involved, the report said. The witnesses said they did not see anyone else in the vehicle or anyone run from the vehicle. Westfall also said he did not see anyone else near the vehicle or run away. A trooper read Lillywhite his Miranda rights and arrested him, the report said. The trooper asked what happened, to which Lillywhite responded Im just gonna tell ya, Im not sure what happened and, it is what it is. The trooper asked again what happened, to which Lillywhite said, I dont know, all I know is I went in the ditch and I dont got no clue. The trooper then asked Lillywhite what happened after he went into the ditch. Per the report from a trooper, Lillywhite responded, No I wasnt driving, even though I did not ask him that question. Potential charges could include operating while intoxicated, possession of firearms while under the influence and reckless driving, according to the police report. The Kalamazoo County Prosecutors Office has not received the case to make a charging decision, Chief Assistant Prosecutor Jeff Williams said. An email to Lillywhite on Monday, March 21, went unreturned. County officials havent answered if Lillywhite has been on the job or on leave since the incident. More from MLive: Unprecedented but possible: Owner pitches restart of Palisades Nuclear Plant Man, 58, killed in 3-vehicle crash in Southwest Michigan The eccentric sights and sounds of Oberon Day 2023 in Kalamazoo Cheers erupted in the Michigan Senate after lawmakers voted along party lines to repeal the states decade-old right-to-work law while reinstalling the practice of prevailing wage. Dems have delivered on one of our biggest promises that weve made, today, which is restoring workers freedoms, Rep. Regina Weiss, D-Oak Park, told reporters following session. If bills are signed by the governor as expected, an employer and a labor organization may again enter into an agreement that requires employees to financially support the union, or pay dues. This is banned by a Republican policy enacted in 2012 and long unpopular among Democrats and labor leaders. Further, the legislation would ensure all workers on state projects receive union-level wages. Yet, which of four bills House Bill 4004, House Bill 4007, Senate Bill 6 and Senate Bill 34 will obtain Gov. Gretchen Whitmers signature remains to be seen. All the bills passed the legislature in party line votes and were enrolled March 21. Lawmakers, however, opted to leave the decision of which to sign in the hands of the Whitmer administration. Amber McCann, press secretary to House Speaker Joe Tate, D-Detroit, said it is likely the governor will sign HB 4007 and hold SB 6 in case there are reservations surrounding the House bill. Its not uncommon for there to be a dispute between the (Legislative Services Bureau) and the administrations attorneys or our attorneys about the best way to accomplish the change, McCann said. SB 34, which deals with repealing right-to-work for private sector employees, and SB 6 the restoration of what is known as prevailing wage each passed the House in 56-52 votes. Meanwhile the Senate gave the final OK to HB 4007, a more detailed version of SB 6, while amending HB 4004 or repealing right-to-work for public sector employees in 20-16 votes. Changes to prevailing wage Perhaps the biggest change came from amendments made to the Houses iteration of reinstating prevailing wage under HB 4007. A Senate substitute added to the bill Tuesday bumped the legislation from four pages to 11 pages and predominantly fleshed out how the state planed to enforce prevailing wage efforts. That substitute was later approved by the House in a 56-52 party line vote. Changes include outlining processes for injunctive relief and mandating every contract express that prevailing wages be paid and wages are paid equally. The Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs would be responsible for investigating prevailing wage complaints under the Houses bill. There would be a three-year statute of limitation for bringing forward a prevailing wage violation, with an up to $5,000 penalty incurring for each violation of the act. Those fines are due within 15 days after the penalty is issued. The substituted bill also establishes a grandfather clause so that projects financed by millages prior to the effect date of the bill are exempt from paying prevailing wages. Millages authorized under the states revised school code are also exempt. SB 6 and HB 4007 additionally contain $75,000 appropriations for implementation as well. Though, this money would not make them referendum-proof. RELATED: In right-to-work repeal, a big win for Democrats biggest donors House Republican spokesperson Jerry Ward panned the Senate additions as taking a policy, which is already designed to hurt small businesses ... and make it 10 times worse. Really, this could bankrupt small businesses as they have to worry about the regulatory, and even legal, ramifications, Ward said. Even those that comply with prevailing wage laws still have to go through extra hoops just to keep themselves safe and protect their business and their workers. Republicans railed against the effort to reinstate prevailing wage, a policy the party overturned in 2018, when it then controlled the legislature. Though Whitmer did restore prevailing wage on some state projects in 2021, what passed in both chambers Tuesday would restore the policy, ensuring workers earn union-level wages on all state construction projects. Rep. Jay DeBoyer, R-Clay, characterized the effort to reinstate prevailing wage as something that ultimately makes the lives of my constituents more expensive. Here we are again. Were debating a bill that will only provide benefits to the people that receive the money, at the expense of the taxpayer, DeBoyer said. That is a classic top-down, authoritarian act of government. ... Its take, take, take, waste, waste, waste. But Rep. Abraham Aiyash, D-Hamtramck, pushed back on that view, saying what the bill really did was pay the workers what theyre worth. We dont need scabs from Ohio. We dont need scabs from Tennessee or Texas, Aiyash said. We want Michigan workers to do Michigan projects and that is exactly what this bill is about. Right-to-work passes the House, Senate HB 4004, which repeals right-to-work for public sector employees, already passed the House in early March though the Senate requested the bill returned on Tuesday to make a technical wording change. The House approved that change in a 56-52 vote, with the lower chamber also enrolling both House bills on Tuesday. Senators, likewise, enrolled their iteration of a right-to-work repeal and prevailing wage reinstatement, sending all bills to the governors desk. While SB 34 repeals right-to-work as it relates to the private sector, the repeal for the public sector under HB 4004 is largely symbolic. Thats due to a 2018 U.S. Supreme Court decision. Justices decided forcing a non-union government sector employee to pay union fees violated workers First Amendment right. Dropping right-to-work, which allows employees to opt out of unions in unionized workplaces, has been Democrats aim for years. It was among the first policy bills introduced in the House at the top of the 2023 term. In an effort to keep that a reality, both HB 4004 and SB 34 contain a $1 million appropriation to the Department of Labor and Economic opportunity to help implement the repeal. Its a move that would make HB 4004 and SB 34 immune from a voter-initiated referendum, meaning they could not be undone in this way once signed into law. The move turned some heads last week when first added to the bills because Whitmer pledged to veto a non-appropriations bill containing appropriated dollars when first running for office in 2018. She reupped that promise by way of an executive directive in 2019. It wasnt so much a point of contention Tuesday for House Republicans, who instead railed against the repeal of right-to-work as being an infringement on workers freedom. Workers in our state have the ability to freely choose whether or not they belong to a labor union, said Rep. Tom Kunse, R-Clare, in a floor speech. That decision should not be a condition to hold a job. Forced union membership is bad for individual workers and its bad for business. RELATED: Michigans right to work is at deaths door. What will its legacy be? An additional point of contention out of the House on Tuesday was the presence of two Democratic members on the third-floor gallery. One had tested positive for COVID-19. Rep. Jason Hoskins, D-Southfield, and Rep. Lori Stone, D-Warren, were seated in the west gallery when casting their vote on restoring prevailing wage and repealing right-to-work. McCann confirmed Hoskins had tested positive for COVID while Stone had tested negative for the virus and was sick with something else. It prompted House Minority Leader Matt Hall, R-Richland Township, to release a letter sent to Tate seeking clarification on the chambers COVID-19 policies. It cant help but feel as though the rules have changed to help pass controversial votes by slim margins before artificial deadlines for political reasons, Hall wrote. That would be deeply disappointing, given how gravely this illness can impact lives. It is important that this chamber clearly lay out our policies and take them seriously. Hoskins is the third COVID-positive member to attend session since the start of the 2023 term. Their votes appeared necessary on Democratic policy wants that passed the House by slim margins. More from MLive Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to visit Michigan in April Michigan GOP leader: Whitmer, a monster, should face criminal investigation for COVID response Her parents selected a sperm donor. Decades later, a Michigan woman learned her father was moms doctor. Michigan tribes fight to receive guardianship support for native children Changes to maternal health policy in Michigan could save lives of Black women Longtime Detroit Tigers left-hander Daniel Norris was released on Monday after a bumpy spring with the Cincinnati Reds. Norris, who turns 30 in April, has pitched in parts of eight seasons for the Tigers. He was dealt to the Brewers at the deadline in 2021 and then signed a one-year deal with the Chicago Cubs in the offseason. But he battled injuries and struggles and was ultimately released. He rejoined the Tigers after a couple weeks at Triple-A Toledo, finishing the 2022 season with a 3.45 ERA in 28 2/3 innings, walking eight and striking out 23. Norris agreed to a minor-league contract with the Reds last month. In 6 2/3 innings this spring, Norris gave up six runs on 12 hits. He struck out five, walked seven and hit three batters. The Reds also released catcher Austin Romine on Saturday. Romine, 34, was the Tigers primary catcher in the COVID-shortened 2020 season, his first opportunity as a No. 1 catcher after years as a backup with the New York Yankees. But after a hot start, Romine hit just .238 with a .582 OPS in 135 plate appearances. Since then, Romine has had stints with four teams, including the Reds. BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 21. A digital bank similar to Azerbaijan's Leobank has been launched in Vietnam, Co-Founder of the UK Fintech Farm (FF) Nick Bezkrovnyy told Trend. According to Bezkrovnyy, the Vietnamese Liobank digital bank was launched in partnership with Orient Commercial Joint Stock Bank (OCB). "The official launch of the Liobank solution for users in Vietnam started on March 2. OCB is the main bank for this solution," he explained. Bezkrovnyy said that FF is glad that Azerbaijan's Leobank has become one of the most popular banks in the country so quickly. According to him, this is only the beginning, and Unibank, together with FF, will continue to surprise its customers with new products and features. "However, there is still a lot of work ahead, and we are doing our best to create the best user experience," he added. Leobank is the first Azerbaijani neo-bank built and launched on the basis of Unibank in 2021. It was developed by FF together with Unibank in order to develop digital banking in Azerbaijan, and launched in August 2021, with a pre-order campaign. In November 2021 the banking cards became available to all customers. Remember many months ago, when the offseason was just getting underway, and we all expected that most (maybe all) of the Detroit Tigers efforts would be focused on improving the offense? There was one guy who was at the top of nearly every list. Nearly five months later, hes finally found a new team. Jurickson Profar officially signed a one-year deal with the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday. Its worth a reported $7.75 million plus incentives. Back in November, when everyone was combing the list of free agents, looking for someone who might be a good fit for the Tigers, Profar seemed to check an awful lot of boxes. Hes a switch hitter. Hes versatile, with significant big-league experience at every position on the diamond except pitcher and catcher. He draws walks, doesnt strike out too much and doesnt chase many bad pitches, all key tenets of the new organizational philosophy. But there was never any indication that the Tigers were truly interested in Profar. And, judging by the fact that Profar was one of the last notable free agents to sign, many teams shared the Tigers indifference. Although he was seeking multiple years, Profar ended up signing an eminently reasonable one-year deal. With the benefit of 20-20 hindsight, its worth wondering why the Tigers werent one of his suitors. The Tigers ended up not signing a single position player to a big-league deal this winter. (The extent of their activity on the free-agent market was a couple of a one-year deals worth a combined $18 million for Matthew Boyd and Michael Lorenzen). Yes, theres a youth movement and all, but all that talk of earmarking at-bats for youngsters will sound rather hollow if Cesar Hernandez (soon to be 33 years old) or Andy Ibanez (soon to be 30) or both end up on the Opening Day roster. And its not like Profar, who just turned 30, would block a roster spot forever. Hed be easy to flip in July. In the meantime, he could offer a lot to a team like the Tigers. Hed be a potential platoon partner from both sides in the infield or outfield. Hed be a hedge against injuries at a number of spots, a hedge against struggles from Jonathan Schoop or Spencer Torkelson or nearly anyone, really. And unlike all the infielders that the Tigers have been cross-training as outfielders this spring, Profar has significant experience on the grass and has shown he can do it well. Maybe the Tigers just figured that they could get similar production for a whole lot less from Hernandez, Ibanez, Ryan Kreidler, Akil Baddoo or whoever else. And maybe theyre right. Maybe the Tigers reticence to spend this winter was merely a sensible manifestation of the teams current predicament: 30 games under .500 and not likely to be markedly better in 2023. Or maybe the money just wasnt there. Maybe, wondering anxiously if Bally Sports royalty checks would soon start to bounce, CEO Christopher Ilitch told new president Scott Harris to pump the brakes a bit on the payroll. Whatever the case, Profar is now with the Rockies and the Tigers are closing in on their final roster decisions in the coming days. French journalist Olivier Dubois, 48, made an emotional return home on Tuesday following nearly two years in captivity in the Sahel, greeted by his family and President Emmanuel Macron at an airport near Paris. Dubois and US aid worker, 61-year-old Jeffery Woodke, who was seized in southwest Niger in October 2016 -- arrived in the Niger capital, Niamey, on Monday after being freed. Dubois stepped off the plane at Villacoublay air base on Tuesday and went straight to hug family members waiting for him on the tarmac. Macron also embraced him in front of the cameras, in a brief break from domestic political turmoil over his government ramming through a divisive pensions reform. "Yesterday, I couldn't believe it when I landed at the airport (in Niamey), but it's starting to sink in," Dubois told AFP. "I was not mistreated, nor humiliated or hit," he added. "There were some tough moments, but not physically tough." Dubois was kidnapped in Mali on April 8, 2021. 'Tired but I'm fine' He said in a video released by his captors that he was taken by the Support Group for Islam and Muslims (GSIM), the main jihadist alliance in the Sahel, which is linked to Al-Qaeda. "I feel tired but I'm fine," he told journalists on Monday. Dubois went straight to hug family members waiting for him on the tarmac. By YVES HERMAN (POOL/AFP) "I want to pay tribute to Niger for its skills in this delicate mission and pay tribute to France, to all those who have helped me to be here today." Dubois had lived in Mali since 2015 and was freelancing for French daily Liberation when he was seized. Details of the two men's release remain unclear, although Woodke on Monday thanked the "Nigerien, American and French governments", telling journalists: "Vive la France." Niger Interior Minister Hamadou Souley, who was at Niamey airport, said: "The hostages were picked up safe and sound by the Nigerien authorities before being handed over to the French and American authorities." The head of watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Christophe Deloire, said Tuesday he did not know why Dubois had been freed "or why now". Dubois is believed to have been the last French citizen held hostage by a non-state actor following the release in Mali of aid worker Sophie Petronin in 2020. 'Nightmare is over' Paris considers six citizens officially confirmed to be behind bars in Iran as hostages of a state. The journalist's sister Canele Bernard on Monday told AFP: "It's just incredible, it's something that we've been hoping for two years." French President Emmanuel Macron embraced Dubois in front of the cameras. By YVES HERMAN (POOL/AFP) "The nightmare is over for him and for his family. He will be able to get on with living, although it will be hard for him to get over it." At Niamey airport on Monday, Woodke was at Dubois' side, leaning on a stick. Woodke was seized at gunpoint from his home in Abalak in the Tahoua region of southwestern Niger. The 61-year-old had served as a missionary and humanitarian aid worker in Niger for 32 years, according to a supporters' website. He was said to speak the local language Tamasheq fluently, as well as Fula and Arabic. US President Joe Biden welcomed the freeing of Woodke and thanked the government of Niger, calling it "a critical partner in helping to secure his release." Other Western hostages Dubois and US aid worker Jeffery Woodke arrived in Niamey on Monday. By Souleymane AG ANARA (AFP) The Sahel has been ravaged by a jihadist campaign that began in northern Mali in 2012. In 2015, the insurgency swept into neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger. The violence has killed thousands of people and displaced millions from their homes, and increased risks for journalists and humanitarian workers. Two International Committee of the Red Cross employees kidnapped in Mali earlier this year were released on Sunday. At least three other Western hostages are believed to still be held in the Sahel. Romanian mineworker Iulian Ghergut and elderly Australian surgeon Arthur Kenneth Elliott were both abducted in Burkina Faso, in 2015 and 2016 respectively. German priest Hans-Joachim Lohre is believed to have been held hostage in Mali since late 2022. Niger is an important Western ally in the troubled region, hosting a French military base and a US drone base. Uganda's parliament on Tuesday passed sweeping anti-gay legislation which proposes tough new penalties for same-sex relationships, following a highly charged and chaotic session. "The ayes have it," parliamentary speaker Annet Anita Among said after the final vote, adding that the "bill passed in record time." Legislators amended significant portions of the original draft law, with all but one speaking against the bill. Homosexuality is already illegal in the conservative East African nation and it was not immediately clear what new penalties had been agreed upon. MP Fox Odoi-Oywelowo, who spoke against the bill and who belongs to President Yoweri Museveni's National Resistance Movement party, told AFP that under the final version of the legislation, offenders would face life imprisonment or even the death penalty for "aggravated" offences. "This House will not shy to restrict any right to the extent the House recognises," Among said. The bill will next go to President Museveni, who can choose to use his veto or sign it into law. The legislation enjoys broad public support in Uganda and reaction from civil society has been muted following years of erosion of civic space under Museveni's increasingly authoritarian rule. Nevertheless, the 78-year-old leader has consistently signalled he does not view the issue as a priority and would prefer to maintain good relations with Western donors and investors. Discussion about the bill in parliament was laced with homophobic rhetoric, with lawmakers conflating child sexual abuse with consensual same-sex activity between adults. 'Living in fear' In recent months, conspiracy theories accusing shadowy international forces of promoting homosexuality have gained traction on social media in Uganda. Museveni last week referred to gay people as "these deviants." "Homosexuals are deviations from normal. Why? Is it by nature or nurture? We need to answer these questions," he told lawmakers. "We need a medical opinion on that. We shall discuss it thoroughly," he added, in a manoeuvre interpreted by analysts and foreign diplomats as a delaying tactic. "Museveni has historically taken into account the damage of the bill to Uganda's geopolitics, particularly in terms of relations with the West, and in terms of donor funding," said Kristof Titeca, an expert on East African affairs at the University of Antwerp. Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni has referred to gay people as 'deviants'. By GUILLEM SARTORIO (AFP/File) "His suggestion to ask for a medical opinion can be understood in this context: a way to put off what is a deeply contentious political issue," Titeca told AFP. On Saturday, Uganda's attorney general Kiryowa Kiwanuka told the parliamentary committee scrutinising the bill that existing colonial-era laws "adequately provided for an offence". Frank Mugisha, executive director of Sexual Minorities Uganda, a leading gay rights organisation whose operations were suspended by the authorities last year, told AFP earlier this month he had already been inundated with calls from LGBTQ people over the new bill. "Community members are living in fear," he said. Last week, police said they had arrested six men for "practising homosexuality" in the southern lakeside town of Jinja. Another six men were arrested on the same charge on Sunday, according to police. Uganda is notorious for intolerance of homosexuality -- which was criminalised under colonial-era laws. But since independence from Britain in 1962 there has never been a conviction for consensual same-sex activity. In 2014, Ugandan lawmakers passed a bill that called for life in prison for people caught having gay sex. The legislation sparked international condemnation, with some Western nations freezing or redirecting millions of dollars of government aid in response, before a court later struck down the law on a technicality. Executives of the Kumasi City Market have applauded the General Secretary of NPP, Mr Justin Frimpong Kodua for the support. The scribe of the elephant party few days ago pledged to make a payment of GHS100,000 as a consolation package for victims of the fire incident which affected some 33 shops. At a press briefing held on Tuesday 21st March 2023, executives of the union said they appreciate the gesture by the party through the General Secretary "which sought to alleviate the burden of the victims." They also thanked Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia for the re-opening of the facility when he paid a working visit to the area on Monday. Management of the market directed for the closure of the market for three days and later extended it to one more week, the situation caused agitations among traders who said the affected shops should be treated as an isolated case and allow the rest of the traders to continue their business. "We wish to put on record that we the members of Kumasi City Market Traders Union (KCMTU) vehemently opposed the idea of the closure of the market from day one and rather suggested that the affected portion should rather be closed and all other unaffected sections allowed to operate. It was rather unfortunate that the management of the facility did not listen to our suggestion from the beginning. "We were therefore happy to hear His Excellency the Vice President of the Republic of Ghana who paid a working visit to the market yesterday declared that the market should be opened to business from Tuesday 21st March, 2023," the secretary for KCMTU Michael Adu Gyamfi stated. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is allowing Sri Lanka to utilise funds from its latest bailout for fiscal support, unlike previous loans that could only be used to ease balance of payments crises, central bank governor Nandalal Weerasinghe said in an interview with Bloomberg. Upon receiving the funds from the IMF, the monetary authority can buy foreign exchange and provide the government an equivalent amount of rupees to spend, Weerasinghe told Bloomberg on Tuesday. "In line with IMF fiscal deficit targets, instead of raising money from domestic markets, they can use that money to finance the budget," the report quoted Weerasinghe as saying. USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age. *I agree to the processing of my personal information for personalized recommendations, personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites. I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS. (Optional). Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Touring in celebration of his sophomore album patience which was released last November, James has a new found determination and authenticity which is reflected throughout the record. With singles Motions and Stuck In Denial receiving high rotate airplay and over a million streams between them, the album explores battles and the journey he has been on since his breakout Platinum selling album MITCH JAMES. We just know that seeing P!nk live in Paris is going to be an unforgettable experience for Kiri, with a beautiful city full of love and culture. We just know Kiri and her bestie will have an amazing time there. Highlights of Xi-Putin meeting in Moscow Xinhua) 10:10, March 22, 2023 MOSCOW, March 21 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, had an in-depth and candid exchange here on Monday on China-Russia relations and issues of mutual interest. The following are some of the highlights of their in-person meeting at the Kremlin on Xi's arrival in Moscow. HISTORICAL LOGIC FOR CHINA-RUSSIA TIES -- President Xi stressed that there is a profound historical logic for China-Russia relationship to reach where it is today. -- China and Russia are each other's biggest neighbor and comprehensive strategic partner of coordination. Both countries see their relationship as a high priority in their overall diplomacy and policy on external affairs, he said. STRENGTHEN STRATEGIC COORDINATION -- China is firm in keeping to the general direction of strengthening strategic coordination with Russia, Xi said, adding that both China and Russia are committed to realizing national development and rejuvenation, support world multi-polarity and work for greater democracy in international relations. -- Xi said the two countries should further deepen practical cooperation in various fields and strengthen coordination and collaboration on multilateral platforms such as the UN to boost their respective national development and rejuvenation, and be a bulwark for world peace and stability. -- President Putin said with concerted efforts by both sides, Russia-China relations in recent years have delivered fruitful results in various areas, adding that Russia stands ready to continue to deepen bilateral practical cooperation, step up communication and collaboration in international affairs, and promote world multi-polarity and greater democracy in international relations. PROMOTE POLITICAL SETTLEMENT OF UKRAINE ISSUE -- Xi stressed that, on the Ukraine issue, voices for peace and rationality are building. Most countries support easing tensions, stand for peace talks, and are against adding fuel to the fire. A review of history shows that conflicts in the end have to be settled through dialogue and negotiation. -- China believes that the more difficulties there are, the greater the need to keep space for peace. The more acute the problem is, the more important it is not to give up efforts for dialogue. China will continue to play a constructive role in promoting the political settlement of the Ukraine issue, said Xi. -- Putin said that Russia appreciates China for consistently upholding an impartial, objective, and balanced position and standing for fairness and justice on major international issues. Russia has carefully studied China's position paper on the political settlement of the Ukraine issue and is open to talks for peace. Russia welcomes China to play a constructive role in this regard. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 21. Basic designs of the Ionian Adriatic Pipelines (IAP) Albanian and Montenegrin sections have been completed, Croatian gas transmission system operator Plinacro told Trend. "We would like to point out that the Croatian sections of IAP are at the high level of preparedness, which has been largely enabled by the means of the EU funds such as Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF). Namely, for some Croatian sections even building permits have already been obtained while for the Albanian and Montenegrin sections basic designs have been completed," said the company. Ionian Adriatic Pipeline can be connected to the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) to transport gas to many countries in South-East Europe. The pipeline with total length of 516 kilometers will stretch from Albania through Montenegro, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, to split in Croatia. The capacity of the pipeline will amount to five billion cubic meters of gas per year. TAP has already signed memorandums of understanding and cooperation with the developers of this project, in particular with companies of Plinacro (Croatia), BH-Gas (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Geoplin Plinovodi (Slovenia), as well as with the governments of Montenegro and Albania. There has been created a TAP-IAP joint working group that gathers regularly to synchronize the timing of both pipeline projects and coordinate the technical issues of interconnection. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn NATO Internship Programme The 21st call for the NATO Internship programme for placements in 2024 is now open. Apply by 7 May 2023. If you would like to gain experience working for a political and military alliance that promotes freedom and security , then the NATO Internship Programme might be for you! NATO offers six-month internships to applicants in the third year of their university studies, or recent graduates of a bachelor or master's programme. Internships apply to a broad range of expertise and skillsets, providing opportunities in areas like political affairs, defence and security, innovation, operations, communications, business support and human resources, finance, science and technology, and infrastructure and facilities. Click here to learn more about NATO's many work areas. Internships take place at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium an exciting city that serves as a meeting point for many European and other international organisations, and a hub of activity and networking for young professionals. The NATO Internship Programme offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn from the NATO community while gaining six months of valuable work experience and a greater knowledge of the inner workings of the Alliance! Main objectives of the NATO Internship Programme To provide interns with the opportunity to learn from the NATO community and get a better understanding and a more balanced view of the Organization. To improve NATO's access to theoretical and technical knowledge that the intern can apply through practical work assignments. To contribute to creating a more diverse workforce. To expand knowledge and understanding of NATO in member countries. The NATO Internship Programme offers internship positions within the NATO International Staff, the International Military Staff and NATO agencies and bodies (including the NATO Science & Technology Organization, the NATO Communications and Information Agency) at NATO Headquarters. Eligibility criteria To apply for a NATO internship, you must fulfil below criteria on the date of your application: Age: 21+ 21+ Nationality: a citizen of a NATO member country a citizen of a NATO member country Educational status: at least two years of university completed and enrolled in a third year OR having obtained your highest degree less than a year prior at least two years of university completed and enrolled in a third year OR having obtained your highest degree less than a year prior Languages: proficiency in one of the two official NATO languages: English or French. A working knowledge of the second is considered an asset. Knowledge of other languages may also be considered an asset for certain positions. If you are a national of a NATO partner country, you can contact your mission at NATO Headquarters or embassy in Brussels directly for information about potential internships within the mission or embassy. Compensation and benefits Internship stipend : If you are selected for one of the 2024 internship sessions through the NATO-funded programme, you will receive a monthly stipend of EUR 1,235. : If you are selected for one of the 2024 internship sessions through the NATO-funded programme, you will receive a monthly stipend of EUR 1,235. Travel : Once the Internship Office has confirmed your start date, you will be provided with a prepaid flight/train ticket from your place of origin at a return economy rate, and for an amount of up to EUR 1,200. If you are traveling to Brussels by car, these costs will be reimbursed. : Once the Internship Office has confirmed your start date, you will be provided with a prepaid flight/train ticket from your place of origin at a return economy rate, and for an amount of up to EUR 1,200. If you are traveling to Brussels by car, these costs will be reimbursed. Leave : You will be entitled to 15 days of paid leave during the six-month internship period. : You will be entitled to 15 days of paid leave during the six-month internship period. In-house training: During the internship, you will take part in an induction programme and monthly briefings to provide you with an overview of NATO's activities and structure. The briefings present unique opportunities to meet experienced staff and officials from across the Alliance, to discuss topics of interest with them and with other interns. Visits to other institutions, like the European Parliament, will also be organised. NATO is committed to diversity and inclusion and strives to provide equal access to career opportunities regardless of gender, age, nationality, ethnic origin, religious belief, cultural background, sexual orientation or disability. NATO welcomes applicants from all member countries and strongly encourages women to apply. As an employer, NATO values integrity, transparency and accountability in accordance with international norms and practices established for the defence and related security sector. On 20 March 2023, the NATO Secretary General, Mr. Jens Stoltenberg, will meet with the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Iraq, Mr. Fuad Hussein, at NATO Headquarters. They will make press statements at the start of their meeting. Media advisory 15:30 Press statements by the Secretary General and the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Iraq Media coverage The press statements will be streamed live on the NATO website. A transcript of the Secretary Generals remarks, as well as pictures taken by a NATO photographer, will be available on the NATO website. The video will be available for free download from the NATO Multimedia Portal after the event. Follow us on Twitter (@NATO, @jensstoltenberg and @NATOPress) Contact the NATO Press Office At the 2022 Madrid Summit, 22 Allies launched the NATO Innovation Fund, the worlds first multi-sovereign venture capital fund. Since then, significant steps have been made to fully establish the Fund by NATOs Vilnius Summit in July 2023. Participating NATO Allies have recently appointed, by consensus, the first three members of the NATO Innovation Fund Board of Directors: its Chair, Dr. Klaus Hommels, founder and chair of venture capital firm Lakestar; as well as Dame Fiona Murray, Associate Dean of Innovation and Inclusion at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) School of Management; and Dr. Roberto Cingolani, former Italian Minister for Ecological Transition and founder of the Italian Institute of Technology. The Board of Directors will ultimately total nine members. This Board of Directors will be support and advise the Funds Senior Management Team, which will be formed in the coming weeks. Global search firms True Search and Egon Zehnder are supporting efforts to identify the leadership for the Senior Management Team and the Board of Directors respectively. On Monday (20 March 2023), the Funds Chair and first two Directors have announced their decision that The Netherlands will host the headquarters for the Funds investment management arm. Given the wide geographic remit of the Fund, further regional offices will be set up across the Alliance. Mr. David van Weel, NATOs Assistant Secretary General for Emerging Security Challenges, welcomed these announcements which mark an important milestone in setting up this historic fund, which will allow NATO to tap into the innovation ecosystem for the benefits of our security and defence. The NATO Innovation Fund itself is a financial partnership between participating NATO Allies as Limited Partners and an investment management arm purpose-built specifically for this Fund. Participating Allies have previously agreed to domicile the partnership in Luxembourg. The Fund will invest EUR 1 billion in early-stage start-ups developing emerging and disruptive technologies and other venture capital funds developing dual-use emerging and disruptive technologies (deep tech) . I welcome todays decision by Turkiye to move ahead with the ratification of Finlands membership in NATO. This will strengthen Finlands security, it will strengthen Swedens security, and it will strengthen NATOs security. I hope that the Turkish Grand National Assembly will vote to ratify as soon as possible. At the NATO Summit in Madrid last June, all Allies made the historic decision to invite Finland and Sweden to join our Alliance. Since then, we have seen the fastest ratification process in NATOs modern history. At a critical time for our security, this will make our Alliance stronger and safer. I recently visited Turkiye and met with President Erdogan. The President and I agreed to convene a meeting of Turkiye, Finland, and Sweden at NATO Headquarters. At that meeting last week, all recognised that considerable progress has been made in implementing the trilateral memorandum signed in Madrid, and that rapid ratifications for Finland and Sweden are in everyones interest. The most important thing is that both Finland and Sweden become full members of NATO quickly, not whether they join at exactly the same time. Last years decision to invite both Finland and Sweden has fundamentally strengthened their relationship with NATO. As a consequence, their security is much enhanced. They are sitting around NATOs table, integrating into our political and military structures, exercising more with Allies. Both countries have received bilateral security assurances from many NATO countries, including the US, UK, Germany, and France. So it is inconceivable that NATO would not respond should either Finland or Sweden come under attack. Their security matters to NATO. I look forward to a rapid conclusion of the accession process, and to welcoming both Finland and Sweden to the NATO family as full members as soon as possible. The better prepared Allies are, the less vulnerable and potentially less likely they are to be attacked, making NATO as a whole stronger. Allies can strengthen resilience, for instance, through the development of their national defence capacity, assured access to critical infrastructure and the development of back-up plans in the event of crises; they can also regularly test their ability to provide vital services and support to military forces, using civil, commercial or other instruments. To deter, counter or recover from threats or disruptions to the civilian sector, effective action requires clear plans and response measures, defined well ahead of time and exercised regularly. NATOs work to improve resilience follows an all-hazards approach, not specific to any single vulnerability. It contributes to protecting Alliance territory and populations from all potential hazards. At the 2016 NATO Summit in Warsaw, Allied Leaders decided to boost NATOs resilience to the full spectrum of threats and continue developing their countries individual and NATOs collective capacity to resist any form of armed attack. They agreed seven baseline requirements for national resilience against which member states can measure their level of preparedness: Assured continuity of government and critical government services: for instance the ability to make decisions, communicate them and enforce them in a crisis; Resilient energy supplies: back-up plans and power grids, internally and across borders; Ability to deal effectively with uncontrolled movement of people, and to de-conflict these movements from NATOs military deployments; Resilient food and water resources: ensuring these supplies are safe from disruption or sabotage; Ability to deal with mass casualties and disruptive health crises: ensuring that civilian health systems can cope and that sufficient medical supplies are stocked and secure; Resilient civil communications systems: ensuring that telecommunications and cyber networks function even under crisis conditions, with sufficient back-up capacity. This requirement was updated in November 2019 by NATO Defence Ministers, who stressed the need for reliable communications systems including 5G, robust options to restore these systems, priority access to national authorities in times of crisis, and the thorough assessments of all risks to communications systems; Resilient transport systems: ensuring that NATO forces can move across Alliance territory rapidly and that civilian services can rely on transportation networks, even in a crisis. These requirements reflect the three core functions of continuity of government, essential services to the population and civil support to the military, which must be maintained even under the most demanding circumstances. They are all connected, which means if one area is impacted, another may suffer as a result. Together with a package of resilience guidelines, evaluation criteria, assessments and a tailored toolbox, the objective of the baseline requirements is to support Allies in enhancing their resilience and to provide benchmarks against which to assess their state of civil preparedness. The NATO Summit in 2016 laid the groundwork for the Alliance to bolster resilience, with the development of evaluation criteria to support Allies in conducting national resilience self-assessments. Since 2018, based on these assessments, NATO has been conducting analyses of the overall state of the Alliances resilience every two years. These analyses identify areas for further work and NATO is supporting Allies by providing guidelines on how to increase the level of preparedness across the seven baseline requirements. In 2019, NATO leaders recognised the need to increase the resilience of societies, as well as of the Allies critical infrastructure and energy security. They also committed to ensuring the security of communications, including 5G, recognising the need to rely on secure and resilient systems. The COVID-19 pandemic has severely tested the resilience of NATO member countries. The Alliances response has underlined the importance of civil-military engagement and cooperation, and demonstrated the vital roles that Allied armed forces play in supporting civil societies. NATO and individual member countries have been working continuously to enhance preparedness across the whole of government, especially in the health sector. Since 2016, the resilience of NATO members has improved, but challenges and shortfalls remain. At the same time, Allies are confronted with new challenges that could undermine the assured access to essential critical infrastructure by national governments and the military in times of crisis. In 2021, Allied Heads of State and Government agreed a Strengthened Resilience Commitment to further enhance national and collective resilience and civil preparedness. Allies agreed to step up efforts to secure and diversify supply chains; to ensure the resilience of critical infrastructure and key industries, including by protecting them from harmful economic activities; and to deal with the impact of natural hazards that are being exacerbated by climate change, among other commitments. Allies have also agreed to establish, assess, review and monitor collective resilience objectives to guide nationally developed resilience goals and implementation plans. This helps to build a more integrated and better-coordinated approach towards strengthening resilience at NATO. Supported by a new planning and review cycle, the national resilience goals are intended to operationalise the collective resilience objectives, the purpose of which is to address the Alliances vulnerabilities across the seven baseline requirements. NATO is a defensive alliance whose members are committed to safeguarding the freedom and security of each other, against all threats, from all directions. Deterrence and defence is one of NATOs core tasks. Allies are significantly strengthening the deterrence and defence of the Alliance as the backbone to their Article 5 commitment to defend each other. Russias aggression against Ukraine poses the gravest threat to Euro-Atlantic security in decades, shattering peace in Europe and reinforcing the need for NATO to ensure that its deterrence and defence posture remains credible and effective. In response, NATO has activated its defence plans, deployed elements of the NATO Response Force and significantly increased the number of forces on its eastern flank. On 24 March 2022, at an extraordinary summit, NATO Leaders agreed to deploy four battalions in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia, in addition to the four already present in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. At the Madrid Summit in June 2022, NATO Leaders approved a new Strategic Concept, which describes the security environment facing the Alliance and identifies NATOs core tasks. The Strategic Concept states that Russia is the most significant and direct threat to Allies security and to peace and stability in the Euro-Atlantic area. It also states that terrorism, in all its forms and manifestations, is the most direct asymmetric threat to the security of the Alliances citizens and to international peace and prosperity. At the Summit, Allies also committed to deploying additional robust in-place combat-ready forces to NATOs eastern flank, to be scaled up from the existing battalion-sized battlegroups to brigade-size units, where and when required, and to ensure these forces will be underpinned by credible rapidly available reinforcements, prepositioned equipment, and enhanced command and control. Allies agreed a new force model, which will strengthen and modernise the NATO Force Structure, support NATOs core tasks and will resource the Alliances new generation of military plans. NATO continues to face distinct threats and challenges emanating from all strategic directions; from state and non-state actors as well as from cyber and hybrid attacks. Pervasive instability, rising strategic competition and advancing authoritarianism challenge the Alliances interests and values. Two military concepts set the direction for NATOs ongoing adaptation: the Concept for Deterrence and Defence of the Euro-Atlantic Area focuses on force employment to deter and defend today, while the NATO Warfighting Capstone Concept offers a vision to guide the Alliances long-term warfare development to remain militarily strong now and in the future. Allies have made considerable progress in increasing defence spending and investing in major equipment, taking steps toward fairer burden-sharing within NATO. 2022 will be their eighth consecutive year of increased defence spending, with European Allies and Canadas cumulative investment of almost USD 350 billion since 2014. A rapidly changing security environment NATO faces the most complex security environment since the end of the Cold War. Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine is jeopardising European security, and terrorism continues to represent a global security challenge and a threat to stability. At the same time, the rise of China is shifting the global balance of power, with implications for the Alliance's security, values and way of life. Growing global uncertainty, more sophisticated and disruptive cyber and hybrid threats, and exponential technological change are having a substantial impact on the Alliance. Russia's military aggression against Ukraine has shattered peace in Europe and is causing enormous human suffering and destruction. Russia is the most significant and direct threat to Allies security and to peace and stability in the Euro-Atlantic area. Its coercive military posture, rhetoric and proven willingness to use force to pursue its political goals undermine the rules-based international order. Terrorism, in all its forms and manifestations, is the most direct asymmetric threat to the security of NATO citizens and to international peace and prosperity. Conflict, fragility and instability in Africa and the Middle East directly affect the security of the Alliance and its partners. NATOs southern neighbourhood, particularly the Middle East, North Africa and Sahel regions, faces interconnected security, demographic, economic and political challenges. These are aggravated by the impact of climate change, fragile institutions, health emergencies and food insecurity. Safeguarding the freedom and security of its members NATO's essential and enduring purpose is to safeguard the freedom and security of all its members by political and military means. Collective defence is at the heart of the Alliance, as set out in Article 5 of the Washington Treaty. NATO's greatest responsibility is to protect and defend Allied territory and populations against attack in a world where peace and security cannot be taken for granted. Deterrence is a core element of NATO's overall strategy: preventing conflict and war, protecting Allies, maintaining freedom of decision and action, and upholding the principles and values it stands for individual liberty, democracy, human rights and the rule of law. Free societies and the rules-based international order need to be backed by credible transatlantic defence. At the 2022 Madrid Summit, NATO set a new baseline for its deterrence and defence posture in line with its 360-degree approach, across the land, air, maritime, cyber and space domains, and against all threats and challenges. NATOs deterrence and defence posture is based on an appropriate mix of nuclear, conventional and missile defence capabilities, complemented by space and cyber capabilities. NATO maintains the freedom of action and flexibility to respond to the full spectrum of challenges with an appropriate and tailored approach. Resilience: the first line of deterrence and defence Enhancing resilience by strengthening the capacity of societies to prepare for, respond to, recover from and adapt to the full range of threats and hazards is an integral part of NATO's deterrence and defence posture. Russias war against Ukraine, the COVID-19 pandemic, growing geopolitical competition and the many other security challenges faced by the Alliance today underscore the importance of NATOs all hazards and whole of society approach to resilience. By preparing, empowering and investing in societies ability to defend themselves against a wide range of threats from cyber attacks to chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear incidents, terrorism, pandemics and natural disasters Allies address vulnerabilities that can otherwise be used as leverage or be targeted by adversaries. Resilience is therefore an important aspect of deterrence by denial: persuading an adversary not to attack by convincing it that an attack will not achieve its intended objectives. Resilience also requires close civil-military cooperation, as it impacts NATO's ability to conduct its missions and maintain the mobility of troops and equipment. Ensuring that national and military forces under NATO command are adequately supported with civilian resources and infrastructure is a core feature of NATOs resilience efforts. Since 2014, NATO has been providing guidelines to assist national authorities in improving their resilience across seven baseline requirements by reducing potential vulnerabilities. These requirements are updated regularly to reflect the evolving nature of the challenges faced by the Alliance. In line with the NATO 2030 agenda and the 2021 Strengthened Resilience Commitment, the 2022 Strategic Concept stresses the importance of adopting a more integrated and better coordinated approach to resilience within the Alliance, including against Russian coercion, and in supporting NATO partners to counter malign interference and aggression. Partnerships with non-NATO countries and other organisations are essential to reinforce Allies national and collective resilience, and to support the Alliances planning and preparedness through the sharing of information and best practices. Bolstering NATO's readiness, responsiveness and reinforcement The Readiness Action Plan (RAP), launched at the Wales Summit in 2014, was a major driver for change in the Alliance's deterrence and defence posture. The RAP included assurance measures for NATO Allies in Central and Eastern Europe to reassure their populations, deter potential aggression and reinforce their defence. Building on the RAP, NATO Heads of State and Government approved a strengthened deterrence and defence posture at the Warsaw Summit in July 2016. It provided the Alliance with a broad range of options to be able to respond to any threats from wherever they arise to protect Alliance territory, populations, airspace and sea lines of communication. Allies agreed to establish an enhanced Forward Presence and since 2017 four NATO multinational battlegroups have been deployed in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. Additional measures, such as tailored Forward Presence, were taken to reinforce security in the south-eastern region of the Alliance. Furthermore, a number of measures have been undertaken to adapt the Alliance to the challenges emanating from the South, including capacity-building, dedicated exercises and advance planning, as well as setting up the Regional Hub for the South in Naples, Italy, which contributes to NATO's situational awareness. Exercises remain an integral part of NATO's deterrence and defence posture since military training is an essential requirement to maintain the Alliance's readiness levels and improve interoperability. NATO's adaptation efforts continue in all domains and in areas such as civil preparedness and countering hybrid threats, including in cooperation with the European Union (EU). Relations with the EU include increased cooperation, as well as complementary and interoperable capability development to avoid duplication and contribute to transatlantic burden-sharing. At the 2018 Brussels Summit, NATO Leaders reiterated their resolve to bolster the Alliance's readiness, responsiveness and reinforcement to respond to threats from any direction in a 360-degree approach. A NATO Readiness Initiative was launched to enhance the Alliance's rapid-response capability, either for reinforcement of Allies in support of deterrence or collective defence, including for high-intensity warfighting, or for rapid military crisis response, if required. It consisted of providing 30 heavy or medium manoeuvre battalions, 30 kinetic air squadrons and 30 major naval combatants at 30 days readiness or less. These forces are being organised and trained as larger combat formations. NATO has recognised cyberspace as a domain of operations in which it must defend itself as effectively as it does in the air, on land and at sea. The creation of a Cyberspace Operations Centre in Belgium in 2018 and the formation of counter-hybrid support teams to assist Allies in need also bolster the Alliance's deterrence efforts. At the 2021 NATO Summit, Allies endorsed a new Comprehensive Cyber Defence Policy, which supports NATOs core tasks and overall deterrence and defence posture to enhance the Alliances resilience in cyberspace. NATO continues to address the security implications of Russia's growing arsenal of nuclear-capable missiles, which poses a significant risk to Alliance security and violated the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. The Alliance is responding by strengthening its advanced conventional capabilities, investing in new platforms including fifth-generation fighter aircraft and adapting its exercises, intelligence, and air and missile defence posture. It is doing so while ensuring its nuclear deterrent remains safe, secure and effective. At the same time, NATO remains strongly committed to effective arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation, and continues to call for all actors, including Russia and China, to engage constructively. At the December 2019 Leaders' Meeting in London, NATO declared space as a fifth operational domain. The information gathered and delivered through satellites is critical for NATO activities, operations and missions, including collective defence, crisis response and counter-terrorism. The NATO Space Centre established in 2020 in Germany serves as a focal point for sharing information, coordinating Allies' efforts and supporting NATO's operations and missions. At the 2021 Brussels Summit, NATO recognised that attacks to, from or within space present a clear challenge to the security of the Alliance and could lead to the invocation of Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty. NATO Leaders met in Brussels on 24 March 2022 to address the consequences of Russias brutal and unprovoked aggression and to take measures to further strengthen NATOs deterrence and defence. They decided to deploy four multinational battlegroups in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia, in addition to those already present in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, effectively doubling the number of battlegroups on its eastern flank from four to eight. They also decided to step up cyber defences and scale up exercises focused on collective defence and interoperability. At the Madrid Summit in June 2022, NATO Leaders made decisions to significantly strengthen the Alliances deterrence and defence posture. To that end, Allies agreed to adjust the balance between in-place forces and reinforcement and committed to deploying additional robust in-place combat-ready forces on NATOs eastern flank, to be scaled up from the existing battalion-sized battlegroups to brigades, where and when required, underpinned by credible rapidly available reinforcements, prepositioned equipment, and enhanced command and control. This will strengthen deterrence and support the ability to defend forward. Allies also agreed a new force model, which will strengthen and modernise the NATO Force Structure, support the Alliances core tasks and resource its new generation of military plans. Allies agreed to ensure a substantial and persistent presence on land, at sea and in the air, including through strengthened integrated air and missile defence. Maintaining the Alliance's military and technological edge While the Alliance needs to be able to preserve peace today, it also needs to prepare for the increasingly unpredictable security environment of the future. To this end, at the Brussels Summit in June 2021, Allied Leaders agreed to the full implementation of the NATO Warfighting Capstone Concept, which supports having a more proactive and anticipatory approach to military adaptation. Keeping its technological edge has always been an essential enabler of NATO's ability to deter and defend against potential adversaries. Innovations in artificial intelligence, autonomous weapons systems, big data and biotech are changing warfare. To help preserve its technological edge, NATO has agreed an implementation strategy for emerging and disruptive technologies. It also established a Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) and, at the Madrid Summit in June 2022, launched a multinational Innovation Fund, bringing together governments, the private sector, and academia to bolster NATOs technological edge. The Alliance will play an important role as a forum for cooperation on various security-related aspects of these emerging technologies. Investing in defence The Defence Investment Pledge, adopted by NATO Leaders in 2014, called for all Allies to stop cuts to defence budgets and move towards the NATO-agreed guideline of spending at least 2% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on defence within a decade. Allies also agreed, in that same timeframe, to move towards spending at least 20% of annual defence expenditure on major new equipment, including related research and development. Finally, the Pledge committed Allies to ensuring that their land, air and maritime forces meet NATO-agreed guidelines for deployability, sustainability and other agreed metrics, and to ensure that their armed forces can operate together effectively, including through Allies implementation of NATO standards and doctrines. Since 2014, Allies have made considerable progress in increasing defence spending and investing in major equipment, taking steps toward fairer burden-sharing. 2022 will be the eighth consecutive year of increased defence spending by European Allies and Canada, with a cumulative investment of almost USD 350 billion since 2014. Allies are not just delivering more of the heavier, high-end capabilities that NATO needs; they are also improving the readiness, deployability, sustainability and interoperability of their forces. With heightened security threats and challenges, Allies have been accelerating efforts to meet the requirements of the 2014 Defence Investment Pledge. The need to invest in defence remains essential to ensure the Alliance has the forces and capabilities it needs now and in the future. NATO is helping to coordinate Ukraines requests for assistance and is supporting Allies in the delivery of humanitarian and non-lethal aid. More broadly, NATOs Article 5 security guarantee and its ironclad promise of collective defence provides Allies with the confidence that they can send weapons to Ukraine without diminishing their own security. Furthermore, the Alliances well-established structure of common standards and interoperable systems is allowing Allies to provide equipment with the assurance that materiel transferred to Ukraine can be backfilled by compatible equipment from other Allies. Individual NATO member countries are sending weapons, ammunition and many types of light and heavy military equipment, including anti-tank and air defence systems, howitzers, drones and tanks. To date, NATO Allies have provided billions of euros worth of military equipment to Ukraine. Allied forces are also training Ukrainian troops to use this equipment. All of this is making a difference on the battlefield every day, helping Ukraine to uphold its right of self-defence, which is enshrined in the United Nations Charter. Furthermore, Allies are providing billions of euros of financial assistance to Ukraine. Many Allies are also providing humanitarian aid to civilians and hosting millions of Ukrainian refugees. Allies are working with relevant stakeholders in the international community to hold accountable all those responsible for war crimes, including conflict-related sexual violence. Allies have also worked closely to support international efforts to enable exports of Ukrainian grain and to alleviate the global food crisis. At the Madrid Summit in June 2022, Allied leaders agreed a strengthened package of support for Ukraine, which includes support in secure communications, combat rations, fuel, medical supplies, body armour, winter clothing, equipment to counter mines and chemical and biological threats, and portable anti-drone systems. Allies also agreed to help Ukraine transition from Soviet-era equipment to modern NATO equipment, boost interoperability with Allied forces, and further strengthen Ukrainian defence and security institutions. In the longer term, the Alliance is committed to assisting Ukraine and supporting efforts on its path of post-war reconstruction and reforms. Learn more: Statement by NATO Heads of State and Government, 24 March 2022 Learn more: Madrid Summit Declaration, 29 June 2022 Learn more: Statement by NATO Foreign Ministers, 29 November 2022 Since the birth of NATO, there have been two distinct historical periods within which NATO's strategic thinking has evolved: the Cold War period and the post-Cold War era. With the 2022 Strategic Concept, NATO is adapting to yet another period, characterised by renewed geostrategic competition as a result of Russias aggressive behaviour and the rise of China. From 1949 to 1991, NATO's strategy was principally characterised by defence and deterrence, although with growing attention to dialogue and detente for the last two decades of this period. There were four Strategic Concepts, accompanied by documents that laid out the measures for the military to implement the Strategic Concept entitled Strategic Guidance, The Most Effective Pattern of NATO Military Strength for the Next Few Years and Measures to Implement the Strategic Concept. From 1991, NATO adopted a broader approach where the notions of cooperation and security complemented the basic concepts of deterrence and defence. After the terrorist attacks of 9/11 (2001), NATO stepped up the attention given to the fight against terrorism, the spread of weapons of mass destruction, hybrid warfare, and emerging and disruptive technologies. The Alliance also committed troops beyond the Euro-Atlantic area, in Afghanistan, for 20 years. In this post-Cold War period, three non-classified Strategic Concepts were issued (1991, 1999 and 2010), complemented by classified military documents (MC Directive for Military Implementation of the Alliance's Strategic Concept, MC Guidance for the Military Implementation of the Alliance Strategy and MC Guidance MC 400/3). Since 2010, and particularly since 2014 when Russia first invaded Ukraine and illegally annexed the Crimean peninsula, the pattern of growing Russian aggression, as well as the rise of China, has ushered in a new geostrategic landscape characterised by renewed strategic competition. NATO started to redeploy troops on its eastern and south-eastern flank in 2017 and, since Russias unprovoked war against Ukraine in 2022, has agreed to reinforce significantly its deterrence and defence. The 2022 Strategic Concept captures these important developments and charts the way forward in navigating this evolving and challenging security environment. From 1949 until the end of the Cold War From 1949 to 1991, international geopolitics were dominated by bipolar confrontation between East and West. The emphasis was more on tension and confrontation than it was on dialogue and cooperation. This led to an often dangerous and expensive arms race. As mentioned above, four Strategic Concepts were issued during this period. In addition, two key reports were also published during those four decades: the Report of the Committee of Three (December 1956) and the Harmel Report (December 1967). Both documents placed the Strategic Concepts in a wider framework by stressing issues that had an impact on the environment within which the Strategic Concepts were interpreted. NATO's first Strategic Concept NATO started producing strategic documents as early as October 1949. The first NATO strategy document to be approved by the NAC on 6 January 1950 was "The Strategic Concept for the Defense of the North Atlantic area (DC 6/1) the Alliance's first Strategic Concept. DC 6/1 provided an overall strategic concept for the Alliance. The document stated that the primary function of NATO was to deter aggression and that NATO forces would only be engaged if this primary function failed and an attack was launched. Complementarity between members and standardization were also key elements of this draft. Each member's contribution to defence should be in proportion to its capacity economic, industrial, geographical, military and cooperative measures were to be put into place by NATO to ensure optimal use of resources. Numerical inferiority in terms of military resources vis-a-vis the USSR was emphasised, as well as the reliance on US nuclear capabilities. DC 6/1 stated that the Alliance should insure the ability to carry out strategic bombing promptly by all means possible with all types of weapons, without exception. Although DC 6/1 was quite detailed, more guidance was needed to develop comprehensive defence plans for use by the five Regional Planning Groups that existed at the time. The Strategic Guidance paper (SG 13/16) entitled Strategic Guidance for North Atlantic Regional Planning was formally approved by the Military Committee on 28 March 1950 as MC 14. MC 14 enabled Regional Planning Groups to meet contingencies up to July 1954, a date by which the Alliance aimed to have a credible defence force in place. Its key objectives were to convince the USSR that war does not pay, and should war occur, to ensure a successful defence of the NATO area. In parallel, SG 13/16 was also used by the Regional Planning Groups to develop more comprehensive defence plans that were consolidated into "The North Atlantic Treaty Organization Medium Term Plan" (DC 13). It was approved by the Defence Committee on 1 April 1950, just one year after the signing of the Washington Treaty the Alliances founding treaty. In sum, NATO's strategy was effectively contained in three documents: DC 6/1, which set forth the overall strategic concept; MC 14, which provided more specific strategic guidance for use in defence planning; and DC 13, which included both of these aspects as well as considerable detailed regional planning. The Korean War and NATO's second Strategic Concept The invasion of South Korea by North Korean divisions on 25 June 1950 had an immediate impact on NATO and its strategic thinking. It brought home the realisation that NATO needed to urgently address two fundamental issues: the effectiveness of NATO's military structures and the strength of NATO forces. On 26 September 1950, the North Atlantic Council (NAC) approved the establishment of an integrated military force under centralised command. On 19 December 1950, the NAC requested the nomination of General Dwight D. Eisenhower as NATO's first Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR).In January 1951, from their temporary location at Hotel Astoria in Paris, Allies were already working to get the Supreme Headquarters Allied Forces Europe (SHAPE) into place and on 2 April 1951, the newly constructed military headquarters was activated in Rocquencourt. Other structural changes were implemented, including the abolition of the three European Regional Planning Groups, and the replacement in 1952 of the North Atlantic Ocean Regional Planning Group by Allied Command Atlantic (SACLANT), leaving only the Canada-US Regional Planning Group in existence. These structural changes, together with the accession of Greece and Turkiye, needed to be reflected in the Strategic Concept. This led to the drafting of NATO's second Strategic Concept: "The Strategic Concept for the Defense of the North Atlantic Area", which was approved by the NAC on 3 December 1952 (MC 3/5(Final)). The new Strategic Concept respected the core principles outlined in DC 6/1 and, in this sense, did not differ fundamentally from this document. The strategic guidance also needed updating. MC 14 was thoroughly revised and reviewed to include the information that had been previously contained in DC 13. MC 14 and DC 13 became one document: "Strategic Guidance" (MC 14/1) approved by the NAC on 15-18 December 1952 at the Ministerial Meeting in Paris. It was a comprehensive document, which stated that NATO's overall strategic aim was "to ensure the defense of the NATO area and to destroy the will and capability of the Soviet Union and her satellites to wage war". NATO would do this by initially conducting an air offensive and, in parallel, conducting air, ground and sea operations. The Allied air attacks would use "all types of weapons". There was another issue that the Korean invasion raised, but was only addressed years later: the need for NATO to engage in a "forward strategy", which meant that NATO wanted to place its defences as far east in Europe as possible, as close to the Iron Curtain as it could. This immediately raised the delicate issue of Germany's role in such a commitment. This issue was not resolved until the Federal Republic of Germany became a member on 6 May 1955. The "New Look" In the meantime, while structural issues had moved forward, the level of strength of NATO forces remained a problem. At its meeting in Lisbon, in February 1952, the NAC set very ambitious force goals that proved to be financially and politically unrealistic. Consequently, the United States, under the leadership of NATO's former SACEUR, Dwight D. Eisenhower, decided to shift the emphasis of their defence policy to greater dependency on the use of nuclear weapons. This "New Look" policy offered greater military effectiveness without having to spend more on defence. However, although alluded to in the strategic documents, nuclear weapons had not yet been integrated into NATO's strategy. In August 1953, SACEUR Alfred Gruenther established a "New Approach Group" at SHAPE to examine this question. In the meantime, the United States, together with a number of European members, called for the complete integration of nuclear policy into NATO strategy. Massive retaliation and NATO's third Strategic Concept The work of the "New Approach Group" contributed to "The Most Effective Pattern of NATO Military Strength for the Next Few Years" (MC 48), approved by the Military Committee on 22 November 1954 and by the NAC on 17 December 1954. It provided strategic guidance pending the review of MC 14/1 and contained concepts and assumptions that were later included in NATO's third Strategic Concept. MC 48 was the first official NATO document to explicitly discuss the use of nuclear weapons, and it first introduced the concept of massive retaliation. An additional report entitled "The Most Effective Pattern of NATO Military Strength for the Next Few Years Report 2" was issued on 14 November 1955. It did not supersede MC 14/1 but added that NATO was still committed to its "forward strategy" even if there were delays in German contributions that would push the implementation of the "forward strategy" to 1959 at the earliest. After considerable discussion, "Overall Strategic Concept for the Defense of the NATO Area" (MC 14/2) was issued on 23 May 1957 and was accompanied by "Measures to Implement the Strategic Concept" (MC 48/2), on the same day. MC 14/2 was the Alliance's first Strategic Concept that advocated "massive retaliation" as a key element of NATO's new strategy. While some Allies strongly advocated massive retaliation since it had the advantage of helping to reduce force requirements and, therefore, defence expenditures, not all member countries wanted to go so far. A degree of flexibility was introduced in the sense that recourse to conventional weapons was envisaged to deal with certain, smaller forms of aggression, without necessarily having recourse to nuclear weapons. This was also reflected in the accompanying strategic guidance. Despite this flexibility, it was nonetheless stated that NATO did not accept the concept of limited war with the USSR: "If the Soviets were involved in a hostile local action and sought to broaden the scope of such an incident or prolong it, the situation would call for the utilisation of all weapons and forces at NATO's disposal, since in no case is there a concept of limited war with the Soviets." In addition to including the doctrine of "massive retaliation", MC 14/2 and MC 48/2 reflected the effects on the Alliance of Soviet political and economic activities outside the NATO area. This was particularly relevant in the context of the Suez Crisis and the crushing of the Hungarian uprising by the Soviet Union in 1956. The importance of out-of-area events was reflected in a political directive, CM(56)138, given from the NAC to NATO's Military Authorities on 13 December 1956: "Although NATO defence planning is limited to the defence of the Treaty area, it is necessary to take account of the dangers which may arise for NATO because of developments outside that area." The Report of the Committee of Three While NATO was hardening its military and strategic stance, in parallel, it decided to reinforce the political role of the Alliance. A few months before the adoption of MC 14/2, in December 1956, it published the Report of the Committee of Three on Non-Military Cooperation in NATO. This report, drafted by three NATO foreign ministers Lester Pearson (Canada), Gaetano Martino (Italy) and Halvard Lange (Norway) gave new impetus to political consultation between member countries on all aspects of relations between the East and West. The Report was adopted in the midst of the Suez Crisis, when internal consultation on security matters affecting the Alliance was particularly low, jeopardising Alliance solidarity. This was the first time since the signing of the Washington Treaty that NATO had officially recognised the need to reinforce its political role. The Report put forward several recommendations, including the peaceful settlement of inter-member disputes, economic cooperation, scientific and technical cooperation, cultural cooperation and cooperation in the information field. Similarly to the Harmel Report, published in 1967, the Report of the Committee of Three contributed to broadening the strategic framework within which the Alliance operated. Both reports could be perceived as NATO's first steps toward a more cooperative approach to security issues. Massive retaliation put into question As soon as NATO's third Strategic Concept was adopted, a series of international developments occurred that put into question the Alliance's strategy of massive retaliation. This strategy relied heavily on the United States' nuclear capability and its will to defend European territory in the case of a Soviet nuclear attack. The USSR had developed intercontinental ballistic missile capabilities, leading Europeans to doubt whether a US President would sacrifice an American city for a European city and, more generally, its nuclear capability. As the USSR's nuclear potential increased, NATO's competitive advantage in nuclear deterrence diminished. Terms such as Mutually Assured Destruction or MAD started to be used. The outbreak of the second Berlin Crisis (1958-1962) reinforced these doubts: how should NATO react to threats that were below the level of an all-out attack? NATO's nuclear deterrent had not stopped the Soviets from threatening the position of Western Allies in Berlin. So what should be done? Coming to office in 1961, US President John F. Kennedy was concerned by the issue of limited warfare and the notion that a nuclear exchange could be started by accident or miscalculation. In the meantime, the Berlin Crisis intensified, leading to the construction of the Berlin Wall, and in October 1962, the Cold War peaked with the Cuban missile crisis. The United States started advocating a stronger non-nuclear posture for NATO and the need for a strategy of "flexible response". The Athens Guidelines NATO Secretary General Dirk Stikker presented a special report on NATO Defence Policy (CM(62)48) on 17 April 1962 about the issue of the political control of nuclear weapons. It was basically NATO's first attempt to temper its policy of massive retaliation by submitting the use of nuclear weapons to consultation under varying circumstances. Other attempts at introducing greater flexibility followed, but these caused resistance from several member countries. This internal resistance, combined with the fact that the US Administration had been shaken by the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and was increasingly concerned by its military involvement in Vietnam, momentarily froze all discussions on a revised Strategic Concept for NATO. NATO's fourth Strategic Concept and the doctrine of flexible response The withdrawal of France from NATO's integrated military structure in 1966 reinforced the need for a new, fourth Strategic Concept: Overall Strategic Concept for the Defense of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Area (MC 14/3) was adopted by the Defence Planning Committee (DPC) on 12 December 1967 and the final version issued on 16 January 1968. This is the only Strategic Concept in NATOs history that was not decided on in the North Atlantic Council.2 There were two key features to the new strategy: flexibility and escalation. "The deterrent concept of the Alliance is based on a flexibility that will prevent the potential aggressor from predicting with confidence NATO's specific response to aggression and which will lead him to conclude that an unacceptable degree of risk would be involved regardless of the nature of his attack". The Strategic Concept identified three types of military responses against aggression to NATO: Direct defence: the aim was to defeat the aggression on the level at which the enemy chose to fight. Deliberate escalation: this added a series of possible steps to defeat aggression by progressively raising the threat of using nuclear power as the crisis escalated. General nuclear response, seen as the ultimate deterrent. The companion document, "Measures to Implement the Strategic Concept for the Defense of the NATO Area (MC 48/3), was approved by the Defence Planning Committee (DPC) and issued on 8 December 1969. Both MC 14/3 and MC 48/3 were so inherently flexible, in substance and interpretation, that they remained valid until the end of the Cold War. The Harmel Report As NATO was setting its strategic objectives for the next 20 years, it also decided to draw up a report that provided a dual-track approach to security: political and military. In the context of the questioning, by some, of the relevancy of NATO, the "Harmel Report" or the "Report on the Future Tasks of the Alliance" was drawn up. It provided a broad analysis of the security environment since the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty in 1949 and advocated the need to maintain adequate defence while seeking a relaxation of tensions in East-West relations and working towards solutions to the underlying political problems dividing Europe. It defined two specific tasks: political, with the formulation of proposals for balanced force reductions in the East and West; and military, with the defence of exposed areas, especially the Mediterranean. The Harmel Report introduced the notion of deterrence and detente. In that respect, as already stated in the context of the Report of the Committee of Three, it set the tone for NATO's first steps toward a more cooperative approach to security issues that would emerge in 1991. Tensions increased with the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the deployment of Soviet SS-20 missiles. NATO reacted by initiating its Double-Track Decision in December 1979: it offered the Warsaw Pact a mutual limitation of medium and intermediate-range ballistic missiles and, failing a positive reaction from Moscow, threatened to deploy Pershing and cruise missiles, which it eventually did. Detente increased with the signing of the US-Soviet agreements on Strategic Arms Limitations Talks (SALT I) and anti-ballistic missile systems, and SALT II (although not ratified), as well as the signing of US-Soviet Strategic Arms Reduction Talks (START) and the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. By the mid- to late 80s, both blocs moved to confidence-building. However, mutual distrust still characterised East-West relations and it was not until the fall of the Berlin Wall, the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact and the break-up of the Soviet Union that relations could start on a new basis. The post-Cold War period In 1991, a new era commenced. The formidable enemy that the Soviet Union had once been was dissolved. In the decades that followed, Russia and other countries previously under communist control became NATO partners and, in many cases, NATO members. For the Alliance, the period was characterised by dialogue and cooperation, as well as other new ways of contributing to peace and stability such as multinational crisis management operations. During the post-Cold War period, NATO issued three non-classified Strategic Concepts that advocated a broader approach to security than before: The Alliance's Strategic Concept, November 1991; The Alliance's Strategic Concept, April 1999; Active Engagement, Modern Defence, November 2010. NATO's fifth Strategic Concept, 1991 The 1991 Strategic Concept differed dramatically from preceding strategic documents. Firstly, it was a non-confrontational document that was released to the public; and secondly, while maintaining the security of its members as its fundamental purpose (i.e., collective defence), it sought to improve and expand security for Europe as a whole through partnership and cooperation with former adversaries. It also reduced the use of nuclear forces to a minimum level, sufficient to preserve peace and stability: "This Strategic Concept reaffirms the defensive nature of the Alliance and the resolve of its members to safeguard their security, sovereignty and territorial integrity. The Alliance's security policy is based on dialogue; co-operation; and effective collective defence as mutually reinforcing instruments for preserving the peace. Making full use of the new opportunities available, the Alliance will maintain security at the lowest possible level of forces consistent with the requirements of defence. In this way, the Alliance is making an essential contribution to promoting a lasting peaceful order." The 1991 Strategic Concept's accompanying document was and still is classified. It is entitled MC Directive for Military Implementation of the Alliance's Strategic Concept (MC 400), 12 December 1991. NATO's sixth Strategic Concept, 1999 In 1999, the year of NATO's 50th anniversary and against the backdrop of wars in the former Yugoslavia that started in the early 1990s, Allied Leaders adopted a new Strategic Concept that committed members to common defence and peace and stability of the wider Euro-Atlantic area. It was based on a broad definition of security, which recognised the importance of political, economic, social and environmental factors in addition to the defence dimension. It identified the new risks that had emerged since the end of the Cold War, which included terrorism, ethnic conflict, human rights abuses, political instability, economic fragility and the spread of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons and their means of delivery. The document stated that the Alliance's fundamental tasks were security, consultation, and deterrence and defence, adding that crisis management and partnership were also essential to enhancing security and stability in the Euro-Atlantic area. It noted that NATO had managed to adapt and play an important role in the post-Cold War environment, and established guidelines for the Alliance's forces, translating the purposes and tasks of the preceding sections into practical instructions for NATO force and operational planners. The strategy called for the continued development of the military capabilities needed for the full range of the Alliance's missions, from collective defence to peace-support and other crisis-response operations. It also stipulated that the Alliance would maintain for the foreseeable future an appropriate mix of nuclear and conventional forces. The 1999 Strategic Concept was complemented by a strategic guidance document that remains classified: "MC Guidance for the Military Implementation of the Alliance Strategy" (MC 400/2), 12 February 2003. NATOs seventh Strategic Concept, 2010 The 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001 against the United States brought the threat of terrorism and weapons of mass destruction to the fore. NATO needed to protect its populations both at home and abroad. It therefore underwent major internal reforms to adapt military structures and capabilities to equip members for new tasks, such as leading the UN-mandated International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan. NATO also proceeded to deepen and extend its partnerships and, essentially, accelerate its transformation to develop new political relationships and stronger operational capabilities to respond to an increasingly global and more challenging world. These radical changes needed to be reflected in NATO's strategic documents. A first step was taken in November 2006 when NATO Leaders endorsed the Comprehensive Political Guidance, a major policy document that set out the framework and priorities for Alliance capability issues, planning disciplines and intelligence for the next 10 to 15 years. Later, at the Strasbourg-Kehl Summit in April 2009, NATO Leaders endorsed the "Declaration on Alliance Security", which, inter alia, called for a new Strategic Concept. The 2010 Strategic Concept, Active Engagement, Modern Defence, issued at the Lisbon Summit in November 2010, was accompanied by the Military Committee Guidance MC 400/3 of March 2012. It was a very clear and resolute statement on NATOs values and purpose, and revolved around three core tasks: collective defence, crisis management and cooperative security. It provided a collective assessment of the security environment at the time, identifying threats such as the proliferation of ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons, terrorism, cyber attacks and fundamental environmental problems. It also drove NATOs strategic adaptation and guided its political and military development for the short to mid term. The Strategic Concept affirmed NATOs aim to promote international security through cooperation by reinforcing arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation efforts, by emphasising NATOs Open Door policy for all European countries and by enhancing partnerships in the broad sense of the term. It also emphasised Alliance solidarity, the importance of transatlantic consultation and the need to engage in a continuous process of reform and transformation. The current Strategic Concept, 2022 Since 2010, the world has fundamentally changed. Russias aggressions against Ukraine since 2014, followed by unprovoked and full-scale war in 2022, has shattered peace in Europe. Renewed strategic competition, authoritarianism and pervasive instability have risen, the threat of terrorism persists and new challenges such as climate change and rapid technological developments demand adaptation. Since 2014, NATO has significantly reinforced its deterrence and defence posture, and enhanced the readiness of its forces, while Allies started to increase defence spending. When, in February 2022, Russia engaged in a brutal and unprovoked war on Ukraine, Allies agreed to reset NATOs deterrence and defence for the longer term. To complement these defensive measures, NATO is maintaining a broad definition of security and is focusing on vital domains such as resilience and countering hybrid threats, climate change and human security. At the Brussels Summit in 2021, NATO Leaders agreed the NATO 2030 agenda, which prepared the ground for a new strategic concept and recommended its launch for 2022. The 2022 Strategic Concept was endorsed by Allied Heads of State and Government at the Madrid Summit in June of the same year. BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 21. The Slovnaft refinery owned by Hungarian MOL Group in Bratislava, Slovakia, will start processing Azerbaijani oil in April, Trend reports via Hungarian media. The 90,000 tons of seaborne crude from Azerbaijans Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli block was transported from the Sangachal oil terminal near Baku to Ceyhan via the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline. The shipment has arrived in Croatia and is being delivered to the Slovnaft refinery via the Adria pipeline. MOL Groups priority is to increase the flexibility of oil procurement. In doing so, MOL has created a fully integrated value chain, which means it will be able to sell petroleum products processed in its own refinery from oil extracted from a field in which it is a shareholder. MOL Group holds 9.57 percent share in Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli block. Total ACG production for the full year of 2022 was on average about 415,400 barrels per day (b/d) (about 152 million barrels or 20 million tonnes in total) from the Chirag (25,200 b/d), Central Azeri (104,100 b/d), West Azeri (106,400 b/d), East Azeri (64,000 b/d), Deepwater Gunashli (76,300 b/d) and West Chirag (39,400 b/d) platforms. The total volume of oil production in Azerbaijan in 2022 amounted to 32.6 million tons. During the reporting period, the country exported 26.3 million tons of oil. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn NATO is resourced through the direct and indirect contributions of its members. NATOs common funds are composed of direct contributions to collective budgets and programmes, which equate to only 0.3% of total Allied defence spending (around EUR 3.27 billion for 2023). These funds enable NATO to deliver capabilities and run the entirety of the Organization and its military commands. National (or indirect) contributions are the largest component of NATO funding and are borne by individual member countries. These include the forces and capabilities held by each member country, which can be provided to NATO for deterrence and defence activities and military operations. Direct contributions finance NATOs budgets, programmes and capabilities in support of objectives, priorities and activities that serve the interests of the Alliance as a whole and cannot reasonably be borne by any single member such as Alliance operations and missions or NATO-wide air defence or command and control systems. All Allies contribute to funding NATO using an agreed cost-share formula derived from the Gross National Income of member countries. This is the principle of common funding and it demonstrates burden-sharing in action. NATO has three principal common-funded budgets: the civil budget (funding NATO Headquarters), the military budget (funding the NATO Command Structure) and the NATO Security Investment Programme (funding military infrastructure and capabilities). Programmes and initiatives can also be jointly funded, which means that the participating countries can identify the priorities and the funding arrangements, while NATO provides political oversight. NATO common funding is underpinned by strong governance mechanisms, with Allies collectively deciding what is eligible for common funding and how much can be spent each year. They also collectively decide on the resource planning figures for the medium term. The North Atlantic Council oversees the common funding processes, which are governed by the Resource Policy and Planning Board, the Budget Committee and the Investment Committee. Indirect funding of NATO When the North Atlantic Council NATOs top political decision-making body unanimously decides to engage in an operation or mission, there is no obligation for each and every member to contribute unless it is an Article 5 collective defence operation, in which case expectations are different. In all cases, NATO (as an organisation) does not have its own armed forces, so Allies commit troops and equipment on a voluntary basis. Contributions vary in form and scale. For example, Allies can choose to contribute a few soldiers or thousands of troops to a NATO operation or mission. Contributions can also include any kind of materiel, from armoured vehicles, naval vessels or helicopters to all forms of equipment or support, medical or other. These contributions are offered by individual Allies and are taken from their overall defence capability to form a combined Alliance capability, with each covering the costs associated with their deployments. The 2% defence investment guideline In 2006, NATO Defence Ministers agreed to commit a minimum of 2% of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to defence spending to continue to ensure the Alliances military readiness. This guideline also serves as an indicator of a countrys political will to contribute to NATOs common defence efforts since the defence capacity of each member has an impact on the overall perception of the Alliances credibility as a politico-military organisation. The combined wealth of the non-US Allies, measured in GDP, is almost equal to that of the United States. However, non-US Allies together spend less than half of what the United States spends on defence. This imbalance has been a constant, with variations, throughout the history of the Alliance and has grown more pronounced since the tragic events of 11 September 2001, after which the United States significantly increased its defence spending. The volume of US defence expenditure represents approximately two thirds of the defence spending of the Alliance as a whole. However, this is not the amount that the United States contributes to the operational running of NATO, which is shared with all Allies according to the principle of common funding. Moreover, US defence spending also covers commitments outside the Euro-Atlantic area. It should be noted, nonetheless, that the Alliance relies on the United States for the provision of some essential capabilities, regarding for instance, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; air-to-air refuelling; ballistic missile defence; and airborne electromagnetic warfare. The effects of the 2007-2008 financial crisis and the declining share of resources devoted to defence in many Allied countries, up to 2014, have exacerbated this imbalance and also revealed growing asymmetries in capability among European Allies. France, Germany and the United Kingdom together represent approximately 50% of defence spending by the non-US Allies. At the Wales Summit in 2014, in response to Russias illegal annexation of Crimea and the turmoil in the Middle East, NATO Leaders agreed to reverse the trend of declining defence budgets and decided: Allies currently meeting the 2% guideline on defence spending will aim to continue to do so; Allies whose current proportion of GDP spent on defence is below this level will: halt any decline; aim to increase defence expenditure in real terms as GDP grows; and aim to move towards the 2% guideline within a decade with a view to meeting their NATO Capability Targets and filling NATOs capability shortfalls. While the 2% of GDP guideline alone is no guarantee that money will be spent in the most effective and efficient way to acquire and deploy modern capabilities, it remains an important indicator of the political resolve of individual Allies to devote to defence a relatively small but still significant level of resources. In 2014, three Allies spent 2% of GDP or more on defence; this increased to seven Allies in 2022. Moreover, 2022 is the eighth consecutive year of rising defence spending across European Allies and Canada, amounting to a rise of 2.2% in real terms compared to 2021. The Defence Investment Pledge endorsed in 2014 calls for Allies to meet the 2% of GDP guideline for defence spending and the 20% of annual defence expenditure on major new equipment by 2024. Since Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine starting in February 2022, a majority of Allies have committed to investing more, and more quickly, in defence. The major equipment spending guideline National defence budgets cover essentially three categories of expenditures: personnel expenses including pensions; research, development and procurement of defence equipment; and, lastly, operations, exercises and maintenance. Budget allocation is a national, sovereign decision, but NATO Allies have agreed that at least 20% of defence expenditures should be devoted to major equipment spending, including the associated research and development, perceived as a crucial indicator for the scale and pace of modernisation. Where expenditures fail to meet the 20% guideline, there is an increasing risk of equipment becoming obsolete, growing capability and interoperability gaps among Allies, and a weakening of Europes defence industrial and technological base. At the Wales Summit in 2014, NATO Leaders agreed that, within a decade, Allies who are spending less than 20% of their annual defence spending on major equipment will aim to increase their annual investments to 20% or more of total defence expenditures. In 2022, 24 Allies met the NATO-agreed 20% guideline compared to seven in 2014; and 24 Allies spent more in real terms on major equipment than they did in 2021. All Allies will also ensure that their forces meet NATO-agreed guidelines for deployability and sustainability and other agreed output metrics; and they will see to it that their armed forces can operate together effectively, including through the implementation of agreed NATO standards and doctrines. Direct funding of NATO NATO has annual budgets and programmes worth around EUR 3.27 billion, which inter alia support its permanent military command structure, enable its current operations and missions, and provide essential military infrastructure (including air and naval basing facilities, satellite communications, fuel pipelines, and command and control systems). This represents 0.3% of total Allied defence spending. This direct funding comes principally in two forms: common funding and joint funding. It can also come in the form of trust funds, contributions in kind, ad hoc sharing arrangements and donations. The principle of common funding Since NATO was founded, common funding has played a strategic role in supporting the Alliances objectives, priorities and core tasks. Allies pool their collective resources in order to provide and deliver key NATO programmes and capabilities. When a certain priority or initiative has been identified, the Resource Policy and Planning Board (RPPB) assesses whether the principle of common funding applies in other words whether the provision of a capability or conduct of an activity serves the interests of the Alliance as a whole and should therefore be resourced from common funding. Common funding arrangements apply to the NATO civil and military budgets, and the NATO Security Investment Programme (NSIP). Together, these common-funded budgets reinforce the Alliance, providing major capabilities, enabling deterrence, defence and interoperability, and supporting consultation and decision-making at the highest levels. These are the only funds for which NATO authorities identify their funding needs in accordance with the Alliances overarching objectives and priorities. Allied common funding contributions to NATO are established using an agreed cost-sharing formula derived from the Gross National Income of NATO member countries. Where military common funding is concerned the military budget and the NSIP the over and above principle guides Allies decisions. In essence, it focuses on the provision of requirements that would not be reasonable for an Ally to bear individually. The criteria for common funding are reviewed regularly and adjusted to keep up with NATOs evolving political-military objectives and needs. At the 2021 Brussels Summit, NATO Leaders agreed to increase NATO resourcing, including as necessary NATO common funding, taking into account sustainability, affordability and accountability. At the 2022 Madrid Summit, NATO Leaders committed to a concrete financial trajectory for all three NATO budgets starting in 2023. As a result, increased national defence expenditures and NATO common funding will be commensurate with the challenges of a more contested security order. Investments in collective defence and key capabilities are essential. Cost-share arrangements for civil budget, military budget and NATO Security Investment Programme (2021-2024) Country Adjusted cost-share further to accession of North Macedonia "at 30"1 Applicable as from 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2024 Albania 0.0908 Belgium 2.1043 Bulgaria 0.3656 Canada 6.8789 Croatia 0.2995 Czechia 1.0558 Denmark 1.3116 Estonia 0.1248 France 10.4913 Germany 16.3444 Greece 1.0573 Hungary 0.7595 Iceland 0.0642 Italy 8.7812 Latvia 0.1595 Lithuania 0.2566 Luxembourg 0.1693 Montenegro 0.0291 Netherlands 3.4506 North Macedonia 0.0778 Norway 1.7771 Poland 2.9861 Portugal 1.0491 Romania 1.2279 Slovakia 0.516 Slovenia 0.2276 Spain 5.9908 Turkiye 4.7266 United Kingdom 11.2823 United States 16.3444 TOTAL NATO 100.0000 The civil budget The civil budget supports Allies consultation and decision-making. It provides funds for personnel expenses, operating costs, and capital and programme expenditure of the International Staff at NATO Headquarters in Belgium. It is financed from national foreign ministry budgets (in most countries); its implementation is overseen by the Budget Committee. The civil budget for 2023 is EUR 370.8 million. The NATO Secretary General is the budget holder of the civil budget. View civil budget recommendations from previous years. The civil budget is formulated in line with an objectives-based framework, which establishes clear links between NATOs strategic objectives and the resources required to achieve them. There are five frontline objectives which encompass support for: crisis management and operations, collective defence, cooperative security, public relations and the consultation process among Allies. There are also three enabling objectives, which consist of: supporting the operational environment of the NATO Headquarters; governance and regulation through the monitoring of business policies, processes and procedures; and NATO Headquarters security. The military budget The military budget supports and contributes to strengthening NATOs deterrence and defence posture and to fostering interoperability across the Alliance. It funds the operating of selected common-funded capabilities, the integrated command structure, Alliance operations and missions, and to some extent, training and exercises. It is composed of separate sub-budgets, which are financed with contributions from Allies national defence budgets (in most countries) according to agreed cost-shares. Its implementation is overseen by the Budget Committee. The primary military budget holders are the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), the Supreme Allied Commander Transformation (SACT), and the Director General of the International Military Staff (DGIMS). Inter alia, the military budget provides funds for the integrated command structure, the International Military Staff, the NATO Strategic Commands, the NATO Airborne Early Warning and Control (NAEW&C) Force, and Alliance operations and missions. However, in all cases, the provision of military staff to the integrated command structure or to operations and missions remains a nationally funded responsibility. The military budget for 2023 is EUR 1.96 billion. View military budget recommendations from previous years. The NATO Security Investment Programme The NATO Security Investment Programme (NSIP) supports and contributes to deterrence, defence and security. It funds major construction and command and control systems under the over and above principle described above. It provides installations and facilities such as air defence communication and information systems, military headquarters for the integrated command structure and for deployed operations, as well as critical airfield, fuel systems and maritime infrastructure. The NSIP is financed by the ministries of defence of each NATO member. Its implementation is overseen by the Investment Committee. Capabilities are delivered either by individual host nations or user nations, by NATO agencies or Strategic Commands. The 2023 ceiling for the NSIP is EUR 1 billion. View NSIP financial activity reports from previous years. Joint funding Joint funding arrangements are established within the terms of an agreed NATO charter. The participating countries identify the priorities and the funding arrangements, while NATO has visibility and provides political oversight. Jointly funded programmes vary in the number of participating countries, cost-share arrangements and management structures. Joint funding is appropriate when there is a need for a long-term, subject-specific framework to implement large-scale requirements or specific initiatives. The most recent joint funding initiative is the establishment of the Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA). Joint funding arrangements can lead to the set-up of a management organisation or agency within NATO. Jointly funded activities range from the development and production of fighter aircraft or helicopters to the provision of logistics support or air defence communication and information systems. These include agencies for NATOs Airborne Early Warning and Control capability (NAPMA), the NH90 Helicopter programme (NAHEMA) and the Eurofighter-Typhoon and Tornado fighter jet programmes (NETMA). NATO agencies also coordinate research and development activities or are active in the fields of standardization and intelligence-sharing. Other forms of funding In addition to common funding and joint funding, some projects can take the form of contributions in kind or trust fund arrangements. Financial management, accountability and transparency There is a strong governance structure through which Allies decide what is eligible for common funding, how much can be spent each year, and what it may be spent on. Decision-making by consensus and well-established governance frameworks are fundamental to the way that common funding is managed at NATO. One of NATOs main objectives is to be an effective and efficient steward of public resources. Financial management of NATOs common-funded budgets The civil and military budgets and the NSIP contribution ceilings are annual, coinciding with the calendar year. Each budget is prepared under the authority of the head of the respective NATO body. The funding ceilings are set by the Resource Policy and Planning Board and agreed by the North Atlantic Council. When the annual budget has been approved, the heads of the relevant NATO bodies have discretion to execute it through the expenditure of funds for the purposes authorised. The administrative support for this task is largely entrusted to the financial controller of the relevant NATO body. The financial controller is charged with ensuring that all aspects of execution of the budget conform to expenditure authorisations, to any special controls imposed by the Budget Committee, and to the financial regulations and their associated implementing rules and procedures. They may also, in response to internal auditing, institute such additional controls and procedures as they deem necessary for maintaining accountability. Financial management and reform In September 2014, NATO Leaders decided, inter alia, to reform governance, transparency and accountability, especially in the management of NATOs financial resources. This drive for transparency and accountability strove to improve insight into how NATO manages, spends and reports on the use of taxpayer funds. As part of these measures, the NATO Financial Regulations (NFRs) became publicly available. They govern the financial administration of all NATO bodies and provide key policy guidance for ensuring effective and economical budgetary and financial administration. In 2015, a major review of these NFRs was conducted to strengthen financial management and accountability, and to reflect best practice in public finance. Additional transparency steps were taken to declassify International Board of Auditors for NATO (IBAN) reports and make them available to the public. These IBAN reports include financial audits and statements, performance audits or other special reports. NATO Allies agreement of the civil and military budgets is also published on the NATO website every year. Reform of NATOs common-funded capabilities delivery process A reform was introduced in 2018 to accelerate the delivery of common-funded capabilities across NATO. Founded on the key principles of accountability and separating the governance and management of projects, a standardized model covering the entire capability life cycle has been established. It reduces the number of times consensus decision-making is required throughout implementation; it introduces a single project-level authorisation; and it holds the management authorities accountable for handling the delivery of programmes and projects, within agreed tolerances, making the need for governance decisions an exception. It also introduces the incremental delivery of complex capabilities that are highly dependent on technology by delivering individual components within months. Bodies and stakeholders involved North Atlantic Council The North Atlantic Council approves NATO budgets and investments and exercises oversight over NATOs financial management. The Resource Policy and Planning Board (RPPB) advises the Council on resource policy and allocation. The Council seeks resource advice from the RPPB when deciding on new initiatives, activities, operations or missions. Resource Policy and Planning Board The Resource Policy and Planning Board (RPPB) is the senior advisory body to the Council on NATO resources. It has responsibility for the overall governance of NATOs civil and military budgets, as well as the NATO Security Investment Programme (NSIP) and the budgetary implications of common-funded personnel. Both the Budget Committee and the Investment Committee report to the RPPB. Budget Committee and Investment Committee The Budget Committee is responsible to the RPPB for the implementation of NATOs civil and military budgets. The Investment Committee is responsible to the RPPB for the implementation of the NSIP. NATO Office of Resources The NATO Office of Resources (NOR) provides independent and integrated expert advice to the Secretary General, NATO resource committees, Allies and other stakeholders on the planning, allocation and utilisation of military common funding made available to achieve NATOs goals and objectives. Advice from the NOR is based on sound judgement underpinned by facts, figures expertise and knowledge. It follows NATO policies, procedures and standards, and is independent of external stakeholders viewpoints. It supports efficient and effective use of public funds by assessing the policy compliance, eligibility, affordability, technical viability and lifecycle implications of military requirements and proposed solutions. Furthermore, the NOR facilitates resource-informed political decision-making. Budget holders The Secretary General, the Supreme Commanders and the other heads of NATO bodies are responsible and accountable for sound financial management, as well as for providing the requirements for common funding. This includes the establishment and maintenance of financial governance, resource management practices, internal controls and financial information systems to achieve the efficient and effective use of resources. International Board of Auditors for NATO The International Board of Auditors for NATO (IBAN) is the independent, external audit body for NATO. Through its audits, it provides the North Atlantic Council and the governments of member states with assurance that financial reporting is true and fair and funds have been properly used for the settlement of authorised expenditure. In addition, the IBAN reviews the operations of NATO bodies to determine if they are being carried out effectively and economically. The IBAN conducts three types of audits: financial statements audits of NATO Reporting Entities, performance audits of NATO and audits of the NATO Security Investment Programme. As such, it contributes to the strengthening of accountability and corporate governance within NATO. By Express News Service BENGALURU: Taking serious note of the plight of a woman who did not get maintenance and other benefits for close to five years, due to a delay in disposal of the application filed before the court after she moved out of the matrimonial house, the Karnataka High Court has set a timeline to address grievances of such victims. It will apply to courts handling cases arising out of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005. Allowing a petition filed by a 28-year-old from Banashankari 3rd Stage in Bengaluru, with a direction to the magistrate to dispose of her 2018 application within four weeks, Justice M Nagaprasanna said that a woman who is a victim of domestic violence, knocking at the doors of the magistrate, seeking maintenance or shelter, will have to be addressed with immediacy. It is for this reason that the statute mandates that such applications have to be disposed of within 60 days, in terms of sub-section (5) of Section 12 of the Act, failing which, such cases would mushroom and defeat the very purpose of promulgation of the Act, the judge said. It is often said that justice delayed is justice denied... Adherence to the timeline would be of paramount importance, as a remedy under Section 12 to an aggrieved person is imperative..., the court said, directing magistrates to decide applications filed by aggrieved persons within the time frame. DIRECTIONS TO MAGISTRATES Court will decide on applications filed under Section 12 within 60 days. If there is any deviation, the reasons have to be recorded in writing The husband shall be granted four weeks to file his assets and liabilities statement for a decision on an application filed under Section 20 of the Act. If not filed within the time frame, court shall accept the application filed by the wife/aggrieved person and pass appropriate orders Objections, if any, to the application filed by the aggrieved person under Sections 18 and 19 by the opposite party, shall be filed within four weeks from the date of receipt of the notice, failing which, the court will be at liberty to pass appropriate orders To achieve the timeline, court shall draw up and regulate its procedure in terms of its inherent power under Section 28(2) BENGALURU: Taking serious note of the plight of a woman who did not get maintenance and other benefits for close to five years, due to a delay in disposal of the application filed before the court after she moved out of the matrimonial house, the Karnataka High Court has set a timeline to address grievances of such victims. It will apply to courts handling cases arising out of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005. Allowing a petition filed by a 28-year-old from Banashankari 3rd Stage in Bengaluru, with a direction to the magistrate to dispose of her 2018 application within four weeks, Justice M Nagaprasanna said that a woman who is a victim of domestic violence, knocking at the doors of the magistrate, seeking maintenance or shelter, will have to be addressed with immediacy. googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); It is for this reason that the statute mandates that such applications have to be disposed of within 60 days, in terms of sub-section (5) of Section 12 of the Act, failing which, such cases would mushroom and defeat the very purpose of promulgation of the Act, the judge said. It is often said that justice delayed is justice denied... Adherence to the timeline would be of paramount importance, as a remedy under Section 12 to an aggrieved person is imperative..., the court said, directing magistrates to decide applications filed by aggrieved persons within the time frame. DIRECTIONS TO MAGISTRATES Court will decide on applications filed under Section 12 within 60 days. If there is any deviation, the reasons have to be recorded in writing The husband shall be granted four weeks to file his assets and liabilities statement for a decision on an application filed under Section 20 of the Act. If not filed within the time frame, court shall accept the application filed by the wife/aggrieved person and pass appropriate orders Objections, if any, to the application filed by the aggrieved person under Sections 18 and 19 by the opposite party, shall be filed within four weeks from the date of receipt of the notice, failing which, the court will be at liberty to pass appropriate orders To achieve the timeline, court shall draw up and regulate its procedure in terms of its inherent power under Section 28(2) R Sivakumar By Express News Service CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has found that a false case was registered against two people over the alleged possession of psychotropic substances. The court ordered the revocation of the case and the immediate release of the duo. The court also directed the Tamil Nadu Director General of Police (DGP) to initiate criminal action against the police officer who registered the false case and imprisoned them. Justice G Chandrasekharan passed the orders recently on the petition filed by R Surya and R Sathish who were framed by the Tiruvottiyur police in a psychotropic substances case in 2022. According to the FIR, the duo was found in possession of the contraband under an overbridge near the Cattle Market in Tiruvottiyur at 12.30 pm on July 29, 2022. They were slapped with a case under various sections of the Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 and subsequently, remanded to judicial custody. However, they moved the High Court seeking to quash the case claiming it was foisted because they were actually present at the judicial magistrate (JM) court at Katpadi in Vellore at 10.30 am in connection with another case. Going by the material placed before the court, the judge held, Certainly, it is not possible, for the accused persons, who attended the court hearing in Katpadi, 160 km away from Chennai, to be found with the contraband at about 12.30 pm on the same day in Tiruvottiyur. He noted that records of the Katpadi court clearly established the fact that the petitioners were present in the Katpadi court on the said date. It is obvious that the case registered for the offences under the sections of NDPS Act, 1985 by the Tiruvottiyur police station is palpably false, he ruled. The judge also negated, by quoting certain previous orders of the courts, the contention of the prosecution that plea of alibi cannot be taken for consideration in a quash petition. Finding the CCTV footage collected from the premises of the JM court in Katpadi showing the presence of the petitioners and the indubitable record of the same court proving the case of the petitioners, Justice Chandrasekharan concluded that continuation of the criminal proceedings against the duo would amount to harassment and abuse of process of law. It is clearly established that it is a false case and is liable to be quashed and accordingly is quashed, the judge ordered. He directed the DGP to initiate criminal and departmental action against the concerned sub-inspector for registering the false case against the petitioners and keeping them lodged in judicial custody till now. The judge ordered the authorities to release them immediately if they are not required in any other case. CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has found that a false case was registered against two people over the alleged possession of psychotropic substances. The court ordered the revocation of the case and the immediate release of the duo. The court also directed the Tamil Nadu Director General of Police (DGP) to initiate criminal action against the police officer who registered the false case and imprisoned them. Justice G Chandrasekharan passed the orders recently on the petition filed by R Surya and R Sathish who were framed by the Tiruvottiyur police in a psychotropic substances case in 2022.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); According to the FIR, the duo was found in possession of the contraband under an overbridge near the Cattle Market in Tiruvottiyur at 12.30 pm on July 29, 2022. They were slapped with a case under various sections of the Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 and subsequently, remanded to judicial custody. However, they moved the High Court seeking to quash the case claiming it was foisted because they were actually present at the judicial magistrate (JM) court at Katpadi in Vellore at 10.30 am in connection with another case. Going by the material placed before the court, the judge held, Certainly, it is not possible, for the accused persons, who attended the court hearing in Katpadi, 160 km away from Chennai, to be found with the contraband at about 12.30 pm on the same day in Tiruvottiyur. He noted that records of the Katpadi court clearly established the fact that the petitioners were present in the Katpadi court on the said date. It is obvious that the case registered for the offences under the sections of NDPS Act, 1985 by the Tiruvottiyur police station is palpably false, he ruled. The judge also negated, by quoting certain previous orders of the courts, the contention of the prosecution that plea of alibi cannot be taken for consideration in a quash petition. Finding the CCTV footage collected from the premises of the JM court in Katpadi showing the presence of the petitioners and the indubitable record of the same court proving the case of the petitioners, Justice Chandrasekharan concluded that continuation of the criminal proceedings against the duo would amount to harassment and abuse of process of law. It is clearly established that it is a false case and is liable to be quashed and accordingly is quashed, the judge ordered. He directed the DGP to initiate criminal and departmental action against the concerned sub-inspector for registering the false case against the petitioners and keeping them lodged in judicial custody till now. The judge ordered the authorities to release them immediately if they are not required in any other case. By Express News Service VIJAYAWADA: Anganwadi workers and helpers were detained in large numbers as they staged a protest in Vijayawada on Monday. They were protesting against the face recognition app, regularisation of their service and hike in pay. The detained Anganwadi workers were shifted to various police stations in Vijayawada. Several others were stopped and taken into custody in various districts across the State when they resorted to protest. Around 2,700 Anganwadi workers along with leaders of CITU, which led the protest and CPM, including State leader Ch Babu Rao were detained. CPM and other left parties condemned the detention. Even BJP condemned the detention of Anganwadi workers and demanded their immediate release. Why the voice making genuine demands is being stifled? Government is oppressing the democratic right to protest, BJP MLC PVN Madhav said in a press release. VIJAYAWADA: Anganwadi workers and helpers were detained in large numbers as they staged a protest in Vijayawada on Monday. They were protesting against the face recognition app, regularisation of their service and hike in pay. The detained Anganwadi workers were shifted to various police stations in Vijayawada. Several others were stopped and taken into custody in various districts across the State when they resorted to protest. Around 2,700 Anganwadi workers along with leaders of CITU, which led the protest and CPM, including State leader Ch Babu Rao were detained. CPM and other left parties condemned the detention. Even BJP condemned the detention of Anganwadi workers and demanded their immediate release. Why the voice making genuine demands is being stifled? Government is oppressing the democratic right to protest, BJP MLC PVN Madhav said in a press release.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Manju Latha Kalanidhi By Express News Service Abha is a healing consultant who has experienced panic attacks and has dealt with insomnia and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Krisha is a corporate trainer who lost her mother and sister, and is learning to love herself. Sourabh is a social entrepreneur who overcame self-doubt through spirituality, and Sukhjot is an IELTS trainer who is bi-curious and has battled suicidal thoughts. If Abha, Krisha, Sourabh and Sukhjot from across India would be your peers in the journey towards better mental health, would you give it a try? No one gets it till they get it. Thats the credo upon which the new Bengaluru-based mental health platform SoulUp works. With peer connect as its central strategy to help resolve mental health issues, the startup recently made a buzz after it appeared on Shark Tanks on March 7. Founded by Mahak Maheshwari and Punita Mittal, the platform seeks to be a LinkedIn-like network for medical issues. The creators believe its not enough to have a counsellor or an expert to advise people, but someone who has been on the same page as them to help tide over lifes issues. Currently, with 300 registered peers (who have been through similar experiences) in 200 topics (from relationships to anger management), who can cumulatively speak 25 languages, the platform facilitates therapist-led focus groups. The website has completed 1000-plus group conversations since its inception and claims to address anger issues, body negativity, social anxiety, etc. Punita Mittal (left) and Mahak Maheshwari, founders of SoulUp If the peers are not counsellors or therapists, how are they qualified to disburse advice or solutions? Their expertise and understanding comes from the firsthand experience of a challenge. Plus all peers are curated by the team and undergo training to have conversions more effectively. We also require proof of diagnosis, and for other issues, we do a verification call before any peer gets added to the network, say the founders. They get the maximum number of queries on relationship issues such as infidelity and divorce, chronic medical conditions such as depression and anxiety, and important life decisions like adoption, going childfree and egg freezing. Maheshwari and Mittal, who met two years ago in Bengaluru through mutual friends, dont just share a background in health tech, but also the passion for building a mental well-being solution. Mittal is an IIT Delhi alumnus and has been in the healthcare space for over 13 years, while Maheshwari, an IIT Bombay alumnus, started her career at a digital health firm before they came together. The idea struck me when I was volunteering for a year in Auroville in 2022, where I witnessed open conversations without judgement across the community, says Mittal. How it works Users can search for keywords related to their issue in the search bar of the website (Soulup.in), and it throws up a list of related groups and peers. One can further filter peers based on their age, gender, topic, language, availability, etc. Users can also discover verified peers who have been in the same boat as them and schedule video conversations with theminteractions are priced Rs 199-399 per hour. One can also opt for group discussion led by an expert with a small group of six users, which runs for a fixed number of sessions (Rs 2,500 for a four-session group). Neither the user nor the peer has access to each others telephone numbers. All conversations (45 minutes) happen via video calls over Zoom or Google Meet. Users can opt to connect over audio-only if they are feeling vulnerable, says Mittal. So far we have done over 1,000 conversations and our user base typically finds us on social media pages. We get users from across Tier I/II/III cities in India as well as draw 10 percent from overseas, says Maheshwari, adding that while SoulUp is currently website-only, they plan to launch its beta app soon. The focus is on building more peers, the founders say. More peers means better ability to recommend the right peers. Nearly 20 percent of users opt-in to become peers and share their experiences. They keep coming back to speak to those they discover via 1-on-1 or groups, they say. How do the founders gauge the efficacy of the platform? According to our feedback, 87 percent felt supported after a session, 78 percent found a new perspective and our calls have an average rating of 4.8/5, says Mittal. When it comes to mental health issues, looks like there is safety in numbers. The creators believe it is not enough to have a counsellor or an expert to advise people, but someone who has been on the same page to help others tide over lifes issues Abha is a healing consultant who has experienced panic attacks and has dealt with insomnia and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Krisha is a corporate trainer who lost her mother and sister, and is learning to love herself. Sourabh is a social entrepreneur who overcame self-doubt through spirituality, and Sukhjot is an IELTS trainer who is bi-curious and has battled suicidal thoughts. If Abha, Krisha, Sourabh and Sukhjot from across India would be your peers in the journey towards better mental health, would you give it a try? No one gets it till they get it. Thats the credo upon which the new Bengaluru-based mental health platform SoulUp works. With peer connect as its central strategy to help resolve mental health issues, the startup recently made a buzz after it appeared on Shark Tanks on March 7. Founded by Mahak Maheshwari and Punita Mittal, the platform seeks to be a LinkedIn-like network for medical issues. The creators believe its not enough to have a counsellor or an expert to advise people, but someone who has been on the same page as them to help tide over lifes issues. Currently, with 300 registered peers (who have been through similar experiences) in 200 topics (from relationships to anger management), who can cumulatively speak 25 languages, the platform facilitates therapist-led focus groups. The website has completed 1000-plus group conversations since its inception and claims to address anger issues, body negativity, social anxiety, etc. Punita Mittal (left) and Mahak Maheshwari, founders of SoulUp If the peers are not counsellors or therapists, how are they qualified to disburse advice or solutions? Their expertise and understanding comes from the firsthand experience of a challenge. Plus all peers are curated by the team and undergo training to have conversions more effectively. We also require proof of diagnosis, and for other issues, we do a verification call before any peer gets added to the network, say the founders. They get the maximum number of queries on relationship issues such as infidelity and divorce, chronic medical conditions such as depression and anxiety, and important life decisions like adoption, going childfree and egg freezing.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Maheshwari and Mittal, who met two years ago in Bengaluru through mutual friends, dont just share a background in health tech, but also the passion for building a mental well-being solution. Mittal is an IIT Delhi alumnus and has been in the healthcare space for over 13 years, while Maheshwari, an IIT Bombay alumnus, started her career at a digital health firm before they came together. The idea struck me when I was volunteering for a year in Auroville in 2022, where I witnessed open conversations without judgement across the community, says Mittal. How it works Users can search for keywords related to their issue in the search bar of the website (Soulup.in), and it throws up a list of related groups and peers. One can further filter peers based on their age, gender, topic, language, availability, etc. Users can also discover verified peers who have been in the same boat as them and schedule video conversations with theminteractions are priced Rs 199-399 per hour. One can also opt for group discussion led by an expert with a small group of six users, which runs for a fixed number of sessions (Rs 2,500 for a four-session group). Neither the user nor the peer has access to each others telephone numbers. All conversations (45 minutes) happen via video calls over Zoom or Google Meet. Users can opt to connect over audio-only if they are feeling vulnerable, says Mittal. So far we have done over 1,000 conversations and our user base typically finds us on social media pages. We get users from across Tier I/II/III cities in India as well as draw 10 percent from overseas, says Maheshwari, adding that while SoulUp is currently website-only, they plan to launch its beta app soon. The focus is on building more peers, the founders say. More peers means better ability to recommend the right peers. Nearly 20 percent of users opt-in to become peers and share their experiences. They keep coming back to speak to those they discover via 1-on-1 or groups, they say. How do the founders gauge the efficacy of the platform? According to our feedback, 87 percent felt supported after a session, 78 percent found a new perspective and our calls have an average rating of 4.8/5, says Mittal. When it comes to mental health issues, looks like there is safety in numbers. The creators believe it is not enough to have a counsellor or an expert to advise people, but someone who has been on the same page to help others tide over lifes issues Harish Bhat By Jamsetji Tata, founder of the Tata Group, is known for establishing very successful, pioneering business ventures that have gone on to shape Indian industry. But did you know that the tale of his life is also the story of a man who never ever stopped dreaming? During the first three decades after founding the Tata Group in 1868, Jamsetji had already established very successful textile millsEmpress Mills in Nagpur, Swadeshi Mills in Mumbai and Advance Mills in Ahmedabad. He had conceptualised Indias first integrated steel plant in Jamshedpur, which would bloom into Tata Steel. He had planned the countrys most ambitious hydroelectric power plant at Walwhan on the Western Ghats and had begun working towards establishing the fabulous Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai. He had even embarked on creating Indias first full-fledged science research university, the Indian Institute of Science, at Bangalore, and launched the countrys first scholarships for higher education overseas for Indians. Put together, these pioneering and ambitious ventures make for the story of a complete and fulfilling life. Surely, their planning and execution must have kept Jamsetji substantially preoccupied. Indeed, one of his early biographers wrote: Had he no other title to recognition, his conduct of the mills would suffice. But all this did not stop him from dreaming about many other possibilities for his beloved nation. One of his most imaginative projects centred on creating adequate cold storage for the city of Mumbai. He wanted to increase the food supply and prevent constant shortages in the period immediately after the devastating bubonic plague of the 1890s by setting up a cold storage plant for fruits and fish. Therefore, around 1900, he began drawing up plans for a huge building to be constructed on the land that is now occupied by the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (earlier called the Prince of Wales Museum). This was to be a circular building surrounding a huge house of ice where the manufacture of artificial ice would cool the entire structure. The external perimeter of the building would contain offices that could be leased out, or even rooms for concerts, all of which would be suitably air-conditioned by the central icehouse. Jamsetjis dream was evidently ahead of its time and this project would not come to fruition in his lifetime. It would take another twenty years before his dream was realised, albeit in a different format, when the iconic Crawford Market in Mumbai became equipped with adequate cold storage and refrigerators. Another dream that Jamsetji pursued with passion was the establishment of Indias own shipping line. He believed that a country which depends on the ships of another nation faces a permanent disadvantage. He also resented the exorbitant charges on the transport of Indian cotton yarn levied by the British-owned Peninsular and Oriental (P&O) line, which held a monopoly on shipping out of India in those days. So, he travelled to Japan and after reaching an agreement with the well-established Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK) line, he established the Tata line, for which he bought two ships, Annie Barrow and Lindisfarne, which would carry Indian cotton goods and yarn, alongside the Japanese ships of NYK, at reasonable freight charges. The Indian media commended the courage of Jamsetji in trying to break a huge monopoly. Soon, however, the P&O line, which was subsidised by the revenues and taxpayers of India, decided to safeguard their monopoly and ruthlessly crush all competition by reducing rates to hugely unviable levels. They even made the unusual offer of carrying Indian cotton to Japan free of charge if shippers signed suitable declarations with them. Jamsetji Tata took up this matter strongly and repeatedly with the Secretary of State for India in the British government, but to no avail. The cotton mills of Mumbai gradually withdrew their contracts from the Tata line. So, the two ships were sent back to England, and the relatively small Tata line shut down. However, the venture did help Japans NYK get an initial foothold in the Indian market, which eventually created some degree of competition, to the benefit of Indian manufacturers and merchants. Yet another dream was the desire to encourage the growth of Egyptian cotton in India. Here, the intent in Jamsetjis mind was to help Indian mills spin yarn of finer counts, for which Egyptian cotton was eminently suitable. He studied this subject in detail and was concerned that countries like Germany, Austria, Belgium and England were flooding the Indian market with their manufactured cotton goods. Therefore, in a rallying cry,he implored all Indians to save Indias young and only industry from utter destruction. He passionately argued: If India were enabled to grow for itself the long-stapled varieties, she would derive immense benefit in three different directionssuch an expansion would assist agriculture, conserve the money of the country, and improve the exchange. Experiments to grow Egyptian cotton in India began in right earnest. In some districts in the central provinces, these ventures achieved success, whereas, in many other places, they failed. This was already the twilight of Jamsetjis life; he has deeply immersed in his steel, hydroelectric, hotel and science education ventures, and he eventually concluded that from a cost-benefit standpoint, it would not be advisable to give further attention to this project. Jamsetjis capacity to dream remained with him until the very end. The last days of his life were spent in Europe consulting expert doctors. Although still robust in spirit, his heart had grown weak, and he suffered from sleeplessness and immense breathing difficulties. So, in San Remo, Italy, on an occasional good day, he would go to the marketplace and buy fresh fruits, something he loved eating. There, he began to dream of cultivating dates and other Mediterranean fruits in India, given their nutritious content. A few days later, he passed away, warmly ensconced in the love of his family. We do not know what his final dream was, but there can be no doubt that it must have been a dream that brought alive his deep love for India, the nation that he worked for and championed throughout his life. Never stop dreaming. Dreams are the visions that help unfold and enrich our lives. Despite having created such pioneering and successful businesses, and notwithstanding many challenges and a few failures too, Jamsetji Tata never stopped dreaming throughout his life. Why should we? Excerpted with permission from #Tata Stories: 40 Timeless Tales to Inspire You by Harish Bhat; published by Penguin Random House India Jamsetji Tata, founder of the Tata Group, is known for establishing very successful, pioneering business ventures that have gone on to shape Indian industry. But did you know that the tale of his life is also the story of a man who never ever stopped dreaming? During the first three decades after founding the Tata Group in 1868, Jamsetji had already established very successful textile millsEmpress Mills in Nagpur, Swadeshi Mills in Mumbai and Advance Mills in Ahmedabad. He had conceptualised Indias first integrated steel plant in Jamshedpur, which would bloom into Tata Steel. He had planned the countrys most ambitious hydroelectric power plant at Walwhan on the Western Ghats and had begun working towards establishing the fabulous Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai. He had even embarked on creating Indias first full-fledged science research university, the Indian Institute of Science, at Bangalore, and launched the countrys first scholarships for higher education overseas for Indians. Put together, these pioneering and ambitious ventures make for the story of a complete and fulfilling life. Surely, their planning and execution must have kept Jamsetji substantially preoccupied. Indeed, one of his early biographers wrote: Had he no other title to recognition, his conduct of the mills would suffice. But all this did not stop him from dreaming about many other possibilities for his beloved nation.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); One of his most imaginative projects centred on creating adequate cold storage for the city of Mumbai. He wanted to increase the food supply and prevent constant shortages in the period immediately after the devastating bubonic plague of the 1890s by setting up a cold storage plant for fruits and fish. Therefore, around 1900, he began drawing up plans for a huge building to be constructed on the land that is now occupied by the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (earlier called the Prince of Wales Museum). This was to be a circular building surrounding a huge house of ice where the manufacture of artificial ice would cool the entire structure. The external perimeter of the building would contain offices that could be leased out, or even rooms for concerts, all of which would be suitably air-conditioned by the central icehouse. Jamsetjis dream was evidently ahead of its time and this project would not come to fruition in his lifetime. It would take another twenty years before his dream was realised, albeit in a different format, when the iconic Crawford Market in Mumbai became equipped with adequate cold storage and refrigerators. Another dream that Jamsetji pursued with passion was the establishment of Indias own shipping line. He believed that a country which depends on the ships of another nation faces a permanent disadvantage. He also resented the exorbitant charges on the transport of Indian cotton yarn levied by the British-owned Peninsular and Oriental (P&O) line, which held a monopoly on shipping out of India in those days. So, he travelled to Japan and after reaching an agreement with the well-established Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK) line, he established the Tata line, for which he bought two ships, Annie Barrow and Lindisfarne, which would carry Indian cotton goods and yarn, alongside the Japanese ships of NYK, at reasonable freight charges. The Indian media commended the courage of Jamsetji in trying to break a huge monopoly. Soon, however, the P&O line, which was subsidised by the revenues and taxpayers of India, decided to safeguard their monopoly and ruthlessly crush all competition by reducing rates to hugely unviable levels. They even made the unusual offer of carrying Indian cotton to Japan free of charge if shippers signed suitable declarations with them. Jamsetji Tata took up this matter strongly and repeatedly with the Secretary of State for India in the British government, but to no avail. The cotton mills of Mumbai gradually withdrew their contracts from the Tata line. So, the two ships were sent back to England, and the relatively small Tata line shut down. However, the venture did help Japans NYK get an initial foothold in the Indian market, which eventually created some degree of competition, to the benefit of Indian manufacturers and merchants. Yet another dream was the desire to encourage the growth of Egyptian cotton in India. Here, the intent in Jamsetjis mind was to help Indian mills spin yarn of finer counts, for which Egyptian cotton was eminently suitable. He studied this subject in detail and was concerned that countries like Germany, Austria, Belgium and England were flooding the Indian market with their manufactured cotton goods. Therefore, in a rallying cry,he implored all Indians to save Indias young and only industry from utter destruction. He passionately argued: If India were enabled to grow for itself the long-stapled varieties, she would derive immense benefit in three different directionssuch an expansion would assist agriculture, conserve the money of the country, and improve the exchange. Experiments to grow Egyptian cotton in India began in right earnest. In some districts in the central provinces, these ventures achieved success, whereas, in many other places, they failed. This was already the twilight of Jamsetjis life; he has deeply immersed in his steel, hydroelectric, hotel and science education ventures, and he eventually concluded that from a cost-benefit standpoint, it would not be advisable to give further attention to this project. Jamsetjis capacity to dream remained with him until the very end. The last days of his life were spent in Europe consulting expert doctors. Although still robust in spirit, his heart had grown weak, and he suffered from sleeplessness and immense breathing difficulties. So, in San Remo, Italy, on an occasional good day, he would go to the marketplace and buy fresh fruits, something he loved eating. There, he began to dream of cultivating dates and other Mediterranean fruits in India, given their nutritious content. A few days later, he passed away, warmly ensconced in the love of his family. We do not know what his final dream was, but there can be no doubt that it must have been a dream that brought alive his deep love for India, the nation that he worked for and championed throughout his life. Never stop dreaming. Dreams are the visions that help unfold and enrich our lives. Despite having created such pioneering and successful businesses, and notwithstanding many challenges and a few failures too, Jamsetji Tata never stopped dreaming throughout his life. Why should we? Excerpted with permission from #Tata Stories: 40 Timeless Tales to Inspire You by Harish Bhat; published by Penguin Random House India Abhishek Baxi By Express News Service If there was any doubt, the launch of GPT-4, ChatGPTs successor, has established, once and for all, that 2023 will be the definitive year for generative AI. Though the distinction between OpenAIs GPT-4 and its predecessor GPT-3.5 is subtle, and the improvement more iterative, GPT-4 surpasses ChatGPT in its advanced reasoning capabilities. Last month, both Microsoft and Google announced an evolution of search experiences. Google has Bard, an AI-powered chatbot that can answer queries in a conversational way, and Microsoft announced the next-generation of Bing and Edge powered by GPT-4. Bing is currently available in a limited preview. Transcending enterprise applications, GPT-4 and other AI systemsGoogle will offer developers access to one of its most advanced AI language models, PaLMwill now push for more consumer apps and services that offer content creation, low-code solutions for office workers, as well as knowledge and information processing solutions for businesses. OpenAI will also partner with a number of companies to integrate GPT-4 into their products, including Duolingo and Khan Academy. Some early case studies include payment platform Stripe leveraging GPT-4 to streamline user experience and combat fraud, and Morgan Stanley wealth management deploying it to organise its vast knowledge base. Later this year, Google will offer a bunch of generative AI features for its various Workspace apps, including Google Docs, Gmail, Sheets and Slides. The features will include new ways to generate, summarise and brainstorm text in Google Docs and the ability to produce AI imagery, audio and video to illustrate presentations in Slides. Microsoft too is building similar features into its Microsoft 365 suite, including Word, Teams and Outlook. The company is also looking to bundle its AI-powered search experience into the Windows 11 operating system. Games People Play While the metaverse ambitions in enterprises look like a distant dream, the gaming community may soon get to indulge in unprecedented virtual and mixed-reality experiences. From a niche audience of early adopters and technology enthusiasts, immersive and portable gaming will become mainstream. One of the reasons would be Apples VR incursion this yearthe companys first foray into virtual reality will not only raise the stakes among the competition, but also drive large-scale adoption in a way that only Apple can enable. Sonys long-awaited PlayStation VR 2 promises a more immersive experience, thanks to its much-improved tracking and new sensory features. The brand has confirmed over 20 games at launch, offering a mix of first-party and third-party games. Mark Zuckerberg has also confirmed that the Meta Quest 3 will launch later this year, and will get an enhanced mixed reality featureMeta Reality. The third-generation VR headset could be the best to hit the shelves by retaining the affordable price point of its predecessor. Bring into the Fold Even though innovation in smartphones is reaching a plateau, the brands are stretching the camera prowess to achieve incredible results. But whats really making news this year are the foldable phones. A 2022 report from Counterpoint Research predicted that the global foldable phones market is expected to grow to 26 million units this year. While Pixel foldable is the most-anticipated, OPPO too has thrown its hat in the ring with Find N2 Flip. Also, expect the Samsung foldables later this year to shake things up significantly. The brand recently launched its Galaxy S23 seriesthe most accessible and marquee flagship smartphone. Its an iterative update, but could end up being the best-selling Android phone in the market. The likes of Xiaomi and Vivo too are pushing the envelope with Xiaomi 13 Pro and the Vivo X90 Pro, as they aim to up the ante in the photography department with their partnership with Leica and ZEISS, respectively. The smartphone market in India is already moving from being volume-driven to value-driven. While Redmi, Xiaomis sub-brand, and Realme will continue to fight it out in the affordable segment, everyone from Xiaomi, Vivo, iQOO, OPPO, OnePlus to Google and Samsung will put out delightful devices in the broad range from Rs 30,000 to six-figure price-stickers.With Apples greater focus on Indian market, iPhone 14 could emerge as the top-selling model, considering iPhone 15 will be launched later this year. Health Watch Gone are the days of tracking water intake, calories, and steps via wearables. People are now looking for customised fitness solutions akin to a personal trainer. The health ecosystem will also evolve as doctors and medical practitioners warm up to data from wearables (sleep cycles, heart rate monitoring etc.) and medical-grade thingamajigs (like the one used for a sleep study) to aid diagnosis and keep a tab on patients with chronic conditions. Online platforms offering mental health services, including therapy, and sexual wellness consultations are set to thrive, with platforms such as Allo Health, Kindly and Man Matters already offering full-stack solutions in India. If there was any doubt, the launch of GPT-4, ChatGPTs successor, has established, once and for all, that 2023 will be the definitive year for generative AI. Though the distinction between OpenAIs GPT-4 and its predecessor GPT-3.5 is subtle, and the improvement more iterative, GPT-4 surpasses ChatGPT in its advanced reasoning capabilities. Last month, both Microsoft and Google announced an evolution of search experiences. Google has Bard, an AI-powered chatbot that can answer queries in a conversational way, and Microsoft announced the next-generation of Bing and Edge powered by GPT-4. Bing is currently available in a limited preview. Transcending enterprise applications, GPT-4 and other AI systemsGoogle will offer developers access to one of its most advanced AI language models, PaLMwill now push for more consumer apps and services that offer content creation, low-code solutions for office workers, as well as knowledge and information processing solutions for businesses.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); OpenAI will also partner with a number of companies to integrate GPT-4 into their products, including Duolingo and Khan Academy. Some early case studies include payment platform Stripe leveraging GPT-4 to streamline user experience and combat fraud, and Morgan Stanley wealth management deploying it to organise its vast knowledge base. Later this year, Google will offer a bunch of generative AI features for its various Workspace apps, including Google Docs, Gmail, Sheets and Slides. The features will include new ways to generate, summarise and brainstorm text in Google Docs and the ability to produce AI imagery, audio and video to illustrate presentations in Slides. Microsoft too is building similar features into its Microsoft 365 suite, including Word, Teams and Outlook. The company is also looking to bundle its AI-powered search experience into the Windows 11 operating system. Games People Play While the metaverse ambitions in enterprises look like a distant dream, the gaming community may soon get to indulge in unprecedented virtual and mixed-reality experiences. From a niche audience of early adopters and technology enthusiasts, immersive and portable gaming will become mainstream. One of the reasons would be Apples VR incursion this yearthe companys first foray into virtual reality will not only raise the stakes among the competition, but also drive large-scale adoption in a way that only Apple can enable. Sonys long-awaited PlayStation VR 2 promises a more immersive experience, thanks to its much-improved tracking and new sensory features. The brand has confirmed over 20 games at launch, offering a mix of first-party and third-party games. Mark Zuckerberg has also confirmed that the Meta Quest 3 will launch later this year, and will get an enhanced mixed reality featureMeta Reality. The third-generation VR headset could be the best to hit the shelves by retaining the affordable price point of its predecessor. Bring into the Fold Even though innovation in smartphones is reaching a plateau, the brands are stretching the camera prowess to achieve incredible results. But whats really making news this year are the foldable phones. A 2022 report from Counterpoint Research predicted that the global foldable phones market is expected to grow to 26 million units this year. While Pixel foldable is the most-anticipated, OPPO too has thrown its hat in the ring with Find N2 Flip. Also, expect the Samsung foldables later this year to shake things up significantly. The brand recently launched its Galaxy S23 seriesthe most accessible and marquee flagship smartphone. Its an iterative update, but could end up being the best-selling Android phone in the market. The likes of Xiaomi and Vivo too are pushing the envelope with Xiaomi 13 Pro and the Vivo X90 Pro, as they aim to up the ante in the photography department with their partnership with Leica and ZEISS, respectively. The smartphone market in India is already moving from being volume-driven to value-driven. While Redmi, Xiaomis sub-brand, and Realme will continue to fight it out in the affordable segment, everyone from Xiaomi, Vivo, iQOO, OPPO, OnePlus to Google and Samsung will put out delightful devices in the broad range from Rs 30,000 to six-figure price-stickers.With Apples greater focus on Indian market, iPhone 14 could emerge as the top-selling model, considering iPhone 15 will be launched later this year. Health Watch Gone are the days of tracking water intake, calories, and steps via wearables. People are now looking for customised fitness solutions akin to a personal trainer. The health ecosystem will also evolve as doctors and medical practitioners warm up to data from wearables (sleep cycles, heart rate monitoring etc.) and medical-grade thingamajigs (like the one used for a sleep study) to aid diagnosis and keep a tab on patients with chronic conditions. Online platforms offering mental health services, including therapy, and sexual wellness consultations are set to thrive, with platforms such as Allo Health, Kindly and Man Matters already offering full-stack solutions in India. Fayaz Wani By Express News Service SRINAGAR: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested Irfan Mehraj, a Kashmiri journalist, in an alleged NGO terror funding case. The NIA, while confirming the arrest, said it was the first arrest in the ongoing investigation. Srinagar-based freelance journalist Irfan, who has contributed to various national and international news organizations, was arrested by NIA yesterday evening. An NIA spokesman said following comprehensive investigations into the NGO Terror funding case registered in October 2020, the NIA arrested Irfan Mehraj from Srinagar yesterday. Irfan was a close associate of detained Khurram Parvez and was working with his organization, Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Societies (JKCCS). Investigation revealed that the JKCCS was funding terror activities in the valley and had also been in the propagation of a secessionist agenda in the Valley under the garb of protection of human rights, he said. ALSO READ | Terror funding: NIA conducts raids at multiple locations in J&K Khurram Parvez, human rights activist and chairman of the Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD) and coordinator of JKCCS was arrested by NIA in November 2021. The involvement of some Valley-based NGOs, Trusts and Societies in the funding terror related activities is being probed in this case. Some NGOs, both registered as well as unregistered, have come to notice collecting funds domestically and abroad under the cover of doing charity and various welfare activities, including Public Health, Education etc. But some of these organisations have developed links with proscribed terrorist organizations, such as Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) etc, the NIA spokesman said. ALSO READ | Terror funding case: ED attaches J&K separatist Shabir Ahmad Shah's Srinagar house SRINAGAR: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested Irfan Mehraj, a Kashmiri journalist, in an alleged NGO terror funding case. The NIA, while confirming the arrest, said it was the first arrest in the ongoing investigation. Srinagar-based freelance journalist Irfan, who has contributed to various national and international news organizations, was arrested by NIA yesterday evening. An NIA spokesman said following comprehensive investigations into the NGO Terror funding case registered in October 2020, the NIA arrested Irfan Mehraj from Srinagar yesterday.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Irfan was a close associate of detained Khurram Parvez and was working with his organization, Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Societies (JKCCS). Investigation revealed that the JKCCS was funding terror activities in the valley and had also been in the propagation of a secessionist agenda in the Valley under the garb of protection of human rights, he said. ALSO READ | Terror funding: NIA conducts raids at multiple locations in J&K Khurram Parvez, human rights activist and chairman of the Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD) and coordinator of JKCCS was arrested by NIA in November 2021. The involvement of some Valley-based NGOs, Trusts and Societies in the funding terror related activities is being probed in this case. Some NGOs, both registered as well as unregistered, have come to notice collecting funds domestically and abroad under the cover of doing charity and various welfare activities, including Public Health, Education etc. But some of these organisations have developed links with proscribed terrorist organizations, such as Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) etc, the NIA spokesman said. ALSO READ | Terror funding case: ED attaches J&K separatist Shabir Ahmad Shah's Srinagar house Aegean Airlines, Greece's largest airline company, is launching new direct flights between Thessaloniki and Tbilisi, the Georgian Civil Aviation Agency confirmed on Thursday, Trend reports with reference to Agenda. 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. Preetha Nair By Express News Service NEW DELHI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi again wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, on Tuesday, requesting his permission to respond to the allegations raised against him by four BJP ministers in Parliament. This comes days after he said that if Indian democracy was functioning, he will be allowed to speak in the Parliament at a press conference. Rahul is in the eye of a storm over his Indian democracy under siege remarks. Both Houses of Parliament have not been functioning for more than a week as the BJP and government are adamant about seeking an apology from the Congress MP. At least four Union ministers have sought Gandhis apology over his remarks during his speech at Cambridge University where he said that Indian democracy was under attack and alleged that mikes were often switched off in Parliament when Opposition members speak. In his letter dated March 18, the Wayanad MP said that he is seeking permission to speak in Lok Sabha under the conventions of Parliamentary practice. ALSO READ | Rahul tears into RSS & BJP, says he does not fear them I had written to you on March 17th seeking your permission to respond to totally baseless and unfair charges hurled at me by senior Ministers in the Lok Sabha. I am making such a request again. I am seeking this permission under the conventions of Parliamentary practice, the constitutionally embedded rules of natural justice, and Rule 357 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha, he said in the letter. ALSO WATCH | Rahul attended Parliament on March 16, for the first time after the controversy broke out over his democracy remarks. However, as the House got adjourned after the ruckus, the Congress leader did not get an opportunity to respond to the allegations of maligning India on foreign soil. Later in a press conference, Rahul said that he met the Speaker Om Birla and sought an opportunity to respond to the allegations, Birla was non-committal. Four ministers have spoken against me in the Lok Sabha. It is my right to respond to them. If Indian democracy is functioning, I would be able to say my piece in Parliament, he had said. ALSO READ | Democracy remark row: BJP calls Rahul Gandhi 'Mir Jafar of Indian polity' In the letter, the Congress leader further elaborated on Rule 357, which provides "personal explanations". Under Rule 357, a member may, with the permission of the Speaker, make a personal explanation although there is no question before the House, but in this case, no debatable matter may be brought forward, and no debate shall arise, it said. He further said Members of the ruling regime have made scurrilous and defamatory claims against me both within and outside Parliament. As a result of these allegations, and the rules invoked by these individuals, it is only appropriate that you kindly allow me a right to reply as contained in Rule 357 which allows for personal explanations. The former Congress President also elaborated with an instance of former Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad invoking Rule 357. ALSO READ | Parliament standoff: Both Houses adjourned amid uproar over Adani, Rahul I have taken the liberty of annexing an example where Hon'ble MP (and then Minister) Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad, invoked the Rule to explain comments made by Shri Jyotiraditya Scindia about him in Parliament, he said. Furthermore, there are several examples available on the Lok Sabha Digital Library which show that this right isn't restricted to responding to statements made within Parliament but extends to allegations made in the public domain as well, said the letter. Parliament like any other institution is bound by the Rules of Natural Justice contained in Articles 14 and 21 of our Constitution. They are a guarantee against administrative arbitrariness and ensure that every person has a right to be heard in a cause with which they are concerned, he said. Stating that Parliament cannot abdicate the responsibility to respect the right to speak, Gandhi said that as he will be away in Karnataka and Kerala on March 20th and 21st, the Speaker should allow him to speak at the earliest. Surely, you would agree that Parliament of all institutions cannot abdicate the responsibility to respect this right when it doesn't suit the ruling regime. I hope the above satisfies your query and that you will allow me a right to reply in the Lok Sabha at the earliest, he said. NEW DELHI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi again wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, on Tuesday, requesting his permission to respond to the allegations raised against him by four BJP ministers in Parliament. This comes days after he said that if Indian democracy was functioning, he will be allowed to speak in the Parliament at a press conference. Rahul is in the eye of a storm over his Indian democracy under siege remarks. Both Houses of Parliament have not been functioning for more than a week as the BJP and government are adamant about seeking an apology from the Congress MP. At least four Union ministers have sought Gandhis apology over his remarks during his speech at Cambridge University where he said that Indian democracy was under attack and alleged that mikes were often switched off in Parliament when Opposition members speak. In his letter dated March 18, the Wayanad MP said that he is seeking permission to speak in Lok Sabha under the conventions of Parliamentary practice.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); ALSO READ | Rahul tears into RSS & BJP, says he does not fear them I had written to you on March 17th seeking your permission to respond to totally baseless and unfair charges hurled at me by senior Ministers in the Lok Sabha. I am making such a request again. I am seeking this permission under the conventions of Parliamentary practice, the constitutionally embedded rules of natural justice, and Rule 357 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha, he said in the letter. ALSO WATCH | Rahul attended Parliament on March 16, for the first time after the controversy broke out over his democracy remarks. However, as the House got adjourned after the ruckus, the Congress leader did not get an opportunity to respond to the allegations of maligning India on foreign soil. Later in a press conference, Rahul said that he met the Speaker Om Birla and sought an opportunity to respond to the allegations, Birla was non-committal. Four ministers have spoken against me in the Lok Sabha. It is my right to respond to them. If Indian democracy is functioning, I would be able to say my piece in Parliament, he had said. ALSO READ | Democracy remark row: BJP calls Rahul Gandhi 'Mir Jafar of Indian polity' In the letter, the Congress leader further elaborated on Rule 357, which provides "personal explanations". Under Rule 357, a member may, with the permission of the Speaker, make a personal explanation although there is no question before the House, but in this case, no debatable matter may be brought forward, and no debate shall arise, it said. He further said Members of the ruling regime have made scurrilous and defamatory claims against me both within and outside Parliament. As a result of these allegations, and the rules invoked by these individuals, it is only appropriate that you kindly allow me a right to reply as contained in Rule 357 which allows for personal explanations. The former Congress President also elaborated with an instance of former Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad invoking Rule 357. ALSO READ | Parliament standoff: Both Houses adjourned amid uproar over Adani, Rahul I have taken the liberty of annexing an example where Hon'ble MP (and then Minister) Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad, invoked the Rule to explain comments made by Shri Jyotiraditya Scindia about him in Parliament, he said. Furthermore, there are several examples available on the Lok Sabha Digital Library which show that this right isn't restricted to responding to statements made within Parliament but extends to allegations made in the public domain as well, said the letter. Parliament like any other institution is bound by the Rules of Natural Justice contained in Articles 14 and 21 of our Constitution. They are a guarantee against administrative arbitrariness and ensure that every person has a right to be heard in a cause with which they are concerned, he said. Stating that Parliament cannot abdicate the responsibility to respect the right to speak, Gandhi said that as he will be away in Karnataka and Kerala on March 20th and 21st, the Speaker should allow him to speak at the earliest. Surely, you would agree that Parliament of all institutions cannot abdicate the responsibility to respect this right when it doesn't suit the ruling regime. I hope the above satisfies your query and that you will allow me a right to reply in the Lok Sabha at the earliest, he said. Shruti Kakkar By Express News Service NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday commuted the death sentence awarded to a man for kidnapping and murdering a seven-year-old in Tamil Nadu to life imprisonment for not less than 20 years. A bench of CJI DY Chandrachud, Justices Hima Kohli and PS Narasimha also issued notice to the Inspector of Police, Kammapuram Police Station, Cuddalore District, State of Tamil Nadu to explain why action should not be taken for the filing of an incorrect affidavit dated 26 September 2021. The authorities in the affidavit had failed to include the information about his attempt to escape from prison on November 6, 2013. The court also initiated suo moto contempt proceedings against the Inspector of Police for withholding information. The bench while upholding his conviction said, We see no reason in the review jurisdiction to interfere with the concurrent findings of the Trial Court, High Court and this Court vis-a-vis the guilt of the petitioner for kidnapping and murdering the victim. The court added, As we have discussed, the rarest of rare doctrine requires that the death sentence not be imposed only by taking into account the grave nature of the crime but only if there is no possibility of reformation in a criminal. The top court's judgement came on a review plea filed by Sundar alias Sundarrajan who picked up the victim while he was returning from school in the school van on July 27, 2009. On the same night, the victim's mother received a call on her mobile phone from Sundar, demanding a ransom of Rs 5 lakh for his release. On July 30, 2009, the police raided Sundar's house and arrested him along with a co-accused who was later acquitted. He confessed to strangling the boy, putting his body in a gunny bag and throwing it in the Meerankulam tank. The Madras High Court had on September 30, 2010, confirmed the conviction and the award of the death sentence, which was upheld by the top court on February 5, 2013. Sundar had filed a plea before the top court in 2013 seeking a review of his conviction for the offence of murder and the award of death sentence on the basis of the decision of a Constitution Bench in Mohd. Arif vs Registrar, Supreme Court of India. The Constitution Bench had held that review petitions arising from conviction and the imposition of the sentence of death must be heard in open court and cannot be disposed of by circulation. In its 51-page verdict, the apex court took note of the man's submission that he could not communicate mitigating circumstances bearing on his sentencing decision to the lawyer and his relatives, who being poor and uneducated, could not properly contest the case for him. The court said on the basis of these details, it cannot be said that there is no possibility of reformation even though the petitioner has committed a ghastly crime. "We must consider several mitigating factors: the petitioner has no prior antecedents, was 23 years old when he committed the crime and has been in prison since 2009 where his conduct has been satisfactory, except for the attempt to escape prison in 2013. The petitioner is suffering from a case of systemic hypertension and has attempted to acquire some basic education in the form of a diploma in food catering. The acquisition of a vocation in jail has an important bearing on his ability to lead a gainful life," the bench said. The top court said even though the crime committed by the man is unquestionably grave and unpardonable, it is not appropriate to affirm the death sentence that was awarded to him and added that it is the duty of the court to inquire into mitigating circumstances as well as to foreclose the possibility of reformation and rehabilitation before imposing the death penalty. (With inputs from PTI) NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday commuted the death sentence awarded to a man for kidnapping and murdering a seven-year-old in Tamil Nadu to life imprisonment for not less than 20 years. A bench of CJI DY Chandrachud, Justices Hima Kohli and PS Narasimha also issued notice to the Inspector of Police, Kammapuram Police Station, Cuddalore District, State of Tamil Nadu to explain why action should not be taken for the filing of an incorrect affidavit dated 26 September 2021. The authorities in the affidavit had failed to include the information about his attempt to escape from prison on November 6, 2013. The court also initiated suo moto contempt proceedings against the Inspector of Police for withholding information.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The bench while upholding his conviction said, We see no reason in the review jurisdiction to interfere with the concurrent findings of the Trial Court, High Court and this Court vis-a-vis the guilt of the petitioner for kidnapping and murdering the victim. The court added, As we have discussed, the rarest of rare doctrine requires that the death sentence not be imposed only by taking into account the grave nature of the crime but only if there is no possibility of reformation in a criminal. The top court's judgement came on a review plea filed by Sundar alias Sundarrajan who picked up the victim while he was returning from school in the school van on July 27, 2009. On the same night, the victim's mother received a call on her mobile phone from Sundar, demanding a ransom of Rs 5 lakh for his release. On July 30, 2009, the police raided Sundar's house and arrested him along with a co-accused who was later acquitted. He confessed to strangling the boy, putting his body in a gunny bag and throwing it in the Meerankulam tank. The Madras High Court had on September 30, 2010, confirmed the conviction and the award of the death sentence, which was upheld by the top court on February 5, 2013. Sundar had filed a plea before the top court in 2013 seeking a review of his conviction for the offence of murder and the award of death sentence on the basis of the decision of a Constitution Bench in Mohd. Arif vs Registrar, Supreme Court of India. The Constitution Bench had held that review petitions arising from conviction and the imposition of the sentence of death must be heard in open court and cannot be disposed of by circulation. In its 51-page verdict, the apex court took note of the man's submission that he could not communicate mitigating circumstances bearing on his sentencing decision to the lawyer and his relatives, who being poor and uneducated, could not properly contest the case for him. The court said on the basis of these details, it cannot be said that there is no possibility of reformation even though the petitioner has committed a ghastly crime. "We must consider several mitigating factors: the petitioner has no prior antecedents, was 23 years old when he committed the crime and has been in prison since 2009 where his conduct has been satisfactory, except for the attempt to escape prison in 2013. The petitioner is suffering from a case of systemic hypertension and has attempted to acquire some basic education in the form of a diploma in food catering. The acquisition of a vocation in jail has an important bearing on his ability to lead a gainful life," the bench said. The top court said even though the crime committed by the man is unquestionably grave and unpardonable, it is not appropriate to affirm the death sentence that was awarded to him and added that it is the duty of the court to inquire into mitigating circumstances as well as to foreclose the possibility of reformation and rehabilitation before imposing the death penalty. (With inputs from PTI) Radhika Ramaseshan By Indias Opposition is a strange beast. The parties and the leaders making up this discrepant entitythat refuses to hang together even as a loose coalitionshare similar problems with the ruling NDA government and use the same language when articulating the issues of harassment, victimisation, and institutional erosions resulting from the political executives overzealousness to steer every wheel moving the establishment. Yet they cannot agree on the basic questions of confronting the challenges staring them in the face. The Oppositions inability to arrive at a consensus on step one of firming up the modalities of collaboration and making common cause against the BJP has a farcical element, characterised not by confusion, but ennui, disinterest and the most crucial, gamesmanship. The last is ludicrous because most players operate on small provincial turfs despite their professed national ambitions, while the only national actor, the Congress, stands on space thats shrinking so rapidly that it might join the ranks of the regional parties. Clearly, the Opposition has punched above its weight. On February 28, speaking at Cambridge Universitys Judge Business School, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi stated: What is happening is that the institutional framework which is required for a democracyParliament, free press, the judiciaryjust the idea of mobilisation, just the idea of moving around these are all getting constrained. On March 11, Kapil Sibal, a former Congressman and now an Independent Rajya Sabha MP, voiced the same concerns more sharply at a Delhi protest square where he announced the launch of a peoples movement for Insaaf (justice) in the backdrop of the raids on Opposition party members, the collapse of elected governments and incidents of lynching. The foundation of the Constitution is justice, economic, social and political, Sibal stressed and used an interesting analogy. He likened the Constitution to a vehicle, steered by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with Parliament as the first wheel, the Election Commission as the second wheel and the executive as the third one. The executive, in the BJPs possession, was trying hard to get the judiciary in its hold, alleged Sibal. When the driver has possession of all the wheels, then the ED (Enforcement Directorate) will say you can go anywhere. What kind of democracy is this? he asked, reflecting the despair gripping the Opposition. The Opposition was expected to go ballistic in the second leg of the budget session of Parliament and revive its attack on the Gautam Adani issue after the Hindenburg Report accused the Adani group of stock manipulation and accounting fraud scheme over decades, allegedly patronised and facilitated by friendly governments in Gujarat and at the Centre. Congress president and Rajya Sabha Opposition leader Mallikarjun Kharge convened a meeting on the first day of the sitting that was attended by 16 parties, including the Aam Aadmi Party and the Bharat Rashtra Samithi for obvious reasons. Manish Sisodia, the AAPs second-in-command, implicated in a liquor scam, is in jail while BRS leader K Kavitha is being interrogated by the ED for her alleged role in the same case. Therefore, the AAP and the BRS, otherwise antagonistic towards the Congress, need all the support they can mobilise. Significantly, the Trinamool Congress Party was not part of the gathering despite its leaders wilting under the investigative agencies heat at various points. The word from the TMC was its chairperson, Mamata Banerjee, thought the Opposition unity endeavour was premature and she would have to sort out issues bilaterally with the Congress which was on a high after defeating Mamatas candidate in the recent Sagardighi Assembly bypoll. Similarly, the AAP was riled up when a former Congress MP, Sandeep Dikshit, and two former Delhi ministers wrote to the Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena to prosecute Sisodia for sedition. Saxena promptly asked the chief secretary to take action for sedition and use the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act against Sisodia and the other accused for alleged snooping and spying by the now defunct feedback unit or FBU. The AAP accused the Congress and BJP of being in cahoots. Different as the contexts are, the West Bengal and Delhi cases illustrate the underlying contradictions running through the Opposition. The discrepancies rise to the surface in crunch situations. For instance, the Congress sniffs a chance of reviving itself in Delhi because the AAP is in deep trouble, an unrealistic proposition considering that the Congress is bereft of local leaders and saddled with a moth-eaten organisation. If the Congress believed that the Oppositions ED-CBI-created travails offered hope to the party, the first days of the budget session served a harsh reality check. When the Congress sought to resurrect the Adani issue, the BJP adeptly turned the tables by playing the nationalist card through the medium of Rahul Gandhis recent UK visit and the speeches he made at various forums. The BJPs anti-Rahul offensive was carried to such lengths by a union minister in the Rajya Sabha that the Congress served a breach of privilege notice against him. The Congress, with some Opposition parties in tow, had prepared to corner the government over its alleged misuse of the central investigative agencies and demand a probe by a joint parliamentary committee into laffaire Adani. The treasury benches, taking the cue from Prime Minister Modis castigation of Rahul a day before the session reconvened, took the campaign to another level. Modi alleged, Some people are putting Indian democracy on trial and insulting the citizens of the country (on foreign soil). The Congress tried hard to accuse Modi of humiliating India under the UPA regime but it wouldnt wash to the same extent, primarily because its sally had become a solo exercise which was fully entangled with defending Rahulsomething the rest of the Opposition was palpably not interested in. The BJPs time-tested linethat corruption was a synonym for political dynasties and inborn entitlementcovered the gamut of leaders who were in arms against the CBI and ED. The AAP was an exception but by now the BJPs talon was deep into Sisodia. Where does the Opposition unity project begin? With alliances in states or purely on issues? Either way there are no easy answers. Radhika Ramaseshan Columnist and political commentator (ramaseshan.radhika@gmail.com) Indias Opposition is a strange beast. The parties and the leaders making up this discrepant entitythat refuses to hang together even as a loose coalitionshare similar problems with the ruling NDA government and use the same language when articulating the issues of harassment, victimisation, and institutional erosions resulting from the political executives overzealousness to steer every wheel moving the establishment. Yet they cannot agree on the basic questions of confronting the challenges staring them in the face. The Oppositions inability to arrive at a consensus on step one of firming up the modalities of collaboration and making common cause against the BJP has a farcical element, characterised not by confusion, but ennui, disinterest and the most crucial, gamesmanship. The last is ludicrous because most players operate on small provincial turfs despite their professed national ambitions, while the only national actor, the Congress, stands on space thats shrinking so rapidly that it might join the ranks of the regional parties. Clearly, the Opposition has punched above its weight. On February 28, speaking at Cambridge Universitys Judge Business School, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi stated: What is happening is that the institutional framework which is required for a democracyParliament, free press, the judiciaryjust the idea of mobilisation, just the idea of moving around these are all getting constrained. On March 11, Kapil Sibal, a former Congressman and now an Independent Rajya Sabha MP, voiced the same concerns more sharply at a Delhi protest square where he announced the launch of a peoples movement for Insaaf (justice) in the backdrop of the raids on Opposition party members, the collapse of elected governments and incidents of lynching. The foundation of the Constitution is justice, economic, social and political, Sibal stressed and used an interesting analogy. googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); He likened the Constitution to a vehicle, steered by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with Parliament as the first wheel, the Election Commission as the second wheel and the executive as the third one. The executive, in the BJPs possession, was trying hard to get the judiciary in its hold, alleged Sibal. When the driver has possession of all the wheels, then the ED (Enforcement Directorate) will say you can go anywhere. What kind of democracy is this? he asked, reflecting the despair gripping the Opposition. The Opposition was expected to go ballistic in the second leg of the budget session of Parliament and revive its attack on the Gautam Adani issue after the Hindenburg Report accused the Adani group of stock manipulation and accounting fraud scheme over decades, allegedly patronised and facilitated by friendly governments in Gujarat and at the Centre. Congress president and Rajya Sabha Opposition leader Mallikarjun Kharge convened a meeting on the first day of the sitting that was attended by 16 parties, including the Aam Aadmi Party and the Bharat Rashtra Samithi for obvious reasons. Manish Sisodia, the AAPs second-in-command, implicated in a liquor scam, is in jail while BRS leader K Kavitha is being interrogated by the ED for her alleged role in the same case. Therefore, the AAP and the BRS, otherwise antagonistic towards the Congress, need all the support they can mobilise. Significantly, the Trinamool Congress Party was not part of the gathering despite its leaders wilting under the investigative agencies heat at various points. The word from the TMC was its chairperson, Mamata Banerjee, thought the Opposition unity endeavour was premature and she would have to sort out issues bilaterally with the Congress which was on a high after defeating Mamatas candidate in the recent Sagardighi Assembly bypoll. Similarly, the AAP was riled up when a former Congress MP, Sandeep Dikshit, and two former Delhi ministers wrote to the Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena to prosecute Sisodia for sedition. Saxena promptly asked the chief secretary to take action for sedition and use the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act against Sisodia and the other accused for alleged snooping and spying by the now defunct feedback unit or FBU. The AAP accused the Congress and BJP of being in cahoots. Different as the contexts are, the West Bengal and Delhi cases illustrate the underlying contradictions running through the Opposition. The discrepancies rise to the surface in crunch situations. For instance, the Congress sniffs a chance of reviving itself in Delhi because the AAP is in deep trouble, an unrealistic proposition considering that the Congress is bereft of local leaders and saddled with a moth-eaten organisation. If the Congress believed that the Oppositions ED-CBI-created travails offered hope to the party, the first days of the budget session served a harsh reality check. When the Congress sought to resurrect the Adani issue, the BJP adeptly turned the tables by playing the nationalist card through the medium of Rahul Gandhis recent UK visit and the speeches he made at various forums. The BJPs anti-Rahul offensive was carried to such lengths by a union minister in the Rajya Sabha that the Congress served a breach of privilege notice against him. The Congress, with some Opposition parties in tow, had prepared to corner the government over its alleged misuse of the central investigative agencies and demand a probe by a joint parliamentary committee into laffaire Adani. The treasury benches, taking the cue from Prime Minister Modis castigation of Rahul a day before the session reconvened, took the campaign to another level. Modi alleged, Some people are putting Indian democracy on trial and insulting the citizens of the country (on foreign soil). The Congress tried hard to accuse Modi of humiliating India under the UPA regime but it wouldnt wash to the same extent, primarily because its sally had become a solo exercise which was fully entangled with defending Rahulsomething the rest of the Opposition was palpably not interested in. The BJPs time-tested linethat corruption was a synonym for political dynasties and inborn entitlementcovered the gamut of leaders who were in arms against the CBI and ED. The AAP was an exception but by now the BJPs talon was deep into Sisodia. Where does the Opposition unity project begin? With alliances in states or purely on issues? Either way there are no easy answers. Radhika Ramaseshan Columnist and political commentator (ramaseshan.radhika@gmail.com) By Express News Service SHIVAMOGGA: Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal workers on Monday sprinkled gomutra in what they claimed to be a purification ritual of the platform at the DCs office where a Muslim youth recited azaan (a Muslim call for prayer) while protesting against the statement of BJP MLA KS Eshwarappa on azaan. Even though the police tried to stop the VHP and Bajrang Dal workers, they managed to sprinkle the gomutra. Last week, the police booked a preventive case against the youth who recited azaan during a protest. The VHP and Bajrang Dal workers alleged that the azaan was recited by communal forces to disturb peace in the city. They demanded action against those who are behind the incident. The workers alleged that the rights given under the Constitution have been misused. They also protested the release of the youth. Bajrang Dal leader Rajesh Gowda said, "Everybody has the right to protest. But, by reciting azaan in front of the DCs office, they showed communal fanaticism. This is not a place to recite azaan. Hence, we purified the place." The youth had recited azaan at a protest last Friday against MLA Eshwarappa over his remarks on azaan. The police warned the youth and let him off. The video of the youth reciting azaan was shared on social media platforms. SHIVAMOGGA: Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal workers on Monday sprinkled gomutra in what they claimed to be a purification ritual of the platform at the DCs office where a Muslim youth recited azaan (a Muslim call for prayer) while protesting against the statement of BJP MLA KS Eshwarappa on azaan. Even though the police tried to stop the VHP and Bajrang Dal workers, they managed to sprinkle the gomutra. Last week, the police booked a preventive case against the youth who recited azaan during a protest. The VHP and Bajrang Dal workers alleged that the azaan was recited by communal forces to disturb peace in the city. They demanded action against those who are behind the incident. The workers alleged that the rights given under the Constitution have been misused. They also protested the release of the youth. Bajrang Dal leader Rajesh Gowda said, "Everybody has the right to protest. But, by reciting azaan in front of the DCs office, they showed communal fanaticism. This is not a place to recite azaan. Hence, we purified the place." googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The youth had recited azaan at a protest last Friday against MLA Eshwarappa over his remarks on azaan. The police warned the youth and let him off. The video of the youth reciting azaan was shared on social media platforms. By Express News Service THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Despite their initial reluctance, the persistence of officials is set to pay off. On Tuesday, for the first time in Keralas history, 500 tribals from across the state will be appointed as beat forest officers (BFOs). The landmark move is part of an initiative by the state government to integrate tribals into the mainstream while retaining their cultural identity. The 500 recruits, from various tribal communities, include 100 women. Selected through a special recruitment drive, they will now undergo training in Arippa or Walayar. The most number of recruits are from Wayanad 170 in all. This will infuse young blood into the force, giving it a new lease of life. The government is also mulling the possibility of training them at the police academy, Forest Minister A K Saseendran told TNIE. The appointment of tribals as BFOs will allow the department to make effective use of their inherent knowledge of the forests. It was an initiative conceptualised in 2021 during the last governments tenure. The then SC/ST minister A K Balan and forest minister K Raju were instrumental in drawing up the proposal. The presence of ST communities in forces like police, excise and forest will make the execution of decisions more effective. This will help foster a bond between the people and those in the force, as they would be able to relate to such officers with ease. They can win the trust of the natives. People from these communities have an organic relationship with the forest. Moreover, it will, to an extent, help assuage the misconception that the government and authorities have no connection with them, said Balan. The recruits will be handed appointment orders at a function at the Jimmy George Indoor stadium at 11 am on Tuesday by the chief minister. THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Despite their initial reluctance, the persistence of officials is set to pay off. On Tuesday, for the first time in Keralas history, 500 tribals from across the state will be appointed as beat forest officers (BFOs). The landmark move is part of an initiative by the state government to integrate tribals into the mainstream while retaining their cultural identity. The 500 recruits, from various tribal communities, include 100 women. Selected through a special recruitment drive, they will now undergo training in Arippa or Walayar. The most number of recruits are from Wayanad 170 in all. This will infuse young blood into the force, giving it a new lease of life. The government is also mulling the possibility of training them at the police academy, Forest Minister A K Saseendran told TNIE. googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The appointment of tribals as BFOs will allow the department to make effective use of their inherent knowledge of the forests. It was an initiative conceptualised in 2021 during the last governments tenure. The then SC/ST minister A K Balan and forest minister K Raju were instrumental in drawing up the proposal. The presence of ST communities in forces like police, excise and forest will make the execution of decisions more effective. This will help foster a bond between the people and those in the force, as they would be able to relate to such officers with ease. They can win the trust of the natives. People from these communities have an organic relationship with the forest. Moreover, it will, to an extent, help assuage the misconception that the government and authorities have no connection with them, said Balan. The recruits will be handed appointment orders at a function at the Jimmy George Indoor stadium at 11 am on Tuesday by the chief minister. Rahul R By Express News Service KOLLAM: The delay in releasing transcript certificates from Ukranian universities has put the Indian students pursuing medical courses in Georgia through a transfer programme in distress. Though the Ukrainian government, in wake of the war, established a mobility and transfer programme for Indian medicos to continue their education in other European countries, many varsities, including the Kharkiv National Medical University, are yet to distribute the mark sheets and transcript certificates to students. The educational agents earlier informed the students that they needed to submit the transcript certificate only after joining the class. However, many universities in Georgia have insisted on producing the same at the time of admission itself, putting the future of thousands of students in a dilemma. We arrived in Georgia on January 28 and enrolled at Alte University. At first, our agent told us that every admission procedure has been completed and we only needed to submit the transcript certificate after joining the class. However, when we arrived at the institution, the authorities informed us that they required a transcript certificate; otherwise, we would not be permitted to attend classes, Sandra, a final-year medical student told TNIE. The medicos are worried about losing an entire academic year if they fail to submit the certificates before Monday. "The new semester begins on March 20. We would lose the entire year if we are unable to submit the transcript certificate before the classes start. According to the agents, everything will be resolved as soon as possible. However, we do not see any significant progress, said Lakshmi, a final-year medical student at Alte University. Meanwhile, Mohammed Riyas of Make Education Private Limited, Kollam, who assisted the students in gaining admission to Alte University, has alleged BobTrade Education Group, an agency based in Ukraine and India, of interfering with the universitys release of certificates. Despite the students, MPs, and our office sending several emails to the Indian Embassy in Ukraine, the university, and the Indian ambassadors office, no action has been taken to resolve the issue yet. BobTrade has a big influence on Ukrainian medical universities, and we suspect the firm has put pressure on the varsities to hold the certificates so that they could earn a good sum as commission, Mohammed Riyas told TNIE. Shajas Shahal, another agent of Make Education Private Limited, said he had a discussion with the dean of Kharkiv National Medical University and was told to contact the BobTrade group for releasing the transcript certificates. "When I visited the Indian Embassy in Ukraine, an official told me that their ability to exert pressure on the university is limited. Ukraines health minister will meet with the university officials soon. Only after that meeting can we expect some outcomes, he said. The mobility program enables Indian medical students to apply for temporary admission at universities in Poland, Austria, Czech Republic, France, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Moldova, Slovakia, Spain, Uzbekistan, and Hungary to continue their studies. The student, however, must return to the parent university in Ukraine after the war comes to an end, under the mobility programme agreement. KOLLAM: The delay in releasing transcript certificates from Ukranian universities has put the Indian students pursuing medical courses in Georgia through a transfer programme in distress. Though the Ukrainian government, in wake of the war, established a mobility and transfer programme for Indian medicos to continue their education in other European countries, many varsities, including the Kharkiv National Medical University, are yet to distribute the mark sheets and transcript certificates to students. The educational agents earlier informed the students that they needed to submit the transcript certificate only after joining the class. However, many universities in Georgia have insisted on producing the same at the time of admission itself, putting the future of thousands of students in a dilemma.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); We arrived in Georgia on January 28 and enrolled at Alte University. At first, our agent told us that every admission procedure has been completed and we only needed to submit the transcript certificate after joining the class. However, when we arrived at the institution, the authorities informed us that they required a transcript certificate; otherwise, we would not be permitted to attend classes, Sandra, a final-year medical student told TNIE. The medicos are worried about losing an entire academic year if they fail to submit the certificates before Monday. "The new semester begins on March 20. We would lose the entire year if we are unable to submit the transcript certificate before the classes start. According to the agents, everything will be resolved as soon as possible. However, we do not see any significant progress, said Lakshmi, a final-year medical student at Alte University. Meanwhile, Mohammed Riyas of Make Education Private Limited, Kollam, who assisted the students in gaining admission to Alte University, has alleged BobTrade Education Group, an agency based in Ukraine and India, of interfering with the universitys release of certificates. Despite the students, MPs, and our office sending several emails to the Indian Embassy in Ukraine, the university, and the Indian ambassadors office, no action has been taken to resolve the issue yet. BobTrade has a big influence on Ukrainian medical universities, and we suspect the firm has put pressure on the varsities to hold the certificates so that they could earn a good sum as commission, Mohammed Riyas told TNIE. Shajas Shahal, another agent of Make Education Private Limited, said he had a discussion with the dean of Kharkiv National Medical University and was told to contact the BobTrade group for releasing the transcript certificates. "When I visited the Indian Embassy in Ukraine, an official told me that their ability to exert pressure on the university is limited. Ukraines health minister will meet with the university officials soon. Only after that meeting can we expect some outcomes, he said. The mobility program enables Indian medical students to apply for temporary admission at universities in Poland, Austria, Czech Republic, France, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Moldova, Slovakia, Spain, Uzbekistan, and Hungary to continue their studies. The student, however, must return to the parent university in Ukraine after the war comes to an end, under the mobility programme agreement. By Express News Service CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court on Monday expressed dissatisfaction over the state governments progress in conduct of reconstructive surgeries under rehabilitation programmes for cured leprosy patients. The court was hearing a PIL filed by general secretary of State Leprosy Welfare Federation, Bipin Bihari Pradhan seeking effective implementation of the National Leprosy Eradication Programme (NLEP). In a joint convenience note, all three amicus curiae - advocates Bibhu Prasad Tripathy, Gautam Mishra and Pami Rath indicated that 39 patients were due for reconstructive surgery including 15 in Malkangiri, eight in Angul, seven in Dhenkanal, five in Rayagada, two in Khurda, and one each in Balasore and Kendrapara. But not a single patient had been attended to in the seven districts. In 14 other districts, reconstructive surgery was due for 211 patients. The surgery to restore normal appearance of body parts by correcting deformity caused by leprosy had been conducted on 78 patients as part of the rehabilitation programme. The division bench of Chief Justice S Muralidhar and Justice Gourishankar Satapathy said, Although some reconstructive surgeries have been conducted, many more patients remain. This court directs that the monitoring committee will take up the issue immediately and ensure under the direction issued by it all the patients awaiting the reconstructive surgery will be attended to and given relief in a time-bound manner and definitely within a period of three months from today. Special secretary (Public Health) Ajit Mohanty had filed an affidavit on February 10. The bench directed the government to file a better affidavit posted the matter to April 25 for further consideration. CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court on Monday expressed dissatisfaction over the state governments progress in conduct of reconstructive surgeries under rehabilitation programmes for cured leprosy patients. The court was hearing a PIL filed by general secretary of State Leprosy Welfare Federation, Bipin Bihari Pradhan seeking effective implementation of the National Leprosy Eradication Programme (NLEP). In a joint convenience note, all three amicus curiae - advocates Bibhu Prasad Tripathy, Gautam Mishra and Pami Rath indicated that 39 patients were due for reconstructive surgery including 15 in Malkangiri, eight in Angul, seven in Dhenkanal, five in Rayagada, two in Khurda, and one each in Balasore and Kendrapara. But not a single patient had been attended to in the seven districts. In 14 other districts, reconstructive surgery was due for 211 patients. The surgery to restore normal appearance of body parts by correcting deformity caused by leprosy had been conducted on 78 patients as part of the rehabilitation programme. googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The division bench of Chief Justice S Muralidhar and Justice Gourishankar Satapathy said, Although some reconstructive surgeries have been conducted, many more patients remain. This court directs that the monitoring committee will take up the issue immediately and ensure under the direction issued by it all the patients awaiting the reconstructive surgery will be attended to and given relief in a time-bound manner and definitely within a period of three months from today. Special secretary (Public Health) Ajit Mohanty had filed an affidavit on February 10. The bench directed the government to file a better affidavit posted the matter to April 25 for further consideration. By PTI BEIJING: China on Tuesday hit out at Japan after its Prime Minister Fumio Kishida made a surprise visit to Ukraine and overshadowed Chinese President Xi Jinping's meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Moscow, saying Tokyo should do more to de-escalate the situation rather than aggravating it. Beijing was caught by surprise as Kishida, who was on an official visit to New Delhi from March 19-21, entered Poland from India using a secretly chartered plane instead of the standard government aircraft, Japanese TV channel NHK reported. The chartered plane left Tokyo's Haneda Airport at around 8 pm on Sunday, about three hours before a government plane carrying Kishida departed for India. After wrapping up his scheduled events in India, the prime minister secretly boarded the waiting plane in the early morning hours of Tuesday, the Japan Times daily quoted an NHK report. Kishida's visit to Ukraine and his scheduled meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv stole the limelight of Xi's Moscow visit aimed at projecting himself as a global peacemaker after Beijing successfully brokered a peace deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to end their hostilities. In a statement on Kishida's visit to Ukraine, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said he will express to President Zelenskyy his respect for the courage and perseverance of the Ukrainian people standing up to defend their homeland under Zelenskyy's leadership. "At a summit meeting with President Zelenskyy, Prime Minister Kishida will resolutely reject Russia's aggression against Ukraine and unilateral changing of the status quo by force, and reconfirm his determination to uphold the international order based on the rule of law," it said. Kishida will 'directly convey our solidarity and unwavering support for Ukraine' as Prime Minister of Japan and the current chair of G7 countries, it said. Asked about Kishida's visit, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said the international community "should keep to the right direction to promote the peace talks and create conditions for a political settlement of the Ukrainian crisis". "We hope the Japanese side will do more to de-escalate the situation instead of the opposite," he told a media briefing here. "China's position boils down to promoting peace talks and China will continue to uphold an objective, just position and work with the world to play a constructive role in the political settlement," he said. On whether Xi will speak to Zelenskyy, he said: "Our position is consistent and clear. We keep communication with all parties". He shot back when asked whether China will work with the US to stop the war, saying the US should be asked whether it would like to promote peace talks and stop the war. "China would like to work with the international community to play a constructive role in the Ukraine crisis," he said. On US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's assertion that the world should not be fooled by the Russian-Chinese peace plan for Ukraine, Wang said China's peace plan covers all aspects including respect for sovereignty, ceasefire and stopping of unilateral sanctions. He claimed that many countries support China's peace plan as they want de-escalation. "China is not a creator of the Ukraine crisis, not a party to the crisis and does not provide weapons to any side of the conflict and the US is in no position to point fingers at China and blame it," he said in response to Blinken's assertion that Beijing is providing a 'diplomatic cover' for Russia's war in Ukraine. "The US should see China's efforts more objectively than holding on to the Cold War mentality and stop escalating tensions," he said. In Tokyo, US Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel tweeted that Prime Minister Kishida is making a "historic visit" to Ukraine to protect the Ukrainian people and promote the universal values enshrined in the UN Charter. "Approximately 900 kilometres away, a different and more nefarious partnership is taking shape in Moscow," Emanuel said. The coincidental timing of Xi and Kishida trips "does indeed create a stark contrast," James D J Brown, said political science professor at Temple University in Japan. "It presents the image of two blocs, with Japan and Ukraine on the side of democracy, and Russia and China representing an axis of authoritarianism," he told the Japan Times. In Moscow, Xi and Putin held a 'restricted session' of talks on the second day of the Chinese leader's three-day visit, following up on their four-hour talks on Monday. Xi said on Tuesday that he has invited Putin to travel to China for the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation to be held this year. While meeting Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, Xi said that the invitation was made in his informal meeting with Putin. It fits the historical logic that Chinese leaders take Russia as a primary choice for their overseas visits, Xi said, referring to his visit, his first overseas trip after getting endorsed for an unprecedented third term as president and head of the military by the Chinese Parliament this month. He said China and Russia are each other's biggest neighbours and comprehensive strategic partners of coordination, and that such a relationship has withstood the test of the world's profound changes. Xi also called for continuous regular meetings between the Chinese premier and Russian prime minister, and invited Mishustin to visit China, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported. BEIJING: China on Tuesday hit out at Japan after its Prime Minister Fumio Kishida made a surprise visit to Ukraine and overshadowed Chinese President Xi Jinping's meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Moscow, saying Tokyo should do more to de-escalate the situation rather than aggravating it. Beijing was caught by surprise as Kishida, who was on an official visit to New Delhi from March 19-21, entered Poland from India using a secretly chartered plane instead of the standard government aircraft, Japanese TV channel NHK reported. The chartered plane left Tokyo's Haneda Airport at around 8 pm on Sunday, about three hours before a government plane carrying Kishida departed for India.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); After wrapping up his scheduled events in India, the prime minister secretly boarded the waiting plane in the early morning hours of Tuesday, the Japan Times daily quoted an NHK report. Kishida's visit to Ukraine and his scheduled meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv stole the limelight of Xi's Moscow visit aimed at projecting himself as a global peacemaker after Beijing successfully brokered a peace deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to end their hostilities. In a statement on Kishida's visit to Ukraine, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said he will express to President Zelenskyy his respect for the courage and perseverance of the Ukrainian people standing up to defend their homeland under Zelenskyy's leadership. "At a summit meeting with President Zelenskyy, Prime Minister Kishida will resolutely reject Russia's aggression against Ukraine and unilateral changing of the status quo by force, and reconfirm his determination to uphold the international order based on the rule of law," it said. Kishida will 'directly convey our solidarity and unwavering support for Ukraine' as Prime Minister of Japan and the current chair of G7 countries, it said. Asked about Kishida's visit, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said the international community "should keep to the right direction to promote the peace talks and create conditions for a political settlement of the Ukrainian crisis". "We hope the Japanese side will do more to de-escalate the situation instead of the opposite," he told a media briefing here. "China's position boils down to promoting peace talks and China will continue to uphold an objective, just position and work with the world to play a constructive role in the political settlement," he said. On whether Xi will speak to Zelenskyy, he said: "Our position is consistent and clear. We keep communication with all parties". He shot back when asked whether China will work with the US to stop the war, saying the US should be asked whether it would like to promote peace talks and stop the war. "China would like to work with the international community to play a constructive role in the Ukraine crisis," he said. On US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's assertion that the world should not be fooled by the Russian-Chinese peace plan for Ukraine, Wang said China's peace plan covers all aspects including respect for sovereignty, ceasefire and stopping of unilateral sanctions. He claimed that many countries support China's peace plan as they want de-escalation. "China is not a creator of the Ukraine crisis, not a party to the crisis and does not provide weapons to any side of the conflict and the US is in no position to point fingers at China and blame it," he said in response to Blinken's assertion that Beijing is providing a 'diplomatic cover' for Russia's war in Ukraine. "The US should see China's efforts more objectively than holding on to the Cold War mentality and stop escalating tensions," he said. In Tokyo, US Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel tweeted that Prime Minister Kishida is making a "historic visit" to Ukraine to protect the Ukrainian people and promote the universal values enshrined in the UN Charter. "Approximately 900 kilometres away, a different and more nefarious partnership is taking shape in Moscow," Emanuel said. The coincidental timing of Xi and Kishida trips "does indeed create a stark contrast," James D J Brown, said political science professor at Temple University in Japan. "It presents the image of two blocs, with Japan and Ukraine on the side of democracy, and Russia and China representing an axis of authoritarianism," he told the Japan Times. In Moscow, Xi and Putin held a 'restricted session' of talks on the second day of the Chinese leader's three-day visit, following up on their four-hour talks on Monday. Xi said on Tuesday that he has invited Putin to travel to China for the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation to be held this year. While meeting Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, Xi said that the invitation was made in his informal meeting with Putin. It fits the historical logic that Chinese leaders take Russia as a primary choice for their overseas visits, Xi said, referring to his visit, his first overseas trip after getting endorsed for an unprecedented third term as president and head of the military by the Chinese Parliament this month. He said China and Russia are each other's biggest neighbours and comprehensive strategic partners of coordination, and that such a relationship has withstood the test of the world's profound changes. Xi also called for continuous regular meetings between the Chinese premier and Russian prime minister, and invited Mishustin to visit China, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported. BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 21. Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili has congratulated the Azerbaijani community of the country on Novruz holiday, Trend reports. Expressing good wishes on the occasion of Novruz, she said: "I congratulate all the citizens who celebrate Novruz today, as well as all Azerbaijanis living in Georgia and guests of the country on the arrival of spring". "I also congratulate the citizens of neighboring countries - Turkiye, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan - and other states on the holiday. May this day be the beginning of a new one, bring renewal and good relations," she wrote. Download Now The News-Gazette mobile app brings you the latest local breaking news, updates, and more. Read the News-Gazette on your mobile device just as it appears in print. UPDATE Mar 21, 2023 7:06 PM CDT Police in Arlington, Texas say the weapon used in Monday's school shooting was a shotgun, and they're still trying to determine where the 15-year-old alleged shooter obtained it. The 16-year-old boy killed in the shooting outside Lamar High School was identified Tuesday as JaShawn Poirier, the Dallas Morning News reports. A teen girl suffered minor injuries. At a hearing Tuesday, the suspect was ordered to remain in juvenile detention, NBC-DFW reports. He faces a murder charge that could send him to prison for up to 40 years. Defense attorney Lisa Herrick described it as a "truly tragic case." She said the boy had never been involved with the juvenile justice system before and is "understandably emotional." Mar 20, 2023 5:35 PM CDT A minor is in custody after police said he opened fire on students returning from spring break at a Texas high school on Monday morning. Two classmates were shot outside Lamar High School in Arlington, with the gunfire killing a male student and grazing a female student's cheek, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports. The suspect and both victims are Lamar students under 17, authorities say. The suspect, who was taken to a juvenile detention center, is expected to face a capital murder charge, police say. No motive has been disclosed, but police say investigators believe the student was targeting the victims and didn't plan to shoot anybody else. Arlington Police Chief Al Jones said the suspect ran from the scene without entering the high school and was captured within minutes, the AP reports. Police say the shots were fired minutes before two Arlington Police Department school resources officers arrived at the school. The Arlington Independent School District sent a message to families around 7:30am notifying them of the shooting and subsequent lockdown. "We prepare for incidents like this, but it is impossible to prepare for the emotion," Arlington ISD Superintendent Marcelo Cavazos said at a news conference Monday afternoon, per the Star-Telegram. "We are heartbroken." (Read more school shooting stories.) This story has been updated with the latest death toll. A magnitude 6.5 earthquake rattled much of Pakistan and Afghanistan on Tuesday, sending panicked residents fleeing from homes and offices and frightening people even in remote villages. At least nine people died in Pakistan and two in Afghanistan, officials said Wednesday. More than 200 people were brought to hospitals in the Swat valley region of Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in a state of shock, Bilal Faizi, a spokesman for Pakistan's emergency services told the AP. "These terrified people collapsed, and some of them collapsed because of the shock of the earthquake," he said. Faizi said one girl was killed in a stampede of fleeing people, and a man whose roof collapsed on him was hospitalized. The powerful tremors sent many people fleeing their homes and offices in Pakistan's capital, Islamabad. Media reports suggested cracks had appeared in some apartment buildings in the city. The scene was repeated in Kabul and other parts of Afghanistan. "The quake was so strong and terrifying, we thought houses are collapsing on us, people were all shouting and were shocked," said Shafiullah Azimi, a Kabul resident. The US Geological Survey said the center of the quake was located 25 miles south-southeast of Jurm in Afghanistan's mountainous Hindu Kush region, bordering Pakistan and Tajikistan. It said the depth of the earthquake was 116 miles. The region is prone to violent seismic upheavals. A magnitude 7.6 quake in 2005 killed thousands of people in Pakistan and Kashmir. (Read more earthquake stories.) Norwegian Leopard 2 tanks have already been supplied to Ukraine, personnel training is underway, the Norwegian defense ministry said on Monday, Trend reports citing TASS. "Ukraine has now received the Norwegian tanks Leopard 2 and training of Ukrainian personnel is underway," it wrote on its Twitter account. Newswrap: The opening up of the new consulate building in Hyderabad will open up new vistas in the India-US relationship , a State Department official said Tuesday observing the region plays a critical role in the bilateral strategic partnership. The US consulate general in Hyderabad opened a new state-of-the-art facility in the citys bustling financial district on Tuesday. Put simply, this dynamic region plays a critical role in the US-India Strategic Partnership, and our new consulate chancery in Hyderabad represents a tangible investment by the United States in the growing bilateral relationship, Vedant Patel, Deputy Spokesperson of the State Department, told reporters at a news conference here. Indian origin Nikki Haley announces presidential bid, challenging Trump The move brings our government closer to US companies that have invested billions of dollars in Indias tech, defense, aerospace and pharmaceutical sectors, he said. Five of the highest-valued tech companies earlier known as FAANG in the world, Apple, Microsoft, Google, Amazon, and Meta host their largest presence outside of the United States in Hyderabad. Our consulate in Hyderabad is a key to linking businesses and people from the United States and the Indian states of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Odisha, he added. We continue to welcome Indian visitors, business people and students from those states, and this new facility puts us in a position to increase Mission Indias consular services in the future. The new facility, with a project budget of $340 million, pays respect to the local landscape. And through the Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservations, we are working with local partners to preserve historic monuments, Patel said. The new space will help consulate staff work with local journalists. It will increase reporting on climate change, and share information on educational opportunities. The new consulate in Hyderabad will also host countless visitors, as our militaries regularly team up for joint exercises based out of Indias Eastern Naval Command, he said. Reliances Campa Cola relaunch may start a price war in cold drink market (This story has not been edited by newswrapindia and is published from a syndicated news agency feed) This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate After six years as a manager at the Danbury pizza staple Stanziatos, Bes Kaba is working to fill what he calls a void in South Norwalks restaurant scene with his take on wood-fired Neapolitan pizza. Kaba opened SoNo Wood Fired in January, where he makes every single Neapolitan-style pizza in the intense heat of a wood-fired oven that he imported from Naples. I know there are other styles of pizzas in the area, Greek or pan pies, or bar pies or New York-style. Norwalk has an abundance of amazing restaurants, he said. And I think that's something that was missing a concept like this. Kaba learned the art of pizza making from his Albanian parents. His his father ran two New York-style pizza restaurants. At 19 years old, he landed a job at a restaurant in Dallas and fell in love with the wood-fired style of cooking. Working with a wood-fired oven, he said, keeps him on his toes. Its just something I was always fascinated by. It's a raw element. You're cooking with fire and nothing else, he said. At any given point, it could be 600 degrees. And next thing you know, it flares up to 800 [degrees]. Contributed photo/Bes Kaba Contributed photo/Bes Kaba Contributed photo/Bes KabaContributed photo/Bes Kaba Contributed photo/Bes Kaba Contributed photo/Bes Kaba Like his oven, the low-protein flour he uses for his pizza dough is also imported from Naples. The Italian flour ferments better and the yield is more conducive to the style of pizza, he said. While the dough for many New York-style pizzas is made the day prior to serving, it takes him a couple of days to make the base for his Neapolitan pies. He lets the dough ferment overnight, during which, he said, it breaks down proteins and makes the pie more digestible for customers so that they feel full longer and less bloated. Abby Weiss/Hearst CT Abby Weiss/Hearst CT Abby Weiss/Hearst CT Abby Weiss/Hearst CT Abby Weiss/Hearst CT Abby Weiss/Hearst CT The dough then sits in the refrigerator for three days. There are no preservatives and no additives. It's just that raw element of being in its natural state that it's supposed to be like it was done thousands of years ago, he said. Customers can top red pizzas with Tunisian olives, white anchovies, Calabrian salami or house infused honey with Calabrian chilli peppers. White pizza lovers have the option to top pizzas with figs, hazelnuts, smoked bacon, tartufata black truffle sauce or burrata. The interior of the restaurant blends with South Norwalks industrial theme and adds Kaba's personal touches. A wall covered with weathered red paint came from a 100-year-old barn his friend found in Stamford. Luana Barcelos, a muralist, painted Kaba's favorite Banksy piece, Girl with Balloon, on another wall and turned the balloon into a pizza. The red, neon words on the back wall reading It was all a dream come from a song by Christopher "Biggie Smalls" Wallace, an artist Kaba listened to as a teenager in the '90s. Wallace inspired the name of the "Figgy Smalls" pie. It has true meaning. It was all a dream. It was something that I always aspired for, he said. SoNo Wood Fired is located at 59 N Main St. It's open from 11:30 a.m. until 9:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11:30 a.m. until 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. This story has been updated to reflect Kabas time at Stanziatos in Danbury and the city he worked in at 19 years old. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate NEW HAVEN The city is seeking $32.1 million in state grant funds to transform Long Wharf and enhance downtown, according to plans recently presented to New Haven alders. City officials said $25 million would be used to demolish the former Gateway Community College, and expand and enhance Long Wharf Park as part of the Long Wharf Responsible Growth Plan; and $7.1 million to build a cafe kiosk and public bathroom on the Green, along with a family playground downtown. Members of the Board of Alders' Community Development Committee gave the plans and associated grant applications to the state's Community Investment Fund a unanimous endorsement recently after a presentation by city staff led by Economic Development Administrator Michael Piscitelli. It also will require full Board of Alders' approval. Piscitelli, who presented the plans with City Engineer Giovanni Zinn and Deputy Economic Development Director Courtney Henderson, said there's a good chance the city won't get the entire amount it seeks all at once. While New Haven got the highest amount of any community in the state in a first round of funding, "nobody's going to get $30 million" in the latest round, Piscitelli told members of the committee, chaired by Dwight Alder Frank Douglass Jr., D-2. But putting together a plan and grant application, including a cost schedule, for all the improvements the city would like to make, both downtown and at Long Wharf, will help the city in future rounds of funding, Piscitelli said. The grant fund exists "to support transformative investments" in Connecticut communities, city staff said in an executive summary of the grant application. "The project represents an essential component to the citys overall economic recovery," it states. The plans, which the city first began presenting publicly in 2021, call for the city to demolish the former Gateway building on Sargent Drive and replace it the new location of Gateway's automotive trade school, which currently operates in North Haven. The most recent plans, presented to the community in a public meeting Feb. 8, also call for construction of a new home for the APT Foundation, including its methadone treatment facilities, behind Gateway, replacing both the existing APT facilities at One Long Wharf and its existing clinic on Congress Avenue in the Hill section. The project would redesign and raise Long Wharf Drive to make it more flood-resilient, build a community marina adjacent to the Canal Dock Boathouse and build a larger Long Wharf park that would be more pedestrian-friendly. It would include more parking spaces and a dedicated, tent-covered area that would be available for picnics and while enjoying food from the nearby food trucks. Zinn said that while the park at Long Wharf is "very popular with the food trucks, it is really lacking some of the amenities," and the proposed improvements would address that. Henderson told the committee that as time goes on, downtown is being redeveloped "as more of a family neighborhood." The proposed family playground would be "a signature community asset," she said. "If you come here in the morning, it's amazing how many school buses there are in the neighborhood," said Piscitelli. Downtown/Yale Alder Alex Guzhnay, D-1, asked whether there had been any discussions about maintenance of the public bathrooms. "Certainly, public bathrooms are a challenge to keep clean," said Zinn. "You have to clean them multiple times a day." But the cafe kiosk would "create a small revenue stream" to help take care of those facilities, Zinn said. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate NEW HAVEN Fair Haven Community Health Care will be able to serve its clients, who are some of the city's neediest families in a neighborhood full of recent arrivals, better once it it finally achieves its long-planned expansion, according to officials. That effort got a boost Tuesday when U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-3, announced $3 million in federal aid to help pay for a 33,500-square-foot expansion of FHCHC, located at 374 Grand Ave. "This award is a game-changer," DeLauro said. FHCHC currently is occupies three connected houses along Grand Avenue between James and Lloyd streets. The expansion project includes an entirely new, 33,500-square-foot building a few doors up at Grand Avenue and James Street, as well as additional parking and renovation of the existing clinic. The $3 million federal award is in addition to a previously announced $3 million grant from the State Bond Commission and will go toward a construction project estimated at $25 million, with total costs expected to approach $39 million or $40 million, said FHCHC CEO Dr. Suzanne Lagarde. "For 50 years, this facility has been a leader" in providing health care to the people of Fair Haven, said DeLauro, ranking member (and former chairwoman) of the House Appropriations Committee. "You provide a quality of care for the people in the community" and "it's comprehensive health care," DeLauro said. "... I'm so proud to be a partner on this mission" to provide "patient-centered care" that is culturally tuned to people's needs, she said. "Even as you grow, you're able to bring high-quality care" to people who need it, DeLauro said. "It's really impossible for me to overstate the importance of this organization to the Fair Haven community," said Alder Sarah Miller, D-14. "Every improvement is an improvement for all of us. "It's really heartbreaking how people in this neighborhood" struggle to cope with and pay for "things that should be included in the social safety net," she said. State Rep. Juan Candelaria, D-New Haven, said FHCHC has "done an excellent job of meeting the needs of the neighborhood." "I'm happy to learn that our Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro was able to secure the funding that we need," Candelaria said. Lagarde said the work will be done in three phases, with three residential buildings behind the existing facilities along Woolsey Street coming down beginning in April, work to expand the parking lot to follow, demolition of an adjacent building to begin in July and construction of the new building scheduled to begin in August. The third phase of the project also includes renovation of the first floor of the existing clinic building, which will lower the number of examination rooms from 28 to 20, Lagarde said. Two $10 million allocations of federal American Rescue Plan Act funds disbursed by the state also are helping to pay for the project, said Lagarde, thanking state Sen. Martin Looney, D-New Haven, state Rep. Toni Walker, D-New Haven, Candelaria and state Rep. Al Paolillo, D-New Haven, for their roles in landing the funds. More than 32,000 unique patients were served last year, more than 90 percent of them minorities, Lagarde has said. That same percentage also have household incomes below 200 percent of the federal poverty level, she said. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate HAMDEN The town has admitted to a technical violation of the Freedom of Information Act in connection with last years controversial destruction of Hamden Police Department documents, some of which were responsive to a public records request. In exchange for that admission, Daniel Dunn, a member of the Hamden Police Commission, waived his right to question Hamden police officers before the Freedom of Information Commission, according to an email from his attorney, Joseph Sastre. Meanwhile, nearly a year after the scandal, the town has yet to release a report on the results of a probe into how the records destruction unfolded. In a written statement, Mayor Lauren Garrett said she expects the report will be ready in a couple of weeks. The Town agreed there was a technical violation of FOIA due to the destruction of documents, she wrote. Actions have been taken to ensure this never happens again We are in the process of drafting an ordinance that deals with the destruction of documents for all town departments, including police and fire. Some of the destroyed documents were responsive to a request Dunn submitted last February. He asked Hamden to produce seven years worth of civilian complaints and use-of-force reports in that request. In April, Dunn filed a complaint with the FOIC over the delay in receiving the records; he later learned some of the civilian complaints had been shredded. At a March 9 hearing regarding Dunns complaint, Bryan LeClerc, an attorney representing the town, read a statement into the record acknowledging Hamden violated FOIA regulations, according to a recording of the hearing available on the state's website. The respondents will agree that theres been a technical violation of the Freedom of Information Act and that certain documents that were in existence on the date of Mr. Dunns request were subsequently not provided as they were destroyed, LeClerc said. While the written complaints were destroyed, many of the internal affairs reports into those complaints were backed up electronically, according to town officials. During the FOIC hearing, LeClerc claimed: the vast majority of the information was able to be retrieved even though the physical copies of documents were destroyed, with the exception of several written complaints themselves that led to investigations. But Dunn told Hearst Connecticut Media Group that in many cases, he received a civilian complaints resulting internal affairs report in lieu of the complaint itself. While those reports summarize the original complaint, they do not contain the complainants exact words, according to Dunn. In some cases, he received no related documentation at all, he said. In an email request for comment, Hearst Connecticut Media Group asked LeClerc and Garrett about the matter. The inquiry asked them to verify that, in exchange for the towns admission, Dunn agreed to waive his right to question Hamden police officers before the FOIC; LeClercs written response did not address that particular question. The Town admitted to the technical violation which occurred and advised the Hearing Officer steps taken to prevent a reoccurrence in the future, LeClerc wrote. The Town is also continuing to comply with the request of Mr. Dunn as to several remaining documents requested. The shredding & its aftermath Before Hamden destroyed the police records, it sought and obtained permission to do so from the Connecticut State Library. The request, dated in early March of last year, came on the heels of Dunns Feb. 25 FOI request. Both Mayor Lauren Garrett and then-Chief of Police John Sullivan signed off on the disposition request form. In doing so, they averred that no records listed, in our opinion, pertain to any pending case, claim, or action. After Dunn learned of the destruction, he notified the state library, which put a hold on all disposition requests from the Hamden Police Department. When the news of the shredding broke last May, a state library administrator told Hearst Connecticut Media Group that local agencies are responsible for knowing whether their records are subject to pending actions, in which case they should be maintained. Garrett said she did not know the records were connected to an active FOI request when she signed the form, while Sullivan declined to discuss the matter. Sullivan also did not return recent requests for comment. In the wake of the controversy, Garrett ordered a halt to records destruction townwide. Over the summer, police accountability activist Councilman Justin Farmer, D-5, proposed a policy requiring the Police Commission to approve requests to destroy documents. Late last year, the Legislative Council passed an ordinance along those lines. It requires the Fire Department and Police Department to notify the Fire Commission and Police Commission, respectively, when seeking to destroy internal investigations and civilian complaints. The ordinance also means the town must wait longer to destroy certain documents than is typically required by the state. LeClerc cited the ordinance at the March 9 FOIC hearing. His office has also drafted a records retention policy for all town departments, including police and fire, he said. The policy will likely result in another ordinance to further address document destruction and the handling of Freedom of Information requests so should one individual receive a request for documents, they cannot be destroyed by another individual whos unaware of the request, he said. Whats next Also at the hearing, Sastre suggested hearing officer Zack Hyde consider imposing fines on Hamden over its handling of Dunns request. Although the FOIC has the authority to impose fines for violations of the act, Hyde said he cannot do so in this case because there was not a request for a civil penalty in the original complaint, according to a recording of the hearing. (Last month, a Hearst Connecticut Media Group review found the FOIC deemed Bridgeport to be in violation of public records law 34 times in the last decade but only issued the city one $750 fine. Overall, the FOIC fined agencies on just six occasions since 2014.) Hyde will issue a recommended order to the FOIC to resolve Dunns FOI case, at which point the commission will vote on whether to adopt the order. In addition to admitting to the records destruction, Hamden has claimed that two internal affairs reports are exempt from release on personal privacy grounds, according to Sastre. The files have been submitted to Hyde for an in-camera review, he said in an email. In an interview Friday, Sastre claimed the town was inconsistent in which documents it destroyed. They didnt just destroy all of the files within that destruction request. They only destroyed some of them, he said. Others were destroyed physically but backed up electronically, he said, while in a few cases, both the civilian complaint and the internal affairs investigation related to it was destroyed. Sastre wondered if the department was focused on destroying certain materials. That inconsistency really raises their suspicion level, he said. It looks suspicious, it looks bad. You know, it erodes the public trust. Whether or not the records destruction was instigated because of Dunns FOI request remains unclear. Dunn says he suspects it was malicious; but at a Jan. 26 FOIC hearing, LeClerc insisted there was no deliberate destruction of documents, a recording shows. LeClercs firm, Berchem & Moses, is the same one that conducted the probe into the shredding, which Garrett announced last year. Dunn has criticized the decision to have the same law firm investigate and defend the shredding in the FOI case. Its not an independent investigation that occurred if you have the same people that are performing the investigation also defending them at the hearing, he said. On Friday, a reporter sent an inquiry to LeClerc and Garrett asking for comment on Dunns criticism. The email also asked if LeClerc could say whether the records destruction was carried out with knowledge of Dunns records request. That email was not returned by deadline. Ben Lambert / Hearst Connecticut HAMDEN A New Haven man was charged with manslaughter in connection with a fatal motorcycle crash that occurred last summer, police said Tuesday. Lemond Scott, 27, was taken into custody Monday morning and was charged with second-degree manslaughter, speeding, operating a motor vehicle with a suspended license and reckless driving. He was held on a $75,000 bond, Hamden Police Sgt. Angela Vey said in a news release Tuesday. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate HAMDEN Recreational cannabis establishments will be allowed to open in town by special permit under a new set of regulations passed by the Planning & Zoning Commission But those regulations, which take effect April 1, do not create paths forward for a cannabis business or for events like the High Bazaar, elements that were part of an earlier proposal. Floated last summer, the initial draft would have allowed an accelerator establishment with up to four cannabis businesses to open in town. It also included a provision through which organizers could take out one-day cannabis event permits. The latter provision heralded the possible return of the High Bazaar, a previously recurring cannabis gifting party that officials shut down last February. There were changes that were made to the initial write-up of regulations because we had to kind of negotiate to get it passed, Mayor Lauren Garrett said Monday. (At a meeting in November, the Planning & Zoning Commission rejected a cannabis zoning amendment that retained the business incubator but excluded the event permit.) Even though High Bazaar organizer Joseph Accettullo previously lauded the idea of temporary cannabis event permits, he said he was not disappointed by the regulations the town ultimately passed. Its progress. Its definitely progress, he said. We legalized marijuana, you know, this is the next step forward. While the events no longer take place, Accettullo said, the High Bazaar still exists as a community. Because of the size of those events and all the friendships that were made, the High Bazaars a community now, he said. Of course zoning regulations dont affect that. Accettullo hopes cannabis events can return within the next five to 10 years when the policy is right for it, he said. Jason Ortiz, executive president of Students for Sensible Drug Policies and a member of the High Bazaar community, said he feels the state dropped the ball because it did not create a cannabis event license. Its forcing all of the smaller cities to have to come up with their own solutions to this problem, Ortiz said. The state is really putting our municipal officials in a really tough spot by not having a more robust state licensing program. Town Planner Eugene Livshits did not know whether Hamden would resurrect conversations about the one-day cannabis event permit, he said, though he does think it likely the incubator proposal will come up again. A lot of people did see the value in it, he said. But there was a feeling that more research needed to be done in that area. ... I think thats something that will probably be brought to the table later on for additional discussion. The goal of the incubator was to help fledgling cannabis establishments share resources and get off the ground, particularly in Disproportionately Impacted Areas, or DIAs. DIAs are neighborhoods which the state has designated as being disproportionately harmed by marijuana prohibition. The Highwood section of Hamden, also called Newhall, is considered a DIA. Incubator aside, the new regulations provide a way forward for other types of cannabis businesses, which also are subject to state licensing rules. Entrepreneurs wishing to locate their cannabis retail or manufacturing facilities in Hamden can apply to the town for a special permit starting April 1, when a moratorium previously enacted by the town will end, Livshits said. Under the new zoning amendment, cannabis retail establishments will be allowed rural, sub-urban, general urban and urban center zones, many of which are located near Dixwell Avenue, Route 15 and Whitney Avenue, a town zoning map shows. Applicants also can seek to open cannabis production, cultivation, packaging and manufacturing facilities in the towns manufacturing zones. Hamdens designated manufacturing zones can be found in the southeastern edge of town as well as near Sherman Avenue and Hamden Park Drive. All cannabis establishments must be located at least 1,500 feet from each other, and they cannot be within 500 feet of any place of worship, library, school or public playground, according to the regulations. When considering whether to grant a permit, the Planning & Zoning Commission must consider the health and safety of the public, nearby traffic and provisions for odor control, security, noise and lighting, the regulations say. The commission unanimously passed the amendment on March 15, meeting minutes available on the town website show. There have been individuals who have expressed interest in bringing cannabis businesses to Hamden, according to Livshits, who said he could not disclose details. The real interesting part of all this is going to be when an actual application comes in, he said. It gives you a better sense of how this approach is going to work or not. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate NEW HAVEN The city's police chief is recommending the officers involved in the Randy Cox case be terminated. New Haven Police Chief Karl Jacobson announced Tuesday that he is recommending Sgt. Betsy Segui and Officers Luis Rivera, Jocelyn Lavandier and Oscar Diaz be fired for the incident that left Cox paralyzed last summer. The fifth officer involved, Ronald Pressley, retired earlier this year. Jacobson said his recommendation was based on the results of a recently completed internal affairs investigation that found the five officers violated several departmental codes of conduct, including law-abiding, integrity, trustworthiness and courtesy and respect. "It was a long process, this department has gone through a lot since that incident, this community has gone through a lot," Jacobson said Tuesday. "The message to the community is ... we will be transparent and we will be accountable and we will hold our officers accountable. "The message to the officers is that this administration does have your back and mistakes do happen, but we will not treat this community disrespectfully as has happened in the Randy Cox situation," Jacobson added. He said the city's police board will vote on his recommendation in late April or early May. Jacobson noted he does not have the authority to fire or hire officers. Two other New Haven police officers, whose names were not disclosed, will be disciplined for their roles in the Cox incident but will not face termination, the chief said. One of the unnamed officers was a police supervisor and the other was working at the detention center where Cox was taken after his arrest, Jacobson added. Matt Popilowski of Lynch, Traub, Keefe & Errante, representing Diaz and Pressley in their criminal cases, said while his firm does not represent those two individuals in their labor dispute, he believes terminating the officers at this point is "premature" because "not all the facts and evidence have been through the process." "We will address the criminal case in that court and if it comes to it, let the jury decide," Popilowski said. Attorney Gregory Cerritelli, who represents Segui in the criminal case against her, said he was "not surprised" by the chiefs recommendation and fully expects the four officers to be fired. "There is no due process at this stage of the proceedings and the entire process lacks fundamental fairness," Cerritelli said. "Interestingly, the chief announced over 50 policy changes within the department, including seat belts in prisoner conveyance vans, and changes in transportation, detention, and additional officer training," Cerritelli continued. "It is obvious to even a casual observer that these officers are being used as scapegoats for a department that had, and has, woefully inadequate training and policies." Attorney Dan Ford, who represents Lavandier in Superior Court, also pointed out he does not represent her in the labor matter but said, "I believe the recommendation to terminate Ms. Lavandier is premature at this point." Rivera's attorney did not immediately respond to a request seeking comment. In a separate news conference at City Hall following Jacobson's announcement, Mayor Justin Elicker said he stood by the chief's decision, calling the actions of the five officers "unacceptable." "We need to do everything in our power to ensure that it never happens again," Elicker said. Doreen Coleman, Cox's mother, who attended Elicker's news conference, said the chief's recommendation to fire the four officers was "something we had been waiting for" but "we still have a whole lot more to go." Coleman said her son, who is paralyzed from the chest down, is "making progress" and "is in good spirits" while at a long-term rehab facility. According to Coleman, Cox is processing this latest development and "waiting to see what's really going to happen" with the five officers being charged. R.J. Weber, one member of Cox's legal team who stood beside Coleman inside City Hall Tuesday, said the family was satisfied with the chief's recommendation despite the decision coming about nine months after Cox was injured. "While this has taken some time, the most important thing is to get it right," Weber said. "Even though it's been nine months since Juneteenth when Randy was paralyzed, it's not a long time. What is a long time is 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day of the week when Randy wakes up paralyzed from the chest down." On June 19, 2022, police were called to a block party on Lilac Street in New Haven for reports of a man threatening a woman with a gun. Police said they found Cox with a loaded handgun and arrested him. Officers placed him in the back of a police van, which was not equipped with a seat belt. During the drive to a processing facility, Diaz, the officer behind the wheel, stopped short to avoid another driver, according to city officials and court documents. Cox was thrown forward inside the van and slammed his head, according to officials and video footage of the incident. Video from the van shows that Diaz checked on Cox after he was injured, but did not call for an ambulance. Jacobson said Tuesday that Diaz will face additional violations for his role as the operator of the police transport van. Once the van arrived at a police holding facility, officers dragged Cox out of the vehicle by his ankles after he repeatedly told them he couldn't move, the videos show. Police took him to a cell in a wheelchair. He eventually was transported to the hospital and treated for his injuries. Cox initially was charged with breach of peace, second-degree threatening, first-degree threatening, carrying a pistol without a permit and criminal possession of a firearm. Those charges have since been dropped. In addition to Diaz, Segui, who was working as a supervisor at the detention center on the night of the incident, also will face additional "supervisory-related" violations, according to Jacobson. The five officers involved have been charged with second-degree reckless endangerment and cruelty to persons. The criminal cases remain ongoing. They have pleaded not guilty to the charges. All five were suspended days after the incident occurred. Cox's family filed a $100 million federal lawsuit against the city and four police officers in September. This month, a judge granted a request by Diaz to have the unknown driver of the other car he braked to avoid hitting added to the suit as a "Jane Doe." In another motion, the officers have also tried to pass some of the blame for Cox's injuries on to the EMTs who treated him immediately after he was injured in police custody. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate NEW YORK (AP) Facing the possibility of criminal charges, Donald Trump waited it out in Florida on Tuesday as New York braced for disruptions that could follow an indictment. Republican contenders in the 2024 race sized up the impact a prosecution could have on a campaign in which the former president is a leading contender. Trump over the weekend claimed without evidence that he would be arrested on Tuesday, but there was no indication that prediction would come true. A Manhattan grand jury did appear to take an important step forward on Monday by hearing from a witness favorable to Trump, presumably so prosecutors could ensure the panel had a chance to consider any testimony supporting his version of events. The next steps were unclear, and it was uncertain if additional witnesses might be summoned. But a city mindful of the riot by Trump loyalists at the U.S. Capitol more than two years ago took steps to protect itself from any violence that could accompany the unprecedented prosecution of a former president. Monday's testimony from Robert Costello, a lawyer with close ties to numerous key Trump aides, appeared to be a final opportunity for allies to steer the grand jury away from an indictment. Costello was invited by prosecutors to appear after saying he had information to undercut the credibility of Michael Cohen, a former lawyer and fixer for Trump who later turned against him and then became a key witness in the Manhattan district attorney's investigation. Costello had provided Cohen legal services several years ago after Cohen himself became entangled in the federal investigation into the hush money payments. In a news conference after his grand jury appearance, Costello told reporters he had come forward because he did not believe Cohen, who pleaded guilty to federal crimes and served time in prison. If they want to go after Donald Trump and they have solid evidence, then so be it, Costello said. But Michael Cohen is far from solid evidence. Responding on MSNBC, Cohen said that Costello was never his lawyer and he lacks any sense of veracity. There were no signs that Costello's testimony had affected the course of the investigation. Cohen had been available for over two hours in case prosecutors wanted him to rebut Costello's testimony but he was told he was not needed, his attorney said. The testimony came two days after Trump said he expected to face criminal charges and urged supporters to protest his possible arrest. In social media posts through the weekend, he criticized the investigation, directing particularly hostile rhetoric toward Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a Democrat. New York officials have been monitoring online chatter of threats of varying specificity, but even as portable metal barricades were dropped off to safeguard streets and sidewalks, there were no immediate signs that Trump's calls for protests were being heeded. On Tuesday morning, Manhattan court proceedings were temporarily halted by a bomb threat called in via 911, according to a court spokesman. That delayed the start of a hearing in a separate case, the New York attorney generals lawsuit accusing Trump and his company of a yearslong fraud scheme. Costello briefly acted as a legal adviser to Cohen after the FBI raided Cohens home and apartment in 2018. At the time, Cohen was being investigated for both tax evasion and for payments he helped orchestrate in 2016 to buy the silence of two women who claimed to have had sexual encounters with Trump. For several months, it was unclear whether Cohen, a longtime lawyer and fixer for the Trump Organization who once boasted that he would take a bullet for his boss, would remain loyal to the president. Cohen ultimately decided to plead guilty in connection with the payments to porn actor Stormy Daniels and model Karen McDougal, which he said were directed by Trump. Since then, he has been a vociferous Trump critic, testifying before Congress and then to the grand jury. Trump, who has denied having sex with either woman, has branded Cohen a liar. As the New York investigation pushes toward conclusion, Trump faces other criminal probes in Atlanta and Washington that, taken together, pose significant legal peril and carry the prospect of upending his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination. Some of his likely opponents have tried to strike a balance between condemning a potential prosecution as politically motivated while avoiding condoning the conduct at issue. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, an expected GOP presidential candidate, criticized the investigation but also jabbed at Trump. I dont know what goes into paying hush money to a porn star to secure silence over some kind of alleged affair," DeSantis said at a news conference in Panama City. I cant speak to that. Switching to criticism of the district attorney, he said, "What I can speak to is that if you have a prosecutor who is ignoring crimes happening every single day in his jurisdiction and he chooses to go back many, many years ago to try to use something about porn star hush money payments, thats an example of pursuing a political agenda and weaponizing the office. And I think thats fundamentally wrong. ___ Tucker reported from Washington. Associated Press journalists Michelle L. Price, Aaron Morrison, Jill Colvin, Ted Shaffrey, David R. Martin, Noreen Nasir, Seth Wenig and Larry Neumeister contributed to this report. ___ Follow Eric Tucker on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/etuckerAP. Protesters set piles of rubbish on fire in central Paris on Monday after President Emmanuel Macron's government narrowly survived a no-confidence motion in parliament on Monday over a deeply unpopular pension reform, Trend reports citing Reuters. The failure of the no-confidence vote will be a relief to Macron. Had it succeeded, it would have sunk his government and killed the legislation, which is set to raise the retirement age by two years to 64. In some of Paris' most prestigious avenues, firefighters scrambled to put out burning rubbish piles left uncollected for days due to strikes as protesters played cat-and-mouse with police. Earlier on Thursday, a Reuters reporter saw police fire tear gas and briefly charge at protesters after the no-confidence vote barely fell short of enough votes to pass. Unions and opposition parties said they would step up protests to try and force a u-turn. The vote on the tripartisan, no-confidence motion was closer than expected. Some 278 MPs backed it, just nine short of the 287 needed for it to succeed. We are puttering past brightly colored stucco mansions that line a Florida canal, motoring slowly in our rented boat because signs say there are manatees about. When we see a gray blob deep in the water, we cut the motor. So far on this days travels, in addition to a manatee a sort of a water-bound legless, trunkless elephant -- weve seen porpoises and egrets. What we havent seen is a sign of life in the mansions that face Samsons Island, a 52-acre preserve in the Banana River. The island teems with life. The mansions stand like mausoleums. We are told their inhabitants migrate south to enjoy Floridas lack of an income tax and a pro-business governor (who seems to drop his pro-business stance the moment a business runs counter to his politics). We have mausoleums in Connecticut, too, multi-room trophies given to capitalisms winners. Connecticut is second only to Massachusetts in per capita income, and third for the number of households with at least $1 million in assets. The state claims six residents on the Forbes 400 list of richest Americans, and plenty who just missed the cut. In Florida, signs remind boaters and others to respect species that are fighting a losing battle against encroachment and development. We dont need such signs in Connecticut, where our tax policies have long treated the wealthy as a fragile and endangered species. They are far from endangered, and most of us want wealthy citizens to pay more taxes, but certain policy makers and politicians Gov. Ned Lamont among them are shy about that because, they say, higher taxes will send rich people skittering off to other states with cheaper (or no) taxes. But the wealthy dont tend to flee higher taxes, according to a new report from A Better Connecticut Institute, a nonprofit that studies racial and economic disparities in the state. The fear of losing rich people to lower-tax states is based on flawed data from the IRS. The rich arent going anywhere, according to the studys author, Thomas Cooke, a migration scholar, demographic consultant and University of Connecticut professor emeritus of geography. The report questions whether so-called income migration even exists. Among other sources, the study cites a U.S. Department of Treasury and Stanford University study that tracked the comings and goings of California millionaires and found that their states relatively high income tax, which predates the Golden Gate Bridge, has scant little impact on migrations among the rich. In fact, according to the study, wealthy people are tied to their home states by family (as are the rest of us) and by deeply rooted business obligations (which many low-income earners could slough off faster, but still lack the resources to pay for relocation). From the study: We often think that the only way for a state to be competitive is to be like Texas a low-tax, low-infrastructure, low-services state. But the reality is that the most competitive places in the U.S., the leading drivers of the economy, and the centers for top talent are New York and California and they have been for generations, despite higher taxes on top incomes. Only Florida where life is built on sand and hope shows the slightest indication of low (or no) taxes serving as an attraction but because there is no such migration in other states that lack an income tax, researchers are inclined to believe that climate plays a larger role in bringing in the wealthy (and everyone else). Connecticut was the 41st state to adopt a state income tax (in 1991, after a brief attempt in the early 70s). No other state has done so since. Cookes study analyzes U.S. Census numbers that say the states economy is the biggest attraction for moving to Connecticut and the most-named reason for leaving, with a net loss of 6,289 people on average every year between 2015-19. The second biggest attraction in Connecticut is family, according to the study. In that same time span, on average 20,555 people moved to the state each year for family reasons, while 10,593 left to be with family elsewhere. Thats an average net gain of just less than 10,000 people per year. So why do certain politicians and policy makers keep saying that higher taxes on the wealthy will make them pull up stakes? Part of that comes from misusing or misreading the IRS data limitations. And part, said Cooke, "stems from the fact that most people frequently wonder about living elsewhere the grass is always greener and that part of that imagining is the cost of living and imagining how wonderful it might be to live elsewhere." Statistics say that most people billionaires, millionaires, and also-rans tend to stay put. "Money," Cooke said, "is explicit. The other stuff is implicit, even though the implicit usually is more important than the explicit." Connecticut librarians say they are victims of price-gouging by book publishers whose charges for eBooks are as much as five times the amount of traditional books. Other contractual restrictions, which librarians are fighting in the General Assembly with the assistance of bipartisan support from lawmakers, limit the use of individual eBooks for a maximum of two years or 26 "borrows." And unlike inter-library loans of traditional hard and paperbacks, eBooks are limited in use to individual libraries. A bill that would end many of the contract restrictions won unanimous approval last week in the legislative Planning and Development Committee, following recent public hearings that brought librarians from around the state to complain about the expensive landscape. A similar bill awaits action in the Government Administration & Elections Committee. Opposition has been led by the Association of American Publishers, who say the proposal is unconstitutional and would deprive authors of royalties. Ellen Paul, executive director of the Connecticut Library Consortium, said in a Monday interview that the publishers' argument seems to be based on unrelated legislation that was overturned in Maryland and was vetoed in New York last year. "I don't think the publishers have read the bills in Connecticut," Paul said. "What we're doing here in Connecticut is contract law. The Connecticut legislature has purview over contracts in Connecticut. We have procurement law to ensure taxpayer dollars are used properly." The legislation would allow librarians to set new contract terms for eBooks. "We're saying if you would like to participate, these are the terms and conditions. It's like the Connecticut DOT paying six times more for asphalt than a general contractor and every two years seeing the road disappear." State librarians do not purchase eBooks from publishers, but from platforms for the books under digital rights and protections. "Publishers have refused to negotiate with libraries over the last 20 years," Paul said in a phone interview. Popular titles such as the Harry Potter young magicians' series have to be repurchased every two years or after 26 instances of borrowing. Also, eBooks are not allowed to be in the traditional interlibrary loan program. Paul said that 82 percent of available eBooks are under the metered copy model. "The cost of eBooks are so high, we don't buy as many," Paul said. "Libraries want to buy more books. We want to get books into the hands of every one. If libraries could buy more, authors would make more money." According to the State Library, between July 1, 2021 and June 30, 2022, state residents borrowed 11.8 million physical materials, including printed books, books on CD; and 3.4 million electronic books and downloadable audio books. Electronic circulation as a percentage of overall circulation was 7.5 percent in 2017, jumping to 17.1 percent in 2020 and peaking at 23.9 percent in 2021 at the height of the pandemic. In 2022 it fell back to 17.9 percent. During a recent public hearing on the issue, Alice S. Knapp, the CEO of the Ferguson Library in Stamford, which introduced eBooks in the early 2000s, said that the average wait time for a popular eBook could be 40 days. "If the book is popular or part of a series, we then need to lease it all over again," Knapp said. "In a state that has a long tradition of resource sharing, these leased titles are only available to local residents. We cannot loan a title to someone who lives in another town and vice versa." Both Republicans and Democrats on the Planning and Development Committee agreed it is time to redraw contract terms. "This bill is absolutely critical to our towns," said state Rep. Eleni Kavros DeGraw, D-Simsbury, co-chairwoman of the committee. "It is unconscionable to me that I can buy a book, a best-seller for say $10 or $14 when I use a Kindle or an iPad, but libraries that are only get to get two years or 26 uses out of a book that they purchased to make available to patrons online, they're going to pay sometimes five times what that best-seller cost. This is limiting them in the number of books they can purchase. It's limiting them in the expansion of an online library. I think the more that people learn about this situation, the more-outraged they become about just how these publishing companies are really hurting the towns." "It is about fundamental fairness," said Rep. Joseph Zullo, R-East Haven. "This legislation wouldn't have been necessary if the publishers weren't charging such ridiculous rates for these books," said Sen. Ryan Fazio of Greenwich, who along with Zullo is a top Republican on the committee. "I didn't go into this bill expecting to support it necessarily, but the prices on the eBooks are so ridiculously high and orders of magnitude higher than the physical books, this legislation wouldn't be advanced if they just were acting in a more reasonable fashion. And I am a major free-market guy." This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 5 1 of 5 Arnold Gold / Hearst Connecticut Media file photo Show More Show Less 2 of 5 Arnold Gold / Hearst Connecticut Media Show More Show Less 3 of 5 4 of 5 Arnold Gold/Hearst Connecticut Media Show More Show Less 5 of 5 The arrival of spring also signals the return of New Haven's Wooster Square Cherry Blossom celebration, which will take place on Sunday, April 16. The celebration, taking place from noon to 4:30 p.m., features live music and food trucks. Bears Smokehouse, Crispy Melty, Ben & Jerrys and Soulfully Vegan will be among the food vendors at the festival. Dating back to 1974, the festival spotlights the 72 Yoshino Japanese Cherry Blossom trees that were planted by the New Haven Historic Commission in conjunction with the New Haven Parks Department and Wooster Square neighborhood residents. After 31 years, authorities have identified a New Jersey woman as the victim of a notorious and mysterious homicide in nearby Staten Island, New York but they re still looking for her killer. During a press conference Tuesday at the Richmond County District Attorneys Office in Staten Island, officials identified the woman bludgeoned to death with a hammer and burned in a wooded lot in 1991 as Christine Belusko, a resident of Morris County. The development came thanks to technological advancements in forensic genealogy, said District Attorney Michael E. McMahon, who is working with the NYPD and the FBI on the case. Christine Belusko was identified as the victim in the Sept. 20, 1991 murder. (Courtesy of the Richmond County's District Attorney's Office) In addition, detectives learned during their investigation that Belusko had a daughter in 1989, two years prior to her brutal murder. The child was named Christa Nicole, according to McMahon. It was technology unavailable in 1991 but invaluable in todays law enforcement world, McMahon said. Thanks to this incredible tool, we were able to identify the victim. Despite the breakthrough, investigators are still searching to locate the person responsible in Beluskos killing as well as the whereabouts of Christa Nicole. McMahon and Dave Nilsen, chief of the district attorneys Detective Investigators Squad, called on the publics help for any possible new leads in the case. We continue to make efforts to locate Christa Nicole, so we can let her know who her mother was and what has been done in this case, McMahon added. Prosecutors released this age-progression photo of what Christa Nicole would look like in 2023. 2021 BREAKTHROUGH Nilsen said that Belusko was first identified in April 2021. In June of 2021, her brother was informed of his sisters death and investigators learned she had a daughter. New and prior leads in the case came up empty, spurring the decision to release new information to the public. The victims last known address was in Clifton, where she lived until July 1991. She was a longtime resident of New Jersey, according to law enforcement officials. Investigators also know Belusko was staying at a Mount Airy Lodge near Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania, in the weeks before her death. Investigators showed photos of Belusko as well as an age progression photo of Christa Nicole that was created by the FBI and National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Belusko worked in a clothing shop in New Jersey called the Rainbow Shop. The dress she was found wearing at the time of her death was from that line of clothing, McMahon said. The tattoo of a scorpion on the body of the female found in September of 1991. (NamUs) He declined to say what she was doing on Staten Island the day she was killed. That part of the investigation remains open, he said. Given the facts of the case and what transpired and the way in which she was murdered, it does not seem random, McMahon said. This was someone who knew her, its an intimate type of murder. NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig asked that anyone with information about Beluskos daughter or her killer may call 1-800-577-TIPS. Detectives photograph and examine the area where the body of a woman was found in Ocean Breeze. (Staten Island Advance)Staten Island Advance REVISITING DECADES-OLD HOMICIDE New developments came in part due to a reinvigorated effort in 2019 between McMahons Detective Investigator Squad and the FBI. A passerby found Beluskos body, handcuffed and burned, in a wooded area across from 777 Seaview Ave., South Beach Psychiatric Center, according to Advance/SILive.com records. The woman was found wearing a black dress, two gold chains, a ring watch, and she had with her a pack of Newport cigarettes. She also had a distinctive scorpion tattoo. The woman was found wearing a black dress, two gold chains, a ring watch, and she had with her a pack of Newport cigarettes. She also had a distinctive scorpion tattoo. This case was followed with great sorrow and public intrigue across the borough and beyond and she became known as the girl with the scorpion tattoo, McMahon said. Investigators determined that shed been struck 17 times in the back of the head with 13-inch work style hammer that was found under her black dress. The name Loyd L. was inscribed in the hammers handle; police hoped at the time it would lead them to the person responsible, but came back empty handed. Investigators determined that shed been struck 17 times in the back of the head with 13-inch work style hammer that was found under her black dress. The name Loyd L. was inscribed in the hammers handle. An image of a red-and-blue scorpion tattoo on her right buttock was shared multiple times over the years following the discovery in an effort to catch the eye of someone who knew her, or a tattoo artist that recognized the handiwork. Without an identity, Belusko had been previously laid to rest at an anonymous grave on Hart Island. Tips can be submitted to the Richmond County District Attorneys Office hotline at 718-556-7085, the NYPD Crime Stoppers line at 800-577-TIPS or info@rcda.nyc.gov. RELATED COVERAGE: The scorpion cold case >> A circus worker? Victim of serial killer? Here are 4 theories considered over the years in Staten Island scorpion cold case. >> Detectives hoped blood-stained hammer would yield clues in Staten Island 1991 murder of woman. >> Answers in Staten Island scorpion murder? D.A. poised to reveal significant updates in cold case slaying of woman. >> Charred body of woman with black dress, scorpion tattoo was found in Ocean Breeze ditch in 1991. Shes a mystery thats spanned 3 decades. | The Unsolved A recent Star-Ledger letter from Sid Morginstin asks that we not judge past leaders by current standards. Sure, past leaders may have had some excellent qualities. But, in our more enlightened times, we absolutely should condemn them for what we now see as reprehensible behavior. Morginstin writes that we should not blame Thomas Jefferson for not freeing his slaves because he couldnt afford the cost. Well, he could afford to free four children he fathered with his slave Sally Hemings, though not Hemmings herself. Sample HTML block I am a graduate of the University of Virginia, where there is much controversy surrounding Jeffersons legacy in founding the school. It pains me to know that the beautiful campus (we call it the grounds) where I studied was built by slaves. And, it gives me some small consolation to know that those slaves have been honored by UVA at a Memorial to Enslaved Laborers. In Jeffersons case, we should not pretend that he didnt know that slavery was wrong. In writing of the complications of freeing his slaves, he said, Justice is in one scale, and self-preservation in the other. Actually, Polish freedom fighter Tadeusz Kosciuszko, whose name is on a bridge in Brooklyn, left Jefferson the funds to free his slaves, but Jefferson chose not to accept the inheritance because he feared the complications of emancipating his slaves. Jefferson chose self-preservation over justice. Imagine if he had chosen justice. Would others have followed his example? Would the Civil War have been avoided? Perhaps not. Well never know. But, understanding, and not excusing, the moral compromises of our past leaders should ideally encourage us to choose justice in the present. John Willard, West Orange U.S., China playing dangerous game I want to comment on the March 19 60 Minutes segment about the U.S. Navys presence near China and Taiwan, and the threat that Chinas powerful navy poses to Americans if the U.S. military defends Taiwan against mainland Chinas plans to take over the island. In mid-February, the Star-Ledger published a Washington Post article with the headline Critic of Putin warns West not to show weakness in Ukraine. In the article, Mikhall Khodorkovsky, a Russian critic of Putin living in exile, states that if the United States wants to provoke a war with China over Taiwan, showing weakness in supporting Ukraine is how to do it. Taiwan has a population of 24 million. China has 1.4 billion people and the United States has 350 million. We must stop sending our men and women to other countries. We are not only outnumbered in population, but with Chinas naval expansion, it will also outnumber us soon in the number of ships it has. We have sacrificed too many American lives, and we have hundreds of thousands of veterans who are disabled physically and mentally. The United Nations must provide mediation for China and Taiwan to lead to a mutual agreement on their relationship and, over the long term, for reconciliation. A war between the worlds two greatest economic powers would destroy the world economy and result in thousands, if not millions, of deaths and injuries in China, the United States, and probably other NATO countries that would join our side. Is there any doubt that, if China can send surveillance balloons over the United States, it can also send nuclear bombs? We must stop this mutual madness that can cause countries to destroy each other. Bob Barrett, Clark Question motives of brand new whale huggers Sounds crazy doesnt it? But if the anti-offshore-wind-energy whale huggers truly want to save the whales which I do not believe for a second they should advocate to ban other activities that we know are killing them. This includes prevention of strikes by ships and getting tangled in fishing gear. Instead, we have groups like Clean Ocean Action chasing a ghost and trying to hamper one of the real solutions to saving the whales, which is combating climate change. But, climate change is a pair of dirty words in Republican politics. There has been extensive testing and precautions taken against whales and dolphins being affected by wind turbines. And, please remember, there are NO wind turbines currently operating off the New Jersey coast. Much of the real opposition to turbines comes from are wealthy beachfront homeowners and investors who are worried about their view, and the effect it may have on their property values. Republican congressmen showing concerns for preserving the whales? Really! When Donald Trump as president talked about opening sections off the Jersey Shore to oil drilling, you did not hear a peep out of U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-2nd Dist. Joseph Marra, Seaside Park Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. The Star-Ledger/NJ.com encourages submissions of opinion. Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow us on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and on Facebook at NJ.com Opinion. Get the latest news updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. By Rebecca L. Watts The nursing shortage being felt across the nation has propelled many New Jersey healthcare systems to give nurses aides more access to training with local community colleges and universities. Expanding these opportunities is certainly a positive step and must be matched with other strategies. A report from the New Jersey Collaborating Center for Nursing found that the turnover rate for nurses in the state was high across the board: 50% for licensed practical nurses, 24% for registered nurses, and 29% for nurse practitioners. The study projects that over the next three years, the number of nurses retiring or leaving the profession will exceed the number of new graduates entering nursing. One factor cited for that shortfall is a shortage of nursing teachers. Of course, New Jersey is not alone. In a letter to U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Bacerra, American Nurses Association president Dr. Ernest Grant called the nursing shortage a national crisis, detailing sweeping shortages and turnover rates across the country. According to a 2021 study on the U.S healthcare labor market, if current trends persist, New Jersey will have a healthcare worker shortage of nearly 36,000, including over 1,000 nurses. To ensure the proper standard of care is being met for patients, healthcare providers must prioritize continuing nursing education and create opportunities for career growth. Making an investment in the nurses they have today will help retain talent and strengthen their future labor force for tomorrow. Dont miss an issue of our Opinion newsletter! Get it delivered each Wednesday right into your inbox by adding your email below and hitting "subscribe." The nursing shortage has prompted a rise in providers hiring travel nurses to assure standards of care for their patients. This strategy comes at a high cost, with travel professionals earning a national average of $2,034 a week. In New Jersey, this is up to $3,646 a week, enticing much of the incoming workforce to travel, leaving their neighborhood hospitals understaffed. Seeing this pay disparity can be discouraging for the remaining clinical staff, prompting experienced nurses to retire early or seek alternative careers. This results in the loss of valuable thought leadership and expertise that could otherwise be passed on to the next generation of nurses. Local schools with licensing programs then have a tough time, due to their need for practicing nurses to serve as part-time clinical faculty. We need to change this pattern by making sure talent is supported on a continuous learning and growth journey, helping more nurses reach their professional goals at their current workplace. The masters degrees and post-master certificates in leadership and management at online institutions like Western Governors University allow working nurses to advance their career journeys in their workplace instead of leaving the industry entirely. Years in the field give many the advantage of completing courses at a faster rate with a flexible virtual classroom setting and a competency-based model coupled with clinical experiences in a local healthcare provider setting. Furthering their knowledge by obtaining an MSN or certificate in nursing education also opens the door for them to become instructors for incoming nurses. Healthcare administrators must focus as much of their energy on talent retention and giving nurses a career pathway with upward mobility as they do on recruitment. This strategy will demonstrate that professional nursing is a career path that provides opportunities for continued growth, learning, and leadership. Rebecca L. Watts, Ph.D., of Weehawken, serves as a regional vice president for Western Governors University (WGU), a nonprofit, accredited university focused on competency-based learning that serves more than 1,800 students and 3,500 graduates in New Jersey. Heres how to submit an op-ed or Letter to the Editor. Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow us on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and on Facebook at NJ.com Opinion. Get the latest news updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. Follow us on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and on Facebook at NJ.com Opinion. Americas fight against climate change was slow to start, lagging well behind Europe, thanks mostly to the flat-earthers in Red America who denied the science. Are we about to repeat the mistake when it comes to building wind farms off the Jersey Shore? A potent movement is building in South Jersey to halt Gov. Phil Murphys plans for offshore wind, with two public meetings last week drawing more than 1,000 people combined, and mayors of 30 Shore towns signing a letter calling for a moratorium. A man who served time in federal prison for bank robbery was shot dead late Sunday by his teenage son while his other children looked on, New Orleans police say. Jayden R. Woods Sr., 19, allegedly shot his father, Khadafi Degruey, 41, after the two fought inside a Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant in the 4100 block of General DeGaulle Drive in Algiers. During the argument, Woods left the eatery and sat with his young child in the backseat of a Kia Soul. Degruey followed, punched Woods and "pulled at" his grandchild, police wrote in court documents. That's when Woods' 13-year-old brother handed him their father's gun, which was stored under the driver's seat, he told police. Woods shot Degruey after telling him no one was allowed to pull at his child, the documents said. "The altercation between Woods and his father, where his father punched him in the face, could speak to a level of abuse he may have suffered," public defender Tonell Byrd said during Woods' bond hearing on Monday. "Once his father pulls for Woods' child, that is when he reached a breaking point." Degruey pleaded guilty in 2012 to robbing First Bank & Trust Bank at 4550 General DeGaulle and was sentenced to just over 7 years in federal prison. He died on the scene, four blocks from the bank he robbed. Woods was arrested for second degree murder and faces life imprisonment if convicted. Because Woods was on suicide watch, he did not appear in court Monday. His bond was set at $500,000. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will visit Kyiv for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Japan's foreign ministry said on Tuesday, as broadcaster NHK showed footage of Kishida boarding a train at the Polish border town of Przemysl, Trend reports citing Reuters. Kishida, as a member of the Group of Seven nations, will voice solidarity and support for Ukraine, the ministry said. Prior to departing for Poland en route to Ukraine, Kishida visited India, where he met his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, NHK reported. Kishida will also hold talks with his Polish counterpart before returning to Japan on Thursday, the ministry said. Moscow and Beijing are poised to further strengthen their coordination in the Group of Twenty (G20) and support the African Unions accession to the group, Russia and China said in a joint statement, published by the Kremlin on Tuesday, Trend reports citing TASS. "The sides are set to enhance coordination within the framework of G20 and other multilateral formats," the document says. The two states are set to encourage G20 to react to "pressing challenges in the global financial and economic sphere," and "to improve the global economic management system on a fair and rational basis to make it reflect the structure of the global economy in a more accurate way." To that end, developing countries and countries with emerging markets should be granted better representation and a more powerful voice, the statement says. "The sides support the accession of the African Union to the Group of Twenty," the statement says. Turkiye and Greece have agreed to mutually support each others various candidacies as bilateral relations thaw in the wake of the earthquakes in Turkiye and the train crash in Greece, the countries top diplomats said, Trend reports citing Daily Sabah. We continue our solidarity after the recent tragedies, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavushoglu told reporters alongside his Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias. Turkiye supports Greeces candidacy for a nonpermanent seat in the United Nations Security Council for the 2025-26 term, Cavushoglu said at a joint press briefing on the sidelines of the International Donors Conference in Brussels. The conference aims to drum up millions of euros for the victims of the Feb. 6 tremors that killed nearly 50,000 people in Turkiyes southeast and at least 6,000 more in neighboring Syria, marking the largest natural disaster in the region in years. We thank the Greek government and people for extending their support and solidarity after the earthquakes, Cavushoglu remarked. Greece was one of the first countries to offer aid to Turkiye while Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was among the first leaders who called President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to convey condolences and support for the Turkish state and nation. It was so kind of my colleague Dendias to visit Hatay, as well, he said, referring to Dendias trip to Hatay in late February. Seniors rallied outside a Chase Bank branch in Merrillville Tuesday afternoon to protest the bank's financing the fossil fuel industry. More than a dozen members of the Seniors of Northwest Indiana group gathered outside the bank office at 6790 Broadway to take part in a national day of action across the United States coordinated by the climate activist group Third Act and more than 50 other groups in the hope of combating climate change. JP Morgan Chase led the list of the Dirty Dozen banks that have made investments in the fossil fuels industry since the Paris Climate Agreement, $382 billion between 2016 and 2021, according to the Rainforest Action Network, local organizer Alice Bush said. We, the senior citizens of Northwest Indiana, have a responsibility to speak up and shine a light on the hypocrisy of these banks, which claim one thing and do another. Seniors hold deposits in banks across the country and were ready to vote with our withdrawal slips if we dont see change by Chase and other major practitioners of environmental double-speak like Citi, Wells Fargo and Bank of America. Chase spokeswoman Stephanie Gostomski said the New York City-based bank, the second largest in the Calumet Region by market share, also finances green energy and companies looking to reduce their carbon footprint. We provide financing all across the energy sector: supporting energy security, helping clients accelerate their low carbon transitions and increasing clean energy financing, with a target of $1 trillion for green initiatives by 2030," she said. Activists say they targeted Chase, Citi, Bank of America and Wells Fargo for collectively providing nearly a quarter of the $4.6 trillion that's funded fossil fuel production between 2016 and 2021. "We're urging the banks to not invest in companies and products that make the problem worse," said organizer Joseph Conn, of Hobart. "There's a number of studies tracking investments banks are making and they're not living up to their promises for climate action. We're calling attention to banks that haven't done such a good job." The protest could just be the start of more activism, he said. "This is sort of like a shot across the bow, waving our hands to let them know we're watching you," he said. "We're senior citizens with kids, grandkids and great-grandkids who need a world that's worth inheriting. We're out there to let them know we're watching and if they don't do a better job we won't just sit in our rocking chair. We'll take our money and go somewhere else." SWAT vans arrive at Hobart police standoff A 43-year-old man from Tennessee was found dead in his residence after police and SWAT officers swarmed a Hobart neighborhood Sunday for repor HOBART A man who Hobart police said was barricaded inside a home during a SWAT standoff Sunday afternoon died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Detective Lt. Nicholas Wardrip said Tuesday. Police said the deceased male is a 43-year-old from Tennessee but will not release his name at this time. SWAT officers discovered him dead in the residence around 7:15 p.m. Wardrip said the man was living at the home. Police have not released any additional information on circumstances surrounding the death. A neighbor harassing SWAT team members during the standoff faces multiple felony charges after disrupting the incident and causing further commotion in the area, Hobart police said. Officers were dispatched around 4:20 p.m. to the 1700 block of Old Ridge Road for reports of shots fired. Upon arriving at the scene, they entered the residence and heard a gunshot come from a bedroom in the back of the home and swiftly left the house. Snipers from the Northwest Regional SWAT team were requested at the scene and established a perimeter, according to court documents related to the case. While snipers were positioned outside the residence, a man in a neighboring home started to talk to the snipers from his window. A sergeant told the man to stay inside his home for his safety, and the man pulled out a black revolver and pointed it at the sergeant. According to court documents, the snipers were forced to rearrange themselves and establish a perimeter around the neighboring home. The man, Charles Young, 48, of Hobart, repeatedly opened the window and at one point came outside, asking what he had done. Officers told him to walk toward their vehicle, and he obeyed at first but then ran toward police, flashing his middle finger and yelling expletives at the officers. Young was ultimately taken into custody and charged with felony counts of intimidation, resisting law enforcement, pointing a firearm and battery resulting in bodily injury to a public safety official after kicking an officer in the groin. Merrillville, New Chicago, St. John, Crown Point and Dyer police were on scene to assist, plus personnel from Hobart fire and Lake County Sheriff's Department. CROWN POINT The school board voted Monday to keep the new middle school building named after Robert A. Taft. Although Taft was never a president nor set foot in Crown Point, the board majority said that after 69 years on the current school door, his name has become part of the local community. The Board of Trustees of the Crown Point Community School Corp. voted 3-2 to keep the Taft brand on the new $78 million school campus, set to open this August at 121st and Decatur Street in Winfield. Board member Timothy Vassar had moved to rename the school after four Crown Point residents asked the board to restyle the new facility after Harriet Warner Holton, the countys first public school teacher. Vassar and board member Scott Babjak voted for a name change, arguing that Taft doesnt comply with current school policy to name buildings after persons who contributed to education or local history. Holton, a daughter of an American Revolutionary War general, traveled by wagon train to Crown Point in dead of winter in 1835 and opened her log cabin home to students as the first common school in Lake County. Holton remained in Lake County until her death, at age 97, in 1880. She is buried at Crown Points Historic Maplewood Cemetery. Taft was a U.S. senator from Ohio and a national Republican party standard bearer, but he never governed in Indiana. Nevertheless, Center Township officials opened the current school on South Main Street in honor of him in 1954, shortly after Tafts death. Tom Hawes, an amateur historian; Marion Kellum, a former Crown Point High School teacher; Dan Root, a former Crown Point School Board member; and Debbie Thill, from the local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, said the middle school rising in Winfield should be named for Holton. Board members Brian Smith, Danielle Bazin and Scott Angel voted against the proposal. They said the Taft name was in place before the current policy on school names was enacted some 15 years ago. Smith argued a name change would disconcert past graduates of the school. He and Bazin argued that making a last-minute name swap would mean costly changes to the new schools signage that would have to be borne by taxpayers. Superintendent Todd Terrill suggested the board, at a later date, could designate the alternative school, set to open this fall in what is now the north wing of the current Taft school building, after Holton. Board members said they might consider that but took no vote Monday. They asked Terrill to first help them clarify the policy over naming school facilities. PHOTOS: A look inside the under-construction new Taft Middle School A multiyear separation-of-powers dispute among two branches of Lake County government appears likely to be resolved in favor of the status quo. The House Local Government Committee unanimously endorsed a Senate-approved proposal Tuesday that would keep the county's purchasing and data processing agencies under control of the board of commissioners, instead of transferring management to the county council. In 2020, the seven-member council enacted an ordinance over the commissioners' veto to take the two agencies from the three commissioners as provided by a never-implemented 1981 state law authorizing the transfer. Subsequent litigation in the Lake Superior Court and the Indiana Court of Appeals was decided in favor of the council. Though the council has yet to actually take control of the two agencies. State Sen. Rick Niemeyer, R-Lowell, a former county council member and sponsor of Senate Bill 154, said it doesn't make sense from a good-government standpoint to have the council both in charge of appropriating county funds and spending the money. He said contracting and purchasing are powers more appropriately exercised by the commissioners, who serve as the county's executive. Niemeyer explained his proposal only will keep things as they've been for more than four decades. Commissioner Jerry Tippy, R-Schererville, said state law is clear the county commissioners should negotiate contracts on behalf of the county, and this measure will clarify that responsibility in the wake of the lawsuits. "If this bill passes, nothing changes. We're going to be doing exactly what we've been doing for 40, 40-plus years," Tippy told the House committee. The purchasing dispute originated in part with the council objecting to the commissioners repeatedly declining to award contracts to buy costly law enforcement equipment requested by Lake County Sheriff Oscar Martinez Jr., including a nearly $800,000 Lake Michigan patrol boat, even though the council appropriated money for the purchases. The legislation, which also applies to St. Joseph County, next will be eligible for a decision by the full House possibly as soon as next week on whether to send the measure to Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb to be signed into law. Meet the 2023 Northwest Indiana legislative delegation State Rep. Carolyn Jackson, D-Hammond State Rep. Earl Harris Jr., D-East Chicago State Rep. Ragen Hatcher, D-Gary State Rep. Ed Soliday, R-Valparaiso State Rep. Pat Boy, D-Michigan City State Rep. Chuck Moseley, D-Portage State Rep. Mike Aylesworth, R-Hebron State Rep. Mike Andrade, D-Munster State Rep. Vernon Smith, D-Gary State Rep. Hal Slager, R-Schererville State Rep. Kendell Culp, R-Rensselaer State Rep. Julie Olthoff, R-Crown Point State Rep. Jim Pressel, R-Rolling Prairie State Sen. Dan Dernulc, R-Highland State Sen. Lonnie Randolph, D-East Chicago State Sen. Eddie Melton, D-Gary State Sen. Rodney Pol Jr., D-Chesterton State Sen. Ed Charbonneau, R-Valparaiso State Sen. Rick Niemeyer, R-Lowell State Sen. Mike Bohacek, R-Michiana Shores The person said the main goal of the letter was to level the playing field. The too big to fail label had suddenly made the largest banks appealing destinations for smaller companies funds, while some depositors now view midsize banks as too risky to trust, the person said. Last week, Mr. Mayopoulos sent Silicon Valley Bank clients a note: If you, your portfolio companies or your firm moved funds within the past week, please consider moving some of them back as part of a secure deposit diversification strategy. He added that the bank was actively opening new accounts of all sizes and making new loans. Other bankers, however, said they were not seeing widespread anxiety from customers. Camden Fine, a former president of the Independent Community Bankers of America, said that after Silicon Valley Bank failed, he had begun calling bankers he knew to check in. I probably spoke to at least three dozen community bank C.E.O.s from all parts of the country, probably banks ranging from $500 million in assets all the way up to $10 billion in assets, Mr. Fine said. Without exception, every single one of them said: We are seeing deposit inflows to our banks. Were actually gaining deposits. They were baffled by all this talk about deposits are fleeing smaller and regional banks and going to the megabanks. Along with the rally at Franklin Park (speakers included Ebony Twilley Martin, the co-executive director of Greenpeace USA; and Ben Jealous, executive director of the Sierra Club) there were marches featuring banners, outsize puppets and at least one shofar, and the blockading, with even more rocking chairs, of Wells Fargo and Chase. One protester was arrested after using paint on the street, organizers said. Before addressing the rally, Mr. Jealous said pressure from older activists ought to make the banks take notice. For the banks, this is a very worrisome signal, he said. They can write off young people, they dont see them as having a whole lot of money right now. They know these folks do. For his part, Mr. McKibben conceded that closing personal accounts in oil-funding banks was not likely to impose enough financial harm to force change, but said that merely underscored the urgent need to do more. We can put serious pressure on their reputations, their images, their brands, and their sense of themselves, he said. Right now, the most powerful people in the world are deeply complicit in the gravest crisis that the world has ever experienced. So part of today is an attempt to rouse these guys to some kind of sense of their place in history. A man who investigators said sped through a red light at a Brooklyn intersection was charged on Tuesday with killing a driver and a pedestrian, according to the New York Police Department. The man, Vitaliy Konoplyov, was charged with two counts of manslaughter and two counts of aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, the police said. Police had not identified the victims as of Tuesday evening. At least one other person was injured. The deadly crash happened along 18th Avenue, long considered a perilous route, but one that was recently removed from a list of the citys most dangerous corridors. The designated routes, which need crucial safety improvements, are part of Vision Zero, a nearly decade-old initiative introduced under former Mayor Bill de Blasio aimed at reducing traffic deaths. The 18th Avenue corridor, which stretches from Shore Parkway to Coney Island Avenue, was taken from the list because it saw a roughly 50 percent decrease in fatality and severe injury rates since 2016, said Scott Gastel, a spokesman for the Transportation Department. New York Citys transportation planners last week abandoned the idea of building an AirTrain to La Guardia Airport at a cost of more than $2 billion. The rail link had been a pet project of then-Governor Andrew Cuomo, who faced criticism that he ignored alternatives in favor of a plan that would burnish his legacy. Critics also complained that the AirTrains route would carry Manhattan-bound passengers in the wrong direction to reach a city-bound subway or train. Mr. Cuomos successor, Kathy Hochul, ordered a review of the rail plan a few months into her tenure. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates La Guardia, convened a team of engineering and construction firms to study the proposed AirTrain and 13 other options for improving airport transit. They concluded that it would take at least 12 years and cost as much as $7 billion to extend a subway line to La Guardia. None of the other options, including an AirTrain, would attract as many riders as better bus service, said Ms. Sadik-Khan, who was one of three members of a panel appointed to review the engineers analysis. She said the review concluded that the bus services would draw about five million passengers annually. The panel backed a plan to enhance an existing public bus connection to the No. 7 subway line in the Woodside section of Queens and to create a direct shuttle between the airport and the N and W subway lines in Astoria. That solution would cost an estimated $500 million, a fraction of the cost for the now-scrapped AirTrain. Gov. Hochul accepted the recommendation and the Port Authoritys board of commissioners is expected to authorize it within three months. Having overseen the creation of some express bus routes in the city, known as Select Bus Service, Ms. Sadik-Khan is a proponent of luring travelers out of cars by getting buses moving faster through city traffic. A decade ago, when she worked in City Hall under Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority conceived Select Bus Service routes to La Guardia from the Bronx, Manhattan and in Queens. A New York Times review and interviews with election law experts strongly suggest that New York state prosecutors have never before filed an election law case involving a federal campaign. Bringing an untested case against anyone, let alone a former president of the United States, carries the risk that a court could throw out or narrow the case. The case could hinge on the way Mr. Trump and his company, the Trump Organization, handled reimbursing Mr. Cohen for the payment of $130,000 to Ms. Daniels. Internal Trump Organization records falsely classified the reimbursements as legal expenses, which helped conceal the purpose of the payments, according to Mr. Cohen, who said Mr. Trump knew about the misleading records. (Mr. Trumps lawyers deny that.) In New York, falsifying business records can be a crime, and Mr. Braggs office may have built its case around that charge, according to outside legal experts and people with knowledge of the matter. The false business records charge is the bread and butter of the district attorneys office white-collar practice: Since Mr. Bragg took office in 2022, prosecutors have filed 117 felony counts of the charge, against 29 individuals and companies, according to data kept by the office. But for falsifying business records to be a felony, not a misdemeanor, Mr. Braggs prosecutors must show that Mr. Trumps intent to defraud included an intent to commit or conceal a second crime. That crime could be a violation of election law, under the theory that the payout served as a donation to Mr. Trumps campaign, because it silenced Ms. Daniels and shut down a potential sex scandal in the final stretch of the campaign. Although the district attorneys office need not obtain a conviction on the election law violation, or even specify it in the indictment, that second crime ultimately might be the aspect of the legal theory that is most vulnerable to attack. BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 21. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's candidacy has been re-nominated for the presidency of Turkiye today, Trend reports. The Justice and Development Party and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) of Turkiye have appealed to the Supreme Election Council regarding the nomination of Recep Tayyip Erdogan for the presidency. The relevant documents were submitted to the Council by Chairman of the Justice and Development Party Group Ismet Yilmaz, Deputy Chairman of the party and responsible for elections Ali Ihsan Yavuz, Deputy Chairman of the MHP Group Erkan Akchay and Deputy Chairman of the MHP for elections Feti Yildiz. Turkiye's Supreme Election Council presented the election calendar. According to the decision of this structure, the procedure for nominating a candidate for president covers the period from March 19 to 23. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed a decree on holding the election on May 14. Another weak argument is that Iraq under Hussein wasnt a serious geopolitical threat, no matter how badly his forces were damaged in 1991. This ignores the horrors of the Iran-Iraq war, the rape of Kuwait, the Persian Gulf war, the Scud missile attacks on Israel and the Kurdish refugee crisis, to say nothing of his genocidal assaults on his own people. Hussein also repeatedly made real bids to acquire nuclear weapons, which were stopped only by an Israeli military strike in 1981 and by U.S. attacks and U.N. inspections during and after the Persian Gulf war. In 1998 the Clinton administration launched four days of strikes against Iraq, with the explicit intention of degrading Husseins weapons of mass destruction capabilities. But if there was one indisputably real W.M.D. in Iraq, it was Hussein himself. Until his downfall, he put everyone and everything he encountered at risk. Then there was the argument that we could have contained Hussein indefinitely through sanctions and other means. Maybe in theory, but not in practice. The human misery caused by the sanctions against Iraq had become a fervent global cause by the late 1990s. They were internationally unsustainable. They were also easily flouted for the regimes benefit, as the U.N.s oil-for-food scandal laid bare. Ultimately, the choice for the United States and our allies in early 2003 wasnt invasion or containment. It was invasion or, over time, the quasi-rehabilitation of Husseins Iraq. This was a Hussein that, as the Duelfer report on Iraqs W.M.D. noted in 2004, wanted to recreate Iraqs W.M.D. capability which was essentially destroyed after 1991 after sanctions were removed and Iraqs economy stabilized. Finally, there is the argument that George W. Bush and his administration lied about the intelligence. I think they sincerely believed the (mis)judgments of the C.I.A., which, as the bipartisan Robb-Silberman report concluded, sincerely believed in them itself. The intelligence community was dead wrong in almost all of its prewar judgments about Iraqs weapons of mass destruction, the report noted. But it was what they believed. The consequences of this confusion are dangerous. Critics of the war now make the point that the intelligence fiasco wrecked Americas credibility. Its true. But no less damaging was the never-ending Bush lied charge that, 10 years later, morphed into the Obama lied charge when it came to Bashar al-Assads use of chemical weapons in Syria or the suggestion that President Biden is lying about last years sabotage of the Nordstream pipeline. One conspiracy theory tends to beget another, in ways that are destructive to all sides. Readers will want to know whether, knowing what I know now, I would still have supported the decision to invade. Not for the reasons given at the time. Not in the way we did it. But on the baseline question of whether Iraq, the Middle East and the world are better off for having gotten rid of a dangerous tyrant, my answer remains yes. Then he asked it to do the same in 200 words. Another few seconds. Then he asked it to do the same in Arabic. Just as quickly. Then in Mandarin. Two more seconds. Then in English again but in the form of a Shakespearean sonnet. A few more seconds. Then Craig asked GPT-4 to write the same description in an abecedarian verse where the first line begins with the letter A, the second with B and so on through the alphabet. It did it with stunning creativity, beginning: Alluring in Washington, is a museum so grand, Built to teach, inspire, and help us understand. Curious minds Planet flock to Words embrace, Delving into language and its intricate grace Every exhibit here has a story to tell, From the origins of speech to the art of the quill. And so on, through Z. I could barely sleep that night. To observe an A.I. system its software, microchips and connectivity produce that level of originality in multiple languages in just seconds each time, well, the first thing that came to mind was the observation by the science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke that any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. The second thing that came to mind was a moment at the start of The Wizard of Oz the tornado scene where everything and everyone are lifted into a swirling gyre, including Dorothy and Toto, and then swept away from mundane, black and white Kansas to the gleaming futuristic Land of Oz, where everything is in color. We are about to be hit by such a tornado. This is a Promethean moment weve entered one of those moments in history when certain new tools, ways of thinking or energy sources are introduced that are such a departure and advance on what existed before that you cant just change one thing, you have to change everything. That is, how you create, how you compete, how you collaborate, how you work, how you learn, how you govern and, yes, how you cheat, commit crimes and fight wars. We know the key Promethean eras of the last 600 years: the invention of the printing press, the scientific revolution, the agricultural revolution combined with the industrial revolution, the nuclear power revolution, personal computing and the internet and now this moment. Various books Ive been reading lately have me thinking about 1966. I have often said that the history of Black America could be divided between what happened before and after that year. It was a year when the fight for Black equality shifted sharply in mood, ushering in an era in which rhetoric overtook actual game plans for action. It planted the seed for the excesses of todays wokeness. I wouldnt have been on board, and Im glad I was only a baby that year and didnt have to face it as a mature person. The difference between Black America in 1960 and in 1970 appears vaster to me than it was between the start and end of any other decade since the 1860s, after Emancipation. And in 1966 specifically, Stokely Carmichael made his iconic speech about a separatist Black Power, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee he led expelled its white members (though Carmichael himself did not advocate this), the Black Panther Party was born, Black replaced Negro as the preferred term, the Afro went mainstream, and Malcolm Xs The Autobiography of Malcolm X (written with Alex Haley) became a standard text for Black readers. I doubt most people living through that year thought of it as a particularly unique 365 days, but Mark Whitaker, a former editor of Newsweek, has justified my sense of that year as seminal with his new book, Saying It Loud: 1966 the Year Black Power Challenged the Civil Rights Movement. Whitaker has a journalists understanding of the difference between merely documenting the facts and using them to tell a story, and his sober yet crisp prose pulls the reader along with nary a lull. On Jan. 12, 2020, Chinese investigators combing a market for clues about the outbreak of a mysterious new illness in the city of Wuhan swabbed a cart. It was the kind typically used for transporting animal cages, and it came back positive for the coronavirus. Three years later, a team of international experts has sifted through the genetic contents of that swab, which were quietly uploaded to an international database and made public only this year. In a report released on Monday night, the scientists described in detail for the first time evidence from the swab that they say strengthens the case that illegally traded wild animals ignited the coronavirus pandemic. Chinese researchers who had originally uploaded the raw data had it removed from the database after they were contacted by the international team. Now administrators of the database itself have cut off access to the international scientists for what they said were rules violations, raising questions about the databases own role in the tug of war over access to data that could shed light on the origins of a virus that has killed seven million people. Along with genetic signatures of the coronavirus, the swab from the cart contained more than 4,500 lengthy fragments of genetic material from raccoon dogs, the report said. It had none from humans. Some Covid-positive swabs taken from other objects and surfaces at the market, the report said, also had more genetic material from animals than from humans. Warren Boroson, a journalist who conducted a survey of psychiatrists that declared the 1964 Republican presidential nominee, Barry M. Goldwater, mentally unfit to be president provoking a libel suit from the candidate and prompting a psychiatric association to muzzle its members from ever diagnosing a public figure from afar died on March 12 at his home in Woodstock, N.Y. He was 88. The cause was complications of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and heart ailments, his wife, Rebecca Boroson, said. Mr. Goldwater sued for $2 million, and Mr. Boroson, who had been the 29-year-old managing editor of the iconoclastic magazine Fact when he initiated the survey for it, feared a judgment against him would commit him to a lifetime of indentured servitude to that Arizona senator. A federal jury in New York found in favor of Mr. Goldwater, awarding damages of $75,000. But the verdict, which was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court, put most of the blame on editing by others, largely absolving Mr. Boroson, who had to pay only a token 33 cents. John Jenrette Jr., a charismatic Democratic Representative from South Carolina who became ensnared in the Abscam investigation of political corruption that also brought down six other members of Congress, died on Friday in Conway, S.C. He was 86. His death was announced by the Goldfinch Funeral Home. It did not cite a cause. Mr. Jenrette was in his third term in the House and had a progressive record and a strong reputation for serving his constituents, especially Black citizens, when his political career was ruined by his involvement in Abscam a two-year sting operation that videotaped politicians and others taking bribes from federal agents pretending to be rich Arabs looking for favors. A former social acquaintance, John Stowe, got in contact with Mr. Jenrette in 1979, saying that he had found a wealthy investor, sometimes referred to as a sheikh an invention of the F.B.I. who was willing to finance the revival of an empty munitions factory, bringing 400 jobs to Mr. Jenrettes district. To sweeten the deal, Mr. Stowe said, he needed legislation that would let the sheikh emigrate to the United States. Mr. Jenrette was captured on videotape, during one of his visits to a townhouse in the Georgetown section of Washington in December 1979, discussing a payment he would accept with people said to be lieutenants of the phony sheikh. WASHINGTON The Manhattan district attorneys looming decision about whether to seek an indictment of former President Donald J. Trump for a hush money payment to a porn actress has ignited debate over the strength of the case and how prosecutors should decide when it is appropriate to pursue charges and when not to do so. At the heart of the issue is the concept of prosecutorial discretion, or the leeway that prosecutors have to use their judgment in seeking to dispense justice. In this case, the public understanding of the theory of the case being assembled by the district attorney, Alvin L. Bragg and in particular what underlying crime he may point to in order to transform a New York law against bookkeeping fraud into a felony remains imprecise. But some of the possibilities under discussion by outside legal specialists, including campaign finance crimes, would raise novel issues. Against that backdrop, Mr. Trump and his allies have accused Mr. Bragg, a Democrat, of being driven by political motivations and applying the law unfairly, in what lawyers would call a selective prosecution. Even some legal specialists who have been critical of Mr. Trump have expressed uneasiness, while cautioning that much remains unknown about the facts of the case and any charges that Mr. Bragg might pursue. The race is formally nonpartisan, though the Democratic Party of Wisconsin has transferred $2.5 million to the Protasiewicz campaign and has directed its army of volunteers and staff members to turn out the vote for her. Justice Kelly said during the debate that he had refused financial donations from the Republican Party of Wisconsin, which lags far behind state Democrats in fund-raising, but that he had accepted in-kind contributions. Whichever side wins the April 4 election will hold a four-to-three majority on the court, which along with rulings on abortion and gerrymandering is expected to decide an array of voting issues ahead of and during the 2024 presidential election. Judge Protasiewicz holds a single-digit lead over Justice Kelly in private polling conducted by groups on both sides of the race. No public polls have been released. Justice Kelly agreed this month to participate in 10 other debates and candidate forums across the state, hosted by local news organizations, rotary clubs and county bar associations, but Judge Protasiewicz declined them all while agreeing only to Tuesdays midday debate. That event was set to air on a delay later in the afternoon on television stations in Madison and La Crosse but not in the states other markets, including Milwaukee, the largest by far. Justice Kellys campaign has accused Judge Protasiewicz of hiding behind what has emerged as her colossal fund-raising advantage. The Protasiewicz campaign has aired $9.8 million in television advertisements, while Justice Kelly began advertising only this past weekend. He has spent $415,000, though conservative outside groups have spent $6.4 million on his behalf, according to AdImpact, a media tracking firm. Outside groups backing Judge Protasiewicz have spent an additional $2.6 million. Much of the debate centered on abortion and crime, the two issues that have dominated the television ad campaign in the race. Judge Protasiewicz gave no ground in her defense of abortion rights, even though Justice Kelly and the debates moderators suggested she had already made up her mind on how she would rule on a current legal challenge to the states abortion ban. This is Patriot training done at lightning speed; its pretty remarkable, said Thomas Karako, who directs the missile defense project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, and has written extensively about the Patriot system and training. The Army on Tuesday, for the first time, provided a group of reporters access to the training of 65 Ukrainian soldiers who were picked by their commanders to learn how to run the Patriot system. The Pentagon said in January that 90 to 100 Ukrainians were expected to undergo the training, roughly the number of American troops it takes to operate a U.S. Army Patriot battery, but Ukraine decided to send fewer forces, American officials said. The Pentagon imposed strict guidelines on the three-hour visit. It prohibited photos or video of the training and its participants, and barred interviews with the fatigue-clad Ukrainian soldiers standing just a few yards away from the reporters on the training range. The restrictions reflect continuing concerns at the White House and Pentagon about stoking Russian anger over the Wests involvement in the war or triggering a wider conflict. At the same time, however, the Biden administration has insisted that the U.S.-based training itself is not likely to worsen tensions with Russia. Officials on Tuesday repeated that the Patriot is a defensive system, not an offensive weapon. The Patriot air defense system presents no, I say again, no threat to Russia, said Col. Martin ODonnell, a spokesman for U.S. Army forces in Europe and Africa, which oversees the U.S. training in Germany. After finishing up at Fort Sill in the next several days, the Ukrainians will travel to Poland, where their Patriot system will be waiting for them, American officials said. The troops will then spend a few weeks with other Ukrainian soldiers who have been carrying out similar training in Europe on a Patriot battery donated by Germany and the Netherlands, the officials said. Once any operational kinks are worked out, the two Ukrainian-operated Patriot batteries will deploy to the war zone, mostly likely in April, officials said. France and Italy have said they would send air defense systems that are similar to the Patriot. MOSCOW President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia and Chinas top leader, Xi Jinping, declared an enduring economic partnership on Tuesday, promising to bring more Russian energy to China and more Chinese companies to Russia as the two leaders sought to insulate their countries from Western sanctions and other consequences of the war in Ukraine. The economic pledges, trumpeted by the leaders on the second day of Mr. Xis state visit to Moscow, were a sign that China would continue to do business as normal with Russia and that Moscow and Beijing were circling their wagons, economically at least, against any punitive measures from the United States or Europe. As the two leaders met on Tuesday, Japans prime minister, Fumio Kishida, visited Kyiv in a show of support that put the geopolitical fault lines created by Russias invasion into even sharper relief. It was a significant change for Japan, which has drawn a clear line on the war and joined with other Group of 7 nations to impose sanctions on Russia and provide billions of dollars in aid to Ukraine. Xi, Putin vow to deepen strategic partnership in fruitful talks Xinhua) 10:20, March 22, 2023 MOSCOW, March 21 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, on Tuesday agreed to strengthen bilateral ties based on principles of good-neighborliness, friendship and win-win cooperation, as well as to deepen the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era. Describing Xi's state visit to Russia as "a journey of friendship, cooperation and peace," experts have said that strengthening China-Russia relations will promote regional peace and stability while contributing to balancing the global strategic landscape. On Tuesday afternoon local time, Xi held talks with Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow. They had sincere, friendly and fruitful talks on the bilateral ties and major regional and international issues of mutual interest, and reached new, important common understandings in many fields. Noting that China and Russia are each other's biggest neighbor, Xi said that consolidating and developing long-term good-neighborly relations with Russia is consistent with historical logic and a strategic choice of China, which will not be changed by any turn of events. Since his first state visit to Russia 10 years ago, Xi said, China and Russia have enjoyed mutual respect, mutual trust and mutual benefit. Relations between the two countries have grown from strength to strength, showing the features of being more comprehensive, more practical, and more strategic, he added. No matter how the international landscape may change, China will stay committed to advancing China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for the new era, Xi said. In the eyes of Amadou Diop, a Senegalese expert on China, Xi's state visit to Russia is "of great importance," which will inject strong positive energy into the complex international situation. "China and Russia are working more closely with developing countries to promote multilateralism and common prosperity, and to respect and protect the interests of developing countries," said Diop. Xi's visit once again testifies to the importance of Russia-China relations and reaffirms that Russia and China will continue to practice true multilateralism, promote the construction of a multipolar world, enhance global governance, and contribute to world development, said Sergei Lukonin, head of the Department of Chinese Politics and Economics at the Institute of World Economy and International Relations of the Russian Academy of Sciences. During the talks with Putin, Xi pointed out that as permanent members of the UN Security Council and major countries in the world, China and Russia have natural responsibilities to make joint efforts to steer and promote global governance in a direction that meets the expectations of the international community and promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. He called on both sides to enhance communication and coordination on international affairs, especially in the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, BRICS and other multilateral frameworks, practice true multilateralism, oppose hegemonism and power politics, contribute to global post-COVID economic recovery, advance the trend toward a multi-polar world, and promote the reform and improvement of the global governance system. For his part, Putin congratulated China on helping to successfully bring about historic outcomes from the talks between Saudi Arabia and Iran in Beijing, adding that it has fully demonstrated China's important status and positive influence as a major country in the world. Russia appreciates China for consistently upholding an objective and impartial position on international affairs, supports the Global Security Initiative, the Global Development Initiative, and the Global Civilization Initiative China has put forward and stands ready to further enhance international coordination with China, Putin said. For the developing world, said Abdoul Karim Drame, a Malian political columnist and expert on geopolitics, the strengthening of China-Russia relations is expected to promote the developing of a multipolar world, which will allow African countries to better assert their sovereignty by benefiting from more balanced international relations that respect each nation's political and economic choices. "I believe Xi's visit to Russia will inject strong positive energy into international relations and make new contributions to building a community with a shared future for mankind," he said. Palestinian political analyst Omar Helmy Al-Ghoul believes that a reasonable international order should uphold multilateralism and treat every country and nation in an equal manner, rather than be dominated by some small circle of countries. Meanwhile, Xi and Putin stressed on Tuesday that the Ukraine crisis should be solved through dialogues. In the Joint Statement of the People's Republic of China and the Russian Federation on Deepening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership of Coordination for the New Era, the two sides oppose the practice by any country or group of countries to seek advantages in the military, political and other areas to the detriment of the legitimate security interests of other countries. The Russian side reaffirms its commitment to the resumption of peace talks as soon as possible, which China appreciates. The Russian side welcomes China's willingness to play a positive role for the political and diplomatic settlement of the Ukraine crisis and welcomes the constructive proposals set forth in China's Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis. The two sides point out that to settle the Ukraine crisis, the security concerns of all countries must be respected, bloc confrontation should be prevented and fanning the flames avoided. The two sides also stress that responsible dialogue is the best way for appropriate solutions. To this end, the international community should provide support to the relevant constructive efforts. China and Russia call for stopping all moves that lead to tensions and the protraction of fighting to prevent the crisis from getting worse or even out of control. They oppose any unilateral sanctions unauthorized by the UN Security Council. China has launched a "very important initiative" to find a political solution to the Ukraine crisis, and international society should recognize China for its role as a country working for global peace and stability, said Mohammad Reza Manafi, editor-in-chief for the Asia-Pacific news desk of Iran's official news agency IRNA. "China has convinced the rest of the world that it believes that world peace and friendship will benefit all people everywhere, and that war and hostility will never serve humanity," Manafi said. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) The top U.S. diplomat to Europe Karen Donfried will step down to focus on her family, a State Department spokesperson said on Monday, leaving an important post empty as Washington works to keep its allies focused on supporting Ukraine's war effort, Trend reports citing Reuters. She has been among U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken's key aides, traveling frequently to Europe to meet with U.S. partners as President Joe Biden sought to repair and re-energize transatlantic ties damaged by the unilateral approach of former president Donald Trump's administration. Most of us who were alive then remember where we were on the morning of the 9/11 attacks. As we mark the 20th anniversary of the Iraq War this March, I wonder how many also remember where we were that day. On 9/11, I was a Catholic school eighth grader. Ill never forget my teacher, Mrs. Anderson, wheeling the TV into the... This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 3 1 of 3 Photo Provided Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Photo Provided Show More Show Less 3 of 3 Sen. Kristen McDonald Rivet celebrated Rosie the Riveter Day with constituent Vera Gobeski, a real-life Rosie, and hundreds of other women in manufacturing from across the state at the Capitol building on Tuesday. Its a privilege to thank Vera in person, McDonald Rivet said. Whether jumping into manufacturing roles for the war effort like she did, or working small business jobs so things could run on the home front, women like Vera helped keep America open for business and win a war. Im really glad to see that she, and Rosies past and present, are getting honored today. Gobeski, a centenarian from Bay City, was one of many American women who felt it was their duty to fill jobs left behind by men who enlisted to fight in World War II. When her husband, Frank, joined the U.S. Army, Gobeski worked the third shift at Dow Chemical as a core maker for magnesium castings for 80 cents an hour. She doesnt remember what she spent her first paycheck on, but says she managed to save $3,000 in just over two years. Todays celebration is a great reminder to value every generations working-class members, McDonald Rivet said. From the Rosies of WWII to the pandemics frontline workers, so many women and men never get the recognition they deserve until everyone realizes how much we all rely on what they do or make. The Capital Area Manufacturing Council and the American Rosie the Riveter Association Willow Run Chapter organized Tuesdays event, which included educational presentations and displays honoring the hard work and dedication of Michigan women in todays manufacturing industry and paying tribute to the Rosies who blazed trails for them. Pennsylvanias Acting Education Secretary Khalid Mumin made a statement in his opening remarks at Mondays budget hearing defending Gov. Josh Shapiros proposed education budget that Republican lawmakers didnt let him forget. Mumin, a former school superintendent in the Reading and in Lower Merion school districts, said, The goal within this budget is to ensure that every Pennsylvania student has access to a quality education. Republican lawmakers latched on to that remark to pry out information about the seriousness of Shapiros support for school choice in a daylong hearing that covered a multitude of subjects covered in the governors budget unveiled on March 7. Shapiros $44.4 billion budget calls for spending over $1 billion more for pre-K to higher education and $100 million more for workforce development initiatives. Combined, the investment in these areas approaches roughly $19 billion. About school choice: On the campaign trail, Shapiro said he is open, at least conceptually, to giving direct-to-student tax-funded scholarships to allow students in the states worst-performing public schools to pay for a variety of educational options ranging from tutoring to paying for tuition at a private school. In questioning during Mondays budget hearing, Rep. Clint Owlett, R-Tioga County, a supporter of lifeline scholarships, said, This seems like an area that we can hold hands and sing Kumbaya and come to some sort of agreement on. He asked Mumin how he sees his department implementing them. Mumin, not getting ahead of Shapiro who didnt mention this school choice option in his inaugural budget address, which didnt go unnoticed by GOP lawmakers, said that its a premonition for further discussion around it. He then clarified the governors stance on lifeline scholarships, saying he is supportive of them but not at the detriment of school districts. Mumin also indicated some initial conversations about this school choice option have taken place between the governors office and lawmakers. Owlett responded, Its critical we do have this discussion because it was something that when we run for office, we talk about things we want to see happen. We know this is a need. Rep. Ryan Warner, R-Fayette County, later picked up on that line of questioning. He noted how the demand for private school scholarships outpaces the funding the state has made available for the states tax credit program for businesses that support those scholarship programs. He asked Mumin if he supported expanding the tax credit program to meet the demand. Mumin replied, This has to be part of an ongoing dialogue. House Republican Appropriations Committee Chairman Seth Grove of York County asked about the administrations willingness to tackle charter school reform with an eye toward balancing charter schools interests with those of school districts. You brought up the needs of the school districts as far as budgetary restraints. You also brought up the need for parents and students to have a school choice option. So you sound very fair like you want a compromise from your assessment, is that fair? Grove said. All of these issues are on the table leading to future discussions and hopefully us coming together, Mumin said. Its us coming together as educational entities in the commonwealth. So from what I understand, that door wasnt always open. That door is open now. Reworking the school funding formula: With the recent Commonwealth Court decision ruling Pennsylvanias educational funding system to be unconstitutional, Mumin made it clear he didnt have an answer for how to address it. Rather he frequently referred to Shapiros proposed $567.4 million increase in funding for direct state support to school districts, bringing the total to $8.4 billion as a strong foot forward while work goes on to establish a fairer way to fund schools. He acknowledged fair funding is as much of a concern in districts that overly rely on local property taxes to fund their operations as it is for districts that rely on the state for upwards of 80% of their funding. With the court ruling behind them, Mumin said this presents an opportunity to begin to address those discrepancies. Several representatives asked for the restoration of Level Up funding, which provided $225 million to the 100 poorest school districts in last years budget. Mumin said the extra money those districts received is now part of their base funding from the state. He said the governor considers that a down payment on the work to be done in the school funding space. While that is true, Sharon Ward of the Education Law Center said that extra funding is needed by those districts. It is not a solution to new school funding system we need to build but it is something that needs to continue until the General Assembly and the governor put the new system together, she said during a lunchtime break in the hearing. Teacher recruitment tax credits: As a recruitment tool, Shapiro proposed an annual refundable tax credit of up to $2,500 for up to three years for newly licensed teachers, nurses and police officers or anyone who moves to Pennsylvania to work in those fields. The initiative has a $25 million price tag. The idea didnt draw rousing support from representatives on either side of the aisle. Rep. Jesse Topper, R-Bedford County, said they would look at it although I havent seen too many or heard of too many folks coming out of school that are saying, hey, I definitely would do that teaching thing but weve got that tax liability issue Im worried about. He asked if the administration was looking at loan forgiveness for teachers who take jobs in underserved areas. Mumin suggested another way to build up the teacher pipeline in those areas is by influencing youth in those communities to go into teaching. Other lawmakers had other suggestions to address the teacher shortage. Rep. Ben Waxman, D-Philadelphia, suggested good wages and benefits and fair working conditions is what attracted his mother to work for a public school. Democratic Rep. Kyle Mullins of Lackawanna County suggested supplementing the tax credit with tuition reimbursement and higher starting salary. This idea also lacks strong support from the Pennsylvania State Education Association. Its spokesman Chris Lilienthal said, While Gov. Shapiros heart is in the right place, his tax credit plan for teachers misses the mark because we dont think it will impact a high school- or college-age students decision to become a teacher. If we cant persuade more young adults to enter college teaching programs, we wont make a dent in the teacher shortage crisis. Instead, the union favors dedicating the $25 million the governor proposed for this tax credit program to make progress toward increasing the states $18,500 minimum salary for teachers to $60,000 and raising the hourly minimum to $20 for support staff in schools. Facilities improvement: Several lawmakers applauded the $100 million Shapiro proposed for matching grants to remove lead, asbestos and mold from school buildings. However, they also tried to make a case for long-term funding to pay for school construction and renovation programs beyond the remediation and abatement work. This is a first step and a down payment in regards to focusing on environmental issues in our buildings, Mumin said. But he also said, It opens the door for more discussion. Odds and ends: Pieces of Shapiros education funding proposal that drew bipartisan support include his plan to invest $100 million into providing mental health services for students and staff and his $23.8 million increased investment in career and technical schools. But lawmakers of both parties highlighted other parts that they saw as shortcomings in the governors education proposal. Rep. Emily Kinkead, D-Allegheny County, for example, urged the administration to expand its universal free breakfast proposal, which costs $38.5 million a year, to include universal free lunches, which raise the free school meals price tag to $435 million. And Rep. Natalie Mihalek, R-Allegheny County, pressed the secretary about whether he felt it was appropriate to give a bus pass to grades K-8 students instead of transporting them in a yellow school bus. In her book, she said, its never OK. Jan Murphy may be reached at jmurphy@pennlive.com. Follow her on Twitter at @JanMurphy. More: Juveniles charged after social media threats made against Harrisburg-area schools: police Legislators frustrated with Norfolk Southern CEOs appearance before Pa. Senate committee WILLIAMSPORT It would be absurd to conclude the General Assembly wanted images of mail-in and absentee ballots made public but not those cast in person. That was the argument put forward Tuesday by Jeffrey J. Stroehmann in a brief filed in Lycoming County court in support of evidence presented at a Feb. 21 hearing. Judge Eric R. Linhardt, who is reviewing the images from the 2020 general election that Stroehmann wants made public, had given him and the countys Office of Voter Services the opportunity to submit briefs before he makes a decision. Stroehmann, who chaired President Trumps 2020 campaign in the county and attended the Jan. 6, 2021, rally in Washington, D.C., contends the images he seeks are public under the Election Code and the Right-to-Know Law. Mail ballots like ones seen here in Lehigh County during the 2022 election are part of the recount effort in Lycoming County. Matt Smith / For Spotlight PA He noted all ballots in the county go through a scanner either at the precinct or election board level. Stroehmann is appealing a state Office of Open Records decision that images of in-person ballots are not public. In December in a related case, Linhardt overruled an open records office decision finding cast vote records (CVR) from the 2020 general election in the county were public record. His ruling has not gone into effect because the state Department of State, which intervened on behalf of the county, filed an appeal with Commonwealth Court. Stroehmann was one of three county Republican conservatives the judge granted access to the images. He denied access to Heather Honey, who heads the Lebanon-based Haystack Investigations and brought the initial challenge, because she is not a county resident. County elections director Forrest K. Lehman has explained Act 77 amended the Election Code to make images of mail-in and absentee ballots public but is silent on whether images of those cast on election day are public. Act 77, which authorized mail-in voting, did not need to address in-person ballots because Stroehmann contends there was previous authorization making them public. Lehman has called on the governor and legislature to address the ambiguities in the Election Code so there is continuity. The images Stroehmann seeks are taken electronically as voters feed the ballots into a scanner for tabulation at polling places but they do not show the voters identity. Lycoming County elections director Forrest K. Lehman reviews tally sheets generated from a hand recount of the 2020 results of the races for president and state auditor general. The two litigations challenge the accuracy of the 2020 presidential election results. President Trump defeated Joe Biden by 16,000 votes in the county. At the request of election deniers, the county commissioners sitting as the Board of Elections authorized by a 2-1 vote a hand recount of votes cast in the 2020 election for president and state auditor general. Out of more than 59,000 votes cast, the January recount in the Trump-Biden race differed from the electronic tabulation by 26. More: Keep name of late-filing candidate off primary ballot, Pa. county elections board urges Judges ruling keeps Tom Marinos name on primary ballot for DA in Pa. county Scottie Dean Morris, 14, has been missing from the small town of Eaton, 76 miles northeast of Indianapolis, Indiana since Thursday around 8:30 p.m. According to the alert issued on Friday, He is believed to be in extreme danger and may require medical assistance. Officials also havent disclosed why the teen may need medical attention or any details on a condition. Days later, Eaton police are asking for the publics support in the search for Morris. I want this young man to know we are not here to make sure hes in trouble. We want to help him and we want to just make sure hes safe, Eaton Police Chief Jay Turner Turner recently told WTHR. PEOPLE reported Eaton police held a search party for Morris on Friday. Turner said its all hands on deck as the community continues to search for the teen. First & foremost, we want to thank everyone who has volunteered as well as the agencies who have devoted their time and efforts to search for Scottie, the department said. We want to also thank everyone for the outpouring of support during the search! We had so many people and businesses donate food, drinks, flashlights, hand warmers, etc. CNN reported Eaton police have made multiple pleas directly to Morris on social media too. Scottie, if you see this, please know we are doing everything we can do to get whatever help you may need & to make sure you are safe and warm, the police agency posted over the weekend. Your safety is our main priority. The teen boy is described as a white male with brown hair and blue eyes and is 54 tall, police confirmed. Anyone with information should call the Eaton Police Department at 765-396-3297. READ MORE: An unfortunate scene took place when a morning house fire displaced residents of a home, killing two dogs and five puppies in Lincoln Township, Somerset County, according to reports from WTAJ and WJAC. Multiple first responders were dispatched to the scene along the 400 block of Northfork Road around 10:30 a.m. for a reported structure fire. Fortunately, the residents made it out of the blaze, but one person was transported to a hospital by a private car. No other injuries were reported. Unfortunately, two dogs and five puppies were stuck inside the burning home and died, according to reports. Additionally, the damaged home was deemed a complete loss. A state police fire marshal is investigating the cause of the fire. The Red Cross will assist the displaced families, according to reports. Read More: The US issued more Iran-related sanctions on Tuesday, targeting four companies and three individuals in Turkey and Iran accused of aiding Tehrans drone programs, Trend reports citing Al Arabiya. The latest sanctions target what the US says is involvement in procuring equipment, including European-origin engines of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) in support of Irans drone and weapons programs. This procurement network is working on behalf of the Iranian ministry of defense and armed forces logistics (MODAFL), according to the Treasury Department. Irans proliferation of weapons destabilizes the Middle East, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said. And the US will continue to act to disrupt Irans proliferation of UAVs and work with allies and partners to counter Irans weapons proliferation, the top US diplomat vowed. For his part, Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson said that Irans well-documented proliferation of UAVs and conventional weapons to its proxies continues to undermine both regional security and global stability. The United States will continue to expose foreign procurement networks in any jurisdiction that supports Irans military-industrial complex, Nelson added. Tuesdays sanctions come after an earlier move this month by the US to designate a China-based network in connection with Irans drone program. Washington has ramped up sanctions targeting Irans drone manufacturers and their executives since September 2022. This was around when talks to revive the 2015 nuclear deal appeared to hit a standstill, and the Biden administration responded with increased pressure via sanctions. A student petition calling on the University of Pittsburgh to cancel three upcoming appearances on campus by speakers critical of transgenderism has garnered nearly 11,000 signatures. The Change.org petition says that the events conflict with Pitts commitment to diversity and inclusion. This egregious display of transphobia and hate cannot be allowed to occur on the University of Pittsburghs campus, the petition posted by senior Nicholas Demjan states. We must keep students, faculty, staff and the greater Pittsburgh community safe. Petition organizers want the school to cancel events later this month featuring Cabot Phillips, a senior editor and podcast host for the conservative dailywire.com, on March 24 and Riley Gaines, a former University of Kentucky swimmer who has become a leading opponent of trans women participating in womens sports, on March 27. Both events are sponsored by the Pitt chapter of the conservative youth group Turning Points USA. The petition refers to Phillips and Gaines each as a known transphobe for their views and comments. Additionally, the petition wants the university to cancel an April 18 Pitt Republicans event billed as a debate over transgenderism, which features controversial Daily Wire contributor Michael Knowles. Knowles, as the petition notes, recently drew attention for his comments at the Conservative Political Action Conference where he said that transgenderism must be eradicated from public life entirely, according to Rolling Stone magazine. Demjan told the Pittsburgh City Paper earlier this month that theres no such thing as a debate over transness. Trans people have existed for centuries, and that the speakers rhetoric would be deeply concerning. Kelisa Hysenbegasi, a petition co-organizer, cited a 2019 Pitt student survey in telling City Paper that transgender and queer residents are more likely to be victims of sexual violence and discrimination. In a March 8 online statement, Pitt reiterated its commitment to cultivating an environment of mutual respect, concern for others, diversity, inclusion and belonging. At the same time, the university said that it also upholds the principles of protected speech and expression and acknowledges that legally protected speech and expression can at times offend and marginalize some members of our community and contradict unwavering university values. Pitt said in a follow-up statement on March 10 that the events are toxic and hurtful, but does not change its commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. The school said the events are sponsored by registered student organizations that are allowed to bring speakers to campus, including highly provocative ones, without Pitt deciding what is acceptable and what is not. Pitts statement also said that peaceful protest is allowed but it cannot interfere with campus events or operations. Demjan and Hysenbegasi told City Paper that Pitts statements were hypocritical considering its commitment against gender discrimination and that the speakers words could be considered hate speech. I dont think free speech involves debating the existence of someone else, Hysenbegasi told City Paper. We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form A bomb threat was called into a lower Manhattan court on Tuesday just before a judge was set to hear a $250 million lawsuit against former President Trump, Trend reports citing The Hill. The threat was investigated by police and the courthouse was closed and searched, with authorities finding that the threat was unfounded, according to court spokesman Lucian Chalfen, who confirmed the news to Bloomberg. The civil lawsuit, brought against Trump by New York Attorney General Letitia James (D), alleges that Trump, his company and family inflated the value of their real estate assets. The suit was filed in September. The Hill reached out to the court for comment. Trump publicly attacked James on social media on Tuesday following the news of the bomb threat, saying Congress should investigate the New York attorney general and blasting the lawsuit as completely bogus. While Congress is at it, they should look at the Corrupt Attorney General of New York State, Letitia James, who got elected solely on a I WILL GET TRUMP platform, without knowing anything about me, Trump said on his social media site Truth Social. He went on to call the lawsuit completely bogus. The threat in the lower Manhattan court came as law enforcement braces for potential protests ahead of what Trump predicted is his looming arrest in the Manhattan investigation into hush payments made to Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 elections. Trump said over the weekend that he expected to be arrested in connection to the probe on Tuesday. He called on his supporters to protest the hypothetical arrest, raising fears that violence could ensue as it did after his calls to action before and on Jan. 6, 2021, which was a precursor to the deadly riots at the Capitol. COLUMBIA South Carolina senators advanced a joint resolution to put a referendum on the 2024 ballot making the states top accountant a position appointed by the governor rather than one elected by the voters. The move comes in the wake of a bipartisan Senate investigative report placing blame for a $3.5 billion financial reporting error squarely on the states Republican Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom. Eckstrom was first elected to the post in 2002 and has been subsequently reelected five times with little competition or scrutiny as voters, lawmakers and the media rarely pay attention to the under-the-radar position. Eckstrom faced no challenger in his 2022 reelection. Of the 19 states with comptrollers, nine are popularly elected. Despite intense pressure from lawmakers of both parties, Eckstrom has refused to resign over the scandal and disputes the reports findings. Senators say they will remove him through a constitutional process requiring a two-thirds vote in both chambers dubbed impeachment lite if he does not step aside. The constitutional amendment the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee unanimously sent to the full committee March 21, if approved by voters, would allow the governor to appoint the comptroller and the state Senate would confirm the nominee. The change would come into effect in 2027 as Eckstroms current term expires. Eckstrom in a statement last week said that he supports the comptroller becoming an appointed position. The multibillion-dollar controversy erupted in February when Eckstrom related that 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. But lawmakers were angry at being kept in the dark for so long. State Sen. Chip Campsen, R-Isle of Palms, who led the subcommittee that passed the joint resolution, has long advocated for making the post an appointed one with little to show for it until this session. I dont feel vindicated, Campsen told reporters March 21. I feel very disappointed that it took this to make this change. Im not happy. Campsen noted the joint resolution will be expanded to remove rarely used powers of the comptroller found in the constitution outside the section establishing their primary role. If the governor becomes incapacitated due to disability, a majority vote of the attorney general, secretary of the state, treasurer and comptroller can remove the governor. Campsen said the resolution will be amended to simply strip that power from the appointed comptroller. If the state cannot pay its debt, the constitution gives the comptroller unilateral authority to levy property taxes to prevent a default. Campsen said that power should be reassigned to the governor. The joint resolution would need approval from two-thirds of the State House of Representatives before going on the ballot. Proponents of the change say it would allow the governor to appoint an expert, allow the governor to fire the comptroller for an oversight, and would allow lawmakers and the public to hold the governor accountable for the actions of the comptroller. We do need to at some point enter the 20th century I say this now that were in the 21st century and be able to have some professionals that we hire that are answerable to the governor, Sen. Mike Fanning, D-Great Falls, told reporters last week. Some lawmakers, like Fanning and Campsen, had hoped that the scandal would prompt the Legislature to try to make the treasurer and the secretary of states offices appointed as well. But it appears the political will at the moment seems restricted to the comptroller. Meanwhile, the parallel effort to remove Eckstrom appears to face no serious obstacles, having garnered 35 co-sponsors in the Senate by March 21. It only needs 30 votes to pass. Sen. Larry Grooms, the Bonneau Beach Republican who led the investigation of Eckstrom, told reporters late last week the votes are present to begin removing Eckstrom but that he hoped he would resign before it goes that far. PR-Inside.com: 2023-03-04 09:03:14 Press Information Published by ACN Newswire +65 6304 8926 e-mail https://www.acnnewswire.com/ # 740 Words ACN Newswire+65 6304 8926 Singapore, Mar 2, 2023 - (ACN Newswire) - Infocus International Group has announced the new date for the best rated LNG Supply, Demand, Pricing & Trading online training and it will be commencing live on the 27th March 2023.2022 is proving to be a year of change for the LNG business. LNG demand is growing as Covid restrictions are eased but reduced investment during the pandemic and delays in construction are slowing the addition of much needed new liquefaction capacity. The Ukraine crisis has added to the demand for LNG as Europe implements policies to reduce and eventually end the import of pipeline natural gas from Russia. Trading patterns are changing as sellers respond to the need for more LNG in Europe by diverting cargoes from other markets. Prices for spot LNG supply in Europe and Asia have risen to unprecedented levels, putting pressure on buyers in price sensitive markets and delaying the start of imports into new markets. Developers of new liquefaction capacity are responding to the increasing demand with Final Investment Decisions (FIDs) taken on 38 mtpa of capacity in 2021 and 13.33 mtpa in the first five months of 2022. Capacity under construction in June 2022 was 138 mtpa but more is needed if forecasts of LNG demand growth is to be met. Buyers who delayed decisions on signing new supply contracts because of demand uncertainty are returning to the market, which has put the developers of planned new projects, especially in the USA, in a position to commit to construction. As a result, more FIDs are expected to be taken by the end of 2023.Energy transition has brought increased demands for the LNG business to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in all parts of the LNG chain from natural gas production through to the combustion of regasified LNG in downstream markets. It raises questions over LNG role in long-term energy supply. Will demand increase as natural gas replaces coal in power generation and is used as a back-up fuel for renewables or will natural gas be seen as a fossil fuel whose consumption has to be reduced if targets of net zero carbon emissions are to be met? How are producers, buyers and investors responding to the increased long-term uncertainty?The online course will, over 6 sessions, provide an overview of the LNG business in 2023 with a commercial focus but technology and shipping will also be covered. It will consider the outlook for the business over the period to 2040 in terms of markets, sources of supply, pricing and trading and the response to energy transition. It is designed not only for newcomers to LNG but also those who want to refresh their knowledge or who have experience in one part of the business or one region and want to widen their knowledge."The trainer was very clear and the content was communicated very well with many examples and was really very topical. I learnt a lot during these sessions and will pass this on," said a past attendee from AQUALECTRA.A past attendee from Petroleum Institute of Thailand also shared, "Thank you for the fruitful training course which I really appreciated. Everything was excellent. Training materials were well prepared and up to date." Check out the LNG online course new agenda at www.infocusinternational.com/lng-online Course Sessions1. LNG value chain in 20232. Safety, shipping and current status of the LNG business3. LNG markets and terminals4. LNG shipping and supply5. Acquiring LNG supply and LNG pricing6. LNG contracts and LNG spot and short-term tradingBenefits of Attending- Understand LNG chain technologies, costs, economics and safety- Appreciate how the LNG business is changing and the implications for those working in the business- Gain insights into LNG pricing and how it is evolving- Acquire in-depth knowledge of world LNG markets and supply sources- Assess the increasing role of spot and short-term tradingWant to learn more?Simply email esther@ infocusevent.com or call +65 6325 0210 to obtain your FREE COPY of the event brochure. For more information, please visit www.infocusinternational.com/lng-online About Infocus International GroupInfocus International is a global business intelligence provider of strategic information and professional services for diverse business communities. We recognise clients' needs and responds with innovative and result oriented programmes. All products are founded on high value content in diverse subject areas, and the highest level of quality is ensured through intensive and in-depth market research from local and international insights. For more information: www.infocusinternational.com ( Read 3955 Times) 04 Jan 23 Share | Print This Page This Article/News is also avaliable in following categories : Your Comments ! Share Your Openion ( Read 3537 Times) Companys Rampura Agucha Mine and Zawar Group of Mines receives silver rating from CII for its sustainable mining operations Udaipur, : Hindustan Zinc, a Vedanta group company andIndias largest & only integrated producer of Zinc, Lead & Silver, has bagged the GreenCo Silver rating by CII for its sustainable mining operations. Companys Rampura Agucha Mine andZawar Group of Mines has received the Silver Rating for their exemplary performance in waste & material management, green infrastructure & ecology, green supply chain, GHG emissions reduction, renewable energy initiatives, to name a few. On receiving the honour, Mr. Arun Misra, CEO of Hindustan Zinc said, This is huge recognition for our company which highlights our efforts towards a sustainable growth. Our facilitieshasbeen recognized for the significant efforts to maintain ecologically sustainable operations. We also encourage our suppliers to adopt our sustainability strategy and improve ESG performance in their operations to achieve our shared long-term vision of sustainable growth. The GreenCo Rating is a holistic framework that evaluates businesses on the environmental friendliness of their activities using a life cycle approach. Implementation of the GreenCo rating system gives companies leadership and direction on how to make their products, services, and processes more ecologically sustainable. The recognition reaffirms that Hindustan Zinc has been delivering on well-defined goals and progressing on a sustainable value-accretive journey. The company has taken significant steps for achieving the vision of Net Zero emission by 2050 and is constantly investing in cutting-edge technologies to reduce carbon footprint, transitioning to renewable energy, mitigating climate risk, and conserving resources. Recently, Hindustan Zinc has earned a spot in the esteemed S&P Global Sustainability Yearbook for the 6th time by being ranked amongst the top 5% ESG Score in the metals & mining sector. The companys sustainability efforts have also resulted them to be ranked 3rd Globally and 1st in Asia Pacific Region in S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment under metal & mining sector. The companys commitment towards Environment, Social and Governance has been recognized by CAP 2.0, CDP, S&P Global Platts Awards, CII National 5S Excellence Award, Bhamashah Award and many more. About Hindustan Zinc Limited Hindustan Zinc, a Vedanta Group Company, is one of the worlds largest and Indias only integrated producer of Zinc-Lead and Silver. The Company has its headquarters at Udaipur in the State of Rajasthan where it has its Zinc-Lead mines and smelting complexes. Hindustan Zinc is self-sufficient in power with captive thermal power plants and has ventured into green energy by setting upwind power plants. The Company is ranked 1st in Asia-Pacific for the fourth consecutive year and globally 3rd in S&P Global Corporate Responsibility Assessment in 2022 amongst Mining & Metal companies. Hindustan Zinc is a certified Water Positive Company and is the only Indian company to be recognised at the S&P Global Platts Metal Award 2022 and has won the two prestigious awards for Industry Leadership Award Base, Precious and Specialty Metals Award and Corporate Social Responsibility Award. The company takes pride in having some of the best-in-class people practices and employee-centric initiatives, which have certified Hindustan Zinc as Great Place to Work 2022, Company with Great Managers 2022 by People Business and the People-first HR Excellence Award. As a socially responsible corporate, Hindustan Zinc has been relentlessly working to improve the lives of rural and tribal people residing near its business locations. The company is amongst the Top 15 CSR Spenders in India and are currently reaching out to 1.4 million people in 234 villages out of which 184 in Rajasthan, and 34 in Uttarakhand. As a market leader, Hindustan Zinc governs about ~80% of the growing Zinc market in India. Learn more about Hindustan Zinc on -https://www.hzlindia.com/home/ and follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook , and Instagram for more updates. Source : HONG KONG, March 21, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Chinese leading biopharmaceutical company 3SBio (01530.HK) today announced its 2022 annual results. In 2022, 3SBio's core biopharmaceutical products posted robust growth, hair health business achieved blistering performance, and contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) business demonstrated big potential. New drugs started to embrace a commercialization wave, and license-out and license-in partnerships geared up. Revenue in 2022 increased by 7.5% year on year to approximately RMB 6.90billion. Gross profit rose 7.5% year on year to approximately RMB 5.67 billion. The normalized earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) were approximately RMB2.80 billion, an increase of 27.7% over the same period last year. The normalized net profit attributable to owners of the parents was approximately RMB2.16 billion, a rise of 25.2% over the same period last year. The solid performance growth supported a sustainable dividend policy. According to the resolution of the board of directors, 3SBio will pay a dividend of HKD0.1. This year marked the 30th anniversary of 3SBio. On top of steady financial performance growth, the Company has been delivering on its corporate social responsibility and constantly improving environmental, social and governance (ESG) management. In 2022, 3SBio improved from A to AA on the MSCI ESG rating, surpassing 88% of the world's biotechnology companies. In the future, 3SBio will further expand its advantages as an integrated platform for research and development (R&D), manufacturing, commercialization and external partnerships, and consolidate and enhance its status as a leading biopharmaceutical company. 3SBios R&D pipeline as of 2022 Core biopharmaceutical products posted robust performance In 2022, the Company's core products (TPIAO, Yisaipu, EPIAO/SEPO, Mandi) maintained their leadership in the Chinese market, and Cipterbin saw a significant rise in its sales. According to IQVIA data, sales of TPIAO, the world's only commercial recombinant human thrombopoietin (rhTPO) used to treat thrombocytopenia, totaled RMB 3.40 billion in 2022, a year-on-year increase of 10.3%. In 2022, TPIAO achieved a renewal in the National Reimbursement Drug List (NRDL) and it was listed with the highest-level recommendation by the Chinese Society of Clinical Oncology (CSCO) Clinical Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Cancer Therapy Induced Thrombocytopenia (CTIT) (2022 Edition). As the leaders in the recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEPO) market for 20 years, EPIAO and SEPO maintained their leading position, with sales of RMB 1.13 billion in 2022, maintaining a dominant market share of 44.5%. Sales of Yisaipu for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis and psoriasis were RMB 512 million. Its safety and efficacy have been verified in the Chinese market for 18 years. Compared with developed countries in Europe and the United States, the penetration rate of biologic anti-rheumatic drugs in China's mainland is still low, and the product has broad growth potential in the future. Sales of Cipterbin for the treatment of HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer were RMB 159 million, an increase of 138.1% year on year, and the number of hospitals and patients covered had a significant rise compared with 2021. In 2022, Cipterbin was successfully renewed in the NRDL and the reimbursement restrictions for its use in combination with vinorelbine were abolished. The CSCO Clinical Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Breast Cancer (2022 Edition) listed Cipterbin with the highest-level Class I recommendation for the treatment of patients with HER2-positive advanced breast cancer. Hair health business achieved blistering growth The Company's hair health business achieved blistering growth. Sales of the key product Mandi (minoxidil tincture) were RMB 891 million in 2022, representing a year-on-year increase of 48.1%. Sales through retail pharmacies soared 65% year on year, and sales through e-commerce channels jumped 58% year on year, maintaining strong growth momentum and driving up the penetration rate of the Mandi brand. As an effective hair growth therapy, Mandi (5% minoxidil) has been granted the highest-level recommendation in the Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Androgenetic Alopecia in Chinese Population and the Chinese Expert Consensus on the Diagnosis and Treatment of Androgenetic Alopecia in Women (2022 Edition). 3SBio is committed to enhancing customer education regarding the use of Mandi for individuals experiencing hair loss, as well as improving the application cycles of the drug in the treatment of hair loss. In the future, the educational campaign will help improve the penetration rate of this product and thus further expand its market share. CDMO business demonstrated big potential The Company's CDMO business made significant progress. In 2022, 3SBio completed a total of RMB 166 million worth of CDMO customer orders, marking a year-on-year increase of 49.6%, which demonstrated remarkable results in the first year of operation. The CDMO business has secured customer orders valued at more than RMB 100 million, including partnerships with leading Chinese and overseas pharmaceutical companies and biotech companies, and its services cover all aspects ranging from pre-clinical to commercialization. 3SBio's CDMO business has multiple competitive advantages, including the technological advantages associated with engaging in the whole process spanning from R&D to production of biopharmaceutical products over the years; the scalable cost advantages of a single 10,000-litre bioreactor for commercial production; the production cost advantages brought by the capability to manufacture raw materials such as culture medium and chromatography filling . 3SBio will focus on providing proprietary and cost-effective biological CDMO services, in a bid to help customers accelerate the launch of high-quality new drugs, and expand its own CDMO business. New drugs embraced a commercialization boom under robust pipelines In 2022, 3SBio posted a total R&D cost of approximately RMB 693 million. There were 31 product candidates within the active pipeline, with 26 being developed as innovative drugs. Among them, there were 7 product candidates in oncology, 13 product candidates that target auto-immune and other diseases, 9 product candidates in nephrology; and 2 product candidates in dermatology. Among them, the pipeline in the field of auto-immune diseases, which includes anti-IL-4R antibody, anti-IL-5 antibody, anti-IL-1 antibody and anti-IL-17A antibody, was among the leading pack in clinical research progress in China. The Company's pipeline includes a number of upcoming blockbuster products. Among them, the new drug applications (NDAs) on new formulations or indications of three core products have been accepted. The anti-TNF pre-filled aqueous injection solution of Yisaipu (301S) will address limitations of the powder injection, and will significantly improve the treatment compliance among hundreds of thousands of medical professionals and patients. Minoxidil foam(MN709) is the only one of its kind domestically, adding a medication choice for hair loss patients with sensitive scalp. The phase III clinical trial of TPIAO for pediatric immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) met the preset primary endpoint, and it is expected to meet the treatment needs of children with ITP. In addition, the candidates acquired via external partnerships also achieved big progress. The NDA application of nalfurafine hydrochloride (TRK820) for the treatment of refractory pruritus in patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis has been accepted, which is expected to fill the treatment gap for dialysis pruritus in China and bring significant clinical benefits to millions of patients with nephrology and liver diseases. 3SBio will continue to focus on four fields of its strength, namely, nephrology, autoimmune diseases, hair and skin, and oncology, and accelerate the candidates that lead in R&D progress in China. The Company will fast-track the auto-immune products with R&D progress surpassing domestic peers;and supercharge the bridging clinical trials for Clascoterone cream in acne indication and Remitch in liver diseases pruritus, both with vast market potentials and targeting an extraordinary number of patients.. Eight new products are expected to be launched in 2023, and the Company will submit NDAs for more than 10 products in the next three years, ushering in a boom in new drug launches. License-out and license-in partnerships geared up In 2022, 3SBio continued to accelerate external partnerships by licensing in high-quality products and licensing out its own products. For example, the Company entered into a licensing agreement with Syncromune Inc, a bio-pharmaceutical company headquartered in the U.S., to develop and commercialize the Company's anti-programmed cell death protein 1 (PD1) mAb (609A) for use with Syncrovax immuno-oncology combination therapy worldwide. The Company signed a licensing cooperation agreement with Chengdu Kelingyuan Pharmaceutical Technology Co Ltd to grant the worldwide development and commercialization rights of Cipterbin antibody sequence for antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) to Kelingyuan. The Company also entered into a cooperation agreement with Cosmo Pharmaceuticals N.V. to obtain exclusive right to develop and commercialize Winlevi, the world's first marketed topical androgen receptor inhibitor to treat acne under its subsidiary Cassiopea, in Greater China. In the future, 3SBio will continue to selectively seek M&A and cooperation opportunities to enrich its portfolio and prepare for future growth. Dr. Jing LOU, Chairman and CEO of 3SBio, commented: "Since its establishment 30 years ago, 3SBio has consistently improved its financial performance and advanced new drug research and development. This has led to robust momentum in its four business segments, empowering the Company's sustainable development. Moving forward, 3SBio is committed to sharpening its focus on refined management and ensuring the healthy development of all business lines. The company will continue to dedicate significant efforts towards the delivery of new drug discoveries. Furthermore, 3SBio is fully committed to its social responsibilities, and is determined to benefit more patients with its high-quality and high-standard drugs." About 3SBio Inc. 3SBio is a leading bio-pharmaceutical company integrating research and development (R&D), manufacturing and commercialization, with a focus on improving the life quality of patients with high-quality medicines to benefit human health. At present, the Company owns more than 100 national invention patents and has launched more than 30 products into the market, covering several therapeutic areas such as nephrology, oncology, autoimmune diseases, ophthalmology and dermatology. The Company owns four R&D centers of the National Engineering Research Center of Antibody Medicine and dual platforms for biopharmaceutical and chemical medicine. The Company has a pipeline of 31 products under R&D, and 26 of them are the national new drugs. The Group also owns five production bases complying with the GMP standards. In the future, 3SBio will continue to uphold the concept of "Care for Life, Cherish Life, Create Life" to foster a world-leading biopharmaceutical company in China. Please visit www.3sbio.com for additional information. Cautionary Note and Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements, such as those relating to business or products outlook, or Company's intent, plans, beliefs, expectation and strategies. These forward-looking statements are based on information currently available to the Company and are stated herein on the basis of the outlook at the time of this press release. They are based on certain expectations, assumptions and premises, some of which are subjective or beyond our control. These forward-looking statements may prove to be incorrect or may not be realized in the future. With respect to any new product or new indication, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to successfully develop or eventually launch and market such product or indication. Underlying the forward-looking statements is a large number of risks and uncertainties. Further information regarding such risks and uncertainties may be found in our other public disclosure documents. The scientific information involved may only be preliminary and empirical. Shareholders and potential investors of the Company are advised to exercise caution when dealing in the shares of the Company. SOURCE 3SBio DUBLIN, March 21, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Baby Stroller Market - Global Industry Size, Share, Trends, Competition Opportunities and Forecast, 2018-2028F Segmented By Product Type (Lightweight, Standard, Jogging and Travel Systems), By Technology (Smart and Non-Smart), By Distribution Channel, By Region, Competition" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The global baby stroller market was valued at USD 3211.36 million in 2022 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 5.07% through 2028 on account of increasing technological advancement in the baby care sector coupled with increasing use of baby travel products and rising nuclear families. Smart-connected strollers are a prominent trend that is anticipated to affect new product launches throughout the projected period. A stroller is a small carriage on wheels that is used to carry small babies. It is sometimes referred to as a pram or a pushchair. On the market, there are four types of strollers with single and double seats: standard, lightweight, travel systems, and jogging. Travel systems that are handy and reasonably priced are available from several companies. The "GB Pockit" stroller, which weighs only 9.5 pounds and is certified by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's most compact stroller, is one such item. The stroller may be folded so that it can fit both under the seat and in the overhead compartment of an airline. Growing Nuclear Families and Rising Female Employment The growing number of nuclear families, as well as the increased employment of women, are pushing the market growth for baby care products such as strollers. The strollers are more handy, simple to operate, and effective for on-the-go needs. Nuclear families are becoming common in India. For instance, the number of nuclear families climbed from 135 million in 2001 to 172 million in 2011, according to the most recent Indian census data release. Thus, with the increase in the number of nuclear families, the need for strollers is increasing at a high rate. Technological Product Innovation Will Drive the Market Growth With the world moving toward automation and IoT, the use of smart and electronic technologies in consumer goods has gained traction in the last few years. Vendors battle with other companies in competitive markets such as baby strollers to maintain their leading position with innovative technologies and clever improvements. One such innovation is the development of e-strollers by Emmaljunga and Cybex, which are expected to be game changers. For instance, Smartbe is the first connected intelligent baby stroller. A smart bed is an all-in-one system that offers over ten safety, security, comfort, and convenience-enhancing functionalities that are controlled by Android and iOS smartphones and smartwatches. Growing Demand for Travel Products for Children will Fuel the Market Growth Car seats have been used since the 1960s when they were enhanced with features such as the harness feature, metal frame feature, and rear-facing choice. For many years, the car seat segment was regarded as a large market where products were sold individually, and it remains so today. The increased popularity of traveling with babies and toddlers has prepared the path for growth in a new market known as travel system strollers. For instance, Mercedes-AMG GT unveiled its limited-edition stroller in collaboration with Hartan. The design is reported to be influenced by AMG vehicles. Another company Bugaboo, in 2021, introduced Bugaboo Flex, a monthly subscription service for its strollers. Customers can pay a monthly fee to access their products rather than making a one-time payment. Flexible contracts with durations of 6 to 24 months are available for using these services. Thus, with the growing demand for travel products, the market will grow at a faster rate. Market Segmentation Baby Stroller Market, By Product Type: Lightweight Standard Jogging Travel Systems Baby Stroller Market, By Technology: Non-Smart Smart Baby Stroller Market, By Distribution Channel: Specialty Stores Supermarkets and Hypermarkets Online Multi-Branded Stores Others Baby Stroller Market, By Region: Europe Germany France United Kingdom Italy Spain North America United States Canada Mexico Asia-Pacific China Australia Japan South Korea India Middle East & Africa & South Africa UAE Saudi Arabia Turkey South America Colombia Brazil Argentina Key Topics Covered: 1. Introduction 2. Research Methodology 3. Executive Summary 4. Voice of Customer Analysis (B2C Model Analysis) 5. Global Baby Stroller Market Outlook 6. Europe Baby Stroller Market Outlook 7. North America Baby Stroller Market Outlook 8. Asia-Pacific Baby Stroller Market Outlook 9. Middle East & Africa Baby Stroller Market Outlook 10. South America Baby Stroller Market Outlook 11. Market Dynamics 11.1. Drivers 11.1.1. Ease of Use and Convenience 11.1.2. Expanding Nuclear families 11.1.3. Increasing Baby Travel Products 11.2. Challenges 11.2.1. Availability of Counterfeit products 11.2.2. High Cost & Low Penetration 12. Impact of COVID-19 on Global Baby Stroller Market 13. Market Trends & Developments 14. SWOT Analysis 15. Porter's Five Forces Model 16. Import & Export Analysis 17. Competitive Landscape 18. Strategic Recommendations/Action Plan 19. About the Publisher & Disclaimer A selection of companies mentioned in this report includes Goodbaby International Holdings Limited Artsana S.p.A. Monahan Products, LLC Newell Brands Inc. Dorel Industries Inc. Bugaboo International B.V. Brevi Milano S.P.A. BumbleRide Inc Britax Child Safety, Inc. Baby Trend Inc. For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/xmy0wi 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: 646-607-1904 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/539438/Research_and_Markets_Logo.jpg SOURCE Research and Markets BEIJING, March 21, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- China-Russia relations have been injected with more substance as a new chapter for bilateral ties has been launched after Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Moscow on Monday to meet with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Terming the visit "a journey of friendship, cooperation and peace," Xi said ahead of the trip that the aim is to jointly work with Putin to "adopt a new vision, a new blueprint and new measures" for the growth of China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination in the years to come. CGTN: China-Russia ties deepened as Xi stresses 'new chapter' in his visit The two leaders on Tuesday held a "frank and fruitful" dialogue and signed joint statements aimed at strengthening the overall China-Russia partnership and deepening cooperation in investment, energy and other fields. The agreements come on the back of productive results achieved in years of all-round cooperation. Trade between China and Russia has expanded substantially, with the two-way volume exceeding $190 billion in 2022, up 116 percent from a decade ago. Meanwhile, bilateral collaboration in scientific and technological innovation, cross-border e-commerce and other emerging areas has shown strong momentum. Consolidating mutual trust Xi's trip to Russia is his ninth since he was elected China's president 10 years ago. In a signed article published by Russian media, he said there is "a clear historical logic and strong internal driving force for the growth of China-Russia relations." Over the past decade, China and Russia have cemented political mutual trust, which derives from both countries' commitments to no-alliance, no-confrontation and not targeting any third party in developing their ties. The two sides also share a vision of lasting friendship and win-win cooperation and firmly support each other in following a development path suited to their respective national realities. In his meeting with Putin, Xi noted that Russia is also the first country he visited as president and that he and his Russian counterpart have stayed in close touch over the past 10 years. Such high-level interactions, which involved drafting cooperation blueprints and timely communication on international issues, have played a strategic role in leading China-Russia relations, according to Xi. In March 2013, Xi spoke on the concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind during a speech at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations. Since then, he has proposed a series of initiatives aimed at promoting global peace and development in the context of increasing connectivity. Consistent with the Xi-proposed Global Security Initiative is China's position on the Ukraine crisis, which calls for a political settlement to resolve the conflict. During his trip, Xi reaffirmed China's "impartial, objective" stance. Putin, for his part, welcomed China's efforts to push for peace and said Russia is committed to the resumption of peace talks. https://news.cgtn.com/news/2023-03-22/China-Russia-ties-deepened-as-Xi-stresses-new-chapter-in-his-visit-1imB6pDd0FG/index.html https://youtu.be/MTtXZHUDebE SOURCE CGTN ADS ADS This year, the GPHG wanted to open up the Academy to the vibrancy of youth by creating a college dedicated to young people under 26, embodying a wealth of new talent and fresh perspectives. After this age, they will join their peers in one of the seven other colleges of the Academy, according to their specific characteristics. The GPHG Academy decides on the nomination of timepieces in competition and, alongside the Jury, selects the year's winners, awarding them the prizes so eagerly awaited by the profession. All the Academy members, who believe in watchmakings community of common destiny, will take part in the various stages of the selection process from April onwards, starting with a phase of proposals of models likely to compete, followed as soon as the brands' submissions have been approved by an initial vote to determine the nominations. Academy members will vote digitally a second time in October in order to participate in the choice of the winners. In parallel, the Jury composed of 30 members also from the Academy (15 people drawn by lot by a notary and 15 people chosen by the President of the Jury and the GPHG) will meet behind closed doors in Geneva to physically evaluate the competing timepieces. The electronic votes of the Academy added to those of the Jury will determine the prestigious prize list which will be revealed in Geneva on 9 November at the 23rd GPHG Awards Ceremony. The Academy will be invited to propose eligible models from the end of March. Submissions will be open to brands from May 2023. DUBLIN, March 21, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Hospital Furniture Market Size, Segments, Outlook, and Revenue Forecast 2022-2028 by Product Type, Manufacturing Material, Application, End User, Region" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. According to this analysis, the Global Hospital Furniture Market was valued at ~US$ 7 billion in 2017. It is estimated to be ~US$ 11 billion by 2022 and is expected to reach a market size of ~US$ 20 billion by 2028, growing with a CAGR of 10%. This growth is due to the rise in the number of hospital admissions globally, and the increasing prevalence of different chronic diseases. A hospital infrastructure relies on its furnishings which are designed in a way to least interfere with the daily operations of medical personnel and patient comfort. Hospital furnishing includes hospital beds, cabinets, examination couches, and bedside tables. Hospital furniture has sole utilization in clinics, hospitals, nursing homes, and diagnostic centers. Most of the furniture is designed in such a way as to draw in potential consumers or patients. The increasing number of hospitals and clinics, the popularity of medical tourism and the prevalence of different chronic diseases, and patient expectations towards the hospital infrastructure are driving the growth of the Hospital Furniture Market. Chronic diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, chronic lung disease, stroke, Alzheimer's, diabetes, and chronic kidney diseases are on the rise all over the world, which is driving the growth of the Hospital Furniture Market. The demand for better hospital infrastructure due to rising medical tourism has also boosted the Hospital Furniture Market. Moreover, the rise in the geriatric population is increasing the number of diseases associated with age-related factors, hence increasing the number of patients visiting hospitals. High costs attributable to hospital furniture, lack of design and creation, and patient-centered care issues pose challenges to the growth of the Hospital Furniture Market. Hospital furniture such as operating tables and other examination tables have a higher cost as compared to hospital beds and chairs, which limits their adoption. The rising cost of medical furniture hinders the growth of the Hospital Furniture Market. The COVID-19 pandemic boosted the Global Hospital Furniture Market. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, several people were admitted to hospitals for treatment and cure. Many governments opened up extensions with bed facilities, for a larger chunk of people to get treatment simultaneously. This led to an increase in demand for medical supplies to take care of the infected people. The increased demand for stretchers and hospital beds to provide adequate healthcare support to the people through hospitals and other temporary expansion sites propelled the growth of the Hospital Furniture Market during the pandemic. Scope of the Report Global Hospital Furniture Market is segmented by product type, manufacturing material, application, and end-user. In addition, the report also covers market size and forecasts for each of the four regions' Hospital Furniture Market. The revenue used to size and forecast the market for each segment is US$ billion. By Product Type Beds Tables Chairs Cabinet and Lockers Trolley and Stretchers Others (Waste containers, Scrub Sinks, Instrument Stands) By Manufacturing Material Metal Plastic Wood By Application Physician's Furniture Patient's Furniture Staff Furniture By End User Hospitals & Clinics Ambulatory Surgical Centers Diagnostic Centers Others (Mobile Clinics, Surgical Centers) By Geography North America ( USA , Canada , Mexico ) ( , , ) Europe ( Germany , UK, Italy , France , Spain ) ( , UK, , , ) Asia Pacific ( China , India , Japan , South Korea , Indonesia ) ( , , , , ) LAMEA ( Latin America , Middle East , Africa ) Key Players Stryker Corporation Invacare Corporation Kovonax LINET J&J Medical Specialities Skytron Supplies Getinge Herman Miller Met-lak Promotal STERIS Corporation GPC Medical Limited Key Trends by Market Segment By Product Type: Hospital bed segment held the largest market share in 2021 of the Global Hospital Furniture Market A hospital bed is a part of patient care as it helps in the process of recovery by ensuring proper recovery time and comfort of the patients. It is not a simple bed but multifunctional and designed under the guidance of medical experts. Some of these beds include OT beds, examination beds, ICU beds, and pediatric beds By Manufacturing Material: The metal segment held the largest market share in 2021 in the Global Hospital Furniture Market. The metal hospital furniture has more agility, durability, and affordability and is compatible with integrating advanced systems to provide comfort and support towards patient recovery. Unlike wooden structures, metal does not require frequent maintenance and lasts longer. The metal hospital beds enable the patient to make adjustments according to the situation, hosting functions such as hydraulics that enable them to evenly distribute the weight on the bed. By Application: The patient furniture segment held the largest market share in 2021 in the Global Hospital Furniture Market. The hospital furniture is primarily designed for patient diagnosis and treatment and with the rise in illness and other chronic diseases, the number of patients visiting the hospital has increased resulting in the growth of the patient furniture segment. The requirement of hospital furniture is not only seen for the in-patient but the outpatient department also requires furniture such as chairs and tables based on durability and space consideration. By End User: The hospitals & clinics segment held the largest market share in 2021 in the Global Hospital Furniture Market. An increased number of hospital admission, growing medical tourism, and escalating number of illnesses worldwide is boosting the demand for better hospital infrastructure and thus, hospital furniture. In addition, the rising patient admission in hospitals with higher rates of acute conditions such as heart attacks, and strokes are driving the growth of the hospital segment. By Geography: North America is expected to account for the largest share among all regions within the Global Hospital Furniture Market, during the forecasted period 2022-2028. The growth is primarily attributed to the rise in the adoption of advanced techniques and systems for the manufacturing of hospital furniture. Countries such as USA and Canada in the region host several multi-specialty hospitals with a benchmarked infrastructure. Such hospitals also tend to increase their capacity to deal with the rising number of illness treatment cases. Furthermore, the rising number of chronic disease cases in the region is expected to fuel the growth Hospital Furniture Market. For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/3xl47a 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: 646-607-1904 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/539438/Research_and_Markets_Logo.jpg SOURCE Research and Markets Upcycled couture collection by Jeremy Scott made with discarded materials from Hyundai Motor's electric vehicles 'Hyundai Re:Style Exhibition' to be held for the first time in Korea starting March 23 , in line with the global launch of the all-new KONA Electric 'Re:Style Archive Exhibition' also showcased in collaboration with model Lauren Wasser SEOUL, South Korea, March 21, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Hyundai Motor Company has announced 'Re:Style 2023' with renowned designer Jeremy Scott. Hyundai Motor Re:Style 2023 - Jeremy Scott at the atelier 'Re:Style,' now in its fourth year, is an eco-friendly upcycled fashion platform with internationally acclaimed designers to transform automotive waste into fashion items. This year's collection breaks stereotypes of sustainable design with an haute couture collection by Jeremy Scott made with discarded materials from Hyundai Motor's electric vehicles, together with the deadstock fabrics. New materials derived from parts such as wheels, seat belts, tail lights and wipers highlight the uniqueness of Re:Style with the innovation and wit that only Jeremy Scott can deliver. 'Hyundai Re:Style Exhibition' will be presented at AP Again in Seongsu-dong for three weeks starting from March 23, following a private gala preview event later tonight. As the first 'Re:Style' exhibition to be held in Korea, the opening is also in line with the global launch of the all-new KONA Electric. Also on display will be the 'Re:Style Archive Exhibition,' which is being showcased in collaboration with Re:Style ambassador and model Lauren Wasser, who overcame her physical limitations after double leg amputation caused by toxic shock syndrome. With her own story, Wasser will represent the past three years of Re:Style archival collection and show the journey of Re:Style under the theme of diversity and innovation. The exhibition space is designed with a parametric pixel motif, a representative element of Hyundai Motor's electric vehicle lineup. In addition to the collection and archive exhibitions, the archive book and brand film will also be showcased for a more sensory experience. "In line with the global launch of KONA Electric, Hyundai Motor Company is making various efforts to combine the vision of electrification with cultural content," said Sungwon Jee, Global Chief Marketing Officer at Hyundai Motor Company. "We hope Hyundai Re:Style Exhibition's very first opening in Korea will provide an opportunity to communicate and share the brand's vision of sustainability and innovation with our customers." More information about Hyundai Motor can be found at: http://worldwide.hyundai.com or http://globalpr.hyundai.com. SOURCE Hyundai Motor Company NEW YORK, March 22, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The global online language learning market size is estimated to grow by USD 29.96 billion from 2021 to 2026 according to Technavio. The market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 18.77% during the forecast period. One of the prominent factors driving the global online language learning market growth is the cost benefits and flexibility of online language learning. This is because the costs associated with classroom space, equipment, and other physical amenities do not apply to online language learning programs. The necessary software and hardware to register and complete the course assignments are the minimum requirements for an online language learning program. Some of the benefits of online language learning include easy registration, flexible timings, customized learning materials, live chats, and forums, immediate feedback on quizzes and tests, and self-paced learning. Hence, the low cost of online language learning, coupled with its benefits, will serve as a key driver for the growth of the global online language learning market. Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Online Language Learning Market 2022-2026 For more insights on the market - Request a sample report 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! Geography Overview By geography, the global online language learning market is segmented into APAC, Europe, North America, South America, and Middle East and Africa. The report provides actionable insights and estimates the contribution of all regions to the growth of the global online language learning market. APAC is estimated to contribute 45% to the growth of the online language learning market during the forecast period. Market growth in the region will be faster than the growth of the market in other regions. The rising enrollment of Asian students in universities in North America and Europe as well as the emergence of Asia as the global hub for manufacturing and services will facilitate the growth of the online language learning market in APAC over the forecast period. Online Language Learning Market - Segmentation Assessment Segment Overview Technavio has segmented the market based on the product (courses, solutions, and apps), language (English, Mandarin, Spanish, and others), and geography (APAC, Europe, North America, South America, and Middle East and Africa). The market share growth by courses segment will be significant during the forecast period. Growth can be attributed to factors such as the rapid growth of self-paced e-learning in the education market. Vendors in the global online language learning market design courses compatible with any smart gadget. Hence, factors like the rapid growth of self-paced e-learning are expected to drive segment growth during the forecast period. Insights on the market contribution of various segments - Download a Sample Report Online Language Learning Market Market Dynamics Leading trends influencing the market Artificial Intelligence (AI) in language learning is a key trend expected to impact the online language learning market positively during the forecast period. The time taken to learn a language is subjective and depends on the learning abilities of an individual. The adoption of AI in language learning is known to reduce the time taken in learning a language compared with traditional methods of language learning. Hence, the nascent stage of advancement in the implementation of AI in language learning is expected to gain traction among users during the forecast period. Major challenges hindering market growth A major challenge for the global online language learning market is the threat from open source. MOOCs are also witnessing rapid adoption among users globally, and their growth has a negative impact on the global online language learning market. Some of the prominent MOOC platforms, in terms of the number of registered users, are Coursera, edX, XuetangX, Udacity, and FutureLearn. Open source online language learning course providers exploit the market opportunities by collaborating with educational institutions. Collaborations between MOOC providers and educational institutions will hinder the growth of the global online language learning market. Insights on market drivers, trends, & challenges - Request a sample report! What are the key data covered in this Online Language Learning Market report? CAGR of the market during the forecast period Detailed information about factors that will drive the growth of the online language learning market between 2022 and 2026 Precise estimation of the size of the online language learning market and its contribution to the market with a focus on the parent market Accurate predictions about upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior Growth of the online language learning market across APAC, Europe , North America , South America , and Middle East and Africa , , , 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 the online language learning market vendors Gain instant access to 17,000+ market research reports. Technavio's SUBSCRIPTION platform Related Reports: The online tutoring services market in India is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 17.03% between 2022 and 2027. The size of the market is forecast to increase by USD 10,585.08 million. The increasing expenditure on tutoring is driving the market growth. The online vocational courses market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 16.56% between 2022 and 2027. The size of the market is forecast to increase by USD 21,546.78 million. The growing advantages of online learning are driving market growth. Online Language Learning Market Scope Report Coverage Details Base year 2021 Forecast period 2022-2026 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 18.77% Market growth 2022-2026 USD 29.96 billion Market structure Fragmented YoY growth 2021-2022 (%) 17.67 Regional analysis APAC, Europe, North America, South America, and Middle East and Africa Performing market contribution APAC at 45% Key countries US, China, India, UK, and Spain, Canada, Mexico, Italy,Spain, India, Japan, Australia, and South Korea Competitive landscape Leading Vendors, Market Positioning of Vendors, Competitive Strategies, and Industry Risks Key companies profiled Babbel GmbH, Benesse Holdings Inc., Busuu Ltd., Cengage Learning Inc., Duolingo Inc., Educational Testing Service, EF Education First Ltd., Enux Education Ltd., Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Co., inlingua International Ltd., IXL Learning Inc., Linguarama International Ltd., Linguatronics LC, McGraw Hill Education Inc., New Oriental Education and Technology Group Inc., Oxford University Press, Pearson Plc, Sanako Oy, Think and Learn Pvt. Ltd., and Voxy 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, 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 Discretionary 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 Language Exhibit 06: Executive Summary Chart on Market Segmentation by Product 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 2021 3.4 Market outlook: Forecast for 2021-2026 Exhibit 14: Chart on Global - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 15: Data Table on Global - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 16: Chart on Global Market: Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 17: Data Table on Global Market: Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 4 Five Forces Analysis 4.1 Five forces summary Exhibit 18: Five forces analysis - Comparison between 2021 and 2026 4.2 Bargaining power of buyers Exhibit 19: Chart on Bargaining power of buyers Impact of key factors 2021 and 2026 4.3 Bargaining power of suppliers Exhibit 20: Bargaining power of suppliers Impact of key factors in 2021 and 2026 4.4 Threat of new entrants Exhibit 21: Threat of new entrants Impact of key factors in 2021 and 2026 4.5 Threat of substitutes Exhibit 22: Threat of substitutes Impact of key factors in 2021 and 2026 4.6 Threat of rivalry Exhibit 23: Threat of rivalry Impact of key factors in 2021 and 2026 4.7 Market condition Exhibit 24: Chart on Market condition - Five forces 2021 and 2026 5 Market Segmentation by Language 5.1 Market segments Exhibit 25: Chart on Language - Market share 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 26: Data Table on Language - Market share 2021-2026 (%) 5.2 Comparison by Language Exhibit 27: Chart on Comparison by Language Exhibit 28: Data Table on Comparison by Language 5.3 English - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 29: Chart on English - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 30: Data Table on English - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 31: Chart on English - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 32: Data Table on English - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 5.4 Mandarin - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 33: Chart on Mandarin - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 34: Data Table on Mandarin - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 35: Chart on Mandarin - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 36: Data Table on Mandarin - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 5.5 Spanish - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 37: Chart on Spanish - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 38: Data Table on Spanish - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 39: Chart on Spanish - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 40: Data Table on Spanish - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 5.6 Others - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 41: Chart on Others - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 42: Data Table on Others - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 43: Chart on Others - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 44: Data Table on Others - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 5.7 Market opportunity by Language Exhibit 45: Market opportunity by Language ($ million) 6 Market Segmentation by Product 6.1 Market segments Exhibit 46: Chart on Product - Market share 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 47: Data Table on Product - Market share 2021-2026 (%) 6.2 Comparison by Product Exhibit 48: Chart on Comparison by Product Exhibit 49: Data Table on Comparison by Product 6.3 Courses - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 50: Chart on Courses - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 51: Data Table on Courses - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 52: Chart on Courses - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 53: Data Table on Courses - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 6.4 Solutions - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 54: Chart on Solutions - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 55: Data Table on Solutions - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 56: Chart on Solutions - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 57: Data Table on Solutions - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 6.5 Apps - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 58: Chart on Apps - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 59: Data Table on Apps - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 60: Chart on Apps - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 61: Data Table on Apps - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 6.6 Market opportunity by Product Exhibit 62: Market opportunity by Product ($ million) 7 Customer Landscape 7.1 Customer landscape overview Exhibit 63: Analysis of price sensitivity, lifecycle, customer purchase basket, adoption rates, and purchase criteria 8 Geographic Landscape 8.1 Geographic segmentation Exhibit 64: Chart on Market share by geography 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 65: Data Table on Market share by geography 2021-2026 (%) 8.2 Geographic comparison Exhibit 66: Chart on Geographic comparison Exhibit 67: Data Table on Geographic comparison 8.3 APAC - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 68: Chart on APAC - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 69: Data Table on APAC - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 70: Chart on APAC - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 71: Data Table on APAC - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 8.4 Europe - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 72: Chart on Europe - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 73: Data Table on Europe - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 74: Chart on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 75: Data Table on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 8.5 North America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 76: Chart on North America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 77: Data Table on North America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 78: Chart on North America - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 79: Data Table on North America - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 8.6 South America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 80: Chart on South America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 81: Data Table on South America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 82: Chart on South America - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 83: Data Table on South America - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 8.7 Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 and - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 84: Chart on Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) and - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 85: Data Table on Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) and - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 86: Chart on Middle East and Africa - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) and - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 87: Data Table on Middle East and Africa - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 8.8 China - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 88: Chart on China - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 89: Data Table on China - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 90: Chart on China - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 91: Data Table on China - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 8.9 US - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 92: Chart on US - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 93: Data Table on US - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 94: Chart on US - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 95: Data Table on US - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 8.10 India - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 96: Chart on India - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 97: Data Table on India - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 98: Chart on India - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 99: Data Table on India - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 8.11 UK - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 100: Chart on UK - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 101: Data Table on UK - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 102: Chart on UK - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 103: Data Table on UK - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 8.12 Spain - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 104: Chart on Spain - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 105: Data Table on Spain - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 106: Chart on Spain - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 107: Data Table on Spain - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 8.13 Market opportunity by geography Exhibit 108: Market opportunity by geography ($ million) 9 Drivers, Challenges, and Trends 9.1 Market drivers 9.2 Market challenges 9.3 Impact of drivers and challenges Exhibit 109: Impact of drivers and challenges in 2021 and 2026 9.4 Market trends 10 Vendor Landscape 10.1 Overview 10.2 Vendor landscape Exhibit 110: Overview on Criticality of inputs and Factors of differentiation 10.3 Landscape disruption Exhibit 111: Overview on factors of disruption 10.4 Industry risks Exhibit 112: Impact of key risks on business 11 Vendor Analysis 11.1 Vendors covered Exhibit 113: Vendors covered 11.2 Market positioning of vendors Exhibit 114: Matrix on vendor position and classification 11.3 Cengage Learning Inc. Exhibit 115: Cengage Learning Inc. - Overview Exhibit 116: Cengage Learning Inc. - Product / Service Exhibit 117: Cengage Learning Inc. - Key offerings 11.4 Duolingo Inc. Exhibit 118: Duolingo Inc. - Overview Exhibit 119: Duolingo Inc. - Product / Service Exhibit 120: Duolingo Inc. - Key offerings 11.5 EF Education First Ltd. Exhibit 121: EF Education First Ltd. - Overview Exhibit 122: EF Education First Ltd. - Product / Service Exhibit 123: EF Education First Ltd. - Key offerings 11.6 Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Co. Exhibit 124: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Co. - Overview Exhibit 125: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Co. - Business segments Exhibit 126: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Co. - Key offerings Exhibit 127: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Co. - Segment focus 11.7 IXL Learning Inc. Exhibit 128: IXL Learning Inc. - Overview Exhibit 129: IXL Learning Inc. - Product / Service Exhibit 130: IXL Learning Inc. - Key offerings 11.8 McGraw Hill Education Inc. Exhibit 131: McGraw Hill Education Inc. - Overview Exhibit 132: McGraw Hill Education Inc. - Business segments Exhibit 133: McGraw Hill Education Inc. - Key offerings Exhibit 134: McGraw Hill Education Inc. - Segment focus 11.9 New Oriental Education and Technology Group Inc. Exhibit 135: New Oriental Education and Technology Group Inc. - Overview Exhibit 136: New Oriental Education and Technology Group Inc. - Business segments Exhibit 137: New Oriental Education and Technology Group Inc. - Key offerings Exhibit 138: New Oriental Education and Technology Group Inc. - Segment focus 11.10 Pearson Plc Exhibit 139: Pearson Plc - Overview Exhibit 140: Pearson Plc - Business segments Exhibit 141: Pearson Plc - Key offerings Exhibit 142: Pearson Plc - Segment focus 11.11 Sanako Oy Exhibit 143: Sanako Oy - Overview Exhibit 144: Sanako Oy - Product / Service Exhibit 145: Sanako Oy - Key offerings 11.12 Voxy Inc. Exhibit 146: Voxy Inc. - Overview Exhibit 147: Voxy Inc. - Product / Service Exhibit 148: Voxy Inc. - Key offerings 12 Appendix 12.1 Scope of the report 12.2 Inclusions and exclusions checklist Exhibit 149: Inclusions checklist Exhibit 150: Exclusions checklist 12.3 Currency conversion rates for US$ Exhibit 151: Currency conversion rates for US$ 12.4 Research methodology Exhibit 152: Research methodology Exhibit 153: Validation techniques employed for market sizing Exhibit 154: Information sources 12.5 List of abbreviations Exhibit 155: List of abbreviations About Us Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses 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 Kanpur : , March 22 (IANS) A man has alleged that he was assaulted by the supporters of religious preacher Santosh Singh Bhadoria of Kanpur's famous Karauli Ashram. The man claimed that he did not benefit from the preacher's chanting, as promised, and had complained about the incident. Bhadoria asked his supporters to thrash him, he claimed. Siddharth Chaudhary, a doctor by profession and a devotee of Santosh Bhadoria, has filed a complaint with the Bidhnu police station. He said in his complaint that he used to watch Santosh Bhadoria's videos on YouTube and was impressed by them. Later, he went to his ashram from Noida with his father and wife. "I told Baba (Santosh Singh Bhadoria) that I was troubled. He blew through the mike and said 'Namah Shivay' twice -- to show magic -- though I did not feel anything. When I complained, he sent his bouncers at me and got me thrashed," said Chaudhary. Police have registered cases under sections 323, 504 and 325 of the Indian Penal Code. Meanwhile, Bhadoria has refuted the allegation and demanded a fair probe. Speaking about the incident, the preacher said that this was a conspiracy and that the doctor was planted to tarnish his image. He added the doctor could be seen thanking him before leaving in the CCTV video. When asked if he had the CCTV footage to support his claim, Bhadoria said that since CCTV data could be stored only for 14 days, he will not be able to provide the recordings. According to police sources, there is a list of criminal cases against Bhadoria. Between 1992-95, several criminal cases, including murder and CLA, were registered against him. Bhadoria became the farmers' leader, supposedly to escape the police before he started illegally occupying land. Even in the Kotwali police station area, he faces allegations of illegally occupying church land. He then started uploading videos of solving problems with mantras on his YouTube channel -- Karauli Baba, which has 93,000 subscribers. He was booked under the NSA on August 14, 1994, on the orders of the then District Magistrate Dinesh Singh. Los Angeles, March 22 : Torrance, a city located nearly 30 kilometre south of Los Angeles, California, paid $7,50,000 after two police officers allegedly spray-painted a swastika inside a suspect's car three years back. According to a report of Fox News on Tuesday, the payout settled a federal lawsuit filed by Kiley Swaine, who discovered the swastika on his car's back seat after he and two other men were arrested on suspicion of mail theft in January 2020. Swaine was later cleared of the mail charges. Swaine's attorney Jerry Steering was quoted as saying that two Torrance police officers, Christopher Tomsic and Cody Weldin, allegedly spray-painted the swastika, as well as a happy face, on Swaine's car seats before having the vehicle towed away, Xinhua news agency reported. Even though Swaine reported the vandalism less than two days after it occurred, he apparently did not learn about the case against the officers until October 2021 after the Los Angeles County District Attorney announced the charges. The two have reportedly left the force and each pleaded not guilty while they await trial on conspiracy and vandalism charges. Swaine's complaint also triggered an investigation which revealed a scandal. "The investigation into Tomsic and Weldin prompted prosecutors to search the officers' phones. The search turned up text exchanges among more than a dozen officers that included racist, anti-semitic and homophobic comments," Steering said on his law office's official website. Steering said in a statement on Monday that he has been suing police officers for 39 years and has never seen anything like this. "It never ceases to amaze me that quite often the very people entrusted by our citizens to protect us from dangerous criminals are more dangerous than the criminals who they are supposed to be protecting us from." Meanwhile, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office is expected to convene a grand jury this week to determine if two former Torrance police officers should be charged in the shooting death of a suspect in December 2018. Islamabad, March 22 : Three Pakistani soldiers and three terrorists were killed during a military operation in Pakistan's northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the military said in a statement. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of the Pakistani military, said on Tuesday that the terrorists opened fire on a police checkpost in the Khutti area of Dera Ismail Khan district of the province. The ISPR said that security forces immediately cordoned off the area, blocking all possible escape routes, adding that the fleeing terrorists were intercepted later and killed after an exchange of fire, Xinhua news agency reported. It said that three army personnel also lost their lives in the exchange of fire. Weapons and ammunition were recovered from the killed terrorists, the ISPR added. ADS ADS Van Cleef & Arpels takes us into a world awash with colour for a workshop on gouache, an art that requires patience and dexterity. Jordy Bellido/WorldTempus Renowned for its expertise in the arts and crafts of jewellery-making, Van Cleef & Arpels will be showing its most recent jewellery and timepieces at the upcoming Watches and Wonders Geneva fair. The house also supports LEcole des Arts Joailliers in Paris, and has done since the school was established in 2012. Its mission is to educate the public on the skills of jewellery-making, the history of jewellery and the world of precious stones through classes, talks and exhibitions. LECOLE paid a visit to Geneva, to the Van Cleef & Arpels boutique, where we were introduced to the work of the gouache artist, and in particular the use of colour. Cabochons Jordy Bellido/WorldTempus The gouache is the first step in the creation of a High Jewellery piece. This three-dimensional rendering in gouache, an opaque watercolour, will guide the model-makers, gemmologists, stone-setters, jewellers and all the artisans involved in the making of that jewel, hence each detail must be perfectly executed. Brushes and tubes of gouache at the ready, the workshop could begin. We were tasked with painting a cabochon (a non-facetted stone) and a facetted stone, combining light with colour to achieve the required shade and form, and bring life to a flat sheet of paper. Quite a challenge. Gouache painting is a complex technique and one that isnt easily mastered. In addition to possessing immense dexterity, a gouache artist must understand colour theory. Facetted stone Jordy Bellido/WorldTempus Nothing was as simple as it seemed; not even mixing the paint with water. As the gouache artists warned us, finding the right quantity of each can be nothing short of a miracle. Suitably motivated, we unscrewed the caps from our paint tubes and got busy with our brushes. The medium must contain more or less water and gouache depending on how transparent or opaque a particular part of the stone must be and thats even before you think about gradients! The lighter the colour, the more likely you are to load your brush with excess water, making the paper buckle. On the other hand, a mix with a lot of paint will stick to the paper. Whichever direction you choose, it wont be plain sailing. Producing fine lines that are still visible requires the lightest touch while keeping control of the brush. As someone incapable of drawing even a simple tree, you can imagine I struggled with this, creating thick lines that veered off when they were supposed to be straight. My facetted stone looked more like a snowflake hardly ideal for a workshop intended to celebrate the start of spring. But we learn from our mistakes, and I learned a lot that day. This week marks the 20th anniversary of the war in Iraq, a conflict with a complicated legacy and repercussions still being felt domestically and around the world. We invited a group of RAND experts, including combat veterans and a former ambassador, to discuss what the war means for the people of Iraq and the veterans who fought there, what lessons the U.S. military learned (or did not learn), and what effect it has had on the balance of power in the Middle East and the global reputation of the United States. After 20 years, what do you think is the war's most enduring legacy? Michael Mazarr: A major legacy of the war is severe damage to the ability of the United States to undertake competitive statecraft in the current environment of major power rivalry. The war, combined with the commitment in Afghanistan, pulled the military's focus away from major warfare, contributed to a long gap in major system modernization, and undermined U.S. credibility and reputation in major parts of the world. It also exacerbated the brewing rivalries by further convincing China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea that the United States was on a militarized regime-change binge that would eventually target them in some wayan idea that then gained strength with the batch of color revolutions. We're in an immeasurably worse position today because of that misadventure. But it's also important to realize that Iraq didn't do this alone. It was the worst symptom of a larger maladythe Global War on Terror (GWOT)which exaggerated the connections of global terrorist organizations and claimed to have discovered a new era in national security which was mostly a myth. In service of that myth, the United States undertook major interventions, threatened others, departed from its values on issues like torture and domestic surveillance, and in general lost the ball on the higher-level statecraft which is the critical U.S. global role. People like to focus on Iraq, but the wider GWOT ought to be viewed as one of the most disastrous strategic misjudgments in U.S. history. The wider global war on terror ought to be viewed as one of the most disastrous strategic misjudgments in U.S. history. Share on Twitter A: Jonathan Wong: The legacy of the war is multifaceted. For the U.S. military, the war demonstrated the ability of U.S. forces to exhibit tactical prowess, ingenuity, and considerable endurance. On the other hand, it demonstrated the limits of that endurance for the all-volunteer force. In the mid-2000s, infantry Marines like me could only see an unending cycle of combat deployments; I was certain that I was going to deploy until I was killed or decided to turn down re-enlistment. Finally, I sense a pall of collective amnesia about the war falling over the military; the bloody experiences of places like Ramadi and Fallujah and the experiences of it are ancient history to many in uniform today. For those who remain, there is little enthusiasm for thinking deeply about the lessons that could be learned and adapted to current adversaries. For the American people, the legacy of Iraq is somewhat complicated. On one hand, the war simply droned on in the background through the years, consistently killing and maiming a small number of volunteer Americans with no easily describable purpose. It also has reinforced the stereotype of the troubled or broken veteran who is victim of forces beyond their control. At the same time, the war slowly taught the American people to pay a surface level of deference and respect to the military in a way that simply wasn't common before the invasion of Iraq or 9/11; I think this has deleterious effects on the nature of civil-military relations. A: Kayla Williams: There are over 1.9 million U.S. veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; over 30,000 were physically injured, about 15 percent have experienced posttraumatic stress disorder, and all are now assumed to have been exposed to burn pits or other toxins. The costs of caring for these veterans will likely be trillions of dollars. A: Michelle Grise: Twenty years seems like a long time, but we should remember that we are only just beginning to understand the legacy of the Iraq War. Over the next twenty years, and beyond, we will gradually learn more about how the war has shaped the future of Iraq, geopolitical dynamics in the region, and our own political discourse. Q: What is the legacy of the war for Iraq and the Iraqi people? A: Wong: The Iraqi people were bequeathed a shaky, occasionally violent democracy that still flirts with instability after almost two decades; first at the hands of the U.S. occupation fighting Sunni and Shia militias and then at the hands of ISIS before they too were defeated. While it's hard to say what life would be like if we hadn't invaded in 2003, the legacy to Iraqis can only be described as one of uncertainty. A: Charles Ries: Iraq demonstrated well the interrelationship between security and economic factors. Beginning in 2003, the United States spent more than $20 billion in economic assistance, but much of the resulting infrastructure was damaged or destroyed in the civil war that followed. Economic reconstruction did not improve the security situation. Yet later, when domestic security improved in Iraq and the Iraqis began to program their own funds, economic activity and employment rebounded. It helped the transition enormously that Iraq had its own hydrocarbon resources, even though managing hydrocarbon foreign investment and the internal allocation of revenue has been challenging. Q. The America of today is much different than the America of 20 years ago. What effect did the Iraq War have in reshaping the American political landscape? A: Raphael Cohen: There is no question that the Iraq War upended the balance of power in the Middle East, but the war has had a similarly profound effect on American politics as well. It left sizeable swaths of the American population on both the left and the right questioning not only whether the United States should conduct armed nation-building in the future, but to what degree, if any, the United States should be militarily involved abroad at all. Q. Has the United States readjusted the way it thinks about foreign policy because of the experience in Iraq? A: Mazarr: A big theme of my work on the origins of the war is that the decision flaws that spawned it are not unique to one issue or administration. They don't assume the existence of malign or evil actors. Those factors, things like a missionary sensibility and the role of urgent imperatives that make countries panic and send countries into ill-considered lunges, are features, not bugs, of the American foreign policy mindset. The chaotic withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan in 2021, shows that the United States didn't take the lessons of Iraq to heart. Share on Twitter A: Ries: The withdrawal of troops in 2011 was well planned, methodical, and resulted in virtually no casualties, but the one thing that the U.S. government did not plan for was the political impact of that withdrawal. The departure of U.S. troops removed constraints on Prime Minister Maliki's treatment of the Sunni population, which reignited a civil war and led to the explosive growth of ISIS. So even when well executed, a fast withdrawal can have a devastating effect. The chaotic withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan in 2021, shows that the United States didn't take the lessons of Iraq to heart. Q. What is most worrisome about the current state of Iraq and its neighbors in the Middle East? A: Ries: The near collapse of the Iraqi military post-war demonstrates the importance of having a professional armed forces largely free of political interference. But the continued existence of party-based militias in Iraq, while likely not addressable by any feasible U.S. policy, is still grounds for deep concern as they seek to establish and defend specific territories in Iraq to the detriment of national development. These militias may reignite a civil war, act against national stability, and promote the interests of Iraq's malign neighbor Iran. Libya shows how bad this can be. A: Grise: The Iraq War had profound consequences for U.S.-Iran relations, as it turned Iraq into a site of indirect conflict between the United States and Iran. The political instability that accompanied the war, moreover, created an opening for Iran to increase its influence in Iraqi domestic politics and internal affairs. Q: While history is not looking kindly upon the U.S. invasion of Iraq, are there any silver linings? A: Williams: The types of injuries sustained, along with the high survival rate among wounded troops, has led to substantial improvements in prosthetic technology, understanding of traumatic brain injury, recognition of the role caregivers play, and advances in genitourinary surgery. A: Ries: Despite its uneasy and still occasionally violent polity, the fact remains that Iraq is more democratic than almost all its Middle Eastern neighbors. Leah Polk Cheryl Damberg Appointed to MedPAC Cheryl Damberg has been appointed by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC). Congress established MedPAC in 1997 to analyze access to care, cost and quality of care, and other key issues affecting Medicare. MedPAC commissioners advise Congress on payments to providers in Medicares traditional fee-for-service programs and to health plans participating in the Medicare Advantage program. EDITOR'S NOTE: This article was published in August, 2022. We're republishing this article because today marks the 20th anniversary of the American invasion of Iraq. The invasion phase of Operation Iraqi Freedom took place not even two years after 9/11 and officially lasted a mere 43 days. While there had been some fighting in Afghanistan as well as a couple of other smaller police actions going on at the time, the vast majority of the 160,000-plus strong coalition force had never seen combat, including their training cadres and leadership. We recently reached the realization that babies born during the Thunder Run to Baghdad are now old enough to serve themselves, sparking a bit of nostalgia for us. In hindsight, the buildup to war always seems quick, the lessons learned obvious with the patina of time. But gearing up the war machine, especially one that was a decade out of practice concerning large-scale campaigning, takes time and intentional effort. Its also not without teething problems and growing pains. Direct experience in warfare comes with lasting impressions and hard-won lessons, and this was the first war broadcast live and worldwide on TV. Shortly after the invasion, literal tons of leftover Cold War gear, equipment, and tactics had to be forced out to pasture or shot behind the barn. The invasion phase of Iraq represented the emergence of a new, experienced, battle-hardened military while still clinging to some older vestigial parts, which would be shirked off later. GYPSY WARRIORS One of the definitive features of U.S. troops during the 2003 Iraqi invasion was the absolute jumblef*ck of uniforms, gear, and equipment. Early MOLLE items were mixed with old web gear that wouldnt have been out of place in Vietnam. CamelBaks mixed with canteens. ALICE pouches were attached to MOLLE vests. M9s rode in Bianchi M12 flap holsters alongside Blackhawk dropleg systems, the latter often seen at knee-height. The beginning of the great interservice camo wars just started the year prior when the Marine Corps introduced their digital MARPAT uniforms, though the use of Desert MARPAT wasnt yet widespread even among frontline units. The Marine Corps added to the jumble of camouflage patterns with MARPAT before the invasion, though it wasnt yet widely issued. (Photo courtesy of Adam Earls) Most of the people on the ground had some form of armor in a woodland camouflage pattern, ranging from ancient flak jackets to newer Interceptor vests (which may or may not have included one or two SAPI plates) on top of DCU tricolor desert uniforms. In more well-equipped units, ESS or Oakley goggles were used, while others made do with Gulf War-era dust goggles. And of course, MOPP gear. These woodland-camo full body suits, complete with boots and rubber gloves best suited for fetish work, finished off with M40 gas masks, offered some protection against chem/bio threats thankfully a threat that never really came to fruition. For most of the people on the ground, the most lethal implement within their grasp was the M16A2. There were other rifles present, namely M4 carbines mostly in the hands of officers and a smattering of the improved M4A1s in Special Forces grubbies, but the M16A2 was by far the most common. The rifle in this article isnt an exact reproduction of any particular M16A2 during the invasion but instead representative of a typical rifle within that massive operation. HISTORY & DESIGN The M16A2 is a clear evolutionary link in the chain of American rifle development; from a modern viewpoint you can easily see how we got there and why we moved on. In the aftermath of Vietnam, the U.S. government determined that future fighters should be more independent, carrying rifles with larger and more precise potential envelopes of engagement. Three generations: XM16E1, M16A2, M16A4. They started with projectile design in the late 1970s, and weapon development followed. After years of trials the DoD settled on the heavier SS109 62-grain projectile, which performs better at extended ranges than the lighter 55-grain M193 and punches through more new armor. Designated the M855, with the slightly longer complimentary tracer, the M856, it became the basis for the major changes between the two systems, The M16A2 shares the same basic design of the A1, with a 20-inch barrel, carry handle, fixed A-frame front sight, and fixed buttstock. The most obvious visual cue that the M16A2 is different than the A1 are the ribbed clamshell handguards, bisected horizontally, rather than the vertically split tapered triangles of the former. This simplified armorer logistics, as left and right designations were eliminated, and the new design also better controlled heat from the barrel. Second on the list is the easily adjustable sighting system. Integrated into the fixed carry handle, A2 sights feature toolless windage and elevation adjustments; A1 sights require a device to adjust windage on the rear sight (even if that tool was a spare round or knife tip), with elevation adjustment solely in the realm of the front sight, also requiring a tool. A2 sights feature toolless windage and elevation adjustments. Yes, this meant that it was easier for an individual fighter to mess up their sights, but it also gave them more control over their own destiny if they knew what they were doing. The pistol grip was swapped to a unit with a finger shelf between the second and third digits. Regardless of the original rationale, that rubbin nubbin remains a complaint to this day. The buttstock of the M16A2 is fixed like the A1 but 5/8-inch longer, which doesnt seem like a big deal at first but creates problems where body armor is common. Additionally, the A2 buttstock has a latched cavity for onboard storage of a cleaning kit for use in the field. No more digging into buttpacks and backpacks for the parts and pieces. The M16A2 has a storage compartment in the buttstock for a basic cleaning kit. Crowning the muzzle of the M16A1 is a flashhider with flame-fighting vents encompassing the entire unit. The A2 is similar but doesnt have a vent on the bottom, helping keep the barrel level under recoil and reducing ground effect. Instead of a mere flash hider, the solid bottom designated the A2 a flash hider/compensator combination device. Changes to the barrel itself are less immediately obvious. The twist rate of the barrel had to be tightened from 1/12 on the A1 to 1/7 on the A2 to properly stabilize the new ammunition, especially the tracers. The M16A2 barrel is thicker than the M16A1 from the sight block to the muzzle. The M16A2 barrel profile itself is much thicker from the front sight to the muzzle, giving it more rigidity under recoil and also increasing thermal management. The profiles under the handguards remains the same, in order to maintain the ability to attach M203 grenade launchers if operationally required. The M16A2 introduced the burst setting to a wider world, sending out three rounds in a single volley when selected instead of the typical fully automatic fire of the A1. Arguments raged then and now about the utility between the two, but since neither is common doctrine for individual soldiers, when used in combination with the relatively slow selector system it makes little functional difference. Always with precision on the mind, especially since World War I, the United States Marine Corps would be the first branch of service to adopt the M16A2 in 1982, followed by the Army at-large before the end of the decade. The Marine Corps would also hang onto the M16A2 for the longest period of time, not removing it as primary issue for frontline fighters until 2005 and the introduction of the M16A4. The U.S. Army dipped their toes into the M16A4 for a short period at the time but quickly moved onto the lighter, smaller M4 and M4A1 naturally, it would take the Marine Corps another decade to catch up. KITTING UP It wasnt just the combat attire and armor that lacked uniformity during OIF 1, but the adornments on weapons themselves as well. Different units and individual fighters furnished their arms based on availability first and need second, and those disparate arrangements were pared down based on results in combat. In time, these were distilled into commonly issued items for follow-on forces. 550 cord, 100MPH tape, and zip-ties may not fix the world but they can fix a lot. With 100MPH tape, 550 cord, and zip ties, you may not be able to change the world, but you can fix an awful lot. Those were also the tools most widely available to all forward servicemembers to this day. SLINGS Though a handful of more advanced sling systems existed at the time, they were either convoluted three-point systems that were largely misunderstood or old parade slings. Parade slings look really nice during performative rifle drills and were perfectly functional for keeping a rifle on the shoulder during rucking and forced marches, but theyre not ideal for modern fighting. Parade slings can become combat-worthy with some spare webbing and paracord. The Marine Corps heavily instructed the use of the parade sling as a shooting aid (including strange loop-sling setups that were physically attached to the support arm) but when it came down to real-world use, these techniques were found lacking. People on frontlines do what they always do, which is to say they modified them to better fit their situation. Rear points were moved to the top/rear of buttstocks and common places for front-attachment became the A-frame front sight or the delta ring assembly just forward of the upper receiver. These modifications allow the rifle to sit flatter and more naturally across the body when slung but could also be used to enhance individual accuracy through the use of the hasty sling technique. If someone was fortunate enough to have access to a Colt M203 sling swivel, which places the front point on the side of the barrel rather than the bottom, those were used. If not, 550 cord did the trick. Marines from 1/8 with M16A2s in Mosul during OIF 1. (Photo courtesy of Adam Earls) Yes, FSBs get extremely hot when fired, but not as hot as the barrel. Plus, theres always more 550 cord someplace (check with the platoon cordage nerd who weaves dongles and knickknacks with it in their spare time its usually the same guy whos in love with the famous rope scene in 1999s Boondock Saints). Later, slings would come with front attachments that wrapped around the handguard and more optimal rear points were fashioned with the addition of the buttstock magazine pouch. For this build, we rolled with the 550 cord/FSB method, making our own top/rear sling attachment point with spare webbing. WEAPON-MOUNTED LIGHTS Though their use dates back far earlier, in the early 1990s U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) officially identified weapon-mount lights (WMLs) as force multipliers when used in the right circumstances and that they should be standard issue. Like the improved M4 itself, the M4A1, it took some time for this to become a reality for those on the ground. Though LED bulbs existed, they were expensive and had limited distribution. Nearly all of the lights used were broad-spectrum incandescent with some xenon bulbs here and there. The plus of a broad-spectrum light is that a wide frequency is good for cutting through smoke and other particulates, plus they emit IR light so are compatible with IR covers. The downsides include high power drain, shorter lifespans, fragility, and low output (by modern standards). Any light with the word tactical in the description made between 2002 and 2005 was definitely mounted to a rifle in Iraq. Pressure switches of this era were universally awful. Issued becomes a tenuous term when it comes to accessories of the era in general and regarding WMLs in particular. Gobs of lights were open-purchased on the civilian market and issued in many units with little oversight, while others remained fairly amiable to troops supplying their own kit. Needless to say, if there was a light marketed anywhere in the world with the word tactical between 2002 and 2005, it was most definitely mounted to an M16A2 carried in Iraq. The vast dysphoria of WMLs available now didnt yet exist and indeed greatly expanded specifically due to this conflict. Official government-contracted lights included the Insight VLI-002 and early SureFire M951s. The VLI-002 was large but could eat from six AA batteries or three CR123s the original dual fuel light. M951s were simply 6Ps and proto-6Ps with a different mounting system. The Marine Corps purchased a number of Pentagon lights, leading to their official issue before the company folded some years later with some controversy. Light mounts remained a problem until widespread adoption of quad Picatinny rails. SureFire made numerous mounts, some of which (like the barrel mount pictured in this piece) soon became relegated solely to foreign production. There were also battery extensions for the 6P (and similar) series which added a mount. And then there was good old 100MPH tape. It wasnt usual to see Mini Maglites, likely first acquired in basic training, simply taped or zip-tied to a handguard. Activation methods remain a debate to this day, but tape switches at the time universally sucked compared to modern, hardened switches. Whether it was an official SureFire or Insight or even some strange Chinese switch didnt matter at this time wires broke and activation was tenuous at best. Our M16A2 has a proto-6P directly from the seabag with a barrel mount, cheesy curly cable for activation, and tape to secure it to the handguard. LASERS The AN/PAQ-4C was produced in the early 1990s with lessons learned from the Persian Gulf War, riding on an awful lot of A2s. At nearly a decade old during the invasion, the AN/PAQ-4C was rarely seen on rifles after 2003. Its predecessor, the AN/PEQ-2, also saw extensive use during the Iraqi Invasion and remained useful for a long enough time that they best represent early GWOT lasers. Though many are under the mistaken impression that most troops simply zip-tied or taped their PAQs and PEQs to A2 handguards, that isnt the case. For use on A2 handguards, a mount was produced that bolted directly to the barrel. The AN/PAQ-4 and AN/PEQ-2 use the same barrel mount that passes through the handguard. Even the airsoft replica seen here was modified to do the same. Two mounting studs pass through a pair of holes in the handguard where the PAQ or PEQ is attached. This mount is less-than-ideal but certainly better than zip-ties but if you wanted to ensure any sort of consistent zero, the laser device had to be further secured to minimize wobble. Hence the confusion. Seeing that PAQ-4s saw their last real use nearly two decades ago, there are scant few around. Most headed to the DRMO bin, though a handful were snaked away and are now in the hands of collectors. While there are some legal ways to own a PEQ-2, the vast majority on the secondary market are stolen. With no way to ensure provenance combined with high prices commanded by restricted lasers, we went with a cheap, non-functional PEQ-2 airsoft model. The bottom of the dinky plastic box was cut out and the unit stuffed with clay. This allows for some additional bump resistance but importantly allowed us to use the original barrel mount. And yes, theres a big honking white zip tie, because thats what was available at the time. SMALL STUFF Most issued magazines were long in the tooth by the time OIF 1 rolled around, with some troops issued magazines that were older than they were. The institutional knowledge about how and why magazines go bad and what failures they caused when they did was neither deep nor widespread during the invasion. Extremely worn magazines with black followers that hadnt been issued since the late 80s were commonplace, and even newer green-follower magazines could be a decade old at that point. In later years, gaps were first filled with HK magazines followed by Magpul PMags. During the invasion, it wasnt uncommon for soldiers and Marines to be issued magazines older than they were. It wasnt until 2009 and the release of the tan-follower magazine, some 20 years after the last bulk military purchase of black-follower magazines, that older magazines were officially and actively removed from circulation. Optics wouldnt normally be included in the small stuff category, but since they were relatively rare on carry handles in general and on A2s in particular, here we are. If an optic was mounted, it would most likely be a 4x Trijicon TA01, Aimpoint M68 CCO, or Trijicon Reflex II. Mounts attached directly on the carry handle, with some higher-speed gooseneck mounts allowing for cowitness with iron sights. Warfighters learned the hard way that obstructed bores cause problems before rifling was even developed centuries ago. Shoot-off muzzle devices help keep rifle bores free of moondust and they also live up to their name. There have been numerous solutions from condoms to tape, but the issued shoot-off muzzle cover for the M16 first appeared in Vietnam. These black plastic covers were prominent in Iraq, and along with the dust cover, helped seal the internals of the rifle from the fine moon-dust sand in Iraq. And yes, they absolutely do fly off when fired. While any M16 bayonet will work on the M16A2, the issued bayonet at the time was the M7. It cant be attached with a barrel-mounted flashlight without considerable effort, and its not compatible with the shoot-off muzzle cover either. ROLL YOUR OWN RIFLE The most difficult part to obtain for your own M16A2 build is the upper receiver itself. It wasnt too terribly long ago that you couldnt even give them away. Because of the popularity of Nodak and Brownells Retro line, new production M16A1 uppers are more readily accessible than the M16A2. Twenty-inch barrels and fixed stocks have come back in style in some circles, and it really comes down to how correct you want your clone to be. For the M16A2, you dont want a barrel extension with M4 feedramps, though that isnt a deal breaker in terms of function. It turns out you can teach an old dog new tricks, with the proper application of zip-ties. The invasion of Iraq was the swan song of the M16A2, and this is a love letter. Front sight blocks bring their own peculiarities to the table. We recommend you have someone else install it unless you have access to good tools while nearly every part of the modern AR is interchangeable, the FSB is not. The FSB and the barrel are drilled in tandem for tapered pins, and its extremely unlikely that one can simply swap them from barrel to barrel. Furthermore, there are a couple types of A-frame FSBs. F-marked FSBs are taller than those on the M16A1/2 to accommodate the increase in height gained from the addition of a removable carry handle. Non-F-marked FSBs will be harder to source. KNS Precision sells a taller front sight post to make a non-F FSB usable with flat-top uppers, but the reverse doesnt work. You might be able to get away with turning the front sight post all the way down on an F-FSB with a carry handle, but the sight picture is weird, and its definitely not a sure thing. The M16A2, along with all rifle-length M16s, uses a triangular endcap with a hole matching the barrel profile (0.750 inch for an A2). A2 handguards are specifically designed to accommodate this legacy part. Speaking of handguards, though theyre all tapered from the receiver to the FSB, you want round handguards not oval. Oval handguards are fatter, and at least on the M4 they contain additional heat shielding, but they werent standard on the M16A2. Any modern production tapered delta ring assembly will suffice. The real PITA comes when putting together a pre-A1 rifle with a now-rare straight delta ring. The easy button is to buy a complete upper. Colt and FN surplus uppers can sometimes be found on GunBroker and similar sales sites, or you can go with new-production from TNTE, which we did here. From TNTE, you can order a number of configurations, from the M16A2 Mil-spec (shown here) to DMR variants, and even strange upper/barrel combinations. The appropriate lower for an M16A2 isnt a difficult hurdle, as any modern Mil-spec lower without garish markings will work. If you have a hankering for appropriate M16A2 markings, Palmetto State Armory has released them in the past (along with M16A4, M4 Carbine, and M4A1 marked receivers). NoDak Spud, known for their retro lowers, has become a part of the PSA family, and we anticipate seeing new-production receivers under their Harrington & Richardson (H&R) label soon. PARTS LIST TNTE M16A2 Upper Receiver Group, Complete $700 PSA A2 Lower Receiver Group, Complete $230 AmmoGarand Web Sling $24 Airsoft AN/PEQ-2 $25 AN/PEQ-2 Barrel Mount $19 M16A2 Buttstock Cleaning Kit $19 M7 Bayonet ~$100 Vintage SureFire 6P ~$90 Flashlight Switch + Mount $20 Muzzle Cover $1 OTHER REQUIRED ITEMS 550 Cord 100 MPH Tape Zip-Ties UNIFORMS & ACCESSORIES Uniforms can be a problem, depending on how much dress up you plan on playing. Many of the older surplus items have been purged from garage seabags over the last 20 years. Sometimes you can find them at surplus stores or garage sales, especially if you live near a U.S. military base. For the rest, you may have to duel it out with collectors on eBay. EASY BZO The BZO or Battle Sight Zero can be achieved several ways on the M16A2 and is subject to much debate it doesnt help that even in military publications within the same branch of service there are disparate methods detailed. We found this method to be widely approachable because it can be done at most any indoor range which allows rifle fire and is at least 25 yards long. Though the M16A2 is calibrated for 62-grain M855 ammunition, if this zero is performed with 55-grain M193 ammunition the difference between a hit and the miss with typical combat targets is negligible within 400 yards. Especially since were talking about iron sights. WITH A TARGET AT 25 YARDS: Set your rear sight to mechanical center. Make sure youre looking through the smaller peep sight rather than the larger 0-2 sight. Turn your elevation knob counterclockwise until it bottoms out. Dial back to 8/3, plus one more additional clockwise click so youre at 8/3+1. Centering the front sight within the rear, with the top edge of the front sight post as your point of arm, fire a five-round group. Adjust windage if required. Every windage click on the A2 sight drum is approximately 1/2 MOA (0.477 MOA), or about 1/8 inch at 25 yards If elevation adjustments are required, during this BZO process they should be performed only on the front sight. If the group needs to move up, press down on the locking detent and move the front sight in the marked up direction and the reverse for down. Every click on the FSP is 1.375 MOA, or about 1/3 inch (0.3438 inch) at 25 yards Reshoot a group. When you have completed the process and are POA/POI at 25 yards, for a BZO with the equivalent of a 50-200 zero, rotate the rear sight drum counterclockwise three clicks to 8/3-2, and flip open the larger 0-2 sight. Confirm your zero at a known-distance range. While there are elevation marks on the M16A2 for known-distance targets, its much faster to learn your holds rather than dialing. Spend some time with a ballistic chart and your ammunition of choice and use your noggin a bit. LOOSE ROUNDS The bulk of ground combatant commitments in U.S. military history during the 1980s and 1990s is characterized by lower-intensity conflict (with a big-assed asterisk for Operation Desert Shield/Storm). Regardless of your feelings on GWOT in general or Iraq in particular, the M16A2 played an early pivotal role in that conflict and is emblematic of the guys on the ground. Though designed as weapons, the primary use of both the bayonet and Ka-Bar was opening MREs. With large conflict comes hard lessons, and the Iraqi Invasion M16A2 demonstrates both compromise and problem-solving within the means and capability of those with their dicks in the dust. As a veteran of the Iraqi Invasion, the M16A2 reminds me of where we started and how we adapted, providing great contrast to where we are now. It holds a prized role in my collection right next to the M16A4, carried and used in later years of the Iraq War. Personal experience and emotional attachment or not, clone rifles like this fall more onto the fun side of the spectrum rather than the practical. But while this M16A2 likely wouldnt be your first weapon of choice if faced with a problem best solved with a rifle, it certainly can still fill that role if you know what youre doing. A piece of history in your hands, even one you put together yourself, can give great appreciation of the challenges faced by those who had to do it in real-time. If Tamil Nadu BJP President K Annamalai bought it in 2015, did he get prior approval from the Union home ministry, and did he include it in his annual wealth returns, sections of the media want to know. N Sathiya Moorthy on the curious case of the 'Rafale' watch. IMAGE: The Bharatiya Janata Party's Tamil Nadu President Kuppusamy Annamalai addresses a press conference in Coimbatore wearing bis 'Rafale' limited edition watch reportedly worth lakhs of rupees. All photographs: ANI Photo On the face of it, the ruling DMK's current attack on Tamil Nadu BJP President Kuppusamy Annamalai looks like a tit-for-tat attack that seeks to diminish his credibility and standing as God's own anti-graft crusader in 'Dravidian' Tamil Nadu. But there is more to the state's eternally-controversial electricity and excise minister V Senthil Balaji triggering the running controversy about the cost and source of the wrist-watch that innocuously sits on the lower arm of the former Karnataka cadre IPS officer, and which he swears that only death can part him from. It is interesting to note that Senthil Balaji had held the same portfolios under rival AIADMK chief minister Jayalalithaa, implying that his administrative prowess, or connections, or both would help the DMK government as well. He opened the continuing tirade against Annamalai, who has been targeting DMK ministers and Chief Minister M K Stalin's son-in-law V Sabaraeesan for alleged corruption and favouritism. Lately, he has included Stalin's politician-son Udhayanidhi to the list of his DMK targets, this one for 'dynasty rule', after the latter was inducted into the state ministry. It is a charge that had been laid against the DMK's 'first family' after the late party patriarch Muthuvel Karunanidhi kept inducting his late nephew Murasoli Maran, children and his grand nephew Dayanidhi Maran into politics, legislatures and ministerial positions, whether in the state or at the Centre. Incidentally, Maran Sr, was a minister in the BJP-led Vajpayee government from 1999 until his death in 2003. The BJP did not have complaints then. But then the DMK especially would not want to be reminded of those days as the coalition did not work electorally favourably to the party in the state 2001 assembly elections. With the result, the DMK counters to the state BJP's charges, whether from Annamalai or other leaders or their faceless social media campaigns, do not want to refer to the Vajpayee era. In a recent tweet, Minister Senthil Balaji referred an otherwise innocuous-looking wrist-watch on Annamalai's hand, claiming it was one of the 500 'Rafale' special edition, collector's item. The minister claimed that the watch cost 5 lakhs. He sought to know the price of the watch and also the source of funding. Promptly, Annamalai acknowledged it, said it cost him 3.5 lakhs. Smelling a trap, he also clarified that he had purchased it on May 31, 2021, and would produce the receipt, instantly. Therein hangs the tale. Tamil YouTube news chats and social media expectedly claimed that Annamalai gave the date as he did only because he had not mentioned it in his income affidavit, filed along with his nomination for the Aravakkurichi seat in the assembly polls held on April 6, 2021. He lost the election, but under his stewardship, the party won the highest number of four seats in the 234-member Tamil Nadu assembly. But the catch did not end there. Journalistic busy-bodies dug out the Web site of the Rafale watch manufacturers Bell & Ross and also that of the French fighter jet-makers, to state that only 500 watches were made, that too in 2015, and were believed to have been sold out not very long after. They said the price was the equivalent of what Annamalai said at the time, but was closer to what Senthil Balaji claimed at current exchange-rates. The gratuitous among them were considerate to say that Annamalai could have purchased it in second-sales, especially if it was bought only in May 2021, but he had not clarified if it was so. Again, at least to shut his critics' mouths, he should come up with those details. If it was a gift after he entered politics, of a wrist-watch that could have been purchased earlier, he has not claimed thus. But it he had received a gift of the watch, while serving in Karnataka from 2011 until resignation in September 2019, again, he was barred under service rules from accepting gifts worth above 5,000. That is not all. The media investigators/interrogators wanted Annamalai to clarify how he managed to purchase a watch that was not available in the market when he claimed he had done in 2021. They queried, if he had purchased it in 2015, which was a possible natural date of purchase (whoever it be), did he get prior approval from the Union home ministry, and did he include it in his annual wealth returns, again required of every civil servant. IMAGE: Home Minister Amit Shah is welcomed by Tamil Nadu BJP chief Annamalai and other leaders on his arrival at the BJP party office in Chennai, November 12, 2022. This turned the heat on Annamalai and his loyalists within the state BJP. They have gone back to his earlier queries and allegations on how DMK ministers were corrupt, and also Stalin's son and son-in-law wore wrist-watches that cost crores. Annamalai, however, changed tack, to declare that he would come out with the bill and other details of his purchase only when it became a talking point ar street-corner tea-stalls across the state, that too on the eve of his state-wide padayatra, which he has planned from April 2023. Incidentally, Annamalai had earlier set his padayatra for January, but said, he was postponing it as it would be examination season for school-children and his programme would disturb their preparations. This by itself has flagged a volley of derisive memes. Critics are more open, they say, he hoped that they all would forget the 'watch row' by then. The state BJP is a house divided. The vocal and vociferous that are Annamalai's camp-followers seek to deflect criticism by alleging DMK corruption, and Udhayanidhi's 'inheritance'. There are others, particularly the older-generation party loyalists, many of whom have been around from the parent Jana Sangh's days and also have long RSS links. The latter class say the DMK's idea, or that of Senthil Balaji, was only to challenge Annamalai's credibility -- and by extension that of the BJP in corruption matters. According to this section, Tamil Nadu has seen enough and more of 'Dravidian corruption' and people are as much tired of such allegations as they are distraught about the goings-on. In this context, BJP veterans point out how DMK's Karunanidhi returned to power after all the corruption allegations and the Justice R S Sarkaria Commission of Inquiry, all in the 1970s. On the other end of the Dravidian political spectrum, they also refer to the way Tamil Nadu voted back AIADMK's Jayalalithaa in the assembly polls of 2001, after having voted her out of power and out of the state assembly, only five years earlier in 1996. During the pendency of a court-stayed prison-term in the 'TANSI land-scam' case, Jayalalithaa actually contested and won four assembly seats at the same time, in 2001. Tamils voted for her, Karunanidhi and all those otherwise alleged to be corrupt, either by their political rivals or commissions of inquiry, or the state of Tamil Nadu as the prosecutor. Like the rest of the country, the general perception in Tamil Nadu is said to be that the Congress is corrupt, and that the Nehru-Gandhi family has not done it right for the nation. Yet, alternatively since losing power in 1967, the Congress has won seats, both to the state assembly and the Lok Sabha in the company of the DMK or the AIADMK. It is equally so for the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections of 1988 (AIADMK) and 1999 (DMK). After losing the state assembly polls in the ruling BJP ally at the Centre, the DMK as the governing party in the state, split the alliance, never to return to the fold. It has not done badly for itself, since then, barring the assembly polls of 2011, when 2-G scam mattered. Otherwise, the electoral fate of the Congress or the BJP is linked to that of its Dravidian partner. IMAGE: Then Presidential candidate Droupadi Murmu with Tamil Nadu BJP President Annamalai, left, in Chennai. Yet, there is no denying the 'clean image' that the BJP has been able to put up in the state, in the absence of any scam against Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government that has stuck. Even the 'Rafale fighter scam' that a section of the political Opposition and the national media argued convincingly did not stick, as the Supreme Court dismissed all such allegations. Today, when a wrist-watch brought out in very limited numbers by the fighter manufacturer is at the centre of a graft charge, it does not seem to be aimed at dig out the fighter scam. Instead, it seeks only to challenge the credibility of the state BJP, especially party president Annamalai. In this context, veterans ask, though only in private, how an IPS officer, who was a district superintendent of police in Karnataka, repeatedly jumped the gun and came up with his quick and at times unthinking responses even without second-guessing the possible questions. More current, Annamalai has said his wife earnt 'seven times my salary'. If that was true, was he implying that she bought the expensive watch as a gift? If so, has she shown it in her income-tax returns for the relevant year? Still, the time of purchase would remain, as he has claimed to have purchased it only in May 2021, and not six years earlier, when alone the makers claimed to have manufactured all 500 Rafale watches. Annamalai sounded serious when he said he purchased the watch because it was made from the scrap of Rafale fighters that were serving the Indian Air Force, and that it was a sign of his patriotism. Not stopping with it, he even claimed that his was the 149th piece in a total of 500. His party veterans are having a hearty laugh over it, saying it sounded as silly as Annamalai sounded serious about it. They readily concede that Annamalai has been aggressive in his attack on the Dravidian polity, as he was expected to, and more so against the ruling DMK, with which the BJP does not expect to have an electoral pact any time soon (that is, if at all). Hence, the attempt was to discredit him, and that is precisely what the DMK has achieved, without batting an eye-lid, Annamalai's rival camps within the state BJP add. This is because, with the AIADMK remaining a divided house full six years after Jayalalithaa's death in December 2016, the BJP had sought to fill at least a part of the political void in the Opposition space, even if it was only to drive a hard bargain with the regional party in the Lok Sabha polls of 2024. But neither corruption, nor religion could be the pitch, and the BJP has little or no option in the matter. If anything, the continuing four-way infighting in the AIADMK, respectively under EPS, OPS, Sasikala Natarajan and her nephew T T V Dhinakaran, has meant that DMK's Stalin did well to name his son as the heir-apparent. Even if it meant 'family rule', there is a perception, which some in the BJP too share, that Udhayanidhi's elevation has clearly set out the line of succession and the line-of-command in the party -- which is seen as a boon over the medium and long-terms, and not a bane. Together, the BJP in general and Annamalai otherwise may have lost their argument even before they had made an impact! N Sathiya Moorthy, veteran journalist and author, is a Chennai-based policy analyst and political commentator Feature Presentation: Rajesh Alva/Rediff.com The tech creators, or the ones who made billions, asks Ajit Balakrishnan. Just the other day, gazing from my home balcony at the distant hills of Raigad, I started wondering again about a question resounding in my head: Who are the true heroes who created the Internet and Web revolution, which has made life so much easier for humanity across all aspects of life? As usual I couldn't get a clear answer, so I thought I'd check with my recently acquired pal, ChatGPT. 'Tim Berners Lee, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos ...' came the instant answer. I was tempted to hurl on the floor my mobile phone which had brought me the ChatGPT answer! Was ChatGPT, except for the name of Tim Berners Lee, also falling for the Wall Street/Dalal Street type hype which glorifies the ones who make money and not the true innovators? I made a mental note to create a Wikipedia page as soon as possible with the true history of the technological evolutions that resulted in the Web revolution because that would help poor ChatGPT get its answers on this topic right because that is where the poor thing usually gets its answers from. In the meantime, dear reader, here is the real truth, or at least what I consider the truthful answer to this question. The World Wide Web idea was born at the European Council for Nuclear Research, known by its short form CERN, in Geneva. CERN was devoted to research in physics. Tim Berners Lee, a Britisher, born in London and graduating in physics from Oxford, found a job in CERN. It was while he was there that he thought up the idea of a system for universities to share their knowledge through a computer-based knowledge-sharing system and made it available free and open for all to use. Now, think of this: The Web was invented in Switzerland by a Britisher, not by any of the classical BigTech giants, practically all of whom are based in the US. Now, let's look at Wikipedia, the one place that I, along with 55 million other users all over the world, go to several times every day to clear our head about something we are puzzled by. Wikipedia is a not-for-profit foundation and its founder and chief thinker Jimmy Wales, while born in Alabama, in the United States, lives in England, and is a British citizen. So, this immensely valuable entity, Wikipedia, is also the work of a passionate innovator, not the work of a giant BigTech company. Now let's come to the next biggest innovation in the world, probably of the last 500 years: Artificial intelligence. Not a day goes by without some headline declaring yet another breakthrough in this field, be it in stock trading, medical treatment, or self-driven cars. Such announcements are usually accompanied by hoopla about the billion-dollar unicorns that have done that. Few people know that the creator of the key ideas which led to all the breakthroughs in machine learning (this is a sober word for 'artificial intelligence') is Geoffrey Hinton, born in Wimbledon, and educated at the University of Cambridge and with a PhD from the University of Edinburgh. He thought up the key idea of 'artificial neural networks', a mathematical technique similar to the way the human brain processes data. Well after his innovation, Dr Hinton moved to the University of Toronto, where he met up with Yoshua Bengio and Yann LeCun (both French-born!) and worked with them to create in 2017 the practical implantation for his great ideas on artificial intelligence. Why Canada? Because the Canadian authorities were the only ones willing to fund what people at that time thought was a foolish experiment. What can one make of this: The three most important tech breakthroughs that created the World Wide Web, Wikipedia, and artificial intelligence were created by men who were not even remotely driven by the desire to make billions of dollars from their creations. And the countries they were born and educated in do not boast any world-leading BigTech giants even today! If all of the above is true, how did the US build this reputation of being the originator of web technologies and become the home for the Googles and Microsofts and Amazons and Facebooks of the world? That brings us to the second dimension of our story: The role of the US defence establishment in driving innovation. The rules for formatting and sending data from one computer to another and which thus form the foundation on which the Internet is built and which in tech jargon is called 'TCP/IP' were invented by people employed by the United States Defense Advanced Projects Agency (DARPA) in the 1970s. Thus, you could easily say that the Internet is the invention of the US defence forces. Right now, in the year 2023, the world is poised to embrace the next big technological evolution: The cloud revolution. This is a world where heavy-duty computation will be done not on our PCs or by individual companies' computers but in giant computers maintained in distant locations (thus the word 'cloud') by a few 'cloud service providers'. Which innovator persons, in which countries, will lead and dominate this revolution? Ajit Balakrishnan (ajitb@rediffmail.com), founder and CEO, Rediff.com, is an Internet entrepreneur. Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff.com Nowadays, our politics is habituated to sitting on a high pedestal, hobnobbing with world leaders, generating impressions of a superpower and returning to earth for the purpose of winning elections. In contrast, the yatra never left earth, observes Shyam G Menon. IMAGE: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi waves to supporters during the Bharat Jodo Yatra at Ghasera village in Nuh, Haryana, December 22, 2022. Photograph: ANI Photo Back in school, there used to be a regular question at quiz competitions: who is the governor of the Reserve Bank of India? Not knowing the answer usually left one embarrassed because the name was there on currency notes. How could you not know something that was so easily accessed? So, if the occasional quiz competition engaged one's interest, knowing the name of the RBI governor was part of one's arsenal; even if, the actual purpose of the RBI and how it functioned, were still beyond one's grasp. That's how I first heard of Manmohan Singh. He was the RBI governor from 1982 to 1985. I belong to the generation which completed its studies and commenced employment in the period he moved from the RBI to the Planning Commission, the South Commission, being advisor to the prime minister on economic affairs, then chairman of the University Grants Commission and eventually entered politics. He was finance minister in the government headed by P V Narasimha Rao. In that position, he both shepherded India out of a severe financial crisis and played a key role in structuring the economic reforms that liberalized the Indian economy. IMAGE: Rahul with military veterans during the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Haryana. Photograph: ANI Photo In May 2004, he became the prime minister. As prime minister, Manmohan Singh's wasn't a dominant presence. He was low profile and aware of his limits on the communication front. With all that and his stature as economist, he was much respected by other world leaders without having to dress India up in splendour, GDP and weaponry to make his visiting card impressive. This was years ago; the Manmohan Singh government is now history. In an irony of sorts, it was scandals stemming from the maturing of the market economy he enabled, that felled him. IMAGE: Rahul with Congress leaders Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Udai Bhan, Kumari Selja, Randeep Singh Surjewala and others in Nuh, Haryana. Photograph: ANI Photo In September 2022, a yatra that few bothered paying attention to, commenced from Kanyakumari in southern India. It was led by Rahul Gandhi, leader of the Congress party and thanks to the trolling of the Bhartiya Janata Party, among the most mocked politicians around. His goal was to walk from the country's southern tip to Kashmir in the north. The procession was meant to spread a message of unity, bring people together. Ignored by major media organisations and written about by only a handful, the yatra nevertheless gathered a following. It was a stark contrast to contemporary Indian politics lost to spin and optics. Nowadays, our politics is habituated to sitting on a high pedestal, hobnobbing with world leaders, generating impressions of a superpower and returning to earth for the purpose of winning elections. In contrast, the yatra never left earth. With a dedicated IT cell, troll armies and State agencies at their disposal and big business supporting them, the ruling disposition has been of a sort rarely witnessed in independent India. By November-December 2022, the government appeared lost in its own world of Gujarat elections, G-20 meetings and response to the periodic border tensions with China. A cavalier attitude to public sentiment (except that of its followers) and survival via an obsession with ancient India, hyper-nationalism and indulgence of business -- this has been the formula at work for some years now. IMAGE: Former Reserve Bank of India governor Dr Raghuram G Rajan -- the Katherine Dusak Miller Distinguished Service Professor of Finance at the University of Chicago -- walked with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi during the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Sawai Madhopur, Rajasthan, December 14, 2022. Photograph: Kind courtesy Rahul Gandhi/Twitter Mid-December, it surprised little that this political disposition hosted a barbed comment by its IT cell chief Amit Malviya on former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan walking with Rahul Gandhi in the Bharat Jodo Yatra. 'He fancies himself as the next Manmohan Singh,' Malviya tweeted. BJP's national General Secretary C T Ravi compared dR Rajan's presence at the yatra to repaying his debt to the dynasty that made him RBI governor. At the time of these remarks, the yatra was in Rajasthan. As of mid-December, the long walk wasn't a marginal affair. Well past the half way mark and seemingly robust except for the consequences of the occasional ill-timed and ill-advised remark, the yatra was attracting people. The former RBI governor wouldn't have participated in the yatra without knowing that political foes of the Congress would be hovering around to snipe. But Malviya needs to be thanked for reading an attempt to be another Manmohan Singh in Rajan's participation in the yatra. Manmohan Singh's biggest fault in politics was that he didn't have a larger-than-life image or cut a public spectacle. He wasn't a good orator. As much as he was a prisoner of his limitations, there wasn't anything of a troll in his conduct. There was no lapdog media to advertise his or his government's virtues. To my eyes, Manmohan Singh's quietness and low profile makes such personality welcome relief from our times characterised by a State on steroids and leaders so huge that country seems too small to accommodate them. By bringing Manmohan Singh to the yatra as a role Dr Rajan fancies, Malviya has done something the Congress couldn't. IMAGE: Rahul being applied with tilak during the Bharat Jodo Yatra. Photograph: ANI Photo From the beginning, the yatra was a mass outreach programme incapable of being boxed into poll-winning purpose. So diffused and dispersed was its impact that even as the yatra was underway, the Congress suffered a political rout in Gujarat. Now Malviya has given those tracking the yatra a decent public figure and an earlier type of politics, to remember as contrast to the present. As for Rajan, all one can say is that while the sight of the former RBI governor walking in the yatra stung BJP leaders, nobody passed similar comments when the media recently published a photo of a former chief election commissioner taking the salute at a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh meeting. Shyam G Menon is a Mumbai-based columnist. Feature Presentation: Rajesh Alva/Rediff.com 'They are both very individualistic and have similar personalities.' IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra D Modi, right, and National Security Adviser Ajit K Doval during a meeting with NSAs of five Central Asian countries, Russia and Iran, November 10, 2022. Photograph: ANI Photo A Life in the Shadows, Amarjit Singh Dulat's memoir provides fascinating insights into some of India's intelligence successes and failures. "The people I spoke to at the Taj hotel said that some of those boys (terrorists involved in the 26/11 attack) had been seen on the premises regularly and as a result, on the day of the attack, nobody had bothered to give them a second glance," Dulat, left, who headed the Research and Analysis Wing, India's external intelligence agency, and also served in the Intelligence Bureau, India's domestic intelligence agency, tells Rediff.com Senior Contributor Rashme Sehgal in the concluding part of the interview. Part 1 of the Dulat Interview: 'Pakistan Funding For Kashmir Terror Has Never Stopped' In your book you describe Prime Minister Modi and National Security Adviser Ajit Kumar Doval as 'being made for each other -- a match made in heaven'. What exactly do you mean by that, especially since you emphasise that NSA Doval wants no flexibility in terms of talking or accommodation to the Kashmiri point of view? They are both very individualistic and have similar personalities. Where they will take India -- and Kashmir -- remains to be seen. IMAGE: Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Dr Farooq Abdullah with Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra during the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Ghaziabad, January 3, 2023. Photograph: PTI Photo In your book you are all praise for Dr Abdullah whom you call the tallest Muslim leader today. He is the tallest amongst all the Kashmiri leaders today. He has always maintained he is with Delhi and it does not matter (to him) who is in power in Delhi. Will Dr Abdullah join the BJP in future given that it was the Modi government who arrested him, his son and several other National Conference leaders following the abrogation of Article 370? I am not saying he will align with the BJP. He would not like to do so, but he might consider it. He is a better politician than Muftisaab (Mufti Mohammad Sayeed) and even if Farooqsaab would not like to align with the BJP, the circumstances being such, he might have to consider it. Do you feel the Modi government's present muscular policy is a success in Kashmir? It appears to be. I cannot comment on what will happen in the long run. IMAGE: National Security Guard commandos during the operation against terrorists at Chabad House in Mumbai, November 28, 2008. The commandos stormed the Jewish centre later that Friday, killing two Pakistani terrorists. Photograph: Punit Paranjpe/Reuters You have your own observation on the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. I made a trip to Mumbai in December 2008 as a private citizen. The people I spoke to at the Taj hotel said that some of those boys (terrorists involved in the attack) had been seen on the premises regularly and as a result, on the day of the attack, nobody had bothered to give them a second glance. Two of the boys had already been staying there (in the hotel). Isn't that very alarming? David Headley was coming and going all the time. It was the same with the boys. When people are coming and going, they are seen as regular customers. The Americans had given a tip off regarding the attack? The Americans had given a tip off in September. The Bombay (police) Special Branch was alerted and it was up to them to take action. Every time an alert happens and nothing happens, the alert weakens. That is the issue. People want action right then and there and want to be taken to where the terrorists are. Questions on just how much the Americans told us on the role of Pakistan on the whereabouts of these boys in the days leading up to the attacks still remain. IMAGE: Taliban militia race towards the hijacked Indian Airlines plane at Kandahar airport in southern Afghanistan, December 30, 1999. Photograph: Muzammil Pasha/Reuters The handling of hijacking of IC-814 was another major blunder. Yes, we goofed up on that. The goof up took place in Amritsar. The plane should not have been allowed to take off from there because after that we had no choice. The DG Punjab wanted Delhi to take a call and Delhi wanted Punjab to take a call. But the buck rested with Delhi and it was for them to have taken a quick decision. But you had leaders like Dr Farooq Abdullah and LK Advani saying we should never have negotiated with terrorists. Everybody negotiates with terrorists. There were lives of over 160 people in danger. This is easier said than done. IMAGE: Then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, right, with then Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf in Agra, July 15, 2001. Photograph: Reuters Why did the Agra summit held on July 2001 between Musharraf and Vajpayee fail? I believe the Pakistani diplomats did not play it smartly. The entire onus was placed on one man, Vajpayeeji. He had to consult his colleagues, but when the time came they opposed it. While on the face of it the architects of Agra were (Lal Kishenchan) Advani and Pakistani high commissioner Ashraf Jehangir Qazi, it was actually an operation conducted purely by (then national security adviser) Brajesh Mishra and (then defence minister) George Fernandes. Even the best of diplomats can miscalculate. Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com Egypt condemned on Tuesday the far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrichs use of a map of Israel that includes Jordanian territories and the occupied Palestinian territories, describing it as "irresponsible behaviour." In statements to the official Jordanian news agency Petra in Cairo, the spokesperson of the Egyptian Foreign Ministry Ahmed Abu Zeid described the incident as a blatant violation of the sovereignty of a sister Arab country and its recognised international borders as well as a violation of the peace treaty signed between Jordan and Israel. Abu Zeid also affirmed Egypt's "full solidarity with the Hashemite Kingdom. In a private memorial service for French-Israeli Zionist activist Jacques Kupfer in Paris on Sunday, Smotrich quoted the late Kupfer who said there are no Palestinians because there are no Palestinian people, triggering widespread regional and international condemnation. On Monday, Egypt condemned Smotrichs statements about the Palestinian people, describing them as irresponsible and inflammatory remarks that fuel anger and tension among not only the Palestinian people but the people of the free world and people of conscience around the world. Smotrich also spoke during the event in Paris at a podium draped with what appeared to be a map of Israel that included the occupied West Bank and parts of Jordan representing what some Israeli far-rights factions believe to be Grand Israel. Jordanian Foreign Ministry slammed the map and warned against the radical ministers statements, demanding the international community condemn such radical actions. Jordan also demanded the Israeli government take a clear stance against those radical statements made by one of its minister. The Jordanian foreign ministry added that it will take all necessary legal and political actions to stand against those actions. Jordan also summoned the Israeli ambassador to Amman over the incident. Search Keywords: Short link: 'All this while he has been maintaining that he is innocent and, if that is the case, why will he run away?' IMAGE: Rapid Action Force personnel conduct a flag march in Amritsar, March 19, 2023, amid a search operation to nab Waris Punjab De chief Amritpal Singh, who is currently on the run. Photograph: ANI Photo Khalistani separatist Amritpal Singh has been on the run, and the Punjab police has launched a massive search operation to arrest him. He was last seen with his convoy near Shahkot-Mehatpur area in Jalandhar district, when the police went to arrest him on Saturday, March 18, 2023. Three weeks earlier, on February 24, Amritpal and his supporters stormed the Ajnana police station after one of his associates was arrested on charges of kidnapping. Rediff.com's Syed Firdaus Ashraf spoke to former Aam Aadmi Party MLA Kanwar Sandhu about the latest developments in Punjab. Sandhu edited the Chandigarh editions of the Indian Express and Hindustan Times before entering politics. Is this action against Amritpal too little, too late? Honestly, I am not sure how the government will be able to justify what is the immediate provocation against Amritpal. It was three weeks ago when he stormed the Ajnala police station with his supporters. Ideally, the action should have followed immediately, as policemen, including a superintendent of police, were injured in the clash. If not on the same day, action should have been taken the next day or a couple of days later. I wonder why no action was taken at that point of time and why (it is being taken) now. Even now, news reports say there are four cases registered against Amritpal. I think the government needs to come clean on what those four cases are. And, also on what are the accusations against him so as to avoid any misunderstandings that may incite his supporters. The government must make details of these cases public. One of the cases mentions the Ajnala police station incident. I don't know when this case was registered. Who all are named in this case? I believe there is also a case of kidnapping, which actually led to the Ajnala incident. Now, is he an accused in that case? I don't know. Six people were named in the case and there are 20-25 unidentified people in the kidnapping case and I don't know whether Amritpal is one of the unidentified accused. Therefore, I am saying the government needs to come clean on what are these four cases against Amritpal. It is being said that the government was waiting for the G-20 event in Amritsar to concluded before taking action against Amritpal. That may have been the government's consideration, but I feel the government needs to deal with law and order issue on a day-to-day basis. I think the way to control these things is that whenever there is a provocation, the government needs to proceed and take action. I don't think there is any individual who can be so important or powerful to disrupt such international events. I feel whenever there is a case for action, the government must act immediately. How could Amritpal elude the police, considering the fact that this operation was planned in such a detailed manner? It is quite a surprise how he managed to escape. And, I don't know why the man himself escaped. All this while, he has been maintaining that he is innocent and, if that is the case, why will he run away? After all, you cannot run away from government agencies, can you? There is a case against you and there is the rule of law, so you surrender. Amritpal had no valid reason to run away and, secondly, it reflects very poorly on the police that he could get away, despite the fact that he was seen at a particular function. His accomplices were arrested and still he escaped. At this moment, 78 of his supporters are under arrest. So, what is the ground situation in Punjab? Is there anger among the public? Internet services have been suspended too. Disconnecting the Internet was an overkill from the government side. It reflects very poorly on the democratic set-up. As of now, some people have protested in one or two places like Chandigarh and Mohali (against the arrests). There was a protest in Amritsar too, but these were expected. As of now, there are no large scale protests in Punjab. But if you continue putting restrictions on the Internet, then this will cause an uproar within the media and other social circles. Does it reflect poorly on Amritpal theat he ran away? A lot of people said he should not have run away, but faced the law. But I do not know how his supporters would take that. I would not be able to comment on that, but personally speaking, if you feel what you are doing is legitimate, then you surrender and face the law, because you are not some fugitive. He should have proved himself innocent rather than running away. What will Amritpal gain by running away? Sooner or later, he will either surrender or get caught. It baffles me why he ran away. What happens to Waris Punjab De? It will be an overkill if they ban the the organisation. The organisation as such has not indulged in any separatist agenda. If they have done so, then the government must make it clear and talk about that. Yes, you have a case against Amritpal because of what he was speaking. But can all this be attributed to the organisation per se, I don't know, as it is a legal issue. Do you feel the central government, led by the Bharatiya Janata Party, and the state government, led by the Aam Aadmi Party, have buried their differences to take action against Amritpal? It looks like there was pressure from the central government. The Punjab government also felt that this man was disturbing the peace in the state. On this issue, the chief minister of Punjab met Home Minister Amit Shah and asked for additional security, obviously on the pretext of Hola Mohallah celebrations (the 3-day Sikh festival in March) and the G-20 meeting in Amritsar, but I think the intent was also to crack down on Amritpal and his associates. You are right, the BJP and the AAP seem to come together to take on Amritpal. Was Amritpal's Khalsa caravan gaining popularity in Punjab? The Khalsa vahir (caravan) was drawing crowds so obviously the government will not like anything that draws crowds. But if you see, what did the Khalsa vahir do? It was baptising people (to Sikhism), talking against drug addiction. They were asking people to be better Sikhs. There is nothing wrong about it and people will appreciate it. What disturbed the government was Amritpal's separatist statements from the stage and the interviews he was giving to the media. The Khalsa vahir as such can't be faulted, but yes, some of Amritpal's statements, possibly, were outside the domain of the law. 'Unless India ups the ante, Beijing will continue to believe its transgressions are cost free and will feel encouraged to do more of the same.' IMAGE: A Bofors gun at the Tawang sector near the Line of Actual Control in Arunachal Pradesh. Photograph: ANI Photo "Beijing has never wavered in its conviction that the only Asian power that matters is China. India's stance never challenged this assumption of Chinese supremacy, but rather sought to buy peace with Beijing...It is only when the viciousness of the Galwan incident surfaced in 2020 that some sense began to dawn on New Delhi," Dr Bharat Karnad, the national security expert at the Centre for Policy Research, the New Delhi-based think-tank, tells Rediff.com's Senior Contributor Rashme Sehgal. We are once again witnessing China in a very aggressive mood sending 300 Chinese soldiers to attack and take over an Indian post in the Tawang sector on December 9. What do you believe precipitated this face off given that it has taken place in such freezing cold conditions? There doesn't seem to be any specific trigger for PLA skirmishes on, and intrusions across, the Line of Actual Control, such as the latest one last Friday in Yangtse in Tawang district. It is apparently a strategy for the local commander to prosecute hostile actions as and when he is in a position to do so because the objective is to keep the disputed border unsettled. It is a condition, Beijing hopes, will soften up the Indian government into a more territorial give-mode at the negotiating table. This seems to be a reoccurring phenomenon with Indian troops facing a similar attack in the same sector on October 8, 2021. In all, I understand 31 such attacks have taken place in this sector over the years with a prolonged attack having taken place during the Kargil war in 1999 which lasted 60 days. How has India responded to these frequent and unprovoked aggressive actions? XXXIII Corps -- the largest formation in the Indian Army, responsible for defending India's territorial claims on the LAC in the north east, is postured to react, which it is experienced and in a position to do. But it is incapable of being proactive, or taking the fight to the enemy which, in fact, encourages the PLA to continue taking liberties and being provocative on the LAC. IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi and Xi Jinping, general secretary of China's Communist party about to shake hands at the G20 summit at the Garuda Wisnu Kencana cultural park in Badung, Bali, Indonesia. Photograph: PTI Photo China has been steadily developing its infrastructure in the north east and is known to have built 128 villages on its side of the border with each of these villages known to be housing 100 families each. How much does our infrastructure match these development activities and does India's military upgradation match that of China? The Indian government woke up late to the value of infrastructure in the regions on the Indian side of LAC, and then only because the build-up of high quality roads and telecommunications network so tactically advantaged the PLA it could no longer be ignored. Still, India is at least 15 years behind China in the density and quality of infrastructure, even if the buildup were to be put on a war-footing. The territory on our side of the border is said to be much more difficult to negotiate than that of the Chinese side making this infrastructure development for India much more difficult. That may be so. But engineering techniques to, say, construct roads in difficult terrain while much advanced elsewhere in the world are still to be fully adopted by the Border Roads Organisation. Maybe it is time to speed up the underway infrastructure buildup by bringing in private sector engineering majors, such as Larsen & Toubro, to build roads and bridges, excavate tunnels, and set up dual-use telecommunications systems. I understand the Chinese side has been using drones in this sector on a regular basis and did so in substantial numbers on November 9 while the Indian response was to bring in the Sukhoi fighter jets. Remote-controlled Chinese drones have been active in eastern Ladakh for over a year now. But no Indian action was taken to counter them in kind for two reasons. One, India did not have drones with the range or the capacity to loiter over Chinese encampments for sustained surveillance. And two, because such Chinese drone incursions may have been perceived as doing some good in that they informed the PLA sector commander of the concentration of Indian forces in the contested areas and their robust preparations for at least a short duration war. It may have dissuaded him from pursuing a more aggressive approach. The flights by Chandigarh-based Su-30MKIs confirmed to the Chinese command the IAF's operational readiness, just in case. This latest transgression shows that China will continue to change the goal posts on this border issue in order to achieve tactical advantage over us. So, what's new? This is what the Chinese have been doing since the mid-1950s when they first laid down the highway connecting the mainland to Xinjiang through Indian Aksai Chin, which activity the Indian government was blissfully unaware of! Is this being done by Xi Jinping in order to divert attention of the Chinese people from the internal issues troubling the country? These include unprecedented and widespread protests over the zero Covid policy as also the fact that its economy is not doing well. Maybe. But as explained in my response to Question 1, these incidents are more likely part and parcel of a policy to keep the disputed border on the boil. IMAGE: Then Eastern Air Commander and now retired Air Marshal Dilip Kumar Patnaik visits the Vijaynagar Advanced Landing Ground in Arunchal Pradesh to review operational preparedness and interacted with Indian Army troops deployed there. Photograph: ANI Photo The objective for Xi is to promote hyper nationalistic tendencies within the Chinese public and this objective seems to match the efforts of our own prime minister with his aim to create hyper nationalistic Hindutva to suit his political objectives. Nationalism is useful to drive nation-building and to pursue policies for socio-economic uplift. Both Narendra Modi and Xi Jinping are leaders who would like to restore to India and China respectively, their past glories -- some of them imagined! IMAGE: Troops of the Indian Army at the International Border. Photograph: ANI Photo How should India match this belligerence given that China does not want to solve the border dispute? China has said repeatedly that the whole of Arunachal is its territory and they consider it to be part of southern Tibet. India has to aggresively counter the Chinese moves by not just reciprocating in kind, but going one better. It is high time New Delhi played hardball. India should begin, for instance, to refer to 'Chinese occupied Tibet' and champion the cause of 'Free Tibet', recognise Taiwan as a separate sovereign entity, campaign for the rights of Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang, and severely restrict the access to Chinese goods and manufacturers enjoy to the Indian market. Unless India ups the ante, Beijing will continue to believe its transgressions are cost free, and will feel encouraged to do more of the same. The message from the recent 20th Chinese Communist party congress in Beijing was that the Chinese leadership will not soften its position either in eastern Ladakh or in Arunachal Pradesh. Again, this is not a surprise. Chinese Communist party congresses haven't varied in stating their country's intention to realise territorially the China of yore, which includes, by Beijing's reckoning, all the countries on the Himalayan watershed -- Nepal, Bhutan and southern Xijang (especially the Tawang sector of Arunachal Pradesh). Beijing needs to be disabused of its notion that this can ever be achieved. IMAGE: Indo-Tibetan Border Police women personnel patrol the area near the border with China in Arunachal Pradesh. Photograph: ANI Photo China needs to dominate this area and the only power that can stand against it is India. Is this over-assertiveness on China's part an attempt to cut us down to size, but for how long will we continue to find ourselves in this difficult situation? Beijing has never wavered in its conviction that the only Asian power that matters is China, and the world better adjust to that reality. India's stance never challenged this assumption of Chinese supremacy, but rather sought to buy peace with Beijing by opening its market to its burgeoning industrial and manufacturing sector, and was reluctant to use the leverages it had (Chinese occupied Tibet, Free Tibet, Taiwan, Uyghur rights, market access). It is only when the viciousness of the Galwan incident surfaced in 2020 that some sense began to dawn on New Delhi. US and Western Europe likewise indulged China's fantasies about an Asian order overseen by Beijing until the matter of the 'nine dash line' claims in the South China Sea and the security of Taiwan in the face Chinese bellicosity melded with other issues -- intellectual property rights, technology thievery, cyber warfare, and unbalanced trade, to revive concerns about the threat China posed to Western interests and to global peace and stability generally. The result is a convergence of geopolitical, strategic and economic interests between India, Japan and other Asian States, the US and western Europe, and the beginnings of a collective effort to contain China. China is giving US repeated warnings not to get close to the US. Our response should be to tell Beijing to take a hike. And to warn Xi against getting close to Pakistan and proceeding with the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com 'The PLA is under constant watch.' 'There is an escalation matrix. For every degree of escalation, responses are thought of and trained for.' IMAGE: L-70 air defence guns deployed at the forward location along the Line of Actual Control in Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh. Photograph: ANI Photo "The strength of the Indian Army lies in the fact that even in difficult areas, we have well-placed, well-thought of apparatuses and procedures to know if the Chinese are planning something," says Major General P S Behl [retd], former General Officer Commanding of a division that had an operational role in Arunachal Pradesh. General Behl has served four operational tenures on the Line of Actual Control in Arunachal Pradesh. "Our training, intelligence inputs and good leadership ensures that we are never caught unawares," General Behl tells Rediff.com's Archana Masih in a telephone interview. What are the Chinese hoping to achieve by such kinds of military actions like the one near Yangtse along the Line of Actual Control in Arunachal Pradesh last week? It's not about achievement. Firstly, there is a lot of patrolling activity by both sides which takes place routinely. Secondly, there are disputed areas along the LAC and the area where these clashes took place is one of the recognised disputed areas. Both sides have a different perception of the LAC. The Chinese dominate the area according to their perception line and would like to come up to that line. At the same time, our troops have a different perception of the line and if they find that the PLA has come to their perceived line, then that amounts to a transgression. It is more of a show of force and domination in a particular area -- to show that this is our area and we will come up to this particular line which results in resistance from the opposite side. There was also an incident in October 2021, wherein apparently the PLA tried to capture a particular peak at 17,000 feet and Indian troops prevented that from happening. These attempts of dominating areas and showing force all around the LAC will continue and has been happening over a period of time because these are disputed areas. In all such cases, both sides would like to dominate over such territory in a bid to show that they won't leave the area unguarded... keep the area guarded at all times. Is it an attempt by the PLA to open a new flashpoint? No, this is not a new area which has been opened up. It has happened in the past also -- earlier the number of PLA troops coming would be less, but after Galwan, they come in with a little more force. We also do the same when we go across to our perceived line of the LAC. Is this also an attempt by China to assert their claim on Tawang and Arunachal Pradesh? This activity would be one of the many other activities to assert their claim. But as I said, it has been happening routinely since many years. It's nothing new. The difference is that the number of troops coming from across has increased post Galwan. IMAGE: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh at the Indian Army's forward post at Bumla along the Line of Actual Control in Tawang, November 15, 2019. Photograph: ANI Photo Some observers believe this may be the PLA's response to Yudh Abhyas carried out between Indian and US troops in Uttarakhand last month. That analogy is incorrect and too far fetched. In any case, Yudh Abhyas was not very close to the LAC. It was about 100 odd kilometres inside. Since you have had your boots on the ground in that area, how difficult is it to monitor the LAC in the Arunachal sector? It is very difficult and though the terrain is tough, we have mechanisms in place to monitor the LAC. The strength of the Indian Army lies in the fact that even in difficult areas, we have well-placed, well-thought of apparatuses and procedures so that we come to know if the Chinese are likely to do something. The PLA is under constant watch. There is an escalation matrix. For every degree of escalation, responses are thought of and trained for. At most times, the escalation is not sudden and follows an upward spiral that actually helps both sides in their response mechanism. I am sure that our troops already knew that something was going to happen because they were ready. You can only be prepared once you know that they are planning some action. Our training, intelligence inputs and good leadership ensures that we are never caught unawares. Judging by the response of our troops it is evident that they had been warned through various means. IMAGE: General Bipin Rawat, then chief of defence staff, reviews operational preparedness in Arunachal Pradesh, January 2021. Can you give us a sense of the difficulties of the terrain in that area? Since it is at a very high altitude, getting to areas beyond Tawang is a difficult proposition. It is cold and the terrain is very rugged. Life is tough. The infrastructure today is much better than what we had earlier. On the Chinese side, they have roads right up to the LAC at most places. They have better infrastructure which makes reaction time much faster. But for the last couple of years, there has been a marked improvement in our roads and infrastructure. Have we fixed the lacunae and neutralised whatever military advantages the PLA may have had decades ago? I wouldn't say that we have fixed it fully, but we are in the process and there is a lot of emphasis on infrastructure development. Roads have improved considerably in the entire Arunachal Pradesh. The Chinese have the advantage of the Tibetan plateau on their side, while on our side, we have to climb up to reach a particular area at those heights. Our access is difficult. Notwithstanding, we are fast improving. I will give credit to the commanders on the ground, the Border Roads Organisation and the Government of India for the push. IMAGE: Then Lieutenant General Manoj Mukund Naravane -- then General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Command and later the army chief -- reviews operational preparedness in the border areas of Arunachal Pradesh in Tawang, April 27, 2019. Photograph: PTI Photo Does that PLA have the military advantage in this theatre because of its proximity to the theatre command in Tibet? No. That doesn't matter. We are also well off as far as our command and control structures are concerned. I would say we are rather good Are we likely to see more face-offs and clashes after the Ladakh standoff two years ago? How are they resolved and how serious would you rate the current clash? Firstly, there are Confidence Building Measures which are generally followed in the eastern sector. There is a method which is spelled out about resolving a particular face-off or transgression which takes place. It is adhered to and acknowledged by both sides. A face-off is when two patrols meet somewhere in between -- we say you go back since you are in my territory and he says, no, you go back, you are in my territory. It all ends well when both sides agree to withdraw. Interestingly, the Chinese always have an interpreter with them and we also have a Chinese interpreter. Generally, if a faceoff takes place, it results in a peaceful resolution. Normally scuffles take place and there is pushing and shoving. But there are times clashes happen because of aggression shown by a particular side -- when they don't want to budge. It is situation based, not the norm. As a fallout of Galwan, the aggression has increased on both sides. IMAGE: Indian army personnel carry out drills at Kibithu close to the Line of Actual Control in Anjaw district, Arunachal Pradesh. Photograph: PTI Photo How serious would you rate the current clash? I would not read it as being very serious. It has caused injuries on both sides. I read that about six of our soldiers have been evacuated to the Guwahati base hospital and hence it is serious in the degree of the clash. But as far as the LAC is concerned I would say, it is not so serious. It has happened before and was resolved. Situations between the two sides are resolved over the hotline -- the commander on our side would have called the commander on their side which is followed by a flag meeting to resolve the issue. I would say that the mechanisms are in place, but yes, the degree of aggression has slightly increased post Galwan. Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has asked an Interpol body to restore the Red Notice against fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi, saying its decision to drop his name from the list was based on mere 'imaginary conjunctures and unproven surmises' and had serious shortcomings, overreach of mandate and mistakes. IMAGE: Mehul Choksi. Photograph: ANI Photo Red Notice is the highest level of alert by the 195-member strong International Police cooperation organisation Interpol to locate and provisionally arrest a fugitive pending extradition, surrender, or similar legal action. In a statement on Tuesday, the CBI said the Commission for Control of Interpol's Files (CCF) removed Choksi's name from the Red Notice list in November 2022. The removal of the notice means Choksi can freely travel out of Antigua and Barbuda where he is holed up after fleeing from India in 2018. The statement was issued by the CBI a day after the media reported the CCF decision that came as a setback to Indian investigating agencies and triggered a huge political uproar. Based on repeated appeals from Choksi, who is wanted in the Rs 13,000 crore bank fraud in Punjab National Bank, the CCF removed his name from the Red Notice list in November 2022, it said. The statement said the CBI has taken up with CCF the serious shortcomings, procedural violations, overreach of mandate and mistakes committed by CCF in the manner of reaching this unfounded and perfunctory decision. Based on new information and serious errors in the decision, the CBI is taking steps for the decision of CCF to be revised, the agency said. 'The CBI continues to exercise available remedial and appellate options within INTERPOL for rectification of this faulty decision and for restoration of Red Notice.' The CCF has subsequently clarified to the CBI that its decision 'in no manner has any determination on any guilt or innocence of Choksi' for crimes he remains charged in India, the agency added. The CCF which had removed Choksi's name from the list of fugitives based on his appeal last year is a separate Interpol body which is 'not under the control' of the Interpol Secretariat and is mainly staffed by elected lawyers from different countries where people can challenge decisions to declare them fugitives, the CBI statement said. The Congress hit out at the Union government over the CCF decision, saying while the Opposition was being targeted by the Enforcement Directorate(ED) and the CBI, its 'friend' was being let off. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said talk of patriotism by those giving 'protection' to such people is a 'joke'. In a tweet, former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi said, 'Vipaksh ko ED, CBI, Mitr ko rihaai (ED, CBI for the Opposition, let off for friend)'. "They are doing things to divert attention from real issues. Our embassies are being attacked. People who have run away with money from banks, Mehul Choksi, those giving protection to such people talk about patriotism, it is a joke," Kharge told reporters. "We will ask the government to clarify on this." The Aam Aadmi Part also accused the government of trying to save Choksi. AAP Rajya Sabha MP and spokesperson Raghav Chadha claimed that Choksi's name was removed from the Interpol's Red Notices as Indian probe agencies failed to provide concrete evidence of the charges slapped on him. The CCF which had rejected two previous appeals of Choksi -- in 2018, to not publish his name on the Red Notice list and in 2020, to remove his name from the list --agreed with his fresh plea in 2022, a year after an alleged abduction attempt from Antigua and Barbuda, the agency said. Before arriving at any decision, the CCF hears the agencies that have sought an absconder's fugitive status. The CBI was also asked to provide its input on Choksi's appeal. 'It was clarified (by the CBI) that the desperately wanted criminal Mehul Chinubhai Choksi has been making all possible attempts to derail ongoing extradition proceedings in Antigua and Barbuda, to evade the process of law in India. However, based on mere imaginary conjunctures and unproven surmises, a five-member CCF chamber has taken a decision on the deletion of Red Notice, communicated in November 2022,' the CBI said. The CCF has also reiterated that 'it has not established factual certainties and there is no factual finding in their decision that Mehul Chinubhai Choksi will not have fair trial', it added. Choksi had fled from India in the first week of January 2018, days before the Rs 13,000 crore fraud in the PNB was detected. At the request of the CBI and the ED, Interpol included his name in the list of most wanted fugitives called Red Notice in December 2018. 'It may be noted that Mehul Chinubhai Choksi was already located prior to the publication of the Interpol Red Notice and steps were also initiated for his extradition. Although the primary purpose of Red Notice was already achieved, the same was retained as a precautionary measure,' the CBI said. The CBI issued a diffusion notice to locate Choksi in February 2018. His movements were tracked by the CBI in close direct coordination with foreign law enforcement agencies, and he was located in Antigua and Barbuda where he had taken citizenship, a year before he escaped from India. "Extradition request against Mehul Chinubhai Choksi was sent through diplomatic channels to competent authorities of Antigua and Barbuda in August 2018." The CBI had booked Choksi on February 15, 2018, and after the CCF decision came, the agency slapped fresh FIRs against him. 'The CBI has already filed two charge sheets in the case against wanted criminal Mehul Choksi and others...Subsequently in 2022, CBI registered five more criminal cases against Mehul Choksi and others for defrauding banks and financial institutions,' it said. The agency said that when extradition proceedings were going on against Choksi in Antigua and Barbuda, he started approaching various international forums with fully concocted and imaginary narratives to create diversions. President of the Tibetan Government-in-exile Penpa Tsering on Tuesday asserted that all incursions along the Indo-Tibetan border have been one-sided and by China. In an interview to PTI, the President also called Sikyong, said since Tibet had signed the treaty of 1914 which set the border between his homeland and India along the McMohan line, Tawang is an integral part of India. We know all incursions are happening from the Chinese side, Tsering said. He was speaking in the context of recent clashes at Tawang and at Ladakh between the Indian Army and China's PLA. Till 1959, there was no border between India and China; it was with Tibet We are signatories to the 1914 Simla agreement between British India and Tibet and we stand very firm on the McMohan line as the legitimate border, he said. We fully recognise Tawang to be an integral part of India, Tsering said. In 1959, the Dalai Lama, the then head of the Tibetan government had fled Lhasa for India after an uprising by Tibetans which was brutally crushed by China's People's Liberation Army. Though Communist China invaded Tibet in 1950, the Dalai Lama's government continued to function with an army of its own in an arrangement with the Beijing which designated Tibet as an autonomous region. Border disputes with India came to the fore after the Lama's escape with his followers when the Chinese contested the McMohan line through statements. China's belligerence is without any provocation from the Indian side," the President said, adding that India standing up to its position sends a very strong message to China. Indian and Chinese troops clashed at Yangtse, north east of Tawang, in a hand to hand combat which left several soldiers injured on both sides. China respects only power, Sikyong Tsering said. The Sikyong or President is directly elected by the Tibetan diaspora living in various parts of the world ever since Tibetan refugees fled the "roof of the world" in the wake of the Dalai Lama's escape from Lhasa to India. The Dalai Lama remains the spiritual head of all Tibetan Budhists and many others who have become his follower, but the administration of Tibetan organisations and its relationship with the outside world is headed by the Sikyong. Tsering pointed out that China has disputes with many Asian countries and has been unwilling to settle them. When it comes to US-China relations, they (the Chinese) complain they are not treated as equals but when it comes to other countries in Asia, they never treat them equally, Tsering asserted. He claimed China has a policy of keeping hot spots like Taiwan, South China Sea and Tawang burning in order to divert attention to its own failings. He said that China had not been successful in keeping its economic momentum up and had not been able to control the Covid situation at home. Now that the whole world has recovered, they want to export Covid again that is what is very, very irresponsible, Tsering said. Former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Tuesday sought bail from a Delhi court, saying he was neither a flight risk nor the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has found anything incriminating against him in its probe into the alleged irregularities relating to the excise policy, which, he added, was formulated 'purely in the normal course'. IMAGE: Manish Sisodia. Photograph: ANI Photo Special Judge M K Nagpal, who deferred the hearing on Sisodia's bail plea till March 24 for clarification and submissions, meanwhile issued a notice to the Enforcement Directorate and sought its response by March 25. The money-laundering case being probed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is an offshoot of the main case registered by the CBI. During the hearing, which continued for more than an hour, the lawyers for the senior Aam Aadmi Party leader said there was no documentary evidence of him receiving kickbacks and the allegation that the accused destroyed documentary evidence was vague . Senior advocates Dayan Krishnan and Mohit Mathur, appearing for Sisodia, said the accused cooperated in the probe and none of the searches led to the seizure of any incriminatory evidence and moreover, there was no further need for his custodial interrogation by the CBI. The CBI, so far, has quizzed Sisodia in its custody for seven days. The senior lawyers said Sisodia was not a flight risk and regarding the allegations that the accused manipulated the excise policy, there was no documentary evidence of receiving kickbacks. They said changes in the excise policy were made purely in the normal course and that it was a government policy, which was approved by the Delhi lieutenant governor and the law secretary. The lawyers also said that Sisodia's wife was suffering from an incurable disease, for which the medical treatment could only slow the degenerative condition, and that he was the only person to take care of his wife. Opposing the bail plea, CBI's special public prosecutor (SPP) D P Singh said though Sisodia was not a flight risk, he was definitely in a position to influence witnesses and destroy evidence. If he is given the relief, the investigation will be compromised , Singh said. We have only 36 days left to file the chargesheet. Till that time he (Sisodia) being released on bail will scuttle our investigation, the SPP said. The prosecutor said Sisodia, who was dealing with an unprecedented 18 ministries, implemented the excise policy with high handedness in the way he and the representatives of the south group wanted. A person is a saint till the time his irregularities are discovered, the SPP said. To this, Sisodia's advocates raised objections. The SPP said Sisodia was upset over an expert committee report on the excise policy and that after seeing a draft cabinet note, he had flared up on an excise commissioner and called a public servant, whatever he could. Regarding Sisodia's frequent changing of phones, Singh said these were not innocent actions and that phones were changed for the destruction of evidence. Along with phones, the files were also destroyed, the CBI prosecutor said. He said the note which was put up in the cabinet along with the file containing the minutes of several meetings was missing. Besides staying in a Delhi hotel from March 14 to 17, 2021, the representatives of the south group also flew into the national capital by a chartered flight during the days of peak Covid-19, he said. In the rejoinder submissions, the counsel for Sisodia said while dealing with policy decisions, it has to be kept in mind that merely because a second view was possible, it did not make the decision a crime. "I am not holding any public post now. In any case, the LG is dealing with civil servants. The issue of control is with the Supreme Court now," one of the advocates said. Sisodia is at present in the ED custody. Earlier, in his bail application, Sisodia stated that he joined the investigation as and when called by the central agencies. He further stated that no fruitful purpose would be served by keeping him in custody as all the recoveries have already been made, adding that the other accused in this case have already been granted bail. The CBI on February 26 arrested Sisodia in connection with alleged corruption in the formulation and implementation of the now-scrapped Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22. The ED arrested Sisodia on March 9 evening in Tihar jail, where he was lodged in connection with the case being probed by the CBI. "I have experienced earthquakes in the past but the tremors this time were strong and long enough to make me rush out of my apartment with my children...I am scared to sleep now," Vidhya Bhalla, a resident of Delhi's New Friends Colony, said Tuesday night. IMAGE: People gather outside a building after tremors were felt in New Delhi, on Tuesday, March 21, 2023. Photograph: PTI Photo Bhalla's account was echoed by a cross-section of residents of Delhi-NCR after a 6.6 magnitude temblor on Tuesday night was felt across large swathes of northern India as the earthquake struck the Hindukush region in Afghanistan. Panic gripped as strong tremors jolted the national capital and the adjoining Noida. People in residential colonies and apartments rushed out of their homes as their buildings started started shaking. Jyoti, a resident of Lajpat Nagar, said she was watching television when she suddenly saw the TV and sofa shaking. Initially, she ignored it but when her husband alerted her, she and her family members rushed out of their home. "I ignored it initially but as soon as my husband alerted, I felt the tremors too. This time it was strong and the sofa I was sitting on started shaking a bit. We rushed outside our home. Thankfully, we are on the ground floor, so in such situations, we have an easy escape," she said. Meanwhile, relatives also started flooding residents of the national capital with phone calls as soon as the news of earthquake broke out. Standing outside their residences, many of them were busy informing their relatives that they were safe and sound. "I immediately got a call from my uncle based in Ambala asking if we were safe. Since he heard in news about the strong tremors, he was worried and called us to check if we were safe," said Deeksha, another resident of Lajpat Nagar. Vidhya Bhalla said she got scared when she noticed her fan shaking and felt dizzy. "I was on the third floor of the building and rushed out with my children immediately. Tremors were felt even before but this time it was strong and lasted for enough duration so that we could sense it. Now, I'm scared to sleep. What if there's another strong tremor like the one we just experienced," she said. The tremors were felt around 10.20 pm. Hundreds of residents rushed out of their homes in Noida -- that houses scores of high-rise apartments -- in the wake of the strong tremors. Among those who rushed in panic were also elderly, women and young children while some residents also carried their pets with them. "I was watching a TV serial when I felt the earthquake. It was scary and I counted till 10 in my mind," Rajesh Kumar, a senior citizen who lives on the first floor of Supertech Capetown in Sector 74, told PTI moments after his family and he reached outside their building. Several people opted for staircases and avoided lifts during the rush. "Those living on the upper floors are the ones who suffer the most in emergency situations," said Mansi, who accompanied a sick friend of hers as they climbed down from the 15th floor of a residential tower. Once on the ground outside the towers, many people were seen calling up their contacts and checking on them for their safety while some even took to video calls to show the crowds that surrounded them. "I can still feel as if I am shaking," a Noida youth said as he was rushing out of home. While adults were gripped by panic and anxiety, several children had a few moments of fun as they played with their friends in parks where their parents had assembled. "In logon ke maze hain (They are having fun)," the father of a boy told PTI, gesturing towards his son and his friend, both around 4-5 years, who were busy playing on a slide. Similar scenes of crowds rushing out of their homes were reported from high-rise societies in other areas of Noida like Sector 75, 76, 77, 78, 120 and 137, 142. Strong tremors jolted parts of north India, including Delhi-NCR, on Tuesday night as an earthquake of magnitude 6.6 struck the Hindu Kush region in Afghanistan. There was no immediate report of any loss of life or property. Even if his legs arent amputated, theyll never be the same again. Aid workers from a local ambulance service help the occupants of a van that hit a landmine on the road at the Loikaw-Demoso highway, Kayah state, Myanmar, on Feb. 6, 2023. Dang Zalian was out looking for something to feed his goat earlier this month when he stepped on a landmine. The 25-year-old from Hakha township in northwestern Myanmars Chin state sustained serious injuries and is now recuperating in the hospital, said a member of his family who, like other sources interviewed for this story, spoke to RFA Burmese on condition of anonymity. It happened only 200 or 300 feet away from his home. He stepped on the mine while looking for goat food, leaving both of his legs injured, the family member said. The military troops are stationed on the campus and theyve buried landmines around the school. Now Dang Zalian is worried that both of his legs will have to be amputated. Even if his legs arent amputated, theyll never be the same again, the family member said. Dang Zalians story is an increasingly common one in Chin state, where the Chin Human Rights Organization says at least 11 civilians have been killed and 20 others injured by mines since Myanmars military seized power in a February 2021 coup. The victims, many of whom are young, often lose limbs in the explosions and are disabled for life. Chin civil society organizations told RFA that at least 37 members of anti-junta Chin Defense Force groups have also been killed by landmines since the coup. Tragic toll Dang Zalian is only the latest civilian to be maimed by a landmine in the state since the start of the year. In February, two residents in Mindat township were seriously injured while traveling to the nearby township of Tilin. On March 1, 34-year-old Slawm Bu stepped on a mine buried near the monument to Myanmars independence in Hakhas Myo Thit Ward while she was on her way to tend to her farm. The blast destroyed her left leg, which she had to have amputated below the knee. And on March 13, a man, woman and 17-year-old boy were left seriously injured when the motorcycle they were traveling on set off a mine in Tedin township, along Myanmars border with India. Residents of Chin told RFA that landmines were never an issue prior to the coup. They said that these days, anywhere junta troops are stationed becomes a high risk area, including schools, urban roadsides, and the outskirts and farmland of more rural villages. No longer feel safe A resident of Hakha, who declined to be named for security reasons, said that they no longer feel safe when they have to enter the jungle or mountains to cut wood, grow crops or hunt. The local media has warned us not to go to places that we shouldnt, such as where military junta troops are stationed, and not to go into mountains or jungle unless it is absolutely necessary, the resident said. But we cant live without going into the mountains or the jungle, so some of us have stepped on landmines because of that. Members of the anti-junta local militia in Myanmars Chin state examine the remains of a landmine allegedly planted by junta forces, Jan. 2022. Credit: Mindat CDF Other residents told RFA that not only junta troops, but also Chin Defense Force groups, deploy landmines in their conflict. But Chin National Front spokesperson Salai Htet Ni said that Chin revolutionary groups take care not to harm civilians. Either CNF troops or other local defense forces retrieve the landmines that we plant while fighting the junta forces, when the fighting is over, he said. We use the landmines carefully. There has never been any civilian hurt because of us, although there have been times when our own members have been injured in accidents while handling the mines. Salai Htet Ni said that civilians are only injured or killed by the military's landmines. Targeting civilians The director of the Chin Human Rights Organization, Salai Mang Henlian, told RFA that when the military encounters difficulties in ground operations, they often target civilians with landmines to scare them and prevent them from supporting the local defense forces. We have uncovered the juntas systematic planting of landmines to attack civilians when we investigate mine incidents. We consider this a serious human rights violation and a war crime. Attempts by RFA to contact Thant Zin, the juntas social affairs minister and spokesman for Chin state, about allegations that the military had intentionally targeted civilians went unanswered Tuesday. However, junta Deputy Information Minister Major Gen. Zaw Min Tun has previously told RFA that the military does not bury landmines in areas where civilians live. Lway Po Myam, who promotes landmine awareness for the ethnic Taang Youth Group, said residents of Chin state need to be better educated about the dangers of the explosives. People in other states, such as Kayin, are working on landmine awareness programs for civilians. Shan state is doing that, too, he said. They should network with other organizations to provide training to the people in Chin state. Lway Po Myam said awareness can spread more effectively by setting up a training of trainers program whereby safety instructors can educate a select group of people who will then share what they have learned with others. According to the data compiled by RFA, at least 218 civilians were killed and 592 others injured by landmines, heavy artillery and airstrikes across Myanmar between August 2022 and the end of January. The United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF) said in a report in April 2022 that at least 102 civilians were killed and 288 others injured by landmines and other explosive weapons in Myanmar since the coup. It said that the victims included 133 children and 257 adults most of whom were residents of Rakhine, Chin, Kayah, Shan, and Sagaing states. The tally was a 37 percent increase from a year earlier, when UNICEF said that a total of 284 people were killed or injured by landmines and other explosives in the country. Translated by Myo Min Aung. Edited by Joshua Lipes and Malcolm Foster. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida met Tuesday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv in a show of solidarity that came as Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Moscow. The Ukrainian leader posted footage of him greeting Kishida, whom Zelenskyy called "a truly powerful defender of the international order and a longtime friend of Ukraine." Earlier, Kishida toured the town of Bucha, where Ukraine says more than 400 civilians were killed last year by Russian forces, and which has since become synonymous with the brutality of Moscow's troops. He laid a wreath outside a church before observing a moment of silence and bowing. "The world was astonished to see innocent civilians in Bucha killed one year ago. I really feel great anger at the atrocity upon visiting that very place here," Kishida said. "I would like to give condolences to all the victims and the wounded on behalf of the Japanese nationals," he added. "Japan will keep aiding Ukraine with the greatest effort to regain peace." Kishida is the latest world leader to make the trip to wartime Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. In an apparent response to Kishida's trip, Russia's defense ministry said Tuesday that two of its strategic bomber planes flew over the Sea of Japan for more than seven hours. Japan is due to host a G7 summit of the leaders of some of the world's largest economies in Kishida's hometown of Hiroshima in May. Tokyo has continually voiced support for Ukraine and joined rounds of sanctions against Russia. Kishida has said that the summit should demonstrate a strong will against Russia's invasion and to uphold international order and rule of law. Kishida's trip was kept secret until the last minute for security reasons. It is rare for a Japanese leader to make an unannounced visit to another country. First Republic Bank, the latest casualty in the ongoing banking turmoil, said it has secured around $30 billion funding from America's 11 largest banks as a lifeline, including JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Citigroup, and Wells Fargo. Following the news, the bank's stock, which has been sinking since last week, gained around 10% on Thursday from the previous day's close. In pre-market activity on the NYSE, the shares are currently down 5 percent. The rescue fund is expected to help the firm meet customer withdrawals amid the ongoing struggles following recent failures of U.S banks Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank, deemed as the biggest U.S. banking failures since the 2008 financial crisis. Credit Suisse Group AG also received a lifeline of up to 50 billion Swiss Francs or around $54 billion from the Swiss National Bank after the Swiss banking major lost much of its value in the wake of banking industry turmoil. In a statement, First Republic Bank said it received uninsured deposits from Bank of America, Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Bank of New York Mellon, PNC Bank, State Street, Truist, and U.S. Bank. As per the deal, Bank of America, Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo are each making a $5 billion uninsured deposit into First Republic Bank. Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley contributed $2.5 billion each, while BNY Mellon, PNC Bank, State Street, Truist and U.S. Bank made an uninsured deposit of $1 billion. Jim Herbert, Founder and Executive Chairman, and Mike Roffler, CEO and President of First Republic Bank said, "Their collective support strengthens our liquidity position, reflects the ongoing quality of our , and is a vote of confidence for First Republic and the entire U.S. banking system." Meanwhile, the supporting banks, in a joint statement, said their action reflects their confidence in First Republic and in banks of all sizes, adding that regional, midsize and small banks are critical to the and functioning of the country's financial system. The banks noted that there were outflows of uninsured deposits at a small number of banks following the receiverships of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank. "Together, we are deploying our financial strength and liquidity into the larger system, where it is needed the most. Smaller- and medium-sized banks support their local customers and businesses, create millions of jobs and help uplift communities. America's larger banks stand united with all banks to support our and all of those around us," they said. As previously announced, First Republic Bank obtained additional liquidity through additional borrowing capacity. It has since drawn on this borrowing capacity following recent industry events. As of March 15, First Republic Bank had a cash position of around $34 billion, not including the latest $30 billion of uninsured deposits with an initial term of 120 days at market rates. From March 10 to March 15, Bank borrowings from the Federal Reserve varied from $20 billion to $109 billion at an overnight rate of 4.75%. Since close of business on March 9, the Bank has also increased short-term borrowings from the Federal Home Loan Bank by $10 billion at a rate of 5.09%. First Republic Bank said it is focused on reducing its borrowings and evaluating the composition and size of its balance sheet going forward. The Bank's Board of Directors has determined to suspend its common stock dividend. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News Routed through new hubs and expanded criminal networks, international cocaine trafficking has made a dramatic surge after an initial slowdown caused by the emergence of Covid-19, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime said in a report. Criminal networks are now diversifying with alarming results alongside record levels of production, moving beyond the pandemic and its related global shutdown, which had appeared to have temporarily hobbled the illicit trade, UNODC said in its Global Report on Cocaine 2023. "The surge in the global cocaine supply should put all of us on high alert," UNODC Executive Director Ghada Waly said. The potential for the cocaine market to expand in Africa and Asia is a dangerous reality, according to her. She urged governments and others to closely examine the report's findings to determine how this transnational threat can be met with responses based on awareness raising, prevention, and international and regional cooperation. The report says coca cultivation soared 35 per cent from 2020 to 2021, a record high and the sharpest year-to-year increase since 2016. The rise is a result of both an expansion in coca bush cultivation and improvements in the process of converting coca bush to cocaine hydrochloride, the drug which is then sold on the streets. Many regions show a steady rise in cocaine users over the past decade. While the cocaine market remains concentrated in the Americas and parts of Europe, the report warns that there is a strong potential for a large expansion in Africa and Asia. The report examines the emergence of new hubs for cocaine trafficking, noting that countries in Southeastern Europe and Africa - particularly those in West and Central Africa - are increasingly being used as key transit zones for the drug. Arrests and seizures related to cocaine trafficking have also skyrocketed. A record high of nearly 2,000 tons of cocaine shipments have been seized by law enforcement around the world in 2021, the report said. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News Euro area trade deficit narrowed at the start of the year as the pace of fall in imports exceeded the decline in exports, official data revealed Monday. The deficit on trade in goods decreased to a seasonally adjusted EUR 11.3 billion in January from EUR 13.4 billion in December, Eurostat reported. The monthly fall in exports slowed to 1.1 percent in January from 2.8 percent in December. Likewise, imports dropped at a slower pace of 1.8 percent after easing 2.9 percent a month ago. However, the non-adjusted trade deficit increased to EUR 30.6 billion in January from EUR 30.2 billion in the same period last year due to higher cost of imported energy. Exports logged a double-digit annual growth of 11.0 percent. That was faster than the 9.0 percent increase in the previous month. Similarly, the rise in imports improved to 9.7 percent from 8.9 percent. Data showed that the EU trade deficit with Russia and China declined from the last year. At the same time, the surplus on trade in goods with both the US and the UK decreased in January. In the whole year of 2022, exports of goods climbed 18.0 percent and imports grew 37.7 percent from the last year. As a result, the euro area registered a deficit of EUR 333.5 billion compared with a surplus of EUR 105.3 billion in January to December 2021. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Economic News What parts of the world are seeing the best (and worst) economic performances lately? Click here to check out our Econ Scorecard and find out! See up-to-the-moment rankings for the best and worst performers in GDP, unemployment rate, inflation and much more. In the latest tranche of U.S. security assistance to help Ukraine fight against Russian attacks, the Department of Defense announced the authorization of arms and equipment worth $350 million. This military assistance package includes more ammunition for U.S.-provided High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS, and howitzers that Ukraine is currently using to defend lethal attacks by Russian forces. The package also includes High-speed Anti-radiation missiles; ammunition for Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles; 81mm and 60mm mortar systems and mortar rounds; AT-4 anti-armor weapon systems; Grenade launchers, small arms, and associated ammunition; Demolition munitions and equipment for obstacle clearing; Mine clearing equipment; Heavy fuel tankers; Thermal imagery systems, optics, and laser rangefinders; Riverine patrol boats; and Testing and diagnostic equipment to support vehicle maintenance and repair. This is the 34th drawdown of equipment from DoD inventories for Ukraine since August 2021. "Russia alone could end its war today. Until Russia does we will stand united with Ukraine for as long as it takes," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement. The Pentagon said that to meet Ukraine's evolving battlefield requirements, the United States will continue to work with its Allies and partners to provide it with key capabilities. Meanwhile, Russian cruise missiles that were being transported by train were destroyed in an explosion in the town of Dzhankoi, in the north of occupied Crimea, Ukraine's defense ministry said. Ukraine did not claim responsibility for the explosion in Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News A group of 23 U.S. states attorneys general have asked South Korean car manufacturers Hyundai Motor and Kia Corp. to take action more quickly to solve problems with millions of U.S. vehicles facing theft. The issue is related to the companies' failure to equip vehicles with anti-theft immobilizers, which has been a standard equipment on vehicles sold by other major manufacturers in the U.S. In a joined letter from 22 states and the District of Columbia, the attorneys general led by Wisconsin's Josh Kaul called on Kia and Hyundai to take swift and comprehensive action to help remedy the crisis of car thefts. Both car companies face legal action as certain of their car models are vulnerable to theft due to a design flaw in vehicles manufactured without an engine immobilizer, an anti-theft mechanism. The country is facing increasing thefts after TikTok and other social media channels popularized a method showing how to steal cars without push-button ignitions and immobilizing anti-theft devices. Majority of the most commonly stolen car brands in the United States were said to be manufactured by Hyundai and Kia. In Chicago, over 7,000 car thefts were reported of Hyundai and Kia vehicles in 2022. In Milwaukee, of the 8,096 vehicles stolen in 2022, 58% were made by Kia or Hyundai. As per reports, certain auto insurance companies deny auto coverage for select Hyundai and Kia vehicle models. In this alarming situation, the companies in February said they would offer software upgrades to 8.3 million U.S. vehicles they manufactured without an engine immobilizer with a view to help customers from thefts. In the joint letter, the attorneys general said, "The surge in thefts of these vulnerable vehicles has been truly shocking. More needs to be done so that every current owner can obtain one of these devices at no cost as soon as possible - especially those owners whose cars are not compatible with the software upgrade you recently announced." The AGs urged both companies to do everything in their power to improve the situation for owners of these vulnerable vehicles. They asked to accelerate the implementation of a software update to improve security, and to provide free alternative protective measures. Apart from Kaul, the letter is signed by AGs of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Delaware, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, Washington, along with the Utah Division of Consumer Protection. Meanwhile, Kia and Hyundai reportedly said that they have contacted over 2.1 million customers to advise them of software upgrades. Hyundai said all of its vehicles meet U.S. anti-theft requirements and has begun reimbursing eligible customers for steering wheel lock purchases. Kia also said it is working with major insurance carriers to make sure its customers have access to quality and comprehensive coverage. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News The cinema is there to heighten the imagination; I have always tried to make sure it does so. So said German-British production designer Ken Adam, who passed away in 2016. You can see through his work how he put this maxim into practice: his designs were ambitious and inventive, always taking advantage of wide spaces and plays on perspective. He is remembered primarily for his work on the early James Bond films. Adam was, according to MGM, responsible for creating the visual style of the franchise, because in addition to the sets he also designed many of the secret agents gadgets, such as the ejector seat in 007s iconic Aston Martin. Adams contribution to cinema, however, is far from limited to James Bond. This is displayed in The Ken Adam Archive, a collectors book (which goes on sale in April) edited by Taschen together with the German Cinematheque, to which Adam donated a selection of more than 5,000 of his works, both published and unpublished, in 2012. Among Adams thousands of sketches, one stands out, of a certain war room, which would become one of Stanley Kubricks most famous film sets in Dr. Strangelove. According to Rainer Rother, artistic director of the German Cinematheque, Adams philosophy was that of a larger than life design, and in his drawings one can appreciate the details and steps of his meticulous creative process. His life, although discreet, was as monumental as his work. As a young man he fled the Nazi regime with his family and, after settling in the UK, served in the Royal Air Force during the war. He got his first job in film working as an art assistant and the rest is history: more than 70 movies and two Oscars place him at the very top of a profession that took a long time to earn its deserved prestige. Others came before Ken Adam, but he lifted them up. A sketch of the volcano scene from the James Bond film 'You Only Live Twice.' Deutsche Kinemathek Ken Adam Archiv (The Ken Adams Archive; ed. Taschen) On the set of 'You only live twice.' Chris Ware (Getty Images) Sketch of the war room from the film 'Dr. Strangelove' by Stanley Kubrick. Deutsche Kinemathek Ken Adam Archiv (The Ken Adams Archive; ed. Taschen) A still from 'Dr. Strangelove.' Columbia Pictures (Getty Images) Sketch of a scene from 'The Spy Who Loved Me.' 1977 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. and Danjaq LLC (The Ken Adams Archive; ed. Taschen) Scale model of a scene from 'The Spy Who Loved Me.' Matthias Karch (Studio OZA-Berlin / The Ken Adams Archive; ed. Taschen) A sketch of the car from 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.' Deutsche Kinemathek Ken Adam Archiv (The Ken Adams Archive; ed. Taschen) A still from the film 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.' Alamy Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition President Joe Biden has signed the Covid Origins Act of 2023 into law. The legislation requires the Biden administration to declassify intelligence related to any potential links between the Wuhan Institute of Virology and the origins of the Covid pandemic within 90 days of enactment. The Covid Origins Act of 2023 passed the Senate and the House of Representatives unanimously this month. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), who introduced the bill, said, "The American people deserve to know the truth behind the origins of the pandemic and we must begin the process of holding China accountable." In March 2020, Senator Hawley was the first member of Congress to call for an international investigation into China's cover-up of the spread of and, in April 2020, introduced legislation to allow American citizens to sue the Chinese government for damages. After signing the bill, President Biden said he shares Congress's goal of releasing as much information as possible about the origin of Coronavirus Disease. In 2021, he directed the Intelligence Community to use every tool at its disposal to investigate the origin of COVID-19, and that work is ongoing. "We need to get to the bottom of COVID-19's origins to help ensure we can better prevent future pandemics," Biden said. "My Administration will continue to review all classified information relating to COVID-19's origins, including potential links to the Wuhan Institute of Virology." "In implementing this legislation, my Administration will declassify and share as much of that information as possible, consistent with my constitutional authority to protect against the disclosure of information that would harm national security," he added. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Political News Principal Librarian for Digital Scholarship at the Rhodes University Library, Debbie Martindale By Sam van Heerden The UNs 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aim to create a more peaceful and sustainable world, and university research can play a vital role in achieving them. The Rhodes University Library and Community Engagement division have initiated SDG projects to promote access to this knowledge across society. Principal Librarian for Digital Scholarship at the Rhodes University Library Debbie Martindale and Rhodes University Community Engagement (RUCE) Director Diana Hornby spoke about these plans at the Open Science Colloquium at The Amazwi South African Museum of Literature last week. The vision of Rhodes University is to generate and advance locally-responsive and globally-engaged knowledge that seeks to create a just and sustainable society, explained Hornby. Creating and promoting scholarship that serves society is central to the Rhodes University ethos, and these recent initiatives aimed at achieving the SDGs embody this spirit. In 2015, all 193 United Nations member states adopted the SDG Agenda, which provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. It is made up of 17 goals which range from climate action and poverty elimination to decent work and economic growth. Rhodes University research supporting a better world Our 14 SARChI chairs at Rhodes University really do lend themselves to achieving the goals through their work, said Martindale, who has been at the forefront of creating a university research website focused on the SDGs. The digital platform, which started last July and is still under construction, will feature research outputs from students, academics, and research units. These outputs will be organised under SDG themes so that if someone wants to connect with a researcher working in an area related to an SDG, they can easily find them. This can promote greater collaboration and make the scholarship more accessible to academics and the public alike. Central to the SDGs is that they all link to each other. The strategy recognises that ending poverty goes hand in hand with improving health and education while tackling climate change and preserving natural habitats. Global issues contain many different and overlapping problems and opportunities, and this has informed the SDG website. The core principle behind our thinking is a multidisciplinary approach, said Martindale, It is not just one research centre working towards one goal. She showed the audience the website in its early phase, focusing on SDG 3, which promotes health and well-being. Included under this goal are links to various research collections, including the work of the Rhodes Biomedical Biotechnology Research Unit (BioBRU) and the SARChI Chair of Biotechnology Innovation and Engagement, Professor Janice Limson. But also under it are links to the research related to the SDG 3 done by the Education Faculty. What we have achieved here is the multidisciplinary approach to SDGs. There is SDG 3 research [on various aspects of health and well-being], from science to education. And we think it is very exciting [to have them all in one place], said Martindale. Sustainability is an important thread tying the goals together, and partnerships are essential in making these interventions last. The sustainability of this project will depend on each unit or partnership as they are responsible for updating their research portal, Martindale explained. The SDG website has also become a university-wide project, with stakeholders across the library, research centres, and the Rhodes Communications and Advancement Division all playing a part in making the website a reality. Partnering with communities to achieve SDGs While academic research is central to achieving the SDGs, Hornby from RUCE reminded attendees that changing the world needs to start from the bottom up. Community engagement was added to the national higher education goals because publicly funded universities are meant to serve the public good. [But] the communities we worked with kept asking how they can access the research produced at Rhodes University, said Hornby. RUCE has always promoted social and economic development and nurtured students to be ethical leaders and citizens. The idea that research should move beyond the university and serve these aims is a natural progression, and the RUCE team began thinking about how they could make this happen. They considered several overlapping plans, such as the Rhodes University Institutional Development Policy (IDP), the National Development Plan (NDP), and the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). After identifying the common themes, they created their RUCE Strategy Knowledge Wheel. The three main topics are Sustainability, Collaboration, and Well-being, which are divided into subdivisions. But their focus is not just on spreading existing research to communities that might need them. They want to collaborate with communities to create the knowledge in the first place. We aim to promote not only access but the co-creation of knowledge, said Hornby. This involves working with communities to form research projects and questions, such as considering topics that are important to them. The collaborative approach can help overturn the exploitative and unsustainable way information is often obtained for research. Achieving the SDGs should, after all, include those most affected by its aims, which are often local and marginalised communities who are excluded from decision-making. Our role is closer to the ground, she explained. And we hope to help populate the SDG website with knowledge created in partnership with communities. Source: Communications Environmental Learning Research Centre's project coordinator, Robin Ferguson By Nwabisa Moyo Digital archives are an essential aspect of the educational sphere. They serve as a form of immortalising knowledge, which can easily be lost if time is not taken to ensure its survival. The Rhodes University Library, in collaboration with the Environmental Learning Research Centre (ELRC), recently presented an initiative to ensure that knowledge is stored and packaged for years and years to come through a digital archive project. This project was presented on the second day of the recent Open Science Colloquium under the theme "Climate Justice through Open Knowledge", which took place at The Amazwi South African Museum of Literature. According to the ELRC's project coordinator, Robin Ferguson, "The digital archive project is a pioneer - a true frontier project." She explained that it aims to make the works of the ELRC locally and internationally visible and accessible as a "global south" educational knowledge commons to facilitate the synthesis of the work of many scholars. The project aims to amplify the uptake and sharing of global south scholarship by diverse scholars in different ways, including for teaching and research purposes. The rationale for the digital archive is to advance and extend the quality, grounding and impact of scholarly contributions of the ELRC collective, spanning over 30 years. That being said, the sustainability of the digital archive lies in all future research generated by the ELRC scholars will be deposited, and therefore, archived in this knowledge commons. SARChI Chair in Global Change and Social Learning Systems, and Distinguished Professor Heila Lotz-Sisitka explained how the digital archive project is critical, as it attempts to "build knowledge of environmental learning and research in Africa, and how to deal with the people-environmental interface". It is especially vital in Southern Africa because most of the 'grey literature', materials that is produced outside of the traditional commercial or academic publishing have not been published or categorised to make this vital component of research output more discoverable and accessible globally. This project will cover research and knowledge bases from various interdisciplinary fields, including research from agriculture, climate change, and many other areas which resonate with readers. In addition, the project embraces a high-level interaction between theory and practice. It produces knowledge products by publishing books for teachers and making animated educational videos, including work from 'grey literature' such as student theses. The first phase of this project looks at numerous research keywords, defining them in the context of the ELRC research and attaching a scholarly work to it for the library to co-create a controlled vocabulary with definitions of these terms. The decolonised work seeps into this vocabulary, as it is a Southern African-controlled vocabulary that understands the work of Southern-African scholars. The controlled vocabulary holds great importance as it closes off the existing gaps evident in scholarship on a global scale. It achieves this by making Southern African work discoverable internationally, as only an alarming 16% of the scholarly work is currently discoverable and accessible in this way in the global north. The second phase of this project is centred around creating an interactive interface, which allows the work to be co-created by different scholars. The digital archive will be sustained by embedding the project into the Rhodes University Library. In addition, the list of the co-created keywords/subject terms compiled by the ELRC will insist scholars to attach the most relevant subject terms to their work. These subject terms will play the role of bringing exposure to the African results published under this archive via the relevant ranking search results generated by search engines such as Google and Google Scholar. The bodies of work will also be added to multiple collections and sub-collections, granting these works significant amounts of exposure. As stated by Prof Lotz-Sisitka, the project works to "generate knowledge as Africans, for Africans, by Africans." Through this project, African works will be immortalised in history, and the names of African scholars will be carved into people's minds globally. More on this project can be found here: New digital library to make 30 years of environmental learning and research resources accessible for all Source: Communications Back row [L-R]: Wynand van der Walt (Head of Technical Services at Rhodes University Library), Prof Ian Meiklejohn (HOD of Geography), Leticia Greyling (Senior Lecturer at Rhodes Business School), Bobby Shabangu (President of Wikimedia South Africa board) Front row [L-R]: Debbie Martindale (Librarian: Scholarly Communication at Rhodes University Library), Susan Veldsman (Director of the Scholarly Publication Unit at the ASSAf), Nomawethu Danster (Director of the Rhodes University Library) By Ntikana Ramohlale The Rhodes University Library recently held a two-day Open Science Colloquium under the theme Climate Justice Through Open Knowledge at the Amazwi South African Museum of Literature. The event was aimed at discussing the climate crisis and the ways in which it continues to impact different groups of people in a variety of ways. In addition, the event sought to forge new ways through which inequalities that arise from the climate crisis may be addressed insofar as they affect the ability of various communities to produce, disseminate and use knowledge not only in relation to the climate crisis, but also in attaining the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Research and Innovation at Rhodes University, Professor Joanna Dames, provided the welcome address. Prof Dames began by acknowledging the prevalent impact of climate change and its close link to the scourge of poverty and inequality throughout the world. She stated that these challenges demand global action and cooperation through open access to information to promote our understanding of these issues and how to best address them. Open access means making knowledge freely available not only to researchers, but to policymakers and the public at large, said Prof Dames. The Director of the Rhodes University Library, Nomawethu Danster contextualised the purpose and importance of the Open Science Colloquium. The theme is underpinned by the open science agenda from the International Open Access week for 2022, she said. She explained that open access continues to gain momentum within many libraries across the world. Danster further stated that the theme of 2023 is also importantly aligned with the Institutional Development Plan (IDP) for Rhodes University 2023-2028. The IDP specifically distinguishes knowledge dissemination and knowledge application as the main ideals to position this institution for the public good, added Danster. She explained that these goals align with the purpose statement of the Rhodes University Library to enhance intellectual creativity as well as the free and open exchange of knowledge and information. Danster concluded her address by encouraging the audience and scholars alike to actively collaborate and share knowledge for the public good. Director of the Scholarly Publication Unit at the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf), Susan Veldsman, delivered the first days keynote address. Veldsman began by underscoring an importantly inextricable link between the sciences and society. She mentioned that researchers need to always remember that their work should always be trusted, such that their research projects always seek to benefit society without any doubt. Veldsman stated that open access provides the all-important key to ensuring the trustworthiness of all knowledge systems provided by researchers across the globe. This ensures that there is a system of checks and balances to ensure that the work that we do, and our databases can be trusted, she explained. Veldsman further stated that there still lies a huge demand for technological support to ensure the smooth running of an open-access knowledge system. I think this is the cornerstone which shall establish the success of open science and open access, as we do not have the technological backbone, said Veldsman. She explained that the very demand of an efficient technological support base places a duty not just on government, but also on academic institutions to establish and sustain the means to offer this much-needed support to researchers, and communities in search of knowledge and information. Veldsman stated that the lack of technological support continues to forge a gap between Africa and the rest of the world in terms of their abilities to conduct research and share knowledge. We worked on an African open science project and conducted some surveys, and you would be surprised at how African researchers battle just to work. They dont have their own computers; they battle with connectivity and when the women are not safe when they go to the labs, said Veldsman. Veldsman concluded by highlighting that the successful attainment and implementation of open access and use of information requires a collective effort from various stakeholders such as lawyers, data scientists, researchers, policymakers, and ordinary citizens as well. Source: Communications RUBIC Postdoctoral researcher, Dr Nhamo Mutingwende doing some tests at the newly-opened water testing facility. Photo cred: Jackie Grove. By Matimu Shivambu Last week, the Rhodes University Biotechnology Innovation Centre (RUBIC) officially launched a water testing facility at the Biological Sciences building. Various local stakeholders were in attendance for the launch, including University leadership and representatives from the Makana Local Municipality, the Rhodes University Community Engagement (RUCE) office, the Environmental Research Learning Centre (ELRC), the Public Service Accountability Monitor (PSAM) along with members of their community project called Action for Accountability and Makhanda Circle of Unity. The launch marked a turning point in Rhodes University's history and the broader Makhanda community. RUBIC Director Professor Janice Limson heads up the facility and said it was an honour and a privilege to inaugurate the water testing facility. According to Professor Limson, she and her colleagues at RUBIC - as well as collaborators in the Rhodes University Faculty of Pharmacy - had been working towards developing and launching this facility for several years. The Biotechnology Innovation Centre will host the facility. Funded through Prof Limson's DSI/NRF South African Research Chair and the National Research Foundation's Community of Practice grants, the launch of the water testing facility was the outcome of intentional community-engaged research and collaborative scientific research. The need for the facility has become more evident over recent years in Makhanda, with many people reliant on stored water supplies and natural water sources as the town's water crisis has continued. Working closely with impacted communities, Professor Limson said that her team was able to develop a model for the water testing facility that would enable access to the facility for any citizen of Makhanda. Postdoctoral researchers from RUBIC, Dr Linda Khumalo and Dr Nhamo Mutingwende, working with Dr Martin Mickelsson of the ELRC, have extensively engaged community members about their specific needs and perspectives for the water testing facility. PSAM's "Action for Accountability" team, led by Andile Nayika, has also received training on how to collect water samples for further testing at the facility Dr Mutingwende, who was instrumental in setting up the new laboratory that houses the facility, noted that engaging communities as partners guarantee immediate attention to common water challenges. He emphasised that the facility will ensure improvement in the public knowledge about the safety of the town's water service and a better understanding of the nature of the town's water concerns. He believes the RUBIC Water Testing facility will empower residents and generate fresh possibilities. There will be a significant transfer of information and skills through this facility. He noted that the facility would support testing of home water taps, rainwater tanks, and stored water and indicated that services would also be extended to companies and schools. Dr Mutingwende noted that the facility aims to be self-sufficient and will charge nominal fees. These fees would help cross-subsidise the pro bono monitoring of targeted water sources through its collaboration with PSAM. Makhanda Circle of Unity Programme Manager, Mr Sakhe Ntlabezo, remarked positively on the value of such an initiative and affirmed the importance of pro-bono testing of communal water access points to ensure equitable access to this facility for all citizens. The Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research & Innovation, Professor Joanna Dames, said the facility would be the first of its kind to address the water challenges in the greater Makhanda community. According to Professor Dames, opening the water testing facility was a crucial step in ensuring that the citizens of Makhanda have access to safe water. She said the University intends to collaborate and be innovative to ensure the facility is used for its intended purpose. Professor Dames reminded the attendees of the importance of the university's role in producing knowledge and disseminating it throughout the community. She said the institution would teach the public about water testing and analysis. "The facility will only be adequate if we all work together. This facility will allay people's anxieties about water and provide them with comfort," she said. Makana Municipality's Manager of Water and Sanitation, Mr Gubevu Maduna, emphasised the facility's significance in developing high-quality water solutions and expressed enthusiasm for collaborating with the university. RUCE Director Diana Hornby said the facility would further bridge the gap between the institution and the community. She echoed Vice-Chancellor Professor Sizwe Mabizela's inaugural address, in which he stated that Rhodes University is not just in Makhanda, but for Makhanda. In closing, Prof Limson acknowledged the role that colleagues, including Dr Ronen Fogel, Lwazikazi Madikiza and Aphiwe Mfuku from RUBIC, Thandiswa Nqowana from RUCE, and Prof Roman Tandlich from Pharmacy have played in the research and community engagement that led to the establishment of the water testing facility. Citizens of Makhanda who want to learn more about or utilise the facility can contact Lwazi Madikiza, who heads up RUBIC's Community Engagement research, at 046 603 7673 or by email at l.madikiza@ru.ac.za. Source: Division of Communication and Advancement. After listening to the podcast to Studio Klassiker Saab-special I got all hooked. I have now almost listened to all of the episodes and they are equally interesting and fun to listen to. I have never considered myself a car enthusiast, because I have always connected that concept with classic cars. I like Saabs; modern, practical cars which do not break down every now and then. But wait Didnt I buy a car a couple of years ago which just turned 10 years old from a brand which is extinct? A model made in only 11300 units during less than two years time. A model with scarce availability of parts as well as workshops with knowledge and tools. Who would buy such a car? Well, an enthusiast, I guess. In podcast #39 Studio Klassiker discuss how you can show that you are a car enthusiast during Swedish winter. Most enthusiasts keep their cars tucked away in winter storage to keep the cold and salt off the brittle metal of old and precious cars. But if you still want your car to be noticed at the gas station during winter, what would you drive? A Saab in Winter Storage A number of cars were discussed which still have good handling in winter conditions as well as insulation, rust proofing, heating, etc. The Saab manufactured Cadillac BLS was mentioned as well as Alfa Romeo 159. I do not consider myself very knowledgeable in cars in general, but I could not help myself from thinking, Alfa Romeo 159, wasnt that the model built on the GM/Fiat/Alfa Premium Platform partly developed in Saabs office in Pixbo? Am I starting to sound like one of those car enthusiasts? The members of the podcast wondered if all Saabs are or will be enthusiast cars? There are still too many daily drivers around in Sweden, but soon enough I start thinking about my own NG 9-5 again. NG 9-5s were already at the beginning a rare sight, even more today. When I drive my car to the gas station, people actually look at my car. Some make positive comments, and from time to time, people come up to me to compliment my car. This may happen at the shops, in public parking lots or queues. One time a car drove up next to me and stopped just to say what a great car I have. I guess thats part of the everyday life of an enthusiast car owner? And, yes, I drive my enthusiast car during winter. Its a very good winter car as all Saabs are. I have conserved it with Dinitrol as my previous 9-5. So, its not a problem for me to show my role as car enthusiast during winter. What defines a car enthusiast? I guess the age of the car is not very important. The main thing is that you buy your car mainly with your heart, not your head. A car enthusiast can tolerate heaps of smaller deficiencies for the love of the specific car or brand. I had several semi-rational arguments for buying my last Saab. I could get engine insurance up to 10-years (and I had over two years left). I could drive an environment friendly car with Bio-ethanol until I could afford an electric car, etc., etc. But when it all came down to facts, I just wanted to drive this beautiful last model of Saab no matter what. And who could blame me? At least not another car enthusiast So, at the bottom line, am I a car enthusiast? I think one of the common definitions of an enthusiast car is that you dont use it as a daily driver. The enthusiast car is just for fun. I must admit that my Saab sits tight in the garage since last autumn, but that is all because of Corona. I work from home and we do not need two cars at the moment. So, our second smaller car is quite sufficient to drive my smallest son to school and do the shopping. Still I would not surrender and say that my Saab is an enthusiast car.yet. I will continue to drive it to work until it is not practical anymore or I get hold of a fair replacement with an electric driveline. Maybe then a true enthusiast will buy it and nurse it for the last years until it will be parked forever in car heaven. Time will tell. The governments response to the failure of two large banks has already involved hundreds of billions of dollars. So will ordinary Americans end up paying for it, one way or another? And what will the price tag be? It could be months before the answers are fully known. The Biden administration said it will guarantee uninsured deposits at both banks. The Federal Reserve announced a new lending program for all banks that need to borrow money to pay for withdrawals. On Thursday, the Fed provided the first glimpse of the scale of the response: It said banks had borrowed about $300 billion in emergency funding in the past week, with nearly half that amount going to holding companies for the two failed banks to pay depositors. The Fed did not say how many other banks borrowed money and added that it expects the loans to be repaid. The goal is to prevent a broadening panic in which customers rush to pull out so much money that even healthy banks buckle. That scenario would unsettle the entire financial system and risk derailing the economy. Taxpayers will probably bear no direct cost for the failure of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank. But other banks may have to help defray the cost of covering uninsured deposits. Over time, those banks could pass higher costs on to customers, forcing everyone to pay more for services. Here are some questions and answers about the cost of the bank collapses: How is the response being paid for? Most of the cost of guaranteeing all deposits at both banks will likely be covered by the proceeds the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. receives from winding down the two banks either by selling them to other financial institutions or by auctioning off their assets. Any costs beyond that would be paid for out of the FDICs deposit insurance fund, which is typically used in the event of a bank failure to reimburse depositors for up to $250,000 per account. The fund is maintained with fees paid by participating banks. Both Silicon Valley and Signature banks had a strikingly high share of deposits above that amount: 94% of Silicon Valleys deposits were uninsured, as were 90% of deposits at Signature. The average figure for large banks is about half that level. If necessary, the insurance fund will be replenished by a special assessment on banks, the FDIC, Fed and Treasury said in a joint statement. Though the cost of that assessment could ultimately be borne by bank customers, its not clear how much money would be involved. Kathryn Judge, a law professor at Columbia University, said a bigger cost to consumers and the economy could stem from potentially major changes to the financial system that result from this episode. If all customer deposits were considered guaranteed by the government, formally or informally, then regulations would need to be strengthened to prevent bank failures or lessen their costs when they do happen. Banks might have to pay permanently higher fees to the FDIC. Its going to require us to revisit the entire bank regulatory framework, Judge said. Thats far more significant than the modest costs that other banks will pay. Will taxpayers be on the hook? President Joe Biden has insisted that no taxpayer money will be used to resolve the crisis. The White House is desperate to avoid any perception that average Americans are bailing out the two banks in a way similar to the highly unpopular bailouts of the biggest financial firms during the 2008 financial crisis. No losses associated with the resolution of Silicon Valley Bank will be borne by the taxpayer, read the joint statement from the Treasury, Fed and FDIC. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen defended that view Thursday under tough questioning from GOP lawmakers. The Feds lending program to help banks pay depositors is backed by $25 billion of taxpayer funds that would cover any losses on the loans. But the Fed says its unlikely that the money will be needed because the loans will be backed by Treasury bonds and other safe securities as collateral. Even if taxpayers arent directly on the hook, some economists say the banks customers still stand to benefit from government support. Saying that the taxpayer wont pay anything ignores the fact that providing insurance to somebody who didnt pay for insurance is a gift, said Anil Kashyap, an economics professor at the University of Chicago. And thats kind of what happened. So is this a bailout? Biden and other Democrats in Washington deny that their actions amount to a bailout of any kind. Its not a bailout as happened in 2008, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat from Connecticut, said this week while proposing legislation to toughen bank regulation. It is, in effect, protection of depositors and a preventive measure to stop a run on other banks all around the country. Biden has stressed that the banks managers will be fired and their investors will not be protected. Both banks will cease to exist. In the 2008 crisis, some financial institutions that received government financial aid, like the insurer AIG, were rescued from near-certain bankruptcy. Yet many economists say the depositors at Silicon Valley Bank, which included wealthy venture capitalists and tech startups, are still receiving government help. Why is it sensible capitalism for somebody to take a risk, and then be protected from that risk when that risk actually happens? asked Raghuram Rajan, a finance professor at the University of Chicago and former head of Indias central bank. Its probably good for the short term in the sense that you dont have a widespread panic. ... But it is problematic for the system long term. Many Republicans on Capitol Hill argue that smaller community banks and their customers will shoulder some of the cost. Banks in rural Oklahoma are about to pay a special fee to be able to bail out millionaires in San Francisco, Sen. James Lankford, a Republican from Oklahoma, said on the Senate floor. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition The growing period of hardwood forests in eastern North America has increased by an average of one month over the past century as temperatures have steadily risen, a new study has found. The study compared present-day observations of the time span from budburst to peak leaf coloration in seven tree species to similar documentation that was collected by an Ohio farmer at the turn of the 20th century. An analysis of changes in those leaf patterns along with decades of temperature data for northwest Ohio showed a clear connection between increased warming during winter and spring and an extended period of tree growth. The implications of the longer growing period -- both positive and negative -- remain unknown. But the simple fact that leaves stay on trees about 15% longer than they did 100 years ago is an "obvious indicator that temperatures are changing and shows that things are not the way they used to be -- they are profoundly different," said lead author Kellen Calinger-Yoak, assistant professor of evolution, ecology and organismal biology at The Ohio State University. "An entire month of growing season extension is huge when we're talking about a pretty short period of time for those changes to be expressed," she said. Calinger-Yoak completed the research with Peter Curtis, professor emeritus of evolution, ecology and organismal biology at Ohio State. The study was published recently in the journal PLOS ONE. Wauseon, Ohio, farmer Thomas Mikesell recorded temperatures, precipitation and observations of seasonal changes to trees and other plants from 1883 to 1912 -- creating what may be the only comprehensive dataset of pre-warming tree growing patterns in all of North America, Calinger-Yoak said. For this study, Calinger-Yoak traveled to Wauseon multiples times per week in the spring and fall between 2010 and 2014 to make her own observations of seven species: American elm, black walnut, white oak, black oak, eastern cottonwood, staghorn sumac and sassafras trees, all of which are hardy species that grow well across most of the United States. The researchers also used monthly temperature and precipitation data from the U.S. Historical Climatology Network's Wauseon station to calculate long-term trends. Though species did not respond to changing temperatures in exactly the same way -- some budded early and most kept their leaf color longer into the fall -- Calinger-Yoak said two patterns stood out in the analysis: Average mid-winter and spring temperatures in the region have increased by up to 5 degrees Fahrenheit since 1892, with six of the 10 warmest years in November and December occurring since 1990, and leaves' longer life spans into autumn indicated when most of the growing season extension took place -- because foliage coloration was delayed. Calinger-Yoak used the dates of peak coloration, rather than when leaves fell to the ground, to determine the end point of the growing season to tie in with each tree's peak period for photosynthesis. As leaf colors fade, trees become much less efficient at taking in carbon dioxide and water to obtain the sugars that sustain them. While extended growing likely increases trees' absorption of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, the mix of overall warming and extreme temperature fluctuations can stress trees in ways this research couldn't detect. Overall, though, there was quite a bit of variety in the species' responses to changing temperatures -- which is a red flag for a biologist. "If you're exposing organisms to the exact same environmental pressures and you see radically different responses, chances are that one of those responses is going to be better in the long term than the other," Calinger-Yoak said. "Time will tell who the long-term winners and losers will be, and what that means for how different forests will end up looking if some species are consistently underperforming because they can't handle the extremes we've introduced to the system." These findings point to the need for even more species-specific research to improve models designed to predict how forests, and their valuable carbon-absorption service, will respond as the climate continues to change, she said. "We are invested in making the bad effects of global warming less horrible, and are wondering how much benefit we can get from trees we already have and from potentially planting more trees -- that's really important," she said. "When we're thinking about a relatively low-cost mitigation strategy, planting a whole bunch of trees that suck CO2 out of the air is a really good strategy, but to promote those activities you also have to have evidence of the level of benefit you'd derive from it." Researchers at the Universities of Bonn and Singapore have discovered a new intracellular "smoke detector." The sensor warns of damage to the mitochondria -- the microscopic power plants that supply the cell with energy. If it does not function properly, chronic skin diseases can result. The sensor may also be important for unimpaired heart and bowel function. The results have now been published in the journal Nature Immunology. Every cell in the body has numerous sensors that monitor its function. Some sound the alarm after a virus attack, for instance; others kick in when any kind of damage threatens the cell's survival. "We have now discovered that a molecule called NLRP10 also acts as a sensor," explains Prof. Dr. Eicke Latz, head of the Institute of Innate Immunity at the University Hospital Bonn. "This was completely unknown until now." Figuratively speaking, NLRP10 detects when the mitochondria in the cell start to smoke due to some malfunction. These are the microscopic power plants that provide the energy for cellular functions. As soon as an NLRP10 sensor detects damage to mitochondria, it sets off a complicated process. This creates a so-called inflammasome, a complex molecular machine. Its activity ultimately causes the cell to perish and be disposed of by summoned immune cells. Fire alarm prevents long-lasting smoldering fire "This process is hugely important," explains Latz, who is also the spokesperson for the Cluster of Excellence ImmunoSensation2 and a member of the Transdisciplinary Research Area "Life and Health" at the University of Bonn. This is because the inflammasome ensures that the fire is stamped out straight away, which prevents a prolonged smoldering fire that would damage other parts of the tissue. "Disruption of this mechanism can result in chronic inflammation," the researcher emphasizes. "Killing cells with mitochondrial defects may sound drastic. Ultimately, however, this step prevents more serious consequences." Not all cells in the body have an NLRP10 sensor. The "fire detector" occurs primarily in the outermost skin layer, the stratum granulosum. The skin is directly exposed to environmental stimuli such as UV radiation, but also pathogens. This could potentially result in accumulated damage. The mechanism ensures that affected cells are effectively disposed of. "If a mutation causes the NLRP10 sensor to malfunction, this can result in a chronic skin inflammation called atopic dermatitis," explains Dr. Tomasz Prochnicki, who performed an important part of the experiments for his doctorate in Latz's research group. Sensor is also found in the intestinal wall and heart Large quantities of NLRP10 are also found in the intestinal wall cells. These also have regular contact with pathogens and potentially harmful substances. Another organ in which the sensor can be detected is the heart: It is particularly dependent on a well-functioning energy supply. This may make it especially important to quickly kill and replace cells with defective mitochondria. The study may potentially also open up new therapeutic perspectives. "It is conceivable to specifically modulate the NLRP10 sensor using certain substances in order to stimulate the formation of inflammasomes," Latz explains. "This approach might enable chronic skin diseases to be better controlled." In addition to the University Hospital and the University of Bonn, the Skin Research Institute of Singapore, the Technical University of Dresden and the University of Hohenheim were involved in the work. The study was funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG), by EU funds under the European Union's Horizon 2020 program, by the Helmholtz Association, and by the Nation Research Foundation in Singapore. An international team of scientists is developing an inkable nanomaterial that they say could one day become a spray-on electronic component for ultra-thin, lightweight and bendable displays and devices. The material, zinc oxide, could be incorporated into many components of future technologies including mobile phones and computers, thanks to its versatility and recent advances in nanotechnology, according to the team. RMIT University's Associate Professor Enrico Della Gaspera and Dr Joel van Embden led a team of global experts to review production strategies, capabilities and potential applications of zinc oxide nanocrystals in the journal Chemical Reviews, a high-impact international journal. Professor Silvia Gross from the University of Padova in Italy and Associate Professor Kevin Kittilstved from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in the United States are co-authors. "Progress in nanotechnology has enabled us to greatly improve and adapt the properties and performances of zinc oxide by making it super small, and with well-defined features," said Della Gaspera, from RMIT's School of Science. "Tiny and versatile particles of zinc oxide can now be prepared with exceptional control of their size, shape and chemical composition at the nanoscale," said van Embden, also from RMIT's School of Science. "This all leads to precise control of the resulting properties for countless applications in optics, electronics, energy, sensing technologies and even microbial decontamination." Sky's the limit with spray-on electronics The zinc oxide nanocrystals can be formulated into ink and deposited as an ultra-thin coating. The process is like ink-jet printing or airbrush painting, but the coating is hundreds to thousands of times thinner than a conventional paint layer. "These coatings can be made highly transparent to visible light, yet also highly electrically conductive - two fundamental characteristics needed for making touchscreen displays," Della Gaspera said. The nanocrystals can also be deposited at low temperature, allowing coatings on flexible substrates, such as plastic, that are resilient to flexing and bending, the team says. The team is ready to work with industry to explore potential applications using their techniques to make these nanomaterial coatings. What is zinc oxide and how can it be used? Zinc is an abundant element in the Earth's crust and more abundant than many other technologically relevant metals, including tin, nickel, lead, tungsten, copper and chromium. "Zinc is cheap and widely used by various industries already, with global annual production in the millions of tonnes," van Embden said. Zinc oxide is an extensively studied material, with initial scientific studies being conducted from the beginning of the 20th century. "Zinc oxide gained a lot of interest in the 1970s and 1980s due to progress in the semiconductor industry. And with the advent of nanotechnology and advancement in both syntheses and analysis techniques, zinc oxide has rapidly risen as one of the most important materials of this century," Della Gaspera said. Zinc oxide is also safe, biocompatible and found already in products such as sunscreens and cosmetics. Potential applications, other than bendable electronics, that could use zinc oxide nanocrystals include: self-cleaning coatings antibacterial and antifungal agents sensors to detect ultraviolet radiation electronic components in solar cells and light emitting devices (LED) transistors, which are miniature components that control electrical signals and are the foundation of modern electronics sensors that could be used to detect harmful gases for residential, industrial and environmental applications. Next steps Scaling up the team's approach from the lab to an industrial setting would require working with the right partners, Della Gaspera said. "Scalability is a challenge for all types of nanomaterials, zinc oxide included," he said. "Being able to recreate the same conditions that we achieve in the laboratory, but with much larger reactions, requires both adapting the type of chemistry used and engineering innovations in the reaction setup." In addition to these scalability challenges, the team needs to address the shortfall in electrical conductivity that nanocrystal coatings have when compared to industrial benchmarks, which rely on more complex physical depositions. The intrinsic structure of the nanocrystal coatings, which enables more flexibility, limits the ability of the coating to conduct electricity efficiently. "We and other scientists around the world are working towards addressing these challenges and good progress is being made," Della Gaspera said. He sees great opportunities to collaborate with other organisations and industry partners to tackle these kinds of challenges. "I am confident that, with the right partnership, these challenges can be solved," Della Gaspera said. Two QUT researchers have used a standard laptop computer and a humble piece of rock -- from the 'waste pile' of a diamond mine -- to solve a long-held geological conundrum about how diamonds formed in the deep roots of the earth's ancient continents. The paper "Deep, ultra-hot-melting residues as cradles of mantle diamond," has been published in the academic journal Nature by lead author QUT PhD student Carl Walsh, along with QUT Professor Balz Kamber and Emma Tomlinson from Trinity College, Ireland. Mr Walsh said the study, for his MSc research, involved computer modelling on a rock from the African continent and recovered from the bottom of the lithosphere, the outer part of the Earth between about 30km and 250km below the surface. Mr Walsh said the dominant part of a continent was the part that you never see. "If you think of an iceberg -- the visible part -- if you just had an iceberg floating on the ocean surface it would tip over like a boat. This is like the keel of an iceberg," Mr Walsh said. "We basically had a known starting composition of a rock, which is representative of the earth's mantle at an early time in the history of the earth before all the continents were formed," Mr Walsh said. "We took that starting composition and modelled what would happen to it if it was progressively melted, and what would be left over. And that material is what forms the bulk of the roots of ancient continents that are still around today." Professor Kamber, from QUT's Faculty of Science, School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, said the aim of this research was to use a computer model to see how these deep roots might have formed. "The model essentially predicts which minerals and melts will be present as you change the temperature of the mantle. So, it's a predictive tool you can compare with the composition of actual minerals and rocks," Prof Kamber said. The piece of rock used for the advanced computer modelling was mined sometime between 1871 and 1914 and ended up in the 'waste-pile' of the legendary Kimberley diamond mine, best known as 'The Big Hole' -- a combination open-pit and underground mine -- in Kimberley, Northern Cape in South Africa. The piece of rock they have modelled, garnet harzburgite, was brought to the surface in a kimberlite pipe. The rock was retrieved by Professor Kamber -- who specialises in petrology, a branch of geology that studies rocks and the conditions under which they form. He carefully sledgehammered the rock down to a size that he could successfully ship home. "It contains a jumble of minerals that were entrained on the way up as they ripped through the base of the whole continent in a supersonic volcanic eruption -- the likes of which we have never seen," Professor Kamber said. "The minerals in this rock sample are so badly hurt, they are screaming still today, they were absolutely smashed." "It is so exciting to see this preserved, it is extremely old -- 3.3 billion years old. Probably the oldest rock most people will ever hold in their hands," Professor Kamber said. Mr Walsh said the study solved the conundrum of diamonds and the temperatures in which they formed, given a diamond will turn into graphite if heated up too much. "But yet, when we look at the rocks that contain diamonds, they must have been heated to massive temperatures," Mr Walsh said. "So why is it that it is exactly those rocks that experienced the highest temperatures that ended up having diamonds?" Their research challenges the existing two-step shallow "melting and stacking" explanation. "Previously, it was believed that most of the ancient deep roots of continents would have been host to diamonds, and that these diamonds were destroyed over time, because the base of the continent is continually invaded and eroded by volatile rich melts and fluids," Mr Walsh said. "Our work suggests that actually this might not be the case, that diamonds are rare today -- and were in fact always rare." "And that's because we can for the first time know what is missing from the cradle of the diamond and we can go hunt for it at the surface." Professor Kamber said on the present-day earth the heat and temperature distribution in the mantle is not uniform. "We have areas of relatively uniform mantle temperature, and areas where the mantle is a lot hotter. These are known as mantle plumes. And we have expressions of these in Hawaii and Iceland," Professor Kamber said. "What we're studying is the effect of ancient plumes -- when much hotter plumes than we have now would have hit the base of a growing continent." Since conducing the research, Mr Walsh has travelled to Canberra to recreate similar rocks in the lab at the Research School of Earth Sciences at the Australian National University. Scientists have calculated that the fastest changing Antarctic region - the Amundsen Sea Embayment - has lost more than 3,000 billion tonnes of ice over a 25-year period. If all the lost ice was piled on London, it would stand over 2 km tall - or 7.4 times the height of the Shard. If it were to cover Manhattan, it would stand at 61 km - or 137 Empire State Buildings placed on top of one another. Twenty major glaciers form the Amundsen Sea Embayment in West Antarctica, which is more than four times the size of the UK, and they play a key role in contributing to the level of the world's oceans. So much water is held in the snow and ice, that if it were to all to drain into the sea, global sea levels could increase by more than one metre. The research, led by Dr Benjamin Davison at the University of Leeds, calculated the "mass balance" of the Amundsen Sea Embayment. This describes the balance between mass of snow and ice gain due to snowfall and mass lost through calving, where icebergs form at the end of a glacier and drift out to sea. When calving happens faster than the ice is replaced by snowfall, then the Embayment loses mass overall and contributes to global sea level rise. Similarly, when snowfall supply drops, the Embayment can lose mass overall and contribute to sea level rise. The results show that West Antarctica saw a net decline of 3,331 billion tonnes of ice between 1996 and 2021, contributing over nine millimetres to global sea levels. Changes in ocean temperature and currents are thought to have been the most important factors driving the loss of ice. Dr Davison, a Research Fellow at the Institute for Climate and Atmospheric Science at Leeds, said: "The 20 glaciers in West Antarctica have lost an awful lot of ice over the last quarter of a century and there is no sign that the process is going to reverse anytime soon although there were periods where the rate of mass loss did ease slightly. "Scientists are monitoring what is happening in the Amundsen Sea Embayment because of the crucial role it plays in sea-level rise. If ocean levels were to rise significantly in future years, there are communities around the world who would experience extreme flooding." The research has been published in the scientific journal Nature Communications. Extreme snowfall events Using climate models that show how air currents move around the world, the scientists identified that the Amundsen Sea Embayment had experienced several extreme snowfall events over the 25-year study period. These would have resulted in periods of heavy snowfall and periods of very little snowfall or a "snow drought." The researchers factored these extreme events into their calculations. Surprisingly, they found that these events contributed up to half of the ice change at certain times, and therefore played a key role in the contribution the Amundsen Sea Embayment was making to sea level rise during certain time periods. For example, between 2009 and 2013, the models revealed a period of a persistant snow drought. The lack of snowfall starved the ice sheet and caused it to lose ice, therefore contributing about 25% more to sea level rise than in years of average snowfall. In contrast, during the winters of 2019 and 2020 there was very heavy snowfall. The scientists estimated that this heavy snowfall mitigated the sea level contribution from the Amundsen Sea Embayment, reducing it to about half of what it would have been in an average year. Dr Davison said: "Changes in ocean temperature and circulation appear to be driving the long-term, large-scale changes in West Antarctica ice sheet mass. We absolutely need to research those more because they are likely to control the overall sea level contribution from West Antarctica. "However, we were really surprised to see just how much periods of extremely low or high snowfall could affect the ice sheet over two to five-year periods -- so much so that we think they could play an important, albeit secondary role, in controlling rates of West Antarctic ice loss." Dr Pierre Dutrieux, a scientist at the British Antarctic Survey and co-author of the study, added: "Ocean temperature changes and glacial dynamics appear strongly connected in this part of the world, but this work highlights the large variability and unexpected processes by which snowfall also plays a direct role in modulating glacier mass." New glacier named The ice loss from the region over the past 25 years has seen the retreat of the Pine Island Glacier, also known as PIG. As it retreated, one of its tributary glaciers became detached from the main glacier and rapidly accelerated. As a result, the tributary glacier has now been named by the UK Antarctic Place-names Committee, Piglet Glacier, so that it can be unambiguously located and identified by future studies. Dr Anna Hogg, one of the authors of the paper and Associate Professor at the Institute of Climate and Atmospheric Science at Leeds, said: "As well as shedding new light on the role of extreme snowfall variability on ice sheet mass changes, this research also provides new estimates of how quickly this important region of Antarctica is contributing to sea level rise. "Satellite observations have showed that the newly named Piglet Glacier accelerated its ice speed by 40%, as the larger PIG retreated to its smallest extent since records began." Satellites such as the Copernicus Sentinel-1 satellite, which uses sensors that 'see' through cloud even during the long Polar night, have transformed our ability to monitor remote regions. It is essential to have frequent measurements of change in ice speed and iceberg calving, so that we can monitor the incredibly rapid change taking place in Antarctica. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is trying to project calm after regional bank failures, saying the U.S. banking system is sound but additional rescue arrangements could be warranted if any new failures at smaller institutions pose a risk to financial stability. Yellen, in an excerpt of remarks prepared for delivery to the American Bankers Association on Tuesday, says that overall the situation is stabilizing. And the U.S. banking system remains sound, Yellen says. Yellens remarks come after a series of troubling bank developments this month. Silicon Valley Bank, based in Santa Clara, California, failed on March 10 after depositors rushed to withdraw money amid anxiety over the banks health. It was the second-largest bank collapse in U.S. history. Regulators convened over the following weekend and announced that New York-based Signature Bank also had failed. They said that all depositors at both banks, including those holding uninsured funds, those exceeding $250,000, would be protected by federal deposit insurance. And last week a third bank, San Francisco-based First Republic Bank, was fortified by $30 billion in funds raised by 11 of the biggest U.S. banks in an attempt to prevent it from collapsing. The government is now determined to restore public confidence in the banking system and to prevent any more turmoil. The Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission have launched investigations into the Silicon Valley Bank collapse, and President Joe Biden has called on Congress to strengthen rules on regional banks and to impose tougher penalties on executives of failed banks. Yellen, in her prepared remarks, says the governments intervention was necessary to protect the broader banking system and more rescue efforts could be necessary. Similar actions could be warranted if smaller institutions suffer deposit runs that pose the risk of contagion, she says. Yellen faced the Senate Finance Committee last week and offered upbeat reassurances to rattled bank depositors and investors that the U.S. banking system remains sound and Americans can feel confident about the safety of their deposits. She will appear in front of congressional panels twice more this week, in the Senate and the House, and will inevitably face more questions about the nature of the bank failures and the governments effort to quell them. Let me be clear: The governments recent actions have demonstrated our resolute commitment to take the necessary steps to ensure that depositors savings and the banking system remain safe, she said. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged exiled Chinese businessman Miles Guo and his financial advisor William Je for their involvement in unregistered and fraudulent offerings that raised more than $850 million. According to the SEC's complaint, since April 2020, Guo, also known as Ho Wan Kwok, Miles Kwok, Wengui Guo, and Brother Seven, and his longtime financial advisor, Je, also known as Kin Ming Je, misappropriated a large portion of the funds raised from investors to enrich themselves and their family members, who are named as relief defendants. For example, in connection with a private placement offering of common stock in GTV Media Group, Inc. (GTV), Guo and Je allegedly diverted $100 million of investor funds to a hedge fund for the sole benefit of a company that is owned by Guo's son. Additionally, Guo allegedly misappropriated investor proceeds in two other offerings to fund his and his family's lifestyle, including misappropriating approximately $40 million to purchase and renovate a mansion in New Jersey and $3.5 million to purchase a Ferrari for his son. The SEC also charged Guo and Puerto Rico and New York-based G Club Operations LLC and New York-based Mountains of Spices LLC with violations of the registration provisions of the securities laws in connection with these offerings. A fourth offering, for which Guo alone is charged, raised hundreds of millions of dollars from investors through a crypto asset security referred to as "H-Coin," "Himalaya Coin," or "HCN" and a related purported stablecoin. In addition, since at least October 2021, Guo allegedly has made material misrepresentations to prospective investors in H-Coin, falsely stating that 20 percent of H-Coin's value was backed by gold and that he would personally compensate investors for any potential losses. The SEC's complaint, filed in federal court in Manhattan, charges Guo and Je with violating the antifraud provisions of Section 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 thereunder. The complaint also charges Guo, G Club Operations, and Mountains of Spices with violating the registration provisions of Sections 5(a) and (c) of the Securities Act of 1933. Additionally, the complaint charges Je with aiding and abetting Guo's violations of the antifraud provisions of the securities laws, and names as relief defendants Guo's family members, Mei Guo, Qiang Guo, Hing Chi Ngok, and Je's spouse, Sin Ting Rong. The SEC's complaint seeks permanent injunctions, disgorgement of ill-gotten gains, civil penalties, and officer and director bars. The SEC's complaint also seeks a conduct-based injunction that prohibits Guo from participating in the issuance, purchase, offer, or sale of any securities, including crypto asset securities, other than for his own personal accounts. In a parallel action, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York today announced charges against Guo and Je. In a related matter, in September 2021, the SEC charged GTV and two other entities with conducting an illegal unregistered offering of the company's common stock and GTV and its parent company with an illegal unregistered offering of a crypto asset security referred to as either G-Coins or G-Dollars. The SEC subsequently collected more than $454 million in disgorgement, prejudgment interest, and penalties, including approximately $70 million previously transferred to the hedge fund discussed above, from GTV and two other charged entities. The SEC is distributing the funds collected to harmed investors. The SEC's continuing investigation is being conducted by William Conway, Amanda Rios, Kerri Palen, Daniel Loss, and Sandeep Satwalekar. The case is being supervised by Thomas P. Smith, Jr. The SEC's litigation will be led by Mr. Loss, Mr. Conway, and Ms. Rios. The SEC appreciates the assistance of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, the FBI, and multiple international regulators. Mental Health First Aid prepares people to assist somebody who's experiencing a mental health crisis or beginning to experience signs and symptoms of a mental health challenge. This article is part of MI Mental Health, a new series highlighting the opportunities that Michigan's children, teens, and adults of all ages have to find the mental health help they need, when and where they need it. It is made possible with funding from Sanilac County Community Mental Health, Community Mental Health Association of Michigan and its community mental health (CMH) agency members. Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, teachers, first responders, child care workers, and others routinely take a class to learn how to give first aid. The International Red Cross shares that in emergencies, 90% of lives are saved by regular people administering first aid. What if people experiencing mental health emergencies received similar help? In Sanilac County, they are. Since 2017, Sanilac County Community Mental Health has offered free training in Mental Health First Aid on a regular basis. The next workshops are coming up in April and May. Kellie Phelps, Sanilac County Community Mental HealthThe main focus of Mental Health First Aid is to prepare people to assist somebody who's experiencing a mental health crisis or beginning to experience signs and symptoms of a mental health challenge, says Kellie Phelps, administrative assistant in prevention and public education at Sanilac County Community Mental Health. We cover the most common mental health disorders in the United States depression, anxiety, trauma, psychosis, substance use disorders and we learn the impact that these challenges can have on a person's wellbeing. We explore the signs and symptoms of mental health challenges and how to recognize when there could be a challenge or a crisis developing. Phelps serves as a Mental Health First Aid trainer, focusing on general workshops for assisting youth and adults as well as tailored sessions for firefighters and paramedics. Four other certified trainers in the SCCMH program train people from the general population as well as those working in schools and law enforcement. Trainers include a peer support specialist, a masters level social worker, and a direct care worker. Were fortunate to have a real mix of trainers, Phelps says. It isnt necessary to have a degree but having some experience in mental health or with the population that you're serving is helpful as is being comfortable speaking in front of people. The SCCMH Mental Health First Aid program is affiliated with parent organization Mental Health First Aid USA. More than 15,000 instructors across the country have trained more than 2.5 million people to identify and assist others experiencing a possible mental illness or substance use disorder. Mental Health First Aid was founded in 2001 in Australia. The program has since gone global. SCCMH is one of many Michigan community mental health agencies offering the eight-hour training. One of the things we really emphasize is staying calm, especially in a crisis situation, Phelps says. We use the analogy of a duck moving in the water. It looks elegant and calm as it's gliding. But what's really happening under the surface is that it's paddling its little feet off. We equip people with the knowledge, tools, and practice to be able to exude that calm, keep a listening ear, and respond appropriately. The course provides an action plan summed up in five steps: Assess for risk of suicide or harm, listen nonjudgmentally, give reassurance and information, encourage appropriate professional help, and encourage self-help and other support strategies. The five-step action plan prepares participants to assist somebody who's experiencing a crisis, Phelps says. We also talk about evidence-based treatments and where a person can go for help. Knowing what to say could save a life. By reducing the fear and overcoming the hesitation felt when confronted with a person having mental health challenges, Mental Health First Aid provides a basis for initiating those difficult conversations that can result in a fellow human being getting the help they need. We also address the stigma surrounding mental health, Phelps says. We help participants to develop a new language, how to talk about mental health challenges and persons experiencing them in what we call person-first language. Rather than referring to a person as 'depressed' and equating them with their illness, we simply say they are 'living with depression.' SCCMH welcomes anyone in the community who is 18 years of age or older to take its Mental Health First Aid course participants have included parents, first responders, teachers, police officers, pastors, mental health professionals, social services, nurses, HR professionals, and students. On April 25, SCCMH will offer Youth Mental Health First Aid, for adults who want to be able to help young people. The general course will be offered on May 9. Those interested in registering can call Phelps at 810-583-0394 or email prevention@sanilaccmh.org. Phelps notes that most people suffer for a long time with the symptoms and challenges of mental illness before they seek help. For her, Mental Health First Aid is one way of getting them help sooner and restoring their quality of life. Whether somebody's experiencing a mental health crisis or just beginning to experience signs and symptoms of a mental health challenge, it's extremely important that they are able to connect with help as soon as possible, Phelps concludes. There are so many barriers today to help-seeking. Anytime someone can come alongside somebody who's experiencing a disorder or crisis and can encourage that person to get connected to appropriate help and supports, there's great potential for a shorter duration of symptomology avoidance of suicidal thoughts, ideation, and attempts and a quicker recovery. The MI Mental Health series highlights the opportunities that Michigan's children, teens and adults of all ages have to find the mental health help they need, when and where they need it. It is made possible with funding from the Community Mental Health Association of Michigan , Center for Health and Research Transformation , Genesee Health System , Mental Health Foundation of West Michigan , North Country CMH , Northern Lakes CMH Authority , OnPoint , Sanilac County CMH , St. Clair County CMH , Summit Pointe , and Washtenaw County CMH . Summit Pointe, Mental Health Foundation of West Michigan, and other community mental health agencies provide youth access to services that help them overcome suicidal thoughts and self-harming actions. Isabelle Buck leads be nice. program at Grandville Middle School Scott Teichmer, Summit Pointe suicide prevention facilitator be nice. makes learning about mental health fun. be nice. tailors materials to middle schooler's mental health needs. Conversations about hard topics like suicide can help prevent it. Suicide is the second leading cause of death for young people in Michigan and rates are on the rise. Between 1997 and 2017, the suicide rate for ages 10 through 24 grew from 8.9 to 10.6 per 100,000 residents. A 2015 Michigan Profile for Healthy Youth survey found that about a third of the states high school students experienced feelings of depression, 17% had considered suicide, and nearly one in ten had attempted suicide.But Scott Teichmer, a suicide prevention facilitator at Summit Pointe Community Mental Health, chooses to focus on a different statistic.Over 90% of people who have made a suicide attempt and survive do not later die by suicide, he says. The vast majority of people who survive a suicide attempt live out the rest of their lives.Teichmer is one of them. He struggled with anxiety and depression from a young age, and at 14, he began experiencing suicidal thoughts. It was a secret he carried through adolescence and into his 20s. After a series of suicide attempts, including one that left him hospitalized at age 24, he began the hard work of healing.It was a long road for me getting to the point where suicidal thoughts were not a part of my daily experience, he says. And part of what really helped me was when I started working in behavioral health.Teichmer found a sense of purpose in helping others. As he led sessions on coping and psychosocial skills, he realized he was also learning those skills for himself. Now through his work with Summit Pointe, the Suicide Prevention Coalition of Calhoun County , and the video series Speak the Unspeakable , he shares his story as living proof that healing is possible.If we want to prevent suicide, we all have to have the philosophical perspective that if somebody is still here with us, there is still hope, he says. Period.Perhaps unsurprisingly, theres an abundance of suicide-prevention programs designed for use within schools. Barry County utilizes the Signs of Suicide program; Spectrum Health adapted its Blue Envelope program for use in eight county school districts; and the be nice. action plan developed by the Mental Health Foundation of West Michigan (MHFWM) is used in more than 70 schools statewide.be nice. is a student-centered program that normalizes conversations about mental health issues through a four-step action plan: notice, invite, challenge, and empower. In elementary schools, be nice. is led by staff liaisons. In middle and high schools, student leaders take the reins in implementing events, activities, and lessons.Evidence has shown that when students lead initiatives, other students tend to listen more intently, says Christy Buck, executive director of MHFWM.In a three-year, evidence-based study of be nice. across 74 schools, Grand Valley State University researchers found that rates of aggression decreased by 49% in high school, 56% in middle school, and 72% in elementary school.It improved climate, improved connectedness, and increased positive behaviors, Buck says.Kodi and Evelynn, eighth graders at Ravenna Middle School in Muskegon County can attest to that. Theyre part of the leadership of the schools be nice. club. In the year since the program started, I feel like theres not as much drama, Evelynn says. Overall, theres been more kindness.The club holds recurring activities Be Nice Bytes is a segment in the schools newscast featuring be nice. members talking about the program, and Student of the Week spotlights kids who embody be nice. principles. The club also hosts special events.For Thanksgiving, we did this activity called the Thankful Turkey, Kodi says. We took a hand shape, and we wrote five things that we were grateful for, and then we put it up on the cafeteria wall around a turkey.Another opportunity for reflection was Walk in Your Shoes. Students traced their footprint and wrote a story inside about a personal struggle.We all go through things, Kodi explains. It could just be simply the winter blahs its cold outside, and we all just get depressed and stuff. When we have a fun activity to boost mental health, it just makes everything so much better.The be nice. club is currently planning a lights-out assembly where students will answer questions by holding up glowsticks.Its gonna start off with not-serious questions like do you have a pet at home, Evelynn says. And its going to get more serious.Like, Are your parents divorced? Kodi adds.The exercise a visual metaphor of lights in the darkness will illustrate that even if students are having a hard time, theyre not alone.Their be nice. liaison and teacher, Tammi Kantola, explains that students take full responsibility for the program. For example, they decided to offer prizes to incentivize participation in be nice. activities. Not only did the students survey the school to see what prizes theyd like, they also wrote a grant to fund the project.Theyre finding in middle school, its hard to have a voice, Kantola says, adding that other behavioral systems training programs tend to focus on the rules students are breaking. Weve really tried to come out strong with the opposite side of that. They look at the positive, and we catch the good.The problem of youth suicide isnt unique to Michigan. The last two decades have seen a gradual increase in youth suicide rates across the United States. The reasons, Teichmer says, are complex.We can look at epidemiological studies, but theres just so many variables that might have effects that were not even aware of, he says.These variables include increases in the prevalence of social media and internet use, premature puberty, and firearm ownership. Economic circumstances, bullying, and mental health diagnoses such as ADHD and oppositional defiant disorder that affect impulse control may also correlate with increased suicide risk.However, Teichmer is quick to note that correlation is not causation and warns that oversimplifying the narrative can unintentionally normalize suicide as a response to these factors.At no point is suicide a natural consequence of any of those things, he says.A more constructive approach, Teichmer suggests, is to focus less on risk factors and more on protective ones. He encourages adults to cultivate supportive relationships with the children in their lives. Children who are taught constructive coping mechanisms, problem-solving skills, and emotional regulation, he says, are better equipped to understand themselves as human beings navigating this tricky thing we call life.Outside of individual relationships, Community Mental Health (CMH) providers are stepping up to help youths in crisis. In Calhoun County, Summit Pointe offers an array of resources irrespective of insurance. Their mobile Intensive Crisis Stabilization team responds to crises within the community, assessing, de-escalating, and planning next steps. Meanwhile, their 24/7 First Step Psychiatric Urgent Care Center offers behavioral and mental health care with no appointment necessary. Finally, their peer support program connects at-risk youths with mentors whove achieved a degree of recovery and can help them navigate the at-times complicated web of social safety nets and CMH systems, as well as family life, work, and school.That [peer support] person, in themselves, is an installation of hope in the sense that theyve been there, Teichmer says. Just providing encouragement, helping that person have as much self-determination in their mental health treatment as possible.Care for at-risk youth doesnt stop at CMHs. Digital resources include the 988 lifeline , which can be texted as well as called; apps like Calm Harm and Headspace ; and websites like the Trevor Project and It Gets Better , which specifically target at-risk LGBTQ+ youth.And through programs like be nice., students like Evelynn and Kodi are finding their voice and using it to advocate for mental health for a new generation.A really long time ago, if you had anxiety or depression, you were seen as crazy and you were locked away. But really its normal, Evelynn says. So, I think this is helping with the mental block and telling everybody that its okay to struggle.We all go through things that nobody is aware of sometimes, Kodi concludes. The smallest acts of kindness can make somebodys day so much better, make them excited to come to school, and really can make their life so much happier. Brooke Marshall is a freelance writer and the author of Lucky: An African Student, an American Dream, and a Long Bike Ride. You can contact her at brookepmarshall@gmail.com. Photos by Kristina Bird. Scott Teichmer photo courtesy Summit Pointe The MI Mental Health series highlights the opportunities that Michigan's children, teens and adults of all ages have to find the mental health help they need, when and where they need it. It is made possible with funding from the Community Mental Health Association of Michigan Summit Pointe , and Washtenaw County CMH This article is part of MI Mental Health, a new series highlighting the opportunities that Michigan's children, teens, and adults of all ages have to find the mental health help they need, when and where they need it. It is made possible with funding from Genesee Health Systems, Community Mental Health Association of Michigan, and its community mental health (CMH) agency members. Genesee Health System Director of Strategic Initiatives Angela Tyler Genesee Health System Center for Childrens Integrated Services Genesee Health System Center for Childrens Integrated Services Detroit initiatives combat high Black infant mortality rate with dignity and compassion Black infant mortality rates in Michigan are consistently two and sometimes even three times higher than in white communities. China's express delivery sector grows as consumption recovers Xinhua) 11:22, March 22, 2023 Staff of courier service providers work at the Kunming Dounan Flower Market in southwest China's Yunnan Province, Jan. 31, 2023. (Xinhua/Chen Xinbo) BEIJING, March 21 (Xinhua) -- China's express delivery industry reported encouraging business performance in February, a signal that consumer spending is gradually catching up in the world's second-largest economy. SF Express, a leading Chinese courier enterprise, saw revenue from its express delivery business expand 37.08 percent year on year to 13.5 billion yuan (about 1.96 billion U.S. dollars) in February, according to the company's business report released Sunday. The revenue growth has mainly been driven by recovering production activities and warming consumption demand, SF Express said. STO Express, YTO Express, and Yunda Express, three other Chinese courier giants, all logged year-on-year growth in revenue last month, with the former two firms registering an eye-catching revenue increase of over 50 percent. In February, the total revenue of China's express delivery sector expanded 29.3 percent year on year to 84.97 billion yuan, data from the State Post Bureau (SPB) showed. Also expanding was the business volume, with express delivery orders in the country jumping 32.8 percent from a year ago last month to 9.18 billion, the data showed. The boom of the express delivery sector, usually seen as a "barometer" of economic activities, indicated that the Chinese economy is rebooting from the COVID-19 shocks at a faster pace. Consumption, in particular, emerged as a major bright spot in the recovery over the past two months. Official data showed that the retail sales of consumer goods, a main gauge of consumer spending in the country, climbed 3.5 percent year on year in the January-February period, 5.3 percentage points higher from the level in December 2022. The SPB attributed the expansion of the express delivery sector to government measures, saying that regions and localities across the country have made consumption recovery a policy priority since the start of this year. To shore up consumption, supportive policies have been rolled out nationwide, including measures to launch consumption promotion festivals and issue vouchers for automobile purchases. Despite the rebound in the January-February period, China still needs to encourage consumer spending and further consolidate the recovery foundation, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said. The NBS expected the consumption revival to continue as consumer confidence will gradually restore and related pro-consumption policies take effect in the next stage. "Overall, consumption's contribution to economic growth will significantly improve in 2023 compared with last year," said NBS statistician Fu Linghui. Market watchers are upbeat about the prospects of the courier industry. Supported by sustained consumption recovery, the business volume of the sector is predicted to grow by double digits in 2023, according to Haitong Securities. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) Supporters watch Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on a screen as he delivers a speech during an event to mark the 85th anniversary of the expropriation of foreign oil firms, at the Zocalo square, in Mexico City, Mexico March 18, 2023. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador held a massive rally in Mexico Citys main plaza attended by tens of thousands of people Saturday. Though it was called to commemorate Mexicos 1938 expropriation of the oil industry, many of those attending the rally Saturday agreed that it was the de-facto opening salvo to the 2024 elections that will choose the presidents successor. Perhaps conscious of recent tensions with the United States over U.S. overdose deaths from fentanyl smuggled in from Mexico, Lopez Obrador spent part of his speech praising former U.S. Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who didnt actively oppose the 1938 oil expropriation despite the fact many of the firms were American. The best example of the authenticity of his Good Neighbor policy was his respect for our nations sovereignty, Lopez Obrador said of Roosevelt. It may be one of the last rallies that will be headed by Lopez Obrador, who is known for his folksy style and charisma. The process to nominate a presidential candidate for his Morena party will begin later this year. After that, the partys candidate is likely to take center stage. But most agree that few of the presidential hopefuls can match the popularity of a president whose approval ratings are routinely above 60%. That is especially true for the Morena party, which was largely built around Lopez Obrador. Alberto Martinez, 59, said he hoped Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum would be the partys nominee. We like her education, her prudence, Martinez said. But he would settle for anyone Morena choose. Most polls show Sheinbaum as the front-runner in the race, followed by Foreign Relations Secretary Marcelo Ebrard. The important thing is for the ideology of Lopez Obrador to continue, Martinez said. This train is already in motion, somebody just to get aboard and drive it. Former President Lazaro Cardenas, one of Lopez Obradors heroes, delighted Mexicans when he expropriated the largely foreign-owned, privately operated oil industry on March 18, 1938. One of Lopez Obradors main policy initiatives has been to save the state-owned oil company that Cardenas founded from crushing debt and low oil production. Those attending the rally in the Zocalo wholeheartedly approved of Lopez Obrador, who has struck a nationalist stance, drastically reducing the ability of U.S. anti-drug agents to operate in Mexico. Blas Ramos, 69, an electrical engineer, held up a sign reading Get out of Mexico, FBI, CIA, Gringos! He said the president was right to oppose U.S. calls to designate Mexican drug cartels as terrorist organizations or to use the U.S. military to crack down on the gangs. They are hypocrites, he said of U.S. politicians calling for such measures, because they dont do anything to reduce drug consumption in the United States. The synthetic opioid fentanyl, which kills about 70,000 Americans per year, is mainly manufactured in Mexico with precursor chemicals smuggled in from China. Lopez Obrador has claimed that Mexico doesnt produce fentanyl something most experts disagree with and that the U.S. has a fentanyl problem because American families dont hug their kids enough. Lopez Obrador thundered against the U.S. proposals. Mexico is a free and independent country, not a colony or protectorate of the United States, he said, shouting: Cooperation, yes, submission, no! Ramos was confident that the presidents movement, which he calls the fourth transformation of Mexico, would not end when he leaves office in September 2024. This is a movement that began a long time ago, he said. We have spent our whole lives waiting for this movement. This movement isnt over in six years, Ramos said, referring to the length of presidential terms in Mexico. This is a process, that will take 30, 40 years. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition Photo: Joe Powers Photo: Joe Powers Photo supplied / John Crowley and Sons Photo: Joe Powers Photo: Joseph Sanchez / Google Photo: O'Flaherty's / Facebook Sean O'Callaghan's Public House / Trip Advisor Photo supplied / The Old Shillelagh Irish pride returns to Corktown on Sunday, with the 65th Annual Detroit St. Patricks Parade kicking off at 1 p.m. near Sixth Street and Michigan Avenue. Continuing west to 14th Street, organizers say the event typically attracts 80,000 to 100,000 people, making it one of the largest St. Patricks parades in the country.On behalf of the United Irish Societies, parade sponsors, and participants, were thrilled this years event will be better than ever with all of the positive momentum in Corktown for everyone who lives, works, and visits the area, says Mike Kelly, president of UIS.But Corktown isn't the only place to celebrate the luck of the Irish. We check out nine neighborhood pubs across metro Detroit that are firm favorites. Do you have one? Pop it in the comments.All dark wood and polished brass, this classy public house gives off more brooding Irish poet vibes than gimmicky leprechauns. Now open for more than 20 years, the establishment harks back to the Irish tradition of drinking songs and stories after an ale. Yeats would have loved it.Opened in 2005, this spot serves up Irish-inspired dishes and classics. Its name pays homage to a place regularly named the best pub in Ireland (surely a sort-after title), and it was built by a Guinnes-approved builder (it's a thing, look it up). The stained glass and wrought iron add charm.Looking like the kind of bar you might actually find in the U.K., this gastro pub was opened in 1972 and is now a third-generation business. Popular for events, the hot spot in downtown Farmington feels rich with history, and is worth a visit for the church-themed bar alone.Full of old-world class, this family-owned pub's authentic feel has earned it accolades from Travel & Leisure, HOUR, and Delish. Jerry Cremin, who received his pint-pouring training at his family's restaurant in County Limerick, Ireland, opened Sullivans with his wife, Jamie, and the place is a local favorite, despite only opening in 2014.The eye-catching decor at Kennedy's literally sparkles (the disco balls help) and festive neons boast Irish and Detroit history in equal measure here. Opened in 1972 by Bill and Cheryl Kennedy, this pub's walls tell its colorful stories through the layers of memorabilia that adorn it.One of many establishments that struggled during the pandemic, O'Flaherty's has persevered to keep pouring pints. The neighborhood pub has been a staple in the Grosse Pointe Park community for decades.Another romantic pub, full of warm wood tones and Celtic knots, O'Callaghans opened in 2001. The Victorian-era vibes here give the establishment a really authentic feel and the cozy booths make for an intimate way to celebrate St. Paddy's Day in style.Voted one of the best Irish pubs in America , this establishment oozes the kind of grit Detroit owes its Irish heritage. The pub was opened in 1975 and was almost lost to fire two years later. Three generations of ownership later, the heated rooftop patio is a popular spot this time of the year.With garage doors and patio seating, this quaint sports bar is part of the Allen Park makeover helping the area grow a reputation as the "jewel" of downriver . Reviews rave about the poutine and the French dip (yes...we know that's not Irish, but it's still worth it).Slainte! Noah's Smokehouse is located at 940 Monroe St. in downtown Dearborn. Famous Hamburger is located at 22207 Michigan Ave. in downtown Dearborn. While the return of Dearborn Restaurant Week is reason enough to celebrate, this years event is an especially exciting one for Noah Saleh. Born and raised in Dearborn, Saleh has a great affection for his hometown and takes pride in the contributions hes made here. His restaurant, Noahs Smokehouse , quickly established itself as a go-to destination in the citys ever-expanding dining scene since it first opened in 2019. That was all threatened in November 2022 when a kitchen fire promptly closed his restaurant, and perhaps for good.But for Noah, the last thing he wanted to do was see his restaurant stay permanently closed. This place the restaurant, downtown, the city itself means too much to him and, as he quickly found out, means a lot to the community, too. And when he had his moments of doubt, it was the community that lifted him up and encouraged him to keep going.The minute we had the fire, I got tons of messages and direct phone calls from businesses and customers checking in on us, and that really hit home for me. It really made me feel like this is a true community that supports and helps each other out, Saleh says.Throughout this whole process, we've had people keep asking us, Hey, when are you guys reopening? Every time I felt like, you know, maybe reopening wasn't for us, someone would send us a message. It was like a sign from God: Hey, this is for us. We just kept pushing and going through our repairs and we came back stronger than ever. This past weekend, we were sold out for two days, Saturday and Sunday, where there wasn't an empty seat in the place. That's gotta count for something.Noahs Smokehouse reopened on Wednesday, March 1, and just in time for Dearborn Restaurant Week. The annual event organizes dozens of the citys restaurants for a ten-day showcase of Dearborns dining scene. Each restaurant offers specials as part of a prix fixe menu with different pricing tiers, allowing diners the chance to try new restaurants in a city that seems to celebrate the grand opening of a new restaurant every other week. The last day for Dearborn Restaurant Week is Sunday, March 12.At Noahs, diners can select a $15 option that offers a choice of smoked brisket, smoked lamb, or their Kickin Chicken, with two sides and a drink; or a $25 option that offers the choice of two burgers or sandwiches, along with a side and drink. Noahs Smokehouse offers Texas-style barbecue with a Dearborn twist, with halal ingredients and Middle Eastern flair. There arent many cities where you can order a Texas-style smoked brisket with a side of smoked samosas.[Related: Read As Dearborn Restaurant Week approaches, these new restaurants are ready to impress on Metromode.]It's a great event, especially for the restaurants and for people that are not familiar with the newer restaurants that may have been opening, Saleh says. It gives people an opportunity to, first of all, save a little money. And second of all, to try out different cuisines and different restaurants. Its a chance for restaurants to showcase what they're all about.An event like Restaurant Week is perfectly suited for a place like Dearborn, which has seen a wave of new restaurants opening in both east and west downtown, and the city at large, these past few years. Just ask Moe Hider, who opened a Famous Hamburger location in west downtown Dearborn in 2014. Moe's father opened the first location in Beirut, Lebanon, in 1970.When we opened the store in 2014, there werent many options here. We were still getting out of the recession, and it just wasn't a prime time for opening a restaurant. But going forward, a lot of people started opening their restaurants here, Hider says. Downtown Dearborn became kind of like a food court, because you come here and one day you want Thai food, one day you want a burger, one day you want Middle Eastern food. Its all here.Hider compares Dearborns dining scene to the World Showcase attraction at Disneys Epcot Center in Florida. You can travel the world in 80 days, or just visit Dearborn and have your pick of international cuisine. That also means a lot of competition for the citys restauranteurs but thats a good thing, Hider says.It's awesome to have all these cuisines around us, and we love the competition. Competition is something that keeps us going everyday, he says. Competition is fierce here in Dearborn, and everybody here does a hell of a job running the show. And we respect every one of them. We work with a lot of our competition. We try and do events together, we promote each other. At the end of the day, if your neighbor is doing good, you're doing good, as well.Thats an attitude that meshes well with the spirit of Dearborn Restaurant Week, and the city itself. With the restaurant already well-established, Famous Hamburger still benefits from the new customers that the event brings to the city. And Hider is more than happy to make sure that people are getting their moneys worth.We actually tell the staff that this is our time to shine here. We are getting customers from all around Wayne County and sometimes all around the state, but we want to focus on the people of Dearborn, too, Hider says. After Covid, I think it's time for people to come back out to restaurants, enjoy their time, have fun, and just really indulge in some great burgers and enjoy what Dearborn has to offer. This is the time to really take advantage of these offerings and try some great food. Visit Dearborn Restaurant Week online to learn more about this year's event. The Chippewa and Marquette II Hydro-Jet head to Mackinac Island side by side. Mackinac Islands first-ever electric passenger ferry is slated to begin plying the waters of the Straits of Mackinac in two to three years.Future passengers aboard the Chippewa will experience a much quieter, smoother and cleaner trip traveling to and from Mackinac Island.The experience of the ride will be greatly enhanced, said Jerry Fetty, CEO of the Mackinac Island Ferry Company, owner of the Chippewa, the first island ferry targeted for conversion from diesel to electric power. The ferry will run a lot smoother and wont have the vibration created by diesel motors. There will also be no fumes from the exhaust of the diesel motors passengers will be breathing in more of the fresh air of the Straits.The Chippewa is a pilot project for the electrification of 28 Mackinac Island ferries. The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energys (EGLE) Fuel Transformation Program last week awarded a $3.06 million grant to support the first-ever conversion of a Mackinac Island passenger ferry to zero-emissions electric power.Were really excited about this, Fetty said. Weve been working on this awhile. It will take some time, but we want to do this right. This is significant for the whole area. I dont think we totally understand yet the impact this will have.The much-anticipated project is part of a much broader effort to diversify the tourist-heavy economy of the Straits of Mackinac by expanding upon marine and marine transportation assets already in place. Modernizing marine transportation is among the Mackinac Economic Alliance's efforts to bolster the economy and create full-time, year-round marine and shipbuilding jobs in the Straits of Mackinac.The (ferry) project is the first critical step in the strategy to upgrade and modernize marine transportation in the Straits of Mackinac, said Chris Byrnes, who is director of the Mackinac Economic Alliance, the economic development arm of Mackinac County. The county includes Mackinac Island.Economic officials envision the Straits of Mackinac as a hub of maritime development and innovation, as well as clean marine energy development. Several innovative, ground-breaking projects are in the works, or poised to launch. Key partnerships are being looked at to bring shipbuilding to the Straits of Mackinac. Other initiatives range from expanding ports to accommodate larger ships to the electrification of island ferries and other ships."(The ferry pilot project) certainly should make this strategy seem more attainable. The old adage that 'the first step is the hardest step' no longer stands in the way for those that had doubts that this vision could be executed," said Marty Fittante, CEO of InvestUP, the lead regional economic organization for the Upper Peninsula. "And this is not just a step, but a very big one at that. It is exciting to think of where this journey can lead. Seventy years ago, there was a vision to span the Straits with what is now an iconic Bridge. Have we just witnessed the proverbial footings bridging traditional maritime propulsion to electrification laid in the Straits this week?"One of the direct impacts of the pilot project is employment. Fetty said almost 100 percent of the work on converting the Chippewa, built in 1962 and in service in the Straits of Mackinac since then, will be done at Mackinac Marine Services in St. Ignace. That company is part of Mackinac Island Ferry Company. Fetty said one of his goals since joining Mackinac Island Ferry Company a decade ago has been to keep people employed year-round. Many of the jobs in the region are seasonal, dependent on tourism.Not only is this going to help us but its also going to help our economy, he said. There will be lots of other jobs that will be created out of this. Beyond that, if this conversion really does what we think it will do, it will cause other boats to be converted, not only ours but other fleets throughout the region. We will build that talent locally to do that -- this will be the place to come to have boats converted. It creates a whole other industry here for working on vessels.The Mackinac Island Ferry Company will replace two 1998 diesel engines with two brand new electric propulsion motors on the Chippewa. The conversion will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 14,152 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents and 887 metric tons of nitrogen oxides over the boats lifetime.For Michigan, converting a ferry in the Mackinac Island fleet to electric will build on the states clean-energy leadership and help achieve goals of the MI Healthy Climate Plan to make the state carbon neutral by 2050.The grant covers half the cost of the project, which will include installing 1.5 megawatts in shore power infrastructure at the Mackinaw City ferry dock; electric power upgrades are also planned for the ports of St. Ignace and Mackinac Island.The ferries are the primary means of transportation to Mackinac Island, serving about 500 year-round islanders and 750,000 visitors a year, with summer peak of more than 16,500 a day. During peak months, ferries make up to 125 round trips a day.Electrifying the Mackinac Island ferries was among the key initiatives in the Mackinac Island Transportation Master Plan, conducted by the Michigan Department of Transportation. The initiatives include modernizing the ferry fleet and freight ships serving the region. The long-term goal is to transition all 138 Upper Great Lakes ships in the 50- to 200-ton range to electric or hybrid electric power."This initiative is indeed the start of what could be a huge transformation of the industry. However, it unquestionably offers tangible proof that bold vision that the area has offered to lead on electrification of the maritime industry is real," Fittante said. "In the end, the reality of transforming the fleet while welcomed and important is only part of the story. The bigger story could well be that for already the second time this year, the Upper Peninsula has proven in a very significant way that it can lead the way with new and emerging technologies and sustainability standards."The Chippewa conversion project is already underway. The beginning process involves engineering for the conversion, redesign and modernization of the Chippewa, and then approval of those engineering plans by the U.S. Coast Guard. That process takes six months to a year, Fetty said. Once the engineering plan is approved, the heavy work of converting will begin and once completed, the electric Chippewa will go through sea trials with the U.S. Coast Guard to determine stability and safety.Its a rigorous process that all boats go through to make sure they're as safe as possible, Fetty said. Safety is the number one concern."The 84-foot Chippewa is expected to carry 250 to 300 passengers after the electric conversion, redesign, and modernization.Once the Chippewa has been successfully converted, work will begin on other ferries. Fetty said lessons and knowledge from that conversion will be applied to other ferries, which will impact the speed of conversion. A probable schedule is converting other ferries as they need repowering and are having their engines replaced.The United States is at the beginning stages of electrifying marine vessels. The Maid of the Mist catamaran-style boats at Niagara Falls are all electric. The company says the all-electric boats give our visitors a better experience and (help) us do our part to protect the natural wonder and beauty of Niagara Falls.Part of the reason we are doing this, Fetty said, is that as a company we are committed to going green and part of that is using renewable or green energies. We have a long way to go but you have to make that first step. It's the only way to learn. Nonprofit leaders across southeast Michigan will contribute their thoughts via journal entries on how this unique confluence of events (COVID, vaccinations, climate change, racial justice, etc.) is affecting their organizations and the nonprofit sector.The stories and journals will narrate through nonprofit leaders and capture the impact and vitality that these organizations bring to their communities as well as their journey during these unprecedented times.This series is made possible with the generous support of our partners, the Michigan Nonprofit Association and Co.act Detroit. Alyssa Stewart, United Way of South Central Michigans chief impact officer Liz DeLaLuz, vice president of community impact for United Way of Ottawa and Allegan Counties Dominque Bunker, United Way of the Lakeshores community engagement director A transportation voucher program with the Disability Network of West Michigan. Advocacy, family support, and financial services with The Arc Muskegon. Low vision clinic and rehabilitation with the Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired. The senior medical transportation program through AgeWell Services. Michigan Association of United Ways Director of Public Policy and Partnerships Nancy Lindman Its Financial Stability Collaborative/Shared Housing Intervention Program (Eaton/Ingham) is geared toward housing for homeless youth and families outside traditional shelter space, with resources for financial literacy, self-advocacy skill-building, and financial assistance for first months rent, all aimed at addressing generational poverty. Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (Clinton, Eaton, Gratiot, Ionia, Ingham, Kalamazoo, Montcalm, Shiawassee and Washtenaw) provides free tax preparation to low- and moderate-income households, the elderly, people with disabilities, and people with limited English proficiency. According to the National Society of Accountants, each tax return done through VITA saves a family $273 in preparation fees, not to mention ensuring families get every tax credit they deserve. That's money that can be used for other essentials. Also, VITA partners with local organizations that can help taxpayers make the most of their refund. Eviction prevention/diversion (Calhoun/Jackson/Kalamazoo) partners with legal services organizations to make sure low-income renters and homeowners know the legal safeguards and resources available to them to avoid unlawful evictions. Continuum of Care (Kalamazoo) is a partnership of agencies to improve communication and services, advocate for equitable solutions to end homelessness, and leverage state, local and federal resources to implement a county-wide Plan to End Homelessness. This article is a part of the year-long series Disability Inclusion exploring the state of West Michigans growing disability community. The series is made possible through a partnership with Centers for Independent Living organizations across West Michigan. Financial hardship looms large over people with disabilities in West Michigan. United Ways ALICE is spearheading some solutions.Too often, they find it difficult to clear economic hurdles so they can afford adequate food, shelter, employment, housing, transportation, child care and health care, according to a comprehensive United Way initiative known as ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed), a research-based method that seeks to understand a complete picture of their financial struggles.Their economic conundrum widens further for people with disabilities who earn enough income to stay above the federal poverty level, but not enough to become financially stable. Said another way, they are forced to make impossible choices.The ALICE report makes visible a population that might otherwise be overlooked and undersupported, says Alyssa Stewart, United Way of South Central Michigan s chief impact officer. When funds run short, cash-strapped households are forced to make impossible choices. Deciding between quality childcare or paying the rent. Filling a prescription or fixing the car. These short-term decisions have long-term consequences not only for ALICE families, but for all of us.Its even tougher for people of color with disabilities.In Calhoun and Barry counties, people with disabilities who are more likely to face financial hardship are Black/Indigenous/people of color, with one in five below the ALICE Threshold; single-led households, which are especially prone to be in poverty; and those with no post-secondary education, Stewart says.Many below the ALICE Threshold arent getting access to food or supplemental income assistance, often because of the cliff effect, Stewart continues. They earn just above the level to qualify for benefits, which means they get none at all. Thats part of the reason why people with disabilities are three times more likely to not be in the labor force along with other issues, including discrimination, lack of accessibility, lack of transportation and lack of direct care workers. Barriers like these stand in the way of people with disabilities who want to be fully engaged in our communities. We can and must do more to help them realize their full potential.Throughout Michigan, Black and Hispanic residents with disabilities 65% and 54% respectively disproportionately experienced financial hardship compared to 43% of white people with disabilities, according to the Michigan Association of United Ways.Moreover, females with disabilities struggled more to afford the basics 51%, compared to 44% of males with disabilities.Michigan saw 59% of residents with disabilities below the ALICE Threshold spend 35% or more of their income on their mortgage, plus utilities, taxes and insurance.Whether working full or part time, people with disabilities were more likely to be living paycheck to paycheck than those without disabilities: 21% of full-time workers with disabilities were below the ALICE Threshold compared to 16% of full-time workers without disabilities.Unfortunately, such hardships doesnt tell the whole story: The rates of poverty are likely even higher than could be counted, as data is not available for individuals living in nursing homes, correctional facilities, and other group settings.We believe community collaboration is what is needed to address the lack of basic essentials for our ALICE families, says Liz DeLaLuz, vice president of community impact for United Way of Ottawa and Allegan Counties . The ALICE report helps us to measure the gaps in basic essentials that families and individuals need to survive and thrive every day. United Way of the Lakeshore is fighting to eliminate the barriers for all ALICE families regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, disability status, or family makeup, according to Dominique Bunker, United Way of the Lakeshores community engagement director.Bunker says the Lakeshore United Way is meeting needs head-on with partner programs:Last year, United Way of the Lakeshore offered the 21-Day Disability Equity Challenge in July to explore disability from a position of equity. The event was "designed to raise awareness, increase understanding, and shift perspectives about disability in our culture, Bunker says. For Day of Caring, we also repair veterans homes in our area (a majority who have a disability) as a way to pay tribute and honor our local heroes. Heart of West Michigan United Way (Kent County) referred Issue Media Group to the Michigan Association of United Ways. Director of Public Policy and Partnerships Nancy Lindman, says for many people with disabilities, employment doesnt come easy.Barriers related to discrimination, accessibility, and transportation often keep them from gaining the employment they need to stay financially stable.For people of color who have disabilities, persistent racism, discrimination, and systemic barriers have all played a role.Compared to the overall Michigan data, in Kent County, 45% of people with disabilities are below the ALICE threshold, with 66% of Black individuals with disabilities and 48% of Hispanic/Latino individuals with disabilities below the ALICE threshold.United Ways throughout the state mobilize hundreds of partners and thousands of donors, advocates, and volunteers to advance equitable communities where ALICE households are stable and children thrive, says Lindman.Specifically, United Ways meet immediate needs by funding programs that provide urgent, short-term relief for those who are hungry, without a place to sleep, or who have experienced domestic violence, continues Lindman. At the same time, we understand that for ALICE to overcome barriers, root causes must be addressed, and so we fund job training, financial counseling, affordable housing, youth education, and many other programs that help individuals and families build toward a more secure future.United Ways innovate and support the statewide 2-1-1 system, a free-to-use service that connects Michiganders with over 27,000 services in 7,100 local, state and national services to address barriers.Despite their challenges, people with disabilities make significant economic contributions to the economy. They educate children, keep people healthy, and make a good quality of life possible for everyone. Yet they often dont have the resources to care for their own families.When ALICE succeeds, our whole community succeeds, notes Stewart.United Way is focusing on partnerships and programs to address the needs of ALICE households, especially where those needs intersect with racial and economic inequities.United Way of South Central Michigans six county region, for example, works with 101 partner agencies on 131 annually funded programs, plus dozens of collaboratives and initiatives at the local, state and national level. Jane Norton of Delton is president of the Chief Noonday Chapter of the North Country Trail Association. Part of the North Country Trail in Kellogg Forest. The North Country Trail crosses this creek in Kellogg Forest. Part of the North Country Trail in Kellogg Forest. Some of the patches that Jane Norton has collected are on her backpack. Jane Norton walks on the North Country Trail through part of Kellogg Forest. Dell Darnell is Program Manager of OutFront Kalamazoo. Susan Fisher (Hearth & Grove Fellowship), Rabbi Simone Schicker, and Pastor Sarah Lee-Schmidt are alll memebers of OutFront's Faith Alliance. Pastor Sarah Schmidt-Lee of First Congregational Church is part of OutFront's Faith Alliance. Rev. Rachel Lonberg of People's Church (with baby), Susan Fisher of Hearth & Grove Fellowship, Pastor Sarah Schmidt-Lee of First Congregational, and Rabbi Simone Schicker of Temple Bnai Israel at a Pride Interfaith Service. Dell Darnell, Program Manager of OutFront Kalamazoo, with Regan Hanley celebrating Pride. Dell Darnell poses with their wife, Kim Shaw, and two of their daughters. Kalamazoo Pride takes place in June. The Kalamazoo County Health and Community Services building, seen looking south from Reed Street, is adjacent to the possible location for the Kzoo POD Community. Part of this section of the former Portage Paper Co. site, looking south from Reed Street, is being considered as a potential site for the Kzoo POD Community. Executive Director Michelle Davis says Housing Resources Inc. understands that it needs the entire communitys help as it tries to establish transitional housing for people in need. Part of this section of the former Portage Paper Co. site, looking south from Reed Street, is being considered as a potential site for the Kzoo POD Community. Housing Resources Inc. of Kalamazoo is using the next few months to see if part of the former Portage Paper Co. site on Alcott Street is suitable for use as a regular community for the unhoused.Housing Resources announced that it has signed a Letter of Intent with the City of Kalamazoo to move us forward in the development of A Kzoo POD Community: A Place of Dignity, says Michelle Davis, executive director of the organization.We remain excited about the project, she says in a Feb. 28, 2023 press release. The Letter of Intent provides HRI a six-month period to continue our due diligence and decide whether the site, located at 333 E. Alcott Street, is feasible for the project through a lease or purchase.HRI is a nonprofit organization that helps people find affordable housing and apply for financial aid. HRI also provides crisis intervention involving housing. That latter includes helping renters avoid eviction.The Pod community is expected to provide a safe transition space for unhoused adults while they seek permanent housing and as the community develops a more permanent housing solution for those in need. Davis did not respond to calls for further comment.So whats next?This is sort of a six-month, loose agreement that allows HRI to spend some money on doing due diligence without the risk of losing it and (theyre) getting the opportunity to decide whether theyre interested or not, says Kalamazoo Mayor David Anderson.While the Alcott Street address of the site is adjacent to the Kalamazoo County Department of Health and Community Services and the Family Health Center, the land being considered involves a few acres between Alcott and Reed streets. It is on the northern portion of undeveloped land, closer to Reed Street on the former Portage Paper Plant property. And that is a huge reclaimed brownfield site. The site is owned by the City of Kalamazoo Brownfield Development Authority.Theres going to be an environmental piece, Anderson says, related to determining what else may need to be done at the site. He went on to say there would be a discussion with neighbors, a review of utility access, and consideration of the environmental work necessary to prepare the site and install needed amenities.The site is not far south of Stockbridge Avenue, where HRI considered putting the Kzoo POD Community when it was originally announced in October of 2021. POD stands for Place of Dignity. The Stockbridge location is the vacant former Michigan Department of Human Services property at 322 E. Stockbridge Ave. HRI decided against using that site after members of the surrounding Edison Neighborhood said the property was subject to flooding and some balked at the idea of seeing an increase in the number of transient people in the area.Plans have called for erecting 50 small, weather-resistant enclosures to house people who have been living outdoors in Kalamazoo. HRI spent about $1 million to purchase the modular housing units in one-person and two-person sizes: 8 by 8 by 8 and 16' by 8' by 8'. Called ModPods, they were designed in Oregon andhave been used there and in other parts of the country. They have powder-coated aluminum framing, insulated walls, and an aluminum composite exterior. No wood is used in their construction, making them less susceptible to fire.The site is also expected to have a more permanent building where organizations and professionals can provide services to help people obtain food, closing, and other necessities, as well as find jobs and address other problems.Despite a big push to have a site leased and a community started in time to help shelter people from winter weather in 2021 and 2022, supply chain problems delayed the delivery date of the ModPods and the lack of a usable site has caused the project to stall until now. The pods themselves, which have to be assembled, have been delivered but remain in storage here.HRI says the Kzoo POD Community will not be an encampment. The organization envisions a managed community created with intention and dignity and 24/7 staff support. HRI is working with Byce and Associates Inc., a local architecture and engineering firm, to create a site plan that it can present to the wider community when it begins to conduct neighborhood and community information sessions. Those sessions are expected to allow residents to learn more about the POD project.Having a potential site is a step forward, Anderson said. So thats good news. And some of the work that youre going to have to do related to what it would take to get the amenities in place that kind of information could be used on another site. At least there is progress being made.Davis said, HRI understands that we are partners in this endeavor, and we need the entire communitys support and resources. No one organization or institution can solve this issue alone.In its update on plans for the community, the organization thanked the City of Kalamazoo, other organizations, and residents of Kalamazoo for supporting the project. It hopes to raise awareness of the need to help the unhoused, as well as $110,000, with a 5-kilometer walk on March 18, starting at 10 a.m. at the Kalamazoo Growlers Stadium.Anderson says, I am hopeful in general that we are able to execute in the creation of this kind of a model to serve individuals who are reluctant to participate in the shelter system.While hundreds of people who are unhoused or who are undergoing a housing crisis stay in already-established shelters in Kalamazoo, he says, There are also probably 100 to 150 empty shelter beds on any given night in Kalamazoo. So this is addressing a need for people who have more reluctance about participating in the shelter system and we certainly need to do what we can to fill that gap.Davis said the lack of affordable housing is a crisis of historic proportions at the local and national levels, and HRI will continue to lift the importance of providing creative temporary housing solutions that will provide the dignity and respect we all deserve as human beings. We know Kalamazoo has the passion, resilience, fortitude, and resources to be bold while providing the much-needed solution to the housing crisis. Juliana Yamada/The Chronicle Shares in San Franciscos First Republic Bank plunged more than 32% Friday in a sign that investors werent consoled by a recent rescue effort in which some of the nations largest banks deposited $30 billion into in an effort to keep the bank afloat amid concerns about the wider banking industry. First Republic Bank, meanwhile, is negotiating selling a piece of itself to other banks or private equity firms, the New York Times reported Friday. The much-publicized saga of San Franciscos thwarted tower on a downtown parking lot continued this week, as Gov. Gavin Newsom approved using a recent state law to speed up the resolution of any future legal challenge to the proposal. Newsoms move applies to 469 Stevenson St., a stretch of flat asphalt tucked between Market, Fifth, Mission and Sixth streets. The citys Planning Commission in June of 2021 approved a 27-story, 495-unit apartment tower on the site only to have supervisors stall the project four months later by demanding new environmental studies. Now, the governor has given 469 Stevenson the green light to become a state Environmental Leadership Development Project. This means that once the projects formal environmental impact report is approved, if a lawsuit challenging it is filed, the state appeals court must settle the matter within 270 days. The state intervention could set a precedent across California that goes beyond 469 Stevenson. Any housing proposal with a price tag above $15 million can apply for a similarly streamlined appeal process. Certification is granted if a set number of the units in the building are priced at affordable levels and the project can show clear environmental benefits. This reduces the risk of a protracted litigation, said Steven Vettel, an attorney for 469 Stevensons developer, an affiliate of Build Inc. Without this certification, you can be stuck in a three-year cycle. And time is money. To get the state OK for fast-tracking any environmental appeals, a project must be built with union labor. It needs to be developed to national standards of sustainability and operate in a way that limits greenhouse gas emissions. The plans for 469 Stevenson meet both criteria, according to the states Office of Planning and Research. As for housing, the high-rise would include about 65 units for lower-income residents. We dont have enough housing and we need to cut greenhouse gases, said Jason Elliott, Newsom's top housing advisor. This doesnt just apply to San Francisco. The program builds on a decade-old state initiative to apply similar time limits to large projects such as Chase Center. This limits the ability of litigious opponents to use the California Environmental Quality Act to send high-profile projects into legal or regulatory limbo. SFNext is Chronicle coverage devoted to the city's most vexing problems. To become involved: Send feedback, ideas and suggestions to sfnext@SFChronicle.com Newsom signaled his desire to broaden that initiatives impact during his State of the State address in 2019: Weve expedited judicial review on CEQA for professional sports. Its time we do the same thing for housing. A bill allowing that was introduced in the state Senate the next year, and became law in 2021. The developers of 469 Stevenson, Build Inc., were the first in the state to apply to use the expanded bill after their project became a flash point showing how the political process in San Francisco can be used to derail housing projects with drawn-out reviews and appeals. A handful of activist groups in the South of Market neighborhood appealed 469 Stevenson to the Board of Supervisors after the Planning Commission signed off, demanding that the environmental impact report be broadened to take in such topics as gentrification. The Board went along on an 8-3 vote, even though social issues arent part of standard environmental reviews. The successful delaying tactic galvanized advocates for the construction of new housing and led to the first-ever housing policy and practice review by the state Department of Housing and Community Development. That review is still underway. As for 469 Stevenson, it is scheduled to go to the Planning Commission for certification on April 20. Opponents would have 30 days to appeal a re-certification to the Board of Supervisors. Given the high cost of construction and the current low demand for small market-rate apartments in downtown San Francisco its unclear when or if the project will break ground. Editors note: An earlier version of this story misstated that the certification would take the Board of Supervisors out of the environmental review process. The expedited review period would begin after the board approved any review. The young friends raise their glasses of Irish whiskey in a toast. There are smiles, hugs and excitement all around in Kharkiv, Ukraines second-largest city. The celebration is only 18 miles (30 kilometers) from the Russian border and 62 miles (100 kilometers) from the frontlines. Even under the heavy weight of war, there are still reasons to celebrate life and friendship. The friends have gathered to celebrate the birth of Yaroslavs son, Ilia, on March 10. Yaroslav is a cab driver and volunteer soldier we interviewed in November 2022 when he was part of the counteroffensive to retake the southern city of Kherson. Next week, he will return to Bakhmut and Soledar in the Donbas region, now the site of the wars bloodiest battle. Thousands have died on both sides in the fight for Bakhmut that is still raging. A Ukrainian military spokesman said on March 16 that its a critical chokepoint for holding off the Russian advance. I got pregnant quickly in case something happened to Yaroslav, said his smiling wife five days after giving birth. Nastia (short for Anastasia) went to Ireland for two months last year to escape the war, but her stay only lasted two months. She returned home to Kharkiv and resumed life with Yaroslav, her partner for the last seven years. They were married on June 10, and soon after, a baby was on the way. Nastia chose to have a child that might be orphaned rather than risk losing her husband before she could conceive. But she knew the nine months ahead would be spent mostly alone with Yaroslav away fighting the war. In our interview last November, Yaroslav told us he wanted to be at his wifes side as they waited for the baby. But that was impossible during Ukraines fierce counteroffensive to regain control of Kherson, over 300 miles (500 kilometers) south of their home. Yaroslav was later posted closer to home, but his unit has been deployed to one of the wars most dangerous battlegrounds for the last few months. For over six months, an intense battle has raged for control of Bakhmut, killing thousands of Ukrainian and Russian soldiers. Its a defensive operation right now, said military spokesman Serhii Cherevatyi on national television last week. The main goal is to contain the enemy and inflict heavy casualties. Bakhmut is not a strategic territory, but Moscow and Kyiv show no signs of retreat. The town once had 70,000 residents, but after six months of fighting, most civilians have left. Neither army has advanced much since Ukrainian troops regained control of Kherson in mid-November. Yaroslav was a truck driver in that counteroffensive, responsible for reclaiming abandoned Russian equipment for Ukraines reuse and transporting wounded combatants to the rear. Yaroslavs imminent return to the war hangs heavy on this celebration of new life, and everyone chooses to ignore it. Not talking about the army helps my peace of mind, said Nastia, who doesnt think shell tell her son much about the war he was born in. To lighten the mood, Nastia half-jokingly chides her husband for breaking his promise to only sign a six-month contract with the army. Of course, Im proud of my husband, she said. Hes doing what Ukraine needs him to do right now. That inspires me. The little boy makes a brief appearance at the celebration in his honor. The childhood friends hover around the bassinet to look at Illia, peacefully sleeping and wrapped in a blanket with a Harley Davidson logo. They call for a photo and cluster around the proud father with his little son in his arms. Nothing seems to disturb the babys slumber. He just ate, the mother explains. Yaroslav, the former cab driver, shows off Russian weaponry recovered for the Ukrainian army in November 2022. It was strange being alone during the pregnancy, but it was worth it, said Nastia. We talked almost every day, although sometimes he was in an area where he couldnt call. I was always nervous, but I just tried to be positive that everything would be alright. Nastia has a degree in English philology and works in the marketing department of a manicure tools and accessories company. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition The reassuring voice of Hall of Fame broadcaster Jon Miller is being put to a test, one on par with maintaining fan enthusiasm during a losing season. Miller, the play-by-play man for the San Francisco Giants, is supplying narration to an uplifting advertisement for the city of San Francisco, emphasizing the bright future for the city, even as the present includes rampant car break-ins, shopping mall brawls between teens, an unhoused population in tents and RVs, and a downtown core that remains stubbornly hollowed out of its office population. The campaign, announced Monday by Mayor London Breed and a coalition of business leaders, is centered around a 90-second film that promotes the city as a place where the future is made, a news release said. Over the last century, San Francisco has demonstrated time and time again that were a city that can remake itself, said Kate Sofis, executive director of the Office of Economic and Workforce Development with the mayors office. Were home to dreamers, thinkers, builders, creators, inventors, makers and doers. And well continue to harness our entrepreneurial spirit to build on a future that is welcoming, inclusive, and forward thinking. Selling that future is the job of Miller, who provides the narration, albeit without the adios, pelota! he typically declares for a Giants home run. The 90-second film, which features visuals of the best-known images of the city in all its splendor, was paid for by the city in partnership with the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, the Bay Area Council and Advance SF. Additional funding was supplied by the Bank of America, First Republic Bank, JPMorgan Chase, Shorenstein Companies, UCSF and United Airlines. SFNext is Chronicle coverage devoted to the city's most vexing problems. To become involved: Send feedback, ideas and suggestions to sfnext@SFChronicle.com Also included in the promotional campaign is a new website and a logo. The combined effort is intended to build on Mayor Breeds Roadmap to Downtown San Franciscos Future. San Francisco is not defined by its challenges; its defined by how it rises to its challenges, said Jim Wunderman, president and CEO of the Bay Area Council. Over many generations and by leveraging its collective power, ingenuity and creativity, this great city has reinvented itself repeatedly, each time emerging stronger, better and more resilient. At one point when the Trans Thrive staff was moving into its new San Francisco facility just east of Van Ness Avenue, Nicky Calma wondered to herself if the space was going to be too bougie for clients who were used to visiting the cramped, shared quarters of their previous clinic in the Tenderloin. The center at 1460 Pine St., which celebrates its grand opening Tuesday, has high open ceilings, a velvety soft pink sofa in the therapy room, and a back patio with an ivy-covered brick wall and strung white lights that could hold a wedding reception. I was thinking, are people going to come here? said Calma, managing director of Trans Thrive, a health and resource clinic operated by the San Francisco Community Health Center. But we deserve this space. The trans community our lives its worth caring for, its worth something like this. The 8,000-square-foot center is San Franciscos first stand-alone facility for transgender and gender non-conforming individuals, about 800 of whom are served by Trans Thrive each year, and its among only a handful of such spaces that exist in the United States. Salgu Wissmath/The Chronicle Its opening couldnt come at a better time, Calma and other staff say, as it represents San Franciscos resolve to invest in the trans community even as anti-trans politics and legal actions are surging across the country. This space shows that we have doubled down on what we do (in San Francisco), said MoNique Campbell, Trans Thrive program manager. The rest of the country is trying to shut down the services that are specialized for our survival. Trans people for a long time have just been surviving, and barely doing that, with the scraps they get, Campbell said. This is a place that shows them that you can thrive and there are people who are dedicated toward that. The Trans Thrive facility was developed based in large part on input from the citys trans and gender non-conforming community, who asked for a space that was safe and welcoming, and included everything from traditional resources like counseling and help accessing health and social services to a place they could get a hot shower and a cup of coffee. Salgu Wissmath/The Chronicle The center had a soft opening on March 13, and is still a work in progress. A closet-size kitchen will be revamped into showers in the next phase, Calma said, and a room dedicated to youth services is still empty save a few beanbag chairs. Eventually Trans Thrive intends to add a large kitchen that clients can access. Opening the facility is kind of historical, Calma said. It proves that were invested in the community. With more than 400 anti-trans bills many aimed at curtailing or banning access to gender-affirming health care and other resources in play across the country, San Francisco has been held up as a sanctuary for transgender and gender non-conforming individuals, Calma said. The new facility is symbolic of that safe haven. Im so happy to have something like this, but is it enough? she said. We have hundreds of anti-trans bills going against us (in the U.S.), so even though we have all these amazing things happening here, we have to continue working. It feels like one wrong step, and everything can be gone. Salgu Wissmath/The Chronicle The facility, which previously housed private health offices, is being leased by San Francisco Community Health for $12,000 a month, and its funded largely through a $1.2 million investment from biotech giant Gilead of Foster City. Longer-term funding comes from a number of federal and local sources and grants. Feldman Architecture of San Francisco provided pro bono design assistance. Coming from the LGBTQ+ community myself, weve started to feel more and more of the hate that is coming our way and in particular the transgender community, said Jane Stafford, executive director of public affairs at Gilead. We wanted to provide funds to open a space that feels safe and embracing and has all of the wraparound services even just a place to hang out without risk of any negative consequence. The facility wont solve all of the issues faced by the transgender community in San Francisco, Stafford added, but it certainly addresses giving people a place where they can go and just be be themselves, and be safe. Salgu Wissmath/The Chronicle Among services provided at the facility: case management; behavioral and substance use counseling; social groups and events; testing for HIV and sexually transmitted infections; and education and workforce training. Everyone on the 12-member staff at Trans Thrive identifies as transgender or gender non-conforming, which is key to creating a welcoming, supportive space, Calma said. She added that it was critical that Trans Thrive clients and members of the community weigh in on what they wanted from the center. San Francisco Community Health held five focus groups and surveyed 50 transgender and gender non-conforming individuals in 2019 to help with that process. To have a space like this, of this caliber, is really major for the community, said Erica Reyes, program supervisor with Trans Thrive, who was a client herself for 16 years before joining the staff. Theyre used to being just, I dont know in the Tenderloin. Were normally in these spaces that arent so great. The community really needs this, and they deserve it. Postal officials in Oakland sought to raise alarms Monday about what they described as a troubling rise in armed robberies of mail carriers. Four Oakland mail carriers were robbed last month, authorities said at a Monday news conference among about 20 open cases of robberies and assaults in the past year. Despite their essential role, they are increasingly becoming the targets of criminals who have no concern for their safety or well-being, said Oakland Postmaster Sunil Chanan, himself a former carrier. Postal authorities in Oakland are asking the public for help in apprehending the criminals, whom they called cowards. All postal patrons in Oakland and Emeryville will receive a letter asking them to keep an eye out for their mail carriers and contact not only police but federal postal inspectors, the USPS law enforcement arm. The women and men delivering your mail need your help to be safe, said Rafael Nunez, the postal inspector in charge. Robberies of postal carriers and thefts of mail from mailboxes have always been a problem, authorities said. But theyre on the upswing in Oakland in recent months. Assailants have snuck up on carriers walking their routes, leapt out of cars without license plates and approached carriers in their trucks, officials said. In most cases, theyve displayed guns. No mail carrier should have to come to work worrying, Is this the day Im going to be robbed? said Edward Fletcher, head of the Oakland chapter of the National Association of Letter Carriers, the union that represents mail carriers. Mail carriers are not armed and arent accompanied by security guards, he said. Were not trained in self-defense; were not military, he said. This is cowardly. While they declined to offer further details, postal officials said that the robbers are suspected of being part of a crime ring or organized effort to steal mail and postal service property. Everything from carriers cell phones and wallets to packages and envelopes has been stolen in the robberies. But spokesperson Matthew Norfleet said the main target appears to be the ring of keys that gives carriers access to mailboxes. Contents of the boxes are then stolen. Anyone who sees someone following a mail carrier or someone emptying a mailbox whos not in a postal service uniform or driving a postal vehicle should call 911 first, then contact the postal inspectors at 877-876-2455 or www.uspis.gov/report, officials said. The postal service is offering a $50,000 reward to anyone providing information that leads to the arrest or conviction of someone involved in the robberies. Robbing a postal carrier is a federal offense that can result in a prison sentence of up to 25 years. Chanan said that mail carriers used to be respected by the people on their rounds but are now being threatened or robbed. People cared about you on the street, he said. What were seeing now is totally different. Stepping into the remodeled dining room of what was, until February, the restaurant Palette in SoMa, is now like being submerged into the deepest depths of the ocean. The walls, which once displayed artwork at the combination art gallery and fine-dining restaurant, are now painted a dark shade of black. They almost appear to close in around you. Its a fitting look for a seafood restaurant named Aphotic after the deep, uncharted ocean layer the suns light can barely reach. The name gets deep to the root of what were doing as a restaurant. Theres a lot of mystery, said chef-owner Peter Hemsley, an alum of San Franciscos Michelin-starred Quince, who opened Palette, his first solo restaurant, at the same address, 816 Folsom St., in 2019. With a dining room re-creating its namesake darkness, Hemsleys goal is to take diners into the unknown when Aphotic opens for dinner on Tuesday, March 21. The restaurants dishes, served a la carte and on a $230, 10-course tasting menu, will all feature seafood, from a first-course trout from Mount Lassen Trout farm to an oyster ice cream dessert. Theyll also showcase unconventional ways of handling fish from head to tail, as well as seafood products often overlooked in a fine-dining environment. That includes creating fish sauces in-house from leftover bones and bits in an effort to eliminate all fish waste. Staff take leftover parts from fish, add plenty of salt and koji, the mold used to create soy sauce, to make a reaction that breaks down the matter over the course of a few weeks. This results in an umami-rich sauce that goes on crudo items, seasons some cooked dishes and can even be used on sweets like chocolate. We really try to get fish on everything, even dessert, Hemsley said. In place of traditional refrigeration, Hemsley is using dry agers to store much of his fish. Its the same way a steak house stores choice cuts of beef, a process that evaporates internal water to concentrate flavor and soften tissue. Dry-aging fish at temperatures around 40 degrees Fahrenheit results in a completely different eating experience, Hemsley said; he noted that petrale sole, a buttery fish with little texture, gains a nice mouthfeel after a few days of dry aging. On a more prized fish like bluefin tuna, a two-month aging process will create more intense umami, he said. Diners walking in can see the dry agers near the entrance. Its all on display, Hemsley said. Aphotic | bread&Butter Aphotics a la carte and tasting menus will highlight species that have fallen out of vogue in a fine-dining setting, such as rock cod and Pacific skate. More popular fish is on the menu, too, like black cod ($42, served with kombu butter and sushi rice) and spot prawns from Monterey Bay, Miyagi gem oysters from Tomales Bay in Marin County and Half Moon Bay Dungeness crab, when in season. Hemsley is buying fish from only a handful of fishermen and aquaculture farms like TransparentSea Farm in Downey (Los Angeles County), that focus on best practices and sustainability. The chef said he occasionally drives up to five hours to purchase from a single individual. Ive always offered to make that extra effort for a fisherman whos got an amazing product and is doing things right, he said. By working closely with suppliers, Hemsley has also picked up some interesting techniques. In speaking with Marin Oyster Co. in Marshall, his Miyagi oyster supplier, he learned that keeping oysters in their native mud for as long as possible, wrapped in towels inside a refrigerator, will keep them healthier and fresher than putting them on ice, the most common practice among restaurants. Aphotics accompanying wine list includes more than 7,000 bottles, including Champagnes and California wines dating back to the 1970s. The restaurant also emphasizes its house-made botanical distillates, having obtained its own craft distillers license and a license to operate its own still. Spirits infused with oyster shell, burnt lime and seaweed, among others will provide a marine accent to drinks. The bars seaweed martini, for example, is made with California juniper and seaweed distillates instead of regular gin and dry vermouth. Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more. When Hemsley opened Palette, at the same address, he intended to operate it on a temporary basis because the restaurants building, a warehouse from the 1940s, was slated for demolition and redevelopment. The chef planned to move to a larger venue at 155 12th St., but when demolition plans for the current site were discarded during the pandemic, Hemsley decided to stay put. Aphotic | bread&Butter Now, with a new design and menu, hes committing to the downtown space. Hemsley and designer David Middleton designed the interior of the restaurant. The dining rooms black walls, accents of Japanese charred wood by East Bay designer John Liston and leather booths create a closed-in, intimate feel for the restaurant's 36-seats even with ceilings 30 feet high. Custom woodwork from S.F. manufacturers Arnold & Egan behind the bar and glass lighting fixtures from Rocket Lightworks add a refined feel and contrast from the dark. Small lamps on tables and the flicker of flame in the hearth create warmth. When you draw the lights down, the attention is on the table, Hemsley said. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Alameda food tech company Good Meat is one step closer to bringing its lab-grown chicken to market. The so-called cultivated meat producer received a no questions letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, in which the regulatory agency accepts the companys claims that its product is safe for human consumption. The FDA reached the conclusion after an analysis of Good Meats cultivated cells, production methods and final product. The company joins Berkeleys Upside Foods in receiving this FDA approval for its cultivated chicken; Upside received its no questions letter in November 2022. Its massive. This has been five years in the making for us, said Vitor Santo, Good Meats lead cellular researcher. We are very excited. Good Meat is owned by Eat Just, the food tech company best known for its vegan egg product, Just Egg. With the FDA hurdle cleared, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is in charge of the next vetting steps for the company. The process includes making sure labeling is accurate and entails an inspection of its manufacturing facilities similar to how the USDA inspects factory farms. USDA approval is needed in order for Good Meat to sell its cultivated chicken at markets and restaurants. Upside Foods told The Chronicle it is currently working with USDA to obtain a grant of inspection and approve its label, but declined to speculate on a timeline. Cultivated meats are grown in bioreactor tanks, in which meat cells are fed a mix of nutrients and vitamins, which the FDA also examined, in an environment with the right temperature and mix of oxygen to foster growth. Cultivated meat products differ from plant-based meats like the bleeding burgers from Impossible Burger and Beyond Meat, which aim to replicate the experience of eating a real animal product with no animal ingredients. As part of Good Meats manufacturing process in Alameda, a plant protein is added for texture, depending on the product. Santo, the lead researcher, noted the chicken mass looks like ground chicken when it comes out of the bioreactor. A chicken nugget may not include any added texture, but the companys chicken satay skewers or chicken breast strips can be made up of nearly 30% plant protein to give it a realistic, fibrous texture. Good Meat has outlined plans for a massive commercial facility which experts estimate might cost more than $400 million to build, that could produce as much as 30 million pounds of cultivated meat per year, company CEO Josh Tetrick told The Chronicle last year. A demonstration plant at the companys Alameda headquarters already has capacity to grow tens of thousands of pounds of meat. Unlike much animal farming, cell cultivation requires no antibiotics, which Santo considers a major advantage over the growing problem of antibiotic resistance among animals in factory farms. Similar to plant and mycelium protein alternatives to animal products, Good Meats own studies show lower impacts when it comes to water and energy usage and greenhouse gas emissions. There are aspects where cultivated meat can be a helpful and great alternative, Santo said. Despite being a few steps away from reaching the U.S. market, Good Meats cultivated chicken has been available in Singapore since the end of 2020. The Southeast Asian country was the first to regulate the sale of cultivated meat. The product has been selling well, the company says, though at a loss due to its current production scale. Current costs to create cultivated meat are high, and critics doubt the product will ever achieve price parity. But Good Meat plans on ramping up production in Singapore and the United States to put its product at a competitive price point with organic chicken, the company claims. Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more. We have made great progress in our research and development to increase efficiency, and were meeting our goals, Santo said. As part of its U.S. product rollout plans, Good Meat is partnering with celebrity chef Jose Andres to serve its cultivated chicken at one of his restaurants in Washington, D.C. later this year. That all depends on USDA approval. The No Questions letter moved the process along, but we cannot provide a timeline for that, Santo said. But it will be very soon. This story has been updated to distinguish between Eat Justs plans for a commercial production facility and its existing Alameda demonstration plant. On a recent trip to Vietnam, Im pretty sure I found one key to a happy and harmonious urban life. During the drippy, languid hours of midday heat in Ho Chi Minh City, which many also call Saigon, I frequently ducked into every hem, or alleyway, that I saw for a little bit of shade. They quickly became my favorite places in the city. Lined with homes and storefronts that opened up directly into the street, these alleyways were filled with scooter parking, lush potted trees, craft workshops, shrines wafting with incense smoke and baskets of various things for sale. Cars, still a rarity in this city, occasionally snagged parking at alley entrances when they could. In these alleyways, where the vast majority of residents live, the division between ones own property and the street is more of a suggestion rather than a rule. Life spills out of the home and onto the streets, where neighbors gather for iced coffee and hang laundry, and generations of restaurateurs cook and serve food right at their own doorsteps. If that sounds chaotic, its not. The ever-present sonic buzz of the city is shockingly absent. Soleil Ho / The Chronicle How is this order maintained? Annette M. Kim, a public policy expert and researcher of Vietnams sidewalk culture, told me that governance happens at a very local level, with leadership and oversight occurring within neighborhoods. If something works well at the neighborhood level, the city government responds by adapting policies to allow other areas of the city to do the same. Whats different about Saigon is that theyll turn the other way and allow experiments to happen as long as youre not making trouble, said Kim. Thats so refreshing compared to San Francisco, this uptight city where placing even the most unobtrusive outdoor furniture on the sidewalk usually requires a lengthy permit review process, including detailed site plans, a two-week public notification period and a $1,402 application fee. Even in looser zones, like Slow Streets, the people who use them arent allowed to do much with all that space. Sure, you can jog or bike through them, but the infrastructure for actually hanging out isnt there. During the pandemic was an explosion of parklets, but theyre largely privately owned and not used unless the attached businesses are open. We do have a few bright spots for unabashed chilling, like Portsmouth Square in Chinatown and Dolores Park in the Mission. And the car-free stretch of John F. Kennedy Drive in Golden Gate Park is starting to perk up with sculptures, a couple of food trucks and chalk murals. Critics, however, continue to emphasize the locations relative inaccessibility. One solution could be to focus less on JFK and bring the ideals of JFK everywhere in the city: to Bayview-Hunters Point, the Outer Mission and Chinatown alike. Thats what its like in Ho Chi Minh City. Comparatively, American cities like San Francisco, with streets designed for driving, feel like much lonelier places. Theres data to suggest that isnt just anecdotal. Even before the pandemic, there was a rash of stories about a loneliness epidemic among Americans. In 2021, health care company Cigna reported that more than half of the respondents in a wide survey of American adults said they suffered from consistent feelings of loneliness, including a lack of meaningful relationships and social interaction. Stories about loneliness usually end with some suggestions on what to do: Put down your phone, reach out to your friends and family, join a club. But what these stories tend to ignore is that loneliness is also a problem of public policy. Take single-family zoning. A UC Berkeley study of Bay Area cities found that areas zoned for single-family homes were more segregated, with white, high-income residents being more able to access essential resources, including recreational spaces. Cignas report mentions that 63% of respondents who earn less than $50,000 a year are lonely, outstripping those who earn more. What use is reaching out to friends if you have nowhere safe, affordable or accessible in your neighborhood to meet them? Perhaps unsurprisingly, the report also found that Black and Latino Americans faced higher rates of loneliness. Throughout the Bay Area history, there are many examples of how the yearning for community has clashed with the doctrines of modern urban planning. In the 1870s, San Franciscos Board of Supervisors passed a series of ordinances aimed at limiting the public presence of the citys Chinese population, from restricting where they could live to outlawing the ringing of gongs. More recently, residents of newly built condos in San Franciscos Mission and in downtown Oakland have fought to shutter clubs and other businesses in historically vibrant neighborhoods, weaponizing noise ordinances and anonymous complaint lines to get their way. Thats not to say that urban planning should be a complete free-for-all. Having oversight to ensure that disabled people have equal access to the streets and sidewalks is essential, and there should be some checks in place to keep people from, say, installing lava pits on public thoroughfares. Still, it would be great for the city to subsidize the $1,402 application fee to make minor encroachments more accessible to more neighborhoods. Making more community spaces on Slow Streets, like whats happening on Slow Sanchez, is a great idea. Kim pointed to the Los Angeles gas stations that transform into bustling taquerias at night as good examples of multifunctional space in cities. When you look at a space, dont just think about it in terms of square meters of concrete, she said. Its space-time. At different hours and on different days, it could become so many different things. What I love about the multifunctional Vietnamese alleys is that they are a free and close place to loiter, gossip and meet eyes with other people to have those chance encounters that characterize places that knit communities together. To me, it feels like an essential part of a real city: A dynamic place where all kinds of people are smashed together; a world of unforeseen potential. I dont mean to idealize the situation in Vietnam, which has had its own ups and downs. Increased economic development, mostly in the way of foreign investment, is actually pushing places like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to change. State officials have spent years cracking down on sidewalk vendors in a quest to emulate modern cities like Singapore, though they largely failed, meeting resistance from vendors and homeowners alike. The good news, according to Kim, is that a new generation of city officials and planners are working on ways to preserve the sidewalks many functions while making them cleaner and more suitable for transit. They realized quality of life is important, too, not just economic development at all costs. Even Singapore, famously a bastion of extreme order and cleanliness, has asked Kim to suggest ways to bring life back to its streets. The pandemic gave cities more flexibility in defining public space and how its supposed to look. In recent years, San Franciscos residents have shown that we want more, not less, shared space in our city. We can be ambitious about redefining how our public spaces can function, and San Francisco will only be better for it. I recently attended a program on the free press with panelists included Carl Bernstein of Watergate fame, the editor in chief of the New Orleans Times-Picayune and an investigative reporter whod uncovered child abuse in churches. The panelists were impassioned, warning about troubling developments in newspapers: the expense of investigative work, the drastic reduction in local coverage, threats to the physical safety of journalists and the disturbing implications of citizens turning solely to a single source for news. The free press is critical to a functioning democracy. Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter once said, Without a free press, there can be no free society. Fake news is cheap. Covering a region as large and important as the Bay Area and thoroughly investigating stories designed to report the truth is pricey. During question time at the free press panel, I asked, For those of us who care deeply about protecting the work of journalists and the future of newspapers, what can ordinary citizens do, other than buy a subscription? Bernstein replied, Buy two. Erin Gordon, San Francisco Resuscitate downtown S.F. If you care about San Francisco, you need to care about the future of our downtown. For the city to thrive, its economic core needs to be successful. Nearly 80% of San Franciscos economic output is generated downtown, which funds critical services such as public safety and public transportation. Simply put: Downtown is the heart of the city. If it declines, our residential areas will also. San Franciscos heart is weakened, dramatically changed by the pandemic and changing work patterns. The city is missing 150,000 office workers and 150,000 others who had normally visited downtown every day. The city forecasts a more than $1 billion deficit primarily due to the loss of business-driven tax revenue. The social services that businesses fund are necessary to tackle long-standing issues, including clean and safe streets and affordability not to mention climate change and aging infrastructure and will be fundamental in getting San Francisco back on its feet. Decisions must be made to help downtown recover. All ideas should be on the table including new housing, expanding education centers, bolstering arts venues and incentives to attract and retain businesses because downtown is everyones neighborhood. Wade Rose, president, Advance SF Justifying beliefs Regarding Religion supports rights (Letters to the Editor, March 17): John Wills claims opposition to any murder is rooted in religion. You know what else is rooted in religion? Justification for murder. Just ask the people who committed pogroms against European Jews or the Crusaders or any Al Qaeda or Islamic State terrorist. Or the people who kill abortion providers. Wills then claims opposition to slavery is rooted in religion. Guess what: So is justification for slavery. Just ask the slave owners of the American South. Or read the Bible (Ephesians 6:5, Timothy 6:1, Exodus 21:4, Leviticus 25:44-45, etc., etc. and etc.). Religious people who do good base their actions on their religion, and atheists who do good base their actions on their moral codes. Religious people who do bad justify themselves with their religion, and atheists who do harm justify themselves with their self-interest. People can take any system of belief, value, morality or ethics and use it for good or for evil. Tom Wood, San Francisco Sound the alarm Regarding Conservatives have no clue what woke means and they dont care (Joe Garofoli, SFChronicle.com, March 15): Conservatives not knowing what woke means indicates they are asleep to the state of todays world and how it has transformed over the past 50 years. Conservatives should also know that people want freedom the freedom to vote, access affordable health care and education, love whomever they want and freely make decisions about their bodies without government barriers. Todays litmus test for any elected official should include a pledge to support the basic human rights our democracy was designed to afford everyone. It becomes clearer every day that the Democratic Party is the party of freedom while the Republicans are now the party of repression. Gary Pike, San Francisco SACRAMENTO California will contract with drugmaker Civica Rx to produce its own low-cost insulin, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Saturday. He also unveiled plans for the state to manufacture naloxone, a drug for reversing opioid overdoses. Newsom announced the insulin contract at an event near Los Angeles. The partnership will make California the first state to manufacture prescription drugs through its own label, CalRx. Theres no state in America, not one, that comes close to doing what the state of California has done on health care, Newsom said. Civica Rx had already announced plans to produce $30 vials of insulin, which Newsoms office says will be the price of the drug produced under the contract. About 7.4 million Americans with diabetes rely on synthetic insulin to regulate their blood sugar. People with type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune disease that prevents the body from making the blood sugar-regulating hormone, must take insulin daily to survive and can go through multiple vials per month. People with type 2 diabetes still produce some of their own insulin, but also rely on synthetic insulin. California plans to manufacture insulin products that will be interchangeable with brand-name insulin products Lantus, Humalog and Novolog. If the federal Food and Drug Administration approves Civicas versions of the drugs, Newsom said he anticipates they will be available starting early next year. Ultimately, Newsom wants to partner with Civica to produce the drugs in California, according to his office. Newsom first announced his plan to have California manufacture its own prescription drugs in January 2020 as a way to lower health care costs. At the time, he said he was already in talks to find a company to manufacture the drugs. Newsom signed the state law authorizing CalRx in September 2020, which directed the states Health and Human Services Agency to partner with drugmakers that could produce cheaper generic alternatives to existing drugs that are no longer protected by patents, including insulin. Newsom has approved $100 million in the state budget for the project. The contract with Civica will use up half of that amount, Newsom said, and will last 10 years. Despite repeated requests from reporters, his office had not yet released a copy of the contract early Saturday afternoon. Even before the contract was announced, Californias commitment to making its own insulin helped pressure existing insulin makers to lower their prices, said Anthony Wright of Sacramento consumer advocacy group Health Access. Earlier this month, the three pharmaceutical companies that control the U.S. insulin market announced they would slash prices on their most popular insulin products. The move comes after the federal government capped out-of-pocket insulin costs at $35 per month for patients on Medicare last year. Its not clear that the insulin produced through CalRx would be cheaper than other alternatives after the pharmaceutical companies price-cutting promises. But at $30 per vial, it will be more affordable than insulin costs have been in recent years, when prices have soared so high that some patients have been forced to ration their insulin. In the California Legislature, Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, has introduced a bill that would generally ban insurance plans from charging a patient more than $35 for insulin. Wiener said he still plans to pursue that legislation to ensure the lifesaving drug is affordable. California particularly stands to benefit from lower insulin prices as one of the largest drug purchasers in the country through its state-funded health insurance programs for low-income people and its health care plans for state workers and teachers. Newsom said his administration is already in discussions about also manufacturing both injectable and nasal spray versions of naloxone to bolster the states efforts to combat fentanyl overdoses. In his budget proposal for the upcoming fiscal year, Newsom has proposed adding $97 million to combat the opioid crisis, most of which would fund distribution of naloxone, also known by the brand name Narcan. His budget plan also includes $3.5 million to provide the overdose drug for middle and high schools. Newsom has promised to send naloxone to all schools that need it. Assembly Republican leader James Gallagher said he supports lowering the cost of insulin but doesnt believe government has a good track record of improving on the private sector in an area such as pharmaceuticals. And Newsom, he said, has a history of making big promises and failing to follow through. Call me a little bit of a skeptic on his latest proposal here, the Nicolaus (Sutter County) Assembly member said. CalRx is one of several steps Newsom has taken to lower health care costs, including working with the Legislature to create an Office of Health Care Affordability within his administration and a related advisory board, which will hold its first meeting Tuesday. Some advocates, however, want him to go further. Hes faced scrutiny from staunch supporters of creating a government-run universal health care program for endorsing such a system while campaigning for governor but failing to implement one once in office. Newsom has also been criticized for his efforts to divert money that was scheduled to subsidize insurance costs for California families to use it in the states general fund for several years while the federal government provides insurance subsidy money. Wright and other advocates argue that the federal money should be used to supplement the state assistance, not replace it. Senate Republican Leader Brian Jones criticized Newsom for focusing on prescription drugs instead of sending money to help hospitals stay open, something a bipartisan group of eight senators has been pushing for. The San Diego senator said rural hospitals that cater to low-income populations are particularly at risk of closure because the states reimbursement rates for its Medi-Cal insurance program are so low. The priority right now should be saving the healthcare system we currently have, Jones wrote in a statement. We are racing toward an unavoidable crisis while our governor seems unfocused and has his priorities out of order, Jones said. Gov. Gavin Newsom and Democratic leaders in the Legislature announced Monday that they have brokered a deal on his proposal to fight Californias high gas prices by taking oil companies to task over their record profits. Under his updated proposal, the California Energy Commission would have rulemaking authority to create a cap on oil refiners profits and to set the amount. They would also have the authority to fine companies that exceed the cap and set penalty amounts. The deal was cheered by environmentalists and consumer advocates, who said it was a monumental step after past failed attempts to confront Californias high gas prices. This is a landmark deal that will give California power to stop the price gouging at the pump that has plagued Californians for decades, said Jamie Court, president of Consumer Watchdog, an advocacy group that has long pushed to clamp down on oil companies. This governor forced the issue and created the solution in a matter of six months. In the course of things, thats actually quick. In the fall, Newsom began calling for legislation to penalize oil companies for their record profits amid skyrocketing prices at the pump. He convened a special legislative session in December for lawmakers to consider his proposal on price gouging. The Democratic governors effort initially got off to slow support and received a lukewarm reception from some moderate Democrats in Sacramento. Mondays announcement marks a shift in the fortunes of Newsoms proposal and comes after months of closed-door negotiations. Newsom also dramatically changed his proposal: He had earlier suggested that the Legislature would set the amount of the profit cap. Now his plan would punt the decision to energy regulators. Democrats are expected to try to pass the bill through the state Assembly and Senate by March 30, when legislators' spring recess begins. The governor had originally called the penalty a tax on the windfall profits of oil companies. Last fall he pivoted to calling his proposal a price gouging penalty, a move with significant implications: Creating a tax requires approval from two-thirds of lawmakers, while a penalty requires only a majority. Critics of Newsoms plan, including the Western States Petroleum Association and Republican legislators, say it could have the unintended consequence of driving prices up if it causes oil companies to produce less gas in California. First it was a windfall profits tax, then it was a penalty, and lacking legislative support for that, Gov. Newsom is now proposing a new tax and a bigger bureaucracy, said Kevin Slagle, a spokesperson for petroleum association, an industry trade group. There have been 106 days in the special session, and now the governor would like to jam this through in the next 10 days? Newsoms plan, Senate Bill X1-2, would also give the Energy Commission more oversight authority to require oil refiners to share information about their transactions and business practices. Sen. Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, officially introduced an updated version of the bill Monday. Todays agreement represents a major milestone in our efforts to drive the oil industry out of the shadows and ensure they play by the rules, Newsom said in a statement. This represents some of the strongest and most effective transparency and oversight measures in the country, and the penalty would root out price gouging. The top two Democrats in the Legislature, Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon of Lakewood (Los Angeles County) and Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins of San Diego, also endorsed the plan in a joint statement with the governor. We know what the costs of maintaining our roads and meeting our climate goals are, Atkins said, and with this bill, the state will finally have the tools to get answers on oil profits and put a stop to price gouging. Californias average statewide price for a gallon of gas was $4.85 on Wednesday, about $1.41 more than the national average, according to AAA. Prices have fallen in recent months after spiking to a statewide average of about $6.42 in early fall, at least $2.61 more per gallon than drivers nationwide were paying at the time. Cities cant completely prohibit rental property owners from asking prospective tenants about their criminal history, although they can prohibit owners from excluding all tenants who have criminal records, a divided federal appeals court ruled Tuesday. The 2-1 ruling by the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco struck down part of an ordinance in Seattle and also will affect laws in Oakland and Berkeley that ban nearly all questioning about an applicants criminal record. But the court approvingly cited a 2014 San Francisco ordinance that lets owners of affordable housing consider a would-be renters convictions from the previous seven years. That ordinance, the Fair Chance law, allows an owner to reject an applicant whose record raises serious concerns about safety, as long as the renter has a chance to present evidence of rehabilitation and recommendations from others. While San Francisco argued in a court filing that cities should be allowed to go further and ban nearly all inquiries about tenants criminal records, the court said the Fair Chance law showed that a local government could protect prospective renters from discrimination while remaining significantly less burdensome on speech by the property owners. On the other hand, Judge Kim Wardlaw said in the majority opinion, owners have no right to automatically exclude all tenants with past criminal convictions. Laws in Seattle and other cities against such prohibitions serve the legitimate purposes of reducing barriers to housing faced by persons with criminal records and lessening the use of criminal history as a proxy to discriminate on the basis of race, Wardlaw wrote. She said formerly incarcerated people are nearly 10 times as likely as the general population to experience homelessness or housing insecurity, and the disparities were far more likely to affect racial minorities than whites. The court set aside a federal judges 2021 ruling upholding the entire Seattle ordinance and told the judge to decide whether the citys ban on excluding all applicants with criminal records could stand on its own. Wardlaws decision drew partial dissents from the other members of the panel. Judge Mark Bennett said a property owner who prioritizes the safety of other tenants should be allowed to reject any applicant with a criminal record. But Judge Ronald Gould said cities that seek to protect tenants against discrimination should be able to bar all questioning about criminal history. Property owners could still get pertinent information about an applicants rental history, income history, character references, job history, and could ask for references from others who have rented to the prospective tenant, Gould said. The federal government, under Presidents Barack Obama and Biden, has issued guidance statements saying property owners nationwide should consider ending all questioning about prospective tenants past convictions. Criminal history is not a good predictor of housing success and its use can result in discrimination, the Department of Housing and Urban Development said in a report last June. Tuesdays ruling was praised by the Pacific Legal Foundation, a nonprofit property-rights supporter representing owners who challenged the Seattle ordinance. The Ninth Circuits decision recognizes that the First Amendment protects the right to ask questions and receive information relevant to our livelihoods, said Ethan Blevins, the foundations lawyer in the case. Despite the courts favorable reference to San Franciscos approach, Jen Kwart, spokesperson for City Attorney David Chiu, said the city would have preferred a ruling that barred all inquiries into rental applicants criminal records. We are disappointed the court struck down this portion of Seattles ordinance because we believe strongly in reducing barriers to formerly incarcerated people, Kwart said. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks at a briefing on the 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices at the State Department in Washington, on March 20, 2023. The Biden administration announced Monday that it has determined all sides in the brutal conflict in Ethiopias northern Tigray region committed war crimes and crimes against humanity. The move carries no immediate U.S. policy implications but lends weight to calls for such allegations to be prosecuted. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced the determination less than a week after he returned from a visit to Ethiopia during which he met with Ethiopian government and Tigrayan officials as well as victims of the conflict, but said little about the U.S. view of prospects for accountability. His determination covers members of the Ethiopian and Eritrean national armies as well as the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front and forces aligned with the Amhara region. Blinken said those responsible for atrocities must be held accountable. He said after careful review of the law and facts he had determined that members of the Ethiopian National Defense Forces, Eritrean Defense Forces, Tigray Peoples Liberation Front forces and Amhara forces committed war crimes during the conflict in northern Ethiopia. Members of the Ethiopian, Eritrean and Amhara forces also committed crimes against humanity, including murder, rape and other forms of sexual violence, and persecution, Blinken said. Members of the Amhara forces also committed the crime against humanity of deportation or forcible transfer and committed ethnic cleansing in western Tigray. Blinken announced the determination as he rolled out the State Departments annual global human rights reports, which cover 2022 and also called out Afghanistan, China, Cuba, Iran, Myanmar and Nicaragua for abuses. I condemn the unspeakable violence against civilians and destruction that occurred in northern Ethiopia, he said. Recognizing the atrocities committed by all parties is an essential step to achieving a sustainable peace.Those most responsible for atrocities, including those in positions of command, must be held accountable. The formal determination is more measured than his assertion early in the two-year conflict that ethnic cleansing was taking place in parts of Tigray. Last year, a United Nations commission of inquiry said it had turned up evidence of war crimes and crimes against humanity by Ethiopian government forces, Tigray forces and Eritreas military. But the commission also said Ethiopian forces had resorted to starvation of civilians as a tool of war and that Ethiopian and Eritrean forces were found to be responsible for sexual slavery while Tigray forces were not. The conflict, which ended with a peace deal in November, killed an estimated half-million civilians in Tigray alone, according to Ghent University researchers, a death toll echoed by U.S. officials. Blinken called on all sides to respect the agreement and follow through on pledges to implement an inclusive and comprehensive transitional justice process. He said Afghanistans ruling Taliban, which took power after the U.S. withdrawal from the country two years ago, relentlessly discriminates against and represses women and girls and has taken action that threatens humanitarian assistance to all Afghans. On China, Blinken said Beijing continues abuses, including genocide and crimes against humanity, against Uyghur Muslims in it western Xinjiang area. It also continues the repression of Tibetans and pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong, along with mainland Chinese citizens who have tried to exercise basic freedoms. In Myanmar, also known as Burma, Blinken said human rights have further eroded, and in Nicaragua, he said the authoritarian government continues to detain political prisoners and hold them in appalling prison conditions. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition Gov. Gavin Newsom would face new deadlines on his administrations work to revamp the states health care system under a bill unveiled Tuesday in the state Legislature. Newsom, a Democrat, has said for years that he supports creating a government-run health system in California, including while campaigning for governor, but since taking office has not endorsed specific legislation to do so. Early last year, when Newsom was asked if he supported a bill to create a universal, government-run health care system in California, he dodged the question, saying he was waiting for a report from a state commission studying the issue. That report came out last April, and endorsed a vast overhaul of Californias health system. Transitioning the state from a system where private health insurance companies control much of the market to one run by the state would be a huge undertaking, one that would require permission from the federal government in the form of a waiver. On his first day in office, Newsom announced that he was pursuing such a waiver. More than four years later, California still does not have one. A bill Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, announced Tuesday would impose deadlines on the administration and give the Legislature a role in the process of securing a waiver. It doesnt explicitly call for a single-payer health care system, and instead uses the term unified financing, which is the language endorsed by the report from the state commission. Advocates of single payer generally endorse a system that is government-run, and where the state is the sole entity paying for health care. A unified financing system could take that form, according to the report, but could also include a role for private insurance companies that fiercely oppose a single-payer system that would put them out of business. The report does, however, call for distinctions between private insurance and government plans to be dissolved. Wieners bill, SB770, would require Newsoms health secretary to brief the Legislature on the status of its work to secure a federal waiver every few months, and to produce a formal report on the administrations progress and plans by June 2024. It would also give legislative leaders power to appoint people to a group advising the administrations work. It will really move the process forward, Wiener said. I think it will create a structured process and move this along more quickly. The bill is important because it provides a structure for the administrations work toward remaking the states health system, said Michael Lighty, president of the advocacy group Healthy California Now, a coalition of organizations led by the National Union of Healthcare Workers that is sponsoring the bill. Lighty, whose organization supports single-payer health care, said the deadlines could help speed up the administrations work. He commended the Newsom administration for the steps it has taken so far, including committing staff to work with the Biden administration on getting a waiver. From an advocates point of view, you can always hope for a quicker pace, but frankly, its complicated, he said. We believe (SB)770 can put some definitive timelines on it. Last year, legislative staff estimated a bill to create a single-payer system would cost over $350 billion, more than the current $300 billion state budget. That would require hefty tax increases, though supporters say that such a system would reduce costs for consumers overall. Any major changes to the health care system would be a very difficult political lift. Two past bills to create a single-payer system died amid staunch opposition, including from insurance companies and hospitals that argued such a change would cause a huge disruption in the health care system. Newsom endorsed the first of those efforts, SB562, in 2017 and called on lawmakers to advance the legislation. Im tired of politicians saying they support single payer but that its too soon, too expensive or someone elses problem, Newsom, then lieutenant governor, tweeted that year. On similar bills introduced since he became governor, he has been silent. Yet another conservative fumbled recently when asked to define a word that has come to consume the rights approach to politics: woke. On Tuesday, conservative author Bethany Mandel was the latest to fall into the trap. Mandel, the author of Stolen Youth, said during an interview on the Hills web series Rising that We hope that parents of all political stripes will pick up the book. This is sort of a woke reimagining that is very, very, very far left. Interviewer Briahna Joy Gray interrupted her to ask how Mandel defined woke. And thats where things got fuzzy. So, I mean, woke is sort of the idea that Mandel started. Then, as she realized that her prolonged silence spoke volumes, she predicted the obvious: This is going to be one of those moments that goes viral. Yup. Mandels non-definition was viewed more than 26 million times in its first 24 hours. The exchange shows its midnight for attacking someone as woke. Its also time to stop asking conservatives what the word means. They dont know and they dont care. Woke has become the Swiss Army knife of attacks for conservatives, an epithet used to describe any type of change or action theyre not comfortable with. Just in the past few weeks weve seen it used to deride Legos for introducing characters with Down syndrome and missing limbs (Legos gone woke) to the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (Go woke, go broke). Woke has become so ubiquitous that just saying it implies a wink-wink, nudge-nudge to those who have Fox News on throughout the day as the soundtrack of their lives. To the other 330 million Americans who dont, the challenge becomes understanding what conservatives mean. Woke has devolved into another vaguely defined conservative political insult like the perennial invocation of San Francisco values and socialist. Or how liberal was demonized when Bill Clinton was president. Or how Republican President George H.W. Bush railed on his Democratic opponent Michael Dukakis for being a card-carrying member of the ACLU back in 1988. After Mandels initial fumble on the woke definition, she tried to regroup. Woke is something that is very hard to define, and (in the book) we have spent an entire chapter defining it, Mandel said. It is the sort of understanding that we need to totally reimagine and reduce society in order to create hierarchies of oppression. Sorry, it is hard to explain in a 15-second sound bite. For those whose eyes glazed over after hierarchies of oppression, lets return to Oakland Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland, who proudly touts in speeches that she represents the wokest district in the country. Lees name and explanation literally appears in the Merriam-Webster dictionary next to the definition of woke. Being woke means understanding all the issues each and every day and fighting against injustices each and every day, Lee told me in 2021 on an episode of my Its All Political podcast. Lee, who is running for Senate, expressed frustration then at how the right wing takes something that we had talked about in a positive way, and twisted its meaning. But that's how they operate. That's who they are. Yet it is pointless to ask conservatives what woke means because they cant define it. I know. I tried all last weekend at the California Republican Party convention. Defining wokeism, to many there, is similar to how Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart defined pornography back in 1964: I know it when I see it. Heres how Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Elk Grove (Sacramento County), explained it to me: Socialism and (being) entirely untethered from reality. Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-Richvale (Butte County), told me it means a variety of things. It started out being tied to BLM (Black Lives Matter), George Floyd, all that. But it's kind of branched over into this whole concept of transgender. And this trans stuff thats happening to kids, LaMalfa said. Jessica Millan Patterson, chair of the California Republican Party, said it is interchangeable with virtue signaling. These are some of the things where you're just out of touch with what is happening in peoples everyday lives, Patterson said. Like when Governor Newsom is picking fights with Walgreens on an issue that doesnt affect Californians instead of figuring out why 700,000 people are leaving your state, taking care of people who are being stormed in and cant get out from where they need to get to safety. Our water issues, the crime, the education, I think when you are focusing on issues that arent important to everyday Californians. To clarify, the issue that Patterson said doesnt affect Californians, is Newsom ending a $54 million contract with Walgreens after the retailer said it would not supply an abortion medication to certain states. Turns out that ripping someone as woke isnt a smart political idea, according to a new study from Global Strategy Group, a public affairs and communications firm. It found that most Americans support environmental, social and governance, or ESG, initiatives. So why do conservatives try to demonize those initiatives? Because, the study found, research showed that 56% of Americans didnt know what ESG meant. So they sought to define it for them. Their reinvention hasnt entirely worked. The study found that only 8% of Americans think investigating how U.S. companies spend money on ESG issues should be a top priority for Congress. The study also found that conservative attacks on corporations for their woke practices like Disney speaking out against Florida banning teachers from discussing sexual orientation and gender identity didnt have much effect on companies like Uber, Nike and Disney. This is bad news for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is making being anti-woke the centerpiece of his likely presidential campaign. While the rhetoric from Republican lawmakers might suggest otherwise, none of these companies have suffered significant drops in favorability since theyve launched these attacks, said the reports authors. (One of whom is a former top official at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.) Nevertheless, the woke hits keep running. This week, right-wing media has been regurgitating a tweet from right-wing activist Charlie Kirk that said, WOW ... Silicon Valley Bank gave $73,450,000 to BLM Movement & Related Causes. Kirk backs up his claim with a report from the conservative Claremont Institute. Josh Marshall, founder of Talking Points Memo, looked into the claim and found that the $73 million actually went to various corporate responsibility type publications and corporate filings. There are various discussions of support for inclusivity and DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) efforts, which the database authors likely believe are synonymous with BLM. One example Marshall cited is $50 million that went to 3M for supporting STEM learning in Black communities. Its a pledge of $50 million over five years and lists $6 million in initial investments. That included $5 million to the United Negro College Fund. Is that woke? Several Democratic strategists told me theyre largely unconcerned about woke attacks. Amy Simon, a veteran Democratic strategist who has led many pro-LGBTQ campaigns, doesnt think it will resonate beyond GOP base voters. But, Simon said, Democrats have to effectively rebut it. Republicans have developed an art form out of trying to define terms effectively and use them throughout their echo chamber, Simon said. The attack is designed to cue voters that a candidate doesnt share your priorities. Its similar to other attacks that liberals are out of step. So far, voters arent buying it. A USA Today poll this month found most voters, 56%, view the term woke positively to be informed, educated on and aware of social injustices. Essentially the Barbara Lee definition. Meanwhile, 39% of all voters (and 56% of Republicans) said it means overly politically correct and police others words. The Fox News definition. The poll found that 51% of independent voters said woke meant being aware of social injustice. The latter is closest to what woke actually means for those who still trust a dictionary. But the poll also shows that, politically, woke now defies definition. It means whatever anyone using it wants it to mean. It has become increasingly normal for employers in major cities to offer hybrid or fully remote work since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, but San Franciscos employers stand out. Nearly 30% of San Francisco job openings in January 2023 offered hybrid or fully remote work, up from about 5% in 2019. That is the highest share among the 50 largest U.S. cities, a study published by the National Bureau of Economic Research shows. The researchers analyzed more than 250 million job postings to measure the growth of remote work over time globally. In the U.S., Washington, D.C., closely follows S.F. with 27% of job positions offering work-from-home options. Boston, Chicago and Atlanta are the other cities with shares over 20%. The national average has remained below 12%. It is clear now the new normal is hybrid, said Nicholas Bloom, a bureau co-author and economics professor at Stanford University. In 2019, most major U.S. cities had a share of around 5% of job postings that offered remote work opportunities. The pandemics onset in early 2020 resulted in the number of job listings offering hybrid or fully remote work benefits to rise, in most cases doubling by the end of the year. Not only is San Francisco the leader in remote work in the U.S., its one of the top globally. While the United Kingdom had a higher share of telework than the U.S. in January 2023 at 18%, San Francisco outranked top U.K. cities, such as Manchester, Bristol and London. SFNext is Chronicle coverage devoted to the city's most vexing problems. To become involved: Send feedback, ideas and suggestions to sfnext@SFChronicle.com Cities with industries that have computer-based jobs, such as tech, tend to have more job opportunities offering more hybrid or remote work, the National Bureau of Economic Research says. Employers looking for workers with more advanced degrees are also more likely to allow for remote work. The top cities are San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and Boston, Bloom said. These are all ... high-paying, expensive cities with pretty educated workforces and those are the kind of people that tend to work from home. Despite slight declines in mid-2021 and mid-2022, which Bloom attributes to seasonal trends, the share of open jobs offering hybrid or remote work in San Francisco has been on the rise since the early days of the pandemic. Remote work has its advantages, but also downsides in a city such as San Francisco, which is home to many large companies, said Sujata Srivastava, the San Francisco director of public policy nonprofit SPUR. It gives employees flexibility that can increase happiness and productivity, the director said. However, the new working landscape has also created challenges for ridership for the citys transit systems and business recovery downtown. It's hard to run a small business without knowing on a given day how many customers you can rely on, Srivastava said. San Franciscos homelessness department would need almost $1 billion more funding and more than 6,000 new permanent supportive housing units and shelter beds to end unsheltered homelessness over the next three years a reduced estimate from the agencys initial projections last year, but still a huge cost on top of what the city already annually spends on the crisis. The updated price tag of $992 million was revealed at a Tuesday Board of Supervisors hearing, where the elected officials lambasted the citys Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (HSH) for saying it was not feasible to end unsheltered homelessness in the next three years under the current fiscal and political environment in San Francisco. They also questioned whether the agency, which was created in 2016, is equipped to urgently tackle the citys crisis. We have to develop a realistic roadmap to address unsheltered homelessness, said Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, who called for Tuesdays hearing. Failing to meaningfully reduce and eventually end unsheltered homelessness will undermine our long-term efforts to stabilize city revenue and services. The hearing was prompted by a report released by San Franciscos homelessness department in December, which initially estimated that ending unsheltered homelessness within three years would cost $1.4 billion on top of the citys annual budget, which this year is $636 million. SFNext is Chronicle coverage devoted to the city's most vexing problems. To become involved: Send feedback, ideas and suggestions to sfnext@SFChronicle.com The Board of Supervisors requested the report in June in an effort to understand and put an actual price tag on what it would take to put an end to unsheltered homelessness. On Tuesday, HSH updated those figures based on further analysis and new modeling. According to the department, the city would need to add 3,810 units of permanent supportive housing and 2,250 units of shelter. That would cost nearly $1 billion over the next three years, with an additional $378 million per year thereafter. Echoing the report, Shireen McSpadden, director of HSH, said the department would likely struggle to meet these goals given various hurdles in the system, such as the 30% staff vacancy rate within the department that has made it difficult to prop up new programs and expand existing ones. What we have seen is a department that is still not fully developed, McSpadden said. We have huge, huge challenges with getting the things done that we need whether its actually executing contracts, whether its monitoring, whether its just getting things out the door. In all, Tuesdays hearing did little more than give supervisors a platform to air their frustrations with HSH and the citys homelessness crisis, often the top concern from fed-up constituents. The hearing also waded into broader questions about San Franciscos overall homelessness response, such as whether HSH should double down on temporary shelter over permanent housing or whether the city can and should provide a permanent home for everyone who needs one. It also grappled with the sky-high costs of recent proposed interventions, such as tiny cabins in the Mission. Mandelman invited an organization, Pallet, to the hearing. The group argued it could provide the cabins for much less than the citys projected cost. Tiny cabins are not a substitute for permanent housing. Its meant to be a cost efficient solution to get people stabilized and inside working with services and then move on, said Amy King, CEO of Pallet. You shouldn't have to be using precious dollars that should go to permanent housing to pay developers and architects and designers. The hearing made clear the massive challenge of addressing the crisis in a city with limited space, frequent neighborhood pushback on new shelter and housing developments and also a looming $728 million deficit in the citys budget. Still, Supervisor Dean Preston argued that HSH was not being ambitious enough, and criticized the department for concluding in the report that ending unsheltered homelessness in three years was not possible given the current barriers in the system. They make some proposals and they tell us how many units, and these are not shockingly high numbers, Preston said. Why in this report do they conclude that these goals are not feasible? Thats a political question and a decision. HSH had to prepare the report in response to legislation written by Mandelman called A Place for All, which requires San Francisco to provide enough shelter and permanent supportive housing to meet the needs of all homeless people who currently live on the citys streets. Though San Francisco reported a 15% decline in unsheltered homelessness over the past three years and a 3.5% decrease in overall homelessness, the city has received national scrutiny for its crisis. HSH, which was created in 2016, has one of the largest city budgets in San Francisco and also runs the highest concentration of permanent supportive housing among the nine Bay Area counties, according to federal data. Still, the city is still woefully short of what it needs to meaningfully address the crisis. To fill in this gap, Mandelmans original legislation focused on creating enough shelter for all those in need. But he received massive pushback from homeless advocates, who worried it would give the city more power to forcibly clear tent encampments, regardless of whether enough housing was available. In response, the supervisor widened the scope of the ordinance to also include permanent supportive housing. Notably, Noelle Simmons, HSHs chief deputy director, said at the hearing that it would be significantly more expensive to focus on expanding shelter over permanent housing solutions. Mandelman pushed back on that notion, and criticized what he called the departments overemphasis on permanent supportive housing. I dont think we can provide a permanent home in San Francisco for every person who engages in our homelessness response system, and I dont think that should be the goal, Mandelman said. Its almost like were almost ideologically committed to this PSH (permanent supportive housing) outcome and are almost unwilling to contemplate a more shelter- or transitional housing-based approach. Meanwhile, Simmons also cited funding, land and the citys difficult and slow approval process as barriers that would make it extremely difficult to achieve goals outlined in the report. These hurdles were highlighted in stark terms in the Mission earlier this year, when Supervisor Hillary Ronen iced plans to create a village of 70 tiny cabins on an empty lot near the 16th Street BART station. That project was sharply criticized over its exorbitant cost estimates compared to other Bay Area cities, which HSH said would cost approximately $100,000 per cabin, not including operating costs, vs. $10,000, for example, in Oakland. Ronen also put plans for the project on hold after intense neighborhood opposition, and her concerns that HSH would not be able to keep conditions around the site clean and safe. On Tuesday, Ronen questioned where the city would place the additional shelter given the situation in her district If we cant figure out a way to show our communities that these sites improve conditions in neighborhoods and dont make them worse, I just dont know how we can ever find more sites, she said. And thats a big problem. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Raising $11 million to fund a bigger, better version of San Franciscos stunning Bay Lights the famous LED light sculpture on the Bay Bridge was supposed to be the difficult part. Turns out killing the old, malfunctioning version is even tougher. I learned this the hard way Thursday morning standing on a narrow walkway just under the roar of traffic on the bridges western span and 150 feet above the shimmering bay waters. As I navigated the dizzingly high walkway, I started to think this reporting adventure might have been poorly conceived. The idea for the unusual field trip formed after the Bay Lights mysteriously flickered back to life on March 12, a week after their creator turned them off from afar using a computer. But even after Ben Davis, founder of Illuminate, a nonprofit that creates light-filled public art, fixed the technological glitch that caused the lights to turn back on, some particularly busted strands remained stubbornly aglow. The Bay Lights just wont go easy into the night, Davis joked. They want to live. Clearly, killing the old lights wasnt a job for a computer. Humans had to literally pull the plug on site, and I opted to join them. But like with so many best laid plans in San Francisco, the plug-pulling proved nearly impossible. Gabrielle Lurie/The Chronicle I broke the news in January that Davis had determined the 25,000 LED lights composing the decade-old display spanning 1.8 miles across the bridge were so decrepit, it was no longer worth repairing them. Instead, he announced, hed turn the old lights off and raise $11 million for a new light sculpture with twice as many lights viewable to far more people around the bay. He pledged the new lights would be sturdier and withstand the bays fog, wind and rain much better. By March 5, the day Davis first tried turning off the old lights, hed raised $6.25 million from a host of deep-pocketed donors including Jan Koum, the founder of WhatsApp; Jerry Dodson, the founder of Parnassus Investments; Matt Mullenweg, the founder of WordPress; and Toni and Arthur Rembe Rock, philanthropists who worked in law and venture capital, respectively. Since then, regular folks have donated a combined $108,000. Plus, Tad and Dianne Taube, philanthropists who made their money in real estate, have announced a $500,000 match if new donors cough up that much, too. The Taubes were also among the donors to the original Bay Lights. Its a big part of the flavor of San Francisco, Dianne Taube told me. We, of course, want to join the effort to relight the Bay Bridge. But you cant relight a bridge until the old lights are fully extinguished, and that was the goal Thursday morning. Davis said it was a little embarrassing trying to raise money for new lights when he couldnt get the old ones to turn off, but he took the hiccup in stride, even brainstorming New York Post-style headlines. The best? Son of a Glitch. The trip to kill the lights began tellingly when I met up with Davis and very patient Caltrans workers at the agencys facility near the base of the Bay Bridge. The gate to let us in wasnt working. Gabrielle Lurie/The Chronicle I can hear your lead already, Davis told me, shaking his head. After a call for help, we finally got inside and piled into Saeed Shahmirzais car. The senior construction manager for Zoon Engineering does work on the bridge, as well as other infrastructure projects around the region. Hed timed our trek with a lane closure for maintenance so we could park just over the Bay Lights power source. Shahmirzai said he misses seeing the Bay Lights in their former glory. It looks like something is definitely missing on the bridge, he said. Its painful looking at it. We parked in the left lane and climbed over the side of the bridge on narrow ladders down to the walkway leading to the plugs. Ive always loved being high up with great views of our gorgeous city and have ventured with delight to the top of Sutro Tower, the Transamerica Pyramid and Grace Cathedral. Like those days, this excursion was exciting at first. The views of Alcatraz, the Golden Gate Bridge, Coit Tower and the Hunters Point crane on the bright, sunny day were beautiful. Sailboats glided beneath the bridge. Seagulls swooped past. Cormorants bobbed in the water. Davis, a hype man for San Francisco, mused about new mottos for the spectacular, yet struggling city that needs all the hype it can get. Gabrielle Lurie/The Chronicle Philadelphia is the City of Brotherly Love. Paris is the City of Light. Los Angeles is the City of Angels. San Francisco is the City of Awe, he said. Its always been a place that fills you with awe naturally, but its really a reminder to all of us about the place we love and its capacity to inspire. But soon, the mood went from awe to ah, crap. Turns out the recent winter storms badly damaged the lock on the door to the space where the Bay Lights power source is located. Shahmirzai and a host of Caltrans workers used a hammer, a crowbar, various drills and WD-40, but couldnt get inside. A key broke off in the lock. A drill bit got caught in it. Tina Tsui, a painter on the bridge, worked with so much effort, her hard hat flew off and over the edge, landing 150 feet below next to a 1,500-pound fog bell created in 1935 when the bridge was built. But Tsui and the rest of the crew simply would not give up. This has never happened to us! Shahmirzai said while trying with great determination to open the damn door. Saeeds working like Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible, said Bart Ney, Caltrans spokesperson. We waited and waited, shooting the breeze as the real breeze got colder and colder. Ney, a big fan of the Bay Lights, said he considers the regions workhorse bridge the real masterpiece with the lights serving to enhance it. Gabrielle Lurie/The Chronicle Davis talked about other Illuminate projects ones that are going better. The city has extended the permits for his Golden Mile on JFK Promenade in Golden Gate Park featuring yellow Adirondack chairs, Doggie Diner heads and a whimsical whale tail through Leap Day 2024. Ive heard it described as the happiest place in San Francisco, Davis said. But that walkway in the wind was more like the most stressful place in San Francisco. After nearly two hours of trying, the door still remained firmly closed at 12:40 p.m., and we had to be back at the car in 20 minutes when the lane would reopen. The dedicated crew said theyd try for a couple more minutes and finally, the lock came off, and they pried the door open at 12:42 p.m. We hustled inside the bridges center anchorage and down a staircase to a black cabinet housing the Bay Lights power source. Shahmirzai pulled out three plugs, and we hustled back up, across the walkway, over the side of the bridge and back into the car at 1:01 p.m., speeding off toward Oakland to make a U-turn. If those lights come back on now Davis said. So far, so good. As darkness fell Thursday night, the old Bay Lights appeared well and truly dead. Ive heard the refrain a lot lately: I love San Francisco, but it doesnt seem to love me back. Thats the sentiment of Alison Gerken and her wife, Amanda Arguile, who rejoiced when they got jobs in the veterinary field, bringing them back to San Francisco from Florida and its miserable anti-LGBTQ politics last fall after a three-year break. They missed the freedom, the weather, the beauty, the quirky small businesses and the easy road trips to the redwoods, Napa, Tahoe and Yosemite. They missed their home. Then reality struck in the form of a swiped catalytic converter, a theft that ended up revealing a surprising amount about their new, old city. The saga that followed the crime reminded them of whats not working in San Francisco and convinced them to leave for good. The story began Nov. 7, a month after Gerken, a veterinarian with the San Francisco SPCA, finally paid off her gray 2013 Toyota Prius, celebrating with champagne. But the fizzy feelings evaporated that morning when she went to move the car, parked on Rhode Island and 22nd Streets near her Potrero Hill home, for street cleaning. She noticed a piece of metal with wires coming out of it on the ground next to her car and when she turned on the vehicle, she said, it sounded like a jet engine. Turns out thieves had swiped her catalytic converter, causing other damage in the process. Its an increasingly common crime in San Francisco and around the country. Hybrid cars like Toyota Priuses are disproportionately targeted because catalytic converters on those vehicles have a higher quantity of precious metals and fetch more money on the black market. She was reluctant to drive the car on the neighborhoods steep hills and ran inside to call the police non-emergency number to report the theft and file a police report online. By the time she got back to her car, it had a street sweeping ticket one she felt sure would be dismissed if she explained what happened. It wasnt. She provided the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency with the police report number, but didnt receive the actual police report until 11 days later. Thats apparently where she went wrong, SFMTA spokespeople told me. She needed to provide the actual police report, not just the number, though she said no official ever told her that. Scott Strazzante/The Chronicle If evidence is what the city needs to help us out in this situation, then they should have sent an officer to verify that my catalytic converter was stolen, Gerken said, noting she heard nothing from police after filing her report. Officer Robert Rueca, a police spokesperson, said all catalytic converter thefts are investigated. It is an open investigation, he told me of Gerkens case. We are unable to provide further details at this time. Gerken had the right to further contest the parking ticket at a hearing, but figured the outcome wouldnt change and her time was more valuable than the $87 fine. So she paid it. Meanwhile, she learned from the local Toyota dealership that, because so many Prius owners were seeking catalytic converter replacements, the waiting list was months long. I called San Francisco Toyota on Tuesday morning to ask how long it would take to get a catalytic converter for a 2013 Prius, and the parts department worker who answered the phone let out a long whistle. Five or six months, he said. Gerken added her name to the waiting list in November and never heard anything back. She tried finding catalytic converters for sale on-line, but couldnt find any local mechanics who would install second-hand parts. Politicians are trying to address the rise in catalytic converter thefts. Gov. Gavin Newsom last fall signed legislation making it illegal to buy catalytic converters from anyone other than licensed car dismantlers or dealers. That seems like a good idea, but it also meant Gerken had no choice but to wait on the long Toyota list. Mechanics did tell her it was safe to move her car so she tried moving it weekly for street cleaning, though the engine got louder and louder and she had almost no power to maneuver the hills. She hated moving the car, and her wife, Arguile, often did it for her. It sounded like I was driving in NASCAR, Arguile said with a laugh. Id have the gas pedal all the way down and be going four miles an hour. It finally died altogether parked on a steep hill perpendicular to the curb. Gerken said she tried calling numerous people in the SFMTA, asking what to do, and they told her to pay for a garage in which to store the car until the replacement came in. She looked around for an affordable garage, but found none. Garages for rent in Potrero Hill were going for several hundred dollars a month, and she couldnt afford that on top of the $3,900 rent she and her wife are already paying for their small two-bedroom apartment. She realized she had to get the car out of San Francisco while she waited for a new converter, and her in-laws in Nevada offered to store it for her. But finding a truck that would tow the Prius to Nevada for a reasonable price proved impossible. Besides, she figured, she could wait all that time, pay for a new catalytic converter and other repairs, drive it back to San Francisco and then have the converter swiped again. SFNext is Chronicle coverage devoted to the city's most vexing problems. To become involved: Send feedback, ideas and suggestions to sfnext@SFChronicle.com Finally, she gave up. A few weeks ago, she had Cash for Cars haul it away in exchange for $2,400, far less than its value before the theft. Stephen Chun, a spokesperson for the SFMTA, said, the agency has empathy for the hardships Ms. Gerken has experienced. This is an unfortunate situation, and we understand the frustration associated with the theft of catalytic converters in San Francisco. Inoperable vehicles, however, cannot be stored long-term on city streets, and owners should seek out off-street storage, he continued. That makes sense, of course, and streets need to be cleared for cleaning. But it runs into the harsh reality of actually paying for pricey garage parking. Like with so many issues in San Francisco, there are no good answers. Gerken received six parking tickets and has paid four of them so far. She said shell take the others to hearings. Chun said that if Gerken provides the SFMTA with the police report, rather than just the number, We would be happy to continue looking into this. Gerken has the report and said shell provide it to the SFMTA. Gerken used to love California, having moved from her native Maryland to attend vet school at UC Davis and then getting an internship in San Francisco. She met her wife, a vet tech, through work, and they married in 2019 at City Hall. They relocated to Florida for Gerkens three-year residency program and reveled in being able to buy a $242,000 house near the beach. But they didnt love the bland strip malls, the humidity, the politics or that they couldnt be honest about their same-sex marriage at work, constantly referring to each other as my spouse and never switching to she/her pronouns. We couldnt wait to leave Florida, Gerken said. But coming back, it was this abrupt holy s. This is bad. We kind of forgot what it was like. San Francisco is just as expensive as ever, they said, but the streets are far less lively. Some of their favorite small businesses have closed and are boarded up with plywood. More of their middle-income friends have been priced out, and they have co-workers commuting from as far as Santa Rosa and Oakley. The streets seem dirtier, they said, and open-air drug dealing seems more prevalent with cops just passing by. They see bodies sprawled on the street and wonder if they should stop to make sure the person is OK. Usually, Gerken said, she keeps walking, but feels awful about it. I feel badly for the people and then I feel rage toward the city. Like how is this possible? she explained. Then I feel badly for feeling rage. Here I am making it about myself and my tax money going to what, I dont know. Then I feel selfish. Then I feel guilty. Its a whole spectrum of emotions. Every day. Nowhere is perfect, of course, but the couple sees that homeownership wont happen here. Raising children or retiring seems out of financial reach too. And so the catalytic converter theft, while a frustrating blip in the big picture, crystallized a sad fact: They cant make their once head-over-heels relationship with San Francisco work anymore. They talked the other night about where theyll go next. Sacramento, maybe. Or Tacoma, Washington. This time, their departure will be for good. UPDATES: Why California's epic snowpack presents flood concerns TRUCKEE, Nevada County Two storms dumped more than a foot of snow on this town over the past week and another was forecast to hit early next week. In the ski mecca of Truckee, that means powder hounds again will head for the lifts at some of Americas most famous ski mountains. During the past few months, dozens of feet of snow and rain have fallen on the Sierra. For much of mountain California, thats meant refreshed snowpack, the promise of a longer ski season, and a spring and summer melt that will help keep drought at bay. But for some locals around Lake Tahoe, the weather is losing some of its luster. More weather: Maps show how Californias snowfall compares with past winters Each week seems to bring another foot of snow or many more all adding up to a snowpack thats 175% of normal for Northern California. Each new dump of flakes means more shoveling. More snowblowing. And more long days of iron skies and whiteout snow. I hate it, said Kristi Kumle, 53, a local who was visiting friends at the Truckee Variety Co. Stephen Lam/The Chronicle It creates weird waves of tourist visits, locals say, messy economic impacts and quality-of-life issues. Eric Hartman, who was also in the store, had also had enough. Im ready to buy a house in Mexico, he joked. The recent unprecedented weather has only complicated matters. Stephen Lam/The Chronicle Truckee and other communities around Lake Tahoe receive some 15 million visitors annually, and sometimes the influx frays the nerves of local residents. That happened during the coronavirus pandemic, when remote workers settled in and tourists flocked in unprecedented numbers to the mountains. This years storms have posed a different kind of problem for locals. The constant snow has both intensified interest in the mountain communities and limited days tourists can visit, which means weekends with clear weather have been crushed by ski traffic. And some drivers who brave the storms are unprepared for the wintry weather truckers who eschew warnings from Caltrans and try to cross nearby Donner Pass without tire chains, or vehicles ill-equipped to navigate deep snow or slick, ice-covered roads. Stephen Lam/The Chronicle It can be pretty rough, said Sandee Belle, 60, who manages a gas station on Interstate 80 above Truckee. Belle lives 18 miles down I-80, a manageable drive most of the time. But when drivers venture up the highway unprepared without good snow tires or chains, they invariably spin out, she said, leading to traffic jams and hours-long waits. During those times, motorists try to circumvent highway closures, she said, flooding streets in local communities such as Soda Springs or Truckee. I get it, she said. We all want that fresh powder. But when they shut down the freeway, we cant even get out of our driveway. In a region defined by weather, locals said this season stands out. The snow has come earlier than normal. And it has fallen more heavily and consistently than it has for years, said Jaime Ortiz, 45, manager at Jax at the Tracks diner, made from a renovated railcar that sits by the town bridge over the Truckee River. Ive never seen a (season) like this, he said. Its been affecting the whole town. Stephen Lam/The Chronicle On a typical weekend, the diner might bring in between $8,000 and $10,000 a day, he said. Recently, that number had dropped to about $3,000, he said. He, and other residents, blame weekend snowstorms. People get scared of the snow, he said. There have been too many accidents. Across the diner, Brian Watson, 45, was having breakfast with Owen Roberts, a friend who was in from out of town. Watson moved out to the area about 20 years ago, when the area got a similar deluge of snow. If you like that sort of thing, it sets the hook deep, he said. But it makes everything more challenging... its a fight to survive. The snow slows everything down, he said as he dug into a plate of eggs Benedict. Stephen Lam/The Chronicle Its a double-edged sword, he said of the tourists who drive the local economy. We need them, but they can make things miserable, being out there in cars that shouldnt be in that weather. At the Hoppy Duck, Lance Novello, 56, and his wife, Regina Novello, 60, had ducked in for an afternoon date and a respite from the snow. Youve got to be prepared for these kinds of mountains, Regina Novello said. They are now living with 10-foot walls of snow around their driveway. Snow shoveling this season has become a new experience, Lance Norvello said, better than a gym workout. Theres a lot of moving snow, he said. You have to cut your way out of your house and then blow it somewhere. And then, you have to blow it somewhere else. He blamed the weather for worsening traffic the many storms keeping people away, and then a surge of visitors eager to hit the new snow. They tried to look at the upside, though the snowmelt that would keep the mountains lush and green and hopefully prevent another drought. Its been an insane year, Regina said. For 21-year-old Carson Pesce, the snow bounty has been remunerative. Stephen Lam/The Chronicle On Saturday morning, he was clearing snow outside of Mountain Living, a consignment shop by one of the main bridges over the Truckee River. He joined a snow removal crew and made so much money he was able to quit his job at a local ski resort. But even he is tired of the daily chore of shoveling himself out of his apartment, where 15-feet snow walls line the property. Its been a little overwhelming, he said. At Smarts Wagon Train Coffee Shop a decades-old local haunt manager Cassandra Williams said the cafe has served as a refuge for snowed-in locals. But shes seen quality-of-life impacts from this years weather. One co-worker had spent two hours snarled in traffic that would normally take eight minutes. Its hard, she said. We want tourists its where we get our money, our tips. But on the other hand, when it overwhelms a small town like Truckee, when it takes two hours to get to work, it has an impact on quality of life. Is it worth it? Everybody who lives here, weve had enough, she said. Do we really need any more snow? First Republic Bank remained imperiled on Monday as its stock plunged still further and other big banks discussed taking extraordinary measures to rescue the San Francisco lender. First Republic depositors have taken out about $70 billion in the past few weeks, according to multiple reports. A recent $30 billion infusion by 11 big banks was designed to help staunch the flow and restore confidence in the bank and the banking sector. Bank of America, Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, BNY Mellon, PNC Bank, State Street, Truist and U.S. Bank put in that money as uninsured deposits. But on Monday, First Republics stock showed that Wall Street was hardly reassured. After opening at $18.48, price per share sank throughout the day, eventually closing at the all-time low of $12.18, down 47%. Just two weeks ago, First Republic traded at around $122 a share. The jitters Monday followed a downgrading of First Republics credit rating on Sunday for the second time in a week, with S&P Global Ratings warning that yet another cut could still come. First Republics woes follow those of neighboring Silicon Valley Bank in Santa Clara, which imploded this month after a similar flight by panicked investors. Both SVB and First Republic had to sell underwater, long-term securities to satisfy the deposit demands, thus locking in losses. Several members of Congress, including Bay Area representatives Eric Swalwell, Mark DeSaulnier, Kevin Mullin and Zoe Lofgren, on Monday called for regulators to probe the underlying causes of SVBs collapse, as well as whether anyone engaged in insider trading with its stock. Regulators promised to backstop all deposits at SVB, even above the ordinary Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. cap of $250,000, but they have not made such a promise for First Republic. At SVB, some 94% of all deposits were above the FDIC cap. At First Republic, about 68% exceed the insured amounts. Meanwhile the leaders of major banks were discussing what further rescue measures they might take, the Wall Street Journal reported. One idea was a direct investment by the banks into First Republic, perhaps converting some of the $30 billion they deposited into the bank last week into direct capital infusions, the Journal said. Jamie Dimon, the CEO of JPMorgan Chase was reportedly leading the banks discussions, the Journal reported. This is a move in the right direction, said Hersch Shefrin, a finance professor at Santa Clara University. Depositors at First Republic are now looking at much more protection, meaning a significantly larger capital cushion. In addition, JPMorgan has looked at First Republics assets and by (potentially) taking an investment position (is) sending a positive signal about the soundness of that position. Ross Levine, a finance professor at the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley, likewise said the banks potential action would represent an additional vote of confidence in (First Republic) and a significant effort by the major banks to reduce public concerns about medium-sized banks more generally. The big banks would be putting serious resources on the line, indicating their confidence in First Republic Bank and demonstrating their commitment to communicate that confidence to the public. At the same time, First Republic reportedly is exploring selling itself to another bank, or selling pieces of itself to other banks or private equity firms, the New York Times reported. Regulators are still seeking a buyer for SVB. The stakes go far beyond the fate of a small regional bank, experts said. Continued chaos in the banking industry has the potential to trigger a range of negative economic consequences, from tighter credit, to increased layoffs, to even a recession. S&P Global said Sunday that the rescue infusion offered by the major banks could provide near-term relief, but longer-term profitability and other problems remain. The $30 billion in deposits that First Republic reported it will receive from 11 large U.S. banks should ease near-term liquidity pressures, but it may not solve the substantial business, liquidity, funding, and profitability challenges that we believe the bank is now likely facing, a statement from S&P said. First Republic said it had no comment on Mondays stock market slide and reports about a further bank rescue. However, it released a statement that said: Following Thursdays uninsured deposit of $30 billion by the 11 largest banks in the country, together with cash on hand, First Republic Bank is well positioned to manage short-term deposit activity. This support reflects confidence in First Republic and its ability to continue to provide unwavering exceptional service to its clients and communities. On Oct. 15, 1933, the U.S.S. Macon Navy airship sailed over the Bay Area to its new home inside the $5 million Hangar One at Moffett Field. Crowned with the gold of Californias sunshine, the sky queens arrival was a spectacular event, which turned hundreds of thousands of eyes skyward, The Chronicle crowed the next day. According to the front-page story, the 6.5 million-cubic-foot dirigible loafed over Monterey Bay and flew past the Santa Clara Valley on its way up the Peninsula. It circled San Francisco, then pointed south, drawing 30,000 spectators to see the flying aircraft carrier (which held four Sparrowhawk fighters) nose down to its dock in Sunnyvale. But the Macon did not, apparently, cruise past the Chronicle building in downtown San Francisco with the United States flag flapping majestically in the foreground, as depicted in a photograph printed across four columns on The Chronicles front page the next day. Or if it did, we missed the shot. Now, 90 years later, we know that image which ran Oct. 16, 1933, under the headline Sky Queen and Old Glory Long May They Fly! was a fake. I run The Chronicles Vault Instagram account, where we share photos from the papers vast archive. In January, I was posting a series of aviation-related images including the 1968 Japan Air Lines flight that landed in San Francisco Bay and Amelia Earhart in Oakland before an around-the-world attempt when I came across a photo of the U.S.S. Macon. In the image, the airship hovers just above The Chronicles gothic clock tower, the words U.S. Navy clearly visible on its flank. An American flag ripples just so in the breeze, and the clocks dial reads 1:27 p.m. I remember pausing when I came across the shot in an 8-year-old blog post by former Chronicle librarian Bill Van Niekerken. It was arresting and graceful, a familiar view of our workplace made remarkable by the vehicle floating past. Photographers unknown/The Chronicle I posted the shot to Instagram and went to bed. The next morning, the post had hundreds of likes and a growing chorus of comments: Why does the flag look like a painting? The airship also has a border that looks rather scrapbook-ish. [W]hats up with this picture? A few weeks later, Chronicle Culture Critic Peter Hartlaub and I ventured into the archive to see if we could find the image in question. We had almost called our expedition a bust when Peter pulled the yellowed, 90-year-old photograph out of a folder labeled Military - US Navy - Airships. Sure enough, the clock had been doctored and the flag drawn on with what appeared to be liquid paper and ink. When we wiped off the print, only a ghostly shadow of the Stars and Stripes remained, alongside an empty flagpole. The Macon, meanwhile, was glued to the background of the photo with a telltale ridge around its perimeter. When I pried up a corner to peek at the original image, nothing was underneath. I find it hard to believe that they would manufacture the photo, said Van Niekerken, the former Chronicle librarian who has spent countless hours paging through the papers old editions and past prints. It kind of stuns me that they got so creative. While total invention violated the norms of newspaper photography even a century ago, in previous eras, Chronicle photographers, layout artists and designers took liberties that would be ethically unthinkable today. They often used white or dark retouching fluid to paint over objects in the background, removing distracting elements so the main subject of the photo popped off the page. Rather than deceiving the reader, that kind of retouching was basically seen as good reproduction practices, said Chronicle Director of Visuals Nicole Fruge. That was how they made finicky printing presses work well. In one egregious example Van Niekerken discovered, some overzealous staffer had cleaned up a shot of Jerry Garcia at his bandmate Pigpens funeral, giving the Grateful Dead frontman an unsolicited haircut. I had the photo and there was all this liquid paper on it to make his beard more nicely groomed, Van Niekerken said. The standards throughout the history of photography have absolutely changed, said Ken Light, the Reva & David Logan Professor of Photojournalism at U.C. Berkeley. Before digital photography became the norm, newspaper photographers worked in the darkroom to develop and process their film. I remember Chronicle photographers talking about the hand of god, which was when you dodged a print in the darkroom," Light said. They used a long coat hanger with a piece of paper attached so you could lighten the face or lighten the background. And that kind of photo process was ethically accepted. Those are considered no-nos today, Light added, at least in the mainstream media. Fruge points to a generational shift in accepted practices for photojournalists over the past 25 to 30 years. Things like setting up photos or removing background elements have become a fireable offense, as opposed to how you did your job. Even as ethical standards for photojournalism have tightened, the ability to manipulate images has exploded. In a Super Bowl ad last month, Google touted the ability to remove people from photos taken with its newest phone. Photoshop and other software can dramatically alter digital images, and social media is full of manipulated photos, from Kardashian-level retouching to run-of-the-mill Facetune. Artificial intelligence is capable of inventing photographs from scratch without a lens or a subject. We are living in a dangerous age, Light said. However, the history of photojournalism is also full of examples of photographers and publications stepping over the lines. As far back as the Civil War, photographer Alexander Gardner moved a Confederate sharpshooters corpse into a more picturesque location to get a better shot. National Geographic squeezed the pyramids closer together to fit on a 1982 magazine cover. Van Niekerken wondered if something similar was at play with The Chronicles image of the U.S.S. Macon. Maybe, he said, the photographer captured a similar frame, but they did some fudging to make it fit the four-column opening on a crowded front page. Ive never seen anything like this before, he said. To glue the airship on the image is just very surprising. I would like to give them the benefit of the doubt. Fruge has a less forgiving assessment of her predecessors work in 1933: The main thing is that youre not removing things and not adding things. The two biggest lines are what they crossed. They put something in that wasnt there. Chronicle file photo/The Chronicle Well never know exactly why The Chronicle invented that front page photo 90 years ago, but Peter and I found one more image in the archive that may provide a clue to the inspiration behind the Macon fabrication. Its a photo of the U.S.S Shenandoah, the first rigid airship built in the United States, likely during a visit to San Francisco in October 1924, nine years before the Macons journey. The slender, helium-inflated dirigible is sailing past the Chronicle clock tower, its frame lightly blurred due to the distance. A U.S. flag flaps energetically in the breeze. It looks like someone has used Wite-Out and pen to draw it on twice. Reach Sarah Feldberg: sarah.feldberg@sfchronicle.com; Twitter: @sarahfeldberg The Hunters Point crane has spent most of its life as one of the underrated landmarks of the Bay Area. Visible from the East Bay, Peninsula and parts of San Francisco, the giant gantry crane measures 380 feet high with a red and white-striped arch at the top (greatly faded over time). Its one of the most visible manufactured structures in the Bay Area arguably in third place behind Sutro Tower and the Bay Bridge. But lost in time is what the crane was used for and specifically why it has that defining arch. The arch was quietly built relatively late in the cranes working life, and used to test-launch hydrogen bomb-tipped missiles. The crane was conceived during World War II, when the Bay Area had three bustling Navy shipyards in Vallejo, Alameda and the Bayview district of San Francisco. Chronicle reporter J. Campbell Bruce was invited for the first test of the crane on Dec. 17, 1947, a circus atmosphere that ended with dozens of journalists watching the crane settle a house-size concrete block on a chicken-size egg. They lifted 630 tons out of Hunters Point yesterday the heaviest load ever hoisted by man, the story began. But it took two men to do it. They just sat comfortably back and pushed buttons. The worlds mightiest crane, after three years of building, was finally trying out its biceps at the San Francisco Naval Shipyard. Courtesy U.S. Navy The $2.5 million crane was built 208 feet above sea level a few feet lower in elevation than the Golden Gate Bridge roadway and designed for rapid fixes to the Navys largest vessels. Straddling two of the largest docks in the world, it had the strength to hoist a battleship turret away and replace it with a new one in a few hours. But in the years after the crane was built, the priorities of the military shifted. As the Cold War developed and fears of communism increased, the U.S. Navy needed to find other uses for the base and its heaviest equipment. In 1958, The Chronicle reported on tests in the San Francisco Bay. Simulated Polaris missiles were fired from underwater portals about 200 feet in the air and back into the water, meant to simulate the force of a warhead exiting a nuclear submarine. Under the label Operation Peashooter, trial firings were made with dummy missiles made out of redwood, The Chronicle reported. They floated and were recovered from the bay by tugboats. Chronicle archive Aeronautical engineers quickly found this method insufficient to stress-test a missiles shotgun-like kick against a submarine. But they had a man-made structure that could handle the 100,000 pounds of pressure required for such tests: the Hunters Point crane. First they tried launching missiles from the crane that splashed down into the bay. Then when the test data was getting ruined by the water impact, they built a harness system, so the missile never left the crane, and Operation Peashooter became Operation Skycatch. Now the dummy missiles are fired and snatched back in mid-air with their valuable load of stress data intact, The Chronicle reported. In the early 1970s, the military switched to testing stronger Poseidon missiles, which delivered 700,000 pounds of pressure. Crews in 1972 added the 170-foot arch and concrete blocks to shore up the crane. Lea Suzuki/The Chronicle The base remained active until 1974, when it was decommissioned and leased to a private company for ship repair. It became a landmark to fans at Candlestick Park, who often saw it in operation when they parked for Giants and 49ers games. The crane officially closed in 1988, and was declared a Superfund site in 1989 defined as one of the nations most contaminated lands. In 1994, the Navy was sued by environmentalists and other groups over deadly chemicals and radioactive residue in the shipyards, beginning a long process of decontamination, which remains controversial even as plans for revitalization go forward. The one part of the 490-acre shipyard that seems immune to change: The Hunters Point crane and its missile-launching arch. Every major redevelopment proposal has kept the crane, surrounded by green parkland, as a reminder of the citys past. Less than 10 minutes had passed since the French government survived two no-confidence votes in the National Assembly, and the streets were already in uproar. Just under a mile from the National Assembly, in front of Napoleons tomb in the landmark complex Les Invalides, the people had passed their sentence. We also want to impose ourselves by force, chanted hundreds of mostly young protesters, as almost as many police officers watched from a distance. The chant was an allusion to French President Emmanuel Macrons decision to impose his unpopular pension reform plan by decree instead of submitting it to a vote in Parliament. At 7.30pm on Monday, this message was spreading through the empty streets of the most bourgeois neighborhoods in Paris. It sums up the situation in France, where the president imposes himself by force, but is unable to win over his fellow citizens and does not have a sufficient majority to pass laws; and where the opposition feels strong enough to torpedo the legislature and perhaps the presidency, but does not have any leaders considered to be viable alternatives. Tension on the street a constant protagonist in French political life, at least since the 1789 French Revolution is rising, but so far, it has not been able to bend Macrons will. More information French government survives two no-confidence votes over pensions French politics today is at a gridlock. Neither side is strong enough to defeat the other. And the no-confidence vote, one of which failed by just nine votes, has resolved little. Spontaneous demonstrations were organized across the country after the no-confidence votes failed. There were altercations, clashes with the police, fires. Police sources, cited by France Presse, reported that 287 people were arrested, 234 of them just in Paris. There is enormous anger, Alexis Corbiere, a lawmaker for La France Insoumise, the anti-capitalist and eurosceptic party of Jean-Luc Melenchon, said hours before the vote in Palais Bourbon, the seat of the National Assembly. We have to keep fighting. France, Paris, the Palais Bourbon have turned into a political and social fighting ring. The battle which was peaceful until last week, when Macron activated article 49.3 of the Constitution to pass the pension reform without a vote is taking place on geographically close and parallel stages, such as Parliament, Place de la Concorde square, where the French beheaded Louis XVI in 1783, and Place Vauban square, which is just steps away from Napoleons remains. Sometimes the stages overlap. On Monday, for example, lawmakers from La France Insoumise held up signs reading see you in the streets in the National Assembly. For days, Melenchon has been encouraging protesters to continue with the spontaneous demonstrations. There is a disconnect between Macron and the French people. Effigies of the president have been burned at demonstrations. The failure of the no-confidence motions means that any law brought by the French government is likely to be subject to new motions. And maybe one will succeed. French gendarmes silhouetted by a lit bonfire, secure the area after the evacuation of the access to the oil terminal on March 21, 2023, in Donges, western France, a few days after the French government pushed a pensions reform through parliament without a vote, using the article 49.3 of the constitution. LOIC VENANCE (AFP) Demonstrators face French police during a demonstration in Dijon, central France, March 20, 2023. ARNAUD FINISTRE (AFP) A protester uses eye drops to ease the effects of teargas as he faces off with riot police during a demonstration a few days after the government pushed a pensions reform through parliament without a vote, using the article 49,3 of the constitution in Lyon, eastern France on March 20, 2023. JEFF PACHOUD (AFP) French riot police form a cordon near a cloud of teargas during a demonstration a few days after the government pushed a pensions reform through parliament without a vote, using the article 49,3 of the constitution in Lyon, eastern France on March 20, 2023. JEFF PACHOUD (AFP) Members of the Confederation Generale du travail (CGT) labor union stand around a bonfire near a TotalEnergies gas station as they blockade a road leading to an industrial zone, in the port city of Le Havre, northwestern France, on March 21, 2023. LOU BENOIST (AFP) French riot police stand guard after clashes with protesters during a demonstration against the government pension reform at Vauban square in Paris. CHRISTOPHE PETIT TESSON (EFE) Protesters remove an advertising poster from a damaged bus shelter which reads as "angry", during a demonstration in Dijon, central France, on March 20, 2023. ARNAUD FINISTRE (AFP) Protesters are surrounded by riot police on the day the National Assembly debates and votes on two motions of no-confidence against the French government. YVES HERMAN (REUTERS) Protesters attend a demonstration on the day the National Assembly debates and votes on two motions of no-confidence against the French government. STEPHANE MAHE (REUTERS) A member of the Confederation Generale du travail (CGT) labour union throws tires onto a bonfire as they blocade a road near a total energy gas station, leading to an industrial zone, in the port city of Le Havre, northwestern France, on March 21, 2023. LOU BENOIST (AFP) In the French newspaper Le Monde, historian Jean Garrigues wrote: These expressions of hatred towards the head of state, who is compared to a monarch of the Old Regime, are symptoms of the radical disconnect between many citizens and political elites, of which the head of state is the archetype. French democracy is in a deep, deep crisis, said Fabien Roussel, the national secretary of the French Communist Party (PCF), before the no-confidence votes. This is extremely dangerous. We urge the president to come to his senses. It is damaging our republic, our country, and it could cause a serious crisis, the outcome of which nobody knows. Laure Lavalette, from Marine Le Pens National Rally party, declared in the chamber: More than ever, I am convinced that we are the true alternative. Addressing the presidential bench, she added: I am convinced that, after you, it will be our turn. After the vote, protesters took to Place Vauban, in front of Les Invalides. Among them was a young man in a suit (tie-wearing protesters are beginning to appear at demonstrations). His name is Axel, and he is 23 years old and a lawyer specializing in labor law. Axel said that he was not there to protest against the pension reform itself, but rather the way Macron adopted it without a vote. Its not fitting for our country, he said. I am not a regular at demonstrations, this is the second Ive gone to in my life, but as a French citizen I believed that I should be here. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate UPDATE: Go here for latest news on storm impacts in Bay Area The atmospheric river-fueled storm that rolled into California delivered a late-in-the-day punch to the Bay Area on Tuesday, with powerful winds toppling trees, closing roads and triggering power outages just in time for the start of the evening commute. The extreme weather conditions overturned a big-rig truck on the Bay Bridge, washed away part of a retaining wall on Interstate 580 near Livermore and canceled ferry services, although travel conditions Wednesday morning appeared relatively calm. BART officials said they were running slower trains as a result of lingering wet weather, and urged commuters to add 10 minutes to their commutes. More than 100,000 Pacific Gas & Electric Co. customers were without power as of Wednesday morning. At least three people were seriously injured by fallen trees and hospitalized on Tuesday. Latest updates: Storm killed at least 4 people in Bay Area Two people were killed in San Francisco as a result of the storm, city officials said Wednesday. Their names were not immediately released. They were both brought to Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital but died from their injuries, officials said. Across the Bay Area, at least two other people from injuries suffered during the bout of extreme weather, one in unincorporated San Mateo County, the other in Walnut Creek. 'All hands on deck' for California storm recovery, Newsom says California Gov. Gavin Newsom released the following statement on Wednesday: Were continuing to mobilize an all-hands-on-deck response to protect Californians during this latest round of devastating storms. With communities from San Diego to Siskiyou County reeling from recent storms, the state is working closely with federal and local partners to provide immediate relief and support the ongoing recovery. Wednesday power outages More than 114,000 customers were without power as of 10 a.m. Wednesday morning, accordingto PowerOutage.us, a website that tracks electricity outages. The vast majority of those customers nearly 104,000 were Pacific Gas & Electric Co. customers, according to the site. See PG&E outages by address in our Power Outage Map. Glass falls from S.F.'s Millennium Tower and Salesforce Tower A window fell from San Francisco's Millenium Tower high-rise while others splintered at the nearby Salesforce Tower amid punishing, hurricane- force winds that whipped the region overnight, city fire officials confirmed Wednesday, citing preliminary reports. Go here for more info. Bay Area flood advisories Meteorologists issued multiple flood advisories for the Bay Area on Wednesday morning, following a storm that whipped the region with slashing rain and hurricane-force winds, felling trees and causing widespread outages. One warning covers swaths of Central and Northern California, including Monterey, Santa Cruz, and Santa Clara counties, and is set to expire at 1 p.m. The second, for Alameda, San Francisco, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, will last until 11:45 a.m. A third warning, which will hold until 1:15 p.m. applied to low-lying parts of Sonoma County and streets with poor drainage. Go here for latest updates on flooding. Windows fall out of Salesforce tower, according to report NBC Bay Area reported that about 20 windows fell out of the Saleforce Tower in San Francisco due to high winds -- and at least one window fell out of the neighboring Millenium Tower. Mission Street has been closed in the area as a result. Severe weather alert issued for UC Berkeley campus A high wind and rain alert has been issued for the UC Berkeley campus for Tuesday evening. Authorities said multiple trees and branches have fallen and urged residents to use caution when out of doors. Earlier in the day, two people were reportedly trapped in a car that was near a downed power line and tree in the Berkeley Hills at Tamalpais Road and Rose Street. Martine Luther King Drive was also closed after a tree fell on a light pole and crushed another car in a drive Winds of up to 88 mph recorded in Bay Area High winds whipped across the Bay Area, with the highest recorded wind speeds of 88 mph in Richmond in Contra Costa County, according to the Bay Area National Weather Service. Other strong recorded winds include: 82 mph at Los Gatos, 81 mph at Loma Prieta, 77 mph at Pier 1 in San Francisco and 74 mph at the Oakland Airport. Its been a little windy today, to say the very least! the NWS said. Tree falls on vehicle, killing one in Walnut Creek One person died after a tree fell on top of a vehicle in the Rossmoor neighborhood of Walnut Creek, according to Contra Costa fire officials. Firefighters arrived around 7 p.m. to the 1000 block of Stanley Dollar Drive in between Tice Creek Drive and Rossmoor Parkway and found a tree atop a vehicle, authorities said. An occupant of the vehicle was found dead at the scene. Another person was also injured and taken to a local hospital with unidentified injuries, authorities added. All eastbound lanes on Bay Bridge reopened after four-hour closure All lanes of I-80 eastbound on the Bay Bridge are open, according to a 8:35 p.m. post from the California Highway Patrol San Francisco. Most of the eastbound lanes were closed starting at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday after a big rig overturned just east of the 1st Street on-ramp. Coastal flood advisory in effect until Wednesday morning Storm surges of up to two feet will cause flooding of vulnerable, low-lying areas along the Bay Area coastline, according to a coastal flood advisory in effect until 4 a.m. Wednesday from the National Weather Service. Flooding is expected to be similar to whats seen during king tide events, the highest tide events of the year caused by the alignment of the moon, sun and Earth. The most recent king tides occurred Jan. 21 and 22. Tow trucks arrive to help upright overturned big rig on Bay Bridge Tow trucks arrived just after 7:20 p.m. on Tuesday night to the area on the Bay Bridge just east of the First Street onramp where a big-rig truck overturned earlier in the day, according to the California Highway Patrol. So far, the accident has caused a traffic delay of just over three and a half hours. "We might be doing this all again next Tuesday" Heavy rain and snow will continue to pummel the Bay and other parts of Northern California over the next week, according to the updated 3-7 day hazards outlook from the National Weather Service's Weather Prediction Center. In particular, rain is expected to fall in California and the Pacific Northwest on Monday and Tuesday. The volume and timing of rainfall remains uncertain, but the weather service said it kept a hazard warning up due to "the anomalously wet and snowy winter that California in particular has seen." ABC7 meteorologist Drew Tuma warned that the hazard outlook meant "we might be doing this all again next Tuesday," adding that the system summarized in the hazards outlook "looks similar to todays, where the primary concerns will be strong, gusty winds as well as rain." Flood advisory extended for Sonoma County A flood advisory issued earlier Tuesday for Sonoma County has been extended till 10:15 p.m., according to a National Weather Service update. The weather will also cause minor flooding in Santa Rosa, Petaluma, Rohnert Park and Sebastopol, the agency said. So far, between 0.5 and 1 inch of rain has fallen and additional rainfall of 0.1 to 0.3 inches of rain are expected to impact flooding, the NWS added. Muir Woods, Alcatraz Island closed Wednesday for safety and clean-up Muir Woods and Alcatraz Island will both be closed Wednesday for visitor and staff safety and for clean-up work, according to a tweet from the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Storm impacts Tuesday were more severe than first expected, the Golden Gate National Recreation Area said. Flood advisory extended again to 10:30 p.m. Roadway flooding could linger through the evening as rain continues in Alameda and Santa Clara counties, per a flood advisory extended by the National Weather Service. Between 0.7 and 0.9 inches of rain have fallen; another 0.1 to 0.3 inches are expected, according to the NWS. Some areas that will experience flooding, the NWS said, include: San Jose, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, Mountain View, Milpitas, Cupertino, Campbell, Saratoga, Los Gatos, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Sunol-Midtown, Buena Vista, Fruitdale, Seven Trees, Alum Rock, East Foothills, Rancho Rinconada, Monte Sereno and Cambrian Park. Officials urge San Franciscans to stay away from Tenderloin intersection The San Francisco Dept. of Emergency Management warned residents to steer clear of the area of Ellis St. and Hyde St. in the Tenderloin neighborhood due to "an obstruction." Emergency crews had arrived on scene as of 6:30 p.m., according to the department's website. More road closures due to storm High winds have knocked down trees while heavy storms have caused roadway flooding, leading to road closures throughout the Bay Area, according to 511 SF Bay. Here are some affected areas: CA-9 between Redwood Gulch Rd and Sanborn Rd (Santa Clara County), all lanes blocked, no estimated time of reopening CA-121 at CA-12 (Sonoma County), all lanes closed, no estimated time of reopening Two rescued from pickup truck crushed by eucalyptus in East Bay Rescue crews successfully extracted two victims from a vehicle in Newark on Tuesday afternoon after a large eucalyptus tree fell on their pick-up truck, according to Alameda County Fire authorities. One of the individuals was transported to a nearby hospital for minor injuries. Flood advisory in effect for central Bay Area until 9:45 p.m. The National Weather Service has issued a flood advisory for much of the land surrounding San Francisco Bay, including almost all of San Francisco and portions of Alameda, Santa Clara and San Mateo counties. With more heavy rain expected, officials expect cities including Oakland, San Francisco and San Jose will experience additional minor flooding in low-lying areas and areas with weak drainage systems.The advisory cautions drivers to turn around when encountering flooded roads, as most flood deaths occur in vehicles. Ferry service resumes to Vallejo but other routes on hold: Conditions are too rough San Francisco Bay Ferry announced it would temporarily resume service to Vallejo on Tuesday evening, with three trips from downtown San Francisco scheduled for 7 p.m., 7:50 p.m., and 8:25 p.m. Other routes remained on hold. Here's the situation on our Oakland, Alameda Seaplane and Richmond routes: we're trying to get at least one more trip to those locations tonight. Current problem is unsafe conditions at our boatyard in Alameda: we can't pull the ferries out of their berths due to wind, the agency said in a tweet. A vessel was staged in Richmond in anticipation of perhaps one last trip across the Bay on Tuesday. But the ferry service added that the Harbor Bay and South San Francisco routes are suspended until Wednesday: Conditions are too rough. Sea level air pressure above SFO sets record low for March On top of everything else accompanying Tuesdays fericious wind and rainstorm in the Bay area, people may be feeling a little lighter, the National Weather Service Bay Area tweeted. And that could be for the same reason that the winds are so strong -- the pressure of the atmosphere above you was less, the weather service said. The lower the air pressure, the stronger the winds, according to weather service meteorologist Miles Bliss. Sea level air pressure over the San Francisco International Airport was 984.4 millibars Tuesday afternoon, breaking a previous March record, set in 1942, of 990.2 millibars, Bliss said. The all-time record over SFO is 976.6 millibars, set Jan. 27, 1916, Bliss said. Typical air pressure above San Francisco not considered high or low is about 1,013 millibars, he said. Sea level air pressure dropped 24 millibars over 24 hours starting Monday night a rapid deepening also causing higher winds, Bliss said. The highest recorded winds in the area were at Pier 1 in San Francisco, where gusts reached 77 mph, Bliss said. Winds in the Bay Area were around 40 to 70 mph, Bliss said, Wind gusts top 70 mph near Oakland Airport A 72 mph wind gust was registered in the vicinity of Oakland International Airport on Tuesday afternoon, according to national climate tracking data collected by Iowa Environmental Mesonet. Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at UCLA, confirmed the speed during a live YouTube broadcast Power outages across Stanford campus Power outages are affecting many parts of the Stanford University campus, including the Stanford Redwood City campus and the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center. The outages are caused by failure of one of the main PG&E transmission lines feeding campus, according to Stanfords emergency information website. There is no estimated time for restoration, PG&E says more than 200,000 now without power At 5 p.m. PG&E reported that 232,000 customers were without power in the service area due to wind- related storm impacts. In the immediate Bay Area, nearly 185,000 customers were experiencing outages with the East Bay hardest hit at just under 83,000 outages. The Peninsula had 43,489 outages and San Francisco, which had been quiet at 2:30 p.m. with only 67 outages, saw that number spike to 34,897. Third Steet bridge in S.F. hit, damaged by loose barges Lea Suzuki/The Chronicle The San Francisco Fire Department urged people to avoid the area of the Third Street bridge, and tweeted photos of the bridge with a broken railing and wooden planks. S.F. officials tell residents to use 311 for storm requests San Francisco's Department of Emergency Management is reminding residents to use 911 only for life safety calls. The department tweeted that 911 dispatch is being flooded with storm calls, which is causing long delays for urgent calls. It's requesting residents use 311 for all non-life threatening storm-related calls. Hospital says 3 suffer critical injuries from trees Three people were brought to Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital on Tuesday afternoon with injuries suffered in three separate tree-related incidents. All three are in critical condition, The hospital said. Fallen tree sends person to hospital with major injuries A person was taken to San Francisco General with major injuries after a tree fell on them at Polk and Post streets on Tuesday, San Francisco Fire Department spokesperson Jonathan Baxter said. Wind knocks down trees across San Francisco San Francisco Fire Department officials say they are responding to numerous calls for trees and wires downed in the fast-moving, punishing storm that is sweeping the Bay Area. Images shared by the Fire Department showed large, toppled trees draped across vehicles and blocking roadways. Officials urged residents to report downed trees and wires to the citys 311 phone line. Nearly 400 flights delayed at SFO The storm is grounding flights at San Francisco airport, with the Federal Aviation Administration issuing a ground delay through 1 a.m. Wednesday, and noting an average four-hour delay for inbound and outbound flights due to high winds. FlightAware reported that there were 393 delays at SFO by 5:30 p.m. Tuesday. At least 54 flights were canceled. Winds near 90 mph in Santa Cruz Mountains As a hurricane-like storm lashed the Bay Area, Loma Prieta in the Santa Cruz Mountains recorded a wind gust of 89 mph Tuesday afternoon. Avoid these San Francisco streets due to obstruction San Francisco emergency officials are advising people to avoid the areas of 21st and Valencia streets and Mission Street between Beale and Fremont streets due to obstructions. Emergency crews are working the scenes and people should expect delays, consider alternate routes, and allow for additional travel time, officials said. For live traffic information visit t due to An obstruction. https://511.org/ Fire officials advise people in San Mateo, Santa Cruz to stay off roads Officials from Cal Fire CZU (San Mateo-Santa Cruz Unit) are urging people to stay off the roads as much as possible. The agency said it is experiencing a high volume of emergency calls around San Mateo County, where numerous of traffic and weather-related incidents have been reported. How storm grew two eyes, changing forecast Todays storm intensified quickly in the afternoon so quickly that, according to S.F. Chronicle meteorologist Gerry Diaz, it broke into two pieces, one hitting Santa Cruz and the other San Francisco. Unlike most eyes, where one eventually merges into the other, these two breaking off spread out some of the impacts and rapidly changed the forecast. Winds got spread out by the two eyes of the storm, causing them to increase in speed from earlier forecast. In Santa Cruz, winds exceeded forecasts by around 10 mph, leading to 80 mph gusts. The storms weaker left eye spinning into San Francisco reeled in gusts that were 30 mph stronger than forecast within the city center. More than 100,000 people without power in Bay Area More than 100,000 PG&E customers were without power in the Bay Area as of 4 p.m. Tuesday, with the Peninsula hardest-hit, as high winds howled and tore down trees and power lines in the region. Here are the number of people affected in each area: Peninsula: 46,694 South Bay: 21,986 East Bay: 19,936 San Francisco: 9,709 North Bay: 1,768 Total: 100,093 Big rig overturns on Bay Bridge Caltrans San Francisco officials warned of a "major traffic disruption" in an alert sent out Tuesday afternoon after a big-rig truck overturned on the Bay Bridge. The incident occurred on the span's eastbound lanes before Treasure Island as high winds pummel the Bay Area. Caltrans tweeted that the crash was blocking the lower deck of the bridge, adding that the right eastbound lane remained open. Man dies after tree falls atop van A driver died Tuesday afternoon in unincorporated San Mateo County after a tree fell on a van due to wind and inclement weather, according to authorities. Officers responded around 1:34 p.m. to the area of Alpine Road and La Cuesta Drive just west of Interstate 280 and found a tree had fallen on top of a white van that was traveling eastbound, CHP officials said. Broken glass falls from another San Francisco high-rise Salgu Wissmath/The Chronicle Shards of glass from a broken window at a San Francisco high-rise tumbled down to the street Tuesday morning, according to public officials. San Francisco Fire Department officials said they responded to 50 California St. following a report of a broken window on the 21st floor. Fire officials called the issue an "isolated incident with no injuries," and quickly cleared the scene, adding that they did not suspect the window cracked as a result of the high winds battering the Bay Area Tuesday. Part of Interstate 580 at Altamont Pass collapses A section of the Interstate 580 retaining wall collapsed on Tuesday, forcing officials to close down some lanes at Altamont Pass and assess the damage, according to a KTVU report. Photos posted on social media showed a concrete slab of the retaining wall had slid down a hillside. The damage to the major freeway occurred in Livermore east of North Flynn Road in the eastbound direction. SF Bay Ferry Service suspended Weather conditions also suspended SF Bay Ferry Service, officials said, with no immediate timeline for when it might resume. Storm lashes Santa Cruz Powerful gusts of winds blasted the Santa Cruz Mountains, snapping trees and power lines. Caltrans and the California Highway Patrol reported numerous highway and road closures and social media accounts said that many people were trapped in their home by fallen trees and power lines or on highways with downed trees in front and behind them. Santa Cruz County described the status of roads in the county as "not good" particularly in the San Lorenzo Valley and advised people to avoid travel if possible. A map of the area dozens of road closures, along Highway 1, Highway 9 and Highway 267. Daniel Swain, a UCLA climate scientist, said the storm developed "eyes" like a hurricane, and lashed Santa Cruz County with winds up to 80 mph and heavy rain. "This was a violent, sudden windstorm," he added. The blasts of wind arrived shortly after 1 p.m., according to authorities. The National Weather Service issued a warning of winds up to 80 mph and advised people to seek shelter inside. Within minutes, reports started pouring in of high winds uprooting and even snapping trees in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Amtrak train derails, blocks roads A downed tree in Contra Costa County derailed an Amtrak train Tuesday afternoon, public safety officials said. The train was carrying 55 passengers westbound on the Capitol Corridor commuter line when it derailed outside of Port Costa. No injuries were reported on the train which was No. 543 traveling from Sacramento to Emeryville. The Crockett-Carquinez Fire Department tweeted that the train derailed was caused by a tree, possibly downed by the relentless storms pounding much of the Bay Area Tuesday. UPDATE: Bay Area flood risks linger in these spots after extreme storm slams region Satellite imagery showed the eye of Tuesdays storm a clear spot in the middle of a huge swirl of clouds making its way toward San Francisco, a marker of just how unusual this spring storm is, according to Chronicle meteorologist Gerry Diaz. Its rare for the center of a storm system to come right up onto the coast, Diaz explained which is why its impacts differed from the many others the Bay Area has seen this year. Live storm updates: The latest from the Bay Area stormed that knocked out power and closed roadways In another unusual development thats harder to discern in the images because of low clouds, the storm intensified in the afternoon and broke into two pieces, with the second, stronger portion hitting the Santa Cruz Mountains, Diaz said. Most eyes eventually merge, but these two did not which caused winds to spread and increase in speed from earlier forecast. In Santa Cruz, winds gusted up to 80 mph, about 10 mph higher than forecast, Diaz said. The weaker left eye spinning into San Francisco resulted in gusts that were 30 mph stronger than forecast within the city center. The impacts were felt and seen in real time, Diaz said. Its why San Franciscans experienced relatively calm weather in the city in the late afternoon, and stronger winds but still not much rain in the early evening, while strong rains and winds wreaked havoc across the larger region. College of DuPage Weather A storms eye also brings a patch of very low pressure, Diaz explained, which drives stronger effects. Recorded pressure at San Francisco International Airport on Tuesday evening was around 987 millibars which was, so far, the lowest recorded pressure for a storm in the month of March at that station, he said. We would expect this low pressure in the start of the winter, he said, but its very rare when were already in spring. But notably, this storm did not develop into a bomb cyclone, he said, even though it might look like one in satellite images. Thats because, though it did bring very low pressure, that pressure technically did not fall fast enough to meet the definition of what is a bomb cyclone. This one got really close, but technically speaking it did not reach that definition, he said. That being said, it is still a very strong storm. Weather watchers posted satellite videos of the extraordinary phenomenon Tuesday on social media, with the National Weather Service noting, The Center of Low Pressure that is driving all the fuss today. On top of that, the storm was very disjointed, Diaz noted. People looking at the satellite images may notice an extra line of clouds above Southern California. Thats because the storm and the atmospheric river werent connected directly, he said, which is why the storm produced inconsistent bursts of heavy rainfall, heavy winds and scattered, light rains. But Bay Area residents only need to hold on a little while longer, he said things should start to clear up by midmorning Wednesday. The FBI is seeking the public's help after a woman with California ties was reportedly kidnapped in Colima, Mexico, five weeks ago. Maria del Carmen Lopez, who has Mexican and US citizenship, was abducted outside her Mexico home on February 9, the agency says. "She is loved by family and friends and we are all praying for her safe return. We have been unsuccessful in identifying her whereabouts," Lopez's daughter Zonia Lopez wrote on a GoFundMe page. "We all miss her dearly and are desperately awaiting her safe return home." The FBI's Los Angeles field office shared photos of Lopez. She is 63 years old, 160 pounds, 5-foot-2 and has blonde hair, brown eyes and tattooed eyeliner. The bureau is offering a reward of up to $20,000 for information leading to her physical location. FBI spokesperson Laura Eimiller told the LA Times that Lopez, a great-grandmother with seven children, has family in Los Angeles and Riverside counties and goes back and forth between the US and Mexico. Zonia Lopez told ABC7 that investigators have ruled out cartel involvement in the kidnapping, and said witnesses saw Lopez being abducted in a white van outside her home. "It's been 37 days," she told the outlet. "At this point we need answers. We need to find my mother." FBI Los Angeles The disappearance comes at a time of increased concerns surrounding the safety of Americans and tourists in Mexico. On March 3, two Americans on a road trip were killed by cartel gunmen in a possible case of mistaken identity in Matamoros. In another incident, two Texas sisters and a friend who traveled over the border to a flea market in Nuevo Leon on February 24 have not been seen since. Anyone with information about Maria del Carmen Lopez is asked to contact the FBI's Los Angeles office at 310-477-6565 or submit a tip on their site. No, aliens were not flying over California on Friday night. The beautiful and dramatic string of lights that streaked across the sky starting after about 9:30 p.m. was the result of burning space debris reentering Earth's atmosphere, experts say. Gerald McKeegan, an adjunct astronomer at Chabot Space & Science Center in Oakland, wrote in an email to SFGATE that the debris was retired equipment from an old Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station. "Satellites or spacecraft hardware left behind from old missions may eventually re-enter the Earth's atmosphere after many years in a slowly decaying orbit," McKeegan said. "The hardware heats up and then breaks apart high in the atmosphere, at altitudes of 25 miles or more." The lights were seen across California, Oregon and Nevada, McKeegan said, and a brewery in Sacramento was among the first to post a video of the light display on Instagram and raise questions around what it was Friday night. "Crazy Fireworks. This flew over the brewery tonight. What do you guys think? #UFO," the post read. Social media exploded with theories about what the lights were: Many guessed they were meteors, while others claimed aliens. TV news stations referred to the display as "mysterious streaks of light," but turns out they weren't that mysterious. Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, quickly jumped into the conversation to debunk the UFO theories and set the record straight on Twitter. McDowell said the space debris was obsolete Japanese communications equipment, known as the Inter-orbit Communication System-Exposed Facility, that was carried to the International Space Station on the Space Shuttle in 2009. In operation through 2020, the equipment relayed information from the Space Station to a communications satellite and then back to Earth. The equipment, with a mass of 310 kilograms (683 pounds of weight in Earth's gravity), was jettisoned from the space station in 2020 because it was taking up valuable space and would burn up completely upon reentry, McDowell added. "It orbited the Earth as space junk for 3 years, and reentered at 0430 UTC (9.30pm PDT) over California, widely observed from the Sacramento area," he wrote. McDowell said that most of the debris likely burned up when it reentered the atmosphere, but if any small pieces made it to the ground, they likely fell near Yosemite National Park. The Associated Press contributed to this story. (Ad) Are you looking to reconnect with an old friend, or perhaps you want to know the whereabouts of an estranged family member? If so, then this list of the best background check services is for you. A good background check site can help you dig up tons of information about a person of interest, from an online date's marital history to a roommate's criminal records. But with so many background check services around, finding one that suits your unique needs can prove daunting. Fortunately, that's where we come in. Not all background check services are equal, though. For this article, weve spent over 30 hours researching every type of background check service and sorted them according to what theyre best at. Ready? Then let's dive right in. Best Background Check Services: Truthfinder: Most thorough criminal record report Intelius: Best for reverse phone look-ups Instant Checkmate: Great for finding social media, dating profiles, and photos GoodHire: For businesses looking to hire employees 1. Truthfinder: Best Background Check Service Overall Truthfinder is one of the most detailed background check services we tested. It provides quality and accurate data through its easy-to-use interface. The website features thorough explanations on how to use the background reports as well. We tested this service using real people, and it returned correct, updated information accordingly, including phone numbers and email addresses. This company goes beyond your standard public record inquiries and presents the findings in a digestible form. This includes location history, education, social media profiles, assets, and associates. Youll also find features like free dark web monitoring, which scans the depths of the internet to see if any cybercriminals are taking advantage of you and your data. Pros Wide variety of filters and search parameters Quick results Full disclosure instructions around using the obtained information Free dark web monitoring service for subscribed users Cons Subscriptions are on the expensive side No trial period available 2. Intelius Best for Reverse Phone Lookups Intelius provides similar services to Truthfinder, including reverse phone and address look-ups. People noted success with locating lost friends and family members. When we tested Intelius, we also found information on peoples property and some limited financial data too. This is in contrast to many other services, which require you to pay a (sometimes hefty) monthly fee. Its completely confidential, too, so you dont have to worry about your search query becoming public. Pros Budget-friendly monthly plan option Identity theft protection comes with membership Cons Customer service might be slow Some users report inaccurate results 3. Instant Checkmate Great Mobile App Background Check Instant Checkmate is an easy-to-use service suitable for anyone looking for data like police records, social media profiles, photos, or someones contact information. Despite its name, Instant Checkmate is annoyingly slow. During the search functions, it has multiple unnecessary warnings that cause a delay. Other than that, the interface is simple to manage, even for first-time users. Pros Extensive results from a single search Mobile app available Multiple search methods Good value for money Cons Report loading can be slow Inconsistent phone data No individual report option 4. GoodHire Top Service for Small to Medium Businesses GoodHire prides itself in maintaining top FCRA (Federal Credit Reporting Act) compliance, indicating its a reliable business with a reputation for quality. Anyone can take advantage of the services, but its tailored for small to medium businesses, e.g., healthcare and construction companies and nonprofit organizations. When we tested the site, we found it simple to use with an organized online portal. Theres a one-time set-up fee and multiple package options depending on your companys screening needs. All records are conveniently stored online for future reference. Pros Mobile-friendly website Top option for hiring purposes in various fields Cons No single check option available 5. InfoTracer Background Check Service for Facial Recognition InfoTracer is a highly versatile background software service that provides a one-stop-shop for public records. It has an organized reporting structure thats easy to navigate. This allows quick, hassle-free data searches. Special options include political contributions, assets, and dark web scans. One standout feature is the facial recognition search, where you can identify someone using a photograph. Other information available includes reverse phone and address look-up, birth and death records, arrests, and warrants. For a simple search, the site is completely free; otherwise, youll need to upgrade to the paid version. We found InfoTracer to be responsive on both the mobile and desktop apps, and these performed better than the web version. Pros Up-to-date database Great value for money Highly secure Special features Cons Some users report receiving incomplete reports No social media option available 6. Spokeo Designed for Reverse Email Lookups Spokeo is one of the most popular background check companies in the USmostly with people searching for friends and family. This site is loaded with plenty of features for completing standard background searches, including a social media search, criminal records, dark web monitoring, and reverse look-ups. We tried to dig up information about an old friend who severed connections with everyone in our circle. Happily, our search attempt on Spokeo returned positive results, which led us to the persons updated contact details. Some Spokeo users complain their searches came up dry or inaccurate, though. Pros Basic services are free of charge Popular for finding lost connections The site is up to date Cons Unlimited search plans unavailable Some received sparse reports lacking credible information 7. US Search Affordable Background Check US Search is the best background check service for people on a budget. Despite its drab web layout, this site provides accurate background reports and useful search tools at affordable prices. For our research, we purchased reports for three people, and the data was correct and reliable. It contained important details such as criminal history, assets data, and addresses that were up to date. However, this service was unable to find the subjects marriages and email addresses. The company offers a wide range of subscription services that give members access to unlimited background reports and extended data searches. It also has a basic one-off People Search report that provides age, address, and publicly listed numbers. Pros Accurate and reliable Affordable reporting Trial membership available Cons No marriage data available Boring website design 8. PeopleFinders Background Check for Professionals PeopleFinders provides some of the best standalone search options, allowing you to run that one-off background check on a person without needing a membership plan. Theres a three-day trial for less than $1, but results are limitedno criminal records, for example. Users report impressive customer service with PeopleFinders. According to the company, their strong point is what they have to offer for professionals, with special enterprise data packages available. Unfortunately, this site doesnt provide social media profiles, and the service options are available only for those within the United States. Pros Cheap three-day trial Tailored plans for businesses No membership required Cons Hefty cancellation fee Not available outside the US Lacks social media data 9. BeenVerified Top Background Check for Specialized Data An easy-to-use service, BeenVerified provides unlimited background checks for their paid members. It also has a special court runner service that crawls through records that arent yet digitized. During our tests, BeenVerified returned a report with closely connected people such as neighbors, family members, and friends. You can also find criminal and court records, vehicle records, and a caller identification feature, among other options. On the website, youll find extensive details regarding the legal use of the information you obtain. Pros Apps available for Android and iOS Special court runner service Membership comes with unlimited use Transparency around legality Cons Membership is mandatory; no one-off checks 10. Universal Background Screening Top Check for Drug Testing Universal Background Screening is a leading background check service that you can also use to run health and drug tests for potential employees. The site has an intuitive e-consent tool that allows candidates to grant permission for the check electronically. This solution covers everything from credit reports to county court records, verification of past employment, professional licenses, and more. All fees are transparently listed on the companys website, and employers can conduct a minimum of one screening, which means youre not automatically stuck with a high monthly charge. The site is accredited by the National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS). Pros Drug and health screenings available High reputation and accredited Customizable search templates. Cons Not geared towards personal searches 11. Peopletrail Most Reputable People Finder Service Peopletrail is a preferred employee screening solution thats suitable for enterprises of all sizes. According to users, it offers a fast screening process and accurate results. The company uses employees versus an automatic system to verify data is as reliable as possible. Options include criminal and credit checks and education background. Users praise the customer service team for professionalism, efficiency, and friendliness. Pros FCRA compliant and NAPBS accredited Highly accurate Great customer service Cons On the pricey side 12. EBI Inc Designed for International Searches Employment Background Investigations (EBI) provides screening options for employers with extensive search options. Some features include basic identity recognition, criminal records, tax and health information, as well as drug screening. This company isnt US-centric, unlike many other services on our list, making it suitable for businesses that hire on a global scale. Its helpful for bigger companies for this reason. There are vague customer complaints online stating dissatisfaction with the service, but specific details arent provided. Pros Global search options Accredited with NAPBS Compatible with multiple HR management systems Cons Not ideal for individuals or smaller businesses 13. Sterling Runner-up for Small Business Services Sterling is a global leader in employee background checks that helps employers eliminate guesswork from the hiring process. Businesses can access credit reports, SSN traces, criminal records, civil court records, and other pertinent hiring data. Like EBI, one benefit of Sterling is that the platform offers seamless integration with popular HR third-party systems. It adds to an efficient and organized hiring process. Packages differ in pricing, according to the needed search and service depth. Pros Tailored for small businesses Global recognition HR software-friendly Cons Web-based platform only Best Background Check Service: FAQs What Does a Simple Background Check Include? A simple background check includes: Credit history License and motor vehicle checks Employment history Education Basic contact information Criminal record What Looks Bad on a Background Check? The following data on a background check may make an individual look bad: incarceration, drug charges, long stretches of unemployment, poor credit history, experience or education inconsistencies, multiple short-term jobs. What Are the Best Background Check Services? The best background check services will provide you with exactly what you need, either as an individual or a business. Personal options include locating a missing person in your life or trying to dig up someones past, for example. For a business, its beneficial to opt for a background check service that coincides with your human resource software. This helps you maintain a database more easily and efficiently. Best Background Check Services in Conclusion If you or your enterprise need to run a background check on an individual, the best background check services make it a simple task. These services provide you with a surefire way to obtain the required information before hiring someone. A transparent service business like Truthfinder provides quality, accurate data, which is why it comes in at the top spot on our list. The website is easy to navigate and allows you to access someones social media profiles, assets, location history, and more. Truthfinder also provides you with free dark web monitoring and disclosure information necessary for using the collected data legally. Related articles: PRAGUE (AP) The Czech power utility CEZ said on Tuesday its 2022 net profit reached 80.7 billion Czech crowns ($3.6 billion), eight times as much as the previous year, resulting in record dividends. The country's main electricity producer said it attributed the massive increase to an enormous rise in prices caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and to higher profit from commodity trading on foreign markets and also high operational reliability in its power plants. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate NEW YORK (AP) Recent turmoil in the banking industry may have you worried about your money. The recent collapses of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank, which catered mostly to the tech industry, were the second- and third-biggest bank failures in U.S. history. It started when too many depositors tried to withdraw their money from Silicon Valley Bank in Santa Clara, California. That's known as a bank run. The bank had to sell treasury bonds and other securities at a steep loss and more people kept trying to withdraw money as word of the situation spread, causing the bank to fail. Regulators took control of New York-based Signature Bank soon after, saying it was necessary to protect depositors after too many people withdrew money. In response, regulators guaranteed all deposits at the two banks and created a program to help shield other banks to shield them from a run on deposits. On Tuesday, federal officials testified at a congressional hearing about what went wrong and how to stop it from happening again. Here's what you need to know: IS MY MONEY SAFE? Yes, if your money is in a U.S. bank insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and you have less than $250,000 there. If the bank fails, you'll get your money back. Nearly all banks are FDIC insured. You can look for the FDIC logo at bank teller windows or on the entrance to your bank branch. Credit unions are insured by the National Credit Union Administration. If you have over $250,000 in individual accounts at one bank, which most people don't, the amount over $250,000 is considered uninsured and experts recommend that you move the remainder of your money to a different financial institution, said Caleb Silver, editor in chief of Investopedia, a financial media website. If you have multiple individual accounts at the same bank, for example a savings account and certificate of deposit, those are added together and the total is insured up to $250,000. (Read on for more about how joint accounts are protected.) Federal officials have been taking steps to make sure other banks aren't impacted. You shouldnt be too concerned about your money if its in one of the bigger banks, and even in some of the regional banks and the credit unions, Silver said. CAN I TELL IF MY BANK WILL FAIL? If you are worried about your bank closing in the near future, there are some things you can watch out for, according to Silver: Watch the stock price. Keep an eye on the quarterly and annual reports from your bank. Start a Google alert for your bank in case there are news stories about it. You want to make sure you pay close attention to the way your bank is behaving, Silver said. If they're trying to raise money through a share offering or if they're trying to sell more stock, they might have trouble on their balance sheet, said Silver. SHOULD I LOOK FOR ALTERNATIVES? If you have more than $250,000 in your bank, there are a few things you can do: Open a joint account You can protect up to $500,000 by opening a joint account with someone else, such as your spouse, said Greg McBride, chief financial analyst at Bankrate, a financial services company. A married couple can easily protect a million dollars at the same bank by each having an individual account and together having a joint account, McBride said. Move to another financial institution Moving your money to other financial institutions and having up to $250,000 in each account will ensure that your money is insured by the FDIC, McBride said. Do not withdraw cash Despite the recent uncertainty, experts don't recommend withdrawing cash from your account. Keeping your money in financial institutions rather than in your home is safer, especially when the amount is insured. Its not a time to pull your money out of the bank, Silver said. Even people with uninsured deposits usually get nearly all of their money back. It takes time, but generally all depositors both insured and uninsured get their money back," said Todd Phillips, a consultant and former attorney at the FDIC. "Uninsured depositors may have to wait some time, and may have to take haircut where they lose 10 to 15% of their savings, but it's never zero. HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE FOR INSURED MONEY TO BE AVAILABLE IF A BANK FAILS? Historically, the FDIC says it has returned insured deposits within a few days of a bank closing. The FDIC will either provide that amount in a new account at another insured bank or issue a check. HOW MUCH MONEY CAN BE INSURED IN JOINT ACCOUNTS? If you have a joint account, the FDIC covers each individual up to $250,000. You can have both joint and single accounts at the same bank and be insured for each. So if a couple each has individual accounts and a joint account where they have equal withdrawal rights, they can each have up to $250,000 insured in their single accounts and up to $250,000 in their joint accounts. That means each of them will have up to $500,000 insured. WHAT ABOUT OTHER INVESTMENTS? Customers should take a close look at the types of investments they have in their bank to know how much of their assets are insured by the FDIC. The FDIC offers an Electronic Deposit Insurance Estimator, a tool to know how much of your money is insured per financial institution. FDIC deposit insurance covers: Checking accounts Negotiable Order of Withdrawal (NOW) accounts Savings accounts Money Market Deposit Accounts (MMDAs) Certificates of Deposit (CDs) Cashiers checks Money orders Other official items issued by an insured bank FDIC deposit insurance doesn't cover: Stock investments Bond investments Mutual funds Life insurance policies Annuities Municipal securities Safe deposit boxes or their contents U.S. Treasury bills, bonds, or notes Crypto assets HOW DOES A CREDIT UNION COMPARE TO A BANK? Both credit unions and banks allow customers to open savings and checking accounts, among other financial products. The key difference is that credit unions are not-for-profit institutions, which tends to translate into lower fees and lower balance requirements, while banks are for-profit. Sometimes it also means that its easier for credit union customers to be approved for loans, McBride said. Usually, customers are allowed to join credit unions based on where they live or work. Credit unions serve a smaller number of customers, which also allows for a more personalized experience. The tradeoff is that banks tend to have larger staff, more physical branches and newer technology. When it comes to the safety of customers money, both banks and credit unions insure up to $250,000 per individual customer. While banks are insured by the FDIC, credit unions are insured by the NCUA. Whether at a bank or a credit union, your money is safe. Theres no need to worry about the safety or access to your money, McBride said. ___ Associated Press Writer Ken Sweet contributed to this report. ___ The Associated Press receives support from Charles Schwab Foundation for educational and explanatory reporting to improve financial literacy. The independent foundation is separate from Charles Schwab and Co. Inc. The AP is solely responsible for its journalism. Between 1943 and 1944, there were at least five attempts to bring one of the German conspirators close enough to Adolf Hitler to try to kill him. On March 21, 1943, 80 years ago, Rudolf-Christoph von Gersdorff, a German army officer, willing to die to free his country from Nazism, made one of these attempts. Although he failed, his account shows us more about the opposition to Hitler within German military lines, and the bravery of those involved. Before the attack Gersdorff began his military career in Germany in 1925, in the 7th Cavalry Regiment, and became a regimental adjutant in Breslau in 1933. In 1938, he transferred to the War Academy in Berlin, and was part of the occupation of Sudetenland (areas of Czechoslovakia that Germany wanted to annex). Later, in 1939, his unit was deployed during the invasion of Poland, and he acted as a staff officer in the offensive against France. From 1941 he became a counterintelligence officer of the Heeresgruppe Mitte (Army Group Center), where he joined a group of conspirators who were informed about war crimes against Soviet prisoners of war and the mass murder of Jewish people by Einsatzgruppe B (one of Germanys paramilitary death squads). Among the conspirators was Henning von Tresckow, a key figure in the German army resistance, who was recruited by Friedrich Olbricht, a lieutenant general, who was also involved in the plans to overthrow Hitler. It was Olbricht who developed a blueprint for a coup detat, which defined a clear structure of what the government would look like after Hitlers death. Originally, the plan to assassinate Hitler was to be carried out by Tresckow under Olbrichts direction from Berlin. On March 13, the dictator was to visit soldiers on the Eastern Front in Smolensk. There, a group of officers would shoot him at the same time after a signal. However, Gunther von Kluge, a commander of the Center, asked Tresckow to cancel the plan, pointing out that it was too early and that, in the absence of Heinrich Himmler (a key figure of the SS, and one of Hitlers closest men), the event could result in a civil war between the SS and the German army. Having failed, Tresckow attempted another assassination by placing a bomb on a plane in which Hitler would be traveling. However, it was not detonated. The plan of March 21 After Tresckows failed plan, Gersdoff indicated that he was willing to give his life for Germany in another assassination attempt. On March 21, 1943, Hitler was to visit the Berlin Zeughaus, an old armory where Soviet weapons were stored. This visit was part of Heldengedenktag, a public holiday commemorating those who had fallen in military engagements. Because it was so important, the dictator was expected to spend considerable time at the site, making it an ideal place to carry out another assassination attempt. Adolf Hitler visiting the Special exhibition of war loot from Russia in the Zeughaus (old arsenal) in Berlin, where Rudolf Christoph von Gersdorff made an attempt on Hitlers life. ullstein bild Dtl. (via Getty Images) Gersdorff was the guide for Hitlers visit to the Zeughaus. Previously, the officer had obtained explosives, which he placed in his coat pockets, and set them off for a 10-minute detonation. His plan was to throw himself on Hitler in an embrace that would result in an explosion that would kill them both, and possibly others in attendance, including Heinrich Himmer, Hermann Goring, Wilhelm Keitel and Karl Donitz, all close to Hitler. However, the Nazi leader rushed through the museum in less than 10 minutes, leaving the building quickly. Gersdorff was left with the bombs and managed to disarm them at the last minute. He was subsequently sent to the Eastern Front to avoid suspicion. Gersdorff also obtained explosives that would later be used by another conspirator, Claus Schenk Graf von Sauffenberg, for the 20 July Plot, better known as Operation Valkyrie. The officer was one of the few conspirators to survive the war, with others being imprisoned and tortured. Thanks to their silence, Gersdorff avoided arrest and execution. After the war After the war ended, Gersdoff participated in the U.S. Army Historical Division, where German generals wrote operational studies of World War II. Being considered a traitor by some officers, he was rejected from the Bundeswehr, the West German armed forces, which prevented him from continuing his military career. Rudolf-Christoph Freiherr von Gersdorff. ullstein bild (via Getty Images) He dedicated his life to charity in the Order of St. John, a branch of a Catholic military order, founding a humanitarian organization that as of 2017 had 37,000 active volunteers and more than 1.3 million registered members. Although Gersdorff has been viewed in a positive light because of his involvement in the opposition to Hitler, in recent years his image has come under scrutiny. Historian Joannes Huerter, of the Institute of Contemporary History in Munich, pointed out that in the beginning many of the conspirators were informed of the first mass murders, and they collaborated in them, since these crimes seemed a lesser evil when weighed against the chance of defeating the Soviet Union. Once they noticed that the military risk was not worth it and that the murders turned into genocide, they reconsidered their position. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition NEW YORK (AP) U.S. employers are increasingly posting salary ranges for job openings, even in states where its not required by law, according to analysts with several major job search websites. Following new legislation in New York City, California, Washington, Colorado, and elsewhere, employers across the country are becoming more transparent about pay in order to stay competitive with companies in states that require employers to post salary ranges, experts say. A tight labor market and significant increase in remote work have also contributed to the rise. The number of U.S. job postings that include salary information more than doubled between February 2020 and February 2023, from 18.4% to 43.7%, according to a new report from job search site Indeed. Salary visibility is lowest in the southern U.S., which accounted for 18 of the 20 least transparent metro areas, and highest in the western part of the country, which tends to have more regulation. Advocates say its a trend that benefits women and people of color, who statistically fare less well in hiring negotiations. Rather than placing the responsibility on the job-seeker or employee to determine how their pay compares to coworkers, and what fair compensation might be, the laws shift that expectation to the employer. Kate Bahn, chief economist at the Washington Center for Equitable Growth, says that means employers have less of an upper hand in determining pay. Laws that forbid employers from asking potential hires about salary history in recent years do similar work. In 2021, the median pay for full-time women workers was about 83% of mens pay, according to federal data, and women make less than their male counterparts in nearly all fields. Black women make 64 cents for every dollar paid to white, non-Hispanic men, according to a report by the National Partnership for Women and Families. Latina women make 54 cents and Native American women 51 cents. Keegan Vance Forte, 37, a freelancer based in Jersey City, New Jersey, is looking for a permanent position either in New York or New Jersey. She said shes noticed more salary listings for open roles in both states during the past several months than she did when job hunting in the past. (New Jersey does not have a law requiring transparency. New York Citys law, which requires employers to post a good-faith salary range with every posting, took effect in November.) Im still getting used to it, she said. When I see a salary posting with a job listing, my eyes widen. In the past decade, Forte has held roles in business development, marketing and company partnerships, and she says knowing the available range is helpful to avoid wasting both her time and the hiring manager's. Instead of dancing around the elephant-in-the-room question at the end, you at least know you're playing in the same ballpark, she said. Previously, Forte has spent weeks interviewing for a position only to discover the salary wasn't in an acceptable range for her. Over a career, that can be very time consuming, she said. Daniel Zhao, lead economist for job site GlassDoor, said that compliance with the new laws requiring disclosure is already strong in New York City, California, and Washington, and even stronger in Colorado, which has had a law mandating transparency in effect since 2019. The additional compliance in Colorado implies it will improve in the other states, he said. And what we're really noticing is that, since the laws have taken effect, more employers have decided to share salaries nationwide. Major companies including Microsoft, CitiGroup, and Google have publicly committed to posting salary ranges for all jobs across the country, rather than only in the states where it's legally required. Companies that are not necessarily in locations that now have laws they're disclosing that information anyway," said Vicki Salemi, a career expert at job site Monster. It's becoming more of the norm because job-seekers are expecting it. Salemi, who also previously worked as a recruiter, said employers tend to compete for job candidates across state lines, including neighboring states that have different laws. That means it's in their best interest to start sharing their own ranges, so the job seekers can compare apples to apples," she said. "It's a virtuous feedback loop. She called the new laws a game-changer in reducing the taboo around discussing pay. In New York City, the NYC Commission on Human Rights is early in its enforcement efforts. But Jose Rios Lua, the commission's executive director of communications, said that the new law has been life-changing for a lot of folks. Before theyve gone through what could turn out to be a long application process, they know the salary range, so they know if a position is worth pursuing, he said. For those in lower-earning jobs, it might mean the difference from living paycheck to paycheck." A provision of New York City's law also gives companies 30 days to rectify any violation in a job posting whether that's listing an overly broad salary range or not having a range at all. It's an unusual grace period. In the first few months, the commission has seen that both employers and prospective employees have been vigilant about job postings, he said. Any member of the public can come to the commission and file an inquiry. If a company repeatedly violates the law, they will be subject to penalties including fees. Anyone who encounters a business not complying with the new salary transparency law can file an inquiry at the commission website. The law is also proving illuminating for some employees who werent necessarily looking for new jobs. Kimberly Nguyen, 25, a UX copywriter in a contract role at CitiGroup, noticed a job posting for a comparable role, but as a full-time employee with a significantly higher salary range. She shared it with her fellow contracted copy-writers and tweeted about it. The group brought it to their managers to try to negotiate for higher pay. Nguyen said they're still waiting. They told us it's out of their hands, and there's nothing they can do, she said. The managers said they hadn't even realized the job had been posted. A spokesperson for CitiGroup said Citi pays the contracting company that employs Nguyen a market-competitive rate for their services, and that the contractor negotiates individual pay rates. The spokesperson said Citi is hiring for a full-time role for an employee with five to eight years of experience, more than Nguyen has, and the salary range reflects that. Nguyen's experience shows the limits of pay transparency in a highly contracted workforce. For now, she says she's looking for full-time roles with higher pay at other companies, while still advocating for pay increases for contracted workers at Citi. She said she supports pay transparency and sees it as a tool for pay equity. Its a hill Im willing to die on, but I also have to pay rent, she said. ___ The Associated Press receives support from Charles Schwab Foundation for educational and explanatory reporting to improve financial literacy. The independent foundation is separate from Charles Schwab and Co. Inc. The AP is solely responsible for its journalism. SPRINGFIELD, Ohio (AP) A Norfolk Southern train that derailed in Alabama earlier this month lacked required alignment control couplers for two of its locomotives and a company inspection did not identify their absence, federal investigators said Monday. The notation comes in one of three preliminary reports issued Monday by the National Transportation Safety Board about Norfolk Southern train accidents this month as the board investigates the railroads safety practices after the fiery February derailment and toxic chemical burn in East Palestine, Ohio. In a report released Monday about a March 9 derailment of two locomotives and 37 rail cars in Anniston, Alabama, the safety board said two of the trains six locomotives were waybill locomotives, or towed cars not used for any tractive power. The cars werent equipped with alignment control couplers that resist lateral coupler movement under compressive in-train forces. A company rule bars towing waybill locomotives without such couplers, the report said. The waybill locomotives were coupled together and picked up from Bluffton, Indiana, on Feb. 24 and a Norfolk Southern inspection before the first movement involving the coupled locomotives did not identify the absence of alignment control couplers, the safety board said. A company spokesperson said in an e-mail Monday that these locomotives were not owned by Norfolk Southern and the couplers on these locomotives are not common on our network. We have taken immediate action to update our manuals with photos and details to implement training with our crews. Safety is a priority at NS and well continue working with the NTSB to identify the final cause of this derailment and implement any other necessary changes, said Connor Spielmaker, a senior communications manager with Norfolk Southern. No injuries were reported; three derailed tank cars were carrying hazardous material residue but all remained intact, the report said. The safety board said future investigation will focus on Norfolk Southern communication, maintenance, and inspection practices as well as locomotive and railcar positioning and train handling. The safety board also said it was examining industry-wide standards and practices regarding railcar wheel and axle assemblies after a train derailment in Ohio earlier this month. Eight wheelsets were recovered from two of the 28 Norfolk Southern railcars that derailed March 4 near Springfield. Photographs taken after the derailment showed three wheels from the eight wheelsets exhibited movement on their axles, the board said. Five days after that derailment, the Association of American Railroads issued an equipment inspection order advising railroads to remove from service wheelsets mounted by National Steel Car between August and March. The association said railroads nationwide initially identified 675 cars affected by the advisory and pulled them off the tracks. The wheelsets and other material from the crash along with wheelsets from elsewhere in the Norfolk Southern fleet have been undergoing analysis since last Wednesday at a Norfolk Southern facility in Altoona, the safety board said. Future investigative activity will focus on failure analysis of the subject wheelsets and on industry-wide standards and practices for railcar wheel and axle assembly processes, specifications, and quality control, the safety board said Monday. Soon after the Springfield crash, the safety board announced a broad look at Norfolk Southern's safety culture the first such investigation within the rail industry since 2014 and said it had sent investigation teams to look into five significant accidents involving Norfolk Southern since December 2021. In a preliminary report on a March 7 accident that killed a Norfolk Southern conductor when a train and dump truck collided as they simultaneously entered a private rail crossing at a Cleveland steel plant, the safety board said the train was going 9 mph (14 kph), less than the 10 mph (16 kph) limit within the Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. steel plant. The Federal Railroad administration later urged proper training, oversight and crew communication at highwayrailroad grade crossings. Following the Feb. 3 derailment outside East Palestine, Ohio, Norfolk Southern announced plans to improve the use of detectors placed along railroad tracks to spot overheating bearings and other problems. Investigators have said the crew got a warning from such a detector but couldnt stop the train before more than three dozen cars came off the tracks and caught fire. Half of the town of about 5,000 had to evacuate for days when responders intentionally burned toxic chemicals in some derailed cars to prevent an uncontrolled explosion, leaving residents with lingering health concerns. Government officials say tests havent found dangerous levels of chemicals in the air or water in the area. Currently Reading Alert: Florida jury convicts 3 men of murder in 2018 robbery-killing of rap star XXXTentacion NEW YORK (AP) There's a moment in the new PBS documentary about Dr. Anthony Fauci when a protester holds up a handmade sign reading, Dr. Fauci, You Are Killing Us." It says something about Fauci that it's not initially clear when that sign was waved in anger in the 1980s as AIDS made its deadly rise or in the 2020s with COVID-19 vaccine opponents. American Masters: Dr. Tony Fauci, offers a portrait of an unlikely lightning rod: A government infectious disease scientist who advised seven presidents. Fauci hopes it can inspire more public servants like him. I just felt that there needed to be a story of people understanding what public health officials go through, but also I hope as a source of inspiration for young people who are either in science or interested in going into science, he told The Associated Press. The documentary airs Tuesday and later streams. Fauci allowed a film crew to follow him for 23 months starting in January 2021. The documentary covers his career and its crises, especially the way COVID-19 was handled by the Trump administration. When you talk about all of the different things coming together for a disaster, thats what happened: A divided country, a president who amplified the division and then a public health crisis you couldnt ask for a worse combination of things, he said. Director Mark Mannucci offers an intimate look at his subject, with images of Fauci running from meeting to meeting and wolfing down Wheat Thins between Zooms. His wife attests to the stress by pointing out their security detail due to threats. The story illuminates and hed be the first to say it some very dark stuff about this country and how a person who has devoted his life to helping individuals got so twisted in this current climate, said Mannucci. Michael Kantor, executive producer for the American Masters series, says Fauci is a figure who has been central to American life for decades and deserves an examination, even if some virulently oppose him. Dr. Fauci is a very controversial figure, and there are going to be people who are going to voice just as in the film great displeasure about what hes done and about his approach to things. But isnt that the whole point of public media? It is intended to make that conversation happen in the best possible way. COVID-19 may have introduced Fauci to millions of Americans, but his long career at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases was marked by numerous previous health scares, among them HIV, SARS, MERS, Ebola and even the nations 2001 anthrax attacks. The film shows that Fauci learned a lesson in humility with AIDS, as the disease stubbornly persisted and activists argued not enough was being done from the government. I went from a world of success and gratification to a world of frustration and failure, he says in the film. Mannucci's camera flashes-forward to today, with Fauci cordially meeting up with the former AIDS activists who once decried him. They have long since reconciled; they were all on the same side, after all science. I put aside the confrontational behavior and the attacks on me and listen to what they were saying, Fauci explained in the interview. And what they were saying was making perfect sense. It made me feel if I were in their shoes, Id be doing exactly what they were doing. That's not the case when protesters in recent years began attacking Fauci for mask mandates, school closures, quarantines and bizarre claims about the COVID-19 vaccines. Theres one sign that says, Fauci, Youre Killing Us and the other sign that says Fauci, Youre Killing Us but the rationale for those from the 1980s to 2023 is enormously different, Fauci said. They couldn't be more different. In one remarkable sequence in the documentary, Mannucci presses Fauci on whether he might have handled things differently looking back like asking Americans to adopt masks sooner or ordering quarantines faster. Maybe I should have done that, he says. Yeah, I was wrong. Mannucci relied on 10 long sit-downs with Fauci to develop trust with his subject and didn't clutter the documentary with testimonials from talking heads, wanting to focus on Fauci's experiences. I hope its not viewed as a partisan message, but as a portrait of who he is and what he went through, said the director. I hope that people on the other side, even if they never end up agreeing with him, will at least see somebody who is a real person, whos a thinking person, whos somebody maybe they can even relate to. The film ends with Fauci's retirement from the NIAID late last year. Kantor suspects only time will tell where history will judge a man who dedicated his life to public service. I think 10 years from now, hopefully the furor over him as a controversial figure will die down. But the legacy of the approach to pandemics and so on will still be super valuable, he said. ___ Mark Kennedy is at http://twitter.com/KennedyTwits This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate LONDON (AP) Mae Muller wrote a song. Only a few days later, Eurovision came calling. I Wrote a Song is representing the U.K. at the Eurovision Song Contest, whose semifinals start in 50 days. When she first came up with the song, she said she felt like she had just written like a Eurovision bop. So to have it compete in the real thing? "So it definitely felt just like the stars were kind of aligning and it happened really organically and that it was just meant to be, she recently told The Associated Press. The 25 year-old, who had a global hit in 2021 with the Polo G and NEIKED collaboration Better Days, was so excited about the news that she struggled to keep it secret before the official announcement. I told my parents 'cause I just thought if I keep this a secret until announce day, they will literally kill me. Theyll never forgive me," Muller says. And I just had to, you know, youve got to tell someone. And I feel like I was like, dont post on Facebook. No Facebook posting, especially my dad, bless him. I Wrote a Song is about taking the sad and angry energy from a breakup and using it for something more productive instead like, say, writing a song. Eurovision was always a constant in her house, growing up in north London. Then, over the last five years, Muller became truly hooked, calling herself a huge fan. I went to see ABBA Voyage twice, cried both times. Literally like a mess," she said. "And then so I obviously knew how iconic it was, and you know, what it could do. And so it was, its always been a very iconic thing in my mind. ABBA won for Sweden with Waterloo back in 1974. Last year, the title was taken by Ukraine's entry, Kalush Orchestra. Normally that would mean Ukraine would be this years designated host country, but it was deemed too risky to have the contest there because of the ongoing Russian invasion. Instead the U.K., who came second last year with Sam Ryders SPACE MAN, is staging the event in Liverpool on the winner's behalf and plans to celebrate Ukraines creativity and culture. I just want to make sure that they feel celebrated on that night as well," Muller says of Ukraine. And I think that 3,000 Ukrainians have got tickets to come to Eurovision the final. So I think just thats just going to make the night even more special. In 50 days' time, all the contestants will be in Liverpool for two semifinals. With the Grand Final on May 13, there will be plenty of time for mingling with the other music artists. Muller cant wait to meet soulful electronic duo Tvorchi, 2023s Ukrainian entry. Tvorchi are 19th on the running order, performing Heart of Steel, while Muller is 26th and closing the show. She found out she would be the last performer from Twitter. So it took me a minute because I was like, Im going to have to watch every single other amazing show and Im going to be like freaking out," she says. "And then I worked through that. I got over those emotions and then I realized just how much of like a blessing that really is. Maybe it was all in the stars: Muller admits shes been obsessed with music since she was a toddler. She even appeared, when she was nine, as the girl in a green dress in the music video for MIKAs 2007 hit Grace Kelly. It could have either like scared me and maybe gone the other way and gone, Oh no, too much for me, Muller recalls. Obviously, I went the other way and I was like, I love it! DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) Teri Patrick bristles at the idea she wants to ban books about LGBTQ issues in Iowa schools, arguing her only goal is ridding schools of sexually explicit material. Sara Hayden Parris says that whatever you want to call it, it's wrong for some parents to think a book shouldn't be readily available to any child if it isnt right for their own child. The viewpoints of the two mothers from suburban Des Moines underscore a divide over LGBTQ content in books as Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds pushes an especially sweeping crackdown on content in Iowa school libraries. The bill she's backing could result in the removal of books from school libraries in all of the state's 327 districts if they're successfully challenged in any one of them. School boards and legislatures nationwide also are facing questions about books and considering making it easier to limit access. Were seeing these challenges arise in almost every state of the union, said Deborah Caldwell-Stone, director of the American Library Associations Office for Intellectual Freedom. Its a national phenomenon. Longstanding disagreements about content in school libraries often focus this year on books with LGBTQ themes as policymakers nationwide also consider limiting or banning gender-affirming care and drag shows, allowing the deadnaming of transgender students or adults in the workplace, and other measures targeting LGBTQ people. The trend troubles Kris Maul, a transgender man who is raising a 12-year-old with his lesbian partner in the Des Moines area and wants school library books to reflect all kinds of families and children. Maul argued that those seeking to remove books take passages out of context and unfairly focus on books about LGBTQ or racial justice issues. LGBTQ people are more visible than even five years ago, Maul said, and he believes that has led to a backlash from some who hope limiting discussion will return American society to an era that didnt acknowledge people with different sexualities. People are scared because they dont think LGBTQ people should exist, Maul said. They dont want their own children to be LGBTQ, and they feel if they can limit access to these books and materials, then their children wont be that way, which is simply not true and is heartbreaking and disgusting. In Louisiana, activists fear a push by Republican Attorney General Jeff Landry to investigate sexually explicit materials in public libraries and recently proposed legislation that could restrict children and teens access to those books is being used to target and censor LGBTQ content. Landry, who is running for governor, launched a statewide tip line in November to field complaints about librarians, teachers, and school and library personnel. Landry released a report in February that listed nine books his office considers sexually explicit or inappropriate for children. Seven have LGBTQ storylines. In Florida, some schools have covered or removed books under a new law that requires an evaluation of reading materials and for districts to publish a searchable list of books where individuals can then challenge specific titles. The reviews have drawn widespread attention, with images of empty bookshelves ricocheting across social media, and are often accompanied by criticism of Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican expected to run for president. The states training materials direct the reviews to target sexually explicit materials but also say that schools should err on the side of caution when selecting reading materials and that principals are responsible for compliance. Florida's largest teachers union is challenging the law, arguing its implementation is too broad and leading to unnecessary censorship. An education department spokesperson did not immediately comment. DeSantis said the state has not instructed schools to empty libraries or cover books. He said 175 books have been removed from 23 school districts, with 87% of the books identified as pornographic, violent or inappropriate for their grade level. The Iowa legislation comes amid efforts there to keep a closer eye on public school curriculums and make taxpayer money available to parents for private school tuition. Reynolds, the governor, has made such proposals the core of her legislative agenda, telling a conservative parents group that their work was essential to guarding against indoctrination by public school educators. Under a bill backed by Reynolds, the titles and authors of all books available to students in classrooms and libraries would be posted online, and officials would need to specify how parents could request a book's removal and how decisions to retain books could be appealed. When any district removes a book, the state Education Department would add it to a removal list, and all of Iowas 326 other districts would have to deny access to the book unless parents gave approval. At a hearing on Reynolds bill, Republican lawmakers, who hold huge majorities in both legislative chambers, said they might change the proposal but were committed to seeing it approved. The bill has passed a Senate committee and is awaiting a floor vote. The parents are the governing authority in how their child is educated, period, said Sen. Amy Sinclair. Parents are responsible for their childs upbringing, period. Patrick, a mother of two, expressed befuddlement about why anyone would want to make sexually explicit books available to children. I have to believe that there are books that cater to the LGBTQ community that dont have to have such graphic sexual content in them, said Patrick, a member of a local chapter of Moms for Liberty, a conservative group that has gained national influence for its efforts to influence school curriculum and classroom learning. There are very few books that have ever been banned and what were saying is, in a public school setting, with taxpayer-funding money, should these books really be available to kids? Hayden Parris, a mom of two from a suburb only a few miles away, understands the argument but thinks it misses the point. A kindergartner is not wandering into the young adults section and picking out a book that is called like, This Book is Gay, said Hayden Parris, who is leading a parents group opposed to Iowa's proposed law. Theyre not picking those books, and the fact that they can pick one out of several thousand books is not a reason to keep it away from everyone. Sam Helmick, president of the Iowa Library Association, said communities should decide what's in their libraries and that it's important for children to have access to books that address their lives and questions. Helmick didn't have that ability as a child, and students shouldn't return to that time, she said. Can we acknowledge that this will have a chilling effect? Helmick asked. And when you tell me that books about myself as an asexual, nonbinary person who didnt have those books in libraries when I was a kid to pick up and flip through, but now publishing has caught up with me and I can see representation of me those will be behind the desk and thats not supposed to make me feel less welcome, less seen and less represented in my library? ___ Izaguirre reported from Tallahassee, Florida, and Cline from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (AP) For the third year in a row, Miami Beach finds itself struggling with spring break violence, including two fatal shootings and unruly crowds, despite a massive police presence and activities designed to give people alternatives to drinking alcohol and roaming the streets. The party-all-the-time vibe in the South Beach section of the popular barrier island city has already led officials to ban alcohol sales at larger clubs after 2 a.m. Police are stationed everywhere, including in mobile towers that give officers a birds-eye view of the streets. Art, music, yoga and volleyball tournaments were added this year to give people something to do, at least during the day. Yet the violence and street chaos continues at night. All night. The city imposed an overnight curfew that ended Monday morning but decided at a City Commission meeting not to enact a second curfew next weekend, when the Ultra Music Festival will draw thousands of people to South Beach. It's the third weekend of spring break when the worst chaos occurs, said Commissioner Kristen Rosen Gonzalez. Ultra weekend is not the problem," she said. Commissioner Ricky Arriola agreed, saying there may need to be metal detectors, security fences or other measures installed next year in certain sections of Miami Beach. He noted that dozens of businesses and their workers depend on the crowds the Ultra event bring in. A curfew is not a long-term solution, he said. We're taking it out on law-abiding businesses. The panel did decide, as it did last year, to force liquor stores in the South Beach area to close early at 6 p.m. during next weekend. Officials did point out the city manager still has emergency authority to order a 72-hour curfew despite the commission's reluctance. Mayor Dan Gelber wants the violence and disorder to stop. The volume of people in our city, the unruly nature of too many and the presence of guns has created a peril that cannot go unchecked, Gelber said in a video statement issued Sunday. It is clear that even an unprecedented police presence could not prevent these incidents from occurring. Gelber added: We don't ask for spring break in our city. We don't want spring break in our city. Miami Beach police reported at least 322 arrests on a variety of charges between Feb. 27 and Sunday. Gelber said more than 70 firearms were confiscated in that time. This has been happening despite police officers working up to 14-hour shifts six days a week, according to a city emergency declaration. The latest shooting happened at around 3:30 a.m. Sunday on Ocean Drive in South Beach, police said. A male was shot and died later at a hospital, and officers chased down a suspect on foot, police said on Twitter. Their identities were not released, nor were any possible charges. Grainy security footage being shared on social media shows a man pulling a gun from underneath his T-shirt and firing multiple shots, striking another man as crowds quickly scattered. Next thing I know, I started hearing about two shots. I got low and got scared, Travis Turner, a bystander from Michigan, told WSVN-TV. On Friday night, one male victim was killed and another was seriously injured in a shooting that sent panicked crowds scrambling from restaurants and clubs into the streets. Police detained one person at the scene and found four firearms, but no other details have been made available. David Wallack, owner of Mangos Tropical Cafe, said nightclubs are being unfairly blamed for the shootings, and city officials need to work more closely with business owners to prevent violence in the future. What was going on out in the streets was not customers of businesses, Wallack said. The majority of all those people in the street, theyre bringing their own stuff to the party. They dont have the money to pay $20 a drink. Tolga Bugdaci, 21, who was visiting South Beach from Dusseldorf, Germany, said hes not surprised the city decided to enact a curfew over the past weekend. I can understand it, but it doesnt necessarily have to be this way, Bugdaci said, adding that he did not witness either shooting. "We woke up to it, and everything was yellow on the street. It was crazy, we had never experienced anything like this before. It was a different world to us. Under the now-expired curfew, people had to leave businesses before midnight, although hotels can operate later only in service to their guests. Restaurants could stay open only for delivery and the curfew wont apply to residents, people going to and from work, emergency services and hotel guests. Some roads will be closed off and arriving hotel guests may have to show proof of their reservations. Last year, the city imposed a midnight curfew following two shootings, also on Ocean Drive. The year before that, authorities made about 1,000 arrests and confiscated dozens of guns during a rowdy spring break that led Miami Beach officials to take steps aimed at calming the annual festivities. For some business owners, the crowds have become impossible to manage. Vice Mayor Steven Meiner said there will be a debate in the coming months about how to prepare better for next spring break. I dont view any other option at this point other than to do metal detectors. Im not going to through next year and have dead people on our streets, he said. I dont understand how we cant make a secure perimeter around this. Were going through the same thing year after year." _______ Associated Press writer Freida Frisaro contributed from Fort Lauderdale. Anderson reported from St. Petersburg. Two celebrated, decades-old San Francisco bookstores are closing this year, marking the end of an era for Alexander Book Company and The Magazine. Bonnie Stuppin, one of the owners of Alexander Book Company, said the SoMa bookstore will likely shutter toward the end of April after 32 years of service. The reason, she says, is because downtown San Francisco offices arent nearly as packed as they used to be. Were not seeing enough customers to justify opening the doors and turning the lights and paying the staff to come down, she told SFGATE. Our, I guess, customer base was really mostly the downtown office workers and they are gone, she continued. Previously, SFGATE reported that there are about 150,000 fewer workers in the area, and vacant office space has hit a record high. Loyal customers who used to work nearby are now scattered all across the United States, Stuppin said, and though they place orders through Alexanders online shop, its still not enough to keep the independent bookstore open. I dont know what needs to happen, but I know there needs to be more people downtown because its just not sustainable as it is, she said, describing the closure as a gut punch. Its not the only San Francisco literary institution that announced plans to shut down this year, either. Earlier this month, The Magazine, a 50-year-old gay bookstore in the Tenderloin specializing in "ephemera and erotica," announced it was shutting down. For decades, the charming, amber-lit storefront sold media from gay vintage erotica to used VHS tapes. Those who wandered inside were sometimes even lucky enough to be greeted by the store's de facto ambassador, an orange cat who patiently sat by the cash register. Robert Mainardi and Trent Dunphy, the owners, want to thank the community and our loyal customers for years of support, organizers wrote in a March Instagram post. It seems to us that print media has lost its edge in our current culture. The Magazine representatives told SFGATE the store officially closed its doors Thursday, March 9. Despite these recent announcements, Stuppin is optimistic that literature will still live on. I dont think books are going away, Stuppin said. At all. This developing story has been updated. *Please consult your primary care provider before starting any new supplement, to ensure it is right for you. (Ad) With our increasingly fast-paced lifestyles resulting in ever-increasing anxiety levels, its no wonder so many people are turning to CBD for stress relief. Stress doesnt only result in anxiety disorderslike generalized anxiety disorder, for exampleit can also affect your physical health. Peer-reviewed research has consistently demonstrated that stress can be a causal or contributing factor in the development of many diseases, as well as harming the brain and the cardiovascular, immune, and digestive systems. Fortunately, it is now easier than ever to access CBD oil, which many users believe can help deal with not only stress and anxiety disorders, but also other conditions, like obsessive compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. CBD oil is not an FDA regulated substance and is not approved to treat any health condition. That said, many people with those conditions are trying it and appreciate the experience. But when youre trying to find CBD for stress relief, where do you even start? If this supplement is entirely new to you, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed by the options. And even if youre not a stranger to CBD, you might still be looking for a trusted go-to product to relieve stress. Well, weve got you covered. We rounded up five of the very best CBD products that people claim help them with anxiety. Top 5 CBD Oils for Stress Relief Treating anxiety was our No. 1 question when compiling these products. To find the ones that people say may help relieve stress, we looked at things like CBD dosage, CBD type, mind and body benefits, and flavors. The Best CBD Oils for StressFull Reviews and Analysis 1. Best Overall: Soul CBD Oil Drops The Soul CBD Oil Drops are our absolute favorite product for people experiencing all sorts of stress, from generalized anxiety to insomnia and more. Great taste The range of options Soul CBD offers is certainly impressive. This CBD oil comes in six refreshing flavors to mask the earthy hemp taste. For every experience level These drops also come in three strengths. This means whether youre a new CBD user, youve been going steady for a while, or you need a little extra power to shift your stress, Soul CBD has you covered. Quality ingredients This CBD oil is made with organically grown hemp and is vegan and gluten-free, so you know youre getting the highest-quality product. And Soul CBD Oil Drops are made with CBD isolate, so theyre a good supplement if youre looking to avoid a product with THC. Prioritizes customers All Soul CBD products are tested by a third-party lab to ensure purity and effectiveness. This process also confirms that they are completely free of THC. Copies of these certificates are freely available on its website. The company also offers a membership plan that gives you a discount on CBD products and other perks. Pros: Vegan, organically farmed, and gluten-free Lab-certified as pure and THC-free MCT for better absorption Membership options available Cons: No entourage effect What Customers Are Saying Customer reviews are overwhelmingly positive, praising the refreshing flavors and relaxing properties of the drops. Many people say they experienced relief from stress and anxiety and were able to sleep easier because of them. The fact that these drops are guaranteed to be free from THC was also something buyers loved. Specs Type: Isolate Size: 1 ounce CBD dosage: 500 mg/bottle, 1,000 mg/bottle, 1,500 mg/bottle Flavor(s): Raspberry Lemonade, Pineapple Mango, Watermelon Mint, Lemon Lime, Peppermint, Orange Learn more about Soul CBD Oil Drops today 2. Best Full Spectrum: CBDistillery Full Spectrum CBD Oil Tincture CBDistillerys Relief & Relax Tincture brings plant-powered relaxation to users with healing plant compounds, 100% clean ingredients, and high-quality, non-GMO, U.S.-grown industrial hemp. Its carefully formulated by the companys expert botanists and comes highly recommended by Dr. Kevin Frey, a Mayo Clinic-trained internal medicine specialist. Optimal health & wellness This tincture contains all the vitamins, minerals, and other beneficial chemicals naturally found in cannabis plants. It empowers you to achieve optimal health and wellness benefits by extracting plant compounds and vital nutrients to help improve your lifefrom the inside out. Variety of options These tinctures are available in a number of strengths, including some notably more potent options. So they are perfect for those who may be less responsive to the more standard doses. Brand transparency The company is open about the exact breakdown of these chemicals and provides independent laboratory test results. This way, you can be sure you are getting everything you expect. Pros: Uses food-safe extraction methods All products are rigorously third-party lab tested High-strength options available Subscription option offers big savings Cons: Unsuitable for use while pregnant What Customers Are Saying Customers praise CBDistillery for the quality of its products and services. Some people use them to stay calm and relaxed in the workplace, while others use them as a sleep aid. Consumers also love the regular deliveries through the subscription service because they make it easier to build a healthy habit. In an athlete exercise recovery study conducted by CBDistillery in 2022, 80% of participants Agreed to Strongly Agreed that they were able to improve their overall endurance while using the Full Spectrum CBD Oil Tincture. Specs Type: Full spectrum Size: 1 ounce CBD dosage: 500 mg/bottle, 1,000 mg/bottle, 2,500 mg/bottle, 5,000 mg/bottle Flavor(s): Not specified Learn more about CBDistillery Full Spectrum CBD Oil Tincture today 3. Best Broad Spectrum: CBDfx CBD + CBG Oil Wellness Tincture This CBD oil utilizes an additional cannabinoid to produce even more calming properties that assist with managing anxiety symptoms. Contains CBG The broad-spectrum blend from CBDfx contains both CBD and CBG in a 2:1 ratio. CBG is used as an anxiolytic in its own right. But when paired with CBD, these cannabinoids enhance each others effects for better results. Additionally, CBG can be energizing, making it the perfect inclusion to counteract the potential drowsiness that CBD can induce. Physical benefits As well as CBD and CBG, this blend contains curcumin and coenzyme Q10. These naturally occurring antioxidants can protect your body from dangerous free radicals and reduce inflammation, lowering your risk for many diseases. Curcumin also supports healthy brain function and mood balance, making it a perfect inclusion when youre aiming to combat the effects of a stressful life. Pros: Contains both CBD and CBG Curcumin and CoQ10 fight inflammation and produce energy High-potency options Certified cruelty-free Cons: May be too strong for beginners What Customers Are Saying Customers credit this product with a wide range of benefits to their mental health, like clearing their stress and anxiety, energizing them during the day, and helping them sleep at night. Some reviewers also say it helps with physical problems like pain and mobility issues. Specs Type: Broad spectrum Size: 1 ounce CBD dosage: 1,000 mg/bottle, 2,000 mg/bottle, 4,000 mg/bottle, 6,000 mg/bottle Flavor(s): Not specified Learn more about CBDfx CBD + CBG Oil Wellness Tincture today 4. Best Flavors: Kanibi Full Spectrum CBD Oil Tincture Kanibi offers a full-spectrum CBD oil suspended in an MCT solution, meaning that you get all the mental health benefits that the cannabis plant has to offer and increased absorption from the MCT oil. Something for every flavor preference This Kanibi CBD oil is available in five fun and unique flavors, which is great if you dont love the natural, earthy flavor of hemp. And if youd rather not take a flavored CBD oil, theres also an unflavored option. Quality manufacturing process Kanibi is committed to purity and maintaining the highest quality standards in its manufacturing process. Thanks to the companys science-backed, GMP-compliant manufacturing methods and its FDA-inspected facility, you can be sure that this CBD oil is made to the highest standard. Kanibi also guarantees that its products are all-natural, never using any artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives. Pros: Full-spectrum CBD oil, including calming properties of THC Available in several fun flavors, plus an unflavored option GMP-compliant manufacturing in an FDA-inspected facility No artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives Cons: Only two strengths available What Customers Are Saying Kanibis customers say this CBD oil helps with things like stress, anxiety, and insomnia. But they also experienced a noticeable improvement in their general sense of well-being. Unsurprisingly, many people praise the flavor options of this CBD oil, because a lot of other products have an earthy hemp taste. Specs Type: Full spectrum Size: 1 ounce CBD dosage: 750 mg/bottle, 1,500 mg/bottle Flavor(s): Skittles, Peppermint, Lemon Lime, Choco Mint, Cinnamon, Unflavored Learn more about Kanibi Full Spectrum CBD Oil Tincture today 5. Best Value: Extract Labs Organic CBD Oil Extract Labs organic CBD oil is the perfect option for those looking to enjoy the stress-relieving and mood-boosting effects of CBD on a budget. Affordable The price of this CBD oil is reasonable and significantly lower than those of many competitors. But the cost can be lowered further by receiving regular shipments. You can save 25% through Extract Labs subscribe and save program. Theres also a decent selection of potency options, starting at the standard 1,000 mg and going as high as 4,000 mg, meaning that even those who need something stronger to deal with their stress can get it on a budget. Entourage effect This is still a full-spectrum product, so you get the reported benefits of CBD and all the other potential stress- and anxiety-relieving compounds that naturally occur in the cannabis plant. Pros: Certified vegan and GMP-compliant 60-day money-back guarantee Subscription option saves another 25% International shipping Cons: Subscription requires two-month minimum equipment What Customers Are Saying Customer reviews praise this product for providing stress relief and increased focus. Some people also believe this oil resulted in an increased sense of relaxation and wellness. A number of those leaving reviews have said they liked the product so much that they have recommended it to friends and family. Specs Type: Full spectrum Size: 1 ounce CBD dosage: 1,000 mg/bottle, 2,000 mg/bottle, 4,000 mg/bottle Flavor(s): Natural hemp Learn more about Extract Labs Organic CBD Oil How We Picked the Best CBD for Stress Relief This list was created by our team based on our fair and transparent five-step analysis framework. This allows us to maintain our independence and stay as objective as possible when making our recommendations. Well break down each of these five steps: Step 1: Considering the opinions, reviews, and comments of researchers and other experts We reviewed expert opinions on each CBD product we recommended. We paid particular attention to the ways in which these comments related to the products being tested and overall industry trends. Step 2: Reviewing feedback left by real customers We wanted to examine customer reviews for overall trends. Reviews from people who have used these oils give us an unbiased indication of how effective each CBD product is. They also provide some verification of whether a companys claims are accurate. Step 3: Analyzing information provided by the company Any company worth trusting should be willing to provide details of the potency and ingredients of its products, as well as details of its farming and manufacturing standards. This should all be appropriately backed up by lab reports and certifications. Step 4: Verifying claims This applies not only to claims regarding the effectiveness of the CBD and other cannabinoids included in the oils we reviewed, but also to claims regarding the safety and benefits of any additional ingredients mentioned. If these can be verified through certifications and lab results, youll know youre getting a high-quality CBD oil as advertised. Step 5: In-house testing We wanted to further verify the effectiveness and reliability of each product through our own trials. We also wanted to provide information about the subjective experience of not only using the product, but also identifying any problems in the process of dealing with the supplier. What Should You Consider When Buying CBD for Stress Relief? Many people takeor are considering takingCBD for anxiety or general mood improvement. But not all CBD products are created equal. Whether you opt for one of our five favorites or want to do some more research on your own, there are several factors to consider: Usage Method Weve considered only CBD oils here, but CBD products come in other forms, such as edibles (like gummies), capsules, and topical creams. Topical products are typically intended to treat localized issues such as skin problems or physical pain. Therefore, a CBD cream may not be the most effective stress-relieving product. Edibles do have an overall mental effect in a similar way to oils. But because they have to pass through the digestive system, they take longer to kick in and are not so well absorbed. Type of CBD All CBD products fall into one of these three categories, depending on which components of the cannabis plant are included: Full-spectrum CBD Full-spectrum oil contains all the compounds found in the cannabis plant, including THC. The additional compounds included in this type of CBD oil, including THC, are believed to synergize, increasing the effectiveness of the CBD and providing additional benefits. This phenomenon is known as the entourage effect. Broad-spectrum CBD Broad-spectrum CBD oil contains almost all of the compounds found in the cannabis plant but does not include any THC. However, broad-spectrum CBD products still allow you to benefit from the entourage effect, although to a slightly lesser extent because of the absence of THC. CBD isolate Every CBD isolate product consists of pure CBD and excludes all other compounds found in the plant. Although isolate CBD oil contains only CBD and no other compoundsand therefore does not bring the synergistic benefits of the entourage effectit does have its advantages. Using an isolated product allows you to be sure that all the effects are resulting from the CBD itself, with no uncertainty about other compounds. Product Strength CBD oils come in a range of strengths, and how your body reacts to any given potency will vary from person to person. It is recommended that those new to using CBD oil start with a lower-strength option. This provides a gentler introduction while giving your body and mind time to adjust. More experienced users may opt for a higher CBD dosage. If the potency you use is working well for you, there is probably little reason to change, but if you feel underwhelmed by the results of your current solution, stepping up to something a little stronger could be just what you need. Other Ingredients Certain CBD oil products contain additional ingredients that can contribute to physical and mental health. Some of these supplemental components are designed to help with things like chronic stress or anxiety disorders. Taste and Flavoring While flavoring may not seem like the most important thing, you will probably be taking CBD for stress relief at least once a day. And because our top picks are all CBD oil products, youll be taking them orally or under your tongue. That means choosing a flavor you like can make this a much more pleasant experience. If you like how your CBD oil tastes, it becomes easier to take regularly. What Are the Stress-Relieving Benefits of CBD Oil? Studies show that CBD oil may have potential to manage many conditions, so it should be no surprise that it could also have a number of stress-relieving benefits. CBD and other cannabinoids work to boost your mood directly, but their other benefits also contribute to stress reduction: Relieve anxiety There is academic research that shows CBD reduces symptoms of performance anxiety and social anxiety disorder. Stress and anxiety are closely linked, so its little surprise that the best CBD for anxiety could also provide great stress-relieving benefits. Boost physical health Additionally, CBD can improve sleep quality and reduce the severity of many physical symptoms of stress. It also works to combat other health issues, like pain and inflammation. How Fast Does CBD Work? Orally administered CBD can begin to have noticeable effects within two hours, though in many cases, you can feel the impact in as little as 20 to 30 minutes. This means that CBD can be used to relieve symptoms of generalized anxiety relatively quickly. You may also wish to use it early in the morning, allowing it to take effect in time for you to begin your work or start dealing with whatever other tasks you need to accomplish that day. Can CBD Cause Any Side Effects? While CBD oil is typically well tolerated by the general population, it may still cause side effects. These are typically minor, including issues such as: Dryness of the mouth Decreased appetite Drowsiness Fatigue Usually, they will clear up completely, but if you have any concerns, be sure to talk to your doctor. It should also be noted that CBD can interact with medications such as blood thinners, so if you are taking any medication or have any preexisting medical conditions, you should speak with your doctor before commencing CBD usage. The risk of experiencing side effects and their intensity can be substantially reduced by taking a few steps: Purchase your CBD oil from a reputable company Start with a lower CBD dosage Frequently Asked Questions Is CBD legal? The Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 states that CBD must contain less than 0.3% THC to avoid being classified as a controlled substance under federal law. However, the legality of CBD products varies depending on which jurisdiction youre in. Some states have no restrictions, some may allow only oils that have been extracted from hemp, or some may require users to have a medical cannabis license. Outside of the U.S., there may be further restrictions, such as an outright ban on CBD products or a requirement that they contain no THC whatsoever. What is CBG? CBG, or cannabigerol, is a cannabinoid that is typically found in much smaller quantities than CBD. In most strains of the plant, it forms just 1% of the total cannabinoids, whereas CBD accounts for 20% to 25%. Because of this, its relatively unrepresented in both commercially available products and research compared with CBD. The preliminary research that has been done paints a very positive picture of this compound, however. One study of people using CBG to treat conditions including insomnia, depression, and anxiety found that a majority of patients experienced significant improvements as a result of the treatment. Over 70% found the CBG treatment to be superior to conventional medicines. What is MCT oil? MCTs, or medium-chain triglycerides, are a type of naturally occurring fat. While oil made from MCTs can have a number of health benefits on its own, it shines when used as a basis for CBD products. MCT oil reduces the breakdown of CBD and other cannabinoids while increasing absorption, meaning that your body can utilize more of the benefits in a shorter amount of time. What conditions can CBD help with? Research and anecdotal evidence show that CBD may help in treating many problems, both physical and mental. Conditions being studied include: Stress Anxiety disorders PTSD Insomnia Depression Chronic pain Inflammation It may also be able to reduce the side effects of chemotherapy in cancer patients and reduce the number of seizures in patients with certain types of epilepsy, such as Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and Dravet syndrome. Emerging evidence now suggests that it can improve outcomes for diabetic patients, reduce acne, control high blood pressure, and even help ease the situation for those recovering from addictions. With so many life-changing benefits already known, it seems likely that well be finding even more uses for this wonderful and natural compound as time goes on. Will I get high from CBD products? It is not possible to get high from CBD products. While full-spectrum CBD products do contain a small amount of THC, the psychoactive chemical found in cannabis plants, this can form a maximum of 0.3% of the total product. For comparison, THC makes up 25% to 30% of the cannabinoids in most cannabis plants, around 1,000 times as much as the limit for CBD products. What is the difference between hemp seed oil and CBD oil? The term hemp oil can be somewhat confusing. It can refer to CBD oil that has been derived from hemp plants, or it can refer to hemp seed oil. These oils may sound the same, but theyre pretty different. Hemp seed oil contains many vitamins and essential fatty acids, such as omegas 3 and 6, and therefore has a lot of health benefits but low levels of the cannabinoids that provide the stress-relieving properties were looking for. On the other hand, CBD oils derived from hemp plants contain plenty of cannabinoids. A hemp plant is a type of cannabis plant that contains little to no THC. Conclusion If youre looking to relieve stress and anxiety and want to try CBD, these five CBD oils are simply the best because they come from reputable brands that use honest practices. Whether youre suffering from chronic stress, have an anxiety disorder, struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder, or just looking for something to support you through a stressful period, weve got something for you to try. And the best CBD for anxiety may be even more effective when incorporated into a more comprehensive treatment plan, perhaps even with medical support and supervision. Whichever way is right for you and your situation, CBD oil may prove to be an effective and natural way to manage your mental health. Summary This article is provided by an advertiser. Statements made are not meant to offer medical advice nor to diagnose any condition. Any studies cited here may be preliminary, and may or may not be peer reviewed, and may or may not have sufficient participants to be statistically relevant. Anecdotal accounts should not be taken as scientific results. Products discussed in this article are not designed to diagnose, treat, prevent, or cure any disease. The FDA does not evaluate dietary supplements. Consult your doctor about possible interactions, allergies, and if you are considering using a natural and/or dietary supplement for any condition. Individual results will vary MANTON, Mich. (AP) Two Amish children were killed and another was seriously injured when their buggy collided with a motor vehicle Monday in northern Michigan, authorities said. All three children were ejected from the buggy. An 11-year-old girl and a 7-year-old boy suffered fatal injuries and were pronounced dead at the scene north of Cadillac, the Wexford County Sheriffs Office said. Tareck El Aissami Maddah was until now one of the most powerful members of Nicolas Maduros government. On Monday, he resigned over a corruption investigation into the Venezuelan state-owned oil company, PDVSA. El Aissami, who had held the post of Minister of Petroleum since April 2020, stated that he was at the presidents disposal to support him in his crusade against anti-values. But the arrest of several high-ranking officials linked to El Aissami suggests a change in the balance of power in the Venezuelan leadership. The former minister was a member of the radical left in the 1990s, when he was a student leader at the University of the Andes (ULA), one of the most traditional educational institutions in the country. There, he befriended one of his lecturers, Adan Chavez, former president Hugo Chavezs brother and a political activist, through whom El Aissami first dipped his toe in the early currents of Chavism. He graduated from ULA as a lawyer and expert in criminology, later becoming head of the Federation of University Centers. The second of five siblings, El Aissami is married with two children. Some of his ancestors had close ties to the nationalist, pan-Arabist, secular and revolutionary Baath party, which has held power in Syria since 1964. Shibli al-Ayssami, his great-uncle, was vice-president of Syria in the mid-1960s. El Aissami, 48, was a relative unknown until 2008, when Chavez named him Minister of the Interior and Justice. In 2005, he won a seat in the National Assembly with the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) representing Merida, where he was born. To put the trust placed in him by the upper echelons of the Chavista authorities into context, one need only refer back to one of his assignments. It was Chavez himself who entrusted El Aissami with an ambitious strategy to tackle a serious increase in crime and a high homicide rate at the time. In addition, El Aissami held an unusually long presence in the Cabinet: during those four years, his office jailed several Colombian drug lords hiding out in Venezuela, created the Venezuelan National Police force (PNB) and founded its governing institution, the Experimental Security University. El Aissami was also one of the officials involved in the rupture of relations between Venezuela and the DEA, which took place in 2007. However, El Aissamis strategy against organized crime resulted in failure. The number of homicides and illegal weapons in circulation increased, in addition to the military weapons falling into the hands of mafias and a spike in kidnappings and prison violence. This surge in criminal activity would become one of the great blemishes on the Chavista administration. Sibylline, feared, little given to talk and with the reputation of radical, El Aissami was making his way as an emerging revolutionary cadre. Under Chavezs wing, he was elected governor of the State of Aragua in 2012, a position he held until 2016. During this time, the so-called mega-gangs armed criminal groups organized into squads of 30 people ruled over many roads and towns in Venezuela through intimidation and firepower. When Maduro ascended to power El Aissami was able to increase his sphere of power and influence beyond citizen security matters. A group of businessmen of Arab origin gravitated toward him, positioning themselves on the countrys economic map amid an exodus of millions of Venezuelans. During that time, he adopted a decisive position in favor of an official opening toward the private sector and several emerging businessmen, both Chavist and non-Chavist, flocked to his banner. As the social and political crisis worsened and the popularity of the Chavist movement began to decline, El Aissamis name was linked with rumors of corruption. In 2019, the Manhattan Federal Court accused him of involvement in drug trafficking, along with businessman Samarck Lopez. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement added him to the 10 most wanted fugitives list, and the Department of State offered a $10 million reward over allegations of drug-trafficking and narco-terrorism. El Aissami brushed off the accusations, stating that they represented an honor coming from the United States and that his revolutionary morale remained intact. On the international stage, El Aissami has been a natural ambassador and interlocutor for the political ties between Maduros regime and Iran and Hezbollah. He was also key to the commercial and political rapprochement with Recep Tayyip Erdogans Turkey. These personal and political relationships, vital to obtaining alternative routes for the commercialization of Venezuelan oil in a context of international sanctions, would prove of great use to him in his role at PDVSA. However, on Monday an unprecedented operation led to the arrest of two figures close to El Aissami: Joselit Ramirez, the national superintendent of Crypto Assets, a public agency that manages Venezuelas increasingly scarce oil industry funds through cryptocurrency operations, and National Assembly Deputy Hugbel Roa. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) The second of three former correctional officers sentenced in the fatal beating of a state inmate received a 20-year prison term Monday, the same as a co-conspirator despite a judge's declaration he could have stopped the attack as the senior officer. U.S. District Judge Sue Myerscough sentenced Todd Sheffler, a 54-year-old former correctional lieutenant, on two federal civil rights violations and various other counts for the attempted cover up of the brutal beating of Larry Earvin on May 17, 2018. The federal government had sought a life sentence. Sheffler's lawyers had asked for 2 1/2 years for the beating of Earvin, 65, as the prisoner was being transferred to a segregation unit at Western Illinois Correctional Center in Mount Sterling. In an emotional statement in court, Sheffler fumbled with shackled hands and wiped tears from his eyes with a tissue. He said he accepted responsibility for what I did or didn't do that caused Earvin's death. Then, looking at Earvin's son Larry Pippion, who was seated in the first row in court, the ex-guard said with his voice rising to a shout, I did not put hands on your father. If it has to be life, let it be life, but I will not lie to favor someone's conviction record. He added, If there's anything I can do for the Earvin family, I will do it. I expect nothing less than your hatred. Along with Sheffler, former officers Alex Banta, 31, and Willie Hedden, 43 were charged with conspiracy to deprive civil rights, deprivation of civil rights, obstruction of an investigation, falsification of documents and misleading conduct. Hedden pleaded guilty and testified for the government. Scheduled to be sentenced Wednesday, he declined comment outside the courthouse. Myerscough sentenced Sheffler, like Banta last week, to 15 years on each civil rights charge, to run concurrently, and five years each on the other charges, also concurrently. You were an active participant, Myerscough told Sheffler in explaining his sentence. We're well past the point of minimizing conduct and shifting blame. ... Three witnesses testified that you contributed to the assault. You were the senior officer and could have stopped it. Earvin was late in reporting for outdoor yard time and was ordered back to his cell at the prison in Mount Sterling, about 250 miles (400 kilometers) southwest of Chicago. He allegedly became combative and an officer in distress call summoned dozens of officers. Outside the housing unit, Banta, Hedden and Sheffler escorted Earvin, handcuffed behind his back, to the segregation unit. Inside that facility's vestibule, where there are no security cameras, testimony indicated the three officers threw Earvin into a wall, then kicked, punched and stomped him. In Myerscough's words, Banta delivered the most serious and depraved blow by jumping up and landing on Earvin's mid-section with both knees. Earvin suffered 15 broken ribs and abdominal injuries so severe that a portion of his bowel was surgically removed. He died June 26, more than a month after the beating. In his statement, Sheffler admitted for the first time that he saw Banta jump and come down on his knees. He said he couldn't see but assumed he landed on Earvin and could not persuade himself to tell the truth because Banta had two small children and another on the way and I was aware of the implications if Banta's action was known. Like Banta, Sheffler offered an indictment of the Department of Corrections, derided its effort to offer mental health treatment, and said its main goal is to cover the states ass. In sentencing Banta, Myerscough acknowledged he had been caught up in the culture of acting on or witnesses violence against inmates and keeping quiet about it. Sheffler attorney Sara Vig noted that her client didnt join the escort until Earvin was outside the housing unit and that testimony revealed Earvin was handled roughly inside, including testimony by one of the 31 officers who responded to the distress call that he had stomped on a prone Earvin just inside the housing unit door. She wondered why no one else has been held accountable. Imagine the change in the system if all 31 were charged, Vig said. Justice cant be meted out on my clients back. Department of Corrections spokesperson Naomi Puzzello said that staff and inmate safety is the agencys top priority. Over the last few years, the department has worked diligently to expand security measures statewide and improve its responsiveness to the concerns of individuals in custody, Puzzello said in a statement. A deadly fungal infection is spreading at "an alarming rate" inside health facilities and long-term-care hospitals across the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday. Here's what to know about the highly drug-resistant fungus - a strain of a kind of yeast known as Candida auris (or C. auris for short) that the CDC says "presents a serious global health threat." While healthy people are not likely to contract the infection, those with lower immunity and people living in nursing homes are more likely to fall sick and be unable to fight the infection, and the outcome can be fatal. - - - What is Candida auris? Candida is a family of yeasts that can be found on the skin and inside the body. Usually, the fungus lives in areas such as the mouth, throat, gut and vagina, without causing health problems. Common types of Candida include "Candida albicans," which causes the yeast infection thrush. Sometimes, however, certain types of Candida can cause infection in older people and those battling other health issues. C. auris was first discovered in the ear canal of a patient in Tokyo in 2009. It can enter the body during medical treatment, including operations or when urinary catheters, tubes or drips are inserted. It can also infect surgical wounds. While the number of cases recorded by the CDC is only in the thousands, it is considered a serious global public health threat because it is drug resistant and has the potential to spread among the most medically vulnerable. It is also difficult to identify using standard laboratory methods, and it has caused outbreaks in health-care environments across the country. - - - What are the symptoms? Candida auris can enter the bloodstream and spread throughout the body, causing invasive infections. Fever and chills that don't improve after antibiotic treatment for suspected bacterial infections are the most common symptoms of invasive candidiasis, the CDC notes. The infection can aggravate various parts of the body, including the ears, heart, kidneys, eyes and brain. - - - How is the fungus transmitted? The infection spreads easily from person to person - especially within hospital environments and among the medically vulnerable. It can also be spread through contact with infected surfaces and lingers on objects including hospital equipment such as bed rails, chairs and windowsills. The infection can also be resistant to certain cleaning products, making it harder for the fungus to be eradicated from hospital wards. People can also carry the infection without experiencing symptoms, unknowingly spreading the infection to other people who may be more at risk, such as people in long-term health-care facilities, including nursing home patients on ventilators, those with diabetes and cancer patients. Those who take lots of antibiotics or antifungal medications appear to be at highest risk of infection, according to the CDC. Between 30 percent and 60 percent of hospitalized people who develop bloodstream infections are estimated to die, according to CDC data. However, the CDC notes that many of these patients had other serious illnesses that increased their risk of death. - - - The CDC says more work is needed to understand how the infection spreads. Which U.S. states has the fungus been identified in so far? C. auris was diagnosed in a handful of patients in the United States in 2016, where clinicians on American soil had been warned by health officials to be on the lookout for the infection. It has since been detected in more than 20 states, with the most cases recorded in Nevada, California, Florida New York, Illinois and Texas in the past 12 months, according to case counts provided to the CDC by local and state health departments. Fungal infections from Candida auris tripled nationally from 476 in 2019 to 1,471 in 2021, the CDC said Monday. - - - Where else in the world have outbreaks been reported? Since it was first reported in Asia in 2009, the fungus has been reported in a slew of countries, including Colombia, India, Israel, Kenya, Kuwait, Pakistan, South Korea, Venezuela and Britain. Transmission of the infection was facilitated by international travel, according to the CDC, though experts say that climate change may also be fueling the infection. The infection also worsened amid the coronavirus pandemic, which hospitalized more people around the world, overburdening health-care staff who were forced to reuse personal protective equipment. Clinical cases of C. auris soared about 60 percent in 2020 compared to 2019, according to a 2022 report from the CDC that noted the global pandemic "likely intensified spread of C. auris and hindered detection of additional cases." One leading theory suggests that Candida has evolved to survive in a warming world, while other theories suggest that widespread use of antifungal drugs along with heavy use of fungicide on crops may have sparked the emergence of the fungus. - - - How can the spread be prevented? The CDC says that several infection control measures can help prevent C. auris, including adherence to hand hygiene and thoroughly cleaning hospital environments. Equipment that is shared among patients, such as blood pressure cuffs, temperature probes and ultrasound machines, should be thoroughly disinfected frequently. Alcohol-based hand sanitizer, gowns and gloves should also be used to reduce the spread of infection inside health-care facilities. According to the CDC, those who have the infection and their close contacts do not have to self-isolate and can participate in social activities as long as they maintain good hand hygiene. - - - How is the infection diagnosed and treated? The infection is difficult to identify with standard laboratory methods because the yeast can be mistaken for other organisms, so specific technology is needed, the CDC says. While the CDC says most C. auris infections are treatable with antifungal medications called echinocandins, some strains of the infection have developed a resistance to antifungal drugs, making it harder to treat patients, and cases of reinfection have also been recorded. - - - The Washington Post's Lena H. Sun contributed to this report. (The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) Andrew Mines, George Washington University and Amira Jadoon, Clemson University (THE CONVERSATION) Since returning to power in Afghanistan in 2021, the Taliban have struggled to contain the Islamic State Khorasan province, or ISIS-K the official Islamic State group affiliate operating in Afghanistan. Now, a fresh wave of assassination attempts on top Taliban officials has rocked multiple regions across the country and prompted fears of the groups potential to attack targets outside Afghanistan, including U.S. and Western interests. On March 9, 2023, the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing that killed Mohammad Dawood Muzammil, the Taliban governor of Balkh province in northern Afghanistan, along with two others. One day earlier, the groups fighters carried out a targeted killing against the head of the water supply department in Afghanistans western Herat province. And most recently, on March 15, the group claimed a failed attack on a Taliban district governor in the eastern province of Nangarhar, a former ISIS-K stronghold. ISIS-Ks resurgence ISIS-K seeks to advance the Islamic State groups goal of creating a global caliphate based on its own interpretation of Islamic law. As scholars who have studiedISIS-K for years, we know that the recent attacks are only a few in a long line of attacks the group has carried out or attempted in Afghanistan since forming in 2015. ISIS-K has tried often successfully to kill government and military officials, media influencers, religious leaders and other civil society figures. The group is also responsible for the bombing that left 13 U.S. service members and scores of Afghans dead in August 2021, following the collapse of the former government and the U.S.-led withdrawal from Afghanistan. Some of ISIS-Ks ambitious plots have failed. Notable examples include claimed attempts against NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and former U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis in 2017, former Afghanistan vice president Abdul Rashid Dostum in 2018, former Afghanistan president Ashraf Ghani in 2020 and former U.S. diplomat in Kabul Ross Wilson in 2021. Despite both being Islamist organizations, ISIS-K and the Taliban are strategic rivals locked in a battle that has persisted since ISIS-Ks inception. Targeted assassinations of Taliban security and political officials, across multiple ranks and levels, have been a consistent feature of ISIS-Ks resurgence. The recent killings are simply a continuation of the groups attack priorities. Aim of assassinations Assassinations are a fundamental pillar of the Islamic State groups insurgency doctrine, which is adopted by its affiliates and serves multiple purposes. For one, theyre a way to retaliate against heavy losses. Just days before the latest string of attacks, ISIS-K threatened to amplify its violence after Taliban raids in January and February killed key Islamic State leaders and attack planners. For another, assassinations can whittle away key leaders in the enemys ranks, as well as foreign influence. The latest issue of the Islamic State groups weekly newsletter, Al-Naba, claimed that Gov. Muzammil was not only a significant player in the Talibans campaign against ISIS-K in Nangarhar, but that he was also acting on behalf of Iran. Countering actual or perceived foreign state influence in Afghanistan even the lifesaving work of international humanitarian groups has been a consistent feature of ISIS-K propaganda and violence. In addition, assassinations of high-profile opponents serve to raise morale among fighters, prevent defections and boost recruitment. The ability to assassinate top Taliban leaders and commanders showcases ISIS-Ks strength to potential recruit, including from within the Talibans ranks. Finally, high-profile attacks signal to the Islamic State groups core leadership in Iraq and Syria that its affiliate in Afghanistan deserves continued support and investment. ISIS-K leaders have frequently sent letters to Islamic State group leadership boasting of their successful assassinations and other operations. After the attack on the Kabul airport in August 2021, ISIS-K received new cash payments from top Islamic State group leaders either as a reward, investment or both. Consequences for the US How successful ISIS-K is in rebuilding its insurgency and replicating the caliphate model in Iraq and Syria will depend on a number of factors. Most important is its continued ability to leverage its strategic alliances and rivalries. Partnering with other jihadist groups in the region helps ISIS-K sustain its capacity for violence. And accusing the Taliban of apostasy for accepting foreign investment and humanitarian aid from infidel or enemy governments including China, the U.S., Iran, Turkey and others helps distinguish ISIS-Ks own brand from its rivals. Targeting killings of such opponents further reinforces this distinction. A strengthened ISIS-K insurgency in Afghanistan has direct consequences for U.S. and Western security interests. A February 2023 U.S. intelligence report warned of ISIS-Ks desire to attack the West. And on March 16, U.S. CENTCOM commander Gen. Michael Kurilla testified that ISIS-K will be able to attack American and Western interests outside Afghanistan in less than six months. Whether or not this assessment is accurate, the recent claimed assassinations by ISIS-K are one of many indicators that point to its growing threat in Afghanistan a threat that we believe the Taliban cant take on alone. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: https://theconversation.com/a-string-of-assassinations-in-afghanistan-point-to-isis-k-resurgence-and-us-officials-warn-of-possible-attacks-on-american-interests-in-next-6-months-201852. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The police chief in New Haven, Connecticut, recommended Tuesday that four officers be fired for mistreating a Black man who became paralyzed from the chest down last year in a police van that braked suddenly. Police Chief Karl Jacobson's recommendations in the case of Richard Randy Cox now go to the city's police commissioners, who have the sole authority to fire officers. The commissioners are expected to hold hearings beginning in late April or early May, he said. The message to the community is that we will be transparent and we will be accountable, and we will hold our officers accountable," Jacobson said at a news conference at police headquarters. "The message to the officers is that this administration does have your back and that mistakes do happen, but we will not treat this community disrespectfully as happened in the Randy Cox situation. Jacobson also announced that internal affairs investigations found the officers violated conduct rules on integrity, abiding by the law, trustworthiness, courtesy and respect. Ben Crump, an attorney for Cox and his family, said they are encouraged the chief is recommending the officers be fired. These officers were sworn to protect their community, but they inflicted unnecessary and traumatizing harm to Randy, who will pay the price for the rest of his life, Crump said in a statement. An attorney for one of the officers said they were being used as scapegoats for the department's inadequate training and policies, and noted Jacobson said over 50 policies are under review to make sure what happened to Cox doesn't happen again. The four officers Oscar Diaz, Betsy Segui, Jocelyn Lavandier and Luis Rivera also have been criminally charged on allegations they cruelly mistreated and neglected Cox on June 19, 2022, after he was injured in the back of a police van with no seat belts. He'd been arrest on gun and threatening charges, which were later dropped. A fifth officer, Ronald Pressley, is charged with the same crimes. Jacobson said Pressley retired in January, so he cannot be disciplined. Police have said the van driver, Diaz, was transporting Cox to police headquarters when he braked hard to avoid an accident. Cox, whose hands were handcuffed behind his back, slid head-first into the metal partition between the driver and passenger compartments, breaking his neck and leaving him paralyzed from the chest down. I cant move. Im going to die like this. Please, please, please help me, Cox said minutes after the crash, according to police video. Diaz stopped a few minutes later to check on him, according to police video and officials. Cox was lying motionless on the floor and Diaz called paramedics. However, Diaz told them to meet him at the station instead of waiting for them a violation of department policy, Jacobson has said. At the station, some of the officers mocked Cox and accused him of being drunk and faking his injuries, according to surveillance and body-worn camera footage. Officers dragged Cox by his feet out of the van and placed him in a holding cell prior to his eventual transfer to a hospital. The five officers have pleaded not guilty to second-degree reckless endangerment and cruelty to persons misdemeanor charges criticized as too light by Coxs family and lawyers. The case has drawn outrage from civil rights advocates like the NAACP, along with comparisons to the Freddie Gray case in Baltimore. Gray, who was also Black, died in 2015 after he suffered a spinal injury while handcuffed and shackled in a city police van. Gregory Cerritelli, a lawyer for Segui, said the officers are scapegoats for the department's inadequate training and policies. The entire process lacks fundamental fairness, Cerretelli said about the internal affairs investigations. Lavandier's attorney, Dan Ford, said the chief's recommendation to fire her was premature. Messages seeking comment were left for the other officers' lawyers. Cox is suing the officers and city for $100 million in federal court for alleged negligence, excessive use of force, failing to provide immediate medical care, assault and intentional infliction of emotional distress, among other claims. In court documents, the officers and the city deny the lawsuit allegations. MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) Tennessee sheriff's deputies fatally shot a woman who was a suspect in a domestic violence incident, officials said. Shelby County deputies stopped a vehicle Saturday afternoon in Bartlett that matched the description of one involved in a domestic call in Fayette County earlier in the day, authorities said. For reasons still under investigation, as officers approached the vehicle, shots were fired, and the driver was struck, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said. Melissa S. Horton, 43, was pronounced dead at the scene, the agency said. The Fayette County Sheriff's office said in a statement that deputies there responded to a call near Somerville where a woman had pulled a shotgun on her fiance and struck him in the head with the barrel of the gun, news outlets reported. Both the man and the suspect fled the residence and authorities put out a description of the car Horton was driving, along with the tag numbers. Agents with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation are working to independently determine events leading to the shooting, including collecting evidence and conducting interviews, the agency said. SEATTLE (AP) Law enforcement officials have released the name of a King County Sheriffs deputy who was shot in Seattle Monday while serving an eviction notice as well as the person found dead inside the Ballard neighborhood residence. Detective David Easterly was shot and wounded, the King County Independent Force Investigation Team said Tuesday in a news release. Easterly remained in critical condition Tuesday at Harborview Medical Center, The Seattle Times reported. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) A Florida mayor turned in his resignation during a tense budget meeting and said he made the quick decision due to concerns over the direction his colleagues were taking with city funds. Clearwater's Mayor Frank Hibbard called for a five-minute recess Monday and made the announcement afterward. Before the recess, the council had been discussing how to pay for a $250 million shortfall for about 30 projects, the Tampa Bay Times reported. Hibbard had pushed back against spending $90 million for a new city hall and municipal services complex while his four colleagues said was their top priority for the city of Clearwater, which has a population of about 116,000 people and is 23 miles (37 kilometers) from Tampa on Floridas Gulf Coast. He called his resignation one of the toughest decisions hes had to make. Im not a quitter, but Im not the right leader for this council anymore and Im concerned where the city is going, because this is simple math and were not doing very well on the test," Hibbard said. Council member Kathleen Beckmans mouth was agape as Hibbard spoke. She then reconvened the budget workshop and urged her colleagues to carry on despite being shell-shocked, the Times reported. After leaving the meeting, Hibbard told the Times he made the decision on the spot. He called his wife, Teresa, who he said asked if he could live with the decision. Im not going to have a choice, he told the newspaper when asked the same question. This is so out of character for me ... I dont do things lightly, Hibbard said. I dont want to criticize the council, but its an overall vision for where the city is going and being fiscally responsible. We talk about affordability and everything else, but were not doing the things that continue to keep a cap on costs. Hibbard was in the last year of his four-year term, and had already announced he would not seek reelection. He had previously served as mayor from 2004 to 2012, and took office again in March 2020, just as the global pandemic was beginning. After the budget meeting, the city's attorney told the council he wanted to speak with Hibbard to confirm his intentions before they discussed replacing him. By that time, Hibbard had already cleared out his office. ANAMOSA, IA (AP) Authorities are searching for contraband at an Iowa prison after several sickened inmates and workers were treated over the weekend with the life-saving overdose antidote Narcan. KCCI-TV reports that inmates at the Anamosa State Penitentiary aren't allowed to have visits and their movements are restricted amid the narcotics investigation. (The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) Robert Lempert, Pardee RAND Graduate School and Elisabeth Gilmore, Carleton University (THE CONVERSATION) Its easy to feel pessimistic when scientists around the world are warning that climate change has advanced so far, its now inevitable that societies will either transform themselves or be transformed. But as two of theauthors of a recent international climate report, we also see reason for optimism. The latest reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, including the synthesis report released March 20, 2023, discuss changes ahead, but they also describe how existing solutions can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help people adjust to impacts of climate change that cant be avoided. The problem is that these solutions arent being deployed fast enough. In addition to pushback from industries, peoples fear of change has helped maintain the status quo. To slow climate change and adapt to the damage already underway, the world will have to shift how it generates and uses energy, transports people and goods, designs buildings and grows food. That starts with embracing innovation and change. Fear of change can lead to worsening change From the industrial revolution to the rise of social media, societies have undergone fundamental changes in how people live and understand their place in the world. Some transformations are widely regarded as bad, including many of those connected to climate change. For example, about half the worlds coral reef ecosystems have died because of increasing heat and acidity in the oceans. Island nations like Kiribati and coastal communities, including in Louisiana and Alaska, are losing land into rising seas. Other transformations have had both good and bad effects. The industrial revolution vastly raised standards of living for many people, but it spawned inequality, social disruption and environmental destruction. People often resist transformation because their fear of losing what they have is more powerful than knowing they might gain something better. Wanting to retain things as they are known as status quo bias explains all sorts of individual decisions, from sticking with incumbent politicians to not enrolling in retirement or health plans even when the alternatives may be rationally better. This effect may be even more pronounced for larger changes. In the past, delaying inevitable change has led to transformations that are unnecessarily harsh, such as the collapse of some 13th-century civilizations in what is now the U.S. Southwest. As more people experience the harms of climate change firsthand, they may begin to realize that transformation is inevitable and embrace new solutions. A mix of good and bad The IPCC reports make clear that the future inevitably involves more and larger climate-related transformations. The question is what the mix of good and bad will be in those transformations. If countries allow greenhouse gas emissions to continue at a high rate and communities adapt only incrementally to the resulting climate change, the transformations will be mostly forced and mostly bad. For example, a riverside town might raise its levees as spring flooding worsens. At some point, as the scale of flooding increases, such adaptation hits its limits. The levees necessary to hold back the water may become too expensive or so intrusive that they undermine any benefit of living near the river. The community may wither away. The riverside community could also take a more deliberate and anticipatory approach to transformation. It might shift to higher ground, turn its riverfront into parkland while developing affordable housing for people who are displaced by the project, and collaborate with upstream communities to expand landscapes that capture floodwaters. Simultaneously, the community can shift to renewable energy and electrified transportation to help slow global warming. Optimism resides in deliberate action The IPCC reports include numerous examples that can help steer such positive transformation. For example, renewable energy is now generally less expensive than fossil fuels, so a shift to clean energy can often save money. Communities can also be redesigned to better survive natural hazards through steps such as maintaining natural wildfire breaks and building homes to be less susceptible to burning. Land use and the design of infrastructure, such as roads and bridges, can be based on forward-looking climate information. Insurance pricing and corporate climate risk disclosures can help the public recognize hazards in the products they buy and companies they support as investors. No one group can enact these changes alone. Everyone must be involved, including governments that can mandate and incentivize changes, businesses that often control decisions about greenhouse gas emissions, and citizens who can turn up the pressure on both. Transformation is inevitable Efforts to both adapt to and mitigate climate change have advanced substantially in the last five years, but not fast enough to prevent the transformations already underway. Doing more to disrupt the status quo with proven solutions can help smooth these transformations and create a better future in the process. Editors note: This is an update to an article originally published April 18, 2022. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: https://theconversation.com/ipcc-report-climate-solutions-exist-but-humanity-has-to-break-from-the-status-quo-and-embrace-innovation-202134. HOUSTON (AP) Next week's scheduled execution of a Texas death row inmate who was convicted in the killing of another prisoner was delayed by a judge. Anibal Canales Jr., 58, had been set to be executed March 29 for the July 1997 strangling death of another inmate, Gary Dickerson, at the Telford state prison, which is located near New Boston in northeast Texas. But on Thursday, state District Judge Bill Miller, in Bowie County, signed an order withdrawing Canales execution date. Both prosecutors and Canales attorneys agreed to the delay to allow the inmates lawyers more time to seek additional evidence in his case, according to the judges order. The order was meant to give Canales' legal team time to "investigate serious flaws in the criminal investigation and prosecutions for the 1997 murder, Joseph Perkovich, one of Canales lawyers, said in an email Monday. Canales had been serving a 15-year sentence for aggravated sexual assault when he joined the Texas Mafia prison gang, prosecutors said. After the gang believed Dickerson had informed authorities about tobacco it had tried to smuggle into the prison, it ordered Canales and other gang members to kill him, according to authorities. Canales and another gang member went to Dickersons cell, with Canales holding Dickerson down while the other gang member strangled him, prosecutors said. But Canales attorneys have previously argued he was forced to do whatever the gang asked of him in exchange for their protection. Prior heart attacks had left him physically vulnerable as another prison gang sought to kill him. Canales lawyers at his trial failed to tell jurors about the circumstances that forced him to take part in the killing and also about his childhood, which was rife with sexual abuse, poverty, neglect and homelessness, according to his attorneys. In June 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected Canales claims about having ineffective lawyers at his trial. But in a dissent, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor said there appeared to be more than a reasonable probability that the mitigating evidence Canales trial lawyers did not present would have led at least one juror to sentence him to life in prison instead of death. This is the second execution in the last two weeks that has been delayed in Texas. On March 7, a judge withdrew the execution warrant for Andre Thomas. He had been set to receive a lethal injection April 5 for fatally stabbing his estranged wife, their 4-year-old son and her 13-month-old daughter in March 2004. Lawyers for Thomas who gouged out both of his eyes said he should not be executed because he is severely mentally ill. The next execution in Texas is set for April 26. ___ Follow Juan A. Lozano on Twitter at https://twitter.com/juanlozano70. Opinion articles written in the style of their author. These texts are to be based on verified facts and must be respectful towards people, even though their actions may be criticized. All opinion articles written by individuals from outside the staff of EL PAIS shall feature, along with the authors name (regardless of their greater or lesser renown), a footer stating their office, academic title, political affiliation (if any) and main occupation, or the occupation related to the topic being assessed Bibi, the prime minister of Israel, and AMLO, the president of Mexico, couldnt be more different. At the moment, however, their political strategies could not be more similar. Both are trying to change the politics of their respective countries in profound ways, and both are doing so using profoundly undemocratic means. Benjamin Netanyahu (Bibi) and Andres Manuel Lopez Obradors (AMLO) personal histories as well as the countries where they were born in, live in and lead are radically different. So is the cultural, political and economic context in which they were raised. The territory of Mexico is 94 times that of Israel and its population is 14 times larger. Israels per capita income is now at the same level as that of France or Germany, while Mexico suffers from chronic economic anemia. Since the 1970s, Israels economy has been growing rapidly while Mexicos has been growing slowly. While Bibi boasts of the high-tech boom during his tenure, AMLO is using public funds to build a railroad and an oil refinery. Another difference is that Bibi has lived his entire life in a democratic country, while AMLO was raised in a one-party state, where the PRI monopolized power from 1929 to 2000. For Bibi, it is imperative that his government respond aggressively to attacks by internal and external enemies such as Hamas, Hezbollah and Palestinian militants. AMLO, for his part, will be remembered for taking on the Mexican drug cartels with a strategy he called hugs, not bullets (no, it didnt work). The surprise is that, despite their many differences, Bibi and AMLO have adopted exactly the same political strategy: a frontal attack on democracy. This attack is not being waged with soldiers and tanks, but with lawyers, journalists and political cronies. Bibi is trying to push a series of reforms through the courts that would dilute laws and institutions designed to prevent the prime minister and his allies from concentrating power. While Bibi attacks the judiciary, AMLO attacks the electoral system. The Mexican president has launched an offensive against the National Electoral Institute (INE), the public body in charge of organizing elections in Mexico and preventing fraud. The INE is recognized worldwide as an independent institution that defends democracy and unlike many countries these days does not give a rubber stamp to elections rigged by the resident autocrat. Similar to Donald Trump and Jair Bolsonaro, AMLO has continually criticized the INE, calling it rotten, corrupt and biased. His most recent attack has been to slash its budget. Lorenzo Cordova, the institutes president, told journalist Anne Applebaum that AMLOs reforms would force them to lay off 85 percent of their staff, severely limiting INEs ability to carry out its mission. But the attack is not only on the electoral system. AMLO has also been attacking the media and specific journalists who criticize him or who have exposed his falsehoods (a study by the consulting firm Spin found that AMLO has made 56,000 false or misleading statements on Mananeras, his daily morning news conference). Another battlefront for the Mexican president has been the judiciary. He recently lashed out at Norma Pina, the president of the Supreme Court, a woman AMLO slams as soft on crime. The US State Department, journalists, academics, politicians and a wide range of non-governmental organizations have declared their firm opposition to AMLOs strategy. Tens of thousands of protesters have been filling the Zocalo, the streets of Mexico City and other cities to protest against him. It is the same in Israel. More than 100,000 Israelis have taken to the streets in major cities to protest Bibi and his coalition of radical parties and leaders. Thus, two countries that could not be more different turned out to be identical in their defense of democracy. Isaac Herzog, the president of Israel, declared: We are no longer in a political debate, but on the brink of constitutional and social collapse. Veterans of Unit 8200, an elite section of Israeli military intelligence, have joined those who have publicly denounced Bibis attempt to concentrate power. In a letter released to the public they said, We will not volunteer for a country that unilaterally changed the basic social contract with its citizens. What is happening in the streets of Mexico and Israel goes beyond a cry to stop undemocratic legal reforms and reducing the budgets of public bodies such as the INE or attacks against journalists and judges. It is a reaction to the imminent loss of freedom. Twitter: @moisesnaim Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition WETUMPKA, Ala. (AP) LaKeith Smith was 15 when a police officer shot and killed his friend when the teens were caught burglarizing homes in Alabama, but it is Smith who will spend decades in prison for his friend's death. A judge on Tuesday sentenced Smith, now 24, to 30 years in prison a reduction from the more than 50 years he originally received, but a blow to his family and advocates who argued he should not spend decades in prison for a killing he did not commit. The new sentencing hearing was held after a judge ruled Smiths original lawyer failed to present possible mitigating evidence about his home life and mental health. Circuit Judge Sibley Reynolds handed down the new sentence after a lengthy court hearing. Sibley gave Smith the same punishment he previously handed down 30 years for the felony murder charge and 25 years for burglary and theft but this time allowed the sentences to run concurrently, instead of stacked on top of one another. What he received today was not justice. It was clearly an over-sentence, defense attorney Leroy Maxwell said after court. He said they will pursue an appeal. Maxwell said the case, which has garnered national attention because of Smith's age and the sentence he received, is the poster child for the misuse of felony murder laws that allow someone to be charged for a killing during commission of a felony even if the death was unintentional. The fatal shooting happened on Feb. 23, 2015, when Millbrook police officers responded to a call of a burglary in progress. A Millbrook police officer shot and killed 16-year-old ADonte Washington when officers surprised the teens, local news outlets reported. A grand jury cleared the officer in the shooting. The surviving four teens were charged with felony murder. Three took a plea deal, and Smith went to trial. The Elmore County courtroom, which sits across the highway from a state prison, erupted in angry shouts after the judge handed down the sentence, attorneys and others said. He's not a murderer. He doesn't deserve 55 or 30 years, Smith's mother, Brontina Smith, said after court. Maxwell argued LaKeith Smith was the least culpable of the teens because he was the youngest and there was no evidence he fired a gun. The judge heard testimony about Smith's difficult home life, as well as a request from Washington's father to let Smith go free. They were kids, just kids. I dont condone them going to somebodys house and whatever. Give them time for that. But the murder of my child? No, Andre Washington said after court. District Attorney CJ Robinson, who was the prosecutor in the case before being elected as district attorney, said the sentence is within the allowed guidelines. There are no winners here. Never have been (in) this case," Robinson said via text after court. He supported the new sentencing hearing for Smith, agreeing that Smith's original trial lawyer did an inadequate job at sentencing. I do wish I had heard LaKeith stand up and acknowledge that he made a series of choices that resulted in his friends death. Maybe to him he did that, but Im not sure that message was communicated in court, Robinson wrote. The case has put a spotlight on the state's felony murder law, a legal doctrine that holds someone liable for murder if they participate in a felony, such as a robbery, that results in someones death. Most states have felony murder laws, but rules vary on their use. According to a 2022 report by the Sentencing Project, a group advocating against mass incarceration, 14 states allow people engaged in a felony to be convicted of felony murder for a killing committed by a third party if it can be characterized as a foreseeable result of their action. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Three men who said they or their families were subjected to political persecution that included a killing, attempted killings and torture in their hometown in Haiti finally got justice after about 15 years on Tuesday when an American jury ruled in their favor and awarded them $15.5 million in damages. David Boniface, Juders Yseme and Nissage Martyr filed the civil suit against Jean Morose Viliena in in U.S. District Court in Boston in 2017 after the courts in Haiti failed to bring them justice, they said. I felt very happy to hear the result today, very proud that this is the result I got, and I was confident when I filed the complaint in the U.S. that I would get this result today, Boniface said through a translator. The suit was filed under the Torture Victim Protection Act of 1991, which allows civil lawsuits to be filed in the U.S. against foreign officials who allegedly committed wrongdoing in their homeland if all legal avenues in their country have been exhausted. The trial cast a spotlight on the wider issue of patronage, violence and intimidation in Haitian politics and the Caribbean nations often ineffective judicial system. I think our hope is that this verdict today will help pull forward accountability efforts in Haiti, said Dan McLaughlin, an attorney for the Center of Justice and Accountability, which represented the men. But, he said. at the least it shows that people accused of crimes elsewhere can be held accountable in U.S. courts. Viliena, a lawful permanent resident of the U.S. who now lives in Malden, Massachusetts, denied any wrongdoing. He showed no emotion as the verdict was read after a weeklong trial and about five hours of jury deliberations. He and his attorney, Peter Haley, declined comment as they left the courtroom. Viliena was mayor more than a decade ago of Les Irois, a town of around 22,000 people on Haitis westernmost tip, about 140 miles (225 kilometers) from the capital of Port-au-Prince. The plaintiffs said in the suit that they or their relatives were persecuted Viliena and his political allies. Viliena was elected as a candidate for the Haitian Democratic and Reform Movement and was backed by the Committee for Resistance in Grande-Anse, which according to the lawsuit dominates regional politics through patronage, threats and armed violence. The plaintiffs alleged that in 2007 Viliena a loyalist of former Haitian President Michel Martelly led a group of men armed with guns, machetes and clubs to Bonifaces home, and in his absence, shot and killed his younger brother, Eclesiaste Boniface. I feel very happy and feel well today, although that did not bring back my brother to me, the fact that justice was rendered; its big, David Boniface said through the translator. The suit also alleged that Viliena and his men beat and shot Yseme and Nissage Martyr at a community radio station in 2008. Yseme was blinded in one eye, while Martyr lost a leg, according to the suit. Nissage Martyr has since died, and his son, Nissandere Martyr, replaced him as a plaintiff. The plaintiffs also alleged that Vilianes allies burned down dozens of homes occupied by his political opponents in 2009. The jury on Tuesday cleared Viliena of liabilty for the arson. It's not clear if Viliena has the money to pay the damages. The clients have been clear with us that the driving force behind this case is not money damages," McLaughlin said. The point of the punitive damages is to send a message both to the defendant and to others who may be tempted to act like him that that kind of conduct is unacceptable, he said. The plaintiffs said their troubles are not over. Viliena still holds power in Haiti and they have been living in hiding away from their homes for years. Up to today, we feel very scared, very frightened for our families and even the people who helped us stay in hiding this whole time, even their lives are also targeted," Yseme said through a translator. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) Two people who kidnapped a 3-month-old baby from his San Francisco Bay Area home last year were sentenced Monday to prison. Yesenia Ramirez was sentenced to 13 years and four months in prison. Jose Portillo received five years. The two pleaded no contest last August to kidnapping Brandon Cuellar on April 25, 2022. Prosecutors said Ramirez met the boy's family through church and plotted to kidnap the child after lying to her boyfriend telling him that she had given birth to their baby and was going to bring him home from the hospital. Ramirez took the baby's grandmother shopping and arranged for Portillo to enter the family's San Jose apartment while they were out. This gave Portillo time to take the child while Ramirez helped the woman unload groceries from the car, prosecutors said. Video showed Portillo walking away with the baby in a carrier covered with a white blanket. The boy's mother was at work at the time. After an intense search, the baby was found the next day at Portillo's home a few miles from the apartment. This incident is a parents worst nightmare. We are fortunate it resulted in a positive outcome, San Jose Police Chief Anthony Mata said at the time. Prosecutors said the two had tried to kidnap the boy several times before, and once tried to cut the brakes on the mother's car. At Monday's hearing, Ramirez cried as she delivered a lengthy apology that eventually was cut short by Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Nona Klippen, KRON-TV reported. Im sorry for this baby, his mother, father, and all of his loved ones that I have hurt. I am sorry for others that I have manipulated, traumatized, due to my crimes and my actions, Ramirez said. CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) Abortion-rights supporters filed an amended lawsuit Tuesday seeking to block Wyoming's new abortion pill ban from taking effect. A group hoping to open what would be the state's second clinic offering abortions filed the amended lawsuit days after Republican Gov. Mark Gordon signed what is the nation's first explicit ban on abortion pills. Absent court intervention, that ban would take effect July 1. Abortion-rights supporters already were seeking to block a separate sweeping abortion ban that took effect Sunday in Wyoming without the governor's signature. That law seeks to overcome objections that prompted a judge to suspend a previous ban. The abortion pill ban and the sweeping ban conflict and create confusion about what is and isnt permissible under the new laws, according to the lawsuit. If theyre allowed to be in effect, the fundamental rights of Wyoming women and their families will be taken away by the state government and those rights will cease to exist, the amended lawsuit said. Both of the new Wyoming abortion bans make exceptions to save a pregnant womans life and for cases of rape or incest that are reported to police. Until Gordon signed the ban on medication abortions, no state had passed a law specifically prohibiting such pills, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research group that supports abortion rights. However, abortion pills already were banned in 13 other states with blanket bans on abortion, and 15 states already had limited access to the pills. Medication abortions also are a target of a separate lawsuit in Texas, where abortion opponents have asked a federal judge to reverse the Food and Drug Administration's 2000 approval of mifepristone. A two-pill combination of mifepristone and another drug is the most common form of abortion in the U.S. Wyoming has only one abortion provider, a womens health clinic in Jackson that only provides medication abortions but has canceled appointments after the state's broad ban took effect this week. Teton County District Court Judge Melissa Owens is scheduled to hold a hearing Wednesday to consider whether to block that new ban while the legal challenge over it moves ahead. Wellspring Health Access, which is seeking to block the abortion pill ban and the broader measure, has been planning to open a clinic in Casper that would provide surgical and medication abortions. After an arson attack prevented that clinic from opening as planned last summer, organizers hoped to open it next month. Wyomingites deserve access to the full spectrum of reproductive health care, including both surgical and medication abortion, and thats why we are fighting to keep medication abortion legal in Wyoming, Julie Burkart, president of Wellspring Health Access said in a statement. Also suing are four women, including two gynecologists, and Chelsea's Fund, a Wyoming abortion access advocacy group. Wyoming Attorney General Bridget Hill will vigorously defend the legality of this law, just as she does with all statutes when their constitutionality is challenged, Gordon spokesman Michael Pearlman said by email. Until this week, abortion had remained legal in Wyoming despite a ban that followed the U.S. Supreme Court decision to overturn its landmark Roe v. Wade abortion ruling. In putting that ban on hold in July, Owens ruled that it stood to harm women with pregnancy complications and their doctors. She also found that a 2012 state constitutional amendment guaranteeing the right to make one's own health care decisions could allow abortion. The new sweeping ban asserts that abortion is not health care and the amendment therefore doesn't apply to abortion. Since the reversal of the Roe in June, abortion restrictions have been up to states, and the landscape has shifted quickly. Other states where courts have put on hold bans or deep restrictions are Arizona, Indiana, Montana, Ohio, South Carolina and Utah. Idaho courts forced the state to allow abortions during medical emergencies. MILWAUKEE (AP) A 15-year-old boy died and five young women were injured in a Milwaukee shooting in the latest violence to target the city's young people, police said. The 15-year-old boy died at the scene following the shooting that occurred about 11:30 p.m. Monday on the city's north side, Milwaukee police said. The Milwaukee County Medical Examiners Office identified the boy as Davion Patterson. DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) Muslim authorities in Saudi Arabia and several other Middle Eastern countries say this year's fasting month of Ramadan will begin Thursday based on the expected sighting of the crescent moon. Clerics across the region said the moon was not visible Tuesday night, meaning it will almost certainly appear the following evening, heralding the start of the monthlong observance. NEW HAVEN A suspected narcotics trafficker has been convicted of some but not all of the offenses he was charged with, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office for the District of Connecticut. Donell Allick Jr., also known as D-Nice, 24, of New Haven, is scheduled to be sentenced June 13, the U.S. attorneys office said. Allick could face decades in prison at that time, the office said. Between April and October 2022, Allick conspired with others to distribute fentanyl and crack cocaine in the New Haven area, according to the U.S. attorneys office. His criminal history includes state convictions for first-degree escape, second-degree assault-serious injury and carrying a pistol or revolver without a permit, the office said. In September and October 2022, the office said, law enforcement officers made controlled purchases of fentanyl from Allick and associate Jourdin Senior. Investigators conducting a court-authorized search of a home shared by Allick and Senior on Oct. 24, 2022 seized three handguns, extended magazines and quantities of fentanyl and crack cocaine, according to the U.S. attorney's office. Some of the drugs were packaged "for street-level distribution," the office said. During a related search of Allicks car, the office said, investigators seized another handgun, a 33-round extended magazine and quantities of fentanyl and crack cocaine. Allick was arrested on Nov. 10, 2022 and has been detained since, according to the U.S. attorneys office. He was tried by a federal jury in New Haven, the office said. Vanessa Roberts Avery, U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced the verdict Tuesday. Allick was found guilty of conspiracy to distribute, and to possess with intent to distribute, fentanyl and crack cocaine; possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, fentanyl; and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and crack cocaine, the U.S. attorney's office said. He was found not guilty of possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, a quantity of fentanyl; possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine; and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, the office said. Following the trial but before the verdict came back, Allick pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of firearms, according to the U.S. attorneys office. Senior, also known as G, pleaded guilty March 10 to conspiracy to distribute, and to possess with intent to distribute, fentanyl and crack cocaine, according to the U.S. attorneys office. He awaits sentencing. the office said. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Any caregivers who mistreat and abuse developmentally disabled or otherwise vulnerable people will be held accountable, New Mexicos governor and top health officials warned Monday. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, members of her cabinet and law enforcement officials gathered at the state Capitol to provide an update on ongoing investigations into an alleged abuse and neglect case involving a developmentally disabled person that was brought to the state's attention March 1. The case resulted in the state terminating contracts with four providers in the Albuquerque area. It also prompted what the governor described as a forensic review of the entire developmentally disabled waiver system, which is meant to offer an alternative to institutional care. Five more cases including three in which individuals being cared for died are under investigation. Officials said that they haven't determined if those deaths are tied to abuse or neglect. Over the weekend, state health workers visited more than 1,000 people who are part of the federally funded waiver program. As a result, another eight potential cases warrant future review, officials said. If youre not providing the care that you were supposed to provide, we will find you and you will be held accountable. Thats it zero tolerance in the state of New Mexico. We are coming, Lujan Grisham said during a news conference. Lujan Grisham, whose sister is developmentally disabled, called the recent cases in New Mexico alarming, and vowed that the state will not tolerate abuse, neglect and exploitation of any vulnerable populations. Officials with the New Mexico Department of Health have been tight-lipped about the allegations that prompted the initial investigation and the cancellation of the providers' contracts. Health Secretary Patrick Allen said Monday that the client involved in the March 1 case suffered life-threatening injuries but didn't provide further details. He said that the other instances identified in recent weeks involve neglect such as malnutrition. Lujan Grisham partly blamed the coronavirus pandemic and strict public health protocols that limited family members and other advocates from visiting patients, for some instances of neglect and abuse going unreported. She said telehealth visits and online wellness checks have been no substitute and the number of referrals for potential abuse or neglect dropped as a result. She suggested that also opened the door for other insidious behavior to go unchecked. The governor pointed to a recent case in Michigan involving a 71-year-old woman who was born with a spinal deformity that left her unable to care for herself or to communicate. She starved to death in a group home. Allen said his agency, along with the state's Aging and Long-Term Services Department, will be working to visit the remaining nearly 5,100 people who are participating in the developmentally disabled waiver program within the next 30 days. The state also plans to schedule more regular visits going forward and to review entire case files, rather than only what providers submit to Medicaid for reimbursement. Allen said the reliance on caregivers, limited transportation options, limited access to language interpreters or other assistive devices, and general isolation from the community can put people with disabilities at higher risk. Escaping abuse is difficult for any victim, but its only compounded when the person abusing you is the one you rely on to help you dress and get out of the house, he said. While all of the care givers allegedly involved in the initial March 1 case are no longer are working with clients, no criminal charges have been filed. Authorities stressed Monday that the investigations were ongoing. One of the providers that had their contract cancelled an agency that provided residential in-home care for the person posted a statement on its website saying that it immediately notified state officials after learning of significant injuries to one of their clients after a caregiver chose to take that person out of state. They called the case heartbreaking. The other providers offered case management, behavioral services and physical therapy for the victim. They too have said that they were unaware of the allegations. Some plan to appeal the state's decision to cancel their contracts, citing reputations built over many years by serving people with disabilities. ___ Montoya Bryan reported from Albuquerque, New Mexico. SEATTLE (AP) A King County Sheriffs deputy was shot in Seattle Monday while trying to serve an eviction notice, and a person inside the residence was later found dead, police said. The Seattle Police Department said on Twitter around 10:30 a.m. that a person was barricaded in a Ballard neighborhood apartment and that a county detective had been shot and taken to Harborview Medical Center. GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) A 23-year-old Rockford man charged with abuse of a corpse for stealing a funeral home van containing a body that was later dumped in Chicago has been arrested in Wisconsin. The man, who also faces a charge of unlawful possession of a stolen vehicle, was arrested Sunday in Green Bay. Howard Hu was born in Shanghai, China, 53 years ago. When he was a little boy his family migrated to the United States, where his parents established themselves in the restaurant business, which meant that he would spend his early years alternating between being a dishwasher and a cook, all while reflecting that education could be his ticket to a better life. It was around that time that he saw Star Wars, which he calls the catapult of his career, because it was what made him realize that what he wanted most in the world was to build spacecraft. That starry-eyed kid is now the head of NASAs Orion program, the new ship that will be taking astronauts to the Moon and beyond. Hu studied aeronautics and astronautics in Seattle, joined NASA as an intern at age 22 and has not worked for anyone else since. He has actively participated in the agencys most emblematic programs, such as the space shuttles and the International Space Station, the only inhabited place outside of Earth. The engineer, who leads a team of approximately 3,500 people both at NASA and at more than 800 supplier companies was recently in Spain to meet with companies that took part in the construction of the European Service Module developed by the European Space Agency, which provides air, water, electricity, propulsion and temperature control to the Orion spacecraft. He showed them new data from Artemis 1, the first unmanned test mission, which returned to Earth after orbiting the Moon in December last year. In this interview, Hu outlines his upcoming goals, including making history by sending the first woman and the first person of color to the Moon by 2025. Question. After Artemis 1, are you ready to send humans to the Moon? Answer. We are going to test out the next version of Orion, called Artemis 2. Thats also a flight test. Artemis 2 will have crew; four astronauts. And so well have new systems that will support the crew, for example, the oxygen delivery system and the flight control system. Its very important that that integrated system, along with the ability to live on the spacecraft, is tested as well. Q. What is it like to be inside the Orion? A. I describe it as being inside a big SUV. Right as you enter the hatch, thats where the toilet will be. And then youll see the seats, two above and two below, like bunk beds. And youll have the commander and the pilot, and they will see the displays and the switches. Theyll have the controllers and theyll be able to navigate through the displays to get the information they need. When they get into orbit, the seats will be stowed and theyll just float. Its very cozy. Theyll have a little galley to prepare food; theyll obviously have the toilet, which is like a very small telephone booth. [This is the first time that NASA includes something like this on a spacecraft to the Moon. 50 years ago, the Apollo astronauts, all men, urinated and defecated in bags, without privacy]. Q. How long will the astronauts be in the spacecraft? A. After we launch out of Kennedy Space Center, the ship will orbit the Earth for 24 hours as we make sure that everything is good, that the equipment is ready to go. Then well basically swing around the Moon and come back. This will be a 10 to 12 day mission, depending on when we launch. Itll be a much shorter mission than Artemis 1, which took 25 and a half days. Were targeting end of next year. Q. And then there will be Artemis 3, in which a woman and a person of color will walk on the Moon for the first time in history. It will be very different from when the Apollo astronauts arrived. What exactly will we see during this mission? A. The big difference is going to be the Starship lander [made by Elon Musks SpaceX], which is very big. For rendezvous and docking, with something that massive, we havent done something like that in lunar space. Thats going to be one of the big challenges. Of course, I think the videos are going to be much better than Apollo, not grainy and black and white. Were going to really have a lot of good high definition video coming from the surface of the Moon. And of course, the suits are going to be different. Four engineers wearing space suits sit in a replica Orion capsule, with the commander and pilot on the left. Robert Markowitz - NASA - Johnson Space Center Q. Of all the places on the Moon, the cold and hostile south pole has been chosen for landing. Why? A. Water. We think there could be concentrations of water on the dark side. We think well be able to take ice cores and analyze them. We could also obtain oxygen and hydrogen from water, which would allow us to make fuel and oxygen to breathe in situ. If you dont have to carry all your fuel and oxygen, and you have a refueling station for oxygen available, it would be a huge benefit long term. And theres a lot of geological interest in the South Pole, because all the Apollo missions went to the lunar equator. The Orion is able to bring 100 kilos of rocks from the Moon. Well be able to analyze that and do some discoveries. Q. How long will the astronauts be on the surface? A. About six days. The first missions will be very short, establishing the science. As we go forward with Artemis 4 and beyond, well begin to establish an infrastructure, long term habitats, logistic modules, rovers... all these things are needed. You need to have a long term capability to be able to live there for a longer time, days, weeks, months. Thats going to be very important. Q. Will there be people living on the Moon permanently? A. Potentially. Were taking the early steps. When we get to Artemis 4 and 5 is when well be able to deliver personnel to the Gateway, our lunar orbiting platform. The Europeans are providing several elements to the Gateway. And so the Orion will deliver the crew, and then there will be a lander, so theyll get in the lander and go down to the surface, and then the crew will spend however much time they need there. Then theyll get in the Orion and come home. Its a taxi service. Think about it that way. Orions a taxi service to Gateway, and the lander is a taxi service down to the surface of the Moon. And in the meantime, other elements like rovers and habitats will be delivered down to the surface. There will be power generation capabilities and potentially a communications network. We will do all this together with our European, Japanese and Canadian partners, and companies from those and other countries. Thats what makes this such a powerful project. Q. Critics of this program, including former president Donald Trump, say weve been there before. Why come back? A. We always talk about the moon and beyond, right? What we want is to go to Mars, but we have to test the technology first. So what better opportunity than in your backyard, 100,000 miles away? At its closest, Mars is about 50 million kilometers from Earth. It takes us days to reach the Moon, instead of years. We need to test nuclear fission as fuel, habitable bases, exploration vehicles, resource exploitation. And we need more than just the infrastructure. We need the industry, the partners. We are going, and its truly the world that is going. Q. Will the first manned missions to Mars be in the 2040s? A. Its hard to guess. Think about when the internet came, nobody predicted the transformation of, lets say, e-commerce. Its the same now. Were really sowing the seeds, and we dont know how fast they are going to grow. It could happen very quickly. Q. Will Orion be the ship that takes us to Mars? A. I would say Orion will be part of [the first expedition to Mars]. The spacecraft has the capacity to take four crew members for 21 days. Mars is further than 21 days; it could take up to two years. So we could be part of a broader mission. I certainly hope Orion will go beyond the Moon, but it will not be by itself. Q. Artemis 2 includes manual controls for the astronauts, but will it generally run in automatic mode? A. The spacecraft can launch and return the crew safely automatically. But in the Artemis 2 we will have some in-flight test objectives so that they understand the handling well, in case they need to take over for rendezvous or docking, for example. Well be doing a demonstration of that. Q. As a child, did you dream of being an astronaut? A. It may sound funny, but I dreamt of being an engineer. I saw the X-wing starfighters in Star Wars, and I was like, wow, this is really neat. I want to build spacecraft. And now I lead the development of the best spacecraft that weve ever seen. Q. How far do you think humans can go in manned exploration? A. I hope history will show that Orion and these missions were a stepping stone to something that allows us to go out of our solar system, to all those planets that we think may be habitable across the galaxy. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition A 16-year-old driver killed in a one-vehicle crash that also took the lives of four young relatives did not have a driver's license or permit and may have fallen asleep or become distracted before the SUV veered off a New York parkway, officials said Monday. The car continued straight at a curve on the highway and struck a boulder and then a tree at 12:20 a.m. Sunday, Westchester County Executive George Latimer said at a news conference. Speed does not appear to have been a factor, he said. The crash cost the lives of five young people. And that is a tragedy no matter what the details are, Latimer said. "It was a horrific accident site. The victims three boys and two girls were identified Monday as Malik Smith, the 16-year-old driver; Anthony Billips Jr., 17; Zahnyiah Cross, 12; Shawnell Cross, 11; and Andrew Billips, 8. They included two sets of siblings, Latimer said. A 9-year-old boy, the sixth person in the SUV, was the only survivor. Police said he apparently was riding in the rear cargo area of the 2021 Nissan Rogue and escaped out of a rear broken window with help from a Westchester County police officer who found the vehicle in flames and tried unsuccessfully to put out the fire. The boy was taken to a hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening. Police have not yet interviewed him in depth. Hes just seen five members of his family die. This has got to be an impossible situation for him as a young boy. So the kind of questions that you or I would want to ask him to know these things probably isnt appropriate until things have been stabilized, Latimer said. The SUV had been rented to a relative. Authorities were looking into how the driver had access to the car. If he'd had a drivers permit, Latimer said, the teen still would not have been able to drive legally at night and would also have needed to have an adult in the vehicle with him, under New York law. Were less concerned at this point about who to blame, but to understand exactly what happened, Latimer said. County Public Safety Commissioner Terrance Raynor said the investigation is not criminal in nature. However, he said if something criminal is discovered as things evolve, the district attorney's office would get involved with the case. As you can imagine, this family is very distraught over the incident and we have had some conversations. However, theres a lot of follow up conversations to be had with the family. So at this point, I can say that theyve been cooperative with respect to the questions weve asked. However, there is a lot more to go into this investigation, Raynor said. A GoFundMe fundraising site was set up by DaShawna Cross, who identified herself as one of the grieving parents, to help bury our children we lost. The post said: We as parents lost 5 of our children in a very tragic accident and need help deeply ... to put our babies to rest. Family members and friends on Facebook wrote of being devastated by the tragedy. The children may have been driving from New Jersey to Derby, Connecticut, where they are believed to have recently moved, when they crashed in Scarsdale, New York, Latimer said. The crash occurred on the Hutchinson River Parkway, which is a limited access roadway that's more narrow and winding than a typical interstate highway. The region's parkways were built in the 1920s and 1930s. On Sunday, Matt Conway, the superintendent of schools in Derby, said that he learned the children had recently moved to the area from New York but had not enrolled in the district. Conway said he reached out to a father on Sunday and offered to provide him information about available support in the community for him and his family. ___ Associated Press writer Michael Hill contributed to this report. ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) A 15-year-old arrested in a fatal shooting outside a Dallas-area high school will remain in custody following a Tuesday detention hearing, the boy's lawyer said. The Monday shooting on a high school campus in the suburb of Arlington left one student dead from a gunshot wound and another injured by shrapnel. The early-morning gunfire prompted officials at Lamar High School to lock the building down for hours, although police said they arrested a student on a capital murder charge stemming from the shooting within minutes. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Republican Gov. Bill Lee has signed legislation that says local governments can't ban gas stoves, even though no current city in Tennessee is currently pursuing such actions. The legislation was introduced amid fears from earlier this year that the Biden administration was considering a nationwide ban on gas stoves due to growing health concerns over the appliances. While the White House has said President Joe Biden would not support a ban, a Consumer Product Safety Commission official sparked suspicion when he said any option is on the table when it came to regulating gas stoves. Under the legislation Lee approved last week, local governments cannot regulate the type of source of energy delivered to customers for utility service connection or appliances. The legislation went into effect immediately after receiving strong support inside the GOP-dominated Tennessee Statehouse. Theres been some conversation at the federal level at looking at discontinuing appliances that run off natural gas, Republican Sen. Page Walley said last month while explaining the need for his bill. If we as citizens want to continue to have natural gas appliances then we can continue to do that no matter if a federal agency advises against that. There is good evidence that gas stoves emit harmful levels of oxides of nitrogen, which is known to cause asthma, Dr. Aaron Bernstein, interim director of the Center for Climate, Health, and the Global Environment at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, told The Associated Press in January. Research has found that gas stoves in California are leaking cancer-causing benzene, while another study has determined that gas stoves in the U.S. are contributing to global warming by putting 2.6 million tons (2.4 million metric tons) of methane in the air every year even when turned off. "It's important for us that our state law is clear that we're going to offer consumers choices, Walley added. Across the country, local governments largely in Democratic-leaning states have begun phasing out gas appliances to help cut climate pollution. Yet some Republican-controlled states are responding by prohibiting cities and counties from placing limits on energy options. (The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) Cassandra Jones Havard, University of South Carolina (THE CONVERSATION) Moral hazard refers to the risks that someone or something becomes more inclined to take because they have reason to believe that an insurer will cover the costs of any damages. The concept describes financial recklessness. It has its roots in the advent of private insurance companies about 350 years ago. Soon after they began to form, it became clear that people who bought insurance policies took risks they wouldnt have taken without that coverage. Here are some illustrative examples: Having workers compensation insurance could potentially encourage some workers to stay out of work longer than needed for their health. Or, homeowners insurance may explain why a homeowner might not bother spending their own money on a small repair not covered by their insurance policy because they figure that over time it will turn into a larger problem that would be covered. Or think of what happens when someone rents a car and parks it where it can easily be damaged. That carelessness reflects an assumption that the rental car companys insurance policy will pay for the repairs. Why moral hazard matters U.S. banks are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, or FDIC, and the risk-takers are both banks and the banks depositors. Congress established the FDIC during the Great Depression, which began with a spate of bank runs. The goal was to boost confidence in the banking system. The Dodd-Frank Financial Reform Act, enacted after the 2008 financial crisis, was supposed to reduce moral hazard. One way it did that was by making it clear that accounts of more than US$250,000 arent insured by the FDIC unless the banks failure presents a systemic risk to the financial system. The implicit assumption behind the governments insurance limit, which prior to 2008 stood at $100,000, is that depositors who have accounts worth more than the limit will bear the loss of bank failure along with the banks executives and shareholders. Yet boosting the size of the guarantee amount also made future bank bailouts more costly, which in turn increased moral hazard. And when Silicon Valley Bank failed in March 2023, all its depositors got access to their funds including those with accounts that exceeded the $250,000 limit because the government made an exception. Too big to fail I teach and write about moral hazard in the banking industry as a banking law professor. As it happens, my banking law class had discussed moral hazard and bank failure for three class sessions held before the 2023 spring break. When the students returned from their vacation, news of Silicon Valley Banks failure appeared to be the start of what might become a bank crisis. What happened? Its completely different from what you taught us! the students in my class exclaimed, almost in unison. Questions tumbled from their heads demanding an explanation. Why did the government apparently throw out concerns about moral hazard when SVB failed? Any explanation would have to begin with what moral hazard can mean in the context of banking, which can summon the colloquial phrase too big to fail. That controversial concept applies to how the government responds in the aftermath of the risky behavior of a bank if the collapse of the bank is likely to harm the economy. Yet, in reducing the risk of a widespread financial crisis, the government can end up sending the message that its willing to protect banks that engage in reckless behavior and to shield their customers from the consequences. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: https://theconversation.com/what-does-moral-hazard-mean-a-scholar-of-financial-regulation-explains-why-its-risky-for-the-government-to-rescue-banks-202091. (The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) Michael Lam, Rochester Institute of Technology (THE CONVERSATION) Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question youd like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskidsus@theconversation.com. Why does time change when traveling close to the speed of light? Timothy, age 11, Shoreview, Minnesota Imagine youre in a car driving across the country watching the landscape. A tree in the distance gets closer to your car, passes right by you, then moves off again in the distance behind you. Of course, you know that tree isnt actually getting up and walking toward or away from you. Its you in the car whos moving toward the tree. The tree is moving only in comparison, or relative, to you thats what we physicists call relativity. If you had a friend standing by the tree, they would see you moving toward them at the same speed that you see them moving toward you. In his 1632 book Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems, the astronomer Galileo Galilei first described the principle of relativity the idea that the universe should behave the same way at all times, even if two people experience an event differently because one is moving in respect to the other. If you are in a car and toss a ball up in the air, the physical laws acting on it, such as the force of gravity, should be the same as the ones acting on an observer watching from the side of the road. However, while you see the ball as moving up and back down, someone on the side of the road will see it moving toward or away from them as well as up and down. Special relativity and the speed of light Albert Einstein much later proposed the idea of whats now known as special relativity to explain some confusing observations that didnt have an intuitive explanation at the time. Einstein used the work of many physicists and astronomers in the late 1800s to put together his theory in 1905, starting with two key ingredients: the principle of relativity and the strange observation that the speed of light is the same for every observer and nothing can move faster. Everyone measuring the speed of light will get the same result, no matter where they are or how fast they are moving. Lets say youre in the car driving at 60 miles per hour and your friend is standing by the tree. When they throw a ball toward you at a speed of what they perceive to be 60 miles per hour, you might logically think that you would observe your friend and the tree moving toward you at 60 miles per hour and the ball moving toward you at 120 miles per hour. While thats really close to the correct value, its actually slightly wrong. This discrepancy between what you might expect by adding the two numbers and the true answer grows as one or both of you move closer to the speed of light. If you were traveling in a rocket moving at 75% of the speed of light and your friend throws the ball at the same speed, you would not see the ball moving toward you at 150% of the speed of light. This is because nothing can move faster than light the ball would still appear to be moving toward you at less than the speed of light. While this all may seem very strange, there is lots of experimental evidence to back up these observations. Time dilation and the twin paradox Speed is not the only factor that changes relative to who is making the observation. Another consequence of relativity is the concept of time dilation, whereby people measure different amounts of time passing depending on how fast they move relative to one another. Each person experiences time normally relative to themselves. But the person moving faster experiences less time passing for them than the person moving slower. Its only when they reconnect and compare their watches that they realize that one watch says less time has passed while the other says more. This leads to one of the strangest results of relativity the twin paradox, which says that if one of a pair of twins makes a trip into space on a high-speed rocket, they will return to Earth to find their twin has aged faster than they have. Its important to note that time behaves normally as perceived by each twin (exactly as you are experiencing time now), even if their measurements disagree. You might be wondering: If each twin sees themselves as stationary and the other as moving toward them, wouldnt they each measure the other as aging faster? The answer is no, because they cant both be older relative to the other twin. The twin on the spaceship is not only moving at a particular speed where the frame of references stay the same but also accelerating compared with the twin on Earth. Unlike speeds that are relative to the observer, accelerations are absolute. If you step on a scale, the weight you are measuring is actually your acceleration due to gravity. This measurement stays the same regardless of the speed at which the Earth is moving through the solar system, or the solar system is moving through the galaxy or the galaxy through the universe. Neither twin experiences any strangeness with their watches as one moves closer to the speed of light they both experience time as normally as you or I do. Its only when they meet up and compare their observations that they will see a difference one that is perfectly defined by the mathematics of relativity. Hello, curious kids! Do you have a question youd like an expert to answer? Ask an adult to send your question to CuriousKidsUS@theconversation.com. Please tell us your name, age and the city where you live. And since curiosity has no age limit adults, let us know what youre wondering, too. We wont be able to answer every question, but we will do our best. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: https://theconversation.com/why-does-time-change-when-traveling-close-to-the-speed-of-light-a-physicist-explains-197189. WASHINGTON (AP) Four people associated with the Oath Keepers were convicted on Monday of conspiracy and obstruction charges stemming from the attack on the U.S. Capitol in the latest trial involving members of the far-right antigovernment extremist group. A Washington D.C. jury found Sandra Parker, of Morrow, Ohio, Laura Steele, of Thomasville, North Carolina, William Isaacs, of Kissimmee, Florida, and Connie Meggs, of Dunnellon, Florida, guilty of conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding and other felony charges. In a rare loss for prosecutors, Sandra Parker's husband, Bennie Parker, was acquitted of obstruction as well as one conspiracy charge, and a sixth defendant Michael Greene, of Indianapolis was acquitted of two conspiracy charges. Jurors said they couldn't reach a verdict on another conspiracy charge for Bennie Parker and the obstruction charge for Greene, so the judge instructed them to keep deliberating. All six defendants were convicted of a misdemeanor trespassing offense. Conspiracy to obstruct Congress and obstruction of Congress both carry a sentence of up to 20 years behind bars. They were the third group of Oath Keepers members and associates to be tried on serious charges in the riot that temporarily halted the certification of President Joe Biden's victory and left dozens of police officers injured. Unlike other Oath Keepers, they were not charged with seditious conspiracy the most serious offense prosecutors have levied so far in the attack. The verdict comes as the prosecution on Monday rested its case in another high-profile Capitol riot trial against former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio and four lieutenants who are charged with seditious conspiracy for what prosecutors say was a plot to forcibly overturn Bidens election victory. In November, Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes and Kelly Meggs who led the Oath Keepers' Florida chapter were convicted of seditious conspiracy. Three other Oath Keepers were cleared of the charge in that case but were found guilty of other serious crimes. After a second trial, four additional Oath Keepers were convicted of seditious conspiracy in January. Seditious conspiracy calls for up to 20 years in prison. None of the Oath Keepers have been sentenced yet. Connie Meggs is the wife of Kelly Meggs. Authorities alleged Oath Keepers prepared for weeks leading up to Jan. 6, attended training sessions and recruited others to come to Washington. Authorities have said the extremist group stashed weapons at a Virginia hotel in case they were needed, donned tactical vests and helmets and moved in an organized fashion as they advanced on the Capitol. The Oath Keepers have denied there was any plot to storm the Capitol or stop the certification. Defense lawyers have argued that their clients came to Washington only to watch then-President Donald Trump speak or provide security for speakers at events prior to the riot, and that those who entered the Capitol did so spontaneously. Greene took the witness stand for the defense at Rhodes' trial in November and told jurors that he never heard anyone discussing plans to storm the Capitol. Rhodes told jurors during that case that he tapped Greene as an operation leader for Jan. 6 after meeting Greene in 2017, when they helped with disaster relief after Hurricane Harvey. Greene said he wasnt a dues-paying member of the Oath Keepers but worked essentially as a contractor, providing security services, and was asked to come to Washington to help with security operations for events around the Capitol before the riot. Authorities said Sandra Parker, Connie Meggs, Issacs and Steele were part of the group of Oath Keepers who stormed into the Capitol after marching in military-style stack formation up the steps of the building. Bennie Parker, who didn't go inside, told a reporter: We had just had a presidential election and its been stolen from us ... all of these people out here are patriots. And if we need to, itll come to a civil war, and a lot of people are willing to take up their arms," according to the indictment. Bennie Parker's attorney, Stephen Brennwald, said after the verdict that his client would rather have been convicted of the serious charges than his wife, saying "it's tearing him up. Attorneys for the other defendants either declined to comment or didn't immediately respond to emails on Monday. More than half of the roughly 1,000 people have been charged with Capitol riot-related federal crimes have pleaded guilty, including more than 130 who pleaded guilty to felony crimes. Of the 400 who have been sentenced, more than half have gotten terms of imprisonment ranging from seven days to 10 years, according to an Associated Press tally. ___ Richer reported from Boston. Currently Reading Alert: Biden issues first veto of presidency, defending labor rule on environmental, social and governance investing This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate PHOENIX (AP) A Native American group that's trying to stop an effort to build one of the largest copper mines in the United States told a full federal appeals court panel Tuesday that the project would prevent Apaches from exercising their religion by destroying land they consider sacred. U.S. federal government plans for a land swap that will allow Resolution Copper to build the mine will destroy the land in eastern Arizona known as Oak Flat, barring the Apaches from ever accessing it again and ending their core religious practices forever, said attorney Luke Goodrich, arguing for the group Apache Stronghold. We asked the court today to recognize the obvious that when the government destroys a sacred site, religious liberty law has something to say about it, Goodrich, vice president and senior counsel at the nonprofit legal institution Becket Law, said in a prepared statement distributed after the hearing in Pasadena, California. "A win for Apache Stronghold will be a win for people of all faiths. The Apache group is seeking to halt the land swap while the case plays out in court. The panel of 11 judges on the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is expected to issue a decision in the next few months. Apache Stronghold sued the U.S. government under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act to protect the place tribal members call Chichil Bildagoteel, an area dotted with ancient oak groves and traditional plants the Apaches consider essential to their religion. An environmental impact survey for the project has been pulled back while the U.S. Department of Agriculture has consulted for months with Native American tribes and others about their concerns. But U.S. government attorney Joan Pepin told the judge Tuesday that the Forest Service expected the environmental analysis could be republished as early as this spring, setting in motion the land swap, which would have to be completed within 60 days. Pepin argued that the act of Congress that approved the exchange giving the Oak Flat to Resolution Copper land supersedes the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which prevents government agencies from placing a substantial burden on the practice of religion. The land transfer was a last-minute provision included in a must-pass defense bill in 2014. The swap would give the mining company 3.75 square miles (9.71 square kilometers) of national forest land in exchange for eight parcels it owns in other parts of Arizona. Resolution Copper, a joint venture of global mining firms Rio Tinto and BHP, has said it continues to address concerns raised about the project, but noted there is significant local support for the mine. Rio Tinto has headquarters in Australia and the U.K, while BHP is based in Australia. It says the project has the potential to supply enough copper to meet up to one-quarter of U.S. demand, adding up to $1 billion a year to Arizonas economy and creating thousands of local jobs. A smaller 9th Circuit panel previously ruled 2-1 that the federal government could give the Oak Flat land to the mining company for the project. The court later agreed to let the larger panel hear the case. Apache Stronghold members traveled from Arizona for the hearing, stopping at cities along the way to draw attention to the case. They gathered Monday at a community arts center in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Boyle Heights. Oak Flat is where my people have come to connect with our Creator for millennia, and we have the right to continue that sacred tradition," Wendsler Nosie Sr. of Apache Stronghold said in a statement released after the hearing. Today we stood up in court for that right, determined to stop those who think that our place of worship can be treated differently simply because it lacks four walls and a steeple. The Poor Peoples Campaign, environmental groups and the National Congress of American Indians are among many groups backing Apache Strongholds fight. The Notre Dame Law School Religious Liberty Clinic filed a friend of the court brief and Stephanie Barclay, director of Notre Dames Religious Liberty Initiative, participated in oral arguments. The Religious Liberty Clinic at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, also submitted a brief. St. Thomas law professor Thomas Berg called it the most important Native American religious liberty case in 15 years. It could change the legal test used throughout the Ninth Circuit, which likely has far more sacred sites on federal land than any other part of the country," Berg said in a written statement. WASHINGTON (AP) It seemed like a good idea at the time: Red-state Democrats facing grim reelection prospects would join forces with Republicans to slash bank regulations demonstrating a willingness to work with President Donald Trump while bucking many in their party. That unlikely coalition voted in 2018 to roll back portions of a far-reaching 2010 law intended to prevent a future financial crisis. But those changes are now being blamed for contributing to the recent collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank that prompted a federal rescue and has stoked anxiety about a broader banking contagion. The rollback was leveraged with a lobbying campaign that cost tens of millions of dollars that drew an army of hundreds of lobbyists and it was seeded with ample campaign contributions. The episode offers a fresh reminder of the power that bankers wield in Washington, where the industry spends prodigiously to fight regulation and often hires former members of Congress and their staff to make the case that they are not a source of risk to the economy The bottom line is that these banks would have faced a tougher supervisory framework under the original ... law, but Congress and the Trump regulators took an ax to it, said Carter Dougherty, a spokesman for Americans for Financial Reform, a left-leaning financial sector watchdog group. We can draw a direct line between the deregulation of the Trump period, driven by the bank lobby, and the chaos of the last few weeks. President Joe Biden has asked Congress for the authority to impose tougher penalties on failed banks. The Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission have started investigations. And congressional Democrats are calling for new restrictions on financial institutions. But so far there is no indication that another bipartisan coalition will form in Congress to put tougher regulations back in place, underscoring the banking industry's continued clout. That influence was on full display when the banking lobby worked for two years to water down aspects of the 2010 Dodd-Frank law that had placed weighty regulations on banks designed to reduce consumer risk and force the institutions to adopt safer lending and investing practices. Republicans had long looked to blunt the impact of Dodd-Frank. But rather than push for sweeping deregulation, Sen. Mike Crapo, an Idaho Republican who led the Senate banking committee, hoped a narrowed focus could draw enough support from moderate Democrats to clear the Senates 60-vote filibuster threshold. Crapo broached the idea with Democratic Sens. Jon Tester of Montana, Joe Donnelly of Indiana and Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota all on the ballot in 2018 as well as Mark Warner of Virginia. By the fall of that year, the bipartisan group met regularly, according to a copy of Testers office schedule posted to his Senate website. A lobbying strategy also emerged, with companies and trade groups that specifically mention Crapo's legislation spending more than $400 million in 2017 and 2018, according to an Associated Press analysis of the public lobbying disclosures. The bill was sold to the public as a form of regulatory relief for overburdened community banks, which serviced farmers and smaller businesses. Community bankers from across the U.S. flew in to Washington to meet repeatedly with lawmakers, including Tester, who had 32 meetings with Montana bank officials. Local bank leaders pushed members of their congressional delegation when they returned home. But the measure also included provisions sought by midsize banks that drastically curtailed oversight once the Trump Fed finished writing new regulations necessitated by the bills passage. Specifically, the legislation lifted the threshold for banks that faced a strict regimen of oversight, including mandatory financial stress testing. That component, which effectively carved large midsize banks out of more stringent regulation, has come under new scrutiny in light of the failure of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank, whose executives lobbied on behalf of the 2018 rollback. The lobbyists were everywhere. You couldnt throw an elbow without running into one," Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat who vehemently opposed the bill, told reporters last week. Campaign checks were written. Ads were cut. Mailers went out. As a reward for their work, Heitkamp ($357,953), Tester ($302,770) and Donnelly ($265,349) became the top Senate recipients of money from the banking industry during the 2018 campaign season, according to OpenSecrets, a nonpartisan group tracking money in politics. Democratic Senate leader Chuck Schumer freed members to vote for the bill, a move intended to bolster the standing of vulnerable moderate incumbents. But the move also bitterly divided the Democratic caucus, with Warren singling out the moderates as doing Wall Street's bidding. In the hours before the bill passed the Senate with 17 Democratic votes, Heitkamp took to the chamber floor to inveigh against the diatribe, hyperbole and overstatement from opponents of the bill. Tester, meanwhile, huddled with executives from Bank of America, Citigroup, Discover and Wells Fargo, who were there on behalf of the American Bankers Association, according to his publicly available office schedule. The American Bankers Association, which helped lead the push, later paid $125,000 for an ad campaign thanking Tester for his role in the bills passage, records show. Less than a month after the bill was passed out of the Senate, Tester met Greg Becker, the CEO for the now-collapsed Silicon Valley Bank, according to his schedule. Becker specifically lobbied Congress and the Federal Reserve to take a light regulatory approach with banks of his size. Lobbyists with the firm the Franklin Square Group, which had been retained by Silicon Valley Bank, donated $10,800 to Tester's campaign, record show. Heitkamp was the only member of the group invited to the bill signing ceremony, beaming alongside Trump. Later, Americans for Prosperity, the grassroots conservative group funded by the billionaire industrialist Koch brothers, ran an online ad commending Heitkamp for taking a stand against her party. In an interview, Heitkamp pushed back against suggestions that the legislation was directly responsible for the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank. She acknowledged, however, that there was an open question about whether new rules put in place by the Fed after the measure was signed into law could have played a role. Im willing to look at the argument that this had something to do with it, Heitkamp said, adding: I think you will find that (the Fed) was engaged in some level of some supervision. Why that didnt work? Thats the question that needs to be resolved. In a statement issued last week, Tester did not directly address his role in the legislation, but he pledged to "take on anyone in Washington to ensure that the executives at these banks and regulators are held accountable. Cam Fine, who led the Independent Community Bankers of America trade group during the legislative push, said the overall the bill was a good piece of legislation that offered much needed relief to struggling community banks. But like any major piece of legislation that moves through Congress, final passage hinged on support from a broad coalition of interests including those of Wall Street and midsize banks. Was it a perfect piece of legislation? No. But theres an old saying in Washington: You cant let the perfect be the enemy of the good, said Fine. Many of the moderate Democrats who supported the measure did not fare as well. Of the core group who wrote the bill, only Tester won reelection. Others from red states who supported it, including Claire McCaskill of Missouri and Bill Nelson of Florida, lost. Tester will be on the ballot again in 2024. Last week he was in Silicon Valley for a fundraiser. One of the event's sponsors was a partner at a law firm for Silicon Valley Bank. ___ Sweet reported from New York. Associated Press writer Kevin Freking contributed to this report. WASHINGTON (AP) President Joe Biden used a White House event to mark Persian New Year on Monday to pay tribute to Iranian women and girls who took to the streets of Iran to protest following the death last year of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini and vowed to keep pressure on Tehran. Biden said he wished the Nowruz holiday, a nearly 4,000-year-old tradition known as the Festival of Fire thats linked to the Zoroastrian religion, would be a moment of hope for the women of Iran fighting for their human rights and fundamental freedoms. People have taken many steps in recent decades to help the Pacific Northwests endangered killer whales, which have long suffered from starvation, pollution and the legacy of having many of their number captured for display in marine parks. Theyve breached dikes and removed dams to create wetland habitat for Chinook salmon, the orcas most important food. Theyve limited commercial fishing to try to ensure prey for the whales. Theyve made boats slow down and keep farther away from the animals to reduce their stress and to quiet the waters so they can better hunt. So far, those efforts have had limited success, and research published Monday in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution suggests why: The whales are so inbred that they are dying younger and their population is not recovering. Female killer whales take about 20 years to reach peak fertility, and the females may not be living long enough to ensure the growth of their population. While that news sounds grim for the revered orcas known as the southern resident killer whales it also underscores the urgency of conservation efforts, said Kim Parsons, a geneticist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations NOAA Fisheries who co-authored the study. The population is not necessarily doomed, she said. Its not often inbreeding itself that will result in a shortened lifespan or kill an individual, Parsons said. Its really that inbreeding makes these individuals more vulnerable to disease or environmental factors. We can support the population by supporting the environment and giving them the best chance possible. The struggles of the charismatic population of orcas that frequent the waters between Washington state and the Canadian province of British Columbia have been well documented including in 2018, when one grieving mother carried her stillborn calf for 17 days in an apparent effort to mourn or revive it. The southern resident population comprises three clans of whales known as the J, K and L pods. They are socially distinct and even communicate differently from other orca populations, including the nearby northern residents, which are listed as threatened and which primarily range from Vancouver Island up to southeast Alaska. While the southern residents range overlaps with other populations of killer whales, they havent regularly interbred in 30 generations, the researchers said. In the 1960s and 1970s, dozens of Pacific Northwest whales were caught for display in marine theme parks. The whale-capture industry argued that there were many orcas in the sea, and that some could be sustainably caught. At least 13 orcas died in the roundups, and 45 were delivered to theme parks around the world reducing the southern resident population by about 40%. The brutality of the captures began to draw public outcry and a lawsuit to stop them in Washington state. Today only 73 southern residents remain, according to the Center for Whale Research on Washington states San Juan Island. Thats just two more than in 1971. Of those captured, only one 56-year-old Lolita, at the Miami Seaquarium survives. The Seaquarium announced last year it would no longer feature Lolita in shows. Prior studies have suggested that inbreeding was a problem, including a 2018 study that found just two males had fathered more than half the calves born to the southern residents since 1990. For the new research, NOAA geneticist Marty Kardos, Parsons and other colleagues sequenced the genomes of 100 living and dead southern residents, including 90% of those alive now. Those whales had lower levels of genetic diversity and higher levels of inbreeding than other populations of killer whales in the North Pacific, they found. The capture of the whales decades ago, as well as the geographic or social isolation of the animals, likely explains the inbreeding, the researchers said. Meanwhile, conservation efforts have helped other North Pacific orca populations thrive. The northern resident killer whales have increased from about 122 animals in 1974 to more than 300 by 2018. Like the southern residents, they only eat fish, primarily salmon unlike many other killer whales, which eat mammals such as seals. The Alaska resident killer whale population is estimated to have doubled from 1984 to 2010. According to the researchers, the southern residents would likely be on a similar trajectory if not for their elevated levels of inbreeding. Inbreeding has also afflicted other populations of isolated or endangered animals, such as mountain lions in California, gorillas in Africa and bottle nose dolphins off western Australia. In some cases, scientists may be able to improve the gene pool in one population by capturing and introducing animals from another. Thats not the case for orcas, which are massive and free-swimming. Further, the southern residents already have opportunities to interbreed they just havent done so, Parsons said. We really have to leave it to those whales to mate with whom they choose and support the population in other ways, Parsons said. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition WASHINGTON (AP) President Joe Biden on Monday signed into law legislation nullifying the recent overhaul of the District of Columbia criminal code, but the fight between Congress and local lawmakers is continuing. The signature merely marks the end of a raucous first chapter in a saga that has left district lawmakers bitterly nursing their political bruises, harboring fresh resentments against national Democrats and bracing to play defense against an activist Republican-controlled House for at least the next two years. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy hailed the move in a statement, calling it the end of what he labeled a soft-on-crime criminal code rewrite that treated violent criminals like victims and discarded the views of law enforcement. But even before the bill was formally sent to sent to Biden, House Republicans were promising a season of direct congressional intervention in local D.C. affairs. This is just the beginning, McCarthy, R-Calif., said earlier this month in a celebratory signing ceremony after the vote to cancel the new criminal code passed the Senate with significant Democratic support. It is a message for the entire nation. D.C. Council members sound like they fully believe those promises. Im afraid that were going to see more of this for the remainder of this Congress," D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson said. Does this raise a concern that there are going to be other issues? Yes. When congressional passage of the measure appeared inevitable and Biden indicated he would sign it, the D.C. Council withdrew the measure. But the move did not spare Biden a politically charged decision on whether to endorse the congressional action. Biden did not issue a statement accompanying the signing Monday. But he tweeted earlier this month that while he supported statehood for D.C., I dont support some of the changes D.C. Council put forward over the mayors objections such as lowering penalties for carjackings. Under terms of Washingtons Home Rule authority, t he House Committee on Oversight and Accountability essentially vets all new D.C. laws and frequently alters or limits them through budget riders. But the criminal code rewrite is the first law to be completely overturned since 1991. House Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., has pledged that his committee "stands ready to conduct robust oversight of Americas capital city. That robust oversight has already begun. Even before Biden signed the bill, the Oversight Committee sent letters summoning Mendelson, D.C. Councilmember Charles Allen and D.C. Chief Financial Officer Glen Lee to testify at a March 29 hearing. The topic of that hearing, according to the letter, is the ominously vague general oversight of the District of Columbia, including crime, safety, and city management. Other House Republicans have already identified areas of interest to target. Rep. Andrew Clyde of Georgia has introduced a resolution to block a police accountability law known as the Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Amendment Act. Most aspects of that law were passed by the D.C. Council on an emergency basis in 2020, amid the protests against police brutality following George Floyds murder; it was made permanent in December 2022. It bans the use of chokeholds by police officers, makes police disciplinary files available to the public, weakens the bargaining power of the police union and limits the use of tear gas to disperse protestors. Now that Congress has effectively used its constitutional authority to strike down the D.C. Councils dangerous Revised Criminal Code Act, we must now move to swiftly block this anti-police measure to ensure our nations capital city is safe for all Americans, Clyde said in a statement. Clyde is a longtime nemesis of D.C. loyalists, having publicly stated that his ultimate goal is to completely end Washington's Home Rule authority. That sentiment, once a long-shot fringe position, has edged closer to being a mainstream Republican talking point. Former President Donald Trump publicly stated earlier this month that the federal government should take over control and management of Washington D.C. Meanwhile, Oversight Committee member Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., has targeted the D.C. Jail for congressional scrutiny. Greene has demanded access to the jail to visit some two dozen detainees from the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. She's also seeking a complete overview of the jail's conditions. Other aspects of D.C. legislation remain ripe targets for activist Republicans, such as the District's strict gun control laws or the decision to essentially decriminalize most psychedelics a move that was approved by D.C. voters in a referendum. This congressional onslaught of oversight was widely predicted when Republicans took back control of the House in last year's midterm elections. But most local politicians and activists hoped they could count on Democratic control of both the Senate and the White House as a shield. Those hopes rapidly melted away in a storm of political dynamics that amounted to a humiliating setback for the D.C. Council and the larger hopes of Washington ever achieving statehood. House Republicans were able to put Biden and Senate Democrats in a political bind. By defending D.C.s right to self-governance, they would open themselves to charges of being soft on criminals at a time of rising crime both in the nations capital and across the U.S. In the end, Biden signaled before the Senate vote that he would not veto the rejection of the criminal code and 33 Democratic senators voted to overturn it. The moves were regarded by statehood activists as a betrayal that they say exposed the hollowness of Democratic support for D.C. statehood. For now, the D.C. Council maintains that the city's criminal code is dangerously obsolete and desperately in need of reform. But after seeing the initial law turned into a national political issue, there appears to be little appetite to try again in the short term. Mendelson said that changing the aspects that drew criticism, such as the lowering of maximum penalties for crimes like carjacking, would simply lead to other objections from a Republican House that he said is openly looking for a fight. I dont plan on installing a hotline to Republican leadership in the House and the Senate and calling them every week and asking them for permission to move forward, Mendelson said. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate MOSCOW (AP) Russian President Vladimir Putin warmly welcomed Chinese leader Xi Jinping to the Kremlin on Monday, sending a powerful message to Western leaders that their efforts to isolate Moscow over the fighting in Ukraine have fallen short. Xi's trip his first abroad since his re-election earlier this month showed off Beijing's new diplomatic swagger and gave a political lift to Putin just days after an international arrest warrant was issued for the Kremlin leader on war crimes charges related to Ukraine. The two major powers have described Xis three-day trip as an opportunity to deepen their no-limits friendship. China looks to Russia as a source of oil and gas for its energy-hungry economy, and as a partner in standing up to what both see as U.S. aggression, domination of global affairs and unfair punishment for their human rights records. The two countries, among the five U.N. Security Council's permanent members, also have held joint military drills. U.S. officials have picked up indications China is considering supplying Russia with weapons for its fight in Ukraine but have seen no evidence theyve actually done so. The leaders smiled and shook hands before sitting down at the start of their meeting, calling each other dear friend and exchanging compliments. Putin congratulated Xi on his re-election and voiced hope for building even stronger ties. China has made a colossal leap ahead in its development in recent years, Putin said, adding that its causing genuine interest all around the world, and we even feel a bit envious, as Xi smiled. The Kremlin leader welcomed Chinas proposals for a political settlement in Ukraine and noted Russia is open for talks. We will discuss all those issues, including your initiative that we highly respect, Putin said. Our cooperation in the international arena undoubtedly helps strengthen the basic principles of the global order and multipolarity. Both Moscow and Beijing have accused Washington of trying to isolate them and hold back their development as they challenge it for regional and global leadership. In an increasingly multipolar world, the U.S. and its allies have been unable to build a broad front against Putin. While 141 countries condemned Moscow in a United Nations vote marking the first anniversary of Russian troops rolling into Ukraine, several members of the G-20 including India, China and South Africa abstained. Many African nations also have refrained from openly criticizing Russia. "We hope that the strategic partnership between China and Russia will on the one hand uphold international fairness and justice, and on the other hand promote the common prosperity and development of our countries, Xi said. In their 4 1/2 hours of talks, along with a dinner that included a Pacific seafood platter and roast venison in cherry sauce, Putin would offer Xi a detailed explanation of Moscows actions in Ukraine, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. Broader talks on a range of subjects are scheduled Tuesday. For Putin, Xis presence is a prestigious, diplomatic boost to show partnership in the face of Western efforts to isolate Russia over Ukraine. In an article published in the Chinese Peoples Daily newspaper, Putin described Xis visit as a landmark event that reaffirms the special nature of the Russia-China partnership and said the meeting signaled that the two countries aren't prepared to accept attempts to weaken them. The U.S. policy of simultaneously deterring Russia and China, as well as all those who do not bend to the American diktat, is getting ever fiercer and more aggressive, he wrote. China portrays Xis visit as part of normal diplomatic exchanges and has offered little detail about its purpose, though Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin told reporters Monday that China will uphold its objective and fair position on the Ukrainian crisis and play a constructive role in promoting peace talks. Xi didn't directly mention the Ukraine fighting or his peace plan when he sat down for the talks with Putin. Beijings leap into Ukraine issues follows its recent success in brokering talks between Iran and its chief Middle Eastern rival, Saudi Arabia, which agreed to restore their diplomatic ties after years of tensions. Following that success, Xi called for China to play a bigger role in managing global affairs. Although they boast of a no-limits partnership, Beijing has conducted a China First policy. It has refrained from supplying Russias military a move that could worsen relations with Washington and turn important European trade partners against China. On the other hand, it has refused to condemn Moscows aggression and criticized Western sanctions against Moscow, while accusing NATO and the United States of provoking Putins military action. Western pressure has made Russia increasingly reliant on Beijing, observers said. Alexander Gabuev, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment, noted that Beijing is aiming at getting Russia as a junior partner deeper into China's pocket. Dmitry Oreshkin, professor at Free University in Riga, Latvia, observed that Beijing benefits from tensions between Moscow and the West, by gaining access to cheap Russian energy resources. Its very convenient for China, which couldn't get such a discount before, he said. China last month called for a cease-fire and peace talks. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy cautiously welcomed Beijings involvement, but the overture fizzled. White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby urged Xi to press President Putin directly on the need to respect Ukraines sovereignty and territorial integrity. He also said the U.S. administration believes Xi could play a constructive role by speaking directly with Zelenskyy. The Kremlin has welcomed Chinas peace plan, while U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday any proposal that left Russian forces in place in Ukraine would merely let Moscow reequip and otherwise regain strength to resume its offensive. Calling for a cease-fire that does not include the removal of Russian forces from Ukrainian territory would effectively be supporting the ratification of Russian conquest, he told reporters in Washington. The world should not be fooled by any tactical move by Russia, supported by China or any other country, to freeze the war on its own terms. Kyiv officials say they wont bend in their terms for a peace accord. Ukraine's allies, meanwhile, are stepping up their support. The State Department announced Monday that the U.S. will send Ukraine $350 million in weapons and equipment. The latest aid package includes ammunition, such as rockets for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, fuel tanker trucks and riverine boats. In Brussels, European Union countries endorsed a fast-track procedure to provide Ukraine with artillery shells, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said. He hailed a historic decision for the 27-nation bloc and Norway to send Ukraine 1 million 155 mm artillery shells within 12 months. Xis trip came after the International Criminal Court in The Hague announced Friday it wants to put Putin on trial for the abductions of thousands of children from Ukraine. The Kremlin doesn't recognize the court's authority and has rejected its move against Putin as legally null and void. China, the U.S. and Ukraine also don't recognize the ICC, but the decision tarnished Putin's international standing. Chinas Foreign Ministry urged the ICC to respect the jurisdictional immunity of a head of state and avoid politicization and double standards. Russias Investigative Committee retaliated Monday by opening a criminal case against a prosecutor and three judges of the ICC over the arrest warrants issued for Putin and his commissioner for childrens rights, Maria Lvova-Belova. The committee called the ICCs prosecution unlawful because it was, among other things, a criminal prosecution of a knowingly innocent person. ___ Follow the APs coverage of Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine ___ Associated Press writer Ellen Knickmeyer in Washington contributed. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate LONDON (AP) An international conference in London raised 4 million pounds ($4.9 million) to support the International Criminal Court in its investigations into alleged war crimes in Ukraine and its work to hold Russia to account, officials said Monday. Justice ministers from over 40 countries met in London for the war crimes conference days after the global court issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin, accusing him of personal responsibility in the abduction of children from Ukraine. Fridays move was the first time the court has issued a warrant against a leader of one of the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council. We share the belief that President Putin and the wider leadership must be held to account, Britains Justice Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab said as he opened the meeting. Lets make sure that we back up our words with deeds, that we back up our moral support with practical means to effectively investigate these awful crimes. Karim Khan, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, said the warrant for Putin was not a moment of triumph but a somber occasion reminding the world that joint international action is key to delivering justice for Ukraine. If we dont at this moment of world affairs cling to the law, if we dont look at ourselves and ask how we can do better we will not only miss an opportunity but we may not have further opportunities, Khan said. Monday's conference drummed up extra international funding for the ICC, as well as other offers of resources from European countries including investigative support and forensic expertise, Raab said. The global court on Friday also issued a warrant for the arrest of Maria Lvova-Belova, the commissioner for Childrens Rights in the Office of the President of the Russian Federation. Andriy Kostin, prosecutor-general of Ukraine, described the abduction and transport of thousands of Ukrainian children to Russia to be adopted and raised as Russians as part of a clear plan by Russia to destroy Ukraine and Ukrainian identity. His office has already launched investigations into over 72,000 incidents of war crimes in his country, he said, adding that no single day goes by without widespread and systemic atrocities committed in residential areas against civilians. Although the conference's focus was on backing the ICC's work, Kostin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also petitioned for international support for the establishment of a special international tribunal to investigate and prosecute Russia's leaders for the broader crime of aggression. In a pre-recorded video message aired at the end of the conference, Zelenskyy told participants that a new tribunal would supplement the ICC and significantly strengthen international justice. Zelenskyy has long pushed for a tribunal to hold Russian leaders to account for the decision to invade Ukraine. The European Union, among others, have supported the idea, but talks are in an early stage and there is no international agreement on the matter so far. Some are concerned that such a tribunal could undermine the ICC's mandate. The arrest warrant against Putin may damage his international standing, but its practical implications are likely limited, not least because Moscow does not recognize the courts jurisdiction or extradite its nationals. Russian officials dismissed the ICC's move as legally null and void. Asked whether he believed it likely that Putin will one day stand trial, Khan said the ICC's record isn't perfect but that international courts have successfully tried leaders including Liberian President Charles Taylor for crimes in Sierra Leone. He was convicted by the Special Court for Sierra Leone. Those that think they have a free pass or that there's no consequences need to realize that the law is out there, the prosecutor told Sky News. ___ This story has been corrected to show that Charles Taylor was convicted by the Special Court for Sierra Leone, not the International Criminal Court. WASHINGTON (AP) The Supreme Court seemed split Monday as it weighed a dispute involving the federal government and the Navajo Nations quest for water from the drought-stricken Colorado River. States that draw water from the river Arizona, Nevada and Colorado and water districts in California that are also involved in the case urged the justices to rule against the tribe. Colorado says siding with the Navajo Nation will undermine existing agreements and disrupt the management of the river. But, arguing on behalf of the Navajo Nation, attorney Shay Dvoretzky told the justices that the tribes current water request is modest. The relief that we are seeking here is an assessment of the nations needs and a plan to meet them, he said. Arguing on behalf of the Biden administration, attorney Frederick Liu said that if the court were to side with the Navajo Nation, the federal government could face lawsuits from many other tribes. Four of the courts justices, including its three liberals, seemed sympathetic to the tribes case. But other conservatives including Justice Samuel Alito were skeptical during nearly two hours of arguments at the high court. Alito asked about some of the real world impacts of the decision and suggested hed seen figures indicating that per capita water on the Navajo Nation is greatly in excess of per capita water for residents of Arizona. He pointed out that the Navajo Nations original reservation was hundreds of miles away from the section of the Colorado River it now seeks water from. Justice Brett Kavanaugh also asked about the potential consequences of siding with the Navajo Nation, pointing to a brief that said more water for the tribe would necessarily mean less water for Arizona, striking at the heart of the social and economic livelihood of the state with dire consequences. The facts of the case go back to two treaties the tribe and the federal government signed in 1849 and 1868. The second established the reservation as the tribes permanent home a promise the Navajo Nation says includes a sufficient supply of water. In 2003 the tribe sued the federal government, arguing that it had failed to consider or protect the Navajo Nations water rights to the lower portion of the Colorado River. A federal trial court initially dismissed the lawsuit, but an appeals court allowed it to go forward. Is it possible to have a permanent home, farm and raise animals without water? Justice Neil Gorsuch asked at one point during arguments, suggesting sympathy for the tribes case. Justice Sonia Sotomayor, participating in the case via telephone because she wasnt feeling well, said the government was making the argument that the Navajo Nation cant do anything to force the government to protect its water rights, something she suggested would have been an odd agreement for the tribe to make. The Colorado River flows along what is now the northwestern border of the tribes reservation, which extends into New Mexico, Utah and Arizona. Two of the rivers tributaries, the San Juan River and the Little Colorado River, also pass alongside and through the reservation. Still, a third of the some 175,000 people who live on the reservation, the largest in the country, dont have running water in their homes. The federal government says it has helped the tribe secure water from the Colorado Rivers tributaries and provided money for infrastructure including pipelines, pumping plants and water treatment facilities. But it says no law or treaty requires the government to assess and address the tribes general water needs. The states involved in the case, meanwhile, argue the Navajo Nation is attempting to make an end run around a Supreme Court decree that divvied up water in the Colorado Rivers Lower Basin. A decision in the case is expected by the end of June when the Supreme Court typically breaks for its summer recess. ___ This story has been corrected to show that the court seems split on the dispute, not that the court appeared to be leaning toward the government argument. THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) The Netherlands is moving to stop central government employees having apps including popular video sharing service TikTok installed on their work phones, amid concerns over data security. Countries including the United States and Britain, as well as the European Union 's executive branch, have banned the use of TikTok on government staff phones over fears that its Chinese owner, ByteDance, could share user data with the authoritarian government in Beijing. For civil servants employed by the national government, it is immediately discouraged to have apps from countries with an offensive cyber program against the Netherlands and/or Dutch interests installed and used on their mobile work devices," the government said in a statement Tuesday that did not identify TikTok by name. The new policy came after lawmakers asked whether it was possible to ban central government staff from using the app on work devices. The advice follows an assessment by national intelligence agency AIVD that warned that apps from such countries which include China, Russia, North Korea and Iran carry a heightened risk of espionage. A law China implemented in 2017 requires companies to give the government any personal data relevant to the countrys national security. Theres no evidence that TikTok has turned over such data, but fears abound due to the vast amount of user data it collects. Alexandra van Huffelen, the Dutch minister for digitalization, said in a statement that the new policy goes beyond discouraging one application. We opt for a structural solution that central government officials can trust in their work in a digital world. The government said it is planning to move quickly to set up all mobile devices given to central government staff in such a way that only pre-permitted apps, software and/or functionalities can be installed and used. The decision comes two weeks after the Dutch government angered Beijing by announcing that it is planning on imposing additional restrictions on the export of machines that make advanced processor chips, joining a U.S. push that aims at limiting Chinas access to materials used to make such chips. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate BRUSSELS (AP) European Union countries have endorsed a fast-track procedure aimed at providing Ukraine with sorely needed artillery shells to repel Russia's invasion forces, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Monday, as Moscow maintains its focus on attacking the industrial east of the war-ravaged country. As he chaired a meeting of EU foreign and defense ministers in Brussels, Borrell took to Twitter to hail what he described as a historic decision for the 27-nation bloc and Norway to send Ukraine 1 million 155-milimeter artillery shells within 12 months. We are taking a key step towards delivering on our promises to provide Ukraine with more artillery ammunition, he said, and noted that 18 countries had signed up to a European Defense Agency, or EDA, project to place joint orders for ammunition with the defense industry. Borrell said that he had won approval for his proposal to provide 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion) to encourage member nations to provide artillery shells from their stocks and any orders for new rounds that they might have placed with industry. A further 1 billion euros would also be used to fast-track new orders and encourage countries to work together on those purchases through the EDA or in groups of at least three nations. Germany has already called for countries to join its own effort, which Berlin believes will go faster. The third track of the program involves support to Europes defense industry. so that it can ramp up production in the longer term. EU officials have said that new joint orders could be placed by May if the plan is endorsed in its entirety. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted that he is grateful to Borrell and the bloc for this game-changing decision. Exactly what is needed: urgent delivery + sustainable joint procurement. Germanys defense industry says it stands ready to ramp up its output, including the kinds of arms and ammunition needed by Ukraine, but that it needs clarity about what governments want before investing in further production capacity. Ukraine became the worlds No. 3 importer of arms in 2022 after Russias invasion triggered a big flow of military aid to Kyiv from the United States and Europe, according to Swedish think tank SIPRI. Whats important for us as an industry is to get predictability, Hans Christoph Atzpodien, the head of Germanys arms manufacturing association, told The Associated Press last week. That means we have to be clearly told which products are needed within which time. The State Department also announced Monday that the U.S. will send Ukraine $350 million in weapons and equipment, including various types of ammunition, such as rockets, and an undisclosed number of fuel tanker trucks and riverine boats. PARIS (AP) Frances highest administrative body on Monday ordered the government to better protect endangered dolphins and porpoises in an industrial fishing hub in the Atlantic Ocean that has become controversial over links to mass deaths of the creatures in recent years. The move was welcomed by conservationists, who hope it could stop some species becoming extinct in the zone. The council of state gave government officials six months to close areas of fishing in the Bay of Biscay for appropriate periods, in order to limit the number of deaths of common dolphins, bottlenose dolphins and harbor porpoises that are victims of accidental capture during fishing. It also required them to compile a reliable estimate of the annual number of accidental catches. Government-affiliated scientists estimate that some 10,000 dolphins and porpoises are killed on average every year in that maritime zone of western France alone one recent year recorded 18,000 deaths. They're widely blamed on industrial fishing. Indiscriminate French nets, sometimes 50 kilometers (31 miles) long, trawl the ocean for regular fish, indiscriminately pulling in a full range of sea creatures. Several species are now in a state of unfavorable conservation, with the common dolphin and harbor porpoise in serious danger of extinction in the region, officials said. Whats shocked people is the brutality of many of the deaths. Autopsies carried out on some dolphins showed extreme levels of mutilation. Activists say its common for fishermen to cut body parts off the suffocated dolphins after they are pulled up on the nets, to save the nets. Sea Shepherd France is among groups that have fought to get trawlers and boats to curb their deadly practices. Of course, this move is a ray of hope for us but its bittersweet. So many dolphins are already dead, we see dead creatures washed up every day. I hope its not too late, Lamya Essemlali of Sea Shepherd France told The Associated Press. Weve come so far. Even a few years ago in France, no one knew about these horrors. French and international conservation groups now want French Sea Minister Herve Berville to implement the recommendations of international agencies, according to which the Bay of Biscay needs to be closed for fishing for three months in winter and one month in summer to save the population. But damage to the cetacean population has already been done. Dolphins in the zone are already behaving in ways scientifically consistent with a dying population, conservation groups say. The dolphins have already changed their reproductive pattern; they are giving birth faster. This is a sign just before extinction, Essemlali added. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate PARIS (AP) French garbage collectors, refinery workers and others were striking again on Tuesday against President Emmanuel Macron's decision to force the divisive bill raising the retirement age from 62 to 64 through without a vote in parliament. Macron's move infuriated many in the country. Paris police said Tuesday that 234 people were arrested overnight in the capital mostly for setting fire to garbage in the streets. Mostly small, scattered protests were held in cities around France, some degenerating into violence late Monday. In Paris, small groups took to the streets to set fire to piles of trash that have formed because of a strike by garbage collectors in the capital that is in its 16th day. Paris police prefect Laurent Nunez said the violence was caused by groups of up to 300 people quickly moving through the capital. Nunez news broadcaster BFM TV that he ordered an internal investigation after an officer was filmed punching a man who was walking backwards, making him fall to the ground. The video has been widely shared on French social media. Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne expressed the government's solidarity towards 400 police officers who have been injured in recent days, including 42 overnight. Macron has planned a series of political meetings on Tuesday with the prime minister, parliamentary leaders and lawmakers from his centrist alliance, one day after the government survived to two no-confidence motions. The 45-year-old French president, who made the pension plan a centerpiece of his second term, will speak Wednesday on national television the first time since he made the decision last week to use a governments special constitutional power to force the bill through parliament. He's expected to back his government. Speaking at the lower chamber of parliament Tuesday, Borne vowed to continue to work in the coming months to seek the best responses to the concerns of the French" including through "compromises and work with lawmakers. But leftist lawmaker Mathilde Panot warned Borne that "you will yield." There are not many options left to Emmanuel Macron, Panot added, demanding that the pension bill be withdrawn or new legislative elections be called. The bill still faces a review by the Constitutional Council before it can be formally signed into law. Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne is going to refer the issue to the body to accelerate the process, her office said. Some opposition lawmakers from the far right also have filed a request, and leftists are expected to do the same. The Constitutional Council can reject articles within the measure if they aren't in line with the constitution. Opponents argue that the text as a whole should be rejected. Paris police authorities said in a statement Tuesday that they ordered garbage employees to work in order to ensure a minimum service." It said that 674 staff have been covered by the orders, allowing 206 garbage trucks to operate since last week. Meanwhile, oil shipments in the country were partially disrupted amid strikes at several refineries in western and southern France. The Energy Transition Ministry said Tuesday that it would require some employees who are indispensable to the functioning of the Fos-sur-Mer oil depot, in southern France, to return to work. The move led some protesters to head to the site to support strikers. Some tensions have erupted between protesters trying to block access to the site, some throwing stones, and police using tear gas to move them away. The Fos-sur-Mer depot supplies fuel for gas stations in the southeast of France, which currently are the most affected by shortages. French government spokesperson Olivier Veran warned that more orders may follow in the coming days for other sites. Unions have called for new nationwide protests on Thursday to demand the government simply withdraw the retirement bill. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate PARIS (AP) Parliament adopted a divisive pension bill Monday raising the retirement age in France from 62 to 64, after lawmakers in the lower chamber rejected two no-confidence votes against the government. But the bill pushed through by President Emmanuel Macron without lawmakers' approval still faces a review by the Constitutional Council before it can be signed into law. The council has the power to reject articles within bills but usually approves them. The first no-confidence motion, proposed by a small centrist group with support across the left, narrowly missed approval by National Assembly lawmakers Monday afternoon, garnering 278 of the 287 votes needed to pass. The second motion, brought by the far-right National Rally, won just 94 votes in the chamber. Macrons centrist alliance has more seats than any other group in the lower chamber. The speaker of the National Assembly, Yael Braun-Pivet, said the failure of both votes means parliament has adopted the pension bill. Yet this is not the end of the complex path to turn the bill into law. Opponents said they would ask the Constitutional Council to review the text before it is formally promulgated, opening the door to the possible rejection of articles within the measure if they are not in line with the constitution. Far-right leader Marine Le Pen said she would ask the council to censure it. Macron, who has remained silent since his decision to push the bill through last week, will meet Tuesday morning with Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne and the leaders of his centrist alliance. After the first vote Monday, some leftist lawmakers called for Borne to resign. Only nine votes are missing to bring both the government down and its reform down, hard-left lawmaker Mathilde Panot said. The government is already dead in the eyes of the French, it doesn't have any legitimacy any more. The Senate, dominated by conservatives who back the retirement plan, approved the legislation last week. The head of The Republicans lawmakers, Olivier Marleix, earlier explained why his group would reject the motions. We acknowledge the need for a reform to save our pension system and defend retirees purchasing power, he said during the debate Monday afternoon. A minority of conservatives lawmakers strayed from the party line and voted in favor of the first motion. Centrist lawmaker Charles de Courson, whose allies introduced the motion supported by the left, deplored the government's decision to use a special constitutional power to skirt a vote on the pension bill last week. How can we accept such contempt for parliament? How can we accept such conditions to examine a text which will have lasting effects on the lives of millions of our fellow citizens? he exclaimed. France, like many richer nations, has a low birth rate and its citizens have longer life expectancy. The tensions in the political arena have been echoed on the streets, marked by intermittent protests and strikes in various sectors, including transportation, energy and sanitation workers. Garbage in Paris has piled ever higher and reeked of rotting food on the 15th day of a strike by collectors. The three main incinerators serving the French capital have been mostly blocked, as has a garbage sorting center northwest of Paris. On Monday, hundreds of mainly young protesters gathered by Les Invalides, the final resting place of Napoleon, to demonstrate against pension reform. Some trash bins were set on fire in early evening, but the protest was otherwise calm. Participants listened to the proceedings in the National Assembly through a channel broadcast on loudspeaker from a union van. The goal is to support the workers on strike in Paris ... to put pressure on this government that wants to pass this unjust, brutal and useless and ineffective law, said Kamel Brahmi, of the leftist CGT union, speaking to workers with a bullhorn at the Romainville sorting plant. Some refineries that supply gas stations also are at least partially blocked, and Transport Minister Clement Beaune said on France-Info radio Monday that he would take action if necessary to ensure that fuel still gets out. Opinion polls show a large majority of the French oppose raising the retirement age. Economic challenges have prompted unrest across Western Europe, where many countries have low birthrates, leaving fewer young workers to sustain pensions for retirees. Spains leftist government joined with labor unions last week to announce a historic deal to save its pension system. Spains Social Security Minister Jose Luis Escriva said the French have a very different, unsustainable model. Spains workers already must stay on the job until at least 65 and wont be asked to work longer instead, their new deal increases employer contributions for higher-wage earners. The reform in France also would require 43 years of work to earn a full pension at 64, otherwise workers would still have to wait until they turn 67. Unions in France have called for new nationwide protests on Thursday to demand the government simply withdraw the retirement bill. I know the questions and concerns that this reform is raising. I know what it asks of many of our fellow citizens, Borne said Monday. Macron vowed to push the pension plan through, she said, out of transparency and responsibility, because it is needed to keep the system from diving into deficit amid Frances aging population. ___ Associated Press reporters Jeffrey Schaeffer and Thomas Adamson in Paris and Nicolas Garriga in Romainville, France, contributed to this report. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) House Republicans rallied to the defense of former President Donald Trump before his possible indictment, demanding that the Manhattan district attorney who is investigating him turn over documents and come for an interview. The Republican chairmen of three House committees sent a letter Monday to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a Democrat, seeking information about his actions in the Trump case, which they characterized as an unprecedented abuse of prosecutorial authority. They requested testimony as well as documents and copies of any communications with the Justice Department. No authorities wanted to take the case but then "what changed? President Trump announces hes running for president and shazam, Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, chairman of the Judiciary Committee, said shortly after sending the letter. The letter to Bragg effectively demanding transparency in the middle of a criminal investigation suggested that Republicans intend to use their House majority to defend Trump as he mounts a second run for president. Both Bragg and the Justice Department seemed unlikely to respond to the request, given the long-standing practice of prosecutors not divulging information about active cases. Bragg's office said in a statement it would not be intimidated by what it characterized as attempts to undermine the justice process. Without saying whether Bragg would comply with the chairmen's request, the statement said the prosecutor's office would not let baseless accusations deter it from fairly applying the law. It said its prosecutions follow the law without fear or favor. The grand jury case revolves around hush money payments to women who alleged sexual encounters with Trump. Braggs team appears to be looking at whether Trump or anyone committed crimes in New York state in arranging the payments, or in the way they accounted for them internally at the Trump Organization. Prosecutors have not said when their work might conclude or when charges could come. But law enforcement in New York has been making preparations for any unrest, should Trump face charges. However, Rep. Brian Steil, chair of the House Administration Committee, said the potential actions of the prosecutor are pretty darn unprecedented. Steil, whose committee oversees election law, said lawmakers are looking to see whether federal resources have been used by Bragg throughout his investigation. I think theres a broad concern about the politicization of the judicial system, and we are better served as a country if our judicial system writ large is not politicized, Steil said in an interview. Democrats on Monday called Republican efforts to seek information from an ongoing investigation an astonishing and unprecedented abuse of power. Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., the top Democrat on the Oversight committee, assailed the Republican majority's efforts to use its new power to obstruct a possible criminal indictment. He added, "Former President Donald Trump demanded this nonsensical interference over the weekend, and these Committee chairs have acted totally outside their proper powers to try to influence a pending criminal investigation at the state level. House Republicans were stalwart defenders of Trump while he was in office and have mostly stood by him even after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, an unprecedented assault that was fueled by Trump's lies about a stolen election. His claims were rejected by state and local officials, the courts and his own Justice Department. House Republicans are in Orlando, Florida, on a party retreat to plot strategy for the year, but Trump's legal peril quickly became the main focus, as House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and others faced questions about Trump's call for supporters to protest and take back our nation. McCarthy, a California Republican, said that there should be no protests or violence in response to the DA's decision. But he did focus on Bragg personally. People have already looked at these cases and said no to it, McCarthy said. So this guy is trying to create something when he has all the crime happening in New York, and he prides himself on not prosecuting everything else." "So you just see that it is pure politics. ___ Associated Press writer Michael R. Sisak in New York contributed to this story. The Google logo is displayed at their offices on November 1, 2018, in Granary Square, in London. Google announced Tuesday its allowing more people to interact with Bard, the artificially intelligent chatbot the company is building to counter Microsofts early lead in a pivotal battleground of technology. In Bards next stage, Google is opening a waitlist to use an AI tool thats similar to the ChatGPT technology Microsoft began deploying in its Bing search engine to much fanfare last month. And last week, Microsoft embedded more AI-powered technology in its word processing, spreadsheet and slide presentation programs with a new feature called Copilot. Until now, Bard had only been available to a small group of trusted testers hand-picked by Google. The Mountain View, California, company, which is owned by Alphabet Inc., isnt saying how many people will be given access to Bard in the next step of the technologys development. Initial applicants will be limited to the U.S. and the U.K. before Google offers Bard in more countries. Google is treading carefully with the rollout of its AI tools, in part because it has more to lose if the technology spits out inaccurate information or takes its users down dark corridors. Thats because Googles dominant search engine has become a de facto gateway to the internet for billions of people, raising the risk of a massive backlash that could tarnish its image and undercut its ad-driven business if the technology behaves badly. Despite the technologys pitfalls, Bard still offers incredible benefits such as jumpstarting human productivity, creativity and curiosity, Google said in a blog post that two of its vice presidents Sissie Hsiao and Eli Collins wrote with assistance from Bard. As a precautionary measure, Google is limiting the amount of interaction that can occur between Bard and its users a tactic Microsoft has imposed with ChatGPT after media coverage detailed instances when the technology likened an Associated Press reporter to Hitler and tried to persuade a New York Times reporter to divorce his wife. Google also is providing access to Bard through a separate site from its search engine, which serves as the foundation for the digital ads that generate most of its profits. In a tacit acknowledgement that Bard may be prone to straying into manufacturing falsehoods, which are being called hallucinations in technology circles, Google is providing a query box connected to its search engine to make it easier for users to check on the accuracy of the information being displayed by the AI. Bard made an embarrassing blunder shortly after Google unveiled the tool by prominently displaying a wrong answer about a scientific milestone during a presentation that was supposed to show how smart the technology could be. The gaffe contributed to a nearly 8% drop in Alphabets stock in a single day, wiping out about $100 billion in shareholder wealth and underscoring how closely investors are watching how Google handles the transition to AI. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate BEIJING (AP) When China suddenly scrapped onerous zero-COVID measures in December, the country wasnt ready for a massive onslaught of cases, with hospitals turning away ambulances and crematoriums burning bodies around the clock. Chinese state media claimed the decision to open up was based on scientific analysis and shrewd calculation, and by no means impulsive." But in reality, Chinas ruling Communist Party held off on repeated efforts by top medical experts to kickstart exit plans until it was too late, The Associated Press found. Instead, the reopening came suddenly at the onset of winter, when the virus spreads most easily. Many older people werent vaccinated, pharmacies lacked antivirals, and hospitals didnt have adequate supplies or staff leading to as many as hundreds of thousands of deaths that may have been avoided, according to academic modeling, more than 20 interviews with current and former China Center for Disease Control and Prevention employees, experts and government advisers, and internal reports and directives obtained by the AP. If they had a real plan to exit earlier, so many things could have been avoided, said Zhang Zuo-Feng, an epidemiologist at the University of California, Los Angeles. Many deaths could have been prevented. Experts estimate that many hundreds of thousands of people, perhaps more, may have died in Chinas wave of COVID-19 far higher than the official toll of under 90,000, but still a significantly lower death rate than in the United States and Europe. However, 200,000 to 300,000 deaths could have been prevented if the country was better vaccinated and stocked with antivirals, according to modeling by the University of Hong Kong. Some scientists estimate even more lives could have been saved. It wasnt a sound public health decision at all, said a China CDC official, declining to be named to speak candidly on a sensitive matter. Its absolutely bad timing this was not a prepared opening. For two years, China stood out for its tough but successful controls against the virus, credited with saving millions of lives as other countries struggled with stop-and-start lockdowns. But with the emergence of the highly infectious omicron variant in late 2021, many of Chinas top medical experts and officials worried zero-COVID was unsustainable. In late 2021, Chinas leaders began discussing how to lift restrictions. As early as March 2022, top medical experts submitted a detailed reopening strategy to the State Council, Chinas cabinet. The existence of the document is being reported for the first time by the AP. But discussions were silenced after an outbreak the same month in Shanghai, which prompted Chinese leader Xi Jinping to lock the city down. Chinese public health experts stopped speaking publicly about preparing for an exit, as they were wary of openly challenging a policy supported by Xi. By the time the Shanghai outbreak was under control, China was months away from the 20th Party Congress, the countrys most important political meeting in a decade, making reopening politically difficult. So the country stuck to mass testing and quarantining millions of people. Everybody waits for the party congress, said one medical expert, declining to be named to comment on a sensitive topic. Theres inevitably a degree of everyone being very cautious. At the Congress in mid-October, top officials differing with Xi were sidelined. Instead, six loyalists followed Xi onstage in a new leadership lineup, signaling his total domination of the party. With the congress over, some voices in the public health sector finally piped up. In an internal document published Oct. 28, obtained by The Associated Press and reported here for the first time, Wu Zunyou, Chinas CDC chief epidemiologist, criticized the Beijing city government for excessive COVID-19 controls, saying it had no scientific basis." He called it a distortion of the central governments zero-COVID policy, which risked intensifying public sentiment and causing social dissatisfaction. At the same time, he called the virus policies of the central government absolutely correct. One former CDC official said Wu felt helpless because he was ordered to advocate for zero-COVID in public, even as he disagreed at times with its excesses in private. Wu did not respond to an email requesting comment. A person acquainted with Wu confirmed he wrote the internal report. Another who spoke up was Zhong Nanshan, a doctor renowned for raising the alarm about the original COVID outbreak Wuhan. He wrote to Xi personally, telling him that zero-COVID was not sustainable and urging a gradual reopening, said a person acquainted with Zhong. In early November, then-Vice Premier Sun Chunlan, Chinas top COVID czar, summoned experts from sectors including health, travel and the economy to discuss adjusting Beijings virus policies, according to three people with direct knowledge of the meetings. On Nov. 10, Xi ordered adjustments. The next day, Beijing announced 20 new measures tweaking restrictions, such as reclassifying risk zones and reducing quarantine times. But at the same time, Xi made clear, China was sticking to zero-COVID. The government wanted order. Instead, the measures caused chaos. With conflicting signals from the top, local governments werent sure whether to lock down or open up. Policies changed by the day. In late November, public frustration boiled over. A deadly apartment fire in Chinas far west Xinjiang region sparked nationwide protests over locked doors and other virus control measures. Some called on Xi to resign, the most direct challenge to the Communist Partys power since pro-democracy protests in 1989. Riot police moved in and the protests were swiftly quelled. But behind the scenes, the mood was shifting. References to zero-COVID vanished from government statements. State newswire Xinhua said the pandemic was causing fatigue, anxiety and tension, and that the cost of controlling it was increasing day by day. Days after the protests, Sun held meetings where she told medical experts the state planned to walk briskly out of zero-COVID. The final decision was made suddenly, and with little direct input from public health experts, several told the AP. None of us expected the 180-degree turn, a government adviser said. Many in the Chinese government believe the protests accelerated Xis decision to scrap virus controls entirely, according to three current and former state employees. It was the trigger, said one, not identified because they werent authorized to speak to the media. On Dec. 6, Xi instructed officials to change COVID-19 controls, Xinhua reported. The next day, Chinese health authorities announced 10 sweeping measures that effectively scrapped controls, canceling virus test requirements, mandatory centralized quarantine and location-tracking health QR codes. The decision to reopen so suddenly caught the country by surprise. Even three days notice would have been good, said a former China CDC official. The way this happened was just unbelievable. ___ AP reporter Kanis Leung in Hong Kong contributed to this report. INDIANAPOLIS (AP) Indiana lawmakers have endorsed a bill making it illegal for anyone to possess devices for adapting a firearm into a machine gun. The state Senate voted 45-4 Monday in favor of the proposal expanding state law to include so-called Glock switches that are already illegal under federal law. Police officials say such switches can convert a semi-automatic gun into one that shoots continuously while the trigger is pressed, firing dozens of bullets within a few seconds. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) A firebrand Israeli minister claimed theres no such thing as a Palestinian people as Israel's new coalition government, its most hard-line ever, plowed ahead on Monday with a part of its plan to overhaul the judiciary. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus coalition said it was pushing a key part of the overhaul which would give the coalition control over who becomes a justice or a judge before the parliament takes a monthlong holiday break next week. The development came a day after an Israeli and Palestinian delegation at a meeting in Egypt, mediated by Egyptian, Jordanian and U.S. officials, pledged to take steps to lower tensions roiling the region ahead of a sensitive holiday season. It reflected the limited influence the Biden administration appears to have over Israels new far-right government and raised questions about attempts to lower tensions, both inside Israel and with the Palestinians, ahead of a sensitive holiday season. As the negotiators were issuing a joint communique, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich delivered a speech in Paris saying the notion of a Palestinian people was artificial. There is no such thing as a Palestinian nation. There is no Palestinian history. There is no Palestinian language, he said in France late Sunday. He spoke at a memorial event for a French-Israeli right-wing activist who denied the existence of a Palestinian nation and advocated annexation of the West Bank. The lectern was adorned with what appeared to be an image showing the map of Israel that included the occupied West Bank, Gaza and Jordan. Jordans Foreign Ministry said that Smotrichs appearance with the icon was a reckless inflammatory act and a violation of international norms and the peace treaty between the two countries. It later summoned Israel's ambassador over Smotrich's remarks. Ahmed Abu Zaid, a spokesman for the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, said the Israeli minister's remarks deny the facts of history and geography (and) undermine the efforts aimed at achieving calm between the Palestinian and Israeli sides. Israel's Foreign Ministry on Monday evening released a statement affirming that it is committed to the countries' 1994 peace agreement. There has been no change in the position of the State of Israel, which recognizes the territorial integrity of the Hashemite Kingdom, the statement said. Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh said Smotrich's remarks were conclusive evidence of the extremist, racist Zionist ideology that governs the parties of the current Israeli government. In Brussels, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said that the ministers remarks certainly cannot be tolerated. I have to deplore this unacceptable comment. It is wrong, it is disrespectful, it is dangerous, it is counter-productive to say these kinds of things in a situation that is already very tense, Borrell told reporters after chairing a meeting of EU foreign and defense ministers. Could you imagine if a Palestinian leader would have said the state of Israel does not exist. What would have been the reaction? Borrell called on the Israeli government to disavow those comments and to start working with all parties to defuse tensions. A far-right settler leader who opposes Palestinian statehood, Smotrich has a history of offensive statements against the Palestinians. Last month, he called for the Palestinian town of Hawara in the West Bank to be erased after radical Jewish settlers rampaged through the town in response to a shooting attack that killed two Israelis. Smotrich later apologized after an international uproar. His remarks on Palestinians were reminiscent of those made by late Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir that caused an uproar in 1969. She later told The New York Times that she meant there had never been a Palestinian nation. But critics say the comments continue to tarnish her legacy. During Sundays talks in Egypt, a Palestinian gunman carried out another shooting attack in Hawara, seriously wounding an Israeli man. The new violence, along with Smotrichs comments, illustrated the tough challenges that lie ahead in soothing tensions after a year of deadly violence in the West Bank and east Jerusalem. More than 200 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, and more than 40 Israelis or foreigners have been killed in Palestinian attacks during that time. Sundays summit was held ahead of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which begins this week. The Jewish festival of Passover is set to take place in April, coinciding with Ramadan. The upcoming period is sensitive because large numbers of Jewish and Muslim faithful pour into Jerusalems Old City, the emotional heart of the conflict and a flashpoint for violence, increasing friction points. Large numbers of Jews are also expected to visit a key Jerusalem holy site, known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as the Temple Mount an act the Palestinians view as a provocation. Clashes at the site in 2021 helped trigger an 11-day war between Israel and Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip. On Monday, Israeli police closed the offices of a Palestinian radio station in east Jerusalem, saying it worked for official Palestinian Authority media in violation of the 1994 interim agreements between Israel and the Palestinians. The PA condemned the closure. The heightened tensions with the Palestinians coincide with mass demonstrations inside Israel against Netanyahus plans to overhaul the judicial system. Opponents of the measure have carried out disruptive protests, and the debate has embroiled the countrys military, where some reservists are refusing to show up for service. Netanyahu has rejected a compromise by Israel's figurehead president. During a call with Netanyahu, President Joe Biden appealed for caution, the White House said, as a friend of Israel in the hopes that there can be a compromise formula found. The president underscored his belief that democratic values have always been, and must remain, a hallmark of the U.S.-Israel relationship, the White House said, and added that fundamental changes should be pursued with the broadest possible base of popular support. Netanyahu's government says the plan is meant to correct an imbalance that has given the courts too much power over the legislative process. Critics say the overhaul would upend the country's delicate system of checks and balances and push Israel toward authoritarianism. They also say Netanyahu could find an escape route from his corruption trial through the overhaul. The protests, along with the rising violence with the Palestinians, have posed a major challenge for the new government. So far this year, 85 Palestinians have been killed, according to a tally by The Associated Press. The number of Israelis killed during the same period rose to 15 on Monday after Or Eshkar, 33, died. He was shot in the head at point-blank range by a Palestinian in Tel Aviv on March 9. Israel says most of the Palestinians killed have been militants. But stone-throwing youths protesting the incursions and people not involved in the confrontations have also been killed. Israel captured the West Bank, east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip in the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians seek those territories for their future independent state. ___ Associated Press writers Isaac Scharf and Ilan Ben Zion in Jerusalem contributed to this report. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate NEW DELHI (AP) Japans Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Monday invited his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi for the Group of Seven summit in May and announced action plans for a new Indo-Pacific initiative aimed at countering China's influence in the region. Kishida, who is on a two-day trip to India, said he hopes to promote a vision of free and open Indo-Pacific, a Tokyo-led initiative for greater security and economic cooperation that is geared toward curbing Beijing's growing assertiveness. It includes Japans assistance to emerging economies, support for maritime security, a provision of coast guard patrol boats and equipment and other infrastructure cooperation. It fits with Japans new national security strategy adopted in December under which Tokyo Japan is deploying long-range cruise missiles to strengthen its strike-back capability, and using development aid more strategically in support of like-minded countries. India, which is heading this years Group of 20 industrial and emerging-market nations, says ties with Japan are key to stability in the region. The two nations, along with the United States and Australia, make up the Indo-Pacific alliance known as the Quad. China's territorial claims in the East China and South China seas have rattled Beijing's smaller neighbors in Southeast Asia as well as Japan, which is also facing threats from North Korea's nuclear and missile development. The relationship between New Delhi and Beijing also has deteriorated since 2020, when Indian and Chinese troops clashed along their undefined border in the Himalayan Ladakh region, leaving 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers dead. Kishida also held talks with Modi to deepen bilateral cooperation while also addressing food security and development financing. The two leaders said they will closely cooperate in dealing with a wide range of global challenges, including soaring prices of energy and food supplies that have exacerbated since Russia's war in Ukraine. Kishida said Modi accepted his invitation to participate in the G-7 summit of major industrial nations, which will be held in Hiroshima in May. He told reporters later that he will also invite seven other heads of non-G-7 countries, including South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol a step toward further improving Japan-South Korea ties and to bring Seoul closer to other key players in the strategic map of the region. In his statement, Kishida said he told Modi that he hopes to take up challenges at the summit including upholding the rules-based international order and strengthening partnership with the international community that goes beyond G-7 and includes the Global South, a term used for developing nations in Asia, Africa and Latin America. The two leaders also discussed their priorities for their respective presidencies of the G-7 and G-20, Modi said in a speech. Japan holds the G-7 presidency in 2023 and has sought deeper ties with developing countries to lay the groundwork for a successful summit. In an article for the Indian Express newspaper Monday, Kishida said the foundation of order in the international community was shaken by Russias aggression against Ukraine and its impact on food access and fertilizer prices were felt everywhere, including in the Indo-Pacific region. In order to respond effectively to the various challenges that the international community is currently facing, cooperation between the G-7 and the G-20 has greater significance. Such pressing challenges include food security, climate and energy, fair and transparent development finance, Kishida wrote. India and Japan share strong economic ties. Trade between the two was worth $20.57 billion in fiscal year 2021-2022. The Japanese investments in India touched $32 billion between 2000 and 2019. Japan has also been supporting infrastructure development in India, including a high-speed rail project. ___ Yamaguchi reported from Tokyo. A Virginia man who assaulted police with a stolen baton and used a flashing strobe light to disorient officers trying to defend the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 was sentenced Tuesday to more than four years in prison. Geoffrey Sills of Mechanicsville, Virginia, was convicted of assault with a dangerous weapon, obstruction of Congress and robbery for his role in the violence at the Capitol's Lower West Terrace tunnel, where police were beaten and crushed as as they tried to beat back the angry mob of President Donald Trump supporters. The 31-year-old has already served a year and a half behind bars since his June 2021 arrest. In a separate case on Tuesday, a judge declared a mistrial after jurors failed to reach an agreement on whether a man described as the Oath Keepers operations leader for Jan. 6 was guilty of obstruction. Michael Greene was acquitted of all other felony charges on Monday, but convicted of a misdemeanor offense. Greene is the only defendant in three trials involving more than a dozen members and associates of the far-right extremist group to not be convicted of a felony charge. Sills who arrived at the Capitol with a gas mask and goggles threw several pole-like objects at police, stole a police baton from an officer and hit at least two officers with it, according to prosecutors. He also pointed a strobe light at a line of officers in the tunnel. Sills posted videos of his actions and others on social media that day before deleting his account, prosecutors say. In one post showing officers in riot gear Sills wrote: Visited the Capitol today. In another post depicting rioters flooding into the the tunnel, he wrote: Took a tour. U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden found Sills guilty in August after a stipulated bench trial an unusual legal proceeding in which defendants do not admit guilt to charges but agree with the government that certain facts are true. Prosecutors had been seeking nine years behind bars, writing in court papers that Sills has expressed little remorse and contrition." Prosecutors argued that his social media posts were those of a man proud of his actions. Sills' attorney wrote in court papers that his client didn't come to Washington on Jan. 6 with any intention to commit violence and had a gas mask and tactical gear only because he feared a terrorist attack. He did not arrive that day planning or expecting to wreak violence. There is no evidence that he injured anyone. He went because his President asked him to. Once there, he stepped into a maelstrom not of his making," attorney John Kiyonaga wrote. An email seeking comment was sent to Kiyonaga after sentencing. Sills is among roughly 1,000 people who have been charged with federal crimes in the riot that left dozens of police officers injured. More than 300 people have been charged with assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers, including more than 100 who have been charged with using a deadly or dangerous weapon or causing serious bodily injury. More than half the Jan. 6 defendants have pleaded guilty, including more than 130 who have pleaded guilty to felony crimes. Of the 400 who have been sentenced, more than half have gotten terms of imprisonment ranging from seven days to 10 years, according to an Associated Press tally. In the Oath Keepers case, jurors on Monday found four defendants guilty of conspiracy and obstruction: Sandra Parker, of Morrow, Ohio, Laura Steele, of Thomasville, North Carolina, William Isaacs, of Kissimmee, Florida, and Connie Meggs, of Dunnellon, Florida. Sandra Parkers husband, Bennie Parker, was acquitted Monday of obstruction as well as one conspiracy charge, and Greene was acquitted of two conspiracy charges. The judge instructed jurors to keep deliberating after they said they couldnt reach a verdict on another conspiracy charge for Bennie Parker and the obstruction charge for Greene. On Tuesday, the jury returned a guilty verdict for Bennie Parker on the other conspiracy charge, but deadlocked on the obstruction charge for Greene. Greene, of Indianapolis, Indiana, said he wasnt a dues-paying member of the Oath Keepers but worked essentially as a contractor, providing security services. He took the witness stand during the seditious conspiracy trial of Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes and told jurors that Rhodes asked him to come to Washington to help with security operations for events around the Capitol before the riot. Greene didn't go inside the Capitol and told jurors he never heard anyone discussing plans to do so. Greene's attorney, William Shipley, said Tuesday that the government's case was a farce," adding that it made no sense and the jury saw it for what it was. HELENA, Mont. (AP) A Republican lawmaker in Montana wants to prohibit mandatory diversity training for state employees with a bill whose language matches a Florida law that is temporarily blocked by the courts. The proposed Montana Individual Freedom Act, would prohibit diversity, equity and inclusion training as a condition of state employment if the training is aimed at having the employee believe that a group of people are responsible for and must feel guilt, anguish, or other forms of psychological distress, for historical injustices. A House committee heard testimony Monday after the Senate passed the bill on party lines. "I find it interesting and confusing that we're trying to legislate emotional responses, the executive director of the Montana Human Rights Network, Angelina Gonzalez-Aller, said Monday when she testified in opposition to the bill before a House committee. I have no doubts that this is little more than a censorship attempt rooted in a coordinated national effort to roll back progress on racial and social justice, Gonzalez-Aller had said last month when the bill was heard by a Senate committee. The sponsor, state Sen. Jeremy Trebas, said that nationally, diversity training is getting too political. He did not suggest that what he considered politically slanted training was taking place in Montana, but that his bill seeks to preempt it. I think we need to work on definitions, then talk about what's appropriate to train and to whom we should be training on these topics," Trebas said. The House committee has not yet voted on it. This bill is a gross mischaracterization of what is conventionally called DEI, or diversity equity and inclusion workshops, said Chris Young-Greer with the Montana Racial Equity Project. We focus on lifting up what all of us bring to the table with regard to our very different and important backgrounds, she said Monday. "Diversity is no more than acknowledging differences. Equity means that we all get what we need to be successful. And inclusion means that each of us, no matter our differences, are included, welcomed and accepted. Opponents argued the bills language is word-for-word in some places like Floridas challenged Stop WOKE Act passed in 2022. Trebas' original bill was amended to make it clear the discussion of critical race theory as part of academic instruction was allowed eliminating one of the reasons Florida's law was blocked. Critical race theory is a way of looking at American history through the lens of race. Montana's administrative rules require the Department of Administration to ensure all new employees receive diversity and inclusion, equal opportunity and harassment prevention training within 90 days of being hired. Employees must participate in refresher training every three years. Attorney Don Harris said the department supports the bill. The attempt to regulate diversity training appears to have its roots in executive orders issued by then-President Donald Trump in September 2020, after a summer of protests over racial injustice in policing. The first order banned taxpayer dollars from being spent on diversity training for federal employees if the training implies that anyone is racist or sexist based on their race, sex and/or national origin. He later expanded the prohibition to training for the military, government contractors and other federal grantees. Opponents argued the order prevented workplaces from addressing the concepts of white privilege, systemic racism and unconscious bias. Trump's order cited examples of such training, including a presentation by the Smithsonian Institute's National Museum of African American History & Culture that said, in part: If you identify as white, acknowledging your white racial identity and its privileges is a crucial step to help end racism. Facing your whiteness is hard and can result in feelings of guilt, sadness, confusion, defensiveness, or fear. President Joe Biden revoked Trump's second executive order on his first full day in office. The U.S. Department of Labor had already suspended the order as it related to federal employees after a federal court in California granted a preliminary injunction against the order. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate BRUSSELS (AP) NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Tuesday that he would call a high-level meeting of the military organizations main forum for cooperation with Ukraine next month despite objections from Hungary. The NATO-Ukraine Commission hasn't met at ministerial level for several years. The last meeting was held at a lower level in 2019 in Kyiv, with NATO ambassadors joining Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and some of his Cabinet ministers, about three years before Russia's full-scale invasion. Hungary and Ukraine are at loggerheads over a language law adopted in Ukraine in 2017 which the nationalist government in Budapest insists stops members of the Transcarpathian ethnic minority from studying in Hungarian. Hungary has routinely blocked NATO-Ukraine Commission meetings since. This is an established framework. I have the mandate to convene it, said Stoltenberg, who chairs NATOs meetings. In respect for the issues that Hungary has raised I have not convened that for some time, but now I will continue to convene the meetings of the NATO-Ukraine Commission. He said the meeting will be held on the sidelines of a gathering of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels on April 4-5, and added: Ive not planned more meetings but of course this will not be a one-off event. He noted that Zelenskyy has been invited to attend NATOs summit in Lithuania in July. Stoltenberg also said that Hungarys minority concerns would be discussed at next months meeting. NATO makes its decisions by consensus, and Stoltenberg declined to say why he was insisting on calling the meeting over Hungarys head. But Hungary has continually pushed back a date to vote on the NATO membership of Finland and Sweden, delaying their entry with little explanation. Stoltenberg said Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto, in a meeting earlier Tuesday, had confirmed to him that the parliament in Budapest would vote on Finlands membership on March 27, but it's unclear when or if it will vote on Swedens entry. Szijjarto also declined to say what the problem was, telling reporters that the NATO-Ukraine Commission is being convened for reasons that are not my duty to disclose. He said though that Stoltenbergs decision in our opinion, hurts the cherished unity of NATO. Hungary has been widely criticized over its human rights record, including a law adopted two years ago that rights groups consider to be homophobic and transphobic. The European Court of Human Rights has also condemned Budapests handling of asylum-seekers. ___ Boldizsar Gyori contributed to this report from Budapest, Hungary. CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) Wyoming has pushed to the front of state efforts to prohibit the most common type of abortion by instituting the nations first explicit ban on pills that terminate pregnancies. Medication abortions, which usually involve taking two prescription medications days apart at home or in a clinic, became the preferred method for ending pregnancy in the U.S. even before the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade -- and now account for more than half of all abortions according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research group that supports abortion rights. More than a dozen states have responded to the Supreme Court's ruling by effectively banning abortion pills through prohibitions on all forms of abortion. Fifteen states restrict access to the pills. Of those, six Arizona, Indiana, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota and South Carolina require a doctor to administer them in person. Arizona also bans mailing abortion pills. But before a law signed Friday by Wyoming Republican Gov. Mark Gordon, no state specifically banned abortion pills. The law passed alongside a new abortion ban that seeks to sidestep issues with an earlier state ban thats been held up in court. With these two new abortion laws, the Wyoming Legislature is kind of trying to cover all its bases to prohibit abortions, said Elizabeth Nash with the Guttmacher Institute. Gordon allowed the new broad abortion ban to take effect Sunday without his signature. Whether the abortion pill ban he signed takes effect July 1 as planned remains to be seen. It could be delayed in the courts if an abortion provider in the state sues over it. Meanwhile, a federal judge in Texas is considering a case with implications for abortion pill access nationwide Heres a look at where abortion stands in Wyoming and elsewhere: IS ABORTION NOW ILLEGAL IN WYOMING? Yes. As of Sunday, abortions in all forms are illegal, although a judge in Jackson who suspended the previous ban could decide to suspend this one as well. A court hearing is set for Wednesday. The states lone clinic that provided abortions until the ban is in the tourist mountain town of Jackson. Another clinic in Casper, Wellspring Health Access, was set to open last year before it was delayed by an arson; their plans to open next month are now uncertain. Even before the ban, many women in Wyoming drove to Colorado and elsewhere to get abortions because it was more convenient. Theres no prohibition on women in Wyoming continuing to go out of state to seek abortions. WHY DID WYOMING TAKE SUCH AGGRESSIVE ACTION? Wyoming has long been a deeply conservative state but one that often avoided weighing in on social matters live and let live is a credo of rural life in the West. Thats changing. With a state Legislature more dominated by Republicans than at any point in a century, leaders are able to delve into culture-war issues with hardly any opposition. Last year, Gordon signed an abortion ban that took effect a month after the Supreme Court overturned Roe. Within hours, Teton County District Judge Melissa Owens suspended it, ruling that a lawsuits claim it would harm pregnant women and their doctors could have merit. The two nonprofits and four women, including two obstetricians, who sued also argued that the ban violated a 2012 state constitutional amendment guaranteeing the right to make ones own healthcare decisions. Attorneys for the state said that wasnt the intent of the amendment, which passed in response to the Affordable Care Act seeking to expand healthcare coverage nationwide. This year, Wyoming lawmakers did an end-run around the lawsuit with a new, blanket abortion ban declaring that abortion is not healthcare and therefore is not protected by the state constitution. WHAT ARE LAWMAKERS IN OTHER STATES DOING? Most Republican-controlled states adopted abortion bans or tighter restrictions in anticipation that Roe v. Wade would be overturned eventually. And last year, several Democrat-controlled states adopted protections for abortion access. But that didnt end the legislative battles. This month, Utah became the first state to pass a law banning abortion clinics altogether. It came as the states ban on abortions at all stages of pregnancies is held up by a legal challenge. In Florida, lawmakers are trying to figure out what bans to put into place. Florida previously banned abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, which is much looser than what other GOP-controlled states have done; a new measure to ban them after six weeks has been advancing through the Legislature. Gov. Ron DeSantis, a possible 2024 presidential candidate, is expected to sign it if it gets to him. In South Carolina, also GOP-dominated, lawmakers are debating what kind of ban to try next after a ban on abortions after six weeks was rejected by the states top court. In Minnesota, where last years election gave Democrats full control of the government, the governor this year signed additional protections for abortion access into law. ___ Geoff Mulvihill in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, contributed to this report. ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) A Nigerian opposition party has filed a petition with the Court of Appeal against the ruling party for its candidate's victory in last month's presidential election, according to court documents seen by The Associated Press on Tuesday. Peter Obi, candidate of the Labor Party, who finished third in last month's presidential race is asking the court to declare him the winner and nullify Bola Tinubus victory. He argued that the ruling party's candidate wasn't qualified to participate, because he didn't meet the minimum educational requirement, according to Labor Party spokesman Yunusa Tanko. The candidate of the (ruling party) did not even meet the minimum threshold to participate in the election which has to do with the presentation of his primary school certificate, Yunusa told The AP. "Our prayers are for the disqualification of Tinubu and the announcement of our candidate as the winner of the election of Feb. 25." He also said the party would seek to prove in court that Obi won the highest number of votes in the election. Last month, Nigerias Independent National Electoral Commission declared Tinubu the winner with 37% of the vote, beating the main opposition candidate, Atiku Abubakar, who won 29%. Obi finished third with 25% in what is usually a two-horse race. Abubakars party said it would file a separate petition also seeking to nullify Tinubus victory. If the process was heavily flawed as we now know, what will you talk about the outcome? We should be concerned more about the flawed process, said Paul Ibe, a spokesman for Abubakar. Nigerias electoral law says an election can be invalidated only if its proven that the electoral body largely didnt follow the law and acted in ways that could have changed the result. None of Nigerias presidential election results has never been overturned by the Supreme Court. Still, lawyers say the latest court challenge is unique, citing new legal provisions that introduced the use of technology during the election. The new requirements weren't adhered to by the electoral body, Tanko said. Obis petition marks the beginning of a court challenge to Tinubus victory with his party expected to gather evidence in the coming months. It's usually a long process and took seven months in 2019 when the courts rejected a similar challenge. The petition comes on the heels of the country's gubernatorial election where the ruling party retained the majority of states, winning 15, including the commercial hub of Lagos. The main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party, won eight states. LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) A Pakistani court on Tuesday granted former Prime Minister Imran Khan a weeklong bail in two new cases in which he faces terrorism charges, officials said. The ruling gave the embattled ousted premier and now popular opposition leader another brief reprieve from arrest. Since his ouster in a no-confidence vote in Parliament last April, the 70-year-old former cricket player turned Islamist politician has become embroiled in a series of legal cases against him, including on terrorism charges and graft while in office. (ECNS) -- March 21 this year marks the 11th International Day of Forests. With the awareness of ecological priority and green growth increasing across China, its achievements in environmental protection are making considerable strides. The forest coverage rate in China has reached about 24.02 percent, with 231 million hectares of forests, contributing about one-fourth of the world's newly added green area, making it the country with the fastest and largest growth of forest resources globally. China has also made remarkable progress in biodiversity conservation. According to the Catalogue of Life China: 2022 Annual Checklist released in May 2022, wild populations of over 300 rare and endangered wild animals and plants grew. Wild populations of giant pandas and Tibetan antelopes also increased significantly, both downgraded from endangered to vulnerable. The total number of milu deer that once disappeared from the wild now exceeds 8,000in China. Meanwhile, in December 2022, NASA released a new image of Earth. Compared with the iconic Blue Marble photo taken 50 years ago, the new image reveals clear changes to the face of the planet. The Antarctic ice sheet has visibly reduced in size, dark green vegetation in the African tropics has shrunk dramatically, and Madagascars once-green landscape is now mainly brown. In the face of such looming damage to biodiversity, what should the international community do to strengthen cooperation and cope with the crisis? What experience can the world draw from China? Zhou Jinfeng, vice president and secretary-general of the China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation, and Shahbaz Khan, director and UNESCO representative to the Peoples Republic of China, the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, Japan, Mongolia and the Republic of Korea, were invited to discuss the topic at the latest W.E. Talk. Shahbaz Khan said Chinas experience with ecological conservation is very unique. It combines tradition with modernity, and brings philosophical thinking. Chinas leadership and concept of ecological civilization is very important to the world. Zhou believes that with ecological civilization written into the constitution, China has established a series of methodologies for ecological conservation and formed a broad consensus among the public. China leads the world in the publicity of biodiversity. Here's an excerpt of the dialogue. China News Service: Who should play the leading role in stopping the trend of biodiversity loss? Zhou Jinfeng: Biodiversity loss is a huge challenge facing mankind and the Earth, and all parties must join hands to cope with it. Governments should play a leading role, while the participation of societies, enterprises and individuals is also indispensable. International organizations, all walks of life, and the public should actively make changes. Shahbaz Khan: All countries must do it. And everyone in the country must do, right from the level of an individual to the level of a county, to the level of a city, to the level of a province, all the way to the central governments, and the governments must work together. The simple reason is that all these issues are now interconnected so thats why we need more solidarity than ever before for everyone to work together. It's not something that can be solved only by scientists, only by the government. We need businesses and we need everyone to work together. China News Service: How should countries strengthen cooperation to protect biodiversity? Zhou Jinfeng: First of all, countries need to strengthen policy coordination based on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. Secondly, data sharing will make a difference. Some species are migratory, such as the Beijing swift. When Beijing enters winter, the birds migrate to South Africa. There are various kinds of migratory species and invasive alien species like the desert locust, which is both an agricultural disaster and a threat to biodiversity. Countries should forecast, give early warnings, and assist each other in terms of providing satellite data, technology and information. The third is technology sharing. Different countries have special technologies in different fields, such as in arid regions and rainforests. Technology sharing is crucial to global biodiversity protection. Shahbaz Khan: In this regard, I would say we need to convene people and communicate together, like the example of COP15 in Kunming and going to Montreal. What UNESCO is doing is that it has set up networks, such as the World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR) and the world heritage sites and natural heritage sites, also very importantly, global geoparks where geodiversity is very, very important. Whats happening through these networks? We have, for example, with the global geoparks and the geodiversity networks, leadership from the mayors of those areas, the political leadership with the biodiversity-related networks, leadership at the local, at the provincial and at the national level, are bringing scientists but also local people, and also bringing different groups, especially the youth to be empowered with our sides as well. China News Service: What inspiration can the world draw from Chinas experience in biodiversity protection? Zhou Jinfeng: First, Chinese people have become more knowledgeable of biodiversity protection. The concept of ecological civilization has been included in the countrys constitution. Guided by that constitution, China has systematically developed a series of laws and regulations. Second, biodiversity protection has become a nationwide consensus in China. Objectively speaking, China is in an absolutely leading position in the world in terms of public understanding of biodiversity. Third, an array of methodologies have been developed in China to promote the concept of ecological civilization. These methodologies share one core concept, which is that clear waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets. These invaluable assets are nature and biodiversity. Shahbaz Khan: Chinas experience (in ecological conservation) is very unique. I would say it brings tradition with the modernity. It brings philosophical thinking. So ecological civilization is a very important concept given by President Xi Jinping. If we think about ecology to be preserved on one hand and civilization on the other hand, and if we just think of one or the other, we will never be able to make progress in the world. But once we think ecological civilization, our harmonization of the existence of humans with our planet, thats the most beautiful part of it. I would say ecological civilization is a very practical concept. It is a concept that can bring together global standards like the Convention on Biological Diversity. But very importantly, the global Convention on Biological Diversity with Chinese characteristics brings ecological civilization. So, Chinas ecological civilization concept is very important for the world. China News Service: We should not expand the economy at the cost of the environment. What experience across the world do you think is worth promoting? Zhou Jinfeng: To coordinate economic growth and environmental protection, we should raise awareness of the public, roll out corresponding laws and regulations, and call for more public participation. These are the three tools. Here is an example. The power grid is considered to have a negative impact on birds. So, the State Grid Corp of China organized volunteers to patrol the network nationwide to minimize the ecological impact and ensure economic development. China has created public-interest litigation on environment. Since 2015, the CBCGDF has filed a series of litigation cases to adjust a number of economic development projects, thus protecting the environment and biodiversity while developing the economy. China News Service: In the future, how can we better protect the environment through technological innovation? Zhou Jinfeng: As for science and technology, we cant say whether they are good or bad. Using the concept of ecological civilization as a guide, we should develop science and technology, to drive harmonious coexistence between humankind and nature, and to address current crises. Under the guidance of ecological civilization, the all-round development of science and technology is the most important tool for us to solve current crises. Shahbaz Khan: Science and technology is an evolving field. From science and technology, there are many products that have caused a lot of harm and theyre still causing harm. But there is a lot of hope as well. We had the industrial revolution 4.0. I think we are going to Industry Revolution from 4.0to5.0, where we are looking into greener technologies, a better internet of things, a better use of artificial intelligence, the blockchain, and the way for us to look into large amounts of data using satellites and data mining abilities. With these technologies, we can see whatever is happening in the world and where it is happening. Using satellites, using our better computing power, using better data mining through artificial intelligence, and using the internet of things for us to connect with the sensors, we should be able to see, and we are already deploying those devices. Flies can get more flavor out of food than humans. The latter, like all mammals, have receptors on their tongues for sweet, salty, bitter and sour foods. A few decades ago, researchers discovered specific receptors for a fifth basic taste, umami. Now, a group of scientists has shown that the fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) can detect what amounts to a sixth taste, for alkaline foods. The ability to detect substances with a high pH, such as caustic soda, would give them an advantage when it comes to avoiding harmful food and potentially dangerous environments. Before humans gave it another cultural function (enjoyment), the sense of taste was a way to handle scarcity. Animals are programmed to go hungry, and taste gives them clues as to how nutritious a food item is. But this sense also serves as a sentinel: it warns that a compound may be in bad state and harmful. The physiology and chemistry of all living beings develops in environments with a neutral pH (with a value of 7). Extremely acidic substances such as hydrochloric acid, with its pH of 0, for example, are incompatible with life. But the same thing happens with very alkaline substances (sodium hydroxide has a pH of 14). However, while other animals such as cats are thought to have the ability to detect high pH as well, it had only been demonstrated in one species of beetles. To that very short list we must now add the fruit fly. Scientists from the University of California, the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia have discovered that fruit flies have receptors specifically dedicated to detecting alkaline substances. This is one of the most common animals in laboratories. Its genome is made up of just over 15,000 genes (humans have just over 20,000) and it serves as a model to study many human diseases. But even if all its genes have been identified, the role of most of these is still unknown. In a paper published in the scientific journal Nature Metabolism, researchers documented their discovery in this genetic haystack of a gene that they have called alka, because it hides the instructions to detect a substances alkalinity. Flies detect different flavors using mainly gustatory receptor neurons (GRNs) analogous to human taste receptor cells, present in the labellum, equivalent to our tongue, says Yali V. Zhang, a biochemist at the Monell Center and lead author of the discovery. In addition, they also use the GRN from the tarsi of their legs to detect taste substances. That is to say, when they land they already know if that substance is sweet, acid... or alkaline, as has been shown by the recent research. Mutant flies To find out, they used the CRISPR gene editing technique, obtaining dozens of mutant flies that were missing a certain gene that they presumed to be related to the senses (one of the authors, Craig Montell, from the University of California, has spent years identifying fruit fly sensory receptors). They placed two drops in front of the flies, one filled with glucose and the other with the same sugar, but to which they added sodium hydroxide, also known as caustic soda, one of the most alkaline bases there is. All the insects whose genes were not manipulated chose the sweet solution, avoiding the alkaline one. The same thing happened with almost all the mutants, except for some where the expression of a gene with unknown functions called CG12344 had been blocked. These flies exhibited a reduced aversion to alkaline substances. They even preferred droplets of sodium hydroxide if the concentration was not very high. As there was the possibility that this attraction was due to the salt in the compound (sodium), the researchers then created flies with a double mutation, one so that they would not reject the sodium hydroxide and another one to prevent them from perceiving its salty taste. Again, these flies did not avoid the alkaline solution. In their eagerness to rule out alternative explanations, researchers observed how the different flies extended or retracted their proboscis, which they use to feed. The mutant flies did not retract it when they detected the high pH substance. To make sure this reaction was not due to the compound itself, which is very alkaline, they repeated the tests with a different base, sodium carbonate, which has a lower pH. They got the same results again. In another series of extreme experiments, the scientists manipulated the alkaline taste neurons of various insects by stimulating the proboscis with red LED light. When brightly illuminated with the red end of the spectrum, this activation of GRNs made the insects not only prefer the basic flavor, but also avoid the sweet one. When we activate the GRNs by exposing them to red light, the flies perceive the taste of sucrose as alkaline, so they reject the sucrose that, under normal conditions, would be attractive to them. This indicates that the alkaline taste can suppress the sweet taste, explains Zhang. When you add something bitter, like caffeine, to a cup of chocolate milk, it will decrease its sweet taste and even make it bitter because the caffeine suppresses the sweet taste. Zhang and his colleagues renamed the CG12344 gene, calling it Alka. They had earned the right to do so, after identifying the gene, finding its function, and showing how flies can detect alkalinity. Not all alkaline substances are necessarily toxic, but most are. The pH is important for all living organisms, as they need their food to be within a specific pH range to survive, notes Zhang. In addition, it plays an essential role in the metabolism, physiology and nutrition of organisms, because many biological processes, such as enzymatic reactions, require precise pH levels (a pH of 7.4) to occur, he adds. Alkaline substances are widely present in ecosystems and strong alkalinity is physiologically harmful, causing alkalosis. Humans have lost the ability, but in the rest of the animal world, if you dont detect a toxic compound, you die Juan Alcaniz, researcher at the Institute of Neurosciences at Miguel Hernandez University Juan Alcaniz, who studies the senses of D. melanogaster at the Institute of Neurosciences in Miguel Hernandez University in Spain, highlights the sentinel value of these newly discovered receptors. Its not just about the food. The females then have to lay their eggs and they have to avoid alkaline environments, he recalls. This may give them an evolutionary advantage and most likely it is also to be found in other insects and, why not, in mammals. Alcaniz also draws attention to the fact that taste is such an essential sense that there are hardly any pathologies of the taste system. Humans have lost the ability, but in the rest of the animal world, if you dont detect a toxic compound, you die. The difficult thing is to know if this is also present in humans. The logic behind the system used by flies and humans is similar: taste cells detect the same molecules by sending a series of signals to the brain. But the receptors of insects and mammals have nothing to do with each other. Francisco Martin, who studies the molecular physiology of behavior at the Cajal Institute (CSIC), notes that vertebrates dont even have the fly gene. But both experts agree that this new discovery opens the way to search for these basic receptors in humans. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate HEIDELBERG, Germany (AP) Polands prime minister warned Monday that Europe may see revolts if the European Union, of which his country is a member, turns into a super-state government that ignores national differences. Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki was giving a speech at the university in Heidelberg, in Germany, about the challenges facing the continent where he said Ukraine is fighting Russias invasion to protect core European values of freedom. I warn all those who want to create a super-state government by a narrow elite: if we ignore cultural differences the outcome will be the weakening of Europe and a series of revolts, Morawiecki said. The war has placed Europe at a historic turning point where it has to prove its strength that comes from the diversity of its nations, he argued. In Europe nothing can safeguard the nations, their culture, their social, economic, political and military security better than nation states, Morawiecki said. Other systems are illusory or utopian. Polands right-wing government is at odds with Brussels on issues including the rule of law and judicial independence, and insists that the EU has too much say on matters regarding the individual interests of its 27 members. We need a Europe that is strong because of its nation states, not one built on their ruins, Morawiecki insisted in his more-than-hour-long lecture. He also likened Russias President Vladimir Putin to Nazi Germany's leader Adolf Hitler, described him as a fascist and argued that Europe has a duty to oppose Russian fascism. Ukraine's neighbor, Poland, has been among the nations most strongly supporting Kyiv with military, political and humanitarian assistance in the war that has entered its second year. The defeat of Ukraine would be the defeat of the West, indeed of the entire free world and would dramatically change the world, Morawiecki said. WASHINGTON (AP) Federal prosecutors on Monday rested their seditious conspiracy case against former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio and four lieutenants charged with plotting to stop the transfer of presidential power from Donald Trump to Joe Biden after the 2020 election. Jurors will hear testimony from defense witnesses before deliberating in one of the most serious cases to come out of the Justice Departments massive investigation of the violent Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection. Defense attorneys have argued there is no evidence the Proud Boys plotted to attack the Capitol and stop Congress from certifying Bidens electoral victory. Norm Pattis, an attorney for former Proud Boys leader Joseph Biggs, said the group Boys had no plan, no understanding and no implicit conspiracy for Jan. 6. They did not come to your home to cause a riot, Pattis told jurors on Monday. The jury in Washington's federal court has heard more than 30 days of testimony over more than two months by more than 20 prosecution witnesses, including two former Proud Boys members who are cooperating with the government in hopes of lighter sentences. Tarrio, a Miami resident who served as national chairman of the group, and the other Proud Boys could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted of seditious conspiracy. The case comes on the heels of the seditious conspiracy convictions of Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes and a Florida leader of the antigovernment group. Four other Oath Keepers were convicted of seditious conspiracy in January. Rhodes and other Oath Keepers are scheduled to be sentenced in May. Also on trial with Tarrio and Biggs are Ethan Nordean, Zachary Rehl and Dominic Pezzola. Nordean, of Auburn, Washington, was a Proud Boys chapter leader. Biggs, of Ormond Beach, Florida, was a self-described Proud Boys organizer. Rehl was president of the Proud Boys chapter in Philadelphia. Pezzola was a Proud Boys member from Rochester, New York. Nordean's attorney called the first defense witnesses, including former Proud Boys member Travis Nugent, of Vancouver, Washington. Nugent, who hasn't been charged with any riot-related crimes, testified that he was shocked to see rioters breach police barricades near the Capitol. It definitely felt spontaneous to me, Nugent said. I didn't know it was going to happen. You had every reason to expect violence, didn't you? prosecutor Conor Mulroe asked Nugent during his cross-examination. No, Nugent replied. Most of the defendants arent accused of engaging in violence themselves. Tarrio wasnt even at the Capitol on Jan. 6. Police arrested him in Washington, D.C., on separate charges two days before the riot, and he heeded a judges order to leave the nations capital. Its too hard to blame Trump, Sabino Jauregui, one of Tarrios lawyers, said during the trial's opening statements. Its easier to blame Enrique as the face of the Proud Boys. Prosecutors have employed an unusual theory that Proud Boys leaders mobilized a handpicked group of foot soldiers or tools to supply the force necessary to carry out their plot by overwhelming police and breaching barricades. Defense attorneys have dismissed the governments tools theory as a novel, flawed concept with no legal foundation. Jurors have seen hundreds of messages that Tarrio and other Proud Boys privately exchanged on the Telegram platform and publicly on social media before, during and after the Jan. 6 attack. The messages show the Proud Boys becoming increasingly agitated as Trump's legal challenges fail in the weeks leading up to Jan. 6. The messages also show the Proud Boys celebrating the attack on the Capitol and their role in it. In one exchange shown to jurors, Tarrio urged his fellow extremists to stay at the Capitol on Jan. 6. Make no mistake, he wrote. We did this. That evening, Rehl's mom asked if he was OK. I'm ok! Rehl replied. Seems like our raid of the capital set off a chain reaction of events throughout the country. im so (expletive) proud." The Proud Boys trial has lasted significantly longer than the judge and attorneys expected when jury selection began in December. The proceedings have been bogged down by bickering. Defense lawyers have routinely sparred with U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly during breaks in testimony and repeatedly asked for him to declare a mistrial. Two onetime Proud Boys members, Matthew Greene and Jeremy Bertino, were among the key witnesses for prosecutors. Greene testified in January that Proud Boys members were expecting a civil war after the 2020 election. Bertino testified last month that the Proud Boys saw themselves as the tip of the spear" and plotted to keep Biden out of the White House because they wanted to save the country from what they feared would be a tyrannical government. Greene and Bertino said they didn't know of any specific plan to storm the Capitol. Greene said group leaders celebrated the attack on Jan. 6 but didnt explicitly encourage members to use force. My expectation was, if there was violence started, you should not back down, Greene testified. Bertino, of North Carolina, is the only Proud Boys member who has pleaded guilty to a seditious conspiracy charge. Greene, of Syracuse, New York, pleaded guilty to conspiring to obstruct the Jan. 6 joint session of Congress certifying the Electoral College vote. ___ Follow the APs coverage of the Capitol riot at https://apnews.com/hub/capitol-siege. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate MOSCOW (AP) Russia and China showcased their no-limits friendship on Tuesday during a pomp-laden Kremlin ceremony intended to further cement ties amid the fighting in Ukraine. After hosting Chinese leader Xi Jinping over a seven-course private dinner for 4 hours the previous night, Russian President Vladimir Putin greeted him in the old imperial palace for talks involving top officials from both countries. Xi walked slowly up the opulent red-carpeted staircase of the Grand Kremlin Palace as guards in 19th century-style parade uniforms snapped to attention. Putin was waiting to greet the Chinese leader in St. George's hall where walls are covered by white-marble plaques with gold engravings of the names of military units and soldiers awarded the order of St. George, a top military award established by Catherine the Great. In a tightly choreographed ceremony filled with imperial grandeur, the two leaders entered the huge chandeliered room from opposite sides and shook hands in the middle to the sound of the Russian and Chinese national anthems. They walked past a lineup of Russian and Chinese officials to sit down for talks. Putin and Xi both wore black suits and dark red ties. The pageantry reflected the importance of Xi's three-day visit to Russia that gave a strong political boost to Putin just days after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for the Russian leader on charges of alleged involvement in abductions of thousands of children from Ukraine. Moscow, which doesnt recognize the courts jurisdiction, dismissed the move as legally null and void, but the arrest warrant further ramped up the pressure on the Russian leader as the fighting in Ukraine has dragged into a second year. After the talks, Putin and Xi issued joint declarations pledging to further bolster their strategic cooperation, develop cooperation in energy, high-tech industries and other spheres and expand the use of their currencies in mutual trade to reduce dependence on the West. They said they would develop military cooperation and conduct more joint sea and air patrols, but there was no mention of any prospective Chinese weapons supplies to Russia that the U.S. and other Western allies feared. Putin and Xi made long statements after the talks to a selected audience of officials and reporters from their pools. They didn't take questions. Putin hailed China's proposals for a political settlement and a cease-fire in Ukraine, saying that it could serve as a basis for a peaceful settlement once the West and Kyiv are ready for it. The U.S. has criticized Beijing's plan as a move intended to allow Russia to shore up its gains. Putin and Xi wrapped up the day with a state dinner in the 15th-century Palace of Facets that served as a banquet hall for the czars. They again exchanged pledges of expanding the countries' comprehensive partnership at a table next to a frescoed wall before the audience of top officials. Putin cited a long quote from China's classical Book of Changes about friendship capable of overcoming any obstacles that the interpreter failed to fully grasp. He raised a glass with a toast wishing good health to Xi and prosperity for the two countries and their peoples, ending it with Ganbei, the Chinese equivalent of cheers. Xi responded in kind. After hosting Xi in the Kremlin for six hours, Putin accompanied him down the grand staircase. We are now witnessing the changes that haven't been seen for more than a century, and we are pushing them together, Xi told Putin through an interpreter as they stood in the Kremlin's doorway. Take care, dear friend! They shook hands, and Putin stood on the pavement for a moment, waving his hand as Xis limo drove away. Before the Kremlin talks, Xi met with Russian Prime Minister Milkhail Mishustin. Unlike them, Russian and Chinese officials who attended the talks wore medical masks a reminder of the COVID-19 pandemic that halted mutual visits. Xi briefly referred to it, telling Mishustin he was happy to be back in Moscow after a long break because of the pandemic. He said that he invited Putin over Monday's dinner to visit China later this year to attend a top-level meeting of China's Belt and Road regional initiative. Kremlin foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov said Putin could make the trip but didn't give the date. Xi stayed at a brand-new Chinese-owned Soluxe Hotel set in a lavish riverside park in northern Moscow that features trees and plants from all over China. He used a Chinese-made Hongqi limousine for driving around Moscow. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate MOSCOW (AP) President Vladimir Putin wasn't waiting at the end of the red carpet to greet Chinese leader Xi Jinping upon his arrival in Russia on Monday for a high-profile visit. But it wasn't a snub. Russia's standard protocol for visiting dignitaries calls for them to be welcomed at the airport by a lower-ranking Cabinet official. Many observers argue that the fighting in Ukraine has made Russia increasingly dependent on China for support as the country becomes isolated from the West. But Putin didnt deviate from the script, and the start of Xi's trip was like that of any visiting leader. Putin sent Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko to the Russian capital's Vnukovo airport to meet Xi after he stepped off his Boeing 747. The Russian president, meanwhile, was far away in central Moscow busy with other commitments before his high-stakes dinner with Xi in the evening. Putin began his day by making an appearance at a meeting of the Interior Ministrys top officials. He also addressed a parliamentary conference involving lawmakers from African nations. Back at the airport, Xi listened as a Russian military band played the national anthems of China and Russia. He then walked past a line of honorary guards accompanied by Chernyshenko. While Putin didn't break protocol and pamper Xi with a surprise appearance at the airport, the Russian leader showered his Chinese guest with praise when he greeted him inside the Kremlin before a private dinner. Facing the Chinese leader across a small table after they shook hands, Putin hailed what he described as China's "colossal leap forward under Xi's leadership, adding that he feels a bit of envy a remark that drew a thin smile from Xi. Xi responded in kind, saying he was sure that Putin would receive strong support in the presidential election next year, even though the Russian leader hasn't yet declared his intention to run. They spent about 4 1/2 hours over a seven-course dinner, which included such offerings as a Pacific seafood platter, a sterlet or small sturgeon soup, quail and mushroom pancakes and venison roasted in cherry sauce. Putin got out to see Xi off and they shook hands again. Before the meeting began, Putin described Xi's visit as a landmark event in an article published in China's top People's Daily newspaper, saying it offers a "great opportunity for me to meet with my good old friend with whom we enjoy the warmest relationship. He also wrote in detail about their first meeting in 2010, adding that he and Xi met about 40 times and citing a line from Chinese philosopher Confucius that said: Is it not a joy to have friends coming from afar! Xi's visit offers an important political boost to Putin just days after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for the Russian leader on charges of alleged involvement in abductions of thousands of children from Ukraine. Moscow, which doesn't recognize the court's jurisdiction, dismissed the move as legally null and void," but it further ramped up the pressure on the Russian leader. After Monday's private dinner, Putin and Xi will hold official talks on Tuesday that will also be attended by top officials from both countries. They are expected to issue conclusive statements after the negotiations. Analysts say that Western sanctions have made Russia increasingly reliant on China. This relationship is increasingly asymmetrical China has much more leverage, said Alexander Gabuev, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment who has long studied Russia-China ties. Gabuev noted that Xi could be expected to maintain strong support for Putin amid mounting Western pressure. The reality is that China sees absolutely no upsides in dumping Vladimir Putin, because there will be no incentives or no points earned in the relationship with the U.S., he said. While most observers say that Beijing will be unlikely to offer Moscow military assistance as the U.S. and other Western allies fear, the alliance with Beijing would allow the Russian leader to pursue his course in Ukraine. This helps Russia stay defiant against Western sanctions, tweeted Chris Weafer, CEO and Russian economy analyst at the consulting firm Macro-Advisory. So long as Russia can trade with China, and other Asian states, it is no danger of running out of money or being forced to concede on the battlefield. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate LONDON (AP) London police have lost the confidence of the public because of deep-seated racism, misogyny and homophobia, according to an independent review commissioned after a young woman was raped and killed by a serving officer. The Metropolitan Police Service, which has more than 34,000 officers and is Britains biggest police force, must change itself or risk being broken up, the report published Tuesday said. It is not our job as the public to keep ourselves safe from the police. It is the polices job to keep us safe as the public, said Louise Casey, an expert on victims' rights and social welfare who led the review. Far too many Londoners have now lost faith in policing to do that. The findings ratchet up the pressure for a major overhaul of the Metropolitan Police after a series of scandals involving its treatment of women and minorities. In a preliminary report released in October, Casey found that the department had failed to properly vet and train officers, and had allowed officers to remain on the job even after they were accused of domestic abuse or racial harassment. Part of the problem is that there is a culture of denial in the department, with leaders adopting a we know best attitude that leads them to dismiss outside critics, the review found. Funding cuts, along with the decision to close local police stations and effectively end community policing, also contribute to the situation. Underlying all of this is the way the force is managed, not its size, the inquiry found. The Met is run as a set of disconnected and competing moving parts, lacking clear systems, goals or strategies, the report said. It runs on a series of uncoordinated and short-lived initiatives, long on activity but short on action. The Casey review was commissioned after a serving officer raped and killed Sarah Everard, a young marketing executive as she walked home from a friends house in March 2021, prompting a national outcry as women shared their experiences of being threatened or attacked when walking alone. When hundreds gathered at Clapham Common in south London to draw attention to the violence women face every day, police broke up the rally, saying it was a violation of COVID-19 lockdown rules. Video posted on social media showed male officers grabbing hold of several women and pulling them away in handcuffs to screams and shouts from onlookers. But the Everard case was only one in a series of recent scandals at the Metropolitan Police, known as the Met. In December 2021, two officers were jailed for taking and sharing photos of the bodies of two Black women after they were dispatched to guard the scene where the women had been slain. Another officer was later sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to 48 rapes and a series of other serious crimes committed over a 17-year period. The Met was also accused of homophobia over its failure to stop serial killer Stephen Port, who murdered four young men over a 15-month period in 2014 and 2015. Detectives didnt initially link the victims, all gay men in their 20s whose bodies were found near Ports home in east London. They only began investigating the deaths as potential homicides after the family of the final victim pressed for action. Caseys review found that the department hasnt treated violence against women and girls as seriously as other forms of violence. The 363-page report also painted an alarming picture of how crimes against women and children are investigated due to a shortage of funding and a lack of specialized officers trained to handle these cases. Officers investigating these crimes are forced to store rape samples in over-stuffed, dilapidated or broken fridges and freezers, because they dont have access to fast-track forensic services, investigators found. A lunchbox in one of these refrigerators contaminated the evidence. Another appliance broke down last summer, meaning the evidence was damaged and couldnt be used in court. The de-prioritization and de-specialization of public protection has put women and children at greater risk than necessary, the report said. Despite some outstanding experienced senior officers, an overworked inexperienced workforce polices child protection, rape and serious sexual offences. But the problems extend beyond the treatment of women and girls. Twenty-four years after another inquiry found that institutional racism was a key factor in why the Met failed to investigate the killing of Black teenager Stephen Lawrence, Casey highlighted the fact that the department is still disproportionately white and male. About 17% of London police officers are Black, Asian or mixed race, compared with about 10% a decade ago, according to the latest department statistics. Women account for almost 31% of police officers, up from almost 25% in 2013. Some 40% of Londons population is Black, Asian or mixed race, according to the 2021 census. The report found widespread bullying in the department, with one in five staff members that have protected characteristics such as race, sexuality or disability being victims. Female officers and staff routinely face sexism and misogyny, the report said. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate BEIJING (AP) Like a salesman buttering up his best customer, President Vladimir Putin gushed about China's economic success as he welcomed Chinese leader Xi Jinping to the Kremlin. We even feel a bit envious, Putin said Monday as Xi grinned. That was more than idle flattery. China isn't just Moscow's diplomatic partner in opposing what they see as U.S. domination of global affairs. Its thriving economy is the biggest buyer of Russian oil and gas exports, pumping billions of dollars into Putin's treasury and helping the Kremlin resist Western sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine. Putin welcomes the lifeline, but that reliance is accelerating Russias slide into the junior role in an uneasy relationship with Xis government. Beijing has ambitions that diverge from Moscow's and sometimes conflict. Russia may worry about increasing reliance upon China, but it has no other good options, said Li Xin, director of the Institute of European and Asian Studies at the Shanghai University of Political Science and Law. The current Beijing-Moscow partnership dates to the 1990s, when they set aside border disputes and other strains that led to the 1961 Sino-Soviet split and forged a post-Cold War diplomatic front to push back against Washington. For both sides, the importance of that relationship increased as Washington imposed sanctions on Russia and restricted Chinese access to U.S. technology on security grounds. Xi accused the United States this month of trying to block China's economic development. Theres a feeling that the U.S. and American allies are out to contain the two countries, said Li Mingjiang, an international relations expert at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Singapores Nanyang Technological University. Despite strategic mistrust stemming from conflicts dating back to the 19th century, they share a common political interest" of "resisting American challenges, Li said. Before last year's invasion, Xi and Putin declared they had a no limits friendship. But Beijing already has shown there are limits. It says they aren't allies and has avoided openly giving Russia military help in Ukraine, a step President Joe Biden and other Western leaders warn would trigger unspecified consequences for China. Beijing once called the Soviet government Big Brother, but Moscows lead in political influence eroded as Chinas economy raced ahead following market-style reform in the 1980s. Russia had oil riches, but the post-Soviet economy failed to create competitive companies. Meanwhile, China launched auto, tech and other industries that are expanding into global markets. In the mid-90s, Russia's economy was half the size of China's but its smaller population had four times the output per person. By 2020, Chinas lead had multiplied. Its economy was 10 times the size of Russia's and edged ahead in output per person, $10,525 to Russia's $10,115, according to the International Monetary Fund. Russias $1.7 trillion economy was about three-quarters the size of that of Texas. Russia also is losing its lead in arms technology, its biggest non-oil export. China paid billions of dollars in the early 2000s for fighter jets and other weapons. But in another sign of the limits to cooperation, Russia suspended sales after 2004 due to complaints Beijing was copying its missile and other technology. Sales didn't resume until 2014. China's imports from Russia, mostly oil and gas, rose 49% last year to $76.4 billion, according to customs data. The Global Times newspaper reported Russia overtook Saudi Arabia as China's biggest foreign oil supplier in January and February. China can buy Russian energy without triggering Western sanctions that prohibit or limit imports into the United States, Europe or Japan. Beijing values relations with Moscow so highly that it has avoided using that economic power as leverage, said Li Mingjiang. "We've seen Chinese caution not to do anything or say anything that may make the Russians upset or suspicious, he said. Moscow is uneasy that its dominant role among former Soviet republics in Central Asia might be undermined by Xis multibillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative to expand trade by building ports, railways and other infrastructure. Putins government shares worries with Washington, Tokyo and New Delhi that China is using Belt and Road to expand its strategic influence at their expense. Beijing tried to mollify Putins government by agreeing Moscow would be in charge of security affairs in Central Asia while China would focus on trade. To sweeten the deal, Beijing invested $1 billion to keep an oil project in Siberia alive after it lost access to Western financing due to sanctions imposed over Moscow's 2014 seizure of Crimea from Ukraine. Beijing wants to keep Putins government as a viable diplomatic partner but has avoided doing anything that might trigger sanctions against Chinese banks or other companies or shut them out of Western export markets. The potential losses for China's exporters if it crosses Western governments are immense. The United States bought 15% of Chinese exports last year, even after tariff hikes in a feud with Beijing over technology and security. The 27-nation European Union bought almost 13%. And Russia? It accounted for 1.3%. Less than Thailand. To China, the importance of Russia is lower than the West in technology and economic cooperation, said Li Xin. But politically, the importance of Russia to China is on the rise, because of the geopolitical and military suppression of China from the United States. ___ Associated Press researchers Yu Bing and Chen Wanqing contributed to this report. ___ This story corrects the name of university to Technological. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate TALLINN, Estonia (AP) Russian authorities on Tuesday raided the homes and offices of multiple human rights advocates and historians with the prominent rights group Memorial that won the Nobel Peace Prize last year. The wave of searches, after which police took Memorial activists in for questioning, is part of a steady and sweeping crackdown that the Kremlin has unleashed against dissent in recent years. It has intensified after Moscow invaded Ukraine more than a year ago. The group says the raids and the interrogations are connected to a criminal case that Russia's Investigative Committee launched against the activists earlier this month. The investigation was opened on the charges of rehabilitating Nazism, punishable by up to five years in prison. Memorial runs a database of victims of political repressions, and among the names are three people who were convicted in Soviet times over collaboration with Nazi Germany. The group said that authorities are using those names on the list in their case against Memorial. Oleg Orlov, the group's co-chair whose apartment was among those searched, called the allegations idiotic" in comments to reporters on Tuesday, before being hauled into a police precinct by a masked police officer in a bulletproof vest. Later on Tuesday Memorial reported that the authorities launched a separate criminal case against Orlov on charges of repeatedly discrediting the Russian army. It is a criminal offense under a new law that was adopted after Russia sent troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24 and is regularly used against Kremlin critics. Orlov faces up to three years in prison, if convicted. Memorial, one of the oldest and the most renowned Russian rights organizations, was awarded the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize along with imprisoned Belarusian activist Ales Bialiatski and the Ukrainian organization Center for Civil Liberties. Memorial was founded in the Soviet Union in 1987 to ensure the victims of communist repression would be remembered. It has continued to compile information on human rights abuses and track the fate of political prisoners in Russia while facing a relentless crackdown from the Kremlin in recent years. The group had been declared a foreign agent, a designation that brings additional government scrutiny and carries strong pejorative connotations, and over the years was ordered to pay massive fines for alleged violations of the foreign agent" law. Russia's Supreme Court ordered it shut down in December 2021, a move that sparked outcry in Russia and abroad. Tuesday's raids come after Russian President Vladimir Putin called on the police to harshly suppress any attempts of the adversaries and their agents on the territory of our country to rock our society. The action against Memorial elicited outrage among Russian opposition figures. Dmitry Gudkov, a Russian opposition politician in exile, called it an act of intimidation. You give them the Nobel Prize, we give them a criminal case," Gudkov wrote on Facebook. "Terror. The very terror, the memory of the victims of which is preserved by Memorial, Gudkov said. WASHINGTON (AP) A 72-year-old American imprisoned more than a year in Saudi Arabia over tweets critical of the Saudi crown prince was back with family members in Riyadh on Tuesday, but it remained unclear whether the kingdom would drop a travel ban to allow him to return home to Florida. Saudi Arabia on Monday freed Saad Almadi, a dual U.S.-Saudi citizen who had been a retiree living in Florida until Saudis detained him when he arrived for a 2021 family visit to the kingdom. Saudi courts subsequently sentenced Almadi to 19 years in prison over his years of past posts on social media. A State Department spokesman, Vedant Patel, on Tuesday welcomed the news of Almadi's release, but would not comment on the ban Saudi Arabia had imposed earlier to keep the Florida man from returning home after he finished his prison sentence for the tweets. Each country is going to have its own sovereign laws and each case is different, so Im not going to speak about this," Patel said. Almadi is now at home with family members who live in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, said his son, Ibrahim Almadi. Saudi officials dropped all charges against the elder Almadi, Ibrahim Almadi and advocates familiar with the case said. The Florida man's imprisonment over tweets had been one of several alleged human rights abuses that had soured relations between Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and President Joe Biden. That included Saudi officials' killing of a U.S.-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside a Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018, and prison sentences and travel bans that Saudi Arabia under the crown prince's tenure has given Saudi rights advocates and perceived rivals and critics of the powerful crown prince. Both Prince Mohammed and the Biden administration recently have taken steps toward restoring better relations. The two countries are partners in a decades-old security arrangement in which the U.S. provides security for Saudi Arabia and the oil-rich kingdom keeps global markets supplied with oil. Saudi Arabia had sentenced Almadi last year to 16 years in prison, saying his critical tweets about how the kingdom was being governed amounted to terrorist acts against it. As U.S. officials worked to win his release, and after Biden traveled to Saudi Arabia last summer in an attempt to improve relations with the oil-rich nation, a Saudi appeals court tacked an additional three years on to his sentence. Ibrahim Almadi had campaigned hard and publicly for his father's freedom. The son had pushed the Biden administration to formally declare his father as wrongfully detained by the kingdom, and had accused U.S. officials of holding back on criticism in the case in the interest of mending relations with the oil giant. Now we have to fight travel ban, he added. Saudi Arabia did not acknowledge Almadis release. However, the kingdom routinely pardons prisoners ahead of the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which could begin as soon as Tuesday night. A retired project manager in the United States, Almadi was arrested in 2021 when he arrived for what was to have been a two-week visit to see family in the kingdom. Once in custody, he was confronted by Saudi authorities with tweets he had posted over several years from his home in Florida, his son says. Almadi's tweets included one noting Prince Salman's consolidation of power in the kingdom and another that spoke of Khashoggi's killing. U.S. intelligence officials earlier concluded the crown prince authorized the hit team that killed Khashoggi inside a Saudi consulate in Istanbul. "We are relieved that Saad Almadi has been released, but he should have never spent a day behind bars for innocuous tweets, said Abdullah Alaoudh, Saudi director for the Freedom Initiative, a U.S.-based group that advocates for those it considers unjustly detained in the Middle East. Alaoudh urged the U.S. to continue to press for the release of all rights advocates and others detained in Saudi Arabia. Freedom Initiative says at least four U.S. citizens and one legal permanent resident already were detained in Saudi Arabia under travel bans, and that at least one other older U.S. citizen remains imprisoned. Many of the travel bans targeted dual citizens advocating for greater rights in the kingdom, such as Saudi women's right to drive. Ibrahim Almadi said his father had lost extensive weight in prison and that his health had worsened drastically. Jon Gambrell contributed from Dubai and AP Diplomatic Writer Matthew Lee from Washington. BANGKOK (AP) Thailands general election will take place on May 14, the countrys election regulator said Tuesday, one day after the dissolution of Parliament initiated by Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, who is seeking a fresh term. The Election Commission said registration of candidates would begin April 3. The election will pit the popular opposition Pheu Thai party, backed by billionaire populist Thaksin Shinawatra, against parties representing the conservative establishment and closely linked to the military, which has staged two coups in the last two decades. Other parties are likely to win enough seats to be wooed to join a coalition government. Prayuth dissolved Parliament just ahead of the end of the four-year term of the House of Representatives. Early dissolution allows candidates for the lower house to switch party affiliations just 30 days before the election, instead of the usual 90 days. Parties led and backed by Thaksin have won the most seats in every election since 2001, but been fiercely opposed by the conservatives, who have undermined several governments headed by Thaksin and his allies by utilizing legal rulings by the judiciary and military coups in 2006 and 2014. Pheu Thais top candidate for the prime ministers post is his 36-year-old daughter Paetongtarn Shinawatra, whom polls show to be the most popular choice by a large margin. Prayuth, who turned 69 on Tuesday, first assumed the top job after staging the 2014 coup as army commander, ousting Yinglucks elected government. He did not run in the 2019 election but was selected prime minister by Parliament after receiving the support of the army-linked Palang Pracharath party. More than 52 million people are eligible to vote across 400 constituencies. Four hundred seats will be determined by first-past-the-post races in each constituency. A separate party preference ballot will seat the other 100 members of the House of Representatives from national party lists. The prime minister is selected by a vote in a combined session of the newly elected lower house and the 250-seat Senate, a conservative body whose members are appointed. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The decision whether to indict former President Donald Trump over hush-money payments made on his behalf during his 2016 presidential campaign lies with a Manhattan grand jury that has been hearing evidence in secret for weeks. An indictment of Trump, who is seeking the White House again in 2024, would be an unprecedented moment in American history, the first criminal case against a former U.S. president. Law enforcement officials are bracing for protests and the possibility of violence after Trump called on his supporters to protest ahead of a possible indictment. An indictment could also test a Republican Party already divided over whether to support Trump next year, in part due to his efforts to undermine his 2020 election loss. Trump denies any wrongdoing and has slammed the Manhattan district attorney's office probe as politically motivated. Here's a look at the hush-money probe, grand jury process and possible ramifications for his presidential campaign: ____ WHAT'S THE PROBE ABOUT? The grand jury has been probing Trumps involvement in a $130,000 payment made in 2016 to the porn actor Stormy Daniels to keep her from going public about a sexual encounter she said she had with him years earlier. Trump lawyer Michael Cohen paid Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, through a shell company before being reimbursed by Trump, whose company, the Trump Organization, logged the reimbursements as legal expenses. Earlier in 2016, Cohen also arranged for former Playboy model Karen McDougal to be paid $150,000 by the publisher of the supermarket tabloid The National Enquirer, which then squelched her story in a journalistically dubious practice known as catch-and-kill. Trump denies having sex with either woman. Trumps company grossed up Cohens reimbursement for the Daniels payment to defray tax payments, according to federal prosecutors who filed criminal charges against the lawyer in connection with the payments in 2018. In all, Cohen got $360,000 plus a $60,000 bonus, for a total of $420,000. Cohen pleaded guilty to violating federal campaign finance law in connection with the payments. Federal prosecutors say the payments amounted to illegal, unreported assistance to Trumps campaign. But they declined to file charges against Trump himself. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Braggs team appears to be looking at whether Trump or anyone committed crimes in New York state in arranging the payments, or in the way they accounted for them internally at the Trump Organization. BUT CAN A FORMER PRESIDENT BE INDICTED? In a word, yes. Longstanding Justice Department policy prohibits the federal indictment of a sitting president, but Trump, two years out of office, no longer enjoys that legal shield. And the New York case is not a federal probe anyway. WHAT IS THIS GRAND JURY? A grand jury is made up of people drawn from the community, similar to a trial jury. But unlike juries that hear trials, grand juries dont decide whether someone is guilty or innocent. They only decide whether there is sufficient evidence for someone to be charged. Grand juries exist in the federal court system and in many states. Proceedings are closed to the public, including the media. There is no judge present nor anyone representing the accused. Prosecutors call and question witnesses, and grand jurors can also ask questions. In New York, the person who could be indicted may ask for a certain witness, though it's up to grand jurors. New York grand juries have 23 people. At least 16 must be present to hear evidence or deliberate. Twelve have to agree there is enough evidence in order to issue an indictment. The grand jury may also find there is not enough evidence of a crime or direct the prosecutor to file lesser charges. Centuries-old rules have kept grand juries under wraps to protect the reputations of people who end up not being charged, to encourage reluctant witnesses to testify, to prevent those about to be indicted from fleeing and to guard against outside pressure. Grand juries have long been criticized as little more than rubber stamps for prosecutors. Former New York Judge Sol Wachtler famously said that prosecutors could convince a grand jury to indict a ham sandwich. Defenders of the process say it is a crucial safeguard against politically motivated prosecutions. WHO HAS TESTIFIED IN THIS CASE? One of the final witnesses being called was Robert Costello, who was once a legal adviser to Cohen, the governments key witness in the investigation. The men have since had a falling out, and Costello has indicated that he has information he believes would undercut the credibility of Cohen and contradict his current incriminating statements about Trump. Costello contacted a lawyer for Trump saying he had information that could be exculpatory for Trump, according to a person familiar with the matter who insisted on anonymity to discuss secret legal proceedings. The lawyer brought it to the attention of the district attorneys office, which last week subpoenaed Costellos law firm for records and invited him to testify. He was at the building where the jurors were meeting on Monday, invited by prosecutors, ensuring the grand jury had an opportunity to consider testimony or evidence that could weaken the case for indicting. Trump was also been invited to testify, but his lawyer has said the former president has no plans to participate. WHAT ABOUT THE POLITICAL RAMIFICATIONS? Trump says charges would actually help him in the 2024 presidential contest. Longtime ally Lindsey Graham, senator from South Carolina, said Saturday that District Attorney Bragg has done more to help Donald Trump get elected. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, considering joining the Republican field, criticizes the Trump investigation as politically motivated, fundamentally wrong. But he also threw one of his first jabs at the former president in a quip likely to intensify their rivalry. DeSantis said he personally doesnt know what goes into paying hush money to a porn star to secure silence over some kind of alleged affair." Comments by other potential rivals, eager to convince voters it is time to move on from the former president but also contending with the fact that he remains the most popular figure in the party: During a Saturday visit to Iowa, former Vice President Mike Pence called the idea of indicting a former president deeply troubling. Asa Hutchinson, the former Arkansas governor mulling his own 2024 bid, said he didnt expect Trump to withdraw from the race after an indictment, though that would be the right thing to do. Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, a declared candidate who also served as Trump's U.N. ambassador, said Monday on Fox News that Bragg's case was an attempt at scoring political points," adding, You never want to condone any sort of prosecution that's being politicized. At the end of the day, not one single persons opinion of him will be any different after indictment than it was before, veteran GOP operative Terry Sullivan said in an interview. All of his perceived negatives are already baked into his name ID with voters. WHAT ABOUT OTHER TRUMP INVESTIGATIONS? The New York probe is among many legal woes Trump is facing. The Justice Department is investigating his retention of top secret government documents at his Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago, after leaving the White House, as well as possible efforts to obstruct that probe. Federal investigators are also still probing the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection and efforts to overturn the election Trump falsely claimed was stolen. Portions of a report from a special grand jury in Georgia that investigated whether Trump and his allies illegally interfered in the 2020 election in Georgia shows jurors believed one or more witnesses committed perjury and urged local prosecutors to bring charges. The former president never testified, but the report didn't foreclose the possibility of other charges. WHAT'S NEXT IN NEW YORK? It's unclear. Trump declared in a social media post over the weekend that he expects to be taken into custody on Tuesday and urged supporters to protest his possible arrest. However, there has been no public announcement of any time frame for the grand jurys secret work. A Trump spokesperson said there has been no notification from Bragg's office. Law enforcement officials have been making security preparations for the possibility of an indictment in coming days or weeks or a court appearance by the president himself. WILL TRUMP BE HANDCUFFED? Anna Cominsky, a New York Law School professor and former criminal defense lawyer, said that her best guess is that Trumps lawyers will work out a deal with the prosecutors office to avoid the spectacle of an indictment with handcuffs and a perp walk. There is a great likelihood that he will self-surrender, which means you wont see a 5 a.m. knock on Mar-a-Lagos door, officers swarming his house and arresting him and bringing him out in handcuffs, she said. He would appear at the prosecutors office voluntarily and then be processed, fingerprinted and his picture taken. Cominsky is less sure that Trump would want to avoid a public appearance for his arraignment, which would come within two days of an indictment. At that time a judge lists the charges and asks if the defendant pleads guilty or not guilt. He doesnt shy away from the chaos, so he may want to use this to his advantage, she said. ____ Associated Press writers Eric Tucker in Washington, Anthony Izaguirre from Tallahassee, Florida, and Bernard Condon and Michael R. Sisak in New York contributed to this report. Plastic bags of Fentanyl are displayed on a table at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection area at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Illinois, in November 2017. State lawmakers nationwide are responding to the deadliest overdose crisis in U.S. history by pushing harsher penalties for possessing fentanyl and other powerful lab-made opioids that are connected to about 70,000 deaths a year. Imposing longer prison sentences for possessing smaller amounts of drugs represents a shift in states that in recent years have rolled back drug possession penalties. Proponents of tougher penalties say this crisis is different and that, in most places, the stiffer sentences are intended to punish drug dealers, not just users. There is no other drug no other illicit drug that has the same type of effects on our communities, said Mark Jackson, the district attorney for Douglas County, Nevada, and president of the Nevada District Attorneys Association, which is pushing for stricter penalties for fentanyl-related crimes. But the strategy is alarming recovery advocates who say focusing on the criminal angle of drugs has historically backfired, including when lawmakers elevated crack cocaine penalties in the 1980s. Every time we treat drugs as a law enforcement problem and push stricter laws, we find that we punish people in ways that destroy their lives and make it harder for them to recover later on, said Adam Wandt, an assistant professor of public policy at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York. He said people behind bars often continue getting drugs often without receiving quality addiction treatment then emerge to find its harder to get work. Since 2020, drug overdoses are now linked to more than 100,000 deaths a year nationally, with about two-thirds of them fentanyl-related. Thats more than 10 times as many drug deaths as in 1988, at the height of the crack epidemic. Fentanyl mostly arrives in the U.S. from Mexico and is mixed into supplies of other drugs, including cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and counterfeit oxycodone pills. Some users seek it out. Others dont know theyre taking it. Ingesting 2 milligrams of fentanyl can be fatal, meaning 1 gram about the same as a paper clip could contain 500 lethal doses. Thats whats driving some lawmakers to crack down with harsh penalties, along with adopting measures such as legalizing materials to test drug supplies for fentanyl and distributing naloxone, a drug that can reverse overdoses. Before this years legislative sessions began, a dozen states had already adopted fentanyl possession measures, according to tracking by the National Conference of State Legislatures. And in this year, in one legislative chamber of liberal Oregon and one chamber of conservative West Virginia, lawmakers have agreed upon tougher penalties. In her State of the State speech this March, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, a Republican, called on lawmakers to adopt a drug trafficking bill that includes tougher fentanyl sentences. In Nevada, where Democrats control the Legislature, a bill backed by Democratic Attorney General Aaron Ford would give one to 20 years in prison for selling, possessing, manufacturing or transporting 4 grams or more of fentanyl into the state, depending on the amount. Its a change for Ford, who has supported criminal justice reforms including a sweeping 2019 law that, among other provisions, raised the threshold for such penalties to 100 grams. It would also remove fentanyl from the states Good Samaritan law, which exempts people from criminal drug possession charges while reporting an overdose. What weve learned is that lowering the thresholds for all drugs was overinclusive, Ford said. Harm reduction advocates are pushing Ford and others to rethink their support, arguing the thresholds for longer penalties can sweep up low-level users not just the dealers the law is aimed at as well as some who may not even know they are taking fentanyl. They warn that the states crime labs test only for the presence of fentanyl, not the exact amount in a mixture of drugs. Thus, people with over 4 grams of drugs containing a few milligrams of fentanyl could be subject to trafficking penalties, they say. Rosa Johnson runs a needle exchange where she meets people who could face consequences should the stricter fentanyl bill pass. For the dozens of people that show up each day, it is rare for them to cite fentanyl as their drug of choice. But its also rare that fentanyl test strips come back negative, with the drug being laced in a lot of things, Johnson said. Other lawmakers introduced two bills to create penalties for fentanyl with lower thresholds, though much of the internal debate surrounds the Ford-backed bill. Meanwhile, Nevadas Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo, a former sheriff, has vowed to introduce tougher legislation that would make possession of any amount of fentanyl the same felony threshold as fentanyl trafficking. Both Republican-led chambers in South Carolina have passed fentanyl trafficking measures with bipartisan support, although lawmakers havent agreed on which version to send the governor. Senators also unanimously approved a bill allowing alleged drug dealers to be charged with homicide in overdose deaths. House Minority Leader Todd Rutherford slammed colleagues for selling a false bill of goods. While Republican Rep. Doug Gilliam said he understood concerns about ambiguity, he said lawmakers had to send a strong message to drug dealers. A Senate subcommittee heard emotional testimony from family members of people who died of a fentanyl overdose. Among them was Holly Alsobrooks, co-founder of an advocacy group that also supports more fentanyl test strips, opioid antidotes and rehabilitation centers. While Alsobrooks said there is no perfect solution, she said the fentanyl trafficking measures are the best answers she has heard. We are fully behind this bill, she said. And if people go to jail, theyre going to go to jail. Marc Burrows, who leads a Greenville-based harm reduction program that reports it has reversed 700 overdoses through the provision of opioid antidotes, said these bills could increase deaths by creating hesitancy among drug users to report overdoses. I just dont know if a policy like this is the way to do it, Burrows said. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate ATLANTA (AP) Lawyers for former President Donald Trump are attacking a special grand jury and prosecutors who investigated him in Georgia, asking a state court to throw out its report and all testimony from the inquiry and bar Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis from continuing to investigate or prosecute Trump. Lawyers Jennifer Little and Drew Findling wrote in the Monday filing that the special grand jury involved a constant lack of clarity as to the law, inconsistent applications of basic constitutional protections for individuals being brought before it, and a prosecutors office that was found to have an actual conflict, yet continued to pursue the investigation. Jeff DiSantis, a spokesperson for Willis, said the prosecutor would answer the claims in court, but declined further comment. The filing is an effort by Trump to escape one of the multiple legal challenges he faces. Trump said Saturday that he expects his indictment and arrest within days in a New York grand jury probe into hush money payments to women who alleged sexual encounters with the former president. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg recently offered Trump a chance to testify before the grand jury. Trump also faces twin U.S. Justice Department criminal investigations. One, paralleling the Georgia inquiry, is examining his efforts to undo the results of the 2020 election. A Justice Department special counsel has also been presenting evidence before a grand jury investigating Trumps possession of hundreds of classified documents at his Florida estate. If successful, the Georgia challenge could wipe out the entire investigation, requiring a new prosecutor who couldn't use any of the information Willis' team has gathered. The Georgia filing argues that Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney misinterpreted Georgia law to declare that the special purpose grand jury could run a criminal investigation with resulting stronger subpoena powers, allowing it to compel Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and out-of-state witnesses to testify. This erroneous decision had vast constitutional and procedurals implications, and the resulting taint invalidates the constitutionality and validity of the entire proceeding, the lawyers wrote. The lawyers also argue that the grand jury didnt sufficiently protect the due process rights of witnesses, who couldnt be forced to testify in Georgia before a regular grand jury that was considering indicting them. Trump's lawyers asked for another judge besides McBurney to hear their claims. The arguments about violating precedent could also signal that appeals are likely, which could bog down the Georgia proceedings after Willis said in a January hearing that decisions on whether to seek indictments were imminent. On a call with reporters discussing the various legal cases involving Trump, Norm Eisen who co-wrote a Brookings Institution report analyzing the Fulton County investigation called the filings invalid and borderline frivolous. These dont make sense, Eisen said. They challenge the legality of special grand juries in Georgia. ... it would be like standing up at the United States Supreme Court and saying, This is an illegal body. The filing also claims that McBurney erred by not disqualifying Willis and her office from the entire probe when he ruled in July that Willis could not pursue charges against Burt Jones, now Georgia's lieutenant governor. Jones, then a state senator, was one of 16 Georgia Republicans who signed a certificate falsely stating that Trump had won the state and declaring themselves the states duly elected and qualified electors. McBurney disqualified Willis because she hosted a fundraiser for Jones' unsuccessful Democratic opponent in the lieutenant governors race, creating a conflict of interest. The rights of President Trump, as well as others impacted by this investigation, are now subject to the prosecutorial discretion and decision-making of a prosecuting body that even the supervising judge acknowledged has an actual, disqualifying conflict," the lawyers wrote. "This is simply untenable. They also faulted Willis for granting repeated news interviews, citing a list of 39 media appearances and saying her comments cast a shadow of bias over her office and the entire investigation." Trump's lawyers similarly argued that interviews that the foreperson and other grand jurors have given should undermine the case. The Associated Press first interviewed foreperson Emily Kohrs, a story that was followed by interviews with news outlets. She said the panel recommended that numerous people be indicted, but she declined to say who. Other grand jurors who declined to be named later spoke to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The lawyers said those interviews would taint future jury pools and violate notions of fundamental fairness and due process," while showing that jurors wrongly faulted witnesses for invoking their Fifth Amendment right to avoid self incrimination. It's ultimately up to Willis to decide whether to go to a regular grand jury to seek one or more indictments in the case. She opened the Georgia investigation in early 2021, shortly after a recording of a phone call between Trump and a top state official was made public. During that Jan. 2, 2021, phone call, Trump suggested that Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger could find the votes needed to reverse his narrow loss in the state. The special grand jury, which was seated in May 2022, heard from about 75 witnesses and considered other evidence before wrapping up its work in December. It did not have the authority to issue indictments but instead produced a report with recommendations for Willis. McBurney ordered most of that report to remain under seal. ___ Associated Press writer Meg Kinnard in Columbia, South Carolina, contributed to this report. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) From the moment he rode down the Trump Tower escalator to announce his first presidential campaign, a searing question has hung over the Republican Party: Is this the moment to break from Donald Trump? Elected Republicans have wavered at times whether it was Trump's condemnation of John McCain's war record, his racist attack against a Mexican-American judge, his sexually predatory language caught on video, his alleged extramarital affairs, his decision to side with Russian President Vladimir Putin over U.S. intelligence, his promotion of false allegations of election fraud and his incitement of a violent mob that threatened the lives of lawmakers in both parties. But after almost eight years of near-constant scandal, Republicans have ultimately rallied behind Trump over and over and over again. Now, on the eve of a new presidential campaign season, that loyalty is being tested anew as Trump prepares for the possibility that he may soon become the first former U.S. president charged with a crime. New York prosecutors are wrapping up their probe into whether Trump engaged in an illegal hush money scheme involving a porn actress. This is another moment not just this indictment, but the others likely to follow where Republicans have the opportunity to break with Trump, said Sarah Longwell, a vocal Republican Trump critic and founder of the Republican Accountability Project. If they fail to do so, they'll have no one to blame but themselves when Trump is the nominee again. So far, at least, the vast majority of the Republican Party appears to have made its choice. As charges loom, many party leaders have begun to defend the former president even as other Republicans with far less baggage line up against him in the nascent 2024 Republican presidential primary. Former Vice President Mike Pence, a likely presidential contender, said over the weekend that Americans don't want to see Trump indicted. Another 2024 Republican prospect, New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, said there is a sense that the former president is being unfairly attacked. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a frequent Trump critic also eyeing a White House bid, also said New York prosecutors may be unfairly prosecuting Trump. There are cracks in such support, however. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Trump's strongest prospective rival, offered a mixed assessment when asked to address the potential indictment on Monday. I dont know what goes into paying hush money to a porn star to secure silence over some type of alleged affair," DeSantis said as some in the audience laughed uncomfortably. "But what I can speak to is that if you have a prosecutor who is ignoring crimes happening every single day in his jurisdiction and he chooses to go back many many years ago to try to use something about porn star hush money payments, thats an example of pursuing a political agenda and weaponizing the office. And I think thats fundamentally wrong. The ordeal has pushed Republicans back into an uncomfortably familiar place -- playing defense for Trump as he grapples with another scandal. The situation dominated the conversation at the House GOP conference in Orlando, where dozens of congressional Republicans gathered this week. Many hoped to focus on the party's legislative priorities and achievements three months into the House majority. Instead, they faced repeated questions about the implications of Trump's latest legal woes. Republican lawmakers eager to highlight the party's gain with Hispanic voters were cornered -- in Spanish and English -- by questions about Trumps legal troubles and whether he's still the leader of the party. Obviously I have great respect for the former president of the United States," Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Fla., told The Associated Press. But as far as who the leader of the party is, I will tell you right now, I think the leader of the party is the speaker of the House. Its the highest ranking elected. But Speaker Kevin McCarthy is making clear that he has Trumps back. The California Republican called the potential indictment pure politics and slammed New York prosecutors for New York City's rising crime rates. Like DeSantis in Tallahassee, Republican lawmakers in Orlando repeatedly attacked Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, calling him a George Soros-backed prosecutor. And instead of using their new clout to advance conservative policy, Republican leaders on Monday announced plans to investigate and interrogate the entities involved in the case against Trump, including the many federal and local prosecutors probing Trumps actions in various jurisdictions. Beyond the New York hush money case, Trump is facing active criminal investigation in Georgia for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election and by federal prosecutors probing his handling of classified documents, among other issues. In a letter to Bragg on Monday, House Republicans demanded communications, documents, and testimony relating to the unprecedented abuse of prosecutorial authority and the potential indictment of Trump. Trump's legal baggage could prove a political liability in the 2024 general election, but his team has long believed that an indictment could give him a political advantage in the primary by forcing his Republican rivals to come to his defense or risk alienating his fierce political base. They point to the Republican response to the federal raid on Trump's Florida estate, when virtually the entire GOP, including DeSantis, ultimately defended him. Some of Trump's 2024 rivals have privately acknowledged the political risks should they break from the former president at such a critical moment. To that end, Trump and his allies seized on DeSantis' approach to Trump's potential arrest as an affront to his MAGA base. The Florida governor said he hoped to stay out of what he called a manufactured circus." Donald Trump Jr. condemned DeSantis' response as pure weakness. Trump himself attacked DeSantis using his pet nickname for him, Ron DeSanctimonious" and promoted a decades-old picture of DeSantis posing with young women when he was a high school teacher. In a message accompanying the photo, Trump mocked DeSantis, going so far as to question his sexuality. The governor, Trump wrote, will probably find out about FALSE ACCUSATIONS & FAKE STORIES sometime in the future, as he gets older, wiser, and better known, when hes unfairly and illegally attacked by a woman, even classmates that are underage (or possibly a man!). Im sure he will want to fight these misfits just like I do! As his party largely lined up behind Trump, some also tried to draw boundaries especially as he called for large-scale protests. The message evoked similarities with Trump's rhetoric that sparked the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. I dont think people should protest this," McCarthy said. Despite Trumps repeated calls for protests, he added: I think President Trump, when you talk to him, he doesnt think that either. Meanwhile, all but a few Republican members of Congress have so far declined to endorse Trumps 2024 presidential bid. And its unclear if statements of support in the spring of 2023 will translate into formal endorsements when the primary season takes off in the spring of 2024. Still, Trump's biggest supporters were oozing confidence. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, one of just eight House Republicans who have formally endorsed Trumps third presidential bid, said Americans should be outraged by the so-called political persecution of a former president. If Trump is indicted, she predicted, Trump will win in a landslide. House Republican conference chair, Rep. Elise Stefanik, remains one of Trump's strongest supporters in Congress. She said she spoke to the former president earlier Monday. I think youll see his poll numbers go up, predicted Stefanik, who has also signed onto Trumps 2024 bid. Hes never been in a stronger position. ___ Peoples reported from New York. Associated Press writer Jill Colvin in New York contributed. ___ This story was first published on March 20, 2023. It was published again on March 21, 2023, to correct Rep. Diaz-Balart is a Republican, not a Democrat, and the prosecutor's first name is Alvin, not Alan. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate FORT SILL, Okla. (AP) Several large, 12-wheeled military vehicles carrying mobile missile launchers rumbled across the southwest Oklahoma prairie on Tuesday as part of a training exercise at the Fort Sill Army Post. Spilling out of the sand-colored vehicles and quickly setting up the launchers were some of the 65 Ukrainian soldiers who have been training at the installation since January on how to use the defensive missile system to track and shoot down enemy aircraft. U.S. military officials invited journalists from across the country and Europe, including The Associated Press, to watch the soldiers train. The Patriot missile system, which hasn't yet been deployed in Ukraine, is particularly useful for defending population centers and critical infrastructure, said Brig. Gen. Shane Morgan, Fort Sill's commanding general. The soldiers are expected to leave Oklahoma in the next several days for additional training in Europe before they deploy to Ukraine with a Patriot missile battery that typically includes six mobile launchers, a mobile radar, a power generator and an engagement control center. Military officials did not provide an exact timeline for when the missile battery will deploy to Ukraine. But a Pentagon spokesman said it will be quicker than initially planned. For operation security reasons, Im not going to get into delivery timelines other than to say were confident that well be able to get the Patriots there on an expedited timeline, Ill just leave it at that, Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said at a Pentagon briefing on Tuesday. Col. Martin ODonnell, a U.S. Army spokesman based in Germany, said the newly trained Ukrainian troops will marry up with other Ukrainian air defenders" in Europe with donated Patriot equipment from the U.S., Netherlands and Germany before deploying to Ukraine in the coming weeks. Although Army officials acknowledge they faced initial challenges overcoming a language barrier, Morgan said the Ukrainian soldiers learned quickly and were handpicked because of their air defense experience. Our assessment is that the Ukrainian soldiers are impressive and absolutely a quick study due to their extensive air defense knowledge and experience in a combat zone, Morgan said. It was easier, though never easy, for them to grasp the Patriot system's operation and maintenance concepts. The training of the Ukrainian soldiers is part of a larger international effort involving more than 50 countries who are providing security assistance to Ukraine, O'Donnell added. U.S. Army soldiers at Fort Sill who trained the Ukrainians said they were surprised how quickly the visiting soldiers grasped the concepts and learned how to operate the equipment. Many of the soldiers had previous experience using the older Soviet-made S-300 long-range surface-to-air missile system. One trainer, who the AP agreed not to identify by name for security purposes, said he learned how resourceful the Ukrainians were when one of the vehicles developed a coolant leak during the early days of training. Repairs that would normally require submitting a formal request and waiting several days were instead completed in about 20 minutes. It shows their ability to adapt to a situation, the trainer said. In Ukraine, they won't have days. They may just have minutes. Although the Ukrainian soldiers were confined to the military installation during their 10-week training program, they were afforded the same privileges as other visiting soldiers, including access to shops, recreation and restaurants on the installation. They particularly enjoyed eating tacos from a Taco Bell on the post, one trainer said. A lot of them have never had tacos before, he said. But a deadly seriousness underscored the Ukrainians' visit to Fort Sill that was evident when they held a memorial vigil on the one-year anniversary of Russia's invasion, another trainer said. That was the hardest part for me, he said. Several of them have lost loved ones in the war. ___ This story has been corrected to indicate Ukrainian troops are deploying to Europe, not Germany. ___ Associated Press reporter Tara Copp in Washington contributed to this report. BERLIN (AP) Senior government officials at a climate meeting in Copenhagen gave a muted response Tuesday to calls from the head of the United Nations for countries to show greater ambition when it comes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged rich countries Monday to bring forward their target for achieving net zero emissions as close as possible to 2040, and for emerging economies to aim for a date as close as possible to 2050. This would be a significant shifting of the goal posts: the United States and the European Union are currently aiming for net zero by 2050, while China is targeting 2060 and India has set a deadline of 2070. Guterres' call came in a video message responding to a new report by the U.N.'s top climate science panel which found that the world is still far off track if it wants to cap global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit) compared to pre-industrial times, as agreed in the 2015 Paris accord. He did not attend the Copenhagen meeting. Speaking at the end of a two-day meeting in the Danish capital of senior officials from dozens of countries, Egypt's foreign minister said there was no specific answer to the aspirational goals set out by Guterres. These goals will be, Im sure, addressed within the national context and within the national abilities, said Sameh Shoukry, who chaired last year's U.N. climate talks in his country. Shoukry said Egypt would have to rely on the transfer of technology from our friends and partners to wean itself off fossil fuels and ramp up the use of renewable energy. The country has already benefited from a number of deals and investments to green its economy in recent years. Denmark's climate minister, Dan Jrgensen, said his country recently brought forward its net zero target to 2045, and aims to capture more carbon than it emits by 2050. That puts Denmark far ahead of most advanced economies, though its neighbor Germany is also targeting net zero by 2045 and Finland has said it wants to achieve that goal by 2035. The meeting in Copenhagen is one of several taking place before the U.N. climate talks in the United Arab Emirates at the end of the year. Asked whether that summit could again see negotiations on a global pledge to phase down all fossil fuels, Jrgensen said he had no doubt that it will be discussed. Whether or not we will reach that result in Dubai later this year is of course difficult to say, he said. But I think we can say for sure that it will be a part of the conversation. Other important topics to resolve over the coming months concern how to increase funding for poor nations including those already suffering the effects of global warming and taking stock of what's been achieved internationally so far since the 2015 Paris climate accord was sealed. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate NIAMEY, Niger (AP) An American aid worker and a French journalist kidnapped and held by Islamist extremists were freed and flown to Niger's capital Monday, four days after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited the country. U.S. officials said no ransom was paid for aid worker Jeffery Woodke, who was held for more than six years, and praised Nigers government for helping secure his release. The French government did not comment on how freedom was won for journalist Olivier Dubois, who was abducted almost two years ago in neighboring Mali. I thank God first of all. And after God, I thank the government of Niger, the U.S. government and France. Long live France!" said Woodke, his long gray hair pulled back in a ponytail as he used a walking stick. Im very happy to be back in Niamey again, in Niger, my second country, and Ive nothing more to say apart from, 'Hello to my family.' Thats all, he said. Dubois beamed as he greeted well-wishers, telling journalists that he was tired but otherwise fine. Its amazing for me to be here, to be free, the 48-year-old journalist said. I didnt expect it at all. I would like to pay tribute to Niger, and to its knowledge of these types of delicate missions. And to pay tribute to France and to all those who made it possible to be here today. Blinken visited the region last week and on Thursday spoke to the press in Niger, where he announced $150 million in direct assistance to the Sahel region. Im very pleased we are now seeing that come to fruition today," Blinken said, thanking his team, and Niger, for their efforts. Woodke lived in Niger for three decades and had been kidnapped from his home in the town of Abalak in October 2016. Gunmen ambushed and killed his guards, then forced him at gunpoint into their truck, where he was driven north toward Malis border. At a 2021 news conference in Washington, Els Woodke said she believed her husband was being held by an al-Qaida-linked militant group known as JNIM and that his captors had sought a multimillion-dollar ransom. Dubois also was being held by JNIM militants, though it was unclear how much time the two foreign hostages had spent in captivity together, said Laith Alkhouri, CEO of Intelonyx Intelligence Advisory. Officials in Niger unexpectedly announced Monday morning that the two men had taken a special flight to the country's capital but provided no details. U.S. officials said the American hostage was not freed in Niger but in the surrounding region that includes Mali, where Dubois was abducted in 2021. Also on Monday, the International Committee of the Red Cross announced that two of its employees were freed in Mali. The organization would not disclose the employees identities or the circumstances of their abductions, and it could not be confirmed if there was any connection to the other hostages who were released. White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said efforts to free Woodke were headed by U.S. military, law enforcement and intelligence agencies , working closely with the French. It was a team effort to get him out, and there were no concessions made, Kirby said. There were no swaps here. This was just hard, grueling, deliberate work by diplomats and other experts directly with the government of Niger to get him home. Woodke and Debois were the highest-profile foreigners known to be held in the region, and their release was the largest since a French woman and two Italian men were freed together in Mali in October 2020. French President Emmanuel Macron wrote that he had spoken with Dubois on Monday. Immense relief for the nation, for his relatives and fellow journalists, Macron tweeted. "Deep gratitude to Niger for this release. Although it remained unclear what led to the releases, it might not be a coincidence that the hostages' freedom came after Blinken visited Niger and offered millions of dollars in aid, Alkhouri said. The aid "could have oiled the Niger government to use its intelligence apparatus in negotiating their release," Alkhouri said. A senior U.S. administration official, speaking on background, said Woodke was the second American to be freed in the last six months and that the topic had come up last week during Blinken's visit to Niamey. The identity of the other hostage freed in Niger was not made public. Groups have long abducted hostages for ransom in the Sahel, the vast, semi-arid expanse below the Sahara Desert. Previously released captives have described being moved frequently from site to site in harrowing conditions and sweltering temperatures. The extremists aim to use ransom money to fund their jihadi operations, though not all countries engage in payment negotiations. The Biden administration official did not identify the specific group believed responsible for holding Woodke, saying overlapping networks operated in that part of West Africa. At least 25 foreigners and untold numbers of locals have been kidnapped in the Sahel since 2015, according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project. In 2020, Swiss authorities said Christian missionary Beatrice Stoeckli was killed by her militant captors. Militants with links to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group are still believed to be holding captives, including a German priest. The Rev. Hans-Joachim Lohre was preparing to celebrate Mass in Malis capital when he was abducted in November. Last year an Italian couple and their child were abducted with a household employee in southern Mali. Other hostages taken in West Africa include Ken Elliott, an Australian doctor abducted in 2016, and Romanian citizen Julian Ghergut, who was seized near a mining site in 2015. ___ Tucker reported from Washington, and Larson reported from Dakar, Senegal. Associated Press writers Sam Mednick in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso; Ellen Knickmeyer and Aamer Madhani in Washington; Angela Charlton in Paris; and Baba Ahmed in Bamako, Mali contributed to this report. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) The United States envoy for the Serbia-Kosovo dialogue on Monday welcomed the European Union-facilitated deal on normalizing relations between neighboring Kosovo and Serbia as an important and historic agreement. Gabriel Escobar said the weekend deal between Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovar Prime Minister Albin Kurti in Ohrid, North Macedonia sets the conditions for normalization between Serbia and Kosovo on European terms. On Saturday EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Vucic and Kurti agreed on an 11-point EU plan to normalize relations following their 1998-1999 war and Kosovos declaration of independence from Serbia in 2008. The plan calls for them to maintain good neighborly relations and recognize each others official documents and national symbols. If implemented, it would prevent Belgrade from blocking Kosovos attempts to seek membership in the United Nations and other international organizations. But it doesnt explicitly call for mutual recognition between Kosovo and Serbia. This agreement is a legally binding obligation on both parties (and) will continue to be the basis of our policy for the United States going forward and the basis for European engagement in the region, Escobar said in an online briefing. Both countries hope to join the EU one day, and have been told they must first mend their relations. Solving the dispute has gained attention as war rages in Ukraine and fears mount that Russia could try to stir instability in the volatile Balkans, where it holds historic influence. Escobar said the primary intent was to frame the ground rules of interaction between the two countries so that things like license plates and barricades dont threaten to spin out of control and create regional instability. Kosovo is a majority ethnic Albanian former Serbian province. The 1998-1999 war erupted when separatist ethnic Albanians rebelled against Serbias rule, and Belgrade responded with a brutal crackdown. About 13,000 people died, mostly ethnic Albanians. In 1999 a NATO military intervention forced Serbia to pull out of the territory. Tensions have simmered ever since. Kosovos independence is recognized by many Western countries. But it is opposed by Belgrade with the backing of Russia and China. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate MADISON, Wis. (AP) The liberal candidate for a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court didn't back down from her support for abortion rights or her belief that the state's Republican-drawn legislative maps are unfair during a debate Tuesday in which her GOP-backed opponent accused her of being bought and paid for by Democrats. Janet Protasiewicz called her conservative opponent, Dan Kelly, a true threat to our democracy because he consulted with Republicans about their plan to seat fake electors to support Donald Trump after he lost Wisconsin in 2020. Whoever wins the April 4 election for a seat vacated by the retirement of a conservative justice will determine majority control of the court for at least the next two years, including leading up to the 2024 presidential election. Control of the court, which came within a vote of overturning Trump's 2020 defeat in the state, could be crucial, with abortion access, legislative redistricting, voting rights and other key issues at stake. The millions already spent have made it the most expensive state Supreme Court race in U.S. history. Kelly repeatedly accused the Democratic-backed Protasiewicz of lying about his role in the fake elector plan, his abortion stance and other issues, telling her, Youre willing to say anything to get what you want. Protasiewicz has focused her candidacy on her support for abortion rights, stopping just short of saying how she would rule on a lawsuit challenging the state's abortion ban first passed in 1849 a year after statehood. She reiterated Tuesday that she hadn't made up her mind on how she would rule, but she said Kelly had. My personal opinion is that should be a womans right: to make a reproductive health decision. Period," she said. If my opponent is elected, I can tell you with 100% certainty that (the) 1849 abortion ban will stay on the books." Kelly defended his support from the state's three largest anti-abortion groups and said he made no pledge to them to uphold the ban, as Protasiewicz has alleged. This seems to be a pattern for you Janet, just tell a lie," Kelly said. You dont know what Im thinking about that abortion ban. You have no idea. ... I had no conversations with those organizations about how I would rule on any issue, including the abortion issue. Kelly, who previously did work for Wisconsin Right to Life, has not said how he would rule on the challenge to the abortion ban should it reach the court. But he did write in a blog post years ago that everyone knows that abortion takes the life of an unborn child. On redistricting, Protasiewicz was asked how she could fairly hear the case given that the Democratic Party has given her campaign $2.5 million. She said she would recuse herself from any case brought by the party, but challenges to the Republican-drawn maps are expected to come from others. The map issue is really kind of easy, actually," Protasiewicz said. "I dont think anybody thinks those maps are fair. Anybody. Protasiewicz said she agreed with the liberal dissenting justices in a case that challenged the Republican-drawn maps. There you have it," Kelly said in response. "She just told you how she would resolve the case. Protasiewicz accused Kelly of being unfair with his campaign ads accusing her of handing down soft sentences in numerous criminal cases she has handled as a Milwaukee County circuit court judge. I have spent my entire career protecting this community, she said. Kelly, a former state Supreme Court justice, has long ties to the Republican Party, having previously worked for Republicans. Kelly was endorsed by Trump in 2020. This year, he has the backing of Scott Presler, a Virginia native who planned several stop the steal rallies and was on the U.S. Capitol grounds on Jan. 6, 2021. He was in Wisconsin in March helping to raise money and support for Kelly through personal appearances on conservative talk radio. Protasiewicz's endorsements include Hillary Clinton, Planned Parenthood and EMILYs List, which works nationwide to elect Democratic abortion rights supporters. The debate at the Wisconsin Bar Association, co-sponsored by WISC-TV and WisPolitics.com, came on the same day that early, in-person voting began. Early voting runs through April 2. Elizabeth Doe, 73, was the first person to cast a ballot in Wisconsin's liberal capital, Madison, doing so shortly after 9 a.m. at a community center. She said she voted for Protasiewicz because of her concerns over reproductive rights. You can't take that right away, she said. The contest has already broken national spending records for a Supreme Court race, with the two sides having spent at least $22 million to date. WisPolitics.com estimated that more than $30 million had been spent on the race as of last week, which would be roughly double the $15.2 million spent on a 2004 Illinois Supreme Court race that had held the mark as the most expensive. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate WASHINGTON (AP) Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen projected calm on Tuesday after recent regional bank collapses but told a gathering of bankers that additional rescue arrangements could be warranted if any new failures at smaller institutions jeopardize financial stability. Yellen, who made her remarks at the American Bankers Association, said that overall the situation is stabilizing." "And the U.S. banking system remains sound, Yellen said, drawing clear differences between recent events and the 2008 financial meltdown, which triggered trillions of dollars of financial losses globally. This is different from 2008, she said. 2008 was a solvency crisis, rather what we're seeing now is contagious bank runs." Yellen's remarks come after a series of troubling bank developments this month. Silicon Valley Bank, based in Santa Clara, California, failed on March 10 after depositors rushed to withdraw money amid anxiety over the banks health. It was the second-largest bank collapse in U.S. history. Regulators convened over the following weekend and announced that New York-based Signature Bank also had failed. They said that all depositors at both banks, including those holding uninsured funds, those exceeding $250,000, would be protected by federal deposit insurance. And last week a third bank, San Francisco-based First Republic Bank, was fortified by $30 billion in funds raised by 11 of the biggest U.S. banks in an attempt to prevent it from collapsing. The government is now determined to restore public confidence in the banking system and to prevent any more turmoil. The Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission have launched investigations into the Silicon Valley Bank collapse, and President Joe Biden has called on Congress to strengthen rules on regional banks and to impose tougher penalties on executives of failed banks. Yellen said the governments intervention was necessary to protect the broader banking system" and more rescue efforts could be necessary, noting that the government is still closely monitoring the banking sector. Similar actions could be warranted if smaller institutions suffer deposit runs that pose the risk of contagion, she said. When Yellen was asked by the associations president, Rob Nichols, what policies need to be adjusted in light of recent events, she said, I dont want to speculate at this point on what those adjustments might be. What Im focused on is stabilizing our system. Yellen faced the Senate Finance Committee last week and offered upbeat reassurances to rattled bank depositors and investors that the U.S. banking system remains sound and Americans can feel confident about the safety of their deposits. She will appear in front of congressional panels twice more this week, in the Senate and the House, and will inevitably face more questions about the nature of the bank failures and the government's effort to quell them. Let me be clear: The governments recent actions have demonstrated our resolute commitment to take the necessary steps to ensure that depositors savings and the banking system remain safe, she said. While details are still being released on the banks' failures, Democratic lawmakers and some economists say a 2018 rollback of portions of a far-reaching 2010 law intended to prevent a future financial crisis were a primary cause of the institutional failures. Ahead of Yellen's speech, at a panel discussing the state of the banking system, Scott Anderson, president of Zions Bank, said he doesn't think the 2018 rollback is related to the bank failures. Congress needs to be careful," Anderson said. They need to look at what happened. They need to have a thorough debate and a thorough discussion. But they shouldnt jump to any immediate conclusions. I dont think these failures show that theres any problem within the banking regulations that we have now. ___ Follow the AP's coverage of Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen at https://apnews.com/hub/janet-yellen. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) At least three Kenyan legislators and several protesters have been arrested and then released for participating in protests in Kenyas capital, Nairobi, in which opposition supporters demanded the resignation of President William Ruto. Opposition leader Raila Odinga joined thousands of demonstrators and announced weekly demonstrations until the president resigns or the cost of living goes down. Odinga's convoy of dozens of cars drove around the city after being blocked from accessing the central business district. He made public addresses on several stops and his motorcade was teargassed several times by police. In response his supporters pelted stones at the police. Odinga asserted that his car was shot at by the police and his party spokesperson shared a photo of a shattered windscreen online. Police did not respond to a request from The Associated Press to comment on the shooting claims. The legislators arrested have been released and are to appear in court on Thursday on charges that have not yet been announced, according to Nairobi police chief Adamson Bungei. He said others arrested in the protests would be released after paying cash bail. Bungei had over the weekend said police had denied the opposition permission to hold their protests and that any congregation would be illegal. The opposition called for protests against Ruto who they say was not validly elected in the August 2022 elections. They are also blaming Rutos administration for the rising cost of living. Opposition leader Raila Odinga on Sunday insisted that protests would proceed as planned and demonstrators would march to State House, the official residence of the president. Odinga said Kenyan citizens have a constitutional right to demonstrate and the role of the police is to protect them after they issue a notification in advance. Police have been heavily deployed to State House with motorists and pedestrians being stopped from accessing the road there. Most shops in Nairobi's central business district closed on Monday as business owners feared looting. Kenya's deputy president Rigathi Gachagua said the country has lost about 2 billion Kenya shillings ($15 million) due to Monday's protests. Gachagua urged Odinga to call off the protests and think about the losses to the economy. The leaders who have been arrested include the senate minority leader Stewart Madzayo and members of parliament Opiyo Wandayi and Amina Mnyazi. Other legislators who had turned up at the designated meeting point in the city were dispersed by the police with teargas. They retreated to parliament buildings where they announced that protests would continue through the afternoon. Kenyas opposition has in the past held violent demonstrations in which people have died. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate AVDIIVKA, Ukraine (AP) Pale and grimy from living in a dank, dark basement for nearly a year, the teenager and his weeping mother emerged to the sound of pounding artillery and headed to a waiting armored police van that would whisk them to safety. Russian forces were not far from their battered front-line town of Avdiivka in eastern Ukraine, where shells fall daily, ripping through buildings, smashing cars and leaving craters. Dark, curly hair peeping out from beneath his hoodie, 15-year-old Oleksii Mazurin was one of the last youths still living there. After his evacuation Friday, another 13 remained, said police chief Roman Protsyk. Before the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, about 25,000 people lived in Avdiivka. Despite the shelling, about 2,000 civilians remain, Protsyk said. For months, authorities have been urging civilians in areas near the fighting to evacuate to safer parts of the country. But while many have heeded the call, others including families with children have steadfastly refused. So it has fallen to police to try to persuade people to leave. A special unit known as the White Angels risk their lives to head into front-line villages and towns, knocking on doors and pleading with the few remaining residents to evacuate. In early March, the government issued an order for the compulsory evacuation of families with children from combat areas. Under the order, children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. But it currently applies only to Bakhmut, the hard-hit eastern city where fighting has raged for months. The compulsory evacuation order is unfortunately only in force in Bakhmut. In Avdiivka, this law is not adopted, said White Angels policeman Gennadiy Yudin. Were driving around to all the families. We are warning them, we are informing them about the evacuation. In Bakhmut itself, the situation is so dangerous that civilian evacuations are exceptionally risky. I already think that for Bakhmut, its too late, Protsyk said. Here in our region, ... if such a decision would be made now, it would be safe. But without a compulsory evacuation order, the hands of the police are tied. All they can do is use their powers of persuasion. For Oleksiis mother, 37-year-old, Svitlana Mazurina, the decision to finally leave was tough. Its hard when youve lived in this town from birth, she said. Now Im leaving I dont know to where, where no one needs me. I dont know where or what to start with. Mazurina had been living in the buildings basement with her partner and Oleksii for nearly a year, fearing the bombs less than leaving for an unknown destination and an uncertain future. Her partner still wont leave, saying he fears being drafted into the army. I agreed only because I feel sorry for the child, Mazurina said. I want him to live well. And living well is no longer possible in Avdiivka. Living at all is a game of chance. Moments before the evacuation of the mother and son and just a few streets away, another apartment building was hit by an airstrike. The entire corner of the apartment block was gone, reduced to smoldering rubble as flames and black smoke billowed from the gaping hole the bomb left in the 15-story structure. As Yudin and a fellow White Angels policeman surveilled the damage, the wail of incoming artillery pierced the air. They dived to the ground as the detonation reverberated through the shattered landscape of bombed-out buildings and splintered trees. As the sound died down, they picked themselves up and headed to Mazurinas apartment building. But not all attempts to evacuate civilians are successful. Protsyk, the police chief, described families hiding their children from authorities, or accusing police of trying to kidnap them. In the nearby village of Netailove, so close to the front line that the sound of shooting sounded across the fields on the village outskirts, the police tried and failed to persuade a teenagers family that it was time to go. Drop everything, I cannot imagine it, said Natalya, wiping tears from her eyes. I just want to die. I cant live without a home. Her son, 14-year-old Maksim, said he wanted to stay, as did his father, Andreii. Natalya was in favor of evacuation but wouldnt leave them. The family did not give their surname. Again and again, the police tried to convince them: What if a shell destroys your house? What if you are injured? Natalya replied: It is better to die fast. A policeman countered, But the child will live and live. A childs life is important. The argument was to no avail. Maksim stood outside his home, his hoodie pulled over his head to ward off the morning cold. He didnt flinch at the sound of exploding artillery. No one did the shelling has become the regular backdrop of their lives. ___ Vasilisa Stepanenko in Avdiivka contributed. ___ Follow AP's coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine In this photo provided by Ibrahim Almadi, Saad Ibrahim Almadi sits in a restaurant in the United States, on August 2021. Ibrahim Almadi (AP) A 72-year-old American imprisoned more than a year in Saudi Arabia over tweets critical of the Saudi crown prince was back with family members in Riyadh on Tuesday, but it wasnt clear whether the kingdom will drop a travel ban to allow him to return home to Florida. Neither Saudi nor U.S. officials by early Tuesday had spoken publicly after Saudi Arabia on Monday released Saad Almadi, a dual U.S.-Saudi citizen and, until his arrest, a retiree living in Florida. Almadi is now at home with family members who live in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, said his son, Ibrahim Almadi. Saudi officials dropped all charges against the elder Almadi, Ibrahim Almadi and advocates familiar with the case said. But it was not immediately clear whether the kingdom would maintain a travel ban it had imposed to follow the prison sentence. The Florida mans imprisonment over tweets had been one of several alleged human rights abuses that had soured relations between Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and President Joe Biden. That included Saudi officials killing of a U.S.-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside a Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018, and prison sentences and travel bans that Saudi Arabia under the crown princes tenure has given Saudi rights advocates and perceived rivals and critics of the powerful crown prince. Both Prince Mohammed and the Biden administration recently have taken steps toward restoring better relations. The two countries are partners in a decades-old security arrangement in which the U.S. provides security for Saudi Arabia and the oil-rich kingdom keeps global markets supplied with oil. Saudi Arabia had sentenced Almadi last year to 16 years in prison, saying his critical tweets about how the kingdom was being governed amounted to terrorist acts against it. As U.S. officials worked to win his release, and after Biden traveled to Saudi Arabia last summer in an attempt to improve relations with the oil-rich nation, a Saudi appeals court increased Almadis prison sentence to 19 years. Ibrahim Almadi had campaigned hard and publicly for his fathers freedom. The son had pushed the Biden administration to formally declare his father as wrongfully detained by the kingdom, and had accused U.S. officials of holding back on criticism in the case in the interest of mending relations with the oil giant. Now we have to fight travel ban, he added. Saudi Arabia did not acknowledge Almadis release. However, the kingdom routinely pardons prisoners ahead of the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which could begin as soon as Tuesday night. A retired project manager in the United States, Almadi was arrested in 2021 when he arrived for what was to have been a two-week visit to see family in the kingdom. Once in custody, he was confronted by Saudi authorities with tweets he had posted over several years from his home in Florida, his son says. Almadis tweets included one noting Prince Salmans consolidation of power in the kingdom and another that spoke of Khashoggis killing. U.S. intelligence officials earlier concluded the crown prince authorized the hit team that killed Khashoggi inside a Saudi consulate in Istanbul. We are relieved that Saad Almadi has been released, but he should have never spent a day behind bars for innocuous tweets, said Abdullah Alaoudh, Saudi director for the Freedom Initiative, a U.S.-based group that advocates for those it considers unjustly detained in the Middle East. Alaoudh urged the U.S. to continue to press for the release of all rights advocates and others detained in Saudi Arabia. Freedom Initiative says least four U.S. citizens and one legal permanent resident already were detained in Saudi Arabia under travel bans, and that at least one other older U.S. citizen remains imprisoned. Many of the travel bans targeted dual citizens advocating for greater rights in the kingdom, such as Saudi womens right to drive. Ibrahim Almadi said his father had lost extensive weight in prison and that his health had worsened drastically. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition BRUSSELS (AP) Belgian police on Tuesday fatally shot a patient carrying a bladed weapon at a psychiatric clinic in Brussels, the local prosecutor's office said. Police were asked to intervene at the psychiatric institute FondRoy for a man aged 49, described as aggressive and whom the clinic staff could not handle. The prosecutor's office said initial findings of the investigation showed that police had to call for reinforcements after a first patrol arrived on the scene, due to the individual's particularly dangerous behavior and state of agitation. During the course of operations, the responding police officers had to use their service weapons, the prosecutor's office said. The man was shot in the arm and the abdomen. He was taken to hospital, where he died of his injuries. The prosecutors office said the committee exercising external oversight over Belgian police will investigate the case. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate PAPHOS, Cyprus (AP) A Cyprus criminal court on Tuesday rejected a defense argument that a British mans confession to killing his ailing wife was unlawfully obtained, because he was in no frame of mind to speak to police without a lawyer present. David Hunter, 75, made the statements to law enforcement officials and medical staff on five separate occasions following his arrest undoubtedly of his own free will" without pressure or coercion, the three-judge panel said in a unanimous ruling. The court said it couldn't accept testimony from a defense expert that Hunter suffered from disassociation following his wife Janices December 2021 killing at the couples retirement home in the coastal resort town of Paphos and wasnt fully cognizant of what he was saying. The court said that at the time of his arrest, he recalled to law enforcement officials and to his brother in the U.K. in detail how he smothered his wife, because he wanted to end her suffering and how he had subsequently consumed a mixture of pills to end his own life. Those pills included medication for his 74-year-old wife who had myelodysplastic syndrome, a type of blood cancer. The judges said they had no doubt that Hunter understood and was aware of what he told law enforcement officials who informed him of his rights. The ruling means Hunter remains on trial for premeditated murder after a plea deal on a lesser charge of manslaughter collapsed in December last year. Defense lawyers have called Janice Hunters death a matter of euthanasia or assisted suicide, and argued for a sentence that doesn't include prison time. They said Cyprus attorney general rebuffed what had been agreed were the facts of the case that would have sealed the plea agreement. Michael Polak, a spokesperson for Justice Abroad, a group that defends Britons facing legal troubles in foreign countries, said defense lawyers would appeal to Cyprus' Supreme Court to throw out Hunter's confession because he didn't unequivocally waive" his rights to having a lawyer present when he was being questioned after his arrest. We were slightly surprised by the decision today on the grounds we submitted that the confession evidence should have been excluded," Polak said after the trial's adjournment Tuesday. Now, within the judgment of the court, we had a quick look through it, and theyve said that in their findings there was no unequivocal waiver of the right to a lawyer ... So theres a very specific point of law, and were going to appeal this to the Supreme Court. State Prosecutor Andreas Hadjikyrou had said it was Hunter's defense team that backed out of the plea deal. He said the prosecution won't accept Hunters claim that his wife asked him to end her life unless he provides proof either a written note or explicitly having communicated her wishes to the couples daughter. The state prosecutor said that Cypriot authorities dont want to set a precedent for any husband to kill his wife and claim after the fact that the killing was done with the wifes consent. The couples daughter, Lesley Cawthorne, was quoted in British media as saying that her mother had clearly conveyed her wish to die to Hunter. Hadjikyrou had said defense attorneys turned down an earlier deal for Hunter to plead guilty to manslaughter. But Polak said Hunter's defense lawyers remain open to any suggestions from the prosecution. It's obviously a very sad case. It's obvious David loved his wife a lot and cared for her a lot, they've been together for so long, so we'd say yes, we're always open to any suggestions, but at the moment we're going to be fighting for his rights, said Polak. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate BRUSSELS (AP) The European Union and international donors on Monday pledged seven billion euros ($7.5 billion) to help Turkey and Syria in the aftermath of the earthquake that devastated parts of the neighboring countries last month. The European Commission said after the fundraising conference in Brussels that 6.05 billion euros of the total pledge will be going to Turkey, in grants and loans. The European Commission and the EU Member States, as well as the European Investment Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development represent more than 50% of this total pledge of grants, with 3.6 billion euros, the Commission added. The magnitude 7.8 earthquake on Feb. 6 killed more than 52,000 people the vast majority in Turkey. Nearly 300,000 buildings in Turkey either collapsed or were severely damaged, according to the country's president. We have shown to the people in Turkey and Syria that we are supporting those in need, said Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the EUs executive arm. Von der Leyen added that the global pledge included 1.1 billion euros from the Commissiom, and 500 millions from the European Investment Bank, backed by the EU budget. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addressed the conference via videolink and described some of the reconstruction challenges, including deadly floods that hit parts of the earthquake zone last week. Some of the aftershocks have been going on for a while and they are of equal magnitude to a separate earthquake, he said. We have been fighting against the flood disasters and challenging weather conditions. Erdogan said some 298,000 buildings across 11 provinces affected by the earthquake were destroyed or left unfit for use. No single country can fight against such a disaster, regardless of its level of economic development, he said, putting the cost of reconstruction at $104 billion. Your contributions made at this conference will contribute to the healing of wounds and wipe clean the traces of this disaster. The conference hosted by the European Commission and Sweden which holds the rotating presidency of the EU was attended by NGOs, G-20 countries and U.N. members as well as international financial institutions. Survivors of the earthquake in rebel-held northwest Syria have received very little assistance because of deep divisions exacerbated by the countrys 12-year war. The EU said 15.3 million Syrians of a population of 21.3 million already required humanitarian assistance before the earthquake struck. The bloc has been providing humanitarian aid to Syria since 2011 and wants to step it up. But it does not intend to help with reconstruction in the war-torn country, with EU sanctions against the Syrian regime of President Bashar Assad in place due to its continued crackdown against civilians. Von der Leyen said the Commission pledged an additional 108 million euros ($115.8 million) in humanitarian aid for Syria on Monday. All together we managed to raise with our partners 950 million euros ($1 billion) for the people in Syria, she said. This is just the first step. The International Rescue Committee, an aid group responding to humanitarian crises, had urged donors to ensure that the U.N.s appeal for Turkey and Syria calling for $1 billion and $397 million respectively is fully funded. The people affected by this devastating earthquake are relying on donors meeting in Brussels to step up this week, said Tanya Evans, the IRCs Country Director in Syria. They need to ensure that funding is available for life-saving items including food, shelter, warm clothes and clean water, as well as support to the already weak healthcare system including the provision of medicines and medical equipment. If they fail to do so, the most vulnerable will pay the price, she added. ___ Andrew Wilks in Istanbul, Turkey, contributed to this report. CANBERRA, Australia (AP) Police have charged the first Australian veteran with murder for a killing in Afghanistan three years after a war crimes investigation found that 19 Australian special forces soldiers could face charges for illegal conduct. Former Special Air Service Regiment trooper Oliver Schulz, 41, was arrested in New South Wales state and charged by police with the war crime of murder, an Australian Federal Police statement said. It will be alleged he murdered an Afghan man while deployed to Afghanistan, the statement said. Schulz's charge was mentioned late Monday in a Queanbeyan court where his lawyer did not apply for his release on bail. Schulz was remanded in custody to appear in a Sydney court on May 16. Australian Broadcasting Corp. broadcast helmet camera video in 2020 of a soldier it said was Schulz shooting an Afghan man in 2012 in a wheat field in Uruzgan province. Schulz, who was awarded the Commendation for Gallantry for his service in Afghanistan, faces a potential sentence of life in prison if convicted. Police are working with the Office of the Special Investigator, an Australian investigation agency established in 2021, to build cases against elite SAS and Commando Regiments troops who served in Afghanistan between 2005 and 2016. A military report released in 2020 after a four-year investigation found evidence that Australian troops unlawfully killed 39 Afghan prisoners, farmers and civilians. The report recommended 19 current and former soldiers face criminal investigation. Benjamin Roberts-Smith, Australias most highly decorated member of the armed services when he left the SAS in 2013, has been accused by former colleagues of unlawful treatment of prisoners, including illegal killings. The former corporal, who was awarded the Victoria Cross and the Medal for Gallantry for his service in Afghanistan, has denied any misconduct. His defamation trial against The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and The Canberra Times newspapers ended in July 2022 but a judgment has yet to be announced. More than 39,000 Australian military personnel served in Afghanistan during the 20 years until the 2021 withdrawal, and 41 were killed there. BERLIN (AP) German prosecutors looking into historical cases of sexual abuse by clergy in the Munich archdiocese said Tuesday that they initially investigated the late Pope Benedict XVI on suspicion of being an accessory to abuse, but later dropped the probe. Munich prosecutors examined 45 cases of possible wrongdoing by church officials that arose from a report into how the archdiocese handled abuse cases between 1945 and 2019. The then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was archbishop there from 1977-1982, and the report by a law firm commissioned by the archdiocese and released in January 2022 faulted his handling of four cases during that time. Benedict, who died in December nearly 10 years after his retirement as pope, asked forgiveness for any grievous faults in his handling of abuse cases, but denied any personal or specific wrongdoing. Prosecutors said that that three (at the time) living church personnel managers were listed as suspects for a time during their investigation, German news agency dpa reported. They were Benedict; Cardinal Friedrich Wetter, his successor in Munich who served from 1982 to 2008; and Gerhard Gruber, a former vicar general. They said that all the proceedings were dropped over time because they failed to turn up a sufficient suspicion of criminal action by the three. In the two cases in which Ratzinger's possible involvement was looked at, that was because they fell under the statute of limitations, as did any possible accusations of being an accessory, dpa reported. As a cardinal in Rome and as pope, Benedict did more than anyone before him to turn the Vatican around on clergy sexual abuse, pushing through revolutionary changes to church law to make it easier to defrock predator priests, but much more remained to be done. OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso (AP) Two aid workers with the International Committee of the Red Cross were freed in Mali on Monday, the organization announced. The staff members were released unharmed but the organization would not disclose the employees' identities or the circumstances of the abduction. We are relieved to find our colleagues safe and sound. They will be reunited with their families as soon as possible, said Antoine Grand, head of the ICRC in Mali. The staff were kidnapped earlier this month in the country's north between the towns of Gao and Kidal, part of the country riddled by jihadi violence linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group that's killed thousands in the last 10 years. The ICRC said it has been operating in Mali's north region for more than 30 years and said it will continue its humanitarian work in the country. Jihadi groups have been abducting hostages for ransom as a way to fund their operations and expand their presence. There is no indication that ICRC paid a ransom for the release of their employees. At least 25 foreigners and untold numbers of locals have been kidnapped in the Sahel the vast, semi-arid expanse below the Sahara Desert since 2015, according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project. Several foreigners remain captive according to the organization, including Rev. Hans-Joachim Lohre, a German priest kidnapped in Malis capital Bamako in November. Others still detained include Australian doctor Ken Elliott and Romanian national Iulian Ghergut, who was abducted from a mine in Burkina Faso and has been held since 2015. The kidnapping of humanitarian staff by armed groups is usually done to interrogate them and make sure the aid group is doing is what they say theyre doing. Violent extremist groups engage in kidnappings for several reasons, and is very much based on local realities and needs, as well as the level of influence they have other the area. For humanitarian staff, the driving motivation is often vetting (investigating), said Flore Berger, Sahel analyst at Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime. "The need for vetting can arise if the access has not been 100% well negotiated, or if groups are suspicious of staff members for one reason or another. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate PARIS (AP) A French journalist who was held hostage by Islamic extremists for nearly two years in Mali was welcomed home by French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday, one day after his release. Olivier Dubois was kidnapped in April 2021 in northern Mali, a region wracked by jihadi violence linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group. Leaving the plane at the Villacoublay military airport, southwest of Paris, with a big smile on his face, Dubois was applauded by the group of people waiting for his arrival. He was greeted with great joy by his sister and father, and then he hugged Macron. Speaking to French media, Dubois said he listened to French radio to keep himself sane in captivity and read the Quran to understand his captors. Dubois told RFI radio Tuesday that although he was not hit or humiliated, it was a grueling experience. You are chained, you are a prisoner, you are considered a disbeliever, an infidel," he said. "It was living outside all the time whether theres a sandstorm, the sun, the cold or the rain ... Its washing and defecating outside. Its living outside all the time. The conditions of Dubois release, including whether it involved a ransom, have not been disclosed. Reporters Without Borders, also known by its French acronym RSF, thanked French authorities on Monday for having implemented the necessary means to obtain his release, without elaborating. Dubois release took place on the same day that an American aid worker was freed in Mali. Jihadi groups have been abducting hostages for ransom as a way to fund their operations and expand their presence. At least 25 foreigners and untold numbers of locals have been kidnapped in the Sahel the vast, semi-arid expanse below the Sahara Desert since 2015, according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate CANBERRA, Australia (AP) Contractors are being hired to remove millions of rotting fish from a river in the Australian Outback after a unprecedented die-off following floods and hot weather, police said on Monday. The fish started dying in the Darling River near the New South Wales town of Menindee on Friday. Officials say the die-off likely occurred because fish need more oxygen in hot weather, but oxygen levels in the water dropped after recent floods receded. Police Assistant Commissioner Brett Greentree said keeping the towns water supply pure was the main priority and removing the dead fish was the next most pressing issue. Trained contractors had been contacted about removing the fish with nets, but dates for the work haven't been set. Im certainly not making promises that all the millions of fish will be removed by contractors because that is really a logistical nightmare, Greentree said. I understand and acknowledge the smell and sights on the river nobody wants to see that, he added. Authorities were supplying potable water to residents who rely on river water, which was continually being monitored for quality, Greentree said. Mass fish kills have been reported on the Darling River in recent weeks. Tens of thousands of fish were found at the same spot in late February, while there have been several reports of dead fish downstream toward Pooncarie, near the borders of South Australia and Victoria states. Enormous fish kills also occurred on the river at Menindee during severe drought conditions in late 2018 and early 2019. Greentree said the current death toll appeared to be far larger than the events in 2018 and 2019. ___ Find more AP Asia-Pacific coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/asia-pacific BERLIN (AP) Police said Tuesday that one of two porcupines that went missing from a zoo in central Germany over the weekend has somehow found its way back home. State police in Saxony-Anhalt had called Sunday for the public to keep an eye out for the two Indian crested porcupines, called Pinky and Brain, after they were apparently stolen from an animal park in the town of Thale. ISLAMABAD (AP) Suspected militants ambushed a vehicle carrying a senior military intelligence officer in northwest Pakistan on Tuesday, killing him and his driver, security officials and police said. Brig. Mustafa Burki, who had been deeply involved in operations against the Pakistani Taliban in recent years, was martyred along with his driver as he traveled in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, three security officials said. The province bordering Afghanistan is a former stronghold of militants. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to media on the record. There was no claim of responsibility for the attack on Burki. It was the second major assault on intelligence officers since January, when Pakistani Taliban killed another senior officer and his colleague in Punjab province. Burki and the officers killed in January were known for gathering information about militants and supervising raids on insurgents. Separately, the military said in a statement Tuesday that three soldiers and three militants were killed in a shootout Monday in Dera Ismail Khan, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It provided no details about the slain insurgents. However, Pakistani Taliban often target troops in the northwest and elsewhere. The military did not mention the second attack, in which Burki and his driver were killed. The Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, are a separate group but allied with the Afghan Taliban, who seized power in their country as the U.S. and NATO troops were in the final stages of their pullout from Afghanistan in August 2021. The Taliban in Afghanistan last year brokered a cease-fire between the Pakistani Taliban and Islamabad's government but the insurgents later ended the truce. Since then, Pakistan has witnessed a surge in militant attacks in the country. KYODO NEWS - Mar 22, 2023 - 11:05 | All, World The International Monetary Fund said Tuesday it has agreed with Ukraine on a four-year financing package worth about $15.6 billion as it struggles to rebuild its economy and infrastructure. The so-called staff-level agreement, which still needs to be approved by the IMF's board in the coming weeks, was reached following a series of discussions between the multilateral lender and Ukrainian authorities earlier this month in Warsaw. "In addition to the horrific humanitarian toll, Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues to have a devastating impact on the economy: activity contracted by 30 percent in 2022, a large share of the capital stock has been destroyed and poverty levels have climbed," Gavin Gray, who led the IMF team, said in a statement. The IMF said the two-phase program will focus on strengthening "fiscal, external, price and financial stability" in the first 12 to 18 months. It said that solid financing assurances for the package are expected from donors, including the Group of Seven major industrialized economies and the European Union. U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen welcomed the agreement, saying, "An ambitious and appropriately conditioned IMF program is critical to underpin Ukraine's reform efforts, including to strengthen good governance and address risks of corruption, and provide much needed financial support." While a number of uncertain factors remain as the war enters its second year, a gradual economic recovery in Ukraine is expected over the coming quarters, with IMF staff forecasting its real gross domestic product for 2023 will range from minus 3 percent to plus 1 percent from the year before, according to Gray. Related coverage: Yellen makes surprise visit to Ukraine, vows economic support U.S. unveils new sanctions against Russia, more aid for Ukraine Photos, video show impact of 1 year of war on Ukrainians This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) A new report says an estimated 43,000 people died amid Somalia's longest drought on record last year and half of them likely were children under 5 years old. It is the first official death toll announced in the drought withering large parts of the Horn of Africa. At least 18,000 people, and as many as 34,000, are forecast to die in the first six months of this year. The current crisis is far from over, says the report released Monday by the World Health Organization and the United Nations childrens agency and carried out by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Somalia and neighboring Ethiopia and Kenya are facing a sixth consecutive failed rainy season while rising global food prices and the war in Ukraine complicate the hunger crisis. The U.N. and partners earlier this year said they were no longer forecasting a formal famine declaration for Somalia for now but called the situation extremely critical with more than 6 million people hungry in that country alone. Famine is the extreme lack of food and a significant death rate from outright starvation or malnutrition combined with diseases like cholera. A formal famine declaration means data shows more than a fifth of households have extreme food gaps, more than 30% of children are acutely malnourished and over two people out of 10,000 are dying every day. The risk of famine still remains, the U.N. resident coordinator in Somalia, Adam Abdelmoula, told journalists on Monday. Some humanitarian and climate officials this year have warned that trends are worse than in the 2011 famine in Somalia in which a quarter-million people died. The death rate was increasing as the year came to a close, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine professor Francesco Checchi told journalists. The hardest-hit populations are in Bay and Bakool in southwest Somalia and displaced people who have fled to the capital, Mogadishu. Millions of livestock have died in the current crisis compounded by climate change and insecurity as Somalia battles thousands of fighters with al-Qaidas East Africa affiliate, al-Shabab. The U.N. migration agency says 3.8 million people are displaced, a record high. A food security assessment released last month said nearly a half-million children in Somalia are likely to be severely malnourished this year. This time, the world is looking elsewhere, many humanitarian officials say. Many of the traditional donors have washed their hands and focused on Ukraine, the U.N. resident coordinator told the visiting U.S. ambassador to the U.N., Linda Thomas-Greenfield, during a briefing in Mogadishu in January. PRAGUE (AP) The speaker of the Czech Parliaments lower house is set to visit Taiwan to boost mutual ties, a step that has angered China. Marketa Pekarova Adamova said Monday she will be heading a large delegation on the March 2530 trip that focuses on business, trade, research, education, culture and other relations. She will be accompanied by around 150 people, including representatives of some 100 Czech companies as well as academia, lawmakers and others. The Czech Republic, like most countries, has no formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, but it maintains robust informal contacts. Taiwans high-tech companies are also significant investors in the Czech Republic. Pekarova Adamova said she will meet the islands leaders, including Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and the prime minister, and she will address the Parliament. She said China has warned against the trip. China in recent years has upped its threat to bring Taiwan under its control, by force if necessary, prompting new sales of tanks and missiles to the island by key ally the United States and steps by Tsais administration to extend compulsory military service and bolster the domestic defense industry. The Chinese government recently condemned a phone call between newly elected Czech President Petr Pavel and Tsai. A representative of Pavel's office will also fly to Taipei. Taiwan split from mainland China amid a civil war in 1949, but Beijing considers the self-ruled island part of its territory. The Czech government recognizes the one-China principle. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate ISLAMABAD (AP) The United Nations childrens agency on Tuesday warned that after last summer's devastating floods, 10 million people in Pakistan, including children, still live in flood-affected areas without access to safe drinking water. The statement from UNICEF underscored the dire situation in impoverished Pakistan, a country with a population of 220 million that months later is still struggling with the consequences of the flooding, as well as a spiraling economic crisis. The floods, which experts attribute in part to climate change, killed 1,739 people, including 647 children and 353 women. So far, less than half of UNICEFs funding appeal for Pakistan 45% of $173.5 million has been met. According to the agency, before the floods struck last June, water from only 36% of Pakistan's water system was considered safe for human consumption. The floods damaged most of the water pipelines systems in affected areas, forcing more than 5.4 million people, including 2.5 million children, to rely solely on contaminated water from ponds and wells, UNICEF said. Safe drinking water is not a privilege, it is a basic human right, said Abdullah Fadil, the UNICEF representative in Pakistan. Yet, every day, millions of girls and boys in Pakistan are fighting a losing battle against preventable waterborne diseases and the consequential malnutrition." "We need the continued support of our donors to provide safe water, build toilets and deliver vital sanitation services to these children and families who need them the most, Fadil added. Amid the crisis, Pakistan faces uncertainty about a bailout from the International Monetary Fund. Analysts say the revival of the $6 billion IMF bailout, which was signed in 2019, would help Pakistan. If the global lender released a key installment of the package, it would encourage other international financial institutions to help the country, they say. At a U.N-backed conference in Geneva in January, dozens of countries and international institutions pledged more than $9 billion to help Pakistan recover and rebuild from the floods. But most of the pledges were in form of project loans, and the projects are still in the planning stages. Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif's government is also facing a surge in militant attacks and political instability as his predecessor, Imran Khan, is campaigning for early elections. Sharif has rejected the demands by Khan, who was ousted in a no-confidence vote in Parliament last April. Sharif seeks political and economic stability to ensure speedy reconstruction in the flood-hit areas, where the weakest and the children are paying the price. In flood-affected areas, more than 1.5 million boys and girls are already severely malnourished, and the numbers will only rise in the absence of safe water and proper sanitation, UNICEF said. The floods caused more than $30 billion in damages as large swaths of the country remained under water for months, forcing millions to live in tents or make-shift homes near stagnant waters that led to the spread of disease. Sharif's government is also trying to provide food and cash assistance to flood survivors as the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan starts this week, adding more financial burdens to the poorest of the population. The UNICEF warning came ahead of World Water Day, which will be observed on Wednesday as part of global efforts to highlight the importance of freshwater and advocate for sustainable management of the vital resource. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate BERLIN (AP) Humanity still has a chance, close to the last, to prevent the worst of climate change's future harms, a top United Nations panel of scientists said Monday. But doing so requires quickly slashing nearly two-thirds of carbon pollution by 2035, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said. The United Nations chief said it more bluntly, calling for an end to new fossil fuel exploration and for rich countries to quit coal, oil and gas by 2040. Humanity is on thin ice and that ice is melting fast, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said. Our world needs climate action on all fronts everything, everywhere, all at once. Stepping up his pleas for action on fossil fuels, Guterres called for rich countries to accelerate their target for achieving net zero emissions to as early as 2040, and developing nations to aim for 2050 about a decade earlier than most current targets. He also called for them to stop using coal by 2030 and 2040, respectively, and ensure carbon-free electricity generation in the developed world by 2035, meaning no gas-fired power plants either. That date is key because nations soon have to come up with goals for pollution reduction by 2035, according to the Paris climate agreement. After contentious debate, the U.N. science report approved Sunday concluded that to stay under the warming limit set in Paris the world needs to cut 60% of its greenhouse gas emissions by 2035, compared with 2019, adding a new target not previously mentioned in six previous reports issued since 2018. The choices and actions implemented in this decade will have impacts for thousands of years, the report said, calling climate change a threat to human well-being and planetary health. We are not on the right track but its not too late, said report co-author and water scientist Aditi Mukherji. Our intention is really a message of hope, and not that of doomsday. With the world only a few tenths of a degree away from the globally accepted goal of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) since pre-industrial times, scientists stressed a sense of urgency. The goal was adopted as part of the 2015 Paris climate agreement and the world has already warmed 1.1 degrees Celsius (2 degrees Fahrenheit). This is likely the last warning the Nobel Peace Prize-winning collection of scientists will be able to make about the 1.5 mark because their next set of reports may well come after Earth has either passed the mark or is locked into exceeding it soon, several scientists, including report authors, told The Associated Press. After 1.5 degrees the risks are starting to pile on, said report co-author Francis X. Johnson, a climate, land and policy scientist at the Stockholm Environment Institute. The report mentions tipping points around that temperature of species extinction, including coral reefs, irreversible melting of ice sheets and sea level rise of several meters (several yards). 1.5 is a critical critical limit, particularly for small islands and mountain (communities) which depend on glaciers, said Mukherji. The window is closing if emissions are not reduced as quickly as possible, Johnson said in an interview. Scientists are rather alarmed. Many scientists, including at least three co-authors, said hitting 1.5 degrees is inevitable. We are pretty much locked into 1.5, said report co-author Malte Meinshausen, a climate scientist at the University of Melbourne in Australia. Theres very little way we will be able to avoid crossing 1.5 C sometime in the 2030s but the big issue is whether the temperature keeps rising from there or stabilizes. Guterres insisted the 1.5-degree limit is achievable. Science panel chief Hoesung Lee said so far the world is far off course. If current consumption and production patterns continue, Lee said, the global average 1.5 degrees temperature increase will be seen sometime in this decade. Scientists emphasize that the world or humanity wont end suddenly if Earth passes the 1.5 degree mark. Mukherji said it's not as if it's a cliff that we all fall off. But an earlier IPCC report detailed how the harms including even nastier extreme weather are much worse beyond 1.5 degrees of warming. It is certainly prudent to be planning for a future thats warmer than 1.5 degrees, said IPCC report review editor Steven Rose, an economist at the Electric Power Research Institute in the United States. If the world continues to use all the fossil fuel-powered infrastructure either existing now or proposed, Earth will warm at least 2 degrees Celsius since pre-industrial times, the report said. Because the report is based on data from a few years ago, the calculations about fossil fuel projects already in the pipeline do not include the increase in coal and natural gas use after Russias invasion of Ukraine. It comes a week after the Biden Administration in the United States approved the huge Willow oil-drilling project in Alaska, which could produce up to 180,000 barrels of oil a day. The report highlights the disparity between rich nations, which caused much of the problem because carbon dioxide emissions from industrialization stay in the air for more than a century, and poorer countries that get hit harder by extreme weather. Residents of poorer climate-vulnerable nations are up to 15 times more likely to die in floods, droughts and storms, Lee said. If the world is to achieve its climate goals, poorer countries need a three-to-six times increase in financial help to adapt to a warmer world and switch to non-polluting energy, Lee said. Countries have made financial pledges and promises of a damage compensation fund. Developed nations are expected to speed up the fight against climate change and do their decarbonization much faster than developing countries like Brazil. However, this does not take away our responsibility to do our part, Brazils climate change chief, Ana Toni, said. It will be our populations in developing countries, which are more vulnerable. The report offers hope if action is taken, using the word opportunity nine times in a 27-page summary. But that word is overshadowed by 94 uses of the word risk. The pace and scale of what has been done so far and current plans are insufficient to tackle climate change, IPCC chief Lee said. We are walking when we should be sprinting." Lee said the panel doesn't tell countries what to do to limit worse warming, adding it's up to each government to find the best solution. The solutions are at hand, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris said in a conference call about wildfires. So let that be an alarm that lets us know that we must act with haste. How many reports that chill us to the bone do we need to read before we make the changes required? asked Tina Stege, climate envoy for Marshall Islands, which are vulnerable to rising seas. These changes will require some sacrifice but aren't they worth it when a liveable future on this planet is what is at stake? ___ Fabiano Maisonnave in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, contributed to this report. Borenstein reported from Kensington, Maryland. ___ Follow Seth Borenstein and Frank Jordans on Twitter at @borenbears and @wirereporter ___ Follow APs climate and environment coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment ___ Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives support from several private foundations. See more about APs climate initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content. SANAA, Yemen (AP) A court in Yemen's rebel-held capital on Tuesday sentenced four activists to prison terms, ranging from six months to three years, over their criticism of the Iran-backed rebels on social media, a lawyer said. According to their lawyer, Waddah Qutaish, the four were convicted of inciting chaos, disrupting public peace and insulting the Iran-backed rebels, also known as Houthis. A proposed California bill could force popular candies like Skittles to change their recipes or stop selling them in California altogether. In February, Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel introduced Assembly Bill 418, which would prohibit the manufacture, sale and distribution of food products containing five chemicals linked to cancer and other health risks. One of these chemicals is titanium dioxide, which is listed as an ingredient in Skittles on the candy brand's website. Last July, a lawsuit filed in California alleged that Skittles are "unfit for human consumption" because they contain titanium dioxide; however, the lawsuit was dismissed in November. In 2016, parent company Mars Inc. promised to phase out the chemical from its candies. Mars Inc. did not return SFGATE's request for comment in time for publication. Californians shouldnt have to worry that the food they buy in their neighborhood grocery store might be full of dangerous additives or toxic chemicals, said Assemblymember Gabriel in a press release. This bill will correct for a concerning lack of federal oversight and help protect our kids, public health, and the safety of our food supply. Last week, a group of food and beverage manufacturers and distributors wrote a letter to the California Assembly Committee on Health opposing the bill, as first reported by the Daily Mail. Eleven organizations, including the Consumer Brands Association, the National Confectioners Association and the California Grocers Association, signed the letter. "All five of these additives have been thoroughly reviewed by the federal and state systems and many international scientific bodies and continue to be deemed safe," read the letter obtained by SFGATE. The letter argued that the bill "usurps the comprehensive food safety and approval system for these five additives and predetermines ongoing evaluations." "Were aware of the opposition letter and believe that the lack of meaningful arguments, data, and evidence actually strengthen the case for our legislation," said Assemblymember Gabriel in a statement to SFGATE. Gabriel told the Daily Mail he believes that if the bill is passed, companies would choose to change ingredients instead of abandoning the California market, stating, "It is unlikely they'll have one recipe in California and one in Oklahoma." The bill would need to be considered by an Assembly committee before advancing to the full chamber for a vote. It would then need to be approved by the state Senate and signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom to become law. In simpler terms, there's a long way to go before it could possibly become law, and even if it does, it's not immediately clear that consumers of Skittles and other products would lose access. A producer at Fox News is suing the network over claims that its lawyers coerced her into giving misleading statements during a deposition related to a defamation lawsuit from Dominion Voting Systems, a voting machine company savaged by Fox News coverage of the 2020 presidential election. The producer Abby Grossberg, who used to work for KGO-TV in San Francisco served under host Maria Bartiromo at the time of the election. She later went to work as a producer for Tucker Carlson, the role she held when she filed two lawsuits against the network on Monday. In those suits, which were filed in New York and Delaware, Grossberg alleges that Fox's lawyers tried to make Bartiromo and her staff take the fall for the network's coverage of Dominion. "Quite simply, Fox's legal team coerced, intimidated, and misinformed Ms. Grossberg as they prepared her in connection with deposition testimony she gave in the pending defamation case brought by the company known as Dominion ... resulting in irretrievable reputational and emotional harm," one lawsuit, which was reviewed by SFGATE, says. Dominion is suing Fox for $1.6 billion over claims from several hosts, including Bartiromo, who, in the wake of the 2020 presidential election, said that the company's voting machines helped rig the contest for Joe Biden. Grossberg's lawyer did not reply to a request for comment from SFGATE in time for publication, but in her lawsuits, Grossberg says the network's decision to have Bartiromo be a scapegoat for its Dominion coverage is rooted in sexism and misogyny. Fox filed a countersuit against Grossberg on Monday, and her lawyer told the New York Times that she was placed on "forced administrative leave" while the legal proceedings play out. In response to Grossberg's lawsuits, a network spokesperson told SFGATE in an email: "FOX News Media engaged an independent outside counsel to immediately investigate the concerns raised by Ms. Grossberg, which were made following a critical performance review. Her allegations in connection with the Dominion case are baseless and we will vigorously defend Fox against all of her claims." The lawsuits also contained anecdotes involving prominent California politicians, including House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and his predecessor, Nancy Pelosi. While working for Carlson, Grossberg said she was called into a meeting with two other producers, who asked her whether McCarthy was involved in a sexual relationship with Bartiromo. Grossberg said she replied, "No," and quickly left the room. The lawsuits also detail a back-and-forth between Grossberg and Carlson while Grossberg was trying to get McCarthy on Carlson's show during his bid for the speakership. Grossberg said McCarthy's team was worried Carlson would "nuke" him over his friendship with a Republican pollster, and Carlson replied by saying that McCarthy would be a "cowardly idiot" to not appear on his show. Grossberg also alleged that on her first day as a producer on Carlson's show, she found blown-up images of Pelosi in a bathing suit "revealing her cleavage" plastered on her computer and throughout her office. Grossberg said she believed the joke was that Pelosi looked bad in a bathing suit. "Ms. Grossberg was mortified by what she was witnessing and began to experience a sinking feeling in her stomach as it became apparent how pervasive the misogyny and drive to embarrass and objectify women was among the male staff [on Carlson's show]," the lawsuit said. The New York lawsuit is slated to be heard in federal court, while the Delaware lawsuit will likely be heard in state court. The Dominion lawsuit continues to make its way through Delaware state court. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy apparently has a very different reading of former President Donald Trump's call to "PROTEST, TAKE OUR NATION BACK!" than most reasonable observers have. Trump fired off an all-caps Truth Social post Saturday predicting that he would soon be arrested by prosecutors in New York City investigating hush money payments made to women in 2016 who alleged sexual encounters with him. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has reportedly gone so far as to discuss the logistics of a potential arrest with New York law enforcement agencies. News reports on Bragg's activity prompted Trump to write on Truth Social, "THE FAR & AWAY LEADING REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE & FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, WILL BE ARRESTED ON TUESDAY OF NEXT WEEK. PROTEST, TAKE OUR NATION BACK!" Almost immediately, lawmakers and law enforcement officials floated fears of Jan. 6-style violence and mayhem, with Republican lawmakers pleading for any potential protests to remain peaceful. McCarthy, however, said he didn't believe there should be protests, and he didn't think Trump thought so either. "I don't think people should protest this, no," he told reporters at a Republican Party retreat in Orlando Sunday. "I think President Trump, if you talked to him, he doesn't believe that either. I think the thing that you may misinterpret when President Trump talks, when someone says they can protest, he's probably referring to my tweet. Educate people about what's going on. He's not talking in a harmful way, and nobody should." The tweet in question seems to be McCarthy's promise for House Republicans to investigate whether federal funds were used in Bragg's investigation. I don't know about you, but to me at least, "PROTEST, TAKE OUR COUNTRY BACK!" seems much more likely to be a call for people to take to the streets something he has called for in the past than a call for House Republicans to "educate people." McCarthy wasn't alone in trying to preemptively quash protests. Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene wrote on Twitter, "We dont need to protest about the Communists Democrats planning to arrest Pres Trump and the political weaponization of our government and election interference. These idiots are sealing their own fate in 2024." The grand jury that will vote on charges for Trump will still be listening to witness testimony Monday, which casts some doubt on whether the Tuesday timeline offered by Trump will hold, assuming an indictment is actually in the cards. Amazon fired a California warehouse worker after he requested a few days of bereavement leave in the wake of his father's and mother's deaths, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday in Kern County. The ex-employee, Scott Brock, aims to hold the tech and logistics behemoth to account for retaliatory firing, which his lawsuit argues is in violation of Californias employment and family leave protections. The complaint, which was obtained by SFGATE Wednesday, states that Brock had worked as a picker in Amazons Bakersfield warehouse for around 14 months before his mother passed away in late January. He asked for and received four days of bereavement leave. On the third day of his leave, Brocks father passed. Brock made another bereavement request, the complaint said, and, when asked, sent his parents obituaries to Amazons human resources department. A day after sending the obituaries, the department told Brock that his three-day leave request had been denied. Amazon terminated his employment that same day. The complaint, filed by an employment law firm, seeks back pay, front pay, punitive damages, attorneys fees and medical expenses. Brock has suffered and continues to suffer general, consequential, and special damages, including physical sickness as well as emotional distress, according to the complaint. Companies operating in California can fire workers without cause, but this lawsuit hinges on a new protection the state legislature added to the California Family Rights Act. The law, which went into effect Jan. 1, requires companies to give up to five days of bereavement leave for the death of a family member and bars companies from firing workers for taking that leave. An employee must have worked at a company for 12 months to qualify. Brocks lawyer, Ron Zambrano, called Amazons behavior truly despicable in a press release and noted the firms poor reputation for worker treatment. The companys persistent warehouse injury problem recently prompted citations from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. In 2021, a jury awarded a Santa Ana woman over $300,000 in a wrongful termination suit against Amazon, and a judge later added $2 million in attorneys fees. Last April, a New York judge ordered Amazon to reinstate a worker the firm unlawfully fired for protesting COVID-19 safety conditions. Amazon did not respond to SFGATEs multiple requests for comment on the Bakersfield lawsuit. Hear of anything going on at Amazon or another tech company? Contact tech reporter Stephen Council securely at stephen.council@sfgate.com or on Signal at 628-204-5452. Despite government intervention over the weekend on behalf of Silicon Valley Banks depositors, fear ran contagious through the financial industry Monday. San Franciscos First Republic Bank, which had $212 billion in assets at the end of 2022, saw its stock price plunge as much as 70% when the market opened Monday morning. Skeptical about regional banks positions after the SVB flameout last week, investors dropped First Republics valuation by about $10 billion within minutes of the opening bell and prompted a pause in trading. First Republic, which is headquartered in the Financial District, caters mostly to wealthy clients and has deposits far less concentrated in the tech industry than SVB did, reports say. But it is regional, prompting liquidity fears, as well as tech-linked: The firm made a notorious 1% interest mortgage loan to Mark Zuckerburg in 2012 and markets Early, Growth and Mature stage products for innovators. Regional banks are generally less diversified than giants like Wells Fargo and JPMorgan Chase & Co. and have less cash on hand in the event of a bank run like the one SVB saw on Thursday, when customers withdrew $42 billion. A whopping 80% of SVBs domestic deposits at the end of 2022 were uninsured, reports say, more than First Republics 70% and the median midsized banks 55%. After the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation stepped in Friday and shut SVB down, federal agencies announced Sunday that a banking industry-sponsored insurance fund would make every depositor whole. But that move appears to have done little to assuage investor fears: In SVBs crash, shareholders lost the entire value of their stock holdings. Other bank stocks tumbled throughout Thursday and Friday. The sector continued its selloff Monday morning, with regional banks sinking fastest: KeyCorps stock fell by 27%, PacWest Bancorp dropped by nearly 15%, and Western Alliance Bancorporations price plummeted over 42% as of publication time. Larger banks stocks dropped single digits. The Monday morning drop for First Republic came despite positive messaging and a new funding option for banks created Sunday by the Federal Reserve. First Republic announced Sunday that it had secured access to easy borrowing from the Federal Reserve and JPMorgan Chase & Co. and that the banks available, unused liquidity to fund operations is now more than $70 billion. Monday morning, First Republic Executive Chairman Jim Herbert told CNBC that the bank "was not seeing massive outflows of deposits." First Republics stock remained volatile into the trading afternoon but improved from its midmorning low. CARACAS, March 21 (Xinhua) -- The Venezuelan government categorically rejected the so-called "2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices" by the U.S. Department of State released Monday, saying that the United States uses human rights as a political tool. In a statement on Monday night, the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry said that "despite maintaining a permanent aggression against the Venezuelan people, (the U.S. government) seeks to rate the actions of other governments." It stated that on the 20th anniversary of the U.S. war against Iraq, "human rights are simply a tool used for political convenience" by the United States. The ministry indicated that while the United States publishes a report to "attack sovereign countries," within its own borders "it fails to mitigate the brutality of institutionalized police racism," as well as poverty. In addition, while discrediting other nations, "the United States has not signed or ratified important (human rights) agreements," including the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court or the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. "It continues to apply illegal and unilateral coercive measures against at least 30 percent of the world's population," the statement added. In San Francisco, seemingly overnight, artificial intelligence became the monomaniacal focus of tech giants and fodder for yet another venture capital binge. The rest of us have been left to catch up on what weve been instructed is the future. And yet, scrutiny happens in unexpected places. On this rainy March afternoon, its up to a small group of eighth graders in a white-walled basement, watching tins of Spam type. These intrepid youths and I are early at the public opening day of San Franciscos Misalignment Museum, a two-room exhibition of AI-themed art that attempts to reckon with the current technological moment. In this inflection point for AI, the pop-up has drawn attention from disparate audiences a Dutch prince, Canadian pop star (and Elon Musks ex) Grimes, industry-leading researchers and now, this cohort of middle schoolers. Audrey Kim, the museums founder and curator, is taking us on a tour of the gallery. As we stop in front of a metaphorical display featuring the iconic canned meat, Kim explains the piece, which is called Spambots. Several tins of pork prod, with tiny robot arms, at a set of keys. Theyre linked up to a monitor, and every keystroke contributes to an ever-growing AI-generated novel about porcine caste systems. The pieces creation predates ChatGPTs viral release last November but is built on the same technology. Charles Russo/SFGATE Kim tells the class about a science fiction magazine that had to shut down submissions last month amid a glut of chatbot-written manuscripts. They nod. The museum thrives on these layers, depicting timely AI technology as strange, threatening or beautiful sometimes all at once. Kim has been planning the museum since September 2022, but the space only opened in the Mission earlier this month. Its a high-minded vision; Kims museum imagines a bewildering future in which an artificial intelligence is apologizing to what remains of humankind after an apocalypse the technology induced. And yet: Kim, an ex-Google and ex-Cruise worker, isnt a naysayer when it comes to AI. Her goal is to educate many of the plaques describe pieces technical components and make room to consider what AI should become. Shes had visits from engineers and researchers at OpenAI, Meta and Anthropic, as well as from writers, artists and tech founders. Shes hoping to bring in more kids (some local high schoolers already found the museum on TikTok) and pull AI novices into the fold. In a moment of explosive growth for the industry 55 of startup incubator Y Combinators 263 current companies are working on generative AI Kim wants the tech to get its due diligence. Theres so much potential for good; theres so much potential for bad, she told me, in an interview during the museum tour. But theres also so much gray area along the way. A few hours before the museum first opens to the public, I step out of the rain into a small corner gallery that bears all the hallmarks of an art pop-up in 2023: Instagrammable slogans high on walls, stark lighting, a table with tiny bottles of a German digestif. On a video screen at the front entrance, reminiscent of a CCTV in a grocery store, colorful bounding boxes label everything that moves. The AI marks me: Person. Charles Russo/SFGATE At the center of the first floor, humanoid forms embrace in a structure composed of 15,000 paper clips one human-adjacent being sporting an extra finger, a nod to generative AIs issues of accuracy in the human form made to contemplate the paperclip maximizer problem. The problem, an obsession of Kims, posits that under a human-made command to create as many clips as possible, a powerful AI could wreck the world. Above the piece is that post-apocalyptic AIs mea culpa printed on the wall: Sorry for killing most of humanity. On a piano nearby, keys move of their own accord, playing ditties composed by an AI trained on a video of microbial growth. An unfinished collaborative art piece with Grimes who reached out to Kim through a friend leans, half covered, against a wall. Downstairs, the museum takes on a more frenetic tone. Its darker, louder; Ive stepped inside the machine. A disembodied voice emerges from a candlelit shelf. A squeaking robot scratches ink onto paper. The Spam cans clack at their keys. Charles Russo/SFGATE Charles Russo/SFGATE Charles Russo/SFGATE Charles Russo/SFGATE The Misalignment Museum in San Francisco attempts to reckon with artificial intelligence's proliferation. (Charles Russo/SFGATE) The Misalignment Museum in San Francisco attempts to reckon with artificial intelligence's proliferation. (Charles Russo/SFGATE) Just past a chaotic painting sourced straight out of the newest Matrix movie, two voices play out of the speakers of a flickering tube television. On the screen, a conversation runs between deepfake versions of German director Werner Herzog and Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Zizek, prompting each other in perpetuity. The piece, titled The Infinite Conversation, went semi-viral online in November; Kim reached out to creator Giacomo Miceli shortly before that to help him put together this physical installation for her museum. Charles Russo/SFGATE Its here listening to faux Herzog while surrounded by middle schoolers that I fall into the Misalignment Museums thrall. AIs dramatic proliferation in our culture over the past few months has recreated a classic tech divide: Venture capitalists and Big Tech firms build products largely unbeholden to regulation or public scrutiny and loudly proclaim that the things theyre working on will change everything. Meanwhile, the public is given little to no insight into this alleged transformation, other than how it might affect us as consumers and workers. Later, well react with the limited tools at our disposal: our wallets and eyeballs. For now, we wait and hope the changes are beneficial rather than destructive. The Misalignment Museum flips this dynamic. It treats us as people interacting with technology, rather than merely a consumer base a society, not an economy. And though there isnt much even an engaged person can do to affect the AI ambitions of Microsoft, Google or Meta, it feels good to learn and think and interact with the technology in a company-free zone, especially when OpenAI is headquartered eight blocks away. In these exhibits, people are empowered to do what AI cant do and what the companies dont expect: arrive at an independent, creative conclusion. In guiding technological progress, its a start. Were all in this boat together, Kim says toward the end of our tour, back upstairs. She ardently believes in that collectivist approach: The museums neighbors contributed tools and late-night food deliveries in the months preceding the opening; an anonymous benefactor funded the operational costs; the gallerys landlord donated the space until May. The museum is free to visit and open three days a week, though Kim said shes hoping to build a donor base to fund a permanent collection. Charles Russo/SFGATE Kim whirls around, giving treats to her dog Murphy and straightening up. Part of the point of bringing as many people as possible in, she says, is that thinking hard about AI takes a lot of processing power more than one person can manage alone. So shes doing her best to distribute thought around the community, like a programmer taking advantage of an ad hoc computer network. As she opens up the door for the evenings first public visitors, Im reminded that for now, AI doesnt decide what happens to society, or even what goes on in this museum. San Franciscans do. When low-cost carrier Breeze Airways announced it was adding San Francisco to its list of destinations last spring, I let out a sigh of relief. The new airline, founded by former JetBlue CEO David Neeleman, specializes in nonstop flights to smaller airports like Charleston, South Carolina, to where my family and I fly every year to visit cousins. Over the years, thanks to many long layovers, we've gotten intimately familiar with the food options in the Denver and Chicago airports. When Breeze announced direct flights from SFO to Charleston, we were thrilled to leave that particular holiday tradition behind. Here's what I learned flying Breeze out of SFO. Breeze offers nonstop and direct flights between San Francisco and smaller cities Breeze Airways began operations in May 2021 and now serves 35 cities in 21 states, including San Francisco, Los Angeles, Santa Ana and San Bernardino. The airline touts its point-to-point system offering mostly nonstop and direct service between smaller destinations, such as its new service between San Francisco and Cincinnati. A direct flight means the plane stops at another airport along the way, but you and your luggage stay on the plane. As of mid-February, Breeze offered nonstop service between San Francisco and Cincinnati; Louisville, Kentucky; Provo, Utah; San Bernardino; and Richmond, Virginia. This past Thanksgiving, my family and I flew from SFO to Charleston nonstop; on the way back, the plane landed in Louisville, but we stayed in our seats. Currently, all of Breezes flights between SFO and Charleston have a stop midway but no deplaning. Some of the nonstops are seasonal, Breeze spokesperson Ryne Williams told me over the phone. Well offer nonstop for a period. The flight prices seem to be among the lowest Breeze offers some of the cheapest flights available, especially if you buy your tickets early and opt for nonrefundable seats. Case in point: A round-trip San Francisco-to-Charleston itinerary, departing April 17 and returning April 22, with one stop and no plane change was advertised as $255 in economy as of March 16. United offered the same price with an hourlong layover, and American offered a $372 ticket with a two-hour layover. Our four round-trip tickets, departing Saturday before Thanksgiving 2022 and returning the Saturday after the holiday, cost $2,438. I didnt shop around, though, since Breeze was the only airline that could get my family to Charleston and back without plane changes. The airline does not have a customer service phone number Breeze Airways was the first American airline to forgo a phone line for its customers. Frontier soon followed suit, dropping its line in November. Breezes app and website are easy to use, but if you face a snafu, the only way to communicate with the airline is over text, Facebook's Messenger or email. We were the first to be fully text-based, Williams told me. I think its more efficient. Its true that the system was efficient when I had to change two of our four departure tickets to Friday, instead of Saturday. Changing all four tickets would have been easy, but there was no simple way to change just two. I sent an email explaining my situation, and within 24 hours, two new tickets were in my inbox. I was impressed by how easy it was. MediaNews Group/Long Beach Press/MediaNews Group via Getty Images Even better, when you change flights, Breeze has no change or cancellation fees, and it only charges you for the difference in cost between tickets; the two tickets were identical in price, so the change was free. But the lack of a phone number became a problem when our flight was delayed that Friday. That morning just before 6 a.m., I received a text that the departure time was bumped from 12:25 p.m. to 1:45 p.m. I logged into the app for more details and got a pop-up alert claiming the new departure was 3 p.m. At first, I assumed 3 p.m. was the correct departure time, but I got nervous when my boarding pass failed to reflect the change. Both the Breeze and SFO websites still said the flight was leaving at 1:45 p.m. I texted the airline to confirm the departure but didnt hear back. To be safe, my son and I took off for the airport in a flurry of stress. Its a good thing we did because the plane took off at 1:45 p.m. When I told the lady at the ticket counter about the pop-up on the app, she just said it must be a technical glitch not exactly the level of concern Id hoped for, considering we could have missed our flight. The planes are new and comfortable A.G. My son and I flew on one of Breeze's brand-new, medium-sized Airbus A220s. To us, the interior felt airy, sleek and clean, like the lobby of a tech startup. There were no TV screens, but nifty mobile phone holders on the backs of the seats in front of us made watching shows easy, and USB outlets kept our devices charged during the flight. The seats seemed pretty standard for economy; my 6-foot-tall son certainly felt squeezed. We offer top-of-the-line legroom when it comes to economy, Williams told me, explaining that there are 30 inches of seat pitch, the distance between identical spots on one seat and another behind it. He referred to that 30 inches as more than Frontier, although Frontiers seat pitch ranges from 28 to 30 inches. Breeze also offers extra-legroom seating with 32 inches, as well as premium with 39 inches and other extra features such as a footrest. Breeze has 11 Airbus A220 planes in its fleet and is waiting on 69 more. It uses those for transcontinental flights, relying on 16 Embraer E190 and E195 aircraft on shorter routes, such as San Francisco to Provo or San Bernardino. You pay extra for just about everything if you fly economy Breeze offers three levels of fares: nice (economy), nicer (extra legroom) and nicest (first class). My family opted for the cheapest fare, which meant the airline charged us extra for basically everything, including printing out a boarding pass ($3) and seat selection (from $15). We used e-tickets and skipped selecting our seats to keep our costs down. An under-seat personal item is free, but its extra to fly with a carry-on in the overhead bin; fees for carry-ons and checked bags vary by route. A cup of water is complimentary, but a bottle costs $3.50, as do canned sodas and juice. Individual snacks such as peanut M&Ms and Pringles are $4.50, while a snack box goes for $8.50. A.G. We actually avoided most of those pesky charges, thanks to the incredibly gracious service we received from the flight attendants. They helped my son find space for his violin case free of charge, and when his backpack wouldnt fit under the seat, they put that, too, in the overhead bins without charging us. They even insisted on giving him free water and snacks because hes a musician. When our flight was canceled, the airline covered the cost My husband and daughter were scheduled to fly from San Francisco to Charleston on Saturday. The night before, my husband received an email that the flight was canceled due to "unplanned maintenance." The only available option for rebooking on Breeze was a Tuesday flight, which didnt work with our schedule. But the airline also offered to refund the ticket and cover up to $600 per person to rebook with a different airline. Once again, we were frustrated that we couldn't pick up the phone and call the airline. Still, my husband was able to buy two one-way tickets on Southwest Airlines out of Oakland for $400 each, which Breeze covered. (Breezes policy for canceled flights varies according to whether the cancellation was due to weather or an airline issue; see the policy online.) While the situation was inconvenient and stressful, we all made it to Charleston in time for the holiday, and the return flight went smoothly. Would we fly Breeze again? Despite a confusing delay and a flight cancellation, we absolutely would. The airline was right for our budget, we received excellent service from the flight attendants, and not having to change planes was convenient. I only wish they had a phone number with customer service agents as friendly as their flight attendants someone who can tell you everything will be OK when your travel plans go awry. Extreme wind and rain are triggering numerous delays at SFO as the latest atmospheric river consumes the Bay Area and winds reach over 60 mph at the airport. Tuesday afternoon, the Federal Aviation Administration issued a ground stop to pause operations at the airport. All flights scheduled to land at SFO during the stop were to be held at their departure airports. The agency has since changed that order to a ground delay. The FAA said that the average delay is lasting more than four hours due to wind. The flight tracking service FlightAware reported that as of 4:22 p.m., there had been 58 delays and nine cancellations across the three Bay Area airports Tuesday. This was the second ground stop the FAA has issued for SFO since March 14. A large atmospheric river storm system caused damage across the Bay Area Tuesday, including power outages for tens of thousands. "Oakland Airport just recorded a 74 mph wind gust, UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain said in a live YouTube broadcast at about 3 p.m. Thats really high for Oakland. Theres going to be a lot of wind damage around the Bay Area. Colin McCarthy, a college student studying atmospheric sciences with an active Twitter account documenting the state's weather, shared a graphic showing how the eye of the storm is making landfall outside San Francisco. Unbelievable satellite imagery of one of the most intense March cyclones on record for California with the eye of the storm making landfall near San Francisco, McCarthy wrote. Twitter user Rob Borkowski shared an exchange he said was between the pilot in one of the last planes to land before the ground stop and air traffic control at SFO. Last plane (I think) to pull it off half an hour ago: ATC: How was that? Pilot: Uhh wow I think I need a new pair of shorts. John Wayne Airport in Orange County is the closest airport to Disneyland, and its busy at all hours of the day with travelers and kids wielding plastic lightsabers going to and from the parks. But unless theyve taken off from SNA before, theyre in for a thrill ride-esque surprise when their jet hurtles down the unusual runway. SNA has earned a reputation as one of Americas scariest airports, and its not for the reasons youd expect. With Southern Californias serene weather and its location off the blue waters of Newport Beach, its not exactly a turbulent trip over the Rockies. The terminals themselves also have a distinctly suburban vibe, with laid-back security and a few ordinary food offerings. What sets SNA flights apart are their takeoffs quick, loud and sudden. After you leave the gate, youll hear the pilots throttle up the plane's power. Once the jet is roaring, it rolls fast down the short runway until it feels like youre lifting off almost straight up into the air: Some have compared it to the angle used by pilots on aircraft carriers. Paul Bersebach/Orange County Register via Getty Images There are a few reasons for this fast and furious departure protocol. The first has to do with the airports dimensions. The primary runway is just 5,700 feet, much shorter than your average runway. For comparison, SFOs runways are all over 7,600 feet, and its longest ones, made for jumbo international flights, are nearly 12,000 feet. To get the propulsion needed to lift off by the end of the tarmac, pilots must take off near full power. (Landing at SNA can also be a bit bumpy due to pilots hitting the brakes to slow the planes momentum on the short runway.) Then, theres the angle. Flights leaving John Wayne take a 20- to 25-degree pitch, much steeper than an average flight's 15-degree range. For this, blame the residents and politicians of Orange County. SNAs own website boasts that it maintains some of the most stringent noise rules in the United States. Since the airports opening in 1979, wealthy residents have lobbied to restrict all manner of airport operations, from adding passenger caps and curfews to altering flight patterns. The steep takeoff pitch was implemented to make planes climb quicker instead of roaring over well-heeled neighborhoods. At one point, Newport Beach even considered a plan to force planes to do an S-curve maneuver after takeoff to put planes over the ocean before they leveled back out; the more complicated move is normally only used at airports with physical dangers, like nearby mountains. If youre a nervous flyer, heres what to expect when leaving John Wayne Airport: The plane will sound louder than usual when its revving up for takeoff. Youll do a fast roll down the runway before lifting off abruptly. Once youve taken that steep angle upward, itll sound like the pilots have cut power to the engines they havent. Theyve just throttled down to more quietly sail over the million-dollar mansions below you. Its all normal although you might want to bring along noise-canceling headphones to drown out the engine noise, if that makes you more comfortable. Investment trust Scottish Mortgage revealed on Tuesday that chairwoman Fiona McBain will step down following the group's annual general meeting. Scottish Mortgage said McBain, who took over as chair back in 2017, will be succeeded by senior independent director Justin Dowley. Dowley said: "I would also like to thank Fiona for her 14 years of loyal and exceptional service to the company, in particular over the last few years (and at the request of her fellow directors) providing essential continuity, reassurance and leadership during the extraordinary circumstances of Covid-19. McBain's departure comes less than a week after non-executive director Amar Bhide took aim at the trust's corporate governance, including the length of the chairwoman's tenure. Although Bhide's shots were still ringing out, Scottish Mortgage claims the changes to its board were the result of "succession planning" that it has developed over the last year. Bhide has also left the board and "is no longer a director of the company", according to SMT. As of 0855 GMT, Scottish Mortgage shares were up 0.41% at 664.89p. Reporting by Iain Gilbert at Sharecast.com 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! Maritime history and contemporary naval affairs continued to be a driving force in Goldricks life. By early 1980s he was a frequent contributor to the Australian Naval Institute Journal, US Naval Institute Proceedings and the British Naval Review. Under the pseudonym Master Ned, His Letters From Australia in the latter journal were engaging and widely read. He won the Guinness Prize for the Reviews best article of the year twice. Goldrick was equally prolific in Proceedings, and this included writing an annual Asian navies review from 1982-1991 with classmate Peter Jones. At this time he was also on the council of the British Naval Records Society, as well as providing comments and corrections to naval bible Janes Fighting Ships, for which he received the appreciated recompense of a complimentary copy. They served him well at sea. On one occasion in Sirius, Goldrick successfully identified a new Soviet surveillance vessel that had confounded the bridge staff because it was not in the intelligence summaries or their older copy of Janes. Goldricks intelligence and remarkable powers of the pen did not go unnoticed. He was made aide de camp to the Governor-General, Sir Ninian Stephen, and was later research officer to the chief of naval staff, Vice Admiral Michael Hudson. He also served as officer in charge of the RANs warfare officer training, where he had the opportunity to positively influence younger officers embarking on their specialisation. Loading During the 1980s and 1990s Goldrick was fruitfully collaborating with contemporaries interested in naval strategic and historical thought. At various times he served on the council of the Australian Naval Institute, and in 1989 he and successive research officers Tom Frame and Peter Jones were the driving force behind an influential naval history seminar held at the Australian War Memorial, which sought to promote a more in depth study of the RANs history. This resulted among other things in the 1992 book Reflections on the Royal Australian Navy, which James co-edited. In 1992, unlike most high performing officers, Goldrick did not attend a staff course. Instead, Professor John Hattendorf encouraged James to apply to become a research scholar at the US Naval War College. His time at Newport began a long and profitable association with that institution and resulted in his second book, No Easy Answers: The Development of the Navies of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka 1945-96, which was published in 1997. Goldricks sea service included command of the Darwin-based patrol boat Cessnock, executive officer of the destroyer Perth and twice commanding the frigate Sydney. As a commanding officer he was competent and even tempered, with a sincere interest in the welfare and advancement of his officers and sailors. James Goldrick at Newport Rhode Island delivering the Hattendorf Prize Lecture. In 2002 he saw operational service commanding the multinational Maritime Interception Force in the Persian Gulf. He revelled in the complexity of that role, and made important tactical contributions to the UN Security Councils sanction enforcement against Iraq. Loading His senior shore appointments included chief staff officer to the chief of navy, director of the RAN Sea Power Centre, director general of military strategy, the commander of border protection command, twice commandant of the Australian Defence Force Academy, and commander of the Australian Defence College. Between 2005-2008 he also found time to be president of the Australian Naval Institute. While at the Sea Power Centre Goldrick wrote the navys capstone document Australian Maritime Doctrine. He also played a key part in the creation of both the navys Sea Power and King-Hall history conferences. A particular aspect of this was bringing to these shores distinguished strategists and historians. In all his naval appointments Goldrick made important contributions, but it was at the Defence Academy and the Defence College that he had the greatest impact on others through his example and an interest in their individual development. One such junior officer was the now-opposition minister for defence, Andrew Hastie. In his maiden speech he recalled Goldricks advice to him to build an interior intellectual life sustained by wide reading, writing and critical thinking. Goldrick also observed that your first command is about proving yourself to yourself, and that every subsequent command is about helping others prove themselves to themselves. Rear Admiral James Goldrick AO CSC RAN reviews the graduates of Rankin division, 2011. Goldrick retired from the Navy in 2012 and was soon lecturing at the Defence College he once headed as part of the Australian National Universitys instructional team. In 2015 he was a visiting fellow at All Souls College, University of Oxford. This allowed him to complete the first of two books for which he is most noted. That was Before Jutland: The Naval War in Northern European Waters August 1914 February 1915. It was followed in 2018 by its companion After Jutland: The Naval War in Northern European Waters June 1916 - November 1918. International recognition followed. In 2020 he was also elected a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. Two years later he was awarded the prestigious US Hattendorf Prize for distinguished academic achievement in publishing original research in naval history. Loading On his return from the US, Goldrick felt unwell and so began many rounds of treatment first for lymphoma and then leukaemia. Goldrick was a mentor, shipmate and friend to many. His loss to the navy is irreplaceable. He is survived by his wife Ruth, sons Owen and Edmund and sister Frances. Vice Admiral Peter Jones, ANI president NSW Labor leader Chris Minns says his election promise to reveal the extent of Sydneys multibillion-dollar tolling contracts will have no major market implications after Treasury advised it found no damage in the release of similar toll deals. The opposition has vowed to release the terms of tolling deals including any potential compensation to motorway giants if it wins government on Saturday, overriding the current planned release date of 2060. NSW Labor leader Chris Minns on the campaign trail. Credit: Brrok Mitchell For over 12 years in office, the Coalition has sold the tolling concessions for several major motorways to consortiums led by international road operator Transurban, generating billions of dollars for the states coffers. Minns on Tuesday accused the government of managing a secret privatisation agenda, insisting that NSW voters were entitled to know the terms of the contracts in place for decades to come. Washington: Leading Republicans have joined Donald Trump in a fundraising frenzy to boost their campaign war chests ahead of his possible indictment over alleged hush money paid to a porn star. Days after suggesting he would be arrested on Tuesday and called for supporters to protest on his behalf, Trump remained a free man as a grand jury in Manhattan prepared to vote on whether to charge him with a crime. The grand jury does not meet on Tuesdays, so the earliest expected vote would be on Wednesday, US time. New York has beefed up security ahead of a decision with the citys police spending the day erecting scaffolding outside Manhattan Criminal Court and the office of District Attorney Alvin Bragg to mitigate the potential for violence. In Washington, barricades and additional security were also being considered as a response to a post Trump issued on Saturday, which was reminiscent of his call for supporters to fight like hell on January 6, 2021, to stop Joe Bidens election victory from being certified. By Fabian Dawson New Canadian Media This recent Diwali festival in Moncton, New Brunswick was a celebration of a dream come true for the local South Asian community. Numbering about 2,000, many in the community came together at a rented space on Milner Road for the opening of a new Hindu Temple in their town a vision that was many years in the making. This is going to grow, Ketan Raval, an organizer with the Hindu Society of New Brunswick told the gathering of volunteers and devotees, adding that the new temple will not only be a place for worship but a support centre for newcomers to the area. While immigration is driving non-Christian religions in the country, the majority of the Canadian population is Christian, but their share is decreasing, said Statistics Canada. Islam is the second most commonly reported religion. In Saskatoon, a new mosque, school and community center are taking shape under the auspices of the Islamic Association of Saskatchewan (IAS). Organizers stressed that the space wouldnt just be for Muslims but a place to build bridges. If all goes well, the IAS expects to break ground on the $10 million project within two years. At a quiet corner in the Metro Vancouver suburb of Coquitlam, Father Pio Kim and his largely Korean congregation recently celebrated the fifth anniversary of their new St Agnes Kim Parish Church. According to the BC Catholic weekly publication, the goal of the Korean parish, the second of its kind in the Archdiocese of Vancouver is to become a collaborating community and praying community. These are just a few examples of the nations growing ethnocultural and religious diversity, which Statistics Canada states is largely driven by immigration, according to its latest census report. Drawing on data from more than 450 ethnic and cultural origins, 200 places of birth, 100 religions and 450 languages, Statistics Canada researchers said that immigration is one of the key drivers of religions, especially non-Christian faiths, in the country. According to its analysis, immigrants represented the majority of Buddhists (68.9 percent), Muslims (63.1 percent), Hindus (62.9 percent) and Sikhs (53.8 percent) in the country. By comparison, immigrants represented nearly one-quarter (23.0 percent) of the Canadian population in 2021. In addition, a large proportion of immigrants admitted from 2011 to 2021 reported a non-Christian religion: 18.9 percent reported being Muslim, followed by Hindu (9.0 percent) and Sikh (5.8 percent). In 2021, more than 19.3 million people reported a Christian religion, or just over half of the Canadian population (53.3 percent). However, this percentage is down from 67.3 percent in 2011 and 77.1 percent in 2001. Catholics are the largest Christian denomination in Canada, with 10.9 million people (29.9 percent) in 2021. The United Church (3.3 percent) and the Anglican Church (3.1 percent), two other Christian denominations, each had more than 1 million people in Canada. Orthodox Christians (1.7 percent), Baptists (1.2 percent), and Pentecostals and other Charismatics (1.1 percent) were the other Christian denominations most often reported. Here are some of the other key findings from Statistics Canada portrait of the countrys religious diversity; Approximately 12.6 million people, or more than one-third of Canadas population, reported having no religious affiliation. The proportion of this population has more than doubled in 20 years, going from 16.5 percent in 2001 to 34.6 percent in 2021. While small, the proportion of Canadas population who reported being Muslim, Hindu or Sikh has more than doubled in 20 years. After Christianity, Islam was the second most commonly reported religion in Canada in 2021, with nearly 1.8 million, or 1 in 20, people. In 20 years, the share of the Muslim population in Canada has more than doubledup from 2.0 percent in 2001 to 4.9 percent in 2021. In 2021, close to 830,000 people, or 2.3 percent of the total population, reported affiliation with Hinduism. Like Muslims, the proportion of the population with Hinduism as its religion has more than doubled in the last 20 years, and is up from 1.0 percent in 2001. The share of the population who reported Sikhism as its religion also more than doubled since 2001, from 0.9 percent to 2.1 percent in 2021. About 770,000 people reported Sikhism as their religion in the 2021 Census. Approximately 335,000 people reported being Jewish in 2021. This number has changed little over the last 20 years; in 2001, 330,000 reported a Jewish affiliation. Although Canadas total population grew, the proportion of the population with Jewish religious affiliation decreased slightly from 1.1 percent in 2001 to 0.9 percent in 2021. In 2021, close to 360,000 people, or 1.0 percent of Canadas population, reported Buddhism as their religion, the same percentage as in the 2001 Census. From 200 to 2,000: Migratory herons thrive in the yellow river wetland thanks to local protection efforts! Check out this bird paradise in north China! Produced by Xinhua Global Service By Ishrat Singh New Canadian Media Fifty-four-year-old Punjab native Atamjeet arrived in Surrey, B.C. on a super visa in December 2022 to visit his children who are permanent residents in Canada. He immediately began to look for work. It took a few phone calls and a lot of patience, but Atamjeet finally landed a job cleaning windows on a skyscraper in downtown Winnipeg for $14 per hour. I worked at a pharmacy back home, he said. The heights and subsequent safety risks, and his lack of provincial medical insurance made him fearful of taking the job, but he did so anyway in order to help his children manage expenses. As Canada relies on new migrants to fill its labour shortage, a mushrooming of cash jobs paying below minimum wage is helping people like Atamjeet make ends meet. I come from a humble background in the Philippines, said 43-year-old Carina, who moved to Ontario in October. I am proud of my daughter for supporting herself here but I cannot become a burden for her. Carina earns between $13 and $19 per hour cleaning houses, depending on the area and customers preferences. Ph.D. candidates Laura Lam from the University of Toronto and Anna Triandafyllidou from Toronto Metropolitan University interviewed a number of migrant workers and analyzed how they fit into Canadas labour market. Their 2022 study Road to nowhere or to somewhere? Migrant pathways in platform work in Canada finds that while some newcomers have accepted platform work jobs that include being self-employed, contract-based work or freelance, irrespective of whether it is happening online it felt like a forced choice. Lam and Dr. Triandafyllidou conclude that platform work perpetuates structures of inequality and blocks new migrants from finding economic mobility. Immigrants who are qualified, experienced, and plan to settle in Canada also face structural barriers to obtaining education equivalencies, licenses, or registering for re-certification exams. While waiting for these processes, many new migrants turn to short-term gigs to support themselves. Aditi, an international student from the western state of Rajasthan in India, said packing boxes in warehouses is another popular gig for newcomers to stay afloat. She has been working in one part-time for over a year and works with multiple newcomers on visitor visas mostly parents of permanent residents or students. While I started at minimum wage ($15.50 per hour), the others were initially offered just $12 per hour and are supposed to pack ready-to-deliver items in cardboard boxes, the 22-year-old said. Canada Revenue Agency spokesman Christopher Doody said any income earned from a job in Canada, even when someone is working for cash, is taxable and must be reported. This is true even if the job is not a primary source of income. As for the employers offering work for cash, income tax must be withheld when employees are paid for a service, he said. We would remind taxpayers that although some people think that if they dont declare a small amount of income, if they operate in cash, or if they dont keep records, the CRA wont find out. This is not true, Doody said. We have many tools to detect underground economy activity and we work with many partners to combat the underground economy. Atamjeet and Carina said they arent aware of these laws and, because theyre only visiting Canada for a short time, have no alternative ways to earn money and support their children during a period of the rising cost of living expenses. (In 2022, over one-third of Canadians reported finding it difficult to meet their financial needs.) There are no recent counts of how many people work in the underground economy in Canada, but a Statistics Canada report released on Feb. 20 estimated underground economic activity accounted for $68.5 billion or 2.7 percent of the countrys total GDP in 2021. Residential construction, real estate, retail trade, and hospitality sectors contribute the most to Canadas underground economy. For his part, Atamjeet hopes to pick up a different, less dangerous trade, but still operate within the underground economy, until he returns to Punjab this summer. I knew I had to take the job as [jobs] are hard to find, especially in the winters, Atamjeet said about his skyscraper window-washing job. I will keep looking for a safer opportunity. Drone maker Zipline unveils system for city deliveries San Francisco, March 15 (AFP) Mar 15, 2023 Drone maker Zipline on Wednesday introduced a new model that works with a small robot to deliver packages with precision in dense cities, even on windy days. The tech firm based in the city of South San Francisco said its product provides quiet, fast delivery to homes in cities as well as suburbs. "It's an opportunity for us to really precisely make deliveries, even in high winds," Zipline head of engineering Joseph Mardall told AFP. Zipline spent several years refining its new platform, in which an electric-powered drone flies along more than 300 feet above the ground to its destination, then releases a "delivery droid" to take packages the final distance. The droid maneuvers down a tether, dropping off packages in locations as small as a patio table or a front stoop, the company said. The system is designed to be nearly silent, sounding like wind rustling leaves, and can deliver a package 10 miles away in about 10 minutes, according to its creators. Several businesses including US salad-centric restaurant chain Sweetgreen have signed on to use Zipline's new delivery system, according to the company. Zipline said the Government of Rwanda will use the service for "last mile" deliveries to homes, hotels and health facilities in Kigali and elsewhere in the country. Each new generation "Zip" drone carries a payload weighing from 6 pounds to 8 pounds, according to the company. Zipline plans to conduct thousands of flight tests this year, then deploy the system to its first customer shortly after that. Green tech boom looms but poor nations risk being eclipsed: UN Geneva, March 16 (AFP) Mar 16, 2023 The green technology industry could be worth several trillion dollars by 2030 but developing countries will miss out on the boom unless they jump in now, the UN said Thursday. From a roughly equal position three years ago, green technology exports from the most advanced countries are already racing ahead of developing nations, warned the United Nations' trade and development agency, UNCTAD. And without intervention to close the gap, early adopters will build in lasting advantages, making it even harder for developing countries to catch up, UNCTAD said. "We are at the beginning of a technological revolution based on green technologies," said the agency's chief Rebeca Grynspan. "Missing this technological wave... would have long-lasting negative implications." UNCTAD estimated that 17 key frontier technologies, which are at the leading edge of green innovation, could create a market worth more than $9.5 trillion by 2030 -- up from $1.5 trillion in 2020. The technologies include artificial intelligence, electric vehicles, green hydrogen, biofuels, nanotechnology, 5G, gene editing, robotics, 3D printing, wind energy and blockchain. They can be used to produce goods and services in a way that leaves a smaller carbon footprint. The United States and China currently dominate these fields, with a combined 70 percent of patents. - Richest gaining ground - As for readiness to adopt and exploit such technologies, UNCTAD's ranking chart is dominated by high-income countries, led by the United States, Sweden, Singapore, Switzerland and the Netherlands. Of the BRICS nations, Russia is ranked 31st, China 35th, Brazil 40th, India 46th and South Africa 56th -- the highest on the African continent. China's lower-than-expected position is due to patchy rural internet coverage and slow broadband speed. However, several Asian countries are over-performing, with India 67 places higher than its GDP per capita ranking, the Philippines 54 spots higher and Vietnam 44 places higher, leaving them well-placed to seize the initiative. Latin America, the Caribbean and sub-Saharan Africa are at highest risk of missing current windows of opportunity. Despite a level start, a gap is already opening up in green tech exports, with developed countries pulling away from the rest with exponential growth. Total green tech exports from developed countries jumped from around $60 billion in 2018 to more than $156 billion in 2021, while over the same period, exports from developing nations -- China included -- rose from $57 billion to around $75 billion. In those three years, developing countries' share of global exports fell from over 48 percent to below 33 percent. - Trade, climate, IP rules tangled - UNCTAD noted that smaller developing countries, which have done little to cause climate change, were often set to feel the brunt -- yet were left struggling to access the technology that could help them mitigate against it. The agency's deputy leader Pedro Manuel Moreno said they were caught between promoting economic growth and protecting the environment. "They need more investment, more tech transfer and more international coherence between global climate and trade agreements," Moreno told reporters. He said trade rules should be changed to help developing countries protect nascent green industries through tariffs, subsidies and public procurement. The trading system has to be streamlined with the landmark Paris Agreement on climate change, he said, so that green tech can be transferred effectively to developing nations. Shamika Sirimanne, UNCTAD's technology and logistics director, said a "less stringent intellectual property regime at the global level is needed urgently" to help such countries benefit. She called for a patents waiver to promote the transfer of climate change-related technology. rjm/nl/kjm Lacking health workers, Germany taps robots for elder care Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, March 19 (AFP) Mar 19, 2023 The white-coloured humanoid "Garmi" does not look much different from a typical robot -- it stands on a platform with wheels and is equipped with a black screen on which two blue circles acting as eyes are attached. But retired German doctor Guenter Steinebach, 78, said: "For me, this robot is a dream." Not only is Garmi able to perform diagnostics on patients, it can also provide care and treatment for them. Or at least, that is the plan. Garmi is a product of a new sector called geriatronics, a discipline that taps advanced technologies like robotics, IT and 3D technology for geriatrics, gerontology and nursing. About a dozen scientists built Garmi with the help of medical practitioners like Steinebach at the Munich Institute of Robotics and Machine Intelligence. Part of the Technical University of Munich, the institute based its unit specialising in geriatronics in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, a ski resort that is home to one of the highest proportion of elderly people in Germany. Europe's most populous country is itself one of the world's most rapidly ageing societies. With the number of people needing care growing quickly and an estimated 670,000 carer posts to go unfilled in Germany by 2050, the researchers are racing to conceive robots that can take over some of the tasks carried out today by nurses, carers and doctors. "We have ATMs where we can get cash today. We can imagine that one day, based on the same model, people can come to get their medical examination in a kind of technology hub," said Abdeldjallil Naceri, 43, the lead scientist of the lab. Doctors could then evaluate the results of the robot's diagnostics from a distance, something that could be particularly valuable for people living in remote communities. Alternatively the machine could offer a more personalised service at home or in a care home -- by serving meals, opening a bottle of water, calling for help in case of a fall or organising a video call with family and friends. - 'We must get there' - In the Garmisch laboratory, Steinebach sat down at a table equipped with three screens and a joystick as he got ready to test the robot's progress. At the other end of the room, a researcher designated as a test model took his spot in front of Garmi, which poses a stethoscope on his chest -- an action directed by Steinebach from afar via the joystick. Medical data immediately appear on the doctor's screen. "Imagine if I had had that in my old practice," Steinebach said, while moving the joystick. Besides the retired doctor, other medical practitioners also visit the lab regularly to offer their ideas and feedback on the robot. "It's like a three-year-old child. We have to teach it everything," Naceri said. It's anyone's guess when Garmi might be ready on a commercial scale. But Naceri is convinced that "we must get there, the statistics are clear that it is urgent". "From 2030, we must be able to integrate this kind of technology in our society." - Question of trust - And if it is indeed deployed one day, residents of the Sankt Vinzenz retirement home in Garmisch, a partner of the project, will likely see Garmi whizzing down the corridors. Just thinking about it made Mrs Rohrer, a 74-year-old resident at the home, smile. "There are things that a robot can do, for example, serve a drink or bring meals," she said as Eva Pioskowik, the director of the home, did her nails. Pioskowik, who battles with staffing shortages on a daily basis, said she did not expect the robot to take the place of health workers. "But it could allow our staff to spend a bit more time with the residents," she said. For Naceri's team, one of the major challenges is not technological, medical or financial. Rather, it remains to be seen if most patients will accept the robot. "They need to trust the robot," he said. "They need to be able to use it like we use a smartphone today." UN 'survival guide' report a stark warning on climate Paris, March 20 (AFP) Mar 20, 2023 Devastating climate impacts are hitting faster than expected as the world teeters on reaching the 1.5 degree Celsius warming limit in a little over a decade, the UN said Monday. Temperatures seen in recent years have stoked destructive storms and flooding, crop-wilting heatwaves and deadly droughts. But generations to come will look back on the hottest years of the 2020s as relatively cool, even if planet-warming fossil fuel emissions drop quickly, the UN's climate advisory panel said in a key report. The 36-page "summary for policymakers" -- a synthesis of six major reports since 2018 from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) -- is a brutal reminder that while humanity has the tools to prevent climate catastrophe, it is still not putting them to use. The world is currently set to reach 1.5C above pre-industrial levels -- considered a safer limit to warming -- in the early 2030s, which will ratchet up the severity of impacts in the near future. But it's not too late to turn things around, the head of the IPCC told AFP, describing the report as a "message of hope". "We have know-how, technology, tools, financial resources -- everything needed to overcome the climate problems we have known about for so long," Hoesung Lee said in a video interview. "What's lacking at this point is a strong political will to resolve this issues once and for all." - 'Humanity on thin ice' - In response to the report, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said wealthy countries aiming for carbon neutrality in 2050 or beyond should speed up their goal to as close as possible to 2040 in order to "defuse the climate time bomb." "Humanity is on thin ice -- and that ice is melting fast," the United Nations chief said in a video message as the IPCC experts group issued its latest report, which he likened to "a survival guide for humanity." The IPCC made clear that the benefits to society and the world economy of capping global warming under two degrees Celsius outweigh economic costs. This is true even without accounting for all the rewards of avoiding climate damages, which range from the health impacts of air pollution to reduced crop yields. Week-long negotiations in Interlaken, Switzerland -- which went two full days into overtime -- were bogged down by fights over language about fossil fuels, by far the main driver of warming. The report comes as the world has scrambled to shore up energy security following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, with countries in Europe and Asia turning to heavily polluting coal. Greenhouse gas emissions from existing fossil fuel infrastructure will be enough to push the world beyond 1.5C, without the use of emerging technology to capture and store the carbon pollution, the IPCC said. The level of greenhouse gas emission reductions this decade will "largely determine" whether humanity can limit global warming to two degrees Celsius since preindustrial times, or the safer 1.5C, the UN expert report said. But estimates of future carbon dioxide pollution from existing oil, gas and coal infrastructure -- if no new technology is added to capture the emissions -- "already exceed the remaining carbon budget for limiting warming to 1.5C". Among the starkest warnings is on the looming threat of deadly heat. Even if warming is capped at 1.8C -- an optimistic scenario, according to some scientists -- half of humanity could, by 2100, be exposed to periods of life-threatening climate conditions arising from the coupled impacts of extreme heat and humidity, according to research. In the synthesis report, these findings are reflected in a world map of projected deadly impacts of humid heat across the tropics, especially in Southeast Asia, parts of Brazil and West Africa. There are similarly dire projections for health, the global food system and economic productivity. UN 'survival guide' report an urgent warning on climate Paris, March 20 (AFP) Mar 20, 2023 The world will cross the key 1.5-degree Celsius global warming limit in about a decade, the UN said Monday, warning that devastating impacts of climate change are hitting faster than expected. In the final instalment of a major series of reports, delivered in a crucial decade in human history, the UN's climate advisory panel urged dramatic reductions in planet-heating emissions. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's key message is that while humanity has driven the planet to the precipice of climate catastrophe, there is still time to steer global temperatures to within relatively safe limits. That will require enormous global effort. "Rapid and far-reaching transitions across all sectors and systems are necessary to achieve deep and sustained emissions reductions and secure a liveable and sustainable future for all," said the report's "summary for policymakers". Distilling the weight of scientific knowledge on climate change, the IPCC's work will form the basis of intense political and economic negotiations in the coming years, starting with the UN COP28 climate negotiations in Dubai later this year. The 36-page summary -- a synthesis of six major reports since 2018 -- is a brutal reminder that while humanity has the tools to prevent climate catastrophe, it is still not putting them to use. But it represents a "message of hope", the head of the IPCC told AFP. "We have know-how, technology, tools, financial resources -- everything needed to overcome the climate problems we have known about for so long," Hoesung Lee said in a video interview. "What's lacking at this point is a strong political will to resolve these issues once and for all." - 'Betrayal' - The IPCC said the world is currently set to reach 1.5C above pre-industrial levels -- the more ambitious and safer target of the Paris Agreement -- in the early 2030s, which will ratchet up the severity of impacts in the near future. "The fact that the people in power still somehow live in denial, and actively move in the wrong direction, will eventually be seen for and understood as the unprecedented betrayal it is," climate activist Greta Thunberg told AFP. At just under 1.2C of warming so far, the world today has already seen a crescendo of deadly and destructive extreme weather. The most vulnerable populations have already been hit hard. "The warmest years we have experienced to date will be among the coolest within a generation," Friederike Otto, a climate scientist at Imperial College London and lead author of the report, told AFP. The benefits to society and the world economy of capping global warming under 2C outweigh economic costs, the IPCC said. Breaching 1.5C could signal extinctions on land and in the oceans, crop failures and an increasing possibility of reaching so-called "tipping points" in the climate system, including the death of biodiversity-rich coral reefs and faster melting of the polar ice sheets feeding sea level rise. - 'On thin ice' - In response to the report, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said wealthy countries aiming for carbon neutrality in 2050 or beyond should speed up their goal to as close as possible to 2040 in order to "defuse the climate time bomb." "Humanity is on thin ice -- and that ice is melting fast," he said in a video message, likening the IPCC report to "a survival guide for humanity". The report comes as the world has scrambled to shore up energy security following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, with countries in Europe and Asia turning to heavily polluting coal, even as renewables rise. One of the fastest transformations will need to be in energy, the report said, with solar and wind power already increasing dramatically. But greenhouse gas emissions from existing fossil fuel infrastructure will be enough to push the world beyond 1.5C, absent the use of costly and emerging technology to capture and store the carbon pollution, the IPCC said. While the underlying IPCC reports are compiled by scientists, the summary document is agreed by governments from nearly 200 countries. Week-long negotiations on that text in Interlaken, Switzerland -- which went two full days into overtime -- were bogged down by fights over language. According to observers, negotiators from Saudi Arabia in particular tried to dilute passages that emphasised the central role of fossil fuels in driving global warming. Even if warming is capped at 1.8C -- an optimistic scenario, according to some scientists -- half of humanity could be exposed to periods of life-threatening extreme heat and humidity by 2100, according to research. In the synthesis report, these findings are shown in a world map of projected deadly impacts of humid heat across the tropics, especially in Southeast Asia, parts of Brazil and West Africa. Google launches ChatGPT rival in US and UK San Francisco, March 21 (AFP) Mar 21, 2023 Google on Tuesday invited people in the United States and Britain to test its AI chatbot, known as Bard, as it continues on its gradual path to catch up with Microsoft-backed ChatGPT. Bard, ChatGPT and other similar artificial intelligence apps churn out essays, poems or computing code on command and have taken the world by storm as the biggest new thing in tech since the advent of the iPhone. Google CEO Sundar Pichai told staff that after testing Bard with 80,000 Google employees, the chatbot would be tested with the public in the United States and Britain as a "first step" before going out to more countries in other languages. "As more people start to use Bard and test its capabilities, they'll surprise us," Pichai said in a memo to staff seen by AFP. "Things will go wrong. But the user feedback is critical to improving the product and the underlying technology," added Pichai, who had faced some criticism within the company for rushing to catch up with Microsoft. In the launch, people wishing to play with Bard can sign up on a waiting list at bard.google.com website, distinctly separate from the tech giant's search engine. "We've learned a lot so far by testing Bard, and the next critical step in improving it is to get feedback from more people," Google vice presidents Sissie Hsiao and Eli Collins said in a blog post. As exciting as chatbots can be, they have their faults, Hsiao and Collins cautioned. - 'Constantly learning' - Google has so far proceeded more carefully in its rollout of generative AI to consumers, in contrast to Microsoft's choice to swiftly make the products available despite reports of problems. ChatGPT's OpenAI is backed by Microsoft, which earlier this year said it would finance the research company to the tune of billions of dollars. Asked by AFP how its product was different from ChatGPT, Bard said that unlike its Microsoft-backed rival it was "able to access and process information from the real world through Google Search and keep my response consistent with search results." The bot also underlined that it was still "under development, while ChatGPT has been released to the public. This means that I am constantly learning and improving, while ChatGPT is likely to remain relatively unchanged." OpenAI recently released a long-awaited update of its AI technology that it said would be safer and more accurate than its predecessor. Much of the new model's firepower, known as GPT-4, is now available to the general public via ChatGPT Plus, OpenAI's paid subscription plan and on an AI-powered version of Microsoft's Bing search engine. Microsoft has said that its quick adoption of generative AI has seen usage of its Bing search engine increase in recent weeks, but it is still a clear underdog to Google, which captures about 85 percent of the global search engine market. gc-arp/caw C. R. BARD GOOGLE Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) Nandalal Weerasinghe speaks at a press conference in Colombo, Sri Lanka on March 3, 2023. (Photo by Gayan Sameera/Xinhua) "It is now important for the Sri Lankan authorities and creditors to closely coordinate and make swift progress toward a debt treatment that restores debt sustainability under the EFF-supported program," IMF senior mission chief for Sri Lank Peter Breuer said. COLOMBO, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka will receive the first tranche of the IMF Extended Fund Facility (EFF) within the next two days, IMF senior mission chief for Sri Lank Peter Breuer said on Tuesday. Sri Lanka will immediately receive an initial disbursement of about 330 million U.S. dollars from the EFF arrangement, which is expected to catalyze new external financing including from the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank, he told a press conference. Breuer said the reform program supported under the EFF arrangement is built on strong policy measures and prioritizes, including an ambitious revenue-based fiscal consolidation, restoration of public debt sustainability, policies to safeguard financial stability, and structural reforms to enhance growth. Sri Lanka has already started implementing these challenging policy actions and it is now essential to continue the reform momentum under strong ownership by the authorities and the Sri Lankans more broadly, he said. He said the economic impact of the reforms on the poor and vulnerable needs to be mitigated with appropriate measures and in this regard, they welcome the authorities' firm commitment to strengthen social safety nets, including through a minimum spending floor, well-targeted spending through a new Social Registry, and establishment of objective eligibility criteria. People carry goods at a market in Colombo, Sri Lanka on March 10, 2023. (Photo by Gayan Sameera/Xinhua) Tax reforms under the program are designed to be progressive to ensure greater contributions from high-income earners, and efforts to increase tax revenues should be pursued in a growth-friendly manner while protecting the poor and most vulnerable. "The IMF Board approval of assistance to Sri Lanka required assurances from official bilateral creditors that they will provide debt relief and/or financing to restore debt sustainability consistent with the program, as well as an assessment that the authorities are making good faith efforts to reach a collaborative agreement with private creditors," he said. "It is now important for the Sri Lankan authorities and creditors to closely coordinate and make swift progress toward a debt treatment that restores debt sustainability under the EFF-supported program," he said. Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe expressed his gratitude for the support of the IMF and other international partners. The IMF EFF arrangement will enable Sri Lanka to access up to 7 billion dollars in funding, he said. The president is committed to full transparency in all discussions with financial institutions and creditors to achieve sustainable levels of debt through prudent fiscal management and an ambitious reform agenda. Sri Lanka started negotiations with the IMF in 2022 after the South Asian country was hit by a severe economic crisis. SpaceDaily.com / Space Media Network Contact Us Via Phone: Australian Office: All enquires - 24/7 Australia (61) 448 00 52 19 All enquires - 24/7Australia (61) 448 00 52 19 Via Email: + Simon Mansfield: Publisher SpaceDaily.com is the flagship website of Space Media Network. Targeted at industry, science and educational experts, our news service has enjoyed a global audience of industry professionals since 1995. Space Media Network was founded by SpaceDaily and associated sites are produced from offices in the Australian state of NSW in Gerroa and Jindabyne. 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Space Media Network operates no affiliate based purchasing services on any of its news sites. Space Media Network is wholly owned by Simon Mansfield and receives no external funding other than advertising sales.A variety of free newsletters are available via subscription and these are distributed using the MailChimp email service. The process to unsubscribe is clearly shown in every newsletter distributed by email. LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) Arkansas bans transgender people from using school bathroom of their choice, likely first of several states this year. A pay dispute which saw airports in the Highlands and islands close due to strike action has ended after unions accepted a revised offer. The Prospect union said its members working in fire and security for Highlands and Islands Airport Limited (Hial) have voted by almost 75% to accept a revised pay deal for 2022-23. The union had suspended strike action planned earlier this month while it considered the offer, which it described as significantly better than the previous rejected offer of 5%. The revised offer provides a 7% increase for those earning up to 44,000, 5% uplift for those earning up to 80,000 and 4% for those above 80,000. Our members at Hial provide a vital service for the Highlands and Islands and deserve to have their work and skills properly compensated Unite, which represents security staff, baggage handlers and ground crew along with those working in fire and rescue, security and administration, said its membership accepted the revised pay offer by 93%. In recent months, Hial airports have been affected by a series of strikes as Unite members walked out over the pay dispute. Jane Rose, Prospect negotiations officer, said: We are pleased that Prospect members have accepted this new deal and the dispute can now be brought to an end. Our members at Hial provide a vital service for the Highlands and Islands and deserve to have their work and skills properly compensated. This deal has required compromise from all involved and I thank Scottish Ministers for giving Hial the authority to reach a deal. It is clear there are wider pay structure issues which remain to be addressed and we look forward to working constructively with Hial to tackle these as we move, almost immediately, into 2023-24 discussions. Sharon Graham, Unite general secretary, said: Unites members across the Highlands and Islands airports stood firm and fought to achieve a positive result. Unites members are to be congratulated for leading the fight to secure better jobs, pay and conditions across the Highlands and Islands. Hial welcomed the news. Managing director Inglis Lyon said: We are pleased that the enhanced offer has been accepted by colleagues. The most recent offer exceeded the original flexibility of the Scottish Government pay policy, providing a 7% salary uplift for those earning 44,000 or less, a 5% uplift for those earning up to 80,000, with 4% over that salary level. We are sorry that the industrial action and route suspensions have caused considerable disruption for passengers and our customers, particularly for those on our island communities who rely on our airports to support essential and lifeline services. We also apologise for the significant impact the action has had on our airline partners. This positive result will provide our partner airlines with the certainty they require to plan air connectivity for their passengers. Loganair said it will resume flights from Inverness to Hial airports a week earlier than anticipated following the resolution of the pay dispute. Earlier this month the airline announced it was being forced to temporarily suspend flights from Inverness to Stornoway and Benbecula, and from Inverness to Kirkwall and Sumburgh, due to work-to-rule industrial action. A Loganair spokesman said: We have reviewed all possibilities to restore suspended services between Hial airports earlier than initially anticipated and we are happy to confirm that flights from Inverness will resume on Monday April 24, one week earlier than previously planned. Hial made the enhanced pay offer when it met with the three trade unions involved: PCS, Prospect and Unite; earlier this month. The PCS has yet to ballot its members on the issue. Scotlands transport minister Jenny Gilruth said: Im very pleased that a resolution has been reached and that vital connectivity for our remote communities will be restored as soon as possible. Whilst the impact on services has been disruptive for affected communities, Id like to thank Hial and both unions for continuing to engage constructively throughout this process and ultimately coming to an agreement that will be welcomed by staff and passengers. We will continue to work with Hial to grow passenger numbers through their airports with the aim of maintaining the commercial viability of services on which our remote communities depend. D erby has been announced as the location to host the headquarters of new public sector body Great British Railways (GBR). Transport Secretary Mark Harper confirmed the decision on Tuesday following reports that the East Midlands city had been successful in its bid. The unsuccessful shortlisted locations were Birmingham, Crewe, Doncaster, Newcastle and York. The investment well see from this significant move will be huge The Department for Transport said: Derby came top of all six excellent locations in both the rigorous assessment process and the public vote. Their application demonstrated strong links to the wider network, well-established connections with the industry, supply chain and customers, as well as an extensive local cluster of private sector rail businesses. Mr Harper commented: Its full steam ahead for the reform of our railways and todays announcement is not only a huge win for the brilliant city of Derby, but a key milestone for the entire rail industry across the country. Great British Railways will put the passenger first, promoting collaboration and innovation across a joined-up, efficient and modern network. Derby City Council leader Chris Poulter said: Rail heritage is at the heart of our city and for this to be recognised by Government is a fantastic achievement. The investment well see from this significant move will be huge, not only just for Derby but for levelling up across the whole of the wider East Midlands. Amanda Solloway, MP for Derby North, said the decision is fantastic news which recognises Derbys outstanding contribution to the rail industry across the country. She added that she campaigned hard for this result and was so pleased it paid off. Anit Chandarana, lead director of the GBR transition team, said: The announcement that Derby will be the home of the Great British Railways headquarters is another important milestone on our journey to create a simpler and better railway for everyone in Britain. Although Derby will be the home of our headquarters, Great British Railways will also introduce empowered regional centres, to bring decision-making and leadership much closer to local customers and communities. The transition team will work with Derby to identify the site for the HQ within the city, which will represent value for money for the taxpayer, Mr Harper said. Derbys bid named a potential location as the former site of the Railway Technical Centre in the south-east of the city, which has been developed into a business park. The East Midlands has been hit by the delayed Midland Mainline electrification project and the decision to axe a planned HS2 station at Toton. But Mr Harper claimed the Midlands is already a transport supercluster for Britain with Department for Transport and HS2 bases in Birmingham. Derby is already home to the UKs largest train factory owned by Alstom where around 2,000 people are employed. It is hoped GBR will simplify the rail network and improve services for passengers by absorbing the state-owned infrastructure management company Network Rail and taking on many functions from the Department for Transport. The bodys tasks will include issuing passenger service contracts to private companies to run trains. It was initially due to be launched in early 2024 but has been delayed as the Government axed its plan to introduce a Transport Bill during the current parliamentary session, citing the need to prioritise legislation related to the energy crisis. Andy Bagnall, chief executive of industry body Rail Partners, said: Legislation in the next parliamentary session is now the critical next step to establishing Great British Railways and maintaining momentum for reform of our railways in the interests of both customers and taxpayers. H einz has launched an unlikely partnership with alcohol brand Absolut in response to a social media craze for Italian classic pasta alla vodka. The two brands have joined for the first time to create the Heinz x Absolut Tomato Vodka Pasta Sauce, which will be available in limited amounts from Waitrose in mid-April. Pasta alla vodka has been a staple in Italian restaurants for decades, with the alcohol used to help the cream meld with the tomato base and balance out the flavours. But interest in the recipe intensified in 2020 after model Gigi Hadid posted an Instagram Story of herself cooking spicy vodka pasta. Heinz and Absolut said the vodka which reduces to less than 1% during the cooking process boosts the volatile flavour compounds already present in the tomatoes and creates a rich texture that perfectly balances the creamy, cheese notes with the rich tomato and fragrant basil. Heinz new ventures director Caio Fontenele said: While it may have taken over 150 years of tomato expertise to launch our first Heinz pasta sauce, were determined to continue innovating and delighting consumers with delicious flavours, at the speed of social media trends. We are thrilled with the partnership between these two centenary brands, bringing the first tomato vodka pasta sauce to major UK supermarkets. The iconic combination of Heinzs high-quality tomato sauces and Absoluts premium vodka is set to offer fans the ultimate pasta alla vodka experience. And the result is absolutely delicious. Leanne Banks, marketing director at Pernod Ricard UK, which owns the Absolut brand, said: Its only natural that wed partner with Heinz on this ultimate collaboration between two iconic brands, with two iconic bottles. Now fans of our brand can enjoy Absolut in an entirely new and innovative way, pasta alla vodka style. The sauce will cost 2.50 for a 350g jar. Consumers can also pre-order one jar from heinztohome.co.uk. The Wheat King meets the Lizard King. A double-header concert at Taps Brewhouse in Niagara Falls April 15 will pair up the poetry of the Tragically Hips Gord Downie and The Doors Jim Morrison. Tribute bands The Trip (Tragically Hip) and Riders on the Storm (The Doors) will perform starting at 8 p.m. Before he reels off some roadhouse blues, Riders on the Storm member Jesse Lamothe checked in for some Q&A with The Review about the unique show: The Review: The show has a poets theme what is it that links Gord Downie and Jim Morrison? Lamothe: First off, they are both widely regarded as poets. Their lyrical content is comparable, they both speak of spirituality, political ideas and they both use their musical platforms to address inequalities in the world. They both are physical performers. Moving to their music on stage in an interpretive way, almost trance-like at times. And they are both known for their unique cadence while singing. As well, their on-stage improv antics are stuff of legend. (Killer whale tank!) The Review: How do you explain the Doors mystique? What keeps people coming back to them? Lamothe: An electric front man and solid grooves, deep, poetic and catchy lyrics. The ability to draw from so many different musical ideas, funk, jazz, blues, they can create a quirky, one-off song like Spanish Caravan as well as iconic rock anthems such as Roadhouse Blues. The Review: Whats your favourite Morrison lyric and why? Lamothe: One of my favourite lyrics is the opening to Crystal Ship: Before you slip in to unconsciousness, Id like to have another kiss, another flashing chance at bliss. Theres just so much emotion in those words, it just sucks me right into the song. The Review: Canada has no shortage of Tragically Hip tribute bands. Are they like the Elvis tribute acts of Canada? Lamothe: I agree and I think theres definitely a reason why: Elvis and The Hip both stuck to a great formula with their music and that is why its able to communicate to such a broad audience. Its not trying to be over-complicated, so its just so accessible on a large scale. Ive played The Tragically Hips music in venues around Niagara and more often than not everyone is singing along because we grew up with that music, its like a longtime friend that were always happy to hear from. So, its a smart choice if youre creating a tribute and its super fun to play. The Review: Light My Fire or New Orleans is Sinking whats the better jam to play live? Lamothe: Ive never played New Orleans is Sinking live. I have played At the Hundredth Meridian live, which is an incredible song to do live, but I would definitely say Light My Fire. When we get cooking on that long bridge with keys and then that guitar solo. Woo! Its electrifying. Taps Brewhouse is at 4680 Queen St. SHARE: Niagara Region Emergency Management is the winner of a grant to help children learn about severe weather and how to prepare for it. Niagara Region Emergency Management, in partnership with Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society (CMOS) and Niagara Safety Village, was one of four successful applicants for the ImpactWx Genesis Grant for the Weather Aware & Prepared initiative. We are very excited to have this opportunity to develop an educational program that will empower kids by teaching them ways that they can stay safe during severe weather, said Patricia Martel of Niagara Region Emergency Management. Many children are really interested in severe weather. Unfortunately, many often do not know what to do when a storm threatens and are often scared. This program aims to change that. The grant will be used to develop a program that will be delivered at Niagara Safety Village in Welland. Shirley Cordiner, the safety villages executive director, said the initiative will complement its programs. We are looking forward to this new partnership and to be able to teach children how to be safe in severe weather, Cordiner said. A special branch of the the Regions community emergency response team (CERT) will be created and trained to deliver the program. The goal is to empower children as they learn what is necessary to keep themselves and their families safe from severe weather, including tornadoes, damaging winds, large hail, heavy snow and icestorms. ImpactWX is a Toronto-based social impact fund that supports innovation through partnerships, investments and charitable donations. Niagara Region Emergency Management announced last week it is seeking 100 new volunteers to join CERT. Eligible applicants have until March 24 to apply. SHARE: Volunteers with Meals on Wheels St. Catharines and Thorold pack cars full of prepared hot meals for older adults and people with disabilities who are living alone and need extra help. Without the volunteer who arrives at her door each week with a bundle of food, Elizabeth Reghr doesnt know how often shed get a good meal. The St. Catharines woman has been using Meals on Wheels for about 12 years. Struggling with multiple auto-immune disorders, the 48-year-old said she has inflammation in her brain, as well as inflammation from Lupus. During a flare-up, she said she often forgets to take care of herself, even forgetting to eat. Usually about a week into an episode, when shes feeling better, she gives Meals on Wheels St. Catharines and Thorold a call. Its weird to be in this position, she said. I need it. I mean, I know Im not 90, but I need it. Meals on Wheels is run throughout Ontario. In Niagara, volunteers take hot or frozen meals out to clients, who are often older adults or disabled people living alone. David Morris is another St. Catharines resident who uses Meals on Wheels, and his father used it before him. Morris wife died a few years ago, and living alone, he said he felt like he needed some help getting a good meal every now and then. Instead of having his food delivered, Morris opts to pick it up himself, and said he always looks forward to seeing the volunteers. I look forward to my visit over there to say hello to the girls who look after things, he said. According to Statistics Canada, 27.9 per cent of older adults live alone. In a separate report, Statistics Canada mentions that because they live alone, and seldom leave the house, these people often experience social isolation. Not only does Meals on Wheels provide food to those who may struggle to prepare meals for themselves, but Bertha Power, the organizations volunteer co-ordinator, said an important piece of their mandate is keeping an eye on those who may be alone. That connection with somebody is so important and almost more important than the nutrition, she said. Some of these people don't see anyone for days or weeks, and it's just a little chat. It's not a big thing, but families appreciate. Meals on Wheels would not be able to operate without their volunteers such as Ellie Dool, who has been with the St. Catharines group for more than 10 years. The 72-year-old got involved after a friends wife died. I thought he needed to be busy, he was staying in the house We both started doing it and it was a good thing for him, just to be out of the house and have a routine, she recalled. They have 180 volunteers right now, said Power. It seems like a lot of people, she said, but it isnt. While they dont have high turnover of volunteers, Power explained that the problem comes in juggling everyones schedules to fill shifts for every day of the month. The average age is 75, she said of her volunteers. A lot of these people are going to retire; they've been doing this for 20 years. They've volunteered longer than they worked, probably. So this is leaving us a little bit short. They currently serve 292 people in St. Catharines and Thorold. So in a day, we're sending out about 100 hot meals on average in St. Catharines and anywhere from 20 to 30 hot meals in Thorold, she said. On Wednesdays and Thursdays, they deliver frozen food, which bumps up the numbers considerably. For Dool, the work is the best reward. There's a huge need for this, and the odd thing is, nobody thinks they'd be good at it and thinks that's too much work, she said. It's no work at all, and it's so gratifying. Reghr said shes appreciative of the meals and the hospitality. They're just such friendly faces and say the sweetest things, and its a little morale boost sometimes when you need it, Reghr said. STORY BEHIND THE STORY: In honour of Meals on Wheels March for Meals week, reporter Abby Green wanted to speak with clients of the organization and find out how theyve been helped beyond food. SHARE: As migrant worker advocates and Niagara multicultural organizations call for changes to immigration policies to help asylum seekers including thousands housed in Niagara Falls hotel rooms Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada associate deputy minister Scott Harris says those policies are being reviewed. Migrant Workers Alliance for Change organized rallies across Canada on the weekend, including in Niagara Falls on Sunday, to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, while calling on the federal government to provide permanent resident status for all migrants and refugees, including undocumented people. Harris said IRCC has been exploring options for what we might do for those who do not have status in Canada at the present time and, obviously, those are complex policy issues. The minister (Sean Fraser) will consider those options and bring forward what he deems appropriate, Harris said. Welland Heritage Council and Multicultural Centre executive director Janet Madume and Niagara Folk Arts Centre executive director Emily Kovacs have both called for the elimination of the Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA) with the United States, blaming it for the influx of people crossing into Canada illegally. Harris said crossing into Canada at unofficial border crossings such as Roxham Road is technically illegal, and people entering the country at those locations are arrested and referred to Canada Border Security Agency operations for processing. That being said, were dealing with people who are in need of protection and in some cases theyre very desperate to get that protection, so we tend to refer to it as irregular migration and we take our obligations and process those people in accordance with international standards, he added in a Monday interview. Harris said the agreement with the U.S. includes a provision allowing Canadian border officials to deny entry to asylum seekers at regular ports of entry, the premise being if youre seeking safety, you should do so at the first safe country that you can. But the agreement has a loophole whereby those entering at unofficial entry points, such as Roxham Road, cannot be turned back. Harris said the federal government is working with U.S. immigration officials regarding the modernization of the agreement, although he could not provide more details. It is a matter of international negotiation with another country and the details of which need to be tightly held, Harris said. I wouldnt at this point be able to speculate about any changes to the STCA partly because this is open to negotiations right now and I wouldnt want to do anything that would interfere with those discussions going forward. SHARE: As thousands of asylum seekers continue to arrive at Canadas border, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada associate deputy minister Scott Harris says the government is committed to working with communities such as Niagara Falls, where almost 5,000 refugees have been placed in rented hotel rooms since last June. Harris said IRCC has 1,500 rooms for asylum seekers at several Niagara Falls hotels, clarifying earlier reports that said as many as 2,000 hotel rooms were being used to house them. Meanwhile, the influx of asylum seekers has stretched the resources of Niagaras agencies forcing Niagara Region to request nearly $6 million in emergency provincial funding to address the increase in social assistance applications. As of Tuesday, the Region had yet to receive a response from the province regarding the funding request. Harris said the federal government is actively engaged with both the province and the local municipalities to have a good understanding of what the requirements are and what the impacts are including financial impacts for the municipalities. In the meantime, he said, Niagara Falls hotels will be used for the foreseeable future as IRCC continues to see fairly high levels of people arriving at the border seeking protection. IRCC, however, does not anticipate further expanding the number of asylum seekers being housed in Niagara Falls, and is instead looking for accommodations in other communities across the country, including a recent focus on Atlantic provinces. Niagara has been a wonderfully receptive community. We have got some great partnerships with local officials there, but we recognize that this does create pressure on the local system and we want to make sure we are taking into account the impacts that it is having locally, Harris said in a Monday interview. He said IRCC is aware of concerns that the tourist season may have an impact on the use of those hotels to house asylum seekers, and were going to continue to engage with local officials on some of those issues. By expanding the program to other provinces, Harris hopes to reduce our presence in any given community or even potentially transition to other alternatives, so we can restore the hotel capacity for other purposes and certainly in Niagara that clearly relates to the tourism that happens there. Harris said Canada has seen record high numbers of asylum seekers in recent years. About 93,000 arrived in Canada last year, including 39,000 who crossed into Canada at Roxham Road, an unofficial border crossing from New York state into Quebec. He called it a reflection of the patterns that are being seen globally, adding the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees estimates 4.5 million people have been displaced from their home countries and are seeking protection somewhere in the world. Harris said the majority of asylum seekers now arriving in Canada are from Venezuela, Turkey and Haiti for a variety of reasons that would be easy to speculate about. We do certainly recognize that global situations are continuing to create instability in various arts of the world and that leads people to seek protection in Canada, he said. The Government of Canada has a long history of respecting our international obligations towards refugees and asylum seekers and I think that creates a certain expectation from those who need protection that they can find safety here in Canada. We continue to take those legal obligations and international obligations extraordinarily seriously. Although Niagara immigration officials have raised concerns about racism targeting newcomers, Harris said Canada has been an incredibly welcoming country, not just the Government of Canada and the local and provincial governments, but communities at large have really responded well to asylum seekers and others who have come to Canada seeking protection. He said there continues to be isolated incidents from time to time and we take those incidents very seriously, but asylum seekers that Ive spoken with, and through channels of information reporting to me, say the majority have had a very positive experience in a very disruptive period in their lives. It obviously takes a fair amount of courage to face the fears that lead you to seek protection in another country and then the journey to get to that protection can be quite perilous. So, I think people have been warmly received by Canadians and I would certainly want to encourage that to continue. The refugees also have a great deal to offer Canada, he added. Among the many people who seek asylum in Canada theres a diversity of pre-existing skill levels that people bring with them, including some very skilled people, people who were previously medical practitioners, engineers and other skilled trades people in their country of origin, Harris said, adding the federal and provincial governments are working to ensure people are provided an opportunity to integrate into the workplace as early as is practical. SHARE: DUBLIN, March 21, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Hospital Furniture Market Size, Segments, Outlook, and Revenue Forecast 2022-2028 by Product Type, Manufacturing Material, Application, End User, Region" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. Research and Markets Logo According to this analysis, the Global Hospital Furniture Market was valued at ~US$ 7 billion in 2017. It is estimated to be ~US$ 11 billion by 2022 and is expected to reach a market size of ~US$ 20 billion by 2028, growing with a CAGR of 10%. This growth is due to the rise in the number of hospital admissions globally, and the increasing prevalence of different chronic diseases. A hospital infrastructure relies on its furnishings which are designed in a way to least interfere with the daily operations of medical personnel and patient comfort. Hospital furnishing includes hospital beds, cabinets, examination couches, and bedside tables. Hospital furniture has sole utilization in clinics, hospitals, nursing homes, and diagnostic centers. Most of the furniture is designed in such a way as to draw in potential consumers or patients. The increasing number of hospitals and clinics, the popularity of medical tourism and the prevalence of different chronic diseases, and patient expectations towards the hospital infrastructure are driving the growth of the Hospital Furniture Market. Chronic diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, chronic lung disease, stroke, Alzheimer's, diabetes, and chronic kidney diseases are on the rise all over the world, which is driving the growth of the Hospital Furniture Market. The demand for better hospital infrastructure due to rising medical tourism has also boosted the Hospital Furniture Market. Moreover, the rise in the geriatric population is increasing the number of diseases associated with age-related factors, hence increasing the number of patients visiting hospitals. High costs attributable to hospital furniture, lack of design and creation, and patient-centered care issues pose challenges to the growth of the Hospital Furniture Market. Hospital furniture such as operating tables and other examination tables have a higher cost as compared to hospital beds and chairs, which limits their adoption. The rising cost of medical furniture hinders the growth of the Hospital Furniture Market. The COVID-19 pandemic boosted the Global Hospital Furniture Market. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, several people were admitted to hospitals for treatment and cure. Many governments opened up extensions with bed facilities, for a larger chunk of people to get treatment simultaneously. Story continues This led to an increase in demand for medical supplies to take care of the infected people. The increased demand for stretchers and hospital beds to provide adequate healthcare support to the people through hospitals and other temporary expansion sites propelled the growth of the Hospital Furniture Market during the pandemic. Scope of the Report Global Hospital Furniture Market is segmented by product type, manufacturing material, application, and end-user. In addition, the report also covers market size and forecasts for each of the four regions' Hospital Furniture Market. The revenue used to size and forecast the market for each segment is US$ billion. By Product Type Beds Tables Chairs Cabinet and Lockers Trolley and Stretchers Others (Waste containers, Scrub Sinks, Instrument Stands) By Manufacturing Material Metal Plastic Wood By Application Physician's Furniture Patient's Furniture Staff Furniture By End User Hospitals & Clinics Ambulatory Surgical Centers Diagnostic Centers Others (Mobile Clinics, Surgical Centers) By Geography North America (USA, Canada, Mexico) Europe (Germany, UK, Italy, France, Spain) Asia Pacific (China, India, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia) LAMEA (Latin America, Middle East, Africa) Key Players Stryker Corporation Invacare Corporation Kovonax LINET J&J Medical Specialities Skytron Supplies Getinge Herman Miller Met-lak Promotal STERIS Corporation GPC Medical Limited Key Trends by Market Segment By Product Type: Hospital bed segment held the largest market share in 2021 of the Global Hospital Furniture Market A hospital bed is a part of patient care as it helps in the process of recovery by ensuring proper recovery time and comfort of the patients. It is not a simple bed but multifunctional and designed under the guidance of medical experts. Some of these beds include OT beds, examination beds, ICU beds, and pediatric beds By Manufacturing Material: The metal segment held the largest market share in 2021 in the Global Hospital Furniture Market. The metal hospital furniture has more agility, durability, and affordability and is compatible with integrating advanced systems to provide comfort and support towards patient recovery. Unlike wooden structures, metal does not require frequent maintenance and lasts longer. The metal hospital beds enable the patient to make adjustments according to the situation, hosting functions such as hydraulics that enable them to evenly distribute the weight on the bed. By Application: The patient furniture segment held the largest market share in 2021 in the Global Hospital Furniture Market. The hospital furniture is primarily designed for patient diagnosis and treatment and with the rise in illness and other chronic diseases, the number of patients visiting the hospital has increased resulting in the growth of the patient furniture segment. The requirement of hospital furniture is not only seen for the in-patient but the outpatient department also requires furniture such as chairs and tables based on durability and space consideration. By End User: The hospitals & clinics segment held the largest market share in 2021 in the Global Hospital Furniture Market. An increased number of hospital admission, growing medical tourism, and escalating number of illnesses worldwide is boosting the demand for better hospital infrastructure and thus, hospital furniture. In addition, the rising patient admission in hospitals with higher rates of acute conditions such as heart attacks, and strokes are driving the growth of the hospital segment. By Geography: North America is expected to account for the largest share among all regions within the Global Hospital Furniture Market, during the forecasted period 2022-2028. The growth is primarily attributed to the rise in the adoption of advanced techniques and systems for the manufacturing of hospital furniture. Countries such as USA and Canada in the region host several multi-specialty hospitals with a benchmarked infrastructure. Such hospitals also tend to increase their capacity to deal with the rising number of illness treatment cases. Furthermore, the rising number of chronic disease cases in the region is expected to fuel the growth Hospital Furniture Market. For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/3xl47a 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: 646-607-1904 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-hospital-furniture-market-report-to-2028-featuring-stryker-invacare-kovonax-linet-and-jj-medical-specialities-among-others-301777584.html SOURCE Research and Markets There is an important conversation taking place in Canada about the role that pension plans and other large, institutional investors should play in addressing the climate crisis. How should major pension plans use their influence to help move the economy to a net zero future while continuing to meet their fiduciary duty to deliver pensions to members? There are two points worth emphasizing in these discussions. First, that an institutional investor, no matter how large, can only do so much on its own; its climate work needs to be in the context of collective action. And second, its not enough to lower the carbon emissions in a pensions portfolio changes must translate into real-world emissions. Both these points lead to the same conclusion: engagement is key. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP) one of the largest pensions in Canada has a long history of sustainable investing. From being the first Canadian pension plan to create a greenhouse gas policy for our real estate portfolio in 2008, to making our first green bond investment in 2016, we have long sought to have a positive environmental impact while being responsible stewards of our members retirement savings. We furthered this commitment with the recent with the release of our climate plan. We know that our members, the health care workers of Ontario, share our concern about climate change. They have questions about what the global climate crisis means not just for the planet, but for their own retirement security. This is why pension plan managers the world over are asking the same question how can we do whats right for the planet and for the long-term health of our pension plan? The reality is that climate change, from an investor standpoint, comes with risks that need to be managed, and investment opportunities that can be leveraged. As we see it, sustainable investing is investing. HOOPPs climate plan outlines our approach for reaching net zero in our portfolio by 2050 a target that is aligned with the Paris Agreement, and the consensus view among climate experts that reaching net zero globally by 2050 is necessary to address the climate crisis. Specific goals in our plan include: by 2030 we expect to deploy $23 billion in capital for green investments, and having 50 per cent of our infrastructure and private equity portfolios with credible transition plans. Its a long-term plan that will likely evolve in the years ahead. The plan also recognizes that reducing the carbon footprint of our investment portfolio isnt particularly meaningful if it doesnt, at the same time, lead to real-world emissions reductions. Divesting of a particular asset wont make a difference if the next owner of the asset is uninterested in urging these companies to decarbonize. This is why we favour engagement. As an institutional investor, we need to work in collaboration with other investors and directly with the businesses we invest in to achieve the desired outcome. To that end, HOOPP is a founding member of Climate Engagement Canada (CEC), a finance-led initiative that drives dialogue between the financial community and businesses to promote a just transition to a net-zero economy. Through this organization, we will urge high-emitting companies to reduce their carbon footprint. A focus on sustainability is good for the environment and necessary for us deliver on the pension promise for decades to come. Tim Shortill is chief operating officer of the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan. SHARE: It was more than six years ago that then U.S. Vice-President Joe Biden, with Donald Trump about to take power in Washington, turned to Justin Trudeau as the keeper of the liberal flame during an era of international turmoil. In the ensuing years, the challenges to that liberal international order have only multiplied, threats from China and Russia dog both leaders, Trudeaus liberal bona fides have been tested time and time again. When he returns Thursday, Biden becomes the first U.S. President to make an official visit to Canada since Barack Obama in 2016, an extraordinarily long gap between visits. First came the Trump fever dream. During his term, his only Canadian visit was a G-7 summit in Quebec where he broke all the furniture, left early and insulted the host. Biden, elected in 2020, faced COVID-19 travel restrictions early in his term that impeded an earlier visit. These presidential visits have left us with memorable moments and enduring images. There was George W. Bush blindsiding Prime Minister Paul Martin with an appeal for a continental ballistic shield after assuring Ottawa the issue would not be raised. That year, 2004, Bush, after witnessing a rather rude reception, thanked Canadians who came out to wave with all five fingers. His father, George H. W. Bush, groused over the Ottawa winter during an outdoor media scrum with Brian Mulroney (Its colder than hell out here,) and Mulroney famously crooned When Irish Eyes are Smiling with Ronald Reagan in 1985. Then First Lady Hillary Clinton skated the Rideau Canal in 1995 and Obama, in his first visit in 2009, sampled a beaver tail pastry in Ottawas Byward Market. Bidens two-day visit may assure Canadians that a traditional relationship has been reset but it comes as both men face trouble at home and from foreign adversaries. Russian aggression and Chinese meddling vex both leaders and they will discuss modernization of the NORAD agreement on their northern flank, particularly after the recent downing of spy balloons and the clipping of an American drone by a Russian fighter overseas, again ratcheting up tensions. Then there are their shared immigration concerns, and this is where business could get done. The Canadian problem lies at Roxham Road where irregular migrants seeking asylum enter this country often aided and abetted by U.S. governors and mayors bypassing the Safe Third Country Agreement under which those seeking asylum at official crossings are turned back to make that claim in the country they first entered. Last year, the RCMP intercepted 39,540 people who crossed between official ports of entry. In January, another 5,000 were intercepted. This is overwhelming Quebec and the overflow are being housed in places like Niagara Falls with tourist season approaching. The situation is unsustainable. Biden has a bigger problem on his southern flank where he is facing a migration of would-be refugees from the Caribbean and South America bottlenecked in Mexico and he needs to provide a path for settlement for some of them. To agree to extend the Safe Country Agreement to irregular border crossings, he could press Trudeau to settle a greater share of migrants from Guatemala, Haiti or Venezuela. Or there could be a bigger ask. Canada could again be asked to lead a mission to bring stability to Haiti. Trudeau has been pressed in recent months to have Canada lead a military mission in Haiti where local authorities are unable to contain gang activity and where lawlessness has worsened since the 2021 assassination of president Jovenel Moise. Trudeau has rejected outside intervention as a solution and has instead sanctioned former Haitian politicians and gang leaders, pledged armoured vehicles for the Haitian police and sent two patrol ships to the area. Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Wayne Eyre has questioned Canadian capability to lead a military mission in the perpetually troubled country. Beyond the public bonhomie and kind words next week, Biden is expected to push Trudeau again on Haiti, perhaps bringing an immigration carrot. Trudeau would be well advised to find an immigration solution with Biden that falls well short of a Haitian commitment this country cannot fulfil. Read more about: SHARE: TORONTO - The Bank and Trust Companies Association is asking Canadas finance minister to consider raising the insurance limit of account deposits. The trade group of trusts and smaller banks says in a letter to Chrystia Freeland that the current insured limit of $100,000 is the lowest among G7 nations and doesnt reflect current financial realities. The letter, signed by five chief executives including the head of Equitable Bank and Home Trust Co., says the limit doesnt adequately cover a range of potential cash holders including those saving for a down payment, retirees, newcomers and small businesses. The group says a higher deposit insurance limit would help level the field of competition in the financial services and create greater stability in the financial system by reducing concerns of deposit losses. The request comes as recent bank failures in the U.S. have created more focus on the financial backstop measure. When Silicon Valley Bank failed many of its depositors had cash amounts at the bank that were much higher than the US$250,000 limit, a situation that ultimately led U.S. regulators to extend insurance coverage to all deposits at the bank to avoid a wider banking crisis. This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 21, 2023. Companies in this story: (TSX:EQB; TSX:HCG) SHARE: Did Vladimir Putin make his first trip to Ukraine this weekend? Or was it a dude named Mikhail who was paid with a grab bag of vodka and caviar to chopper into Mariupol while pretending to be the Russian dictator? I was planning to write a column about a new Golden Pass Express Train in Switzerland, named after Shania Twain the Shania Train. A little on the nose, yes, but still adorable. Now I want the Keg to refer to all steaks as Drakes. Anyway, I got derailed Tuesday by headlines such as these: Top Zelenskyy Adviser Suggests Putin Sent Body Double to Ukraine. Pictures of Vladimir Putins Chin Spark Conspiracy Theories. Former KGB Spy Claims Vladimir Putin Is Using Body Doubles. So lets discuss this weeks newest conspiracy. Youll need your geometry set from Grade 7 so we can measure Putins chin curvature, nose angle and dangling earlobes. A background in biometrics and behavioural science might also helpful. The conspiracy theory, which has gone global, argues Putin did not visit Ukraine this past weekend. He sent a doppelganger. I know. Bananas. But not unprecedented. Other madmen Stalin, Hitler, Hussein, Little Rocket Man used look-alikes. If you are human garbage, an uncanny backup bag makes tactical sense. But heres whats chilling about this conspiracy: the truth is impossible to divine. On Monday, Anton Gerashchenko, a Ukrainian politician, tweeted three recent photos of Putin in Moscow, Sevastopol and Mariupol. He added red, isolating circles around Putins chin and wrote: Which one do you think is the real one? This isnt the first time Ukrainian officials have questioned the very existence of Putin, who is rumoured to have a serious illness. Last year, Ukraines Major General Kyrylo Budanov said Putin, who may already be dead, has at least three body doubles who were sliced and diced with cosmetic surgery to simulate the Russian president, and are on call for duties and dangers the real Putin wants to avoid. As Budanov told the Daily Mail: The one thing that gives them away is their height. Its visible in videos and pictures. Also gesturing, body language and earlobes, since they are unique for every person. I remember thinking this was bonkers at the time. But watching footage of quote-unquote Putin in Mariupol this weekend, now Im not so sure. Would this heartless and brutal invader with imperial delusions really just pop into a war zone with less security than Kim Kardashian? Putin was so terrified of the coronavirus, he conducted meetings from the solitary end of a boardroom table the size of an Amazon fulfilment centre. For all the rugged machismo he tries to project in photo-ops in which hes riding a horse shirtless or putting a bear in a judo chokehold, hes a scaredy-cat. He is a sociopathic coward. A spider could make him shriek. And that is precisely why this conspiracy theory is gaining traction. Why would the real Putin decamp to a war zone when hes spooked by Hello Kitty? It makes no sense. Putin was driving himself around Mariupol without an armed motorcade on the weekend like he was on a midnight beef jerky run to 7-Eleven. And why did this Putin go mute in Ukraine? He just pointed and smiled and nodded and, generally speaking, looked like a Hollywood stunt double who was deathly afraid he might get blown up. Now that the International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Putin for alleged war crimes its about time can you imagine the stress on the fake Putins? How do you practise complimenting Chinas Xi Jinping in Mandarin while rattled about the prospects of a one-way ticket to The Hague? But even if the real Putin went to Ukraine this weekend, we should be alarmed by how easy faking it will be in the future. Its too late for us now. Deep fakes are still in their infancy and they are already beyond the pale. It doesnt matter if its a made-up, computer-generated interview between Joe Rogan and Justin Trudeau. Or a press conference in which Joe Biden professes his love for big butts. Truth is under siege every minute of every day and its only getting worse. We already have a sizable chunk of the population that rejects reality. At some point soon, a monster like Putin wont even need a physical look-alike. He will just need an app and an algorithm to spread his diabolical propaganda. If we can already bring back dead musicians via hologram, how long until everyone on social media is inundated with manufactured footage strictly created to divide and conquer? Russia has spent the last decade at the forefront of disinformation. You should not believe a word from the Kremlin. It is a bona fide factory of lies and deception. But what happens when any bad actor is able to play this twisted game? Whether Vladimir Putin did or did not visit Ukraine this weekend is beside the point. The point is we have now strayed beyond knowing what is real. Read more about: SHARE: TORONTO - A new report that looks at the prevalence of marketing to children inside grocery stores and restaurants suggests regulation is needed to help reduce unhealthy food temptations. The report, funded by Heart and Stroke and published on Tuesday, audited displays at more than 2,000 restaurants and 800 stores across Canada and says children may be bombarded with messages that make junk food seem appealing. Researchers found nearly 53 per cent of stores had junk food power walls at checkout aisles, which it says are prime areas to market to kids because products are placed within their reach. The research said that placement encourages pester power when children nag or pester their parents to make impulse purchases. Parenting is hard enough without having to deal with environments that are explicitly designed to get our kids pestering us for junk food thats not supportive of their health, said Leia Minaker, the author of the report and an associate professor at the University of Waterloo. Were set up to fail by the stores and the restaurants that we go into, Minaker said. Its really hard to make healthy choices for your kids in this context. Designs and themes such as magic, adventure and zoo animals are also commonly seen in beverage and ice cream fridges, Minaker said. The report comes as Bill C-252 for prohibition of food and beverage marketing directed at children is under consideration by the House of Commons Standing Committee on Health. Given the high proportion of child-directed marketing observed in both stores and restaurants in this Canadian research, its clear that policies aimed to restrict marketing of unhealthy food and beverages to kids something long promised by the federal government should include point-of-sale locations, said Doug Roth, CEO of the Heart and Stroke Foundation in a news release. Stores can help by creating healthy checkout policies, where checkout aisles wouldnt feature junk food and sugary drinks, the report said. Prohibiting toy giveaways with unhealthy childrens meals in restaurants could also help reduce consumption of unhealthy food, it said. The Retail Council of Canada (RCC) said it questions the reports findings, including how often certain types of advertising displays are directed at children. (That) seems to be offside for us, said Michelle Wasylyshen, spokeswoman for the council, in an email on Tuesday afternoon. The focus should not be on retail, but on the national and global supplier brands that own and sell these products across a variety of channels since they have control over packaging and design and ultimately advertising, she said. RCC has been working closely with Health Canada and other stakeholders on this and related issues. A spokesperson for Ad Standards, the Canadian self-regulatory organization for the advertising industry, said they couldnt comment specifically on the report. But they directed The Canadian Press to the Code for the Responsible Advertising of Food and Beverage Products to Children, which restricts advertising of products that dont meet certain nutritional standards to children under 13 years of age. Ad Standards will begin administering the code later this year, spokeswoman Jessica Yared said in an email. But according to the code, the restrictions dont apply to many point-of-sale marketing tactics, including displays, in-store flyers, posters, menus, menu boards and other on-premises communications and material about a food or beverage product. However, those marketing media may not include language that directly urges a child to buy the product, or directly urge a child to ask another person to buy it for them, Yared said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 21, 2023. Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content. SHARE: This is the story of a $150,000 driveway. Hayley Fromstein and James Albiez own a house on Northcliffe Blvd. in Toronto. Their neighbour to the south is Rita Di Michele-King. Between the two houses is a narrow driveway measuring 7.5 feet wide and 95 feet long. Each of the neighbours owns part of the driveway and has a reciprocal right to use the adjoining part of the passage. Di Michele-King has a right-of-way over the north part of the space, and her portion of the driveway is subject to her neighbours right-of-way. At the same time, Fromstein and Albiez have a registered right to use the south part of the driveway, and their title is subject to Di Michele-Kings right to travel over the north part. Historically, the driveway was used to access parking garages at the rear of the lots, but these have long since been demolished. Around 2018, Di Michele-King built a fence along the property line, effectively blocking her neighbours vehicle access to the rear of the property. She also consistently parked a car at the front of the mutual driveway, and kept her garbage and recycle bins in the driveway, further blocking access. After buying the property in 2020, Fromstein and Albiez asked Di Michele-King to remove the fence and bins, and to stop parking across the mutual right-of-way. When that failed, each of the neighbours sued the other. Di Michele-Kings position was, in spite of the registered title, that the mutual rights, known as an easement, had been abandoned by the parties or their predecessors. She also claimed to have exclusive use to her part of the passage by prescription, which is a legal doctrine similar to what is known as squatters rights. The application to enforce the right-of-way was heard by Justice Edward Morgan last November. In his ruling, he made it clear that he did not agree with (Di Michele-Kings) reading of the law or of the facts on the ground. He found that there was no evidence that the easement had been abandoned or that a prescriptive right had been created. The judge also considered De Michele-Kings argument that her easement included a right to park and block the mutual driveway. He ruled that this argument is so contradictory to the meaning and intent of the (registered) easements that it can be dismissed out of hand. He added that a fence which blocks any portion of a mutual driveway is impermissible. Justice Morgan ruled that Fromstein and Albiez are entitled to use the driveway for vehicle and pedestrian use, the fence had to come down, and the vehicle and bins blocking the driveway had to be removed. It continues to puzzle me why anyone would pursue what I think was hopeless litigation. In light of the refusal of Di Michele-King to accept a favourable offer of settlement at the outset, Justice Morgan ruled that she had to pay almost all of her neighbours legal costs in the amount of $75,000. She also had to pay her lawyers fees which could have been a similar amount. This makes for one expensive driveway. Bob Aaron is a Toronto real estate lawyer and a contributing columnist for the Star. He can be reached at bob@aaron.ca or on Twitter: @bobaaron2 SHARE: CALGARY - A 15-year-old boy who died in Calgary weighing just 37 pounds was also near death in a British Columbia hospital about a decade earlier, a child welfare official from that province testified at the teens fatality inquiry. Alexandru Radita was brought to a hospital in 2003 by ambulance with a bloated stomach, rotten teeth and thinning hair, and he was extremely underweight, the deputy director of Child Welfare in B.C. testified Tuesday at the Calgary inquiry. It was about insulin and it was probably the most grave report that we had on this family in British Columbia, James Wale said. It was a very concerning report. Alex was near death. The teen died of bacterial sepsis in May 2013, which was brought on by complications from untreated diabetes and starvation. His parents, Emil and Rodica Radita, were found guilty in 2017 of first-degree murder. Court heard they refused to accept the boy had diabetes when he was diagnosed in B.C. with the disease in 2000. He was hospitalized twice due to malnutrition and taken into foster care before later being returned to his parents who moved to Alberta in 2008. The inquiry was adjourned in September in an effort to bring in witnesses from British Columbia. I need to hear it from the ministry in terms of their responses, their actions and what they were seeing because that is the focal point of this inquiry state action, not the murder trial, Alberta Provincial Court Judge Sharon Van de Veen said in September. The purpose of this inquiry is to determine if we can prevent similar deaths and Im looking at the involvement of state agencies who could have or did play a role in regard to the treatment of children generally. Wale said Tuesday that his office reviewed all dealings with the Radita family from 2000 to 2009. Problems came to light in 2000 and 2001, but came to a head in October 2003 when Alex was brought to hospital, he said. Wale said paramedics at the scene reported the severity of the neglect to the RCMP. Without intervention at this time, it is highly likely he would have died within hours, he said. Wale said Alex was removed from his home the next day. A year later, a B.C. judge ordered he be given back to his parents. He said the case was considered closed in 2009, when the department learned the family had moved to Alberta, which meant the department didnt pass on its concerns. I will say here that B.C. should have called Alberta. I agree with that, given the facts of the situation, Wale said. We recognize the tragedy of this. Van de Veen said if Alberta had been notified about the risk Alex was facing, the inquiry would not be necessary. They disappear off the radar and the only people who had an idea where this boy could have been located was the B.C. ministry, said Van de Veen, pausing to note how emotional the proceedings have been. She said there needed to be some sort of alert system in place that should have included social agencies, health officials and even those involved in his home-schooling. This is not a question of uncertainty. I am certain if one person had laid eyes on Alex, just laid eyes on him, hed be alive today, Van de Veen said. They would not have left him there. He was 37 pounds at his death. This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 21, 2023. Read more about: SHARE: If youre looking to skip the check-in line when crossing the U.S. border, you may be in luck starting this week, Canadas Nexus application centres are reopening at eight major airports. The Nexus trusted-traveller program will fully ramp up within five weeks, the federal government said Monday, after application centres in the country were shuttered for nearly a year in Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) said in an email that the pause resulted in a backlog of around 269,000 applicants currently waiting to be processed. New applications can take 12 to 14 months to process, including the initial risk assessment, according to a spokesperson. Heres what you need to know: What is Nexus? The Nexus program speeds up border crossings between Canada and the U.S. for low-risk, pre-approved travellers, according to the CBSA. Its run by the CBSA alongside U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Nexus memberships last for five years and carry a non-refundable $50 (U.S.) application processing fee. Members of a family each need their own membership, although children under 18 are free. Perks when entering Canada include: Nexus kiosks and gates at nine international airports, TSA pre-check lines at over 200 U.S. airports, dedicated lanes at 21 land border crossings, Nexus gates at Ontarios Peace Bridge and Ambassador Bridges and expedited clearance through Canadian security screening lines where available. Privileges when going to the U.S. include: global entry kiosks in eight Canadian airports, dedicated lanes at 16 land border crossings and faster processing at all marine crossings. Who is eligible for Nexus? Nexus is open to Canadian citizens, Canadian permanent residents, U.S. citizens, U.S. lawful permanent residents and Mexican nationals who are members of the Viajero Confiable program. To qualify for permanent residency in Canada or the U.S., one must be a legal resident of either country for at least three years. Exceptions may be made for certain members of the armed forces or the family of individuals on a diplomatic mission. People convicted of a serious criminal offence in any country who havent yet been pardoned are ineligible for Nexus. Applicants must pass background and criminal record checks to qualify. Other requirements include providing truthful and complete information on the application and not violating customs, agricultural or immigration laws. How can I apply for Nexus? The program no longer takes paper applications; those eligible must apply through the U.S. Department of Homeland Securitys Trusted Traveller Portal. First, create an account on login.gov, a sign-in service used by certain U.S. government agencies. Next, navigate to the Trusted Traveller Portal and select the Nexus pass from the five available options. Youll be prompted for your login.gov information. After you sign in with your account, fill in the form and send it off. Once the program conditionally approves your application, you will be invited to an interview with Canadian and U.S. border authorities check your Trusted Traveller Programs System account for the invite. Children under 18 must be accompanied by their parent, legal guardian or another adult during their interview. How did Nexus interviews change? Starting this week, there are now three options for conditionally approved applicants to complete their interview: Like before, applicants can complete a joint interview by U.S. and Canadian border staff at a U.S.-based enrolment location. They can also choose to split their U.S. and Canadian interviews between land enrolment centres found at the border. Applicants would complete the first part of their interview on the Canadian side and the second at the nearby U.S. centre. Locations accepting interviews are found at Lansdowne, Ontario and Alexandria Bay, New York; and near the Peace Bridge at Fort Erie, Ontario and Buffalo, New York. Finally, applicants can complete the Canadian side of the interview at one of eight major Canadian airports. They can then finish the U.S. portion at a preclearance location, also within a major Canadian airport. Preclearance locations are only available to applicants departing for the U.S. that same day. Where can I interview for Nexus in Canada? Starting this week, applicants can book interviews for the following dates at the specified airports: March 27 Halifax Stanfield International Airport (YHZ) Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport (YWG) April 3 Vancouver International Airport (YVR) April 12 Calgary International Airport (YYC) Edmonton International Airport (YEG) April 17 Montreal-Trudeau International Airport (YUL) April 24 Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport (YOW) How can I renew my Nexus card? If your five-year membership is almost up or expired, you can renew through the same Trusted Travellers Portal though youll have to pay another $50 (U.S.) fee. If there are no changes to your personal information and nothing changed to impact your eligibility, you may not need an interview. Although renewals previously took about 30 days to process, there are currently long wait times for interviews due to the large backlog of applicants. Why was Nexus closed in Canada? Although Nexus enrolment centres have been open in the U.S. since May 2022, Canadas centres have stayed shut until now partly due to a clash over the legal authority of U.S. border staff in Canadian locations. In January, the two authorities came to a compromise: Canadian border agents will now interview applicants separately from their U.S. counterparts, instead of working together like they did before the pandemic. Clarification March 22, 2023: This file was updated to add details of how the Nexus interview process will change. With files from The Canadian Press Read more about: SHARE: The federal government is going to battle the province over its plan to build housing in the Greenbelt by launching an environmental study of Rouge National Urban Park that could enable use of Ottawas powers to halt developments, the environment minister suggested. Speaking in the park on Tuesday, Steven Guilbeault, minister of environment and climate change, said that depending on the findings of the study, Ottawa is open to using all the regulatory tools in its power to ensure the park stays protected. We have an idea that is being put forward by the Ford government that in order to build housing, we need to do that on the Greenbelt we profoundly disagree with that idea, he said. The regulatory process hasnt started because theres no specific proposal to build yet, but Guilbeault said if projects are proposed, then chances are that people will ask me to ask the Impact Assessment Agency to look at these projects and whether or not they will have impact on species at risk, for example. If we come to the conclusion is that they have irreversible impact on species at risk, then these projects wont be allowed to go forward. Thats very clear. However, Premier Doug Ford suggested Tuesday the federal plans dont actually threaten the Greenbelt development. The Duffins Rouge Agricultural Preserve, a 4,700-acre tract of land immediately adjacent to Rouge National Urban Park, was opened up as part of the provinces controversial Greenbelt land swap announced in November. The Rouge, in Torontos eastern suburbs, is the largest urban park in North America, home to over 1,700 species, including 42 considered at risk. Speaking to reporters in Vaughan, Ford said he has no problem with Guilbeaults move and said the park wont affect the provinces plans for expanding housing construction. Its really adjacent, and isnt it great that we can build a community and people can go there and walk through these parks, said Ford. So I have no problem with that. (It) shouldnt slow down our development plans. But good luck to him (Guilbeault) and were going to build a beautiful community there. In response, Guilbeault said the federal government had to act, as the province has made it very clear they have no desire for public consultation, no desire for transparency, and no desire to understand the impacts if we go ahead with these developments. He said his office has been swamped with expressions of concern over Fords Greenbelt plans and its impacts, including on threatened species. The goal of the federal study will be to understand the potential effects, including cumulative effects of past, ongoing and potential future developments on the integrity of the park and its objectives, Guilbeault said. He suggested the study of the Rouge park was an obvious place to start, because as a national park it falls under federal jurisdiction; however, he said, any projects anywhere in Canada that could have an impact on species at risk could go through an impact assessment and could trigger federal intervention. Guilbeault cited a development in the city of Longueil, Que., that he stopped because an assessment found it would have an impact on a threatened population of the western chorus frog. He said the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada, Parks Canada and the federal Environment Department will develop the terms and scope of the study for his approval by the end of June. The study will also look at how to protect biodiversity, natural resources and ecological connectivity through the park, and will consult with the public, Indigenous groups and others. Its unclear how that timeline will play out, given the provinces tight deadlines for construction on the Greenbelt lands. The government has given developers a deadline of 2025 to get shovels in the ground, with housing approvals in progress by the end of 2023. A statement from Ontario Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Steve Clark said the readily developable lands in question are not connected to the Rouge National Urban Park. As they should also be aware, any development on these lands must avoid impacts to species at risk and comply with the Endangered Species Act. The green group Environmental Defence lauded the federal announcement, and said the provinces move left the federal government with no choice but to act. The provinces reckless actions require a thorough evaluation and then federal action to protect values of national and international significance, said Tim Gray, the groups executive director. Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles said shes pleased to see Ottawa stepping forward to do something I really do hope and encourage the federal government to use every tool they have. Stiles said she wonders if Ford doesnt understand the impact of the decisions hes making, given that agricultural land will be lost, and species put at risk. Last fall, Parks Canada which oversees the Rouge park criticized the Ford governments decision to open up adjacent land in a letter, saying the decision was made without consultation and could cause irreversible harm to wildlife, including endangered species. In January, Guilbeault hinted at the federal intervention on the Greenbelt, but offered few details of how it would occur. Liberal MPs have also spoken out about the provinces decision to open up environmentally sensitive lands, saying the federal government should step in if any of the proposed developments touch federal jurisdiction. Ford has always maintained the proposed Greenbelt developments are in the provinces sole jurisdiction. The province aims to build 1.5 million homes over the next decade, and has promised to swap the Greenbelt lands for new, bigger protected areas ones that environmental groups have said are far less ecologically valuable. With files from Robert Benzie and Kristin Rushowy Read more about: SHARE: REGINA - With the Saskatchewan government expected to deliver a big budget surplus, various groups are hoping for more cash or tax cuts amid struggles to afford food and access health care. The Saskatchewan Party government is to introduce its 2023-24 budget Wednesday, revealing plans the finance minister says will address cost-of-living and health-care pressures. Finance Minister Donna Harpauer told reporters Tuesday the budget contains a substantial surplus. Youre going to see more targeted supports that (arent) necessarily for everyone, she said. Youre also going to see a very strong and aggressive health budget to address the pressures that we are all hearing (about) in health, not just in the major centres, but also across Saskatchewan in our rural and remote areas. Critics will be watching to see if the measures are enough. The NDP Opposition has argued the government has failed to provide enough relief because it has not cut gasoline taxes and has proceeded with utility rate hikes. Costs keep rising, NDP Leader Carla Beck told the legislative assembly Monday. This government keeps making things worse, and Saskatchewan people keep falling behind. The government had projected a $1.1-billion surplus by the end of the fiscal year that ends March 31 after receiving a huge windfall in resource revenues. The increase has largely been attributed to increased demand and higher commodity prices as the war in Ukraine forced countries to look elsewhere for goods. The government decided to spend the bulk of those increased revenues on $500 affordability cheques, which were sent to adults who filed an income tax return for the 2021 tax year. It also planned to spend $1 billion to pay down some of its operating debt. Harpauer said paying down the debt will save money in the future. The Canadian Taxpayers Federation has asked the province to control spending, cut taxes and pay down the debt, noting Saskatchewans accumulated debt has grown considerably over the past 10 years. The Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce has requested a freeze on the small business corporate tax rate, as well as for the removal of the provincial sales tax on event tickets. Harpauer said there wont be new taxes or tax cuts. She said affordability measures would be geared toward people who have low incomes, including seniors and people with disabilities. Theres always going to be those that would like more somewhere. But overall, I think that every area the government has support for well see increases (in funding). Beck has said the top issue she hears from people is the need for immediate relief. This is a government that has failed to deliver on job growth, failed to invest meaningfully in health care and certainly in education, she said in early March. Tracy Zambory, the president of the Saskatchewan Union of Nurses, said her organization wants funding that will help retain senior nurses and those midway into their careers. She has also called on the government to set up a task force to find solutions. We are so short-staffed, so we should be doing everything that we can, Zambory said Tuesday The Saskatchewan Teachers Federation has also asked for a huge injection of funding to address pressures in classrooms. The province already has a $60 million health-care plan that aims to hire 1,000 staff over the next two years, but critics have said this plan falls short. If registered nurses finally see that the government has taken their issues seriously, that they are finally going to say, Yes, we do have a problem and we need to work together on it, theyre going to feel like theres finally some hope and some work being done, Zambory said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 21, 2023. Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version said the Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce has asked for the removal of the provincial sales tax on gym memberships. SHARE: Students approach Golda Meir Library on the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee campus in February 2020. A 25-year-old Milwaukee man has been criminally charged with two misdemeanors, accused of loading a handgun inside Golda Meir Library at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. The Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office charged Elmo Daniels with one count of carrying a concealed weapon and one count of carrying a firearm in a public building. According to a criminal complaint filed Monday, Daniels told officers he was at the library to "do drugs in the back" and "use the Wi-Fi," adding that he sleeps at the facility sometimes. When asked if he had any other intentions he responded, "I was just getting high," the complaint says. Daniels told officers that he did not have a concealed carry permit, but bringing a firearm into a university building is violation of state law regardless of permit status. UWM police reported at 1:54 p.m. March 16 they were notified that a man was loading a firearm on the third floor of the library. Upon officers' arrival, a female who is only identified with the initials RB told an officer that she was seated on the third floor when Daniels waved at her and walked past her a few times, the complaint states. Shortly thereafter, the female says she observed Daniels load the gun by inserting a magazine into the magazine well. The female said she did not see Daniels again after he loaded the gun. Roughly an hour after being seen loading the gun, Daniels was taken into custody off-campus on East North Avenue at North Commerce Street near RiverView Residence Hall, according to the complaint. A UWM police spokesperson said Tuesday that police were able to utilize a "robust system of security cameras" and confirm that Daniels had left campus shortly after leaving the library. Police discovered a handgun loaded with a round in the chamber and a magazine in the magazine well inside Daniels' fanny pack, while also finding a second magazine that had 14 live rounds, the complaint states. Police also reported discovering two blue pills, suspected to be methamphetamine or fentanyl. Story continues Daniels admitted, "Yeah, it's my firearm. I have a lot of firearms," the complaint states. When asked how many firearms he had, Daniels said, "A lot, but that's none of your business," the complaint says. The university did not inform library staff of the situation until the following morning. A spokesperson with UWM police said the agency was waiting to confirm details. An employee told the Journal Sentinel last week that they were "shocked" with how the university handled communication. In addition to the library staff, the incident drew a reaction from the student body after the university opted to not send an alert or evacuate the building despite the report of a man with a gun, saying that by the time the officers arrived, the man left the building. The university also didn't send a campus-wide email following the incident, informing students and staff of what happened, until Monday. "Throughout the incident, at no time did the individual indicate an intent to discharge the weapon or threaten any individual with violence," UWM police said Tuesday. "If a report constitutes an ongoing threat to the safety of our community, we send a RAVE alert and provide instructions on how to act. Because the man was off campus by the time police were notified, and the incident was resolved within minutes of that notification, UWM did not issue a RAVE alert or a campus wide communication." UWM police said discussions regarding security protocols at the building are "ongoing." If convicted on both counts, Daniels could be fined up to $20,000 and be imprisoned up to 1 years. Contact Drake Bentley at (414) 391-5647 or DBentley1@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @DrakeBentleyMJS. Our subscribers make this reporting possible. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing to the Journal Sentinel at jsonline.com/deal. DOWNLOAD THE APP: Get the latest news, sports and more This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Gunman at Golda Meir Library in Milwaukee said he wanted to do drugs A group of researchers seeking answers to the mystery of the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic have had their access to an international archive sharing raw data on the coronavirus suspended following a complaint from the Chinese Center for Disease Control that they were scooping the Chinese research. On Tuesday, the Global Initiative on Sharing Avian Influenza Data (GISAID) emailed members of an international group of scientists informing them of their suspension, a day after those scientists had posted online a report titled: Genetic evidence of susceptible wildlife in SARS-CoV-2 positive samples at the Huanan Wholesale Seafood Market, Wuhan Analysis and interpretation of data released by the Chinese Center for Disease Control. In its notice, GISAID informed those scientists some of whom hail from Canada, the United States, the U.K. and France that their credentials were being temporarily suspended following complaints about their use of data generated by the Chinese CDC, in contravention, it said, of GISAIDs Database Access Agreement. That data raised a storm of controversy last week, when it was revealed that Chinese researchers had, in January 2020, taken samples from the Huanan seafood market an early nexus of outbreaks in the pandemic but had kept that data to themselves for the next three years. The suspension came after an earlier email from GISAID on March 13, warning members of the group that had downloaded the Chinese data against publishing their paper before the Chinese research had been published. If you were to publish your analyses of unpublished data before the data generators own publication is released, especially if you know the data generator submitted their own manuscript for publication, such an act would amount to scooping, wrote GISAID in the email. The data had been briefly uploaded to GISAID in late January of this year, according to the WHO, in conjunction with the preprint research paper released by Chinese scientists in February but it was shortly thereafter taken down. The removal of the data prompted a scolding from WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who called out Chinese officials Friday, asking why that data had been withheld from the rest of the world for the past three years, and why that data briefly made available to international researchers was now missing. The Chinese group had already released publicly a preprint version of their research, but had withdrawn the data from GISAID in order, it told the World Health Organization, to update the paper. But not before members of the international group had downloaded it. On March 4, while the data was still on GISAID, the international scientists spotted it, identified it as data from January 2020 samples from Huanan market, and recognized it as the data underlying the February 2023 Chinese preprint report. They said the metadata on GISAID indicated it had been uploaded in June 2022. We downloaded the public data to search for genetic sequences from non-human animals, which the CCDC did not identify in their February 2022 preprint, they wrote in a preamble to their paper. The Chinese paper, they said, posited that all the samples from the Huanan market that tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 the coronavirus responsible for the pandemic were the result of human infections. Our analysis of these data found that genetic evidence of multiple animal species was present in locations of the market where SARS-CoV-2 positive environmental samples had been collected, they wrote. That evidence identified the presence of raccoon dogs in the market, but also included indicators of the presence of other species that required consideration as intermediate hosts of SARS-CoV-2, the researchers said. The international researchers wrote that on March 9, they contacted one of the authors of the Chinese paper and were told that they could conduct an independent analysis of the data. On March 11, they discovered that the data was no longer available. On the same day, they contacted the Chinese scientists and asked if they wished to collaborate on the analysis of the data, they wrote. Two days later, GISAID contacted the international group to warn them against publishing their paper before the Chinese research passed review. When GISAID sought confirmation from the data generator whether best efforts to collaborate have been made in this case, GISAID was advised that a group of researchers contacted the data generator to communicate only their intent to publish the data generators data, it wrote. If you were to publish your analyses of unpublished data before the data generators own publication is released, especially if you know the data generator submitted their own manuscript for publication, such an act would amount to scooping, wrote GISAID. For their part, the international scientists have denied breaching any of GISAIDs terms of use. The GISAID terms of use do not preclude the public discussion of data as long as the data generators are acknowledged and best efforts have been made to collaborate with the contributors. CCDC has thus far declined to collaborate on this, they wrote. Although our colleagues at the CCDC have stated their intention to share these raw sequence data to support the publication currently undergoing review, they remain inaccessible through GISAID at the time of writing. There is no clear timeline for data availability, nor any indication of when data may become available if the manuscript is not recommended for publication after peer review. SHARE: Could a man facing criminal charges or even convicted of them become Americas next president? The question, as it pertains to former president Donald Trump, has been asked countless times. But the matter has never been more urgent than now, as the leading contender for the Republican Partys 2024 presidential nomination braces for a moment that has been years in the making. Richard Nixon famously said in 1973 that people have got to know whether or not their president is a crook before pleading his innocence and, months later in the face of damning evidence that he had misused the great powers of his office quitting the White House. Fifty years later, Trump is trying to use the anticipated indictment against him a legally and politically unprecedented move to his political advantage. Until now, this has been a hypothetical path, but it is one that Americans have peered down several times before: When the FBI raided Trumps Mar-a-Lago estate to recover classified documents. When a House committee recommended criminal charges for inciting the crowd that stormed the U.S. Capitol to overturn the 2020 election results. When a New York judge ordered the Trump Organization, his family company, to pay a $1.6-million criminal penalty for tax fraud. And now, again, the former president and potential 2024 candidate stares down the barrel of yet another legal gun this one to do with hush money paid to porn star Stormy Daniels over a sexual encounter. The short answer to the above question is that there is nothing to stop an alleged or convicted crook from occupying the Oval Office. Legally, according to Article Two, Section One, Clause Five of the U.S. Constitution, Trump, 76, need only be a U.S. citizen, a resident for 14 years in the country and over the age of 35 to retake the office he held from 2016 to 2020. Politically, the response isnt so straightforward. If Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announces charges against Trump as Trump himself has predicted the educated guess is that it would be for the crime of falsifying business records. Under New York State Law, the act of submitting false business records is a simple misdemeanour offence, penalized with up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine. But if prosecutors can prove that the records were falsified to commit or conceal evidence of another crime, the penalties rise to a jail term of between one and five years. Michael Cohen, Trumps former lawyer, pleaded guilty in 2018 to a series of federal charges, among them violating election-finance laws for orchestrating a $130,000 payment to Daniels in an attempt to influence the 2016 presidential campaign. Cohen was reimbursed for the payment by Trump and the Trump Organization under the guise that they were payments for a retainer agreement and legal expenses, according to Cohens sentencing agreement. The average, right-thinking person running for public office would rightly be mortified at the prospect of criminal charges and a potential jail sentence. All the more so that it stems from an alleged extramarital encounter with an adult performer albeit one that Trump has said never occurred. Yet the investigation and potential prosecution have a perverse political upside for Trump and his supporters. A criminal charge is another concrete fact he can use to advance his argument that he is a martyr of the U.S. justice system, which he says has been politicized and is being weaponized against him and his supporters. Also, the world is now, once again, talking incessantly about Trump. This is more than just fuel for Trumps perceived narcissism. Attention to Trump, even if negative, pushes his would-be Republican political rivals Nikki Haley, Mike Pence, Ron DeSantis for now into supporting actor roles. When Trumps law-and-order psychodrama is the only thing playing, the others have the choice to come to his defence or risk being left out of the 24/7 televised conversations. Pence, who served as Trumps vice-president and is now considering his own run for the 2024 Republican nomination, offered a feeble defence of his former boss Sunday. It just feels like a politically charged prosecution here, he said. I just feel like its just not what the American people want to see. But the political reality show is nowhere close to ending. On Monday, Republican committee chairs in the federal House of Representatives sent a letter to Braggs office demanding to know about any communications with federal Justice Department officials or use of federal funds in the Trump grand jury investigation. The Justice Department examined the facts in 2019 and opted not to pursue further prosecutions at that time, the letter read. The only intervening factor, it appears, was President Trumps announcement that he would be a candidate for President in 2024. The Manhattan District Attorneys Office has also been investigating Trumps business dealings for years. This resulted in a conviction of the Trump Organization on charges of tax fraud last year. It is unclear why anticipated charges over payments to Daniels, which occurred in 2016, would be filed only now, or how prosecutors intend to get around the states two-year statute of limitations for misdemeanour offences or the five-year horizon for felony offences. One litmus test of Trumps political power is still to come. He has called on his supporters to take to the streets to protest his arrest. Officials in New York have reportedly made extensive plans for handling the media circus and public demonstrations that could arise. The former top Republican craves the public and media attention, but he risks being both rattled and weakened in his rivals eyes if he goes from pol to perp, and his MAGA backers elicit not a roar but a peep. He has called for protests a lot in the past, said Matthew Lebo, a professor at the University of Western Ontario specializing in American politics. When hes done that with one, giant, key exception it rarely amounts to anything. Lebo sees charges against Trump as an opportunity for him to motivate his base of supporters. But it seems unlikely to convert voters to his cause. Its not like there are people who wouldnt support him but now say this is unfair and Democrats are bad for doing this and that makes me want to support Trump, he said. Perhaps the combination of Trump, porn star, and hush money might even push some Trump supporters to align their personal and political convictions and opt for an alternative candidate. At least that seemed to be the calculation made by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a popular Republican contender who has stayed coy about his presidential ambitions. I dont know what goes into paying hush money to a porn star to secure silence over some type of alleged affair. I cant speak to that, he said, Monday, to guffaws from his crowd. But what I can speak to is that if you have a prosecutor who is ignoring crimes happening every single day in his jurisdiction and he chooses to go back many, many years ago to try to use something about porn-star hush-money payments, thats an example of pursuing a political agenda and weaponizing the office. DeSantis said he was too busy with his gubernatorial duties to give much thought to Trumps legal challenges. But behind the scenes, Lebo predicted, many Republicans who would like to see their party put the Trump era behind them will be quietly pleased to see another black mark on the former presidents record. Lots of Republicans will come out and distance themselves further from Trump. Theyll be approached by other people thinking about running, he said. Trump is not out. But if and when his mug shot is taken and his fingertips are blackened with ink, it will bring him down. Ive been predicting eight years of turning points with Trump that this will finally do it, Lebo said. All these major events that didnt kill him didnt make him stronger either. March 21, 2023 This story has been updated to clarify that a New York judge ordered the Trump Organization to pay a $1.6 million penalty for tax fraud. Read more about: SHARE: OTTAWA A trip to Canada by U.S. President Joe Biden has shrunk from a two-day affair to a 24-hour whirlwind visit that will cram nearly all the official business into Friday. American security officials have already descended on Parliament Hill to walk through the presidents plans. But gone are initial thoughts of bringing the two leaders to another location outside of the nations capital, perhaps to visit a factory floor to highlight the integration of the two countrys economies. Instead, Bidens visit to Canada ticks a box the first official visit by the U.S. president since his 2021 inauguration and will reinforce the friendly relationship, but is unlikely to reshape or set it on any different course. Coming in a week when the U.S. president has bigger things on his international agenda a Russia-China summit and the collapse of a U.S.-based bank that has put international markets on edge and with former president Jimmy Carter in hospice care, Canadian officials are glad it hasnt been postponed. Senior Canadian government officials say the value of an overnight visit, the two leaders spending one-on-one time and of having the U.S. president focused on bilateral issues and sharing perspectives on global challenges, even if only for a short period, shouldnt be underestimated. But even among some Liberal cabinet ministers, there is palpable disappointment that Biden may be accompanied by fewer top officials than expected, with all the reduced face time that goes with a lower-key trip. On Canadas side, the priority will be to discuss the economy, incentives to boost the transition to clean energy, and how the two countries can co-operate as opposed to compete on building resilient supply chains, said a senior government official. On that growing political imperative, the meeting will highlight a coming agreement that will see Canada work with U.S.-based IBM to increase semiconductor testing and packaging capacity in this country, a senior source told the Star. Its another crucial area for bilateral co-operation after the U.S. prioritized a reduction of American dependence on Taiwan and China for the production of semiconductor chips. The White House has said its priorities for the visit include continental defence, climate change and how to accelerate the clean energy transition, and dealing with instability in Haiti. The leaders will talk about the geopolitical challenge of the war in Ukraine and how to increase the costs to Russia of its war effort, the White House said, along with the opioid crisis, and irregular migration. But in a background briefing for reporters ahead of the visit, Canadian officials portrayed discussions on many of those topics as ongoing robust conversations that arent expected to see breakthroughs Friday. And it is unlikely Ottawa will secure the resolution of American tariffs on Canadian softwood lumber, or changes to that bilateral agreement that has seen refugee claimants stream across irregular crossings like Roxham Road near Lacolle, Que. A Canadian official said softwood lumber is a long-standing entrenched issue with the U.S. lumber industry having allies in Congress with a lot of sway. Although Canadian officials say both countries have an interest in modernizing the Safe Third Country agreement on refugees, they downplayed expectations talks would reach a conclusion Friday. When Biden and his wife Jill arrive Thursday night, they will be met by Gov. General Mary Simon. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and wife Sophie will spend private time with the Bidens that night at Rideau Cottage, but his office said the rest of the official schedule is still being worked out. The substantive part working meetings between Trudeau and Biden, and later with their officials, followed by a formal address by the president to Parliament, a joint news conference, and a working dinner with hundreds of VIPs invited to the Aviation Museum will all take place Friday before Biden wings his way back to the U.S. Its a telling reflection of the nature of the Canada-U.S. relationship at this juncture: Canada is a U.S. ally that can be trusted to not complain too much, and be happy the U.S. is paying attention, if only for a short time. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is already downplaying the visit, saying that Canadians are getting ripped off by the United States, because the Trudeau government is not standing up to the Biden administration. On Sunday, Poilievre cited U.S. tariffs on Canadian softwood lumber, refugee claimants who to cross into Canada at unofficial entry points, and the Buy American policy of the U.S. which he said shuts out Canadian products. Canadian officials paid close attention to Bidens State of the Union address in January, when he vowed to more aggressively promote Buy American policies. Biden promised new standards to require all construction materials used in federal infrastructure projects to be made in America. American-made lumber, glass, drywall, fibre optic cables. And on my watch, American roads, American bridges, and American highways will be made with American products, Biden said then. Its not clear how many Canadian companies would be affected. The protectionist approach was more of a worry before the U.S. agreed to allow tariff-free market access for North American auto sector and critical minerals products, and the most important trade flows are governed by the revised North American free trade pact, said a senior official. NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said he is deeply concerned about the impact of that Buy American provision for infrastructure. We want to make sure that its a North American approach, as opposed to a Buy America approach, Singh said. With files from Raisa Patel Read more about: SHARE: OTTAWA A Liberal MP from Toronto says he has received hateful comments and death threats since he was accused in a media report of knowingly receiving help from Beijing as part of the Chinese governments alleged interference in Canadian democracy. Speaking Tuesday for the first time since the allegations were reported by Global News in February, Don Valley North MP Han Dong told reporters on Parliament Hill that has no information that Beijing has helped or been involved with any of his campaigns since he entered politics nine years ago. To my knowledge, I was not offered, I was not told, I was not informed, nor would I accept any help from a foreign country, Dong said. Dong also said Canadas spy agency, the Canada Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), has never contacted him about alleged foreign interference, and hes never been told of any investigation by that service, the RCMP or Elections Canada. He said he has written to the director of CSIS to ask about the reported allegations, but has not received a response other than an acknowledgment of his request. After acknowledging he has not asked the Prime Ministers Office or top government officials about the allegations, Dong explained its because he knows the truth about his campaigns since he was first elected as a provincial Liberal at Queens Park in 2014. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has defended Dong as an outstanding Liberal MP and suggested questioning his loyalty to Canada is racist. I know my campaign. I know the people that work on my campaign. Ive worked with them for years, Dong said Tuesday, adding that he cant defend himself against unverified and anonymous allegations. Since the allegation against him was reported last month, Dong said he has received aggressive, hateful comments and death threats, and that the situation is negatively impacting his constituents. He also expressed concerns about the Chinese community and how the recent reports of alleged foreign interference might deter them from participating in future elections. He also rejected any assertion that his absence at a vote in Parliament that declared Chinas repression of Uyghur Muslims a genocide shows he is sympathetic to Beijing. He said he has directly raised concerns about Chinas human rights record to the countrys diplomats, and that he wants an independent investigation into the documented repression of Uyghurs. The Global News report in February named Dong as an alleged witting affiliate of a Chinese government effort to help him secure the Liberal nomination in Don Valley North, so he could run for the party in the 2019 federal election. The report is among a series of revelations from Global News and the Globe and Mail, which cite intelligence and national security documents and reports that allege China attempted to influence the last two federal elections. The Star has not been able to verify any of those reports. Meanwhile, an independent panel appointed by the government to guard against threats to election integrity concluded in a report published Feb. 28 that foreign interference by China, other countries and from domestic Canadian actors is a problem, but that it did not impact the overall result of the 2021 election. That echoed previous findings from the previous election in 2019. The governments top national security adviser also told a parliamentary committee this month that the RCMP is not investigating any alleged interference in the last two federal elections. The issue has become a political firestorm for the Liberal government, with opposition demands for a public inquiry. On Tuesday, the Liberals agreed in the face of opposition pressure to allow Trudeaus chief of staff, Katie Telford, to testify at a parliamentary committee studying foreign interference. The government has also appointed former Gov. General David Johnston as special rapporteur to guide their response, as two separate closed-door investigations one by a special committee of MPs and senators; the other by an independent national security agency look into the issue. Read more about: SHARE: Ben, the Andean bear from the St. Louis Zoo who gained notoriety in February by escaping twice from his habitat, is heading for sunnier skies. On Tuesday, zoo officials announced that after considering Bens specific and unique personality, he is moving to the Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville, Texas. That zoo, near South Padre Island, has a long history of working with Andean bears, and the habitat there has something the one here does not: a moat. We looked at all options, Regina Mossotti, the St. Louis Zoos vice president of animal care, said Tuesday. We love Ben. Hes such a character, the team that has taken care of him has fallen in love with him. Hes so fun, hes so playful we would love to be able to keep him here. Ben is 4 years old, about 280 pounds, and yes, smarter than the average bear. Ben first escaped his enclosure Feb. 7, and was found just outside his habitat on the public path at the Rivers Edge area and recaptured about 40 minutes later, before the zoo opened for the day. He had managed to tear apart clips that attached stainless steel mesh to the frame of a door. Zoo workers then added zip tie-like attachments made of stainless steel that had 450 pounds of tensile strength, but on Feb. 24, Ben managed to escape through those. That time, the zoo was open, and he was again on a public path, but was captured and transported back to his habitat within 45 minutes. Even though the St. Louis Zoos habitat met species standards and the staffers cared for Andean bears in the past (with no escapees), they knew Ben was unique. So while trying to figure out what to do next, they consulted with members of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Andean Bear Species Survival Plan, the AZA Bear Taxon Advisory Group and the Wildlife Conservation Societys Queens Zoo in New York. Ben was born at the WCSs Queens Zoo and was on loan from there; he arrived in St. Louis in 2021. Ben now lives in a nonpublic area of the St. Louis Zoo, where he can move indoors and out, and even splash in a pool. New pictures released of Ben Tuesday show him playing with a large, white plastic barrel and licking peanut butter off a ball. Theres no set date for his departure, but he is moving soon, a spokeswoman said. Hes getting positive reinforcement training to help him become comfortable with the crate he will travel in for his journey to Texas. A representative from the Queens Zoo flew to the Gladys Porter Zoo and looked at the habitat to determine it was a good fit, and St. Louis Zoo officials looked at photos. The Gladys Porter Zoo had been looking for an Andean bear since theirs passed away, said Steve Bircher, the St. Louis Zoos curator of carnivores. That bear, Monco, died in June 2022 at the age of 34. Several months before, a video of Monco taken at the Texas zoo went viral online and people thought he looked malnourished and distressed. The zoo responded with its own video, assuring that Monco was healthy and safe, and and exceeded the life expectancy of such bears, which is about 20 years. That zoo has had up to three Andean bears living there at a time, and is hopeful it will get another bear, a female, within the year. Walter Dupree, the curator of mammals at the Gladys Porter Zoo, said his zoo is ready for Ben. Were confident its going to be good for Ben. Its proved itself over the years, Dupree said of the habitat. He said the moat, about 8 feet deep, is in the front of the exhibit. Monco used to enjoy jumping into it and swimming all day long on a hot day, he said. They are adding a wire to the top of the 16-foot wall alongside the moat that will give a mild shock in case Ben climbs up it. Were not putting it anywhere he can get to it unless he pushes, said Dupree. This isnt the Gladys Porter Zoos only experience with a determined bear. In 2014, a black bear named Oscar briefly escaped from its enclosure and slipped into a pool with some seals. The habitat was reinforced. Bircher said the St. Louis Zoo has cared for all eight species of bears for more than 100 years. Andean bears are solitary by nature, and sometimes siblings can live together, Bircher said. Ben has a brother, but he is from a different litter. While consulting with other experts in the field, they were surprised Ben could escape. It was a learning experience for us, he said. Everyone will go back and look at their facilities and their barriers and make sure they are safe and secure. Andean bears are now listed as a vulnerable species, which mean they face a high risk of extinction in the wild, and their dramatic decline is due to deforestation. Experts believe fewer than 18,000 of them survive in the wild. RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) North Carolina's public schools, colleges and universities would be prohibited from requiring a student to prove they have been vaccinated against COVID-19 under a bill that advanced Tuesday in the state House. Promoted by Republican sponsors to protect free choice, the proposal would also ban state agencies, cities and counties from denying employment to someone who refuses to get vaccinated against COVID-19 or submit proof they have already done so. Private businesses could still opt for mandates. The proposal passed the House Health Committee Tuesday after some Democrats questioned the need for it given that religious and medical exemptions are already common. The bill must clear two other committees before it can be voted on by the full House. It should be my choice as to whether I get the shot, said Forsyth County Republican Rep. Donny Lambeth. "I don't think government should tell us one way or the other. While some North Carolina private schools, such as Duke University, require up-to-date COVID-19 vaccinations for students and staff, the states public schools do not. State law does require students at public, private and religious colleges and universities to receive other vaccinations in most circumstances, including for mumps, measles and hepatitis B. A spokesperson for the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services declined to comment on the legislation. Now that the Food and Drug Administration has granted full approval of two COVID-19 vaccine options, public health officials have said they anticipate more U.S. colleges and universities to consider new requirements. The bill would also prohibit state universities from requiring booster shots. Of all North Carolina residents who've received the first COVID-19 vaccine, 59% have been vaccinated with at least one booster and 22% have received the updated Omicron variant booster, according to NCDHHS data. I think North Carolina, and America, is saying we want to slow it down a little bit with the boosters, said Rep. Brian Biggs, a Randolph County Republican and primary sponsor. There needs to be more research. But Rep. Maria Cervania, a Wake County Democrat and epidemiologist, said the vaccine has been more thoroughly researched than Biggs indicated. The basis for coronavirus vaccines was first developed in the 2000s, she said, which enabled scientists to quickly create the COVID-19 version. She stressed the need for widespread vaccination to protect public health. Schoenbaum is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. ST. LOUIS Missouris attorney general has added seven new claims to a lawsuit against St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly M. Gardner, including that shes refused to review dozens of police use-of-force incidents and has created a toxic office environment where she yells at and fails to train subordinates. The allegations were among 100 pages added Tuesday to the lawsuit, initially filed last month by Attorney General Andrew Bailey, contending Gardner should be removed from office. Bailey said a review of case files, budget documents, emails, reports and discussions with victims has bolstered his case that Gardner has failed as the citys top prosecutor. Respondent has lost the trust of the people, Bailey wrote in Tuesdays amended filing. She has sacrificed the safety of the city of St. Louis. She has squandered the goodwill of the courts through misdirection and incompetence. She has turned away grieving families while murderers walk free. A spokeswoman for Gardner said she was still reviewing the petition Tuesday evening. But in a filing last week, Gardners attorneys argued she was the victim of an unfounded, politically motivated campaign to remove her from office. Gardners office has been the target of criticism since she took office in 2017 for staffing shortages, dismissing and re-filing cases, and a mounting backlog of cases awaiting review. The complaints came to a head last month when a 17-year-old volleyball player from Tennessee was hit by a car while visiting St. Louis and had both her legs amputated. The man charged in the crash had a pending robbery case and remained free despite violating his bond dozens of times. Scores of people, including some former allies, called for Gardner to step down. The Missouri Legislature ramped up an effort to strip her of most of her power. Bailey issued an ultimatum for her to resign or face removal. Bailey filed the initial 19-page petition on Feb. 23. He said Gardner should be removed for three reasons: She failed to prosecute cases by dismissing charges and allowing others to languish; she didnt keep victims informed; and she failed to review thousands of cases submitted by St. Louis police. But over the past 26 days, Bailey said he amassed evidence that supported more claims. On Tuesday, he filed a 121-page document with dozens of examples and 10 charges that he said merited removal, including not hiring or adequately supervising attorneys, mismanaging her offices finances and violating the rights of victims and defendants, according to the petition. Bailey found judges were forced to dismiss more than 2,700 cases during Gardners tenure due to her inexplicable failure to provide defendants with discovery and a speedy trial, according to the petition. He also said her office, on average, takes 2 times as long as it did in 2017 to complete felony prosecutions. The petition claims that Gardner, who proposed forming an independent team to lead police shooting investigations in 2017, has refused to review police use-of-force cases as required by law. As a result, the petition claims, at least 40 officers are awaiting the result of their investigations on administrative or desk duty, the petition states. Officers who should be charged with criminal offenses have not been charged. Officers who should not be charged with criminal offenses have not been notified that no charges are forthcoming, and the community is left to wonder what the status of those cases are, the petition states. The petition also claims that Gardner has created a toxic work environment where she yelled at subordinates, kept her door closed, and didnt fully understand the job of an assistant circuit attorney. In one case, the petition claimed, Gardner considered hiring an attorney for a top-level position who had multiple disciplinary complaints with the Missouri Bar and tax liens on his property. Reporters started asking questions in 2017, and Gardner fired two people who she believed leaked the information. She then forced other staff to sign nondisclosure agreements related to future hiring decisions, the petition said. And Tuesdays filing presented more evidence of a common criticism of Gardners office: that crime victims are left in the dark during developments in suspects trials. One woman, who said she was sexually assaulted at gunpoint by a man who broke into her house, said she stopped hearing from anyone in Gardners office after the victims advocate handling her case left in 2021. Another woman was shot multiple times while caught in the crossfire of a 2020 shooting. She said she never received any information from the circuit attorneys office but still planned to attend a bench trial in February to testify. The day before the trial, however, an assistant circuit attorney called the woman. She was told there would be no trial, so she didnt show up. But on the morning of the trial, the prosecutor told the judge that the essential witness the woman who was told not to attend was not cooperative. The case was dismissed. The woman wrote a note to the judge on March 13 saying she was willing to come to court to testify ... but was directed to not appear. Respondents failure to notify victims in these cases is not an aberration but is the Circuit Attorneys Offices typical pattern or practice under (Gardners) administration, attorneys for Baileys office wrote. Gardner has 10 days to file a response to Baileys amended petition. Helps Improve System Safety and Lowers Cost TOKYO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- ABLIC (President: Nobumasa Ishiai, head office: Minato-ku, Tokyo hereinafter ABLIC), a group company of MinebeaMitsumi Inc., today launched the S-19114 Series of automotive high withstand voltage battery monitoring ICs with the industrys fastest (*1) voltage detection response. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230321005003/en/ ABLIC's Automotive High Withstand Voltage Battery Monitoring ICs: S-19114 Series - Combining the Industry's Fastest Voltage Detection Response with Low Current Consumption, Helps Improve System Safety and Lowers Cost (Graphic: Business Wire) The S-19114 Series launched today is a battery monitoring IC that operates at 36V and has the industrys fastest detection response time of Max. 10s (*2). Two components impact the detection response time: the resistance components and the capacitance components in the IC. However, they are not much of a problem as the resistance components of the S-19114 Series are 1/5 of earlier models and capacitance components have been reduced to such an extent that detection response time is 1/20 of earlier models. The S-19114 Series have few resistance and capacitance components that impact detection response time and current consumption during operation is a low 2.0A typ. This makes the series ideal for low standby current systems where continuous sensing is required. Another advantage is that the S-19114 Series is housed in the ultra-compact package making it a product that amply meets todays need for smaller automotive devices. (*1) As a battery monitoring IC for 36V operation. Based on our research as of March 2023 (*2) 1/20 the detection time of our previous products Major Features 1. Shorter voltage detection response times as well as low current consumption 2. Smaller footprint through ultra-compact HSNT-6(2025) (1.96 x 2.46 x t0.5mm) package 3. The monitoring voltage input pin (SENSE pin) has a wide rated voltage of -30V to 45V 4. Automotive quality These products have been subjected to the three-temperature test (low, normal and high temperature). According to the AEC (Automotive Electronics Council), this series will comply with AEC-Q100 Grade 0 reliability and quality test defined by the Council. They are also in compliance with the Production Part Approval Process (PPAP). Application Examples Voltage detection of automotive batteries Automotive components such as engines, transmissions, suspensions or ABS as well as EV, HEV or PHEV vehicle parts S-19114 Series Product Details https://www.ablic.com/en/semicon/products/automotive/automotive-voltage-detector-reset-ic/s-19114xxxa/ Website https://www.ablic.com/ This product has been certified as a MinebeaMitsumi Group "Green Product" for its outstanding contribution to the environment. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230321005003/en/ ABLIC Inc. Masae Onuma [email protected] https://hub.ablic.com/en/pr-inquiry?rf=support Source: ABLIC Inc. SmartAsset: Are money market accounts safe? When banking failures occur, depositors naturally become worried about their money. They also tend to question whether to withdraw cash from their accounts or leave it where it is. And as depositors look for a safe place to house their funds during a crisis, many consider money market accounts (MMAs) as an option. But are money market accounts a secure place to store cash? We'll discuss the details. If you want more guidance on what financial institution best fits your financial plan, consider enlisting the help of an experienced financial advisor who can provide a holistic strategy given your personal circumstances. Are Money Market Accounts Safe? Like many commercial bank accounts, money market accounts are insured up to $250,000 by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). So if depositors have $250,000 or less saved in their money market account, they are covered. This helps depositors by adding insurance for their money. If depositors have more than $250,000, putting the rest of their money in another FDIC-insured bank account will keep their money secure as well. Money market accounts are different from money market mutual funds, however. Money market mutual funds are typically offered by brokers and are not FDIC-insured. Banks and credit unions don't offer money market mutual funds, either. What Is a Money Market Account? A money market account works as a kind of hybrid between a savings account and a checking account. In general, a money market account can offer the best of both worlds. For example, MMAs may be similar to checking accounts in that account holders can write checks or use a debit card. Those options may not be available for users of savings accounts. MMAs also have the ability to earn interest like a savings account does. They may even earn higher interest than your typical savings accounts earn. When it comes to annual percentage yield (APY), money market accounts may use a tiered system. This means that APYs can be higher or lower depending on how much you have saved in your account. Keep in mind APYs can change to higher or lower rates at any time. Story continues On the flip side, money market accounts do come with limitations. For one, it's not uncommon for MMAs to have minimum balance requirements. And MMA holders are typically restricted to six withdrawals per banking statement cycle due to federal regulations. If you have any questions about the restrictions, you should contact your financial institution for more information. Should You Open a Money Market Account? SmartAsset: Are money market accounts safe? Not only can you find money market accounts at banks, but they can also be offered at credit unions, too. At credit unions, MMAs are insured by the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) for up to $250,000. But before diving in to open an MMA, consider the following factors: Your Current Banking Institutions When it comes to a banking collapse, don't panic immediately. Keep up to date with any news surrounding your current banks, whether it's positive or negative. Taking money out of your account immediately without good reason may cause problems. For example, making a $10,000 withdrawal or more will trigger the bank to report it to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for any potential illegal activity. Your Withdrawals and Savings Habits A money market account may grow over time. So if you plan on parking your cash, this is a good place to start. But if you make frequent withdrawals, a money market account may not be the right choice for you, as there are limited withdrawals per month. Consider your spending habits before making a decision. The Benefits of a Financial Advisor If you are having trouble making a decision on where to safely deposit your money, a financial advisor may be able to help you review your options. An advisor may help calm your fears during a time of crisis and help walk you through various financial scenarios needed to help you resolve your concerns and reach your financial goals. Bottom Line SmartAsset: Are money market accounts safe? Any time a banking crisis occurs, it will naturally cause fear among many depositors. Many depositors will look for a safe place to put their money, and a money market account could be a suitable destination for their needs. To determine if a money market account is right for you, consider your savings and withdrawal habits. Tips for Opening a New Bank Account Banking decisions can be big. From deciding where to keep your money to what types of accounts you need to use, these decisions impact your financial future. Working with a financial advisor can help you be proactive about making the right decisions for your unique personal situation. Finding the right financial advisor doesn't have to be hard. SmartAsset's free tool matches you with up to three financial advisors who serve your area, and you can interview your advisor matches at no cost to decide which one is right for you. If you're ready to find an advisor who can help you achieve your financial goals, get started now. As you're contemplating what bank to use for your new checking or savings account, consider our guide to the best banks in America. Photo credit: iStock.com/Jinda Noipho, iStock.com/PeopleImages, iStock.com/dragana991 The post Are Money Market Accounts Safe? appeared first on SmartAsset Blog. Staffing shortages at the Department of Veterans Affairs and increased reliance on private health care threatens the agencys ability to provide quality service for veterans, according to a report released Tuesday by a union that represents federal employees at the VA. The American Federation of Government Employees organized a group about a year ago to compile a report about health care at the VA out of concern for laws passed that allow more veterans to seek services outside the agency and because the VA has had tens of thousands of open jobs across its network nationwide for years, according to members of the union who held a news conference about the reports findings. The report calls for the VA to fill all vacancies at the agency, develop detailed, accurate comparisons between the VAs health care and private providers, change when a veteran can seek care outside the VA, and ensure pay offered within the VA system is competitive with the private sector. The groups report Disadvantaging the VA: How VA Staff View Agency Privatization and Other Detrimental Policies is based on survey results from 2,000 of the VAs roughly 412,000 employees and was co-published by the National VA Council of the AFGE and the Veterans Healthcare Policy Institute, a nonprofit think tank focused on veterans health. The AFGE advocates for workers across the federal government and has more than 283,000 members, according to its website. The VA makes up one of its largest membership blocks. Among survey respondents, 77% said the VA health care facility where they work has closed beds, units or programs because of staffing and budget shortages. More than half said they have less time to deliver direct patient care and support services than they did four years ago. The VA now has more than 76,100 job vacancies, according to the report, and it calls on the agency to ease modernization efforts that began in 2018 and centralized hiring by pulling human resources staff away from local facilities. However, the VA has made aggressive hiring and retention efforts to fill jobs across the agency, according to a VA spokesman who requested he not be identified. The Veterans Health Administration has hired 22,759 new employees in fiscal 2023, which began Oct. 1, and is on pace to hire 52,000 by Sept. 30, the spokesman said. The Veterans Benefits Administration, which manages benefit claims, has increased its workforce by 1,369 employees, he said. Veterans trust in the VA to coordinate their care exceeds 90% nationwide, whether services are administered at a VA facility or by a private health care provider, the spokesman said. The unions report also warned the VAs modernization efforts have increasingly cut into the VAs health care budget since the passage of the VA Choice Act of 2014 and the VA MISSION Act of 2018, which increased opportunities for veterans to seek private treatment outside of a VA facility. The report said VA Secretary Denis McDonough told senators during a hearing in June 2022 that the budget for private sector care had increased from 26% of the VHAs total annual spending on clinical care to 33% in one year. He predicted that care outside the VA could soon consume 50% of the VHAs clinical care budget. The report asks for the VA to change access-to-care standards to include in-house telehealth appointments. When patients go in and out of the VAs system, doctors have less visibility on their patients health, the report said. If implemented, even partially, these much-needed changes would provide stronger support for 19 million U.S. military veterans and the federal employees who have volunteered to serve them, the report said. In a news conference this month, the VA highlighted its telehealth program and the equipment that the agency can send to a veterans home for an appointment. Legislation from Congress would help the VA expand its program. We are really hopeful that they can help us get this done, McDonough said. drt_rdr BHPian Join Date: Dec 2019 Location: KA-xx Posts: 503 Thanked: 1,504 Times re: Suzuki V-Strom 250 SX | Horrible riding and ownership experience | Weathering the Strom Now onto some educational content, courtesy of my torrid ownership experience: My older bikes were inching closer to end of their registration lives. So, I had made up my mind to buy another bike while the time was right. The contest in my mind was between TVS and Suzuki. I was also considering getting a used bike and had looked at several, but decided to go for a new one for peace of mind since Id be keeping it for atleast 15 years. Weve had several Suzukis in the family. Their design tendencies tend to suit my own preferences and temperment, and my largely positive experiences with my own older Suzuki played a big influencing factor in my decision to go for another Suzuki. My city has just 3 Suzuki motorcycle dealerships, 2 of which are run by the same franchisee. The other one is inconveniently far away from me. The one nearest to me, ~7 km away, is the major dealer and master spares stockist in my city. I visited it in late September last year. The puchase experience started off with quite a fiasco and ended up damaging my faith in the dealer and Suzuki. I had specifically asked the dealer for the latest manufactured unit they had because manufacturing batches matter if you dont want to deal with issues on a product new to the market. They told me all their stock at that time was June\July made units. I got the general impression that they seemed to be running a straightforward operation and I decided to take their words at face value. I wanted the Yellow colour. The dealership claimed all their units on the showroom floor were booked out, but they had one in storage. After asking them multiple times what the manufacture month was, receiving confirmation its again June or July, and then checking out the bike, I went ahead with it. Now, my mistake in this was taking their words at face value and not verifying the chassis number myself. Because when it came to signing off on the bike, the registation papers showed the bike was NOT a June or July-made unit as claimed but an April-made unit, assumably from one of the initial production runs. At this point, the words, "caveat emptor", stood in front of me in bolded out Impact font, ready to give me a hard punch to the jaw. It seems the dealership was hoping Id just blindly sign on the dotted line, take the bike and move along. I confronted the dealership about this and they tried to save face, saying it was a mistake and June\July was their billing date from Suzuki and all that. No dealership makes this sort of "mistake" unless they're manuvering to push an old, unsold unit on an unsuspecting customer. (I still have a copy of the scrapped insurance of the bike they tried to push on me) I refused to take delivery of the bike. At that point, I should've just taken my money and left. But I had made up my mind to buy a new Suzuki after dilly-dallying for a long time. So, I asked them to provide me another unit. They had a lone August-made orange unit in their branch dealership. I checked the chassis number this time, it was legitimate, the tyres looked new, and the bike looked acceptable. Everything looked okay enough, I thought what could go wrong. So, I took delivery of that one. As it turned out, the action I took in wanting an as-newly-manufactured bike as possible was in vain because I received a defective bike, a lemon, and I've been doing exactly what I wanted to avoid. Ive been running around trying to understand what's happening with the bike, learning more unsettling things about the motorcycle as kms pile on, and more running around trying to get it fixed rather than enjoying riding a new motorcycle. The lesson here: Dont skip your due diligence if you dont want Mr. Caveat Emptor to punch you in the face. Dont let all those grief threads you read on TBHP go to waste by letting your guard down. So, it was evening when I received the bike. I just took it home on mostly smooth roads, and the ride quality didnt register in my mind. The next day, when I took it out for a longish ride, the ride quality started bothering me. But back then, I couldn't understand whether it was an issue or just how the bike was designed. Still, I informed the service center about the bike's behaviour during the first week. The technician was somehow sure there was no issue and suggested tyre pressure adjustments and riding it some more. I set the tyre pressure lower, no use. Later, I set the suspension to the softest preload myself. The abnormal behaviour remained. But the riding experience got a bit less unpleasant since the motorcycle was now not transferring shocks to my body as hard as earlier. Initially, I thought there must be some kind of trouble with the suspension, probably a tight spring or something that's not allowing compression over the full stroke, and that maybe it would probably loosen up with more kms. As I rode a bit more, the inconsistency of the issue made me think the spring may be loosening up. I endured the damn thing till the first service that came up around a couple weeks of buying. Again, no use. The thing was prone to behaving badly even after putting hundreds of kms on it. All the while, I was barely able to understand of the nature of the trouble due to the inconsistency of it. The people at the service center were still resistant to the idea of there being an issue. I was met with statements like "But nobody else is complaining about this, you're the only one", as if that's going to make the issue go away. So, apparently, every other Vstrom customer was enjoying thir new bikes while I was the odd man stuck with the bike enjoying riding me. The message I got though is, if youre not a paying customer, youre the least priority, doesnt matter if you bought the most expensive bike on the lineup. But I suppose its understandableif I look at it dispassionately. Theyre the only dealer\SvC covering a large chunk of my town and their service bays are always busy. In the meantime, I also took the time to compare my bike with the dealer's test ride vehicle twice at different instances just to confirm if the bonkers one was the bike or me... to confirm if issue was something subjective or if there was a real issue with my particular motorcycle. I also visited other dealerships in my city and the next district to double check my impressions over other TR bikes and roads. I rode my bike and the dealers' vehicles back-to-back over some of the worst roads in the surrounding areas and I could clearly tell something was damn wrong about my bike. I had some of my friends and family ride my bike and they could clearly tell something wasn't right about it too. Between all this, I lost more faith in Suzuki and the dealership when I discovered the PDI was also not done properly on my bike. I had taken the bike out around 60 km from my city to a fairly remote spot. I had stopped at a hotel to have lunch. The bike happened to fall at standstill in the parking lot. I lifted it up, checked the side for any damage. There seemed to be next to none. The company crashguard seemed to be doing its job. But when I started riding, the bike was pulling left. I stopped to check once again and discovered one of the front suspension legs had risen up in the clamp by a bit. The triple clamps bolts werent fully tightened!! How could this possibly happen if dealership had done a proper PDI on the bike? I simply could not ride the bike all the way back home while it kept pulling left. So, I adjusted the suspension as best as I could, tightened the clamps with the bike's toolkit, rode back home, and later got it fixed properly at the service center. It's still not completely fixed though. The bike still goes slightly to the left, but I've let it be, because, at the moment, thats one of the least on the priority list of the bikes troubles. Anyway, fed up with the bike, I pushed for a warranty checkup. So, I buy Suzuki Indias premium product, I receive a defective unit, and then, I have to push and insist before they do something about it. The service head still resisted. The technician rode the bike for a couple minutes and claimed he couldn't sense an issue. But the dealership manager intervened and obliged to a warranty replacement of the monoshock. And after a delay of a month due to time conflicts both on my part and theirs, I got the replacement fitted on my bike. It initially seemed sorted and I happily thought I was finally in the clear to actually use the bike for what I bought 3 months after buying it. But no, further riding revealed that impression was just due to the inconsistency of the issues appearance. The trouble remained. While I appreciate the warranty replacement, it didn't solve anything for me. And it came with a caveat, I got an unreasonable and ridiculous threat from the service head that theyd void the warranty if I ever turned the preload steps on the monoshock on my own again. That is to say, I got threatened with voiding the warranty for using a feature the maker provided. Did Suzuki make something so fragile that using a bog-standard C-spanner that works with any other basic suspension unit will damage the suspension of their adventure bike? I wonder if Suzuki sold me a motorcycle that I can actually take to the corners of the country or just a garage display ornament that I was only supposed to ride to their service center and back. Do they expect me to ride 7 kms from home to their SvC just turn a nut? Do they expect me to go hunt for an SvC when Im out somehwere remote just to turn a nut? Where will they go treating the customer like they're the enemy, especially for a product thats supposed to take the rough and tumble in its stride? I shouldve just bought a used bike than deal with this kind of nonsense. I had to go back to the dealer again to have them check it once more. The dealership manager reluctantly agreed. Since the suspension change did nothing for the trouble, obviously the problem was not in the monoshock itself. So, I went out of my way and offered to buy the replacement unit if they could return the original one. Id anyway have use for it since Id probably be changing out the suspension unit every 20-30k kms if my experience with my other bikes was anything to go by. They declined and said it was fine. So, I came back again for whatever work they had planned. But this time, I got the sense that the onus of proving the trouble was on me. The service head and technician weren't open to the idea of the issue, they were trying to convince me the bike is fine since they just replaced the suspension, like that's going to help the bike's troubles or make me forget my experience over hundreds of kms. They had also incidentally called in a man from Suzuki, with whom I spoke very briefly and described the issue. I was given assurances of warranty and all that. But I never saw the man again and nothing came of those assurances. The way the issue acts up inconsistently didn't help my case when me and the technicians rode the bike for a few minutes. At first, I was surprised when the bike was riding okay enough that I couldn't clearly show the issue. But soon enough, it stated showing itself, but the technicians outright denied it. Now, in hindsight, I don't know if the bike once again just didn't present the issue when the technicians rode it or if it was a matter of riding style or too short a time on the saddle that didnt expose the issue sufficiently, or if they were actively denying me to try to save face for the warranty replacement that didn't fix the issue. If it's the former, I suppose I can see how they could distrust me because I had also actively started to distrust them for denying the issue when I could clearly feel it. They lubed and adjusted the chain and sent me along to see if it fixed things. I was also told if that didnt fix things, I could leave it with them for a couple of days and theyd look into it. I take time away from work and spend my morning and afternoon there, and what I get for that is this ridiculous "fix" that fixes nothing, and then I get asked to come back another time like Ive got nothing better to do than keep running around to fix the bike, a brand new bike BTW. By that point, I had probably run around town about 8, 10 times in a span of around 3 months to get closure on the same damn issue. Is a customers time worth nothing? My trust in this dealership and SvC had hit rockbottom. With what confidence was I supposed to leave my bike for days on end for them to fix? Having no faith in their sincerety and troubleshooting ability, and tired of wasting time running around in futility for the same issue on what's supposed to be a goddamned brand new motorcycle, I called up Suzuki's customer care number, described the issue, and raised a complaint about my motorcycle asking them to get their internal technicians involved in this. I was hoping Suzuki would take responsibility for this and bring closure. But a couple days later, I got a flowery email from the same dealership asking me to bring the bike again for them to fix. I called Suzuki again and asked them to atleast recommend a different SvC. Suzuki, in all their wisdom, insisted on me going back to bash my head with the same dealer, wasting more time. And that's exactly what happened when I reluctantly called up the service head. I received a two-faced reply that my bike was fixed with the suspension replacement. I also spoke to the dealership manager later and all I got were non-committal replies. At this point, it seemed like the whole thing had devolved into a he-said-she-said situation with the dealership trying to save face in front of the company or something. They clearly had no intention of fixing the junk they sold me. I didnt bother to follow up any more. By that point, I had postponed and cancelled travel plans after travel plans and had lost some of the best riding months of the year in this part of the country, waiting and hoping the bike would get fixed. Now, Ive just gone and fixed up my trusty old bikes that are still reliable enough, and have been using them for smaller travels instead of making plans and hoping around this damn thing. Ive made a couple big blunders in fixing up my Impulse. The fork fluid Ive used is too stiff and now has a skittish front end, and the tyre replacement choice was pretty bad for dirt use. But its still more usable and comfortable than my brand new vstrom. It's been over 45 days since the complaint, and ZERO action has been taken either by the dealer or Suzuki. Thanks for nothing, Suzuki. The lesson here: If an issue crops up, if possible, capture it on video ASAP so that youre not at the maker\dealers mercy. I usually ride solo these days, and am not one for photos and videos and such. So, the thought of capturing the issue while riding hadnt even crossed my mind. But having gone though this experience forced me to go out and get video footage of the bike. Between work, travel, and personal affairs, Ive managed to get a few clips recorded that sufficiently show the issue thats haunted the bike since Day1. Hope I can get Suzuki to do something about this now atleast. Anyway, this whole ownership has been a mess which has left me regretting putting my faith and money in Suzuki. I bought a new bike expecting a trouble-free ride. My experience has been like buying a badly used bike while taking the financial hit of a new bike. Should've just gone and bought a used FZ25 or Gixxer or something. Atleast with a used bike, I could've fixed up any issues on my own terms and time while leaving quite a bit of money still in my pocket. I bought a Suzuki for practicality and reliability. This orange looking but lemon flavoured bike is not even usable for its intended purpose, leave alone practical or reliable. Now that Ive ridden this rickety, rattly bike like this for 2,500 kms, I wonder what other parts on the bike are going to get affected. Could the strained noise from the engine area that I described earlier be a consequence of this? I bought the bike, looking forward to riding it till the end of its usable life. But this whole experience has left such a bad taste in my mouth that, I dont even feel a proper sense of ownership towards it. Ive not even bothered to adjust the handlebar controls to my preferences or remove the saree guard. I mean, what if they void my warranty for that? Even if the bike gets fixed, I cant help but imagine what kind of support I'll have to put up with if the damn thing throws more trouble at me in the future. What good is a 5 year warranty if the customer has to go through hoops and not even have a fixed bike at the end? The lesson here: Er... Lets call my limey, lemony bike Limca. Bad humour is the best lemonade I can make from this lemon at this point. Thats the story so far. Lets see where Limca takes me from here. Now onto some educational content, courtesy of my torrid ownership experience:My older bikes were inching closer to end of their registration lives. So, I had made up my mind to buy another bike while the time was right. The contest in my mind was between TVS and Suzuki. I was also considering getting a used bike and had looked at several, but decided to go for a new one for peace of mind since Id be keeping it for atleast 15 years. Weve had several Suzukis in the family. Their design tendencies tend to suit my own preferences and temperment, and my largely positive experiences with my own older Suzuki played a big influencing factor in my decision to go for another Suzuki.My city has just 3 Suzuki motorcycle dealerships, 2 of which are run by the same franchisee. The other one is inconveniently far away from me. The one nearest to me, ~7 km away, is the major dealer and master spares stockist in my city. I visited it in late September last year. The puchase experience started off with quite a fiasco and ended up damaging my faith in the dealer and Suzuki.I had specifically asked the dealer for the latest manufactured unit they had because manufacturing batches matter if you dont want to deal with issues on a product new to the market. They told me all their stock at that time was June\July made units. I got the general impression that they seemed to be running a straightforward operation and I decided to take their words at face value. I wanted the Yellow colour. The dealership claimed all their units on the showroom floor were booked out, but they had one in storage. After asking them multiple times what the manufacture month was, receiving confirmation its again June or July, and then checking out the bike, I went ahead with it.Now, my mistake in this was taking their words at face value and not verifying the chassis number myself. Because when it came to signing off on the bike, the registation papers showed the bike was NOT a June or July-made unit as claimed but an April-made unit, assumably from one of the initial production runs. At this point, the words, "caveat emptor", stood in front of me in bolded out Impact font, ready to give me a hard punch to the jaw. It seems the dealership was hoping Id just blindly sign on the dotted line, take the bike and move along.I confronted the dealership about this and they tried to save face, saying it was a mistake and June\July was their billing date from Suzuki and all that. No dealership makes this sort of "mistake" unless they're manuvering to push an old, unsold unit on an unsuspecting customer. (I still have a copy of the scrapped insurance of the bike they tried to push on me)I refused to take delivery of the bike. At that point, I should've just taken my money and left. But I had made up my mind to buy a new Suzuki after dilly-dallying for a long time. So, I asked them to provide me another unit. They had a lone August-made orange unit in their branch dealership. I checked the chassis number this time, it was legitimate, the tyres looked new, and the bike looked acceptable. Everything looked okay enough, I thought what could go wrong. So, I took delivery of that one.As it turned out, the action I took in wanting an as-newly-manufactured bike as possible was in vain because I received a defective bike, a lemon, and I've been doing exactly what I wanted to avoid. Ive been running around trying to understand what's happening with the bike, learning more unsettling things about the motorcycle as kms pile on, and more running around trying to get it fixed rather than enjoying riding a new motorcycle.The lesson here: Dont skip your due diligence if you dont want Mr. Caveat Emptor to punch you in the face. Dont let all those grief threads you read on TBHP go to waste by letting your guard down.So, it was evening when I received the bike. I just took it home on mostly smooth roads, and the ride quality didnt register in my mind. The next day, when I took it out for a longish ride, the ride quality started bothering me. But back then, I couldn't understand whether it was an issue or just how the bike was designed. Still, I informed the service center about the bike's behaviour during the first week.The technician was somehow sure there was no issue and suggested tyre pressure adjustments and riding it some more. I set the tyre pressure lower, no use. Later, I set the suspension to the softest preload myself. The abnormal behaviour remained. But the riding experience got a bit less unpleasant since the motorcycle was now not transferring shocks to my body as hard as earlier.Initially, I thought there must be some kind of trouble with the suspension, probably a tight spring or something that's not allowing compression over the full stroke, and that maybe it would probably loosen up with more kms. As I rode a bit more, the inconsistency of the issue made me think the spring may be loosening up. I endured the damn thing till the first service that came up around a couple weeks of buying. Again, no use. The thing was prone to behaving badly even after putting hundreds of kms on it. All the while, I was barely able to understand of the nature of the trouble due to the inconsistency of it.The people at the service center were still resistant to the idea of there being an issue. I was met with statements like "But nobody else is complaining about this, you're the only one", as if that's going to make the issue go away. So, apparently, every other Vstrom customer was enjoying thir new bikes while I was the odd man stuck with the bike enjoying riding me. The message I got though is, if youre not a paying customer, youre the least priority, doesnt matter if you bought the most expensive bike on the lineup. But I suppose its understandableif I look at it dispassionately. Theyre the only dealer\SvC covering a large chunk of my town and their service bays are always busy.In the meantime, I also took the time to compare my bike with the dealer's test ride vehicle twice at different instances just to confirm if the bonkers one was the bike or me... to confirm if issue was something subjective or if there was a real issue with my particular motorcycle. I also visited other dealerships in my city and the next district to double check my impressions over other TR bikes and roads. I rode my bike and the dealers' vehicles back-to-back over some of the worst roads in the surrounding areas and I could clearly tell something was damn wrong about my bike. I had some of my friends and family ride my bike and they could clearly tell something wasn't right about it too.Between all this, I lost more faith in Suzuki and the dealership when I discovered the PDI was also not done properly on my bike. I had taken the bike out around 60 km from my city to a fairly remote spot. I had stopped at a hotel to have lunch. The bike happened to fall at standstill in the parking lot. I lifted it up, checked the side for any damage. There seemed to be next to none. The company crashguard seemed to be doing its job. But when I started riding, the bike was pulling left. I stopped to check once again and discovered one of the front suspension legs had risen up in the clamp by a bit. The triple clamps bolts werent fully tightened!! How could this possibly happen if dealership had done a proper PDI on the bike? I simply could not ride the bike all the way back home while it kept pulling left. So, I adjusted the suspension as best as I could, tightened the clamps with the bike's toolkit, rode back home, and later got it fixed properly at the service center. It's still not completely fixed though. The bike still goes slightly to the left, but I've let it be, because, at the moment, thats one of the least on the priority list of the bikes troubles.Anyway, fed up with the bike, I pushed for a warranty checkup. So, I buy Suzuki Indias premium product, I receive a defective unit, and then, I have to push and insist before they do something about it. The service head still resisted. The technician rode the bike for a couple minutes and claimed he couldn't sense an issue. But the dealership manager intervened and obliged to a warranty replacement of the monoshock. And after a delay of a month due to time conflicts both on my part and theirs, I got the replacement fitted on my bike. It initially seemed sorted and I happily thought I was finally in the clear to actually use the bike for what I bought 3 months after buying it. But no, further riding revealed that impression was just due to the inconsistency of the issues appearance. The trouble remained.While I appreciate the warranty replacement, it didn't solve anything for me. And it came with a caveat, I got an unreasonable and ridiculous threat from the service head that theyd void the warranty if I ever turned the preload steps on the monoshock on my own again. That is to say, I got threatened with voiding the warranty for using a feature the maker provided.Did Suzuki make something so fragile that using a bog-standard C-spanner that works with any other basic suspension unit will damage the suspension of their adventure bike? I wonder if Suzuki sold me a motorcycle that I can actually take to the corners of the country or just a garage display ornament that I was only supposed to ride to their service center and back. Do they expect me to ride 7 kms from home to their SvC just turn a nut? Do they expect me to go hunt for an SvC when Im out somehwere remote just to turn a nut? Where will they go treating the customer like they're the enemy, especially for a product thats supposed to take the rough and tumble in its stride? I shouldve just bought a used bike than deal with this kind of nonsense.I had to go back to the dealer again to have them check it once more. The dealership manager reluctantly agreed. Since the suspension change did nothing for the trouble, obviously the problem was not in the monoshock itself. So, I went out of my way and offered to buy the replacement unit if they could return the original one. Id anyway have use for it since Id probably be changing out the suspension unit every 20-30k kms if my experience with my other bikes was anything to go by. They declined and said it was fine.So, I came back again for whatever work they had planned. But this time, I got the sense that the onus of proving the trouble was on me. The service head and technician weren't open to the idea of the issue, they were trying to convince me the bike is fine since they just replaced the suspension, like that's going to help the bike's troubles or make me forget my experience over hundreds of kms. They had also incidentally called in a man from Suzuki, with whom I spoke very briefly and described the issue. I was given assurances of warranty and all that. But I never saw the man again and nothing came of those assurances.The way the issue acts up inconsistently didn't help my case when me and the technicians rode the bike for a few minutes. At first, I was surprised when the bike was riding okay enough that I couldn't clearly show the issue. But soon enough, it stated showing itself, but the technicians outright denied it. Now, in hindsight, I don't know if the bike once again just didn't present the issue when the technicians rode it or if it was a matter of riding style or too short a time on the saddle that didnt expose the issue sufficiently, or if they were actively denying me to try to save face for the warranty replacement that didn't fix the issue. If it's the former, I suppose I can see how they could distrust me because I had also actively started to distrust them for denying the issue when I could clearly feel it.They lubed and adjusted the chain and sent me along to see if it fixed things. I was also told if that didnt fix things, I could leave it with them for a couple of days and theyd look into it. I take time away from work and spend my morning and afternoon there, and what I get for that is this ridiculous "fix" that fixes nothing, and then I get asked to come back another time like Ive got nothing better to do than keep running around to fix the bike, a brand new bike BTW. By that point, I had probably run around town about 8, 10 times in a span of around 3 months to get closure on the same damn issue. Is a customers time worth nothing? My trust in this dealership and SvC had hit rockbottom. With what confidence was I supposed to leave my bike for days on end for them to fix?Having no faith in their sincerety and troubleshooting ability, and tired of wasting time running around in futility for the same issue on what's supposed to be a goddamned brand new motorcycle, I called up Suzuki's customer care number, described the issue, and raised a complaint about my motorcycle asking them to get their internal technicians involved in this. I was hoping Suzuki would take responsibility for this and bring closure.But a couple days later, I got a flowery email from the same dealership asking me to bring the bike again for them to fix. I called Suzuki again and asked them to atleast recommend a different SvC. Suzuki, in all their wisdom, insisted on me going back to bash my head with the same dealer, wasting more time. And that's exactly what happened when I reluctantly called up the service head. I received a two-faced reply that my bike was fixed with the suspension replacement. I also spoke to the dealership manager later and all I got were non-committal replies. At this point, it seemed like the whole thing had devolved into a he-said-she-said situation with the dealership trying to save face in front of the company or something. They clearly had no intention of fixing the junk they sold me. I didnt bother to follow up any more.By that point, I had postponed and cancelled travel plans after travel plans and had lost some of the best riding months of the year in this part of the country, waiting and hoping the bike would get fixed. Now, Ive just gone and fixed up my trusty old bikes that are still reliable enough, and have been using them for smaller travels instead of making plans and hoping around this damn thing. Ive made a couple big blunders in fixing up my Impulse. The fork fluid Ive used is too stiff and now has a skittish front end, and the tyre replacement choice was pretty bad for dirt use. But its still more usable and comfortable than my brand new vstrom. It's been over 45 days since the complaint, and ZERO action has been taken either by the dealer or Suzuki. Thanks for nothing, Suzuki.The lesson here: If an issue crops up, if possible, capture it on video ASAP so that youre not at the maker\dealers mercy.I usually ride solo these days, and am not one for photos and videos and such. So, the thought of capturing the issue while riding hadnt even crossed my mind. But having gone though this experience forced me to go out and get video footage of the bike. Between work, travel, and personal affairs, Ive managed to get a few clips recorded that sufficiently show the issue thats haunted the bike since Day1. Hope I can get Suzuki to do something about this now atleast.Anyway, this whole ownership has been a mess which has left me regretting putting my faith and money in Suzuki.I bought a new bike expecting a trouble-free ride. My experience has been like buying a badly used bike while taking the financial hit of a new bike. Should've just gone and bought a used FZ25 or Gixxer or something. Atleast with a used bike, I could've fixed up any issues on my own terms and time while leaving quite a bit of money still in my pocket.I bought a Suzuki for practicality and reliability. This orange looking but lemon flavoured bike is not even usable for its intended purpose, leave alone practical or reliable. Now that Ive ridden this rickety, rattly bike like this for 2,500 kms, I wonder what other parts on the bike are going to get affected. Could the strained noise from the engine area that I described earlier be a consequence of this?I bought the bike, looking forward to riding it till the end of its usable life. But this whole experience has left such a bad taste in my mouth that, I dont even feel a proper sense of ownership towards it. Ive not even bothered to adjust the handlebar controls to my preferences or remove the saree guard. I mean, what if they void my warranty for that?Even if the bike gets fixed, I cant help but imagine what kind of support I'll have to put up with if the damn thing throws more trouble at me in the future. What good is a 5 year warranty if the customer has to go through hoops and not even have a fixed bike at the end?The lesson here: Er... Lets call my limey, lemony bike Limca. Bad humour is the best lemonade I can make from this lemon at this point.Thats the story so far. Lets see where Limca takes me from here. Last edited by drt_rdr : 20th March 2023 at 07:32 . MotoDrive BHPian Join Date: Oct 2022 Location: Bangalore Posts: 34 Thanked: 72 Times Infractions: 0/1 (5) Re: Interesting Japanese Bikes of Pakistan! Quote: aargee Originally Posted by Buy a Shine Modify the body to your taste And get RTO to endorse in RC Rather than getting one imported, especially from, Pakistan It's prevalent that Indian market is about 20-30 years behind in the automotive technology/industry & that's why we still have big bikes from Triumph & Kawasaki in CBU rather than having a factory & Yamaha taking pride of their 150cc engine from 2009 So, if Pakistan has a beautiful retro looking Honda from 1980s...God knows how long it takes for them to rev-up! PS - You could perhaps easily afford for a CB350 instead for that cost One simple sentence - Not worth the trouble. It will be much easier to:Rather than getting one imported, especially from, PakistanIt's prevalent that Indian market is about 20-30 years behind in the automotive technology/industry & that's why we still have big bikes from Triumph & Kawasaki in CBU rather than having a factory & Yamaha taking pride of their 150cc engine from 2009So, if Pakistan has a beautiful retro looking Honda from 1980s...God knows how long it takes for them to rev-up!PS - You could perhaps easily afford for a CB350 instead for that cost Thanks for your inputs. Yes I did consider CB350 but its little bigger for me. I am a Kawasaki fan looking to buy W175 later this year. This Honda CG125 almost reminded me of Kawasaki 4S champion hence the decided to post the same. Only thing is bothering me to go with W175 is lack of chrome parts like Handle, Mudguards, Pillion grab handle, exhaust and few other components here and there. Is there a way I can chrome the exhaust, Handle and grab handle? Last edited by MotoDrive : 20th March 2023 at 13:18 . Controversies surrounding the Metropolitan Museum of Arts antiquities collection continue to mount as a new investigation has identified more than 1,000 objects in the museums holdings that are connected to people who had been either indicted or convicted of antiquities crimes. The report, published Monday by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) in collaboration with the UK-based nonprofit Finance Uncovered, found 1,109 relics in the Mets collection that are linked to art trafficking; 309 of which are on display. Less than half of the group have records detailing how they traveled from their country of origin to New York, including objects from countries with longstanding bans on the export of cultural heritage. Some were removed after the bans were enacted, museum records show. More from Robb Report The ICIJ investigation comes less than a week after the Indian Express published a list of more than 77 antiquities from South Asia in the collection of the Met that have been linked to the infamous art dealer Subhash Kapoor, who was convicted in India this year on charges of burglary and theft of antiquities. The Indian Express partnered with ICIJ and the Finance Uncovered on its report. The Met sets the tone for museums around the world, Tess Davis, executive director of the Antiquities Coalition, an organization that works to stop the trafficking of cultural heritage, told ICIJ. If the Met is letting all of these things fall through the cracks, what hope do we have for the rest of the art market? In their latest investigation, ICIJ and Finance Uncovered found that hundreds of artworks in the museums collection do not have a provenance, which are details of the objects legitimate export and history of ownership. Of more than 250 Nepali and Kashmiri antiquities, for example, listed in the museums catalog, only three can provide records detailing how they left the regions. The ICIJ noted that it focused on these two collections because Nepal and Kashmir have experienced heavy looting that received relatively little international news coverage. Story continues In recent years, law enforcement, in New York and abroad, have renewed scrutiny on the provenance of ancient works in the Mets collection, amid the rising public demand for the repatriation of looted objects. The Manhattan district attorneys office has obtained at least nine warrants to seize antiquities from the museum since 2017; six warrants were issued in 2022 alone and covered more than 30 relics that were pillaged from Egypt, India, and across the Mediterranean. In a statement to the ICIJ, a Met spokesperson said the museum is committed to the responsible collecting of art and goes to great lengths to ensure that all works entering the collection meet the laws and strict policies in place at the time of acquisition. Additionally, as laws and guidelines on collecting have changed over time, so have the Museums policies and procedures. The Met also continually researches the history of works in the collectionoften in collaboration with colleagues in countries around the worldand has a long track record of acting on new information as appropriate. Best of Robb Report Sign up for Robb Report's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. GeneralJazz BHPian Join Date: Sep 2015 Location: TN38/KL58/KL07 Posts: 546 Thanked: 2,982 Times View My Garage re: My Travel Diary | Rediscovering Oman, a journey of nostalgia and exploration Sharqiya Desert Quote: The Sharqiya Desert, also known as the Wahiba Sands, is a large desert area located in the eastern part of Oman, on the Arabian Peninsula. It covers an area of approximately 12,500 square kilometers and is characterized by vast sand dunes, ranging in size from small to more than 100 meters high. The desert is also home to a variety of wildlife, including Arabian oryx, sand gazelles, and desert foxes. The landscape is dotted with oasis settlements, where date palms and other crops are grown, and where visitors can experience local hospitality and cuisine.The Sharqiya Desert is known for its extreme temperatures, with summer temperatures often reaching over 50C and winter temperatures dropping below freezing at night. Located in the Ash Sharqiyah North governorate, our resort is close to the town of Bidiyah, which is nearly 200 kilometers away from the capital region. Upon reaching the town, we had to take a deviation in order to reach the resort. It was at this point that we were treated to our first wondrous view of the sand dunes - an awe-inspiring sight to behold! At this point, the asphalt road came to an end, and we had to drive through the desert for a short while to reach the resort. Once we arrived in Bidiyah town, we were presented with two options: either request for a pick-up service from the resort, which would involve an SUV being dispatched to collect us, or, alternatively, drive ourselves if we had a 4x4 vehicle at our disposal. Given that our own Outlander was 4x4 capable, we decided to take the latter option and drive to the resort on our own. While we mostly stuck to the track, we could see the locals blasting their way through the dunes! They were racing each other and the powerful LCs never lost their footing on the terrain. Although we started with a 4x2, we quickly became stuck in the sandy terrain. Fortunately, the Outlanders 4x4 came to our rescue and pulled us out of the predicament. After that, we drove the remainder of the distance using the 4x4 mode. Arabian Oryx Camp Following a drive of roughly 10 kilometers through the sands, we finally arrived at our resort. As we entered the parking area, it was apparent that it was an SUV-only zone. Our Outlander, although not small by any means, was dwarfed next to the towering size of the Patrols, LCs, Tundras, and Tahoes surrounding it. This is a picture of the nearby sand dunes, which are absolutely huge! Take a look at the people climbing the dunes for scale. Located at the entrance of the camp, there is an enclosure that accommodates several Arabian Oryxes. These majestic animals are a subspecies of antelope and hold the status of the national animal of Oman. Once classified as extinct in the wild, the Arabian Oryx has made a successful comeback through conservation efforts. Upon entering the compound, rows of cottages and tents of various sizes can be seen. Our accommodation was situated near the entrance, and we hastened towards it to escape the scorching sun, which was beginning to bake us alive. As part of our stay package, we were offered a round of dune bashing in the evening. We were instructed to gather at the reception around 5 PM for the activity. Until then, we sought refuge from the sweltering sun in our air-conditioned cottages. In the evening, we gathered at the reception as instructed. Our vehicles, a couple of V8 Land Cruisers, had already arrived. As it was our first time "dune bashing," we were unsure what to anticipate. Our driver advised us to fasten our seatbelts, but I, being overconfident, didn't heed the warning. That was a big mistake. As we soared over the first dune, I was hurled face-first into the back of the front seat. Feeling embarrassed, I quickly scrambled to lock my seatbelt. Here are a couple of videos we managed to take from the inside. https://youtu.be/caLSpG5MsuE https://youtu.be/CmYMBSuZMow Oh boy, that ride was like a wild roller-coaster! Even with our seatbelts locked, we were bouncing around like crazy, and my motion sickness came back with a vengeance. We hit this ginormous sand dune and landed hard on the side, and I swear I felt my lunch coming back up. Thankfully, our driver stopped for a little break, and I was able to catch my breath and let my tummy settle down. Lesson learned: next time, I'm bringing a barf bag! After the wild ride, we stepped out of the car and took a stroll around the breathtaking desert scenery. Here it is, the mighty brute Land Cruiser that had carried us through the rugged terrain. After the short break, we hopped back in the Land Cruiser and resumed our dune bashing adventure. At one point, we were barrelling down a super steep dune, and to our surprise, we started sliding sideways all the way down. It was like a scene straight out of an action movie! Our next destination was the very top of a towering dune, and boy was it a sight to behold! As we pulled up to the top, we couldn't help but admire the two Land Cruisers parked side by side, looking right at home in the midst of the sandy wilderness. To give you an idea of just how massive this dune was, take a look at how tiny the vehicles at the bottom appear! The grand finale of our exhilarating journey took us to the very edge of a colossal dune, where our skilled driver parked the Land Cruiser and granted us a front-row seat to the magnificent sunset. As we strolled around, taking in the stunning desert scenery, we couldn't resist the temptation to play in the soft, velvety sand. However, it wasn't long before we realized that the sand had somehow managed to make its way into every crevice of our bodies, leaving us feeling gritty and sandy in the most unexpected places! But hey, it was all part of the adventure, and we wouldn't have had it any other way! After we'd had our fun, we settled down on the soft sands to witness the captivating sunset. As the temperature rapidly plummeted, the sand felt refreshingly cool against our skin, but if we dug a little deeper, we could still feel the warmth seeping through. With the sun slowly dipping below the horizon, we watched in awe as the sky transformed into a magnificent tapestry of vivid hues, an Arabian sunset that left us speechless. It was a moment of pure serenity and beauty that we'll cherish forever. After the sunset, our driver steered us back to the entrance of the camp, dropping us off to explore and soak in the cool, calm ambiance of the desert night. With dinner still a ways off, we wandered about, taking in the rustic charm of our surroundings. Near the parking area, we noticed the the pack wild V8s had returned to their den for the night. As the night settled in, our rumbling stomachs were met with the delectable aroma of a lavish dinner spread that awaited us. With an array of culinary delights to choose from, my eyes were immediately drawn to the piece de resistance - a succulent Camel BBQ that was calling my name! As I savoured the first bite, I knew I had made the right choice, and before long, I was reaching for seconds and thirds! After dinner, we were treated to a traditional Omani folk music and dance performance. Skilled artists put on a great show, and we enjoyed it very much. Once the performance was over, we meandered back to our cosy cottages under a cloudless, starry sky. With the night sky shining bright above us, we seized the opportunity to capture some stunning photographs of the constellations. Armed with my wife's S20FE, we mounted the phone on a tripod and used long exposure to capture the beauty of the night sky. As we clicked away, we were thrilled to discover that the constellation we had captured was the magnificent Orion Nebula, as per a star tracker app. The next morning.... The next morning, I was up early, eager to explore the camp compound. As I stepped out into the misty surroundings, a dense fog shrouded the entire area, making it nearly impossible to see beyond a few measly meters. Despite the fact that the sun had risen, its light was obscured by the tall sand dunes. The resulting sunlight filtered through the thick fog, casting a soft and diffused glow over the area. As I made my way to the edge of the camp, something caught my eye. It was an unusual sight - a group of camels being herded by *wait for it* an SUV! I had to do a double take and rub my eyes to make sure I wasn't hallucinating. As the sun crept up over the dunes, I was delighted to witness a remarkable phenomenon - a Fog Bow, also known as a White Rainbow. It looked like a typical rainbow, but due to the minuscule size of the water droplets in the fog, the colours were pale and almost imperceptible, giving the impression of a white-coloured bow. In the middle of the desert, such small plants stand tall. Even though the desert was parched and devoid of moisture, life had found a way to thrive in this harsh environment. A testament to the resilience of nature, that even in the most unforgiving of circumstances, life always finds a way. After finishing our breakfast, we commenced our journey back to civilization, which was going to be a long drive. The V8s had given us an enjoyable ride, but it was now time for our trusty Outlander to take the reins and lead us home. We stayed on the designated tracks and the rugged terrain posed no challenge to our dependable Outlander. Along the way, we paused near a cluster of dense bushes to snap some pictures. To my inexpert eyes, these appeared to be succulent plants, thriving in the harsh desert environment. By the time we rolled into the capital, the sun was beating down mercilessly, and we were all feeling as dry and gritty as the desert sand we had left behind. We were itching for some rest, and above all, we were leaking sand from every conceivable nook and cranny. The thought of a refreshing hot shower beckoned us like an oasis in the parched desert. No trip to the Middle East can be considered complete without experiencing the vast desert landscape and magnificent sand dunes. However, in Oman, despite being classified as a desert country, most major cities, such as Muscat, Sohar, and the Batinah regions, as well as interior regions like Nizwa and Rustaq, are nestled in rocky hilly areas, making it necessary to make a special effort to venture out and witness the sand dunes.Located in the Ash Sharqiyah North governorate, our resort is close to the town of Bidiyah, which is nearly 200 kilometers away from the capital region. Upon reaching the town, we had to take a deviation in order to reach the resort. It was at this point that we were treated to our first wondrous view of the sand dunes - an awe-inspiring sight to behold!At this point, the asphalt road came to an end, and we had to drive through the desert for a short while to reach the resort. Once we arrived in Bidiyah town, we were presented with two options: either request for a pick-up service from the resort, which would involve an SUV being dispatched to collect us, or, alternatively, drive ourselves if we had a 4x4 vehicle at our disposal. Given that our own Outlander was 4x4 capable, we decided to take the latter option and drive to the resort on our own.While we mostly stuck to the track, we could see the locals blasting their way through the dunes! They were racing each other and the powerful LCs never lost their footing on the terrain. Although we started with a 4x2, we quickly became stuck in the sandy terrain. Fortunately, the Outlanders 4x4 came to our rescue and pulled us out of the predicament. After that, we drove the remainder of the distance using the 4x4 mode.Following a drive of roughly 10 kilometers through the sands, we finally arrived at our resort. As we entered the parking area, it was apparent that it was an SUV-only zone. Our Outlander, although not small by any means, was dwarfed next to the towering size of the Patrols, LCs, Tundras, and Tahoes surrounding it.This is a picture of the nearby sand dunes, which are absolutely huge! Take a look at the people climbing the dunes for scale.Located at the entrance of the camp, there is an enclosure that accommodates several Arabian Oryxes. These majestic animals are a subspecies of antelope and hold the status of the national animal of Oman. Once classified as extinct in the wild, the Arabian Oryx has made a successful comeback through conservation efforts.Upon entering the compound, rows of cottages and tents of various sizes can be seen. Our accommodation was situated near the entrance, and we hastened towards it to escape the scorching sun, which was beginning to bake us alive. As part of our stay package, we were offered a round of dune bashing in the evening. We were instructed to gather at the reception around 5 PM for the activity. Until then, we sought refuge from the sweltering sun in our air-conditioned cottages.In the evening, we gathered at the reception as instructed. Our vehicles, a couple of V8 Land Cruisers, had already arrived. As it was our first time "dune bashing," we were unsure what to anticipate. Our driver advised us to fasten our seatbelts, but I, being overconfident, didn't heed the warning. That was a big mistake. As we soared over the first dune, I was hurled face-first into the back of the front seat. Feeling embarrassed, I quickly scrambled to lock my seatbelt.Here are a couple of videos we managed to take from the inside.Oh boy, that ride was like a wild roller-coaster! Even with our seatbelts locked, we were bouncing around like crazy, and my motion sickness came back with a vengeance. We hit this ginormous sand dune and landed hard on the side, and I swear I felt my lunch coming back up. Thankfully, our driver stopped for a little break, and I was able to catch my breath and let my tummy settle down. Lesson learned: next time, I'm bringing a barf bag!After the wild ride, we stepped out of the car and took a stroll around the breathtaking desert scenery. Here it is, the mighty brute Land Cruiser that had carried us through the rugged terrain.After the short break, we hopped back in the Land Cruiser and resumed our dune bashing adventure. At one point, we were barrelling down a super steep dune, and to our surprise, we started sliding sideways all the way down. It was like a scene straight out of an action movie!Our next destination was the very top of a towering dune, and boy was it a sight to behold! As we pulled up to the top, we couldn't help but admire the two Land Cruisers parked side by side, looking right at home in the midst of the sandy wilderness.To give you an idea of just how massive this dune was, take a look at how tiny the vehicles at the bottom appear!The grand finale of our exhilarating journey took us to the very edge of a colossal dune, where our skilled driver parked the Land Cruiser and granted us a front-row seat to the magnificent sunset. As we strolled around, taking in the stunning desert scenery, we couldn't resist the temptation to play in the soft, velvety sand. However, it wasn't long before we realized that the sand had somehow managed to make its way into every crevice of our bodies, leaving us feeling gritty and sandy in the most unexpected places! But hey, it was all part of the adventure, and we wouldn't have had it any other way!After we'd had our fun, we settled down on the soft sands to witness the captivating sunset. As the temperature rapidly plummeted, the sand felt refreshingly cool against our skin, but if we dug a little deeper, we could still feel the warmth seeping through. With the sun slowly dipping below the horizon, we watched in awe as the sky transformed into a magnificent tapestry of vivid hues, an Arabian sunset that left us speechless. It was a moment of pure serenity and beauty that we'll cherish forever.After the sunset, our driver steered us back to the entrance of the camp, dropping us off to explore and soak in the cool, calm ambiance of the desert night. With dinner still a ways off, we wandered about, taking in the rustic charm of our surroundings. Near the parking area, we noticed the the pack wild V8s had returned to their den for the night.As the night settled in, our rumbling stomachs were met with the delectable aroma of a lavish dinner spread that awaited us. With an array of culinary delights to choose from, my eyes were immediately drawn to the piece de resistance - a succulent Camel BBQ that was calling my name! As I savoured the first bite, I knew I had made the right choice, and before long, I was reaching for seconds and thirds!After dinner, we were treated to a traditional Omani folk music and dance performance. Skilled artists put on a great show, and we enjoyed it very much.Once the performance was over, we meandered back to our cosy cottages under a cloudless, starry sky. With the night sky shining bright above us, we seized the opportunity to capture some stunning photographs of the constellations. Armed with my wife's S20FE, we mounted the phone on a tripod and used long exposure to capture the beauty of the night sky. As we clicked away, we were thrilled to discover that the constellation we had captured was the magnificent Orion Nebula, as per a star tracker app.The next morning, I was up early, eager to explore the camp compound. As I stepped out into the misty surroundings, a dense fog shrouded the entire area, making it nearly impossible to see beyond a few measly meters.Despite the fact that the sun had risen, its light was obscured by the tall sand dunes. The resulting sunlight filtered through the thick fog, casting a soft and diffused glow over the area.As I made my way to the edge of the camp, something caught my eye. It was an unusual sight - a group of camels being herded by* an SUV! I had to do a double take and rub my eyes to make sure I wasn't hallucinating.As the sun crept up over the dunes, I was delighted to witness a remarkable phenomenon - a Fog Bow, also known as a White Rainbow. It looked like a typical rainbow, but due to the minuscule size of the water droplets in the fog, the colours were pale and almost imperceptible, giving the impression of a white-coloured bow.In the middle of the desert, such small plants stand tall. Even though the desert was parched and devoid of moisture, life had found a way to thrive in this harsh environment. A testament to the resilience of nature, that even in the most unforgiving of circumstances, life always finds a way.After finishing our breakfast, we commenced our journey back to civilization, which was going to be a long drive. The V8s had given us an enjoyable ride, but it was now time for our trusty Outlander to take the reins and lead us home.We stayed on the designated tracks and the rugged terrain posed no challenge to our dependable Outlander. Along the way, we paused near a cluster of dense bushes to snap some pictures. To my inexpert eyes, these appeared to be succulent plants, thriving in the harsh desert environment.By the time we rolled into the capital, the sun was beating down mercilessly, and we were all feeling as dry and gritty as the desert sand we had left behind. We were itching for some rest, and above all, we were leaking sand from every conceivable nook and cranny. The thought of a refreshing hot shower beckoned us like an oasis in the parched desert. Last edited by GeneralJazz : 21st March 2023 at 10:45 . Where previously its core principle reflected Milton Friedmans conviction that the paramount duty of managements and boards was to the companys shareholders, it was re-stated to say that the long-term interests of all stakeholders including customers, suppliers, employees, communities and shareholders were inseparable. The statement (which was signed by 181 CEOs, including Lachlan Murdoch) cited issues such as diversity, social inclusion and the environment. Loading According to McKinsey, more than 90 per cent of the companies in the S&P 500 index now publish ESG reports. The adoption of ESG principles and reporting of adherence to those principles has, therefore, become quite mainstream and including ESG factors in investment decision-making wasnt controversial until quite recently. To the extent that there were any controversies, they related to greenwashing or the false labelling and marketing of funds as ESG investors, and arguments over the relative performance of ESG funds against those that dont claim to use ESG frameworks. Somehow, however, ESG investing has become caught up in the culture wars raging in the US and, to a lesser extent, elsewhere. The Republicans have embarked on a war against everything woke, including what they regard as woke capitalism. To them, the inclusion of ESG influences in investment decisions is a plot by the Democrats and the left to enlist other peoples money to support causes that they wouldnt be able to successfully pursue via legislation; to direct investment towards climate change initiatives, for instance, or to withdraw funding from industries like the oil or gun industries that conflict with the lefts agendas. While there is undoubtedly a strain of conviction to the conservatives assault on ESG investing there are a lot of Friedmanites who believe the sole purpose of boards, managers and fund managers is to maximise profits and returns for shareholders there is also a lot of politics. The Republicans, with the 2024 federal election on their horizon, see the war against woke as a winning strategy. Globally theres an estimated $US35 trillion ($52.5 trillion) now invested in funds that claim to include an ESG lens, with about $US8.5 trillion of ESG-driven funds under management in the US. Credit: AP So much so that when Silicon Valley Bank collapsed Republicans blamed it on the banks woke policies on diversity, equity and inclusion even though it was immediately obvious that it was the banks inept and profit-maximising management of its balance sheet that was the actual reason it imploded. The attacks on woke capitalism have produced some odd outcomes, like Florida governor (and potential presidential candidate) Ron DeSantis removal of Disneys more than half a century-held self-governing status of the land around its Florida theme park. Disney had criticised DeSantis legislation banning early years classroom education on sexuality and gender issues. Banks and fund managers that espouse ESG frameworks for their decisions in Texas, Florida and other conservative states have also been banned from providing their services to state-owned or controlled entities. In Texas, that ruled out the major Wall Street banks from underwriting state and municipal bond issues. The banning of the biggest banks, with the best balance sheets and most powerful distribution networks, may cost the state an estimated $US500 million or so in higher interest costs, according to some academic studies that have compared the yields on its bonds issues with those of states that dont exclude the Wall Street heavyweights. Theres something peculiar in the sight of a Democrat president acting to preserve the choice for investors to choose a manager who uses an ESG framework while the Republicans want to take those choices away. Credit: AP Similar bans on fund managers who offer ESG products Black Rock, State Street and Vanguard among them has cost the states pension funds access to the biggest investors on the planet while making barely a dent in those firms assets under management. The conservatives opposition to ESG investing is mainly because they see it as enabling what DeSantis calls the woke mob from injecting political ideology into investment decisions and corporate governance but there are also some who see it adversely impacting performance. The data on the relative performance of ESG and non-ESG funds is murky and complicated by the fact that there are funds that label themselves as investing along ESG principles but which hold fossil fuel company shares, or tobacco stocks or gaming stocks. There isnt a clear definition of ESG-conforming investment, although securities regulators worldwide are now aggressively pushing for better disclosure of funds policies and their implementation. Loading There is some evidence that the inclusion of non-financial objectives in corporate decision-making does produce better long-term performance and protects companies social licences and, despite the US conservatives views, it is hard to argue that companies shouldnt take environmental issues into account when governments in much of the world are introducing measures to reduce carbon emissions and creating both major threats and major opportunities for business. Theres also little doubt that investors are voting with their money and increasingly putting their savings into funds that screen their investments (or say they screen them) using an ESG framework. It has been the fastest-growing segment of the funds management industry over the past couple of decades. Theres something quite peculiar in the sight of Joe Biden, a Democrat president, acting to preserve the choice for investors to choose or reject a manager who uses an ESG framework while the supposedly free-market Republicans including the two front-runners for nomination as their candidate for the presidency, Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis want to take those choices away. BANGKOK, March 21, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Thailand's leading oil and retail operator PTT Oil and Retail Business Plc. (OR) reported sales and service revenue of USD 22.8 billion in 2022, an increase of 54.3% from the previous year, following a strong rebound in domestic tourism and post-pandemic economic recovery. The company has earmarked USD 900 million for investment in 2023 in for both its local and international businesses. PTT Oil and Retail Business (OR) reports over 50% income growth in 2022, allocating $900 million investment for local and international business in 2023 As of 2022, OR operated 2,551 gas stations known as 'PTT Station' across Asia, as well as flagship 'Cafe Amazon' chain, now the world's sixth largest coffeehouse chain with over 380 million cups of beverage sold each year. Through a unique franchise system, OR has created robust and long-lasting collaborations with international partners for the sustainable expansion of PTT Station and Cafe Amazon branches in 11 countries globally. OR CEO Disathat Panyarachun said that "The overall sales volume of all our business segments in 2022 were at their rise, resulting in 54.3% increase in sales and service incomes, while maintaining our leading position in the industry, with a market share of 43.2%." The company also made a progressive move in embracing the EV transition in Thailand by rolling out 302 "EV Station PluZ" charging locations, with a total of 548 fast chargers, and collaborated with a wide range of partners to expand the EV Station PluZ network to enable convenient consumers' access and become a leader in the EV Ecosystem. "Looking ahead in 2023, we will focus on synergizing energy and lifestyle businesses to fortify the OR ecosystem through a stronger structure of each business to resonate with the lifestyle of the future, as well as joining forces both within and outside the roof of the PTT Group to achieve sustainable growth together," added Disathat. To drive growth in 2023 in line with the vision of "Empowering All toward Inclusive Growth" to achieve tangible results, OR allocated an investment budget of over USD900 million to expand and bolster the business value chain of the company's mobility and lifestyle business platforms. Story continues Approximately 45% of the entire investment budget will be utilized for lifestyle business, which includes F&B industry, by expanding Cafe Amazon and Texas Chicken branches, as well as acquiring new partners and investments in health & wellness and tourism sectors. 22% of the investment was targeted for the mobility business, with aim to expand the network of PTT Station and EV Station PluZ, as well as forge collaboration in the EV business of the PTT Group, to address all kinds of energy needs and ensure seamless clean energy transition in the transportation sector. The global business is also pivotal to 2023 growth, with 16% of the investment budget allocated to launch new PTT Stations and Cafe Amazon branches through its overseas affiliates to strengthen its presence in the countries OR has already operated, while also seeking investment opportunities in new potential countries. For the OR innovation segment, the company aimed at seeking new businesses to strengthen and complement the current ones. OR has set out social and environmental criteria to govern its business operations and to create innovations authentically of OR's style so that it can be a role model for modern organizations and sustainably thrive with people and the environment. Approximately 17% of the investment budget will be used to fund the development of innovation and new business models to conform to the shifting global consumer landscape. In 2023, OR planned to launch new 122 gas stations, 400 Cafe Amazon branches and 500 EV charging stations in Thailand and international markets, as well as seek new M&A and joint venture opportunities with partners across the world. The new PTT Station branches will also come with new unique, modern and community-friendly design, featuring a circular structure that corresponds to the functionality of car circulation while providing consumers with a consistent and fluid experience and atmosphere from the minute they enter to the moment they exit the station. Green construction concept is utilized in the entire development concept to make the service station a truly welcoming and socially responsible lifestyle destination. About OR PTT Oil and Retail Business Public Company Limited (OR) is PTT Group's Flagship in the oil and retail business to bring all stakeholders a balanced and sustainable value while developing the quality of life for the people and economy of the communities where it operates. OR relentlessly improves its products and services to always deliver impressive customer experiences and invigorate SME's growth on oil and retail businesses. Cision View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/ptt-oil-and-retail-business-or-reports-over-50-income-growth-in-2022-allocating-900-million-investment-for-local-and-international-business-in-2023-301778119.html SOURCE PTT Oil and Retail Business Plc. (OR) Priyanka Ashraf is a former lawyer, but when she was racially abused in a supermarket in 2021, she realised she had no idea where she should report it. It occurred to her that if someone in her position didnt know what to do, it must be even harder for women who didnt have her experience and resources. Priyanka Ashraf said underreporting of racism was a problem in Australia. Ashraf is founder of The Creative Co-Operative, a social enterprise that supports women of colour in the start-up world. Her experience in the supermarket planted the seed that led to the creation of Maya Cares, a chatbot designed to support the mental health and wellbeing of First Nations, black and women of colour. Over two years, Ashrafs team spoke to more than 250 people with lived experience of racism and from a wide range of fields including mental health, law, data and privacy. The program has been designed entirely by women of colour somewhat of a rarity in a largely white, male-dominated tech world. It was funded by the Victorian Department of Fairness and Families and Humanitech, an Australian Red Cross initiative focused on harnessing technologys power for good by putting humanity first. It just kept growing and growing and growing and I think there were others on the streets around and within the hall itself, he said. At first I was like woah thats pretty big, theres like 50 of them there and then as we got closer they all ran out towards us we realised it was a lot more than that, he said. Loading It was really shocking, Ive been involved in a bunch of protests for LGTBI rights over the years ... but never something like this. Speaking on Nines 2GB on Wednesday, Latham said he made his way to the church from the back because protesters were blocking Margaret Road, and was later told about the violence. The police informed me that out the front, there had been chaotic scenes the equivalent of a riot where some of the parishioners took exception to the fact that access to their church was going to be blocked by these transgender protesters, and they took matters into their own hands, which was wrong, he said. Latham also denounced the protest group for blocking the road and said in a democracy he should be allowed to speak in a church hall to concerned parents. I think blocking roads and access to church is definitely wrong in that setting, he said. People like myself, a politician running for elected office, should be allowed to make his speech without that kind of action. Another protester from the Rainbow Rights group said it was a preposterous assertion that Latham suggested they were blocking the road. As we were walking along, it became apparent that they were all there; we did not account for this kind of mobilisation, she said. The purpose of [Lathams] event was to actually ally himself openly with what he knows is a really dangerous, connected movement of people. Speaking on Wednesday at Campsie police station, Superintendent Sheridan Waldau addressed the media confirming a violent confrontation occurred about 7pm. Waldau said a number of projectiles were thrown at police and members of the public, but that no one was seriously hurt as a result. We were able to push the protesters into a police vehicle and move them safely from the scene of the incident. This type of violence is not to be tolerated by NSW Police, so we will commence an investigation into the incident. So far there have been two persons charged as a result of the incident and we are reviewing numerous amounts of footage. Police said officers from the Campsie Police Area Command were called to the church about 5pm and, when they arrived, a number of glass bottles and other projectiles were thrown at them. The Public Order and Riot Squad and Operational Support Group joined to help to disperse the crowd. A crowd surrounds a man who had been pushed to the ground. Credit: Nine A male constable was allegedly struck by a projectile and his hand was injured. He was taken to Canterbury Hospital in a stable condition. Police also said a 38-year-old man was pushed to the ground and assaulted. Police said a 34-year-old man was arrested and taken to Campsie Police Station where he was charged with encouraging the commission of crimes. He was given conditional bail to appear before Bankstown Local Court on April 11. A 41-year-old man was arrested and charged with common assault. He is due to appear before Bankstown Local Court on May 30. Independent member for Sydney Alex Greenwich said targeting the LGBTQ community during a state election is cruel and lazy politics and accused Latham of fuelling hate. Loading Mark Latham is a disgusting human being and people who are considering voting for One Nation need to realise they are voting for an extremely hateful and dangerous individual who risks causing a great deal of damage to our state, he said. Greenwich said words and hate cause a great deal of damage, particularly when theyre targeted at vulnerable minority groups. It really is incumbent on political leaders to call this out and to show support for the LGBTIQ+ community, he said. Police urge anyone with information or mobile phone vision to contact Crime Stoppers on 1300 333 000. Catholic schools in Melbourne are being encouraged to harness artificial intelligence writing tool ChatGPT for teaching and assessment instead of banning it, as state schools have, while some educators argue its inclusion in schools is inevitable. The Victorian Education Department put an interim ban on ChatGPT because the softwares terms of use had said users must be 18 years old, but the minimum age was recently reduced to 13. OpenAIs writing chatbot ChatGPT has been blocked in Victorian state schools, but Catholic schools are being encouraged to embrace its potential. Credit: AP Some of Australias leading universities have also taken a dim view of the AI tool, with the University of Melbourne warning students who use it in their own work risk facing penalties for academic misconduct. But the organisation that runs Melbournes Catholic schools has broken ranks and advocated for utilising artificial intelligence in education, encouraging teachers to embrace the chatbot and noting that students already use AI in their daily lives. Looking beyond the current gin boom Following gin's meteoric rise over the past decade, Clay Smith, from distilling and business management training company Moonshine University, asks what is next for the category Clay Smith Moonshine University Whether its due to being stuck at home during Covid-19, or people pivoting on their own to explore the spirits world, one thing is for sure: the spirits industry is booming in both purchasing and consumption. The gin category, and specifically the craft category, has seen exponential growth, specifically a 9 per cent increase each year for nearly a decade, according to the American Distilling Institute. And while it wasnt a typical year due to the global pandemic, the category of craft gin distillers reached a growth rate of 122 per cent from 2020 to 2021. The idea of what goes up, must come down naturally comes to mind when industry leaders see similar outlier statistics, so what will happen after the current gin craze, and how will businesses prepare for the inevitable shift in popularity? With a steady increase in people trying to enter the gin industry, growth numbers are similar to those seen during the pre-Prohibition era, except this time around, we have an increased capacity for production. Launching a gin brand isnt an exorbitant cost for entry. With the unilateral intrigue in craft cocktails and distilleries, investment and further exploration in craft and gin categories make sense. With gin, wait times for market entry are shorter, and overhead costs are naturally lower, so its a fantastic product for new distillers to start with. Other spirits, like bourbon, must wait for age appropriateness before launching into the market, so gin is a much faster spirit to produce. In fact, due to local legislation changes in many states across the US, which enable beverage businesses to function more like a bar, investing in gin categories is a smart move if youre already a fixture in the industry. With these businesses now offering incentives like tastings and product cocktails, gin has become more of a destination that can remain sustainable if business owners become experts in their local economy and demographic. There are currently about 2,100 distilleries across the United States, which equates to anywhere from three to 150 local distilleries for every state that a bar or restaurant would need to carry to support local product growth. Theres simply not enough shelf space for this. This means a gin producer needs to think about how to differentiate their brand and make it unique. Whether thats utilising local botanicals or ingredients indicative of their specific area, or standing out with overall marketing efforts, producers need to strongly consider what will make customers reach for their product on the shelves while also being mindful of the FDA GRAS (generally recognised as safe) list. As long as there is supply and demand for gin, the market can maintain its competitiveness, but for this to happen, consumers need to keep their money in their economy by shopping these local brands. Meanwhile, business owners and developers in the gin space must focus on how they can better serve and accommodate the interests in their community to support this organic growth. If your business doesnt have the privilege of selling your brand products on-site or offering cocktails to customers due to differing state laws, finding a way to make that change is the first step in increasing revenue capital. Legislative leaders have their eyes on Kentucky due to its rich distilling history, and other state legislatures will often follow suit once we see success in the Bluegrass. Your states local distilling guild or association is a powerful tool for achieving parity through legislation. In 2021, nearly 10 million nine-litre cases of gin were sold in the United States, generating US$1 billion in revenue for distillers, according to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States. The category is a saturated industry that will naturally ebb and flow as beverage trends evolve. Hopefully, we see these numbers stabilise and remain above the nearly 10 per cent growth seen within the last decade. And while learnings tell us that relying on gin alone is typically not enough to sustain a small business like a local distillery, because of the numerous barriers for entry, focusing on local trends and consumer interest will help retain brand loyalty in a competitive market. Ultimately, with these practices in place, gin exploration will remain a fixture in beverage popularity rather than just a fad. 24 June 2022 Going back to basics Langley's has decided to go back to basics in its gin range and champion classic styles. Matt Ashton-Melia, sales director for Langley's at Charter Brands, explains the thinking behind this strategy. Matt Ashton-Melia Langley's Gin Can you explain the history of Langley's as a gin brand? Gin has been distilled at Langley's since 1920 and some of the traditional copper pot and rectifying stills are more than 100 years old. We use traditional production methods and source the best and most balanced ingredients and botanicals to ensure each gin is refined, elegant, and remains true to its original recipe, while appealing to modern drinking preferences. Langley's is inspired by the traditional art of distilling and styled for contemporary drinking occasions. We take pride in our craft, quality and traditional values, our innovative spirit, and confidence in our originality. Where is Langley's now produced and what is the ethos behind its product range? Langley's gins are distilled at the Langley's distillery in the Midlands, which houses some of the UK's oldest working copper stills and produces more than 40 million bottles of gin each year. In terms of our distillation process, we distil our liquids a single time only this ensures that we only extract the purest flavours from the botanicals we use. Langley's London Dry and Old Tom both use wheat grain as the spirit base, which is commonly recognised spirit base, and where possible we always make sure this is of UK origin. Our ethos is, "Gin, as it should be" and we're seeing a strong trend back towards traditional styles and a desire for high-quality, well-made, great-tasting gins. Alongside this, consumers are becoming more mindful in their choices, seeking premium brands with heritage, a story to tell, and an eye on sustainability and they care about they what they put in their glass. Given that market data shows flavoured and more contemporary gins are driving market growth, why has Langley's decided to focus on classic and historical styles in its gin range? Primarily, the reason for taking such an approach is due to our long-term view to brand building. A lot of companies are in a hurry to drive volume but sometimes the issue can be sustaining this momentum year after year as trends come and go. Although being first to market or at least an early adopter is advantageous, it should not come at the expense of product quality. Building Langley's reputation for classic gin styles has given us a really strong base and so it is not that we won't experiment and innovate in the years to come, it's just very important to us that we get things right and don't rush the process. The Langley's range underwent a rebranding last year - what was the main aim of this? The restaging aimed to give our range a more premium positioning and a distinctive profile on back bars and supermarket shelves. Following the redesign, we have embarked on a complete repositioning of the brand and this summer we are launching our integrated marketing campaign: "Gin. As It Should Be". We're also developing our sustainability strategy, as we're aiming to become the most sustainable, accessible gin brand on the market. Via a partnership with the ethical and environmental platform 1% for the Planet, we will donate one per cent of all sales revenue to the charity. We have also teamed up with Panthera, donating $0.50 for every bottle of Langley's Old Tom sold to support the conservation of the planets 40 wild cat species and their ecosystems. Further boosting our eco credentials, we have moved to a 60 per cent post-consumer recycled glass bottle, and 100 per cent recycled paper for both labels and outer cases. This is just the start of a long journey ahead but we have some pretty bold ambitions we hope to make a reality in the next 12 to 18 months, so watch this space! What are the long-term goals for Langley's as a brand? Where do you see it positioned in the gin market going forward? Wed like to think that there arent many gin brands on the market that can offer the same liquid quality we do as Langley's relative to the RRPs. With the recent rebrand we've also repositioned each gin but still we have a long way to go in our journey of becoming the most sustainable yet accessible gin brand on the market. It's a bold vision but we have some really ambitious objectives when it comes to our sustainability strategy and amongst the 30 countries we are now active in, we're seeing in markets like Costa Rica, Greece and Brazil an appetite for import/distributors to really drive the Langley's brand and establish it as a household name in the category. 13 August 2021 The opportunities in bulk wine shipping Richard Lloyd, general manager at bulk wine shipping company The Park, explains the environmental and financial benefits of switching to bulk shipping Richard Lloyd The Park What brought you to your current position at The Park? I joined the business as it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to design and build a new manufacturing, warehouse and distribution facility at a greenfield site. This combined with the opportunity to design the organisational structure and operational philosophy meant it was the dream job. My background is a degree in engineering and then a masters in lean operational management. What does the bulk wine shipping market look like at the moment? The bulk shipping market is very buoyant at the moment with significant growth within the UK. Ultimately shipping in bulk lowers carbon footprint by 40 per cent and shipping costs by 50 per cent and delivers an improved taste profile plus shelf life to the consumer. Who does The Park provide products to / where does it ship to? Where, and from whom, does it source its liquids? The Park works with many of the top 20 wine brands in the UK and is responsible for 25 per cent of the wine sold nationwide. The Park ships six million bottles of wine per week to its customers, including leading retailers such as Tesco, Sainsburys, Asda and Aldi as well as many of the most popular brands, such as Jam Shed, IHeart and 19 Crimes. Current partnerships allow The Park to ship more than 8,000 tanks from wineries all over the world: Australia, USA, South Africa, Argentina, Chile, Spain, France, Italy and New Zealand. Could you explain to our readers why individual glass bottles are a bad environmental choice, compared to bulk formats such as those offered by The Park? I would not say they are a bad environmental choice; it's that the weight of them needs to be minimised because a 330g bottle offers the same quality benefits a 700g bottle does but has a significantly lower carbon footprint. The key is to ship the wine in bulk from the country of origin to the country of sale and then bottle in market. The key to the glass market in the future is reducing the fossil fuel energy required to power a glass furnace and ideally moving to a hydrogen-powered furnace. What do you consider to be the main logistical and financial benefits of bulk wine shipping? When shipping wine in bulk, 2.5 fewer 20-foot containers are required for the identical quantity of wine versus when it is shipped in finished product format. Given that the cost of shipping from many wine regions such as Australia and Chile has doubled in price over the last 12 months, the financial savings are getting larger every year. Shipping in bulk has even more advantages, as it reduces carbon emissions by 40 per cent when compared to shipping the finished bottled product. Bulk wine shipping has undeniable benefits in terms of reducing packaging waste and transport emissions but doesnt it require quite a lot of plastic? What kind of materials does The Park currently use and it is exploring/implementing any more sustainable alternatives? The Park sends zero waste to landfill and continues to pursue the elimination of virgin single use plastic. Tertiary plastic packaging often goes unnoticed by the consumer, as it is removed in the supply chain and is not visible at the point of purchase. Through the ongoing continuous improvement working with our supply partners optimising material specification, pre-stretch and lay-on tension, The Park has reduced the stretch wrap used to wrap its pallet by 50 per cent. The goal is to have the first BWS [bulk wine shipping] product in store completely plastic-free from primary, secondary and tertiary packaging and move away from the dependency on plastic to transport products from manufacture to the point of purchase. For wine drinkers who want to cut down on their use of virgin glass at home, what alternative formats would you recommend? When customers consider buying more environmentally friendly wine, I recommend sourcing lighter-weight bottles which, contrary to belief, do not mean lower quality. It should also be noted that green glass contains a higher recycled glass content than clear flint glass. Other formats include bag in box which comes in 1.5-litre to 10-litre formats, or even canned wine for picnics and festivals, for example. 9 September 2022 Kendall Jenners 818 Tequila launching in UK 818 Tequila, the premium brand owned by Kendall Jenner, is set to launch in the UK through Spirit Cartel. Named after Jenners area code in Calabasas, California, 818 Tequila features three expressions: Blanco; Reposado and Anejo. The former is the least expensive of the releases at an RRP of 48, while the latter is the most at 65. Each blend has been crafted from 100% Blue Weber Agave, handpicked by jimadores from the lowlands and highlands of Jalisco, Mexico. On the upcoming UK launch, Jenner commented: I can't wait for people across the UK to experience the magic of 818 Tequila. We're arriving in London just in time for the start of spring, and I know everyone will love our delicious tequila when they try it." The Tequila brand has already been available across the USA, Canada, China, Dubai and select Caribbean markets. From 10 March, it will be available to buy through Venus, Speciality, Enotria & Coe and off-trade exclusively at Selfridges London, Manchester, Birmingham and its online store. Director of Tequila operations at 818, David Yan Gonzalez, said: The UK represents an exciting new market for 818 where we see the popularity of agave-based spirits increasing. This is an amazing step for us. More information can be found at the 818 website. 9 March 2023 - Bradley Weir Share this story Ginposium 2023 to focus on sustainability The Gin Guilds annual industry seminar, Ginposium, will focus on the key theme of sustainability for its 2023 edition, bringing together speakers with decades of experience. The event will take place on Friday 9 June at RSA House, London. Among the presentations featured will be from Pernod-Ricard deputy director Sandrine Ricard, who will be discussing sustainability strategies. Rademon Estate Distillerys David Boyd-Armstrong will talk about sustainable and responsible botanical foraging; Rosie Milsom from ATOM Brands and Sarah Miller from Gin-a-ding-ding will provide an update on sustainable packaging and Verallia UKs Nolan Kane will address how the glass industry is approaching sustainability. The guilds director general Pal Gleed commented: Our focus on sustainability will give delegates a vital and varied insight into current industry best practice. We appreciate the generosity of all our speakers in sharing their knowledge and experience and we are particularly fortunate to be hearing from gin legend Desmond Payne MBE, who will share insights from his 50 years in the industry in conversation with Guild Chairman Christopher Hayman. Among the popular highlights at the event will include gin tastings, with the opportunity to discover the latest Asian gins as well as samples considering the use of salt. David T. Smith also returns with a tutored tasting of new releases and a retro revival. Professor Matthew Pauley from Heriot-Watt will host a topical discussion in providing an update on the guilds sponsored research into juniper profiling, a panel discussion about Scottish alcohol advertising restrictions and a distillery safety update from David Thompson. Financial analyst Chris Pitcher returns to analyse the latest gin industry statistics, following last years Ginvestment presentation, while Keli Rivers of Sipsmith will discuss the rise of Martini. More information can be found at Ginposiums website, along with where to buy tickets. 15 March 2023 - Bradley Weir Share this story Absolut Vodka expanding spirits portfolio To meet the brands growing demand, Absolut Vodka is expanding its product portfolio with three new drinks launching this year. The collection of new drinks launched this year Smoky Pina, Sensations Tropical Fruit and Wild Berri sit across three different product ranges. Smoky Pina already launched in Mexico in January, described as a smoky pineapple and chilli flavour. Absolut Sensations offers a low alcohol alternative to Absoluts other products, just 20% and is launching this month, March, in Germany. The last, Absolut Wild Berri, is having the widest release, launching across 16 markets in Spring including the UK and USA. Elin Furelid, director of product portfolio and innovation, said: The Absolut portfolio has been refreshed to deliver innovation across three different ranges, with tastes that are authentic and inspiring, offering our consumers exceptional new experiences. The launches bring with them new ways and occasions to enjoy the iconic flavour of Absolut to meet the changing tastes of consumers, whatever the occasion. Charl Bassil, Absoluts VP marketing, added: We constantly strive to better understand the needs and attitudes of our consumers around the globe with the obsession to provide quality Absolut products that elevate the mix. Subsequently, we continue to explore innovations that expand our product portfolio. These exciting new additions to the Absolut family are created to offer our consumers drinks for all occasions and they mark the next phase of our mission to champion quality drinks for our consumers. After all, we are Born to Mix. 20 March 2023 - Bradley Weir Share this story Now at first, he said no but then elaborated saying the 'cool experience' he mentioned he had with an older woman was one of his classmate's mums that he knew 'sorta well'. Another Former Trans Teen to Sue Medical Provider Over Double Mastectomy at 13 Layla Jane speaks at a Detransition Awareness Day rally at the state Capitol in Sacramento on March 10, 2023. (Courtesy of Pamela Garfield-Jaeger) A California woman who once identified as transgender and had both of her healthy breasts removed when she was 13 years old is taking legal action against the doctors and medical provider who performed or approved the surgery. The Dhillon Law Group and LiMandri & Jonna LLP, in conjunction with the Center for American Liberty, sent a letter of intent (pdf) on March 15 to sue the Permanente Medical Group, Inc., Kaiser Foundation Hospitals, and doctors who performed, supervised, and advised transgender hormone therapy and surgical intervention, including top surgery. The Central Valley woman, now 18, goes by the pseudonym Layla Jane in the case. At a Detransition Awareness Day rally on the steps of the state Capitol in Sacramento earlier this month, Jane and other detransitioners, including Chloe Cole, denounced Californias gender-affirming care policies that Jane says fast-track minors toward puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and gender transition surgeries. A detransitioner is someone who has either socially or medically transitioned their gender, but later regretted the decision and re-embraced their birth gender. Detransitioners speak on the steps of the California state Capitol in Sacramento on March 10, 2023. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times) Cole, who had a double mastectomy when she was 15, is currently suing Kaiser Permanente in a similar case filed in San Joaquin County Superior Court about a month ago. Many people have already seen Chloe Coles story and the emotional and physical damage she had to go through at the hands of medical professionals. Im ready to announce that these so-called professionals did the exact same thing to me, but at an even younger age, Jane said in a statement. These are decisions I will have to live with for the rest of my life. Im ready to join the growing group of detransitioners so that no other child has to go through the torment I went through at the hands of doctors I should have been able to trust. Mental Health Struggles Jane told The Epoch Times she regrets the decision she made as a minor with parental consent to take puberty blockers and testosterone and proceed with gender transition surgery. She said she had other issues that should have been addressed at the time. As a child and throughout most of her teen years, Jane struggled with her weight. It fluctuated, but at times, she was definitely obese, she said. Jane was suicidal and cut her wrists. She suffered from anxiety and depression, social anxiety, body dysmorphia, eating disorders, and was bullied. She was confused about her gender from a young age, and by the time she reached puberty at 9 years old, her mental health took a turn for the worse. I had a lot of body image issues, and this manifested into gender dysphoria, she said. And nobodynone of my doctorstried anything to make me comfortable in my body, or meaningfully pushed back or asked questions; they only affirmed. After seeing a local counselor, Jane was referred to a gender clinic in Oakland, California, where she was prescribed puberty blockers and, about six months later, testosterone. At school, some of her peers called her Kyle and used her preferred male pronouns. Teachers heard about this, but they couldnt tell my parents. They kind of just stayed out of it, she said. But, during a conference, teachers told Janes parents there was something they should ask her about. They didnt say exactly what, and just left it at that, she said. Jane later mentioned the conference to bridge the conversation with her parents and tell them she wanted to transition her gender to male. She was 11. Her parents were concerned but accepting of her transition, she said. They didnt know a whole ton about the trans issue but theyre very pro, like, gay marriage and all that so they thought it was the right thing to do, she said. Layla Jane after her operation. (Courtesy of Dhillon Law Group) Aftermath The surgery didnt help her to feel better about herself or her body, Jane said. It has really distorted how I see myself, she said. She has also suffered nerve damage and loss of sensation that leaves her feeling like she has an itch she cant scratch, she said. I dont know how to explain it any better than that, she said. Its really uncomfortable. Jesse Franklin Murdock, one of Janes attorneys with Dhillon Law Group, said he expects a medical practice lawsuit will be filed and the case will go to court. Under California law before you can pursue a medical malpractice lawsuit, you need to first give the medical providers notice of the claims, and then there is a 90-day notice period, he said. According to the letter, Jane has suffered permanent mutilation to her body and other damages, such as more masculine features and body shape, a lower voice, increased facial and body hair, lost healthy breast organs, and improperly developed sexual organs. She now faces an increased risk of infertility. Janes attorneys are seeking punitive damages in the millions of dollars and have accused Kaiser Permanente and doctors of gross negligence and fraudulent informed consent. According to the letter, Janes medical providers grossly and recklessly breached the standard of care and failed to adequately assess and treat her complex array of mental health symptoms. Her legal team also accused Kaiser Permanente and doctors of coercing Jane and her parents with the threat of suicide and false information. This so-called treatment of Layla by her providers represents a despicable, failed medical experiment that grossly breached the standard of care, the letter states. Kaiser Permanente didnt respond to a request for comment. A Lot Happier Jane stopped injecting testosterone into her body in mid-2021. Today, she dresses much more femininely, and is in a relationship with a man, she said. Since Ive been detransitioning, Ive definitely been a lot happier, she said. My mental health is starting to make an upturn. Im making major strides in my social anxiety. Jane now feels confident enough to go out in public and shop in stores. Layla Jane in a recent photo. (Courtesy of Dhillon Law Group) I have a job and stuff. Thats not something I would have been able to do [during] my transition at the worst of my mental health while I was on testosterone, she said. It hasnt been without its challenges. It has been tough trying to relearn how to be a girl on my own especially living as a male and missing out on a lot of teenage girl things. Because of bullying, Jane was homeschooled since the seventh grade and has since graduated from high school. She cautioned other teens to slow down and check their mental health before rushing into gender transition treatments or surgeries. Transitioning earlier is not going to answer ensure a better or more passable transition, she said. Im hoping that other doctors slow down on this, and just do a comprehensive check on the mental health care. Make sure there are follow-ups so that this doesnt happen. Its not that I want less trans people; I want less detransitioners. Jane said its concerning that she was able to get such a life-altering surgery at such a young age, although she wasnt old enough to legally smoke drink, drive, vote, or get a tattoo. When she was 18, she did get a tattoo on her shoulder. More people told me I might regret this tattoo at 18 than a double mastectomy, she said. Dutch Government Staff Discouraged From Apps Such as TikTok The TikTok Inc. building is seen in Culver City, Calif., on March 17, 2023. (Damian Dovarganes/AP Photo) THE HAGUE, NetherlandsThe Netherlands is moving to stop central government employees having apps including popular video sharing service TikTok installed on their work phones, amid concerns over data security. Countries including the United States and Britain, as well as the European Union s executive branch, have banned the use of TikTok on government staff phones over fears that its Chinese owner, ByteDance, could share user data with the authoritarian government in Beijing. For civil servants employed by the national government, it is immediately discouraged to have apps from countries with an offensive cyber program against the Netherlands and/or Dutch interests installed and used on their mobile work devices, the government said in a statement Tuesday that did not identify TikTok by name. The new policy came after lawmakers asked whether it was possible to ban central government staff from using the app on work devices. The advice follows an assessment by national intelligence agency AIVD that warned that apps from such countrieswhich include China, Russia, North Korea and Irancarry a heightened risk of espionage. A law China implemented in 2017 requires companies to give the regime any personal data relevant to the countrys national security. Theres no evidence that TikTok has turned over such data, but fears abound due to the vast amount of user data it collects. Alexandra van Huffelen, the Dutch minister for digitalization, said in a statement that the new policy goes beyond discouraging one application. We opt for a structural solution that central government officials can trust in their work in a digital world. The government said it is planning to move quickly to set up all mobile devices given to central government staff in such a way that only pre-permitted apps, software and/or functionalities can be installed and used. The decision comes two weeks after the Dutch government angered Beijing by announcing that it is planning on imposing additional restrictions on the export of machines that make advanced processor chips, joining a U.S. push that aims at limiting Chinas access to materials used to make such chips. By Mike Corder Federal Government Departments Set Easy Performance Targets, Testifies Parliamentary Budget Officer Parliamentary Budget Officer Yves Giroux prepares to appear before the Senate Committee on Official Languages in Ottawa on June 13, 2022. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press) A federal House of Commons government operations committee heard that federal managers set easy performance targets that they often fail to meet. Parliamentary Budget Officer Yves Giroux testified before the committee on March 20, stating that government department targets tend to be too easy, in response to a question from B.C. Liberal MP Parm Bains. I speak of my own experience having been in the public service for more than two decades. Generally speaking, targets are set so that they seem to be reasonably ambitious, but they are always deemed to be attainable, barring unforeseen events, Giroux told the committee. Annual targets are set by executives in Departmental Results reports, which are then tabled in Parliament, according to Blacklocks Reporter. In earlier testimony, before the Senate national finance committee on Feb. 7, Giroux explained his role to the Senate committee as providing independent, non-partisan analysis to assist parliamentarians in fulfilling their constitutional role of holding the government to account. Giroux, a former assistant commissioner with the Canada Revenue Agency, suggested government reports inflated achievements and were often incomplete or late. Giroux also said reports were often surprising given that close to half either do not meet their targets or have no target date set. In his February Senate appearance, Giroux said: Id be curious to see in the next Departmental Results report what Passport Canada will claim was their achievement. I wouldnt be surprised if they claim some sort of success despite the disaster weve seen the last couple of months. There is clear, clear room for enhanced leadership. Giroux indicated that the targets set in Departmental Results reports are determined in large part by the public servants responsible for delivering the programs themselves: assistant deputy ministers, approved by deputy ministers, approved by ministers, he said. But in my experience ministers are not very well equipped to challenge their own officials. We end up in a situation where it is public servants responsible for delivering programs that set their own targets and they usually set the bar not too high so it doesnt look too easy, but neither too low so its fairly easy to achieve most of the time, Giroux told the committee. Yet by their own assessment they fail to deliver on many of these. The budget officer told the committee, There is a system that is broken. He said the targets are not ambitious enough to make a meaningful difference. The government will invest or will spend that many millions to do this and that, said Giroux. Okay, but what will be the result? I can help you hold the government to account, but I cannot do this just by myself. There has to be a willingness to receive that information and act on it, said the budget officer. First Vietnamese Liberal Victorian MP Warns Australia Is Heading Towards Big Government Liberal MP Trung Luu escaped to Australia 44 years ago in search of freedom, but he now says the country he adopted is hurtling towards more big government. The first Australian-Vietnamese MP in the Victorian Parliament, Luus family was among thousands of refugees fleeing communist Vietnam after the fall of Saigon, with nothing but the clothes on their backs. He recalled his familys sea journey stretching seven days and nights on an overcrowded and stricken boat, with threats of pirates and a shortage of water. On the journey, we encountered sea pirates, they basically board your boats and took advantage of the situation. In some situations, people get killed, some of the females got raped, he told The Epoch Times, The pirates just take all your belongings [and] personal jewels. Luu and his family later ended up in a refugee camp in Malaysia shielded with barbed wire fence. They spent six months in the shelter with daily food delivered from the Red Cross and no access to television, air conditioning, or couches. Refugee camp at that time was different than what you see now on TV, he said. Water was an issue so basically, men dig holes. Nothing like apartments or condos or air-conditioned tents or whatever at the moment. Fortunately, Luus family was among the refugees chosen to migrate to Australia. Once arriving in the new country, they worked from the bottom up to build a better life. Progression Towards Big Government Growing up in the Western suburbs, Luu said his aspiration to help others motivated him to join the Victoria Police Force and later enter politics. However, the MP said its concerning that Australia is leaning towards a more dictatorship sort of society. Such a trend had already started before COVID-19, but it was not until the pandemic broke out that the average person saw that a lot more, he said. Luu noted that during the pandemic in Victoriawith Melbourne considered to have the worlds most prolonged lockdownwhen people raise their objections against COVID-19 mandates, they were either disregarded or cancelled. Whether people recognise it or not, its basically a dictatorship sort of style, he said. Another example of creeping authoritarianism, the Vietnamese MP said, was in the expansion of the government. The government is getting bigger and bigger and its more controlling that way as well. Policy-wise, Luu said theres also a greater emphasis on large government projects and increasing encroachment on small businesses and private enterprises. Over the past couple of decades, government budgets and tax revenue at the federal level have increased significantly, with spending on health programs like the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), aged care and Medicare the biggest driver. NDIS cost is expected to blow out by half a billion dollars more this financial year compared to estimates produced four months ago and will exceed $50 billion by 2025-26. Total government spending has also expanded from 9 percent of the economy in 2000 to 22.3 percent in 2021, higher than the world average of 16.83 percent. At the state level, the Victorian government announced last year it would give a $12 billion boost to the health system and $21.6 billion to infrastructure investment a year. Government is now a much bigger share of the total pie, said Danielle Wood, budget policy director at the Grattan Institute in 2018. The Victorian Small Business Commission refused to comment on the issue. Idealisation of Socialism As someone escaping from a communist dictatorship, Luu noted theres a favourable sentiment towards socialism and communism among young Australians, who are often attracted by the ideas of egalitarianism and wealth distribution. Similar rhetorics could also be found in the political discourse around the climate safeguard mechanisms and the new superannuation increase, where large corporations and wealthy individuals are subject to higher taxes. Billionaires and big corporations arent paying their fair share of tax, said the Australian Greens on their website. The Greens will tax billionaires, require big corporations making excessive profits to pay a corporate super-profits tax, axe billions of dollars in handouts to the coal, oil and gas giants that are driving the climate crisis, and make profitable big corporations pay back the JobKeeper they pocketed. If they pay their fair share of tax, everyone can have affordable housing and make dental and mental health care part of Medicare. Luu said the concept of an equal society is fantastic on paper, but doesnt work in practice. Its not really beneficial for society to do this sort of thing because no ones going to want to work, and half the pay goes into tax, he said. Thats what the politicians have been using as a gimmick in a way, but they dont explain how that will work, so once its actually explained to those it concerns, thats when people realise. But you cant blame the younger one. They havent been through any war. They grew up with a country thats been provided to them, he added, Its not their fault, but we need to emphasise educating them. Greens Looking to Ensure People Can Disconnect From Work This photo, taken on June 21, 2012, shows a person using a mobile phone touch screen keypad to write a text message in Singapore. (Roslin Rahman/AFP/GettyImages; effects added by Epoch Times) Working outside of office hours is the scourge of many Australians, who struggle with demanding jobs and creating a work-life balance. But it may soon become a thing of the past after the Greens introduced a private members bill to parliament that seeks to amend the Fair Work act to legislate the right for workers to not answer emails, phone calls or other messages after contracted work hours. The Bill comes in response to one of the recommendations of the Senate Work and Care Inquiry, which found that due to the proliferation of smartphones and advances in technology, there had been an availability creep into Australians personal time. Workers are often expected to be on call 24/7 to answer emails, take calls and be available to their employers at a moments notice, Bandt said when introducing the bill on March 20. Workers should have the right to switch off when they clock off, Greens Leader Adam Bandt said. Technology has seen work creep into personal time. If youre not getting paid for it, you should be able to ignore the work texts and emails that arrive after hours. Party leader of the Australian Greens Adam Bandt addresses the media at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, on Feb. 6, 2023. (Photo by Martin Ollman/Getty Images) Bandt noted that switching off from work is vital for your health and work-life balance. This bill will give people the right to log off when they clock off and to say unless youre getting paid for it, your time is your own, and your employer does not have the right to contact you by text, email or phone when youre enjoying your leisure, he said. Fair Work Act Not Fit For 21st Century Chair of the Senate Work and Care Inquiry, Greens Senator Barbara Pocock, said that the bill would bring the Fair Work Act into the 21st century. Most of our working arrangements were put in place when households typically consisted of a male breadwinner with a female working to maintain a home and provide care for the family, she said. Those arrangements are clearly out of date and we need to recognise that households are now run with at least two working adults who are increasingly sharing household and caring duties in addition to their working lives. She said that during the inquiry, they had heard evidence from both workers and employers across the country supporting the need to include a right to disconnect in the Fair Work Act. Our work and care system is no longer fit for purpose, and widespread hours of unpaid overtime are just part of the problem, she said. Availability creep, where workers feel they have to be available to answer emails all the time, is harming their physical and mental health. Poor sleep, stress, burnout, degraded relationships and distracted carers are some of the consequences of workers feeling they should be available at all hours. Inquiry Found 2.65 Million Australians Struggling to Provide Care and Work According to the report, 2.65 million Australians, with the majority being women, are combining work with childcare or unpaid care given to a person with a disability, long-term illness or old age. Australia is mired in a work and care crisis which demands bold reform to fix an economic, gender equity and workforce crisis, Committee Chair and Greens Senator Barbara Pocock said. Many women are juggling work and unpaid care. (Volodymyr Baleha/Shutterstock) We must recogniseand measurethe essential value of unpaid care to our economy and our wellbeing, Senator Pocock said. Its worth at least half the value of GDP. The economy cant exist without care, without reproduction of the workers of the future. The report also recommends that the federal government examine a case for a shorter working week, and paying out 52 weeks of Paid Parental Leave among others. Its time to give new parents more paid leave when a baby arrives, and to recognise that childcare is an essential part of economic infrastructure, like the roads we use to get to work. Quality, universal care narrows inequality. At present it is too expensive and hard to find in too many places. It should be free, Senator Pocock said. We have been moving in the wrong directionwith fraying job security and increasingly unpredictable working time for too many. Its time for action in the opposite direction. Judge Says No Death Penalty for Lori Vallow Daybell Lori Vallow Daybell sits in a police car after a hearing at the Fremont County Courthouse in St. Anthony, Idaho, on Aug. 16, 2022. (Tony Blakeslee/East Idaho News via AP, Pool) BOISE, IdahoA woman charged with conspiracy and murder in connection with the deaths of her two children and her new husbands late wife will no longer face the death penalty, a judge ruled Tuesday. Lori Vallow Daybell is scheduled to stand trial starting April 3. Both she and Chad Daybellher newest husbandhave pleaded not guilty to murder, conspiracy, and grand theft charges in connection with the deaths of Vallow Daybells children7-year-old Joshua JJ Vallow, and Tylee Ryan, who was last seen a few days before her 17th birthday. They are also charged in connection with the October 2019 death of Chad Daybells late wife, Tammy Daybell. Joshua JJ Vallow (L) and Tylee Ryan. (National Center for Missing & Exploited Children via AP) Prosecutors were seeking the death penalty for both defendants, but Vallow Daybells attorneys said it should be taken off the table in her case because they will not have time to fully review a large amount of evidence that was turned over in recent weeks. During a Tuesday morning hearing, 7th District Judge Steven Boyce agreed. He noted that Vallow Daybell has not waived her right to a speedy trial, so the proceeding could not be rescheduled to give her defense team ample time to review the evidence. The death penalty still applies to Chad Daybells case, however. Chad Daybell during a court hearing in St. Anthony, Idaho, on Aug. 4, 2020. (John Roark/The Idaho Post-Register via AP) Prosecutors say the couple used doomsday-focused religious beliefs to further a plan to kill the children and Tammy Daybell, and that it was part of a plot to steal social security funds and insurance money. Idaho law enforcement officers started investigating the couple in November 2019 after extended family members reported that the children were missing. During that period, police say the couple lied about the childrens whereabouts. Their bodies were found buried later on Chad Daybells property in rural Idaho. The couple married just two weeks after Chad Daybells previous wife, Tammy Daybell, died unexpectedly. Tammy Daybells death was initially reported as due to natural causes, but investigators had her body exhumed after growing suspicious when Chad Daybell quickly remarried. Vallow Daybell is separately charged with conspiracy to commit murder in Arizona in connection with the July 2019 death of her previous husband, Charles Vallow. He was shot and killed by Vallow Daybells brother, Alex Cox, who claimed it was self-defense. The Arizona legal proceedings are on hold while the Idaho case is underway. Los Angeles Public Schools Closed as Unions Launch 3-Day Strike Los Angeles public school workers, teachers, and supporters walk the picket line in front of an elementary school in Los Angeles on March 21, 2023. (Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images) All Los Angeles Unified School Districts (LAUSD) schools closed March 21 as the districts two unions kicked off a three-day strike demanding more pay and benefits. Members of SEIU Local 99, the union representing the districts 30,000 non-teaching staffincluding cafeteria workers, bus drivers, custodians and special education assistantssaid in a March 21 press conference that members were striking to bargain for better wages and increased staffing in schools. We are on strike to protest the disrespect against workers who are speaking out for more staffing for student services, said SEIU Local 99 president Conrado Guerrero at the press conference. We are on strike to protest the threats against workers who have spoken out for better livelihoods. We are on strike because we have had enough. United Teachers of Los Angeles (UTLA), the union representing 35,000 LAUSD teachers, also joined the strike. The strike has disrupted schedules for the districts 420,000 students. Erica Quezada, a parent of three children in the district, told the Epoch Times that her three-year-old was unable to get the speech therapy he takes through LAUSD on Tuesday, and her five-year-olds virtual classes were also shut down due to the strike. Quezada said she was concerned the shutdowns would exacerbate learning loss for the districts students many of whom are still struggling to recover from pandemic-induced learning loss. [The unions are] holding our kids like pawns, Quezada said. And the kids are the ones suffering the consequences. Theyre already behind because of all the school closures, masks, regular [COVID-19 tests] add up all that and its learning loss. Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) workers and supporters picket outside Robert F. Kennedy Community Schools on the first day of a strike over a new contract in Los Angeles on March 21, 2023. (Mario Tama/Getty Images) District officialswho repeatedly attempted to avoid a strike by bargaining with the unionare making efforts to minimize the impact of the strike on families. LAUSD is offering student supervision all three days from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at several campuses throughout the district. It also partnered with the city of Los Angeles to distribute mealsup to six meals per studenton March 21 from 7:30 to 10:30 a.m. District Superintendent Alberto Carvalho continued to urge the union to return to negotiations in a March 21 statement. We remain ready to return to negotiations with SEIU Local 99 so we can provide an equitable contract to our hardworking employees and get our students back into classrooms, he said. The union, which has been negotiating a new contract for its members with the district since April 2022, said the strike was necessary because LAUSDs offers were unsatisfactory. The unions proposal requests good wage increasesthough it does not specify amountswith increases at the 10th year and includes a so-called Me Too clausemeaning if any other LAUSD bargaining unit receives a wage increase, the union would receive one as well. Other benefits the union is seeking are full-time hours, pay for mandatory training and certifications required for work, no split shifts, and substitute relief for absent coworkers. It also requests the district notify and bargain with the union before changing schedules and hours. On March 18, LAUSD offered union members a five percent wage increase for 202223; a six percent wage increase for the following year; and a five percent wage increase for 202425. Microsoft Wins Dismissal of Gamers Suit Over $69 Billion Activision Deal Microsoft logo is seen on a smartphone placed on displayed Activision Blizzard's games characters in this illustration taken on Jan. 18, 2022. (Dado Ruvic/Illustration/Reuters) Microsoft Corp. on Monday won dismissal of a private consumer antitrust lawsuit over its $69 billion proposed purchase of Call of Duty maker Activision Blizzard Inc., but the plaintiffs were given 20 days to refine their legal challenge. A federal judge in San Francisco ruled that the lawsuit from a group of video game plaintiffs lacks allegations supporting their claim that the proposed acquisition would harm market competition. Plaintiffs general allegation that the merger may cause higher prices, less innovation, less creativity, less consumer choice, decreased output, and other potential anticompetitive effects is insufficient, wrote U.S. District Judge Jacqueline Corley. Why? How? The decision does not affect the U.S. Federal Trade Commissions (FTC) regulatory challenge to the largest-ever gaming industry deal. Microsoft announced its bid last year, and it also faces competition scrutiny in the EU and UK. Microsoft has denied the deal would harm video game competition. U.S. antitrust law allows private consumers to challenge mergers and acquisitions apart from government actions. An evidentiary hearing before the FTC is scheduled in early August. A spokesperson for Microsoft and lawyers for the company did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment. Joseph Saveri, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, told Reuters they planned to submit an amended lawsuit with additional factual detail to address all of the ways in which the judge indicated we need to allege more. Corley scrapped a planned hearing on whether to issue a preliminary injunction. A status hearing is scheduled for April 12. The case is Demartini v. Microsoft Corp., U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, 3:22-cv-08991. For plaintiffs: Joseph Alioto of Alioto Law Firm; and Joseph Saveri of Joseph Saveri Law Firm For Microsoft: Rakesh Kilaru of Wilkinson Stekloff, and Valarie Williams of Alston & Bird By Mike Scarcella With just under two weeks remaining before the April 4 municipal election in Colorado Springs, voters still have time to cast their ballots to choose the city's next mayor and four new councilmembers but the city clerk encourages residents to vote as soon as possible. Turnout is so far trailing slightly behind voter turnout at the same point in the last city election two years ago, data from the Colorado Springs City Clerk's Office show. As of Monday 6.05%, or 18,806, of the city's 310,918 active registered voters had returned their ballots, compared with 22,940 ballots returned at the same point in 2021, data show. "(City Clerk Sarah Johnson) ... focuses on encouraging everyone to vote as soon as possible. She consistently encourages voters to educate themselves using our website and other sources, and she hopes they will fill their ballot out and drop it off to one of our convenient 26 drop-off locations around the city," said Jen Schreuder, a clerk's office spokeswoman. Data show that in the past four regular municipal elections between 2015 and 2021, more residents voted in mayoral election years 2015 and 2019 than in years 2017 and 2021, when there were no mayoral races. In 2021, 84,509 people cast ballots for a 27.03% voter turnout. In 2017, 84,496 people returned ballots, a 33.61% voter turnout. That's compared to 2019, when Mayor John Suthers won reelection to his second term and 99,028 people, or 38.17% of voters, cast their votes, according to clerk's office data. During the regular election in 2015, which forced a mayoral runoff election between Suthers and his then-opponent Mary Lou Makepeace, 90,475 people voted, a 40.69% voter turnout. Suthers is not running for mayor again this year because of term limits. Data also show voters in District 1, the city's northwest area, have cast the most ballots to date for the April 4 election at 4,061. Residents in District 5 (central) have returned 3,520 ballots; District 3 (southwest), 3,472; and District 2 (north), 3,423. District 6 (east) voters have returned 3,016 ballots and District 4 (southeast) voters have returned the fewest, at 1,314 so far. Next month, voters will choose Colorado Springs' first new mayor in eight years from a pool of 12 mayoral candidates. Residents will also elect three candidates in a crowded 11-person race to fill three at-large City Council seats, each for a four-year term, and will select from two candidates in the race to serve the remaining two years of the term for Council District 3. Voters also will decide whether to extend the Trails, Open Space and Parks (TOPS) tax for another 20 years. The majority of the proceeds of the dedicated 0.1% sales tax, or 1 cent per $10, is split between parks, trails and open space for acquisition, stewardship and maintenance. Johnson said earlier this month her office was preparing for a likely mayoral runoff election that will occur, if necessary, just 42 days after the regular election, on May 16. To win the mayor's seat in a general municipal election, a candidate must receive a majority of votes or 50% of the vote, plus one vote to avoid a runoff election between the top two vote-getters in the mayoral race. In a runoff, the candidate who earns the most votes will be named mayor, she previously said. Johnson has encouraged voters to cast their ballots in the April 4 election and not to wait to vote in a possible mayoral runoff, as there are other races and a ballot issue to decide as well. Residents must return their ballots to the City Clerk's Office or at any one of the city's 26 designated drop-off locations, which have 24/7 ballot boxes, by 7 p.m. on Election Day. Postmarks will not count. A full list of drop-off locations and their addresses is available online at coloradosprings.gov/voterinfo. Voters who mail their ballots should include the required first-class postage, allowing at least seven days before April 4 for their ballot to be received by the city clerk. The last day to mail in a ballot for it to be received by the voting deadline is March 28. Residents may receive replacement ballots in person at the City Clerk's Office, 30 S. Nevada Ave., 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 7 a.m.-7 p.m. on April 4, according to the clerk's website. Voters who have questions about the election or need further assistance can call 719-385-5901. Pennsylvania Health System Sued Over Data Breach Affecting 461,000 Patients Maternal and Family Health Services Inc. website has an online explanation of the data breach, March 21, 2023. (Beth Brelje/The Epoch Times) A healthcare system with services in 17 Pennsylvania counties says a ransomware incident last year allowed unknown actors to access sensitive patient information such as Social Security numbers, medical records, and health insurance information. Wilkes-Barre-based Maternal and Family Health Services Inc. (MFHS) discovered the breach on April 4, 2022. The sensitive patient information that could have been accessed also included dates of birth, patient account numbers, and drivers license numbers, as well as payment and financial account information. An investigation found unknown actors gained unauthorized access to the organizations systems between Aug. 21, 2021, and April 4, 2022, according to the MFHS website. The data breach was wide-reaching and compromised the personal information of at least 461,000 patients, according to legal papers referencing a submission MFHS made to the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services at the Office for Civil Rights. But MFHS didnt start notifying patients until nine months later in a Jan. 3, 2023, letter. Maternal and Family Health Services experienced a ransomware incident. During the typical ransomware incidents, cyber criminals try to lock an organizations digital files in an attempt to get paid for digital key to unlock the files. We promptly launched an investigation, engaged a National Cybersecurity firm to assist in assessing the scope of the incident, and took steps to mitigate the potential impact to our community, the letter said. Please note that there is no evidence at this time that any of your personal information has been misused as a result of this incident. Identity Theft Claim Chris Izquierdo of Scranton says she is a victim of identity theft due to the data breach. Izquierdo is the lead plaintiff in a newly filed class action case in the Middle District of Pennsylvania, seeking damages and future protection from identity theft for those affected. A complaint filed this month says MFHA downplayed the seriousness of the breach. Since the Data Breach, Izquierdo has learned of at least five fraudulent credit card accounts being opened in her name, court papers say. Opening these accounts would have required knowledge of her personal information, such as name, date of birth, and Social Security number. Her credit score has decreased because the fraudulent accounts have outstanding balances and are accruing interest charges she is asked to pay. A utility service account has been opened using her information in Florida, where she has never lived. Medical data is particularly valuable, according to the court filing, because criminals can use it to target victims with scams that take advantage of the victims medical conditions or settlements. It can be used to create fake insurance claims, allowing for the purchase and resale of medical equipment, or the information can be used to get prescriptions for illegal use or resale. The theft can lead to inaccurate medical records, which could lead to misdiagnosis. The Epoch Times asked MFHS for comment, but it did not respond by the time of publication. Saudi Arabia Releases US National Almadi From Prison, Says Son U.S. President Joe Biden and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman arrive for the family photo during the Jeddah Security and Development Summit (GCC+3) at a hotel in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on July 16, 2022. (Mandel Ngan/Pool via Reuters) RIYADHSaudi authorities released on Tuesday a U.S. citizen jailed for 19 years for posting criticism of the government on Twitter but he remains banned from travelling, his son said, as the kingdom moves to ease tension with the United States. Saad Ibrahim Almadi, 72, was jailed for 16 years by a criminal court in 2022 and an appeals court increased his sentence to 19 years last month. His son, Ibrahim, told Reuters his father was at his home in Riyadh with his family. All charges have been dropped but we have to fight the travel ban now, Ibrahim said. The Saudi government did not immediately respond to a request for comment. There was no immediate reaction from the White House or the U.S. State Department. Almadi, a dual U.S.-Saudi national who had been living in retirement in Florida, was arrested after landing in Riyadh in November 2021 on several charges, including funding terrorism and working to destabilize the kingdom. His case, along with those of other U.S. citizens who remain under a travel ban in Saudi Arabia, had added to an already strained relationship between the two traditional allies. U.S. President Joe Biden said he had raised the cases during meetings with King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman when he visited Saudi Arabia in July. In October, Biden vowed there would be consequences for Riyadh after the OPEC+ oil alliance, led by Saudi Arabia and which includes Russia, decided to cut output targets. But both sides have been working to improve ties recently. Strategic Pressure The kingdom, the worlds biggest oil exporter, has been pouring hundreds of billions of dollars into a drive to transform and open its economy and reduce its dependence on crude. The reforms have been accompanied by a raft of arrests of critics of Prince Mohammed, as well as of businessmen, clerics and rights activists. Last week, Saudi state television showed prisoners who had been jailed for up to 15 years after publishing critical posts on Twitter. Two Saudi women were sentenced to 45 and 35 years last year on charges that included using the internet to tear the social fabric. Abdullah Alaoudh, Saudi director at the Freedom Initiative, said Almadis release showed that pressure from the United States had been effective. There are far too many people in detention in Saudi Arabia who do not have the benefits of U.S. citizenship to draw attention to their cases, he said. Almadis release shows that strategic pressure works, and U.S. officials should continue to press for release of prisoners and lifting of travel bans, he added. This month, Democratic and Republican U.S. senators introduced a resolution that could lead to a reassessment of security assistance for the kingdom over its rights record. By Aziz El Yaakoubi Southern California Hit by More Rainfall Amid Growing Damages From Flooding Construction efforts are being made after recent rainstorms opened up a sinkhole in La Habra, Calif., on March 21, 2023. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times) California was hit by another winter storm starting March 20its 12th since Decemberadding to more closures and damage for the already water-logged state. In Southern California, a second sinkhole in the courtyard of the Coyote Village condo complex in La Habra, Orange County, continued to cause concern after soggy ground atop a storm channel covered with grass collapsed in on itself March 15. Construction efforts are being made after recent rainstorms opened up a sinkhole in La Habra, Calif., on March 21, 2023. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times) A first sinkhole occurred in 2019 along the same patch of greenway, which has still not been fixed due to an ongoing lawsuit filed in Orange County Superior Court in 2020 by the condos homeowners association against the county of Orange, the Orange County Flood Control District, and the city of La Habra. Also, due to flooding, the California Department of Transportation closed Pacific Coast Highway March 21 in Huntington Beach. Its unclear when the roads will be reopened since rain is expected to continue through Wednesday afternoon. Meanwhile, in the City of Los Angeles, the Public Works department has received thousands of requests to fix potholes since December, according to the Los Angeles Bureau of Street Services. A National Weather Service meteorologist in Oxnard, Carol Smith, told The Epoch Times theres currently a flood watch advisory across the Southland. Rainfall may ease up by the end of the day March 22, she said, with the storm heading east. We also have a slight chance of thunderstorms across the area, and so with these thunderstorms, were seeing some heavy downpours, so thats a bit of a risk, she said. Over the next week, Smith said the weather may start to shift to more spring-like conditions and conclude the bout of storms this season. Recent storm damages lead to road closures in the Bolsa Chica area of Huntington Beach, Calif., on March 21, 2023. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times) Flood watches and advisories were issued in Southern California counties on the morning of March 21, and early reports in Los Angeles indicated that there were cases of roadway flooding and traffic congestion. As forecasters predicted, wind gusts of up to 45 miles per hour materialized throughout the day. Along with higher-elevation snow, the most recent storm was predicted to bring up to 3 inches more rainfall in Orange County and the Inland Empire, and up to 8 inches in the San Bernardino Mountains, according to the National Weather Service. Additionally, Orange Countys coastal and inland region remained under a severe wind warning that will be in effect until Tuesday at 10 p.m. The California Governors Office of Emergency Services in January predicted damages by the series of storms could be more than $1 billion. Landslides strike a coastal neighborhood after heavy rains in San Clemente, Calif., on March 16, 2023. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times) The Coercive Control Con Job Practicing situational awareness is not being paranoid, it's about avoiding potential problems. (Photographee.eu/Shutterstock) Commentary Talk about a meltdown. The explosive reaction from Liberal troops seeking votes for New South Wales (NSW) Attorney General Mark Speakman at the voting centre in his local electorate was not unexpected. The cause of their wrath was a group of women, from Mothers of Sons, who were entertaining queueing voters with their spoof video featuring a smiling housewife showing off her bottle of new coercive control. Partner wont pay for a new kitchen? Thats coercive control. Keeps asking for sex? Thats coercive control. Get that male sent to jail with new coercive control! Uniformed council officers were quickly on the scene, demanding the removal of a large banner that gave Speakman credit for pushing through draconian new laws designed to target men. The mothers were bullied into removing the banner but kept going, handing out flyers to a remarkably receptive audience, alerting people to the truth about what they call the coercive control con job spelt out in detail on their website. The con job starts with the fact that coercive control was simply made upnot so long agoby a feminist academic, Evan Stark. In 2007, he invented a brand-new form of domestic violence he called coercive control, which he claimed men used to control their relationships after society moved on from the widespread wife torture of the past due to womens liberation eroding mens sex-based patriarchal privilege. Even though both men and women use controlling behaviours, Stark declared that people should take on faith that the pattern of intimidation, isolation, and control is unique to mens abuse of women. Failure of New Laws Evan Stark became the pinup boy for the feminist movement, travelling word-wide to promote his new theory. He promoted this as a new criminal offence, which makes these laws a far more effective weapon against men than the old protection orders used for domestic violence. On the basis of the flimsiest evidence describing behaviours that cant even be properly defined, men would be sent to prison. Police Officers stand in Parliament Square in London, England, on Feb. 15, 2015. (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images) Within a decade, Starks ideas were incorporated into new laws criminalizing coercive control across the UK, and he was playing a key role in pushing for similar laws in Canada, New Zealand, and here in Australia, in Queensland and NSW. Interestingly, the laws were a dismal failure when first introduced. In Tasmania, they had laws criminalizing this type of emotional abuse introduced in 2004 (pdf), apparently a world-first, and they sank without a trace. There wasnt a single prosecution in the first three years after enactment! It turned out everyone had great difficulty proving a man guilty when no one was really sure what he was supposed to have done wrong. It was only when local lawmakers introduced training programs to teach the police to target men more efficiently that the number of convictions started to go up. Similar laws were introduced in England in 2015, making coercive control punishable by up to five years in jail. By 2020, these laws resulted in 24,000 incidents but only 300 convictions. That meant an incredible waste of police time for almost no result. Even though the laws were supposed to be gender-neutral, 97 percent of those convicted were male. Here too, the new weaponry only became effective when police were trained exactly how to target men. In England, there was a 40 percent increase in arrests (pdf) after police and staff were taught to identify coercive control behaviouralthough after eight months, the effect wore off and the brainwashing had to be repeated. A Rate of 99 Percent Our powerful Australian feminists had a new trick up their sleeves to push through coercive control legislation in Queensland and NSW. They exploited public concern about a tragic family homicide to claim this would not have happened if coercive control laws had been in place. This was a total invention. Even Stark didnt endorse such claims. The alleged link to homicide wasnt promoted when coercive control was first introduced in other jurisdictions, and theres no evidence from these places that coercive control laws had any impact on the safety of women. But feminist bureaucrats quickly rectified that problem. Speakman came out with a sensational claim from the 2017-19 report of the NSW Domestic Violence Review Team that 99 percent of domestic homicides were linked to coercive control. No convincing evidence was provided to support that claim, let alone any details about how their research was conducted. The truth about this absurd claim was exposed in an excellent speech to the NSW Parliament by One Nations Mark Latham. He pointed out that this review team had produced a string of reports since it was established in 2010, demonstrating that socio-economic factors are key to explaining domestic homicide: poverty; mental health issues; Aboriginality; cultural factors; drug and alcohol abuse; and past criminal records. NSW One Nation MP Mark Latham speaks to media during a press conference outside Canterbury Bankstown Council Chambers in Sydney, Australia, on Jan. 20, 2023. (Dan Himbrechts/AAP Image) But with the appointment of a new female review team head, suddenly all that socio-economic data disappeared, to be replaced by what Latham called politically-laden advocacy. The review team were told to look for examples of coercive control, which, unsurprisingly, they found 99 percent of the time. Naturally, when coercive control became part of the criminal law of NSW, the government congratulated itself for having passed this life-saving law reform. Oops, Accidently Charged Women Now for the latest twist in this incredible saga. The ABC recently ran a story from Tasmania about family violence orders backfiring on women, warning of a growing misidentification crisis where police have mistaken the victim for the perpetrator and charged women with criminal offences. The article claimed police failed to analyse complex patterns of coercive controlwhich means they got confused about who was actually in need of protection. So, despite strenuous efforts to indoctrinate the police to target only men, some brave officers had the guts to examine the evidence and determine where the blame truly lay. Thats the feminists weak spot. Everyone knows many women are masters at emotional control, as abundant academic research collated by Mothers of Sons shows. Even the Australian Bureau of Statistics concedes that men experience emotional abuse at the same rates as women. The truth will out. The fascinating recent development in NSW was that after Speakman pushed his laws through parliament, he then hit the pause button after womens groups warned of possible misidentification problems unless police and the judiciary are properly indoctrinated. And thats precisely whats happening now in Queensland and NSWthey are rolling out endless programs and procedures to educate police and judicial officers. Clearly, there is considerable nervousness that their scheme will turn around to bite them if male victims start coming forward and women end up being charged. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. US Announces Sanctions on Iran Drone Procurement Network The Department of the Treasury's seal outside the Treasury Department building in Washington on May 4, 2021. (Patrick Semansky/AP Photo) WASHINGTONThe United States said Tuesday it is imposing a new round of sanctions on Iranian firms and people accused of procuring equipment used for Iranian drones. Treasurys Office of Foreign Assets Control coordinated with the FBI to designate four firms and three people in Iran and Turkey for allegedly buying equipment, including European-made engines, to be used for Irans drone and weapons programs. Those targeted for sanctions include the Iran-based Defense Technology and Science Research Center, its procurement firm Farazan Industrial Engineering Inc. and two other firms along with purchasing agents from the companies. Irans well-documented proliferation of UAVs and conventional weapons to its proxies continues to undermine both regional security and global stability, said Brian Nelson, Treasurys undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence. Nelson was referring to unmanned aerial vehicles. The United States will continue to expose foreign procurement networks in any jurisdiction that supports Irans military industrial complex, he said. American defense officials say Iran is supplying Russia with unmanned drones to use on civilians as the Kremlin presses its invasion of Ukraine, which has entered its second year. Among other things, sanctions deny the people and firms access to any property or financial assets held in the United States and prevent American firms and companies from doing business with them. Tensions between the U.S. and Iran have worsened after months of antigovernment protests. By Fatima Hussein Zelenskyy Says He Will Join G7 Summit Virtually After Invitation From Kishida Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (L) shake hands as they meet in Kyiv, Ukraine, on March 21, 2023. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via Reuters) KYIVUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Tuesday he would join an upcoming Group of Seven (G-7) summit in Japan via an online link following an invitation from Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. He made the remark during a joint briefing in Kyiv with Kishida. Kishida met Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Tuesday during a rare, unannounced visit by a Japanese leader. Japan is due to host the G-7 summit in Kishidas hometown of Hiroshima in May. Kishida says the summit should demonstrate a strong will to uphold international order and rule of law in response to the Ukraine war. The Japanese prime minister had been the only leader of the G-7 rich nations yet to visit Ukraine, which has seen an outpouring of popular support in Japan following the Russian invasion. Zelenskyy posted footage of him greeting Kishida, whom the Ukrainian leader called a truly powerful defender of the international order and a longtime friend of Ukraine. The trip was kept secret until the last minute for security reasons. By the end of 2021, nearly 50 Canadian communities will have access to 5G cellular network technology. People will notice its impact on almost every aspect of their lives. Twenty-six cities and towns across Canada, including Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver already have this network in place. 1. The network will provide blazing download speeds reaching up to 1.7 Gbps on all devices. No more slow connectivity issues mean quicker downloading of videos. Greater bandwidth means not worrying about exceeding data limits. 2. The network will incorporate different kinds of technology, including wearable technology and appliances. Imagine using smartwatches or smartphones to check the fridge to see if you are low on groceries. 3. Have a more global and immersive gaming experience. As many as 1,000 gamers can play Fortnite, for example, due to 5G technology. Gamers will also be transported into a mixed-reality platform, like in the Nintendo game Mario Kart Live. 4. Through the use of Artificial Intelligence, you can trace where your food comes from farm to table. Through use of remote sensors, Canadian farmers and ranchers track and monitor their field conditions to better evaluate when crops need watering or are ready for harvest. 5.Have healthcare at your fingertips. 5G technology makes doctors and other healthcare professionals more accessible with virtual services. Using wearable tech will also help healthcare professionals better and more accurately treat and monitor patients in real-time. For more information about 5G at Telus, watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Csu6xrKBbUo&feature=youtu.be or visit telus.com According to a recent Angus Reid survey, Canadians are finding it tougher to volunteer in their communities. Due to safety barriers and financial strain, 25 percent less Canadians are volunteering. Yet despite these challenges, 60 percent want to help others even more to show their empathy. More Canadians are giving back through financial donations. About 83 percent of Canadians feel that giving back helps them feel connected to their local community. Our survey told us that despite declining rates of giving, Canadians have felt more compelled to give back and support their communities during the pandemic than ever before, Mr. Entwistle added. During TELUS #FriendlyFuture Days, we invite all Canadians to give and volunteer - whether it be through making a donation, giving time or lending their skills. Our dedicated team will continue to give with our hearts and our hands to make a positive difference in the communities where we live, work and serve. Imagine the impact we can make when we give, together. Telus 16th annual Days of Giving aims to mobilize nearly 50,000 volunteers around the world to do good in their communities. As part of the Friendly Future theme, Canadians are encouraged to lend a helping hand to a neighbour, drop off groceries to a neighbour in need, or give career advice to youth all while doing this safely. Use the hashtag #FriendlyFuture from May 1 31 to get a chance to win one of 10 $10,000 donations to give to a charity of your choice. Indeed, building on the 1.6 million days of volunteerism we have contributed in our local communities over the past two decades, this year, our Friendly Future Days will once again amplify virtual and safe acts of giving, says Darren Entwistle, President and CEO, TELUS. Last year, TELUS contributed 5% of its pre-tax profits to charitable organizations - a total of $85 million to build healthier communities, along with more than $150 million in support of COVID-19 related initiatives. As part of the $85 million it will once again give charities this year, TELUS is donating more than $100K to various charities during #FriendlyFuture Days. For more info, visit the website to view the official terms, conditions and eligibility requirements. To learn more about TELUS social impact, visit telus.com/friendlyfuture. Until more details are released about the Stage Four reopening plan, the Cheese and Meat Festival is selling half its capacity for its three tasting sessions and seminars. The festival, which will showcase the best of local artisan food and beverage industry, will take place in the North Vancouver historic Pipe Shop on November 6. Festival found David Bain said the pandemic narrowed the festivals focus to feature more than 40 complementary vendors. Our goal is to align our guests' taste buds with new products and new pairings. A great example of this is chocolate, cheese, and beer, all of which will be at the Festival," said Bain. To sign up for the Festival's newsletter, please visit www.cheeseandmeatfestival.com. Guest Commentary By Jay Goldberg NDP leader Jagmeet Singh has a golden opportunity to show that he can stand up to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau by keeping the government from removing important amendments to Bill C-11. Hundreds of thousands of Canadians, civil liberties organizations, civil society groups and even Trudeau-appointed independent senators are telling the government to steer clear of filtering Canadians social media posts. Singh can stand with them. Or he can rubber stamp the Trudeau governments flawed legislation. Bill C-11 would hand bureaucrats the power to regulate what counts as Canadian content. It would require the content bureaucrats define as Canadian to be amplified while, in effect, quieting all other content. Under the governments preferred version of Bill C-11, bureaucrats would be able to regulate and filter what Canadians can see in their streaming feeds and on social media. The Senate passed Bill C-11 but made a significant change. The Senate version of the bill prevents the government from filtering Canadians social media posts and feeds while still leaving the regulation of streaming feeds in place. Singh can stand up for Canadians by demanding that the Trudeau government keep this vital amendment in place. Lets be frank: Bill C-11 is a bad bill. It should be defeated outright. But, at minimum, the amendment needs to stay. Singh has the power to help shape what the final bill looks like because the government relies on his support. Ensuring that the Senates amendment remains in place is crucial. There is a strong consensus that Bill C-11 is dangerous. Writer Margaret Atwood has warned that the legislation will lead to creeping totalitarianism. Trudeau-appointed Senator David Adams Richards described the effects of the bill as a horrid thing. And Professor Michael Geist foresees risks to freedom of expression that cannot be ignored. When the Liberals were trying to pass a very similar bill in the last parliament, Bill C-10, the government removed the part of the bill that regulated user-generated content, including social media, because of a public outcry. For some inexplicable reason, the government brought back the regulation of user-generated content in the new Bill C-11. Even some of the bills key supporters in the Senate recognized this flaw. Senators Paula Simons and Julie Miville-Dechene, who voted for the bill, inserted the amendment preventing user-generated content regulation. But Canadian Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez, the author of Bill C-11, has publicly indicated that the Trudeau government doesnt plan to accept the Senates amendment. The Trudeau government is determined to filter our social media feeds, despite opposition from hand-picked supporters in the Senate, civil liberties organizations and the public. Enter Singh from stage left. The NDP voted for Bill C-11 when it was first presented in the House of Commons and may be inclined to do so again. But NDP MP Gord Johns continues to insist that the NDP has always stood up for freedom of expression and that the partys position on free expression wouldnt change with Bill C-11. If what Johns says is true, now is the time for Singh to flex his muscles and insist that the Senate amendment remain in the bill. If Singh does that, he can show that he will stand up for millions of Canadians looking to Ottawa for a voice to represent them. The future of Canadians civil liberties on social media may very well be in Singhs hands. Its time for Singh to stand up to Trudeau and stand up for Canadians. Jay Goldberg is the Ontario & Interim Atlantic Director for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. An El Paso County man and Christian filmmaker who was arrested in September for allegedly attempting to pay an undercover El Paso County detective to engage in sexual acts with a 14-year-old girl entered a plea agreement in court Tuesday. Stephen Paul Greisen, 68, pleaded guilty to a criminal attempt to commit online solicitation with a minor, a class 4 felony. Within his agreement, Greisen agreed to register as a sex offender in the state of Colorado, and five years in the states Sex Offender Intensive Supervision Program (SOISP). According to the arrest affidavit, Greisen made contact with the undercover officer on Sept. 7, and despite being informed twice that the age of the girl was 14, he agreed to pay $170 for sex. "K, I can be there in 20 min?" Greisen wrote to the detective to confirm. After arriving at the address given by the undercover detective, Greisen was arrested by authorities with $180 in his pocket, according to the affidavit. 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. Court records show Greisen was originally arrested on suspicion of three charges: inducement of child prostitution, patronizing a prostituted child and sexual assault on a child. He was released from El Paso County jail after posting the $35,000 bond. Greisen operated two Christian film companies in Monument, Exploration Films Distribution, and Reel Productions, LLC, and is considered a veteran of the Jesus movements 1970s-era music scene, according to an article from Ministry Watch. A longtime friend of Greisen and professional associate who requested not to be identified told Ministry Watch he was shocked at Greisens Sept. 7 arrest. This is a tough one for Colorado Springs, especially, due to his deep connections with top international ministries and leadership, along with the massive level of respect he engendered," the friend said. Greisen was among 12 men arrested in 2022 through undercover investigative efforts by the Colorado Springs Police Department and El Paso County Sheriffs Office joint Internet Crimes Against Children Unit and special agents from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Guest Commentary By Steve Lafleur Statistics Canada recently released data on ownership of residential properties in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Ontario, Manitoba and British Columbia in 2020. Some of the numbers made headlines. For instance, investor ownership of residential properties ranged from 20.2 percent in Ontario to 31.5 percent in Nova Scotia. Moreover, 41.9 percent of condominium units in Ontario were used as investments that year. Those numbers might at first appear to vindicate concerns that speculators and foreign investors are buying up Canadas housing stock, pushing out Canadians looking for a place to live. Not so fast. The details tell a more complicated story. Lets take B.C. as an example, where theres long been concern about foreign buyers, particularly in the Lower Mainland. In 2020, non-occupant investors owned 23.3 percent of units in the province. That seems to align with the foreign buyer story. But when we drill down into the data, the story changes. Non-resident investors owned only 2.5 percent of all houses while businesses owned another 2.5 percent. The numbers are higher for condominium units, with 7.0 percent owned by non-resident investors and 8.6 percent owned by businesses. In other words, if a condo building has 100 units, we should expect foreign investors or businesses to own roughly 16 of them. Thats a far cry from claims that foreign investors and companies are buying up entire condo towers. In reality, most investors who own housing units in B.C. are Canadian individuals rather than companies or foreign buyers. Of the 16.5 percent of houses owned by non-occupant investors in the province, 9.8 percent (much more than half) were owned by British Columbians and 1.7 percent by other Canadians. Of the 36.2 percent of condos owned by non-occupant investors, 18.1 percent were owned by British Columbians and 2.6 percent by other Canadians. In other words, Canadians own the majority of investment properties in B.C. Statistics aside, its not entirely clear why we should care who owns individual units. One might argue that home ownership is inherently good. But there are good reasons why some people might choose not to own their homefor instance, young people saving for deposits to purchase a home in the future. Or professionals or students living temporarily in a city. Having condo units available to rent is a benefit for people who cant or dont want to buy. Of course, if investor-owned units were sitting empty, critics might have a point. But that does not appear to be the case. According to past Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation research, which surveyed investors who owned a primary residence and at least one other condo in 2015, 48.4 percent of these investors had tenants while 42 percent said they or a family member were using the unit. The vacancy rate for those units was 4.1 percent compared to a national rental vacancy rate of 3.3 percent in October 2015. This also undermines the narrative that building more condos wont boost the housing stock because speculators arent renting them out. Its an odd narrative reliant on the idea that investors are both greedy but also uninterested in collecting rent. In reality, investors want tenants. So units bought by investorsdomestic or otherwiseusually end up on the rental market. Even if, say, 80 out of 100 units in a new condo building become occupied, it would be absurd to claim that doesnt boost the rental stock. Eighty new occupied homes is the relevant number, not the 20 that might or might not be occupiedespecially when Canada desperately needs more housing units. While some of the investor ownership numbers in Canada might seem dramatic, the reality is more complicated. Foreign buyers and businesses own a small percentage of units, heavily concentrated in condominiums. We shouldnt let this narrative distract from the fact that Canada needs more housing units, and that means more building. Steve Lafleur is a Senior Fellow at the Fraser Institute. By Fabian Dawson New Canadian Media Canada has opened a new immigration operation centre in the Philippines to get ahead in the global race for foreign workers even as the Southeast Asian country struggles with an exodus of its nurses. Similar centres are also being planned in India and Turkey. The first new centre is located within Canadas Embassy in Manila and will employ 37 people. This operations centre will help facilitate travel, attract highly skilled workers to Canada, and meet the needs of our economy today and in the future, wrote Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, in a statement released March 3. The Philippines is among the top three countries for immigrants to Canada after India and China and is the leading exporter of nurses and health care workers to foreign countries. On average, 13,000 nurses leave the Philippines every year, according to reports from the Philippines News Agency (PNA). The opening of the new application processing centre in Manila is a strategic investment that will benefit Filipinos by providing more efficient processing of visas and support Canadas planned increases to immigration levels, said Rechie Valdez, Member of Parliament for MississaugaStreetsville, who made the announcement on behalf of Fraser. By expanding our presence overseas, we are committed to facilitating the immigration process for those who want to visit, study, work, or immigrate permanently to Canada, she said, adding that the new Manila processing centre is part of Canadas Indo-Pacific Strategy. Under this strategy, new immigration processing centres are also being planned in New Delhi, Chandigarh and Islamabad, as Canada aims to attract 465,000 permanent residents in 2023, 485,000 in 2024, and 500,000 in 2025. The Philippine Embassy in Canada said that as of April 2018, there are around 901,218 Filipinos working and staying in Canada, which comprises almost 2.6 percent of the Philippines national population. Canadian provinces with the greatest number of Filipino-Canadian residents include Ontario, Alberta, and Manitoba. Toronto remains the Canadian metropolitan area with the greatest number of Filipinos, followed by Vancouver and Winnipeg, according to data published by PNA. A Manitoba government delegation hunting for nurses just returned from the Philippines after provincial officials met with Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Susan Toots Ople in Manila to further labour cooperation, especially in the recruitment of Filipino nurses and other healthcare professionals. A proposed scholarship fund for Filipino nursing students who wish to work in Canada was also discussed during the meeting, according to the PNA. During the five-day visit, Manitoba issued 350 letters of intent to nurses to come work in Canada. This included 190 registered nurses, 110 healthcare aides, and 50 licensed practical nurse equivalents. Other provinces like New Brunswick and Saskatchewan, which also sent delegations to the Philippines earlier, have made over 400 job offers to Filipino healthcare workers. Dr. Maria Rosario Vergeire, officer-in-charge of the Philippines Department of Health, said in a recent interview with the CBC, that the Philippines has a shortage of more than 350,000 nurses. Why is it that the higher-income countries are actively recruiting? she said. The countries getting our nurses should also be [in] for some form of exchange so there would be something for our country, she said. Among commonly cited reasons for the resignation and migration of Filipino nurses are low wages and benefits, according to a report in the Journal of Global Health. An entry-level nurse working in a public hospital starts with an annual salary of less than $12,000. Comparatively in Canada, entry-level nursing positions start at $58,498 per year, while most experienced workers make up to $87,750 per year. Countries that hire immigrant health professionals are realizing that they need to do a better job attracting and retaining them because now there is a greater global competition for health workers, said Margaret Walton-Roberts, a professor of Geography and Environmental Studies at Wilfrid Laurier University in a recent Q & A published on Universitys website. The quick fix has been, well just import some more healthcare workers, or well just work short-handed, and I think weve pushed it too far. We need to have better bilateral agreements that manage the global migration of health workers and provide partner countries with some benefit from these movements so that these countries do not send workers to Canada at the expense of their own healthcare systems, said Walton-Roberts. She currently leads the Global Nurse Migration Pathways project, which seeks to contrast three geographically and policy-distinct nurse migration pathways: India to Canada, Vietnam to Germany, and the Philippines to Singapore. We have been contrasting these different pathways to get a handle on which one seems to work most effectively for migrants, as well as source and destination countries, said Walton-Roberts. Commentary By Jake Fuss Canadian families pay a lot of taxes to their federal, provincial and local governments income taxes, sales taxes, fuel taxes and many others. A 2022 study published by the Fraser Institute found that in total the average Canadian family paid 45 percent of its income in taxes. But how do Canadians feel about this tax burden? According to a new poll, 74 percent feel the average family is over-taxed. Conducted by Leger and commissioned by the Fraser Institute, the poll surveyed 1,554 respondents spanning all age groups and income levels across Canada (it was administered January 20-22 and is considered accurate 19 times out of 20). And yet, lower taxes seem not to rank high on the agenda of most governments across the country as we enter budget season. In 2015, the Trudeau government did reduce the second-lowest income tax rate from 22 percent to 20.5 percent. But the vast majority of families targeted for this tax relief now pay higher federal income taxes than before because the government has also eliminated a series of tax credits for income splitting for couples with children, for childrens fitness and art, for public transit, for education and for textbooks. For most families, the value of the eliminated tax credits exceeded the gains from the tax rate reduction, resulting in a net increase in their personal income taxes. But regardless of their personal situation, most Canadians want tax reform. The same Leger poll found that fully 80 percent of Canadians believe the average family should pay 40 percent or less of its income in total taxes. And the majority of respondents (52 percent) believe the average family should pay 25 percent or less of its income in total taxes. Thats fully 20 percentage points less than the 45 percent the average Canadian family currently pays. Theres clearly a huge gap between what the average family does pay in total taxes and what Canadians believe the average family should pay. The other important question, of course, is whether we get value for all the taxes we pay. After all, its one thing to pay high taxes and get high value from the services provided but quite another to pay high taxes for poor services. According to the poll, nearly half (44 percent) of Canadians feel they receive poor or very poor value for the services they receive from the government, such as health care, education, policing, roads and national defence. In contrast, only 16 percent of Canadians believe they receive good or great value from government services, while fewer than three in 10 (just 28 percent) believe they receive satisfactory value. Respondents in Atlantic Canada, Alberta and British Columbia were most likely to say they received poor value for their tax dollars while respondents in Ontario were least likely. Canadians are not thrilled with the quality of services provided by governments, and theres clearly a desire for tax reductions. Governments across the country should pay close attention as they prepare to release their 2023 budgets. Jake Fuss is the Associate Director, Fiscal Studies, Fraser Institute Key Findings As the total tax bill continues to rise for the average Canadian family, its critical to better understand the opinions of Canadians on both their tax burdens and the value of services they receive from governments in return for their tax dollars. The Fraser Institute commissioned a poll from Leger in early 2023 that surveyed 1,554 Canadians about their opinions on the tax burdens imposed on families. There is a large discrepancy between what the average family actually pays in total taxes versus what Canadians believe the average family should be paying. 74% of Canadians surveyed feel that the average family is being over-taxed by the federal, provincial, and local governments. 80% of Canadians support the average family paying 40% or less of their income in total taxes to all levels of government. Over half (52%) of Canadians believe the average family should pay 25% or less of their income to governments. Only 6% of Canadians expressed support for the idea that the tax burden should represent more than 40% of the average familys income. This is especially interesting considering that the average Canadian family paid 45.2% of its income to the federal, provincial, and local governments in 2022. Nearly half (44%) of Canadians feel they receive poor or very poor value from the services they receive from governments like health care, education, police, roads, and national defence. Only 16% of Canadians believe they are getting good or great value from the services they receive from governments. By Javier Ortega-Araiza New Canadian Media Canada made groundbreaking steps in cementing its position as a world leader in refugee resettlement with an investment to expand its Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot program (EMPP). Initially conceived in 2018 as a small research project, the EMPP assists refugees to resettle in Canada, and increases the countrys labour force at the same time, especially in the trades and healthcare sectors. The program intends to transform this story into one of financial prosperity for refugees, allowing them to overcome one of the toughest obstacles they face upon resettlement, which is finding solid economic ground, and show some recognition for their work experience, while at the same time, boosting the Canadian economy. Resettlement provides refugees with the opportunity to live in safety and rebuild their lives, but it shouldnt mean their career experience gets overlooked in the process, said Sean Fraser, federal Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship in a press release announcing the new funding. If successful, this new phase of the EMPP will see up to 2,000 skilled workers immigrate to Canada, and be provided assistance such as fee waivers; affordable loans to help them with their travel and resettlement expenses; and support throughout their job search process. To accomplish this, the federal government partnered with organizations such as Talent Beyond Boundaries, TalentLift, and Jumpstart Refugee Talent, leveraging their on-the-ground experience to improve the selection process and the assistance refugees receive along the way. Bassel Ramli, co-founder and Global Programs Director at Jumpstart Refugee Talent said, The Canadian economy is experiencing chronic talent shortages across multiple sectors. Meanwhile, millions of refugees around the world are seeking durable solutions to secure better lives for their families. By Annabelle Matifat, Legal Assistant Special to The Post In March 2019, the Government of British Columbia launched the BC PNP Entrepreneur Immigration (EI) Regional Pilot as a means to attract business immigrants to the less densely populated regions of the province. While BC has always offered an immigration pathway for entrepreneurs, known as the EI Base Category, the EI Regional Pilot offers distinct advantages over other programs as it invites collaboration with the communities themselves to address their unique economic needs. This program, which has a lower investment threshold for applicants, aims to disperse the benefits of economic migration more evenly across the province. It is a great option for business immigrants looking for an effective pathway to permanent residency who wish to live and work in British Columbia while fostering economic development and job creation in a smaller community. The EI pilot program, which has been extended until March 31, 2024, defines a smaller community as having a population of less than 75,000 and located more than 30km away from a community with a population of greater than 75,000. Different from the EI Base Entrepreneur immigration stream, the 28 eligible communities participating in the PNP program play an active role in the selection of prospective applicants and decide which applications are ultimately referred to the province for nomination. As many of these smaller communities struggle with demographic challenges stemming from an aging population and the migration of young people to urban centres, the EI Regional program offers communities an opportunity to grow their workforce and stimulate their local economy through immigration. Each participating community identifies specific economic targets based on their individual needs and development priorities of the region, defined by a six-digit North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code. Only the business proposals of prospective applicants that fully align with these targets and adhere to the NAICS codes will be considered for nomination. For a full list of the priority sectors for each region, along with a list of ineligible businesses, please visit the BC PNP website, here: https://www.welcomebc.ca/Immigrate-to-B-C/EI-Regional-Pilot-Communities The EI Regional Pilot program seeks to attract potential investors and business owners, with lower personal net worth and investment thresholds, reflecting the lower costs associated with running a business in these regions. Specifically, an applicant must have a minimum net worth of $300,000 CAD and invest at least $100,000 CAD into the business. Similar to the EI Base Entrepreneur Stream, to qualify applicants must also possess entrepreneurial experience or post-secondary education, language proficiency with a minimum CLB score of 4, and ensure that their proposed business creates at least one full-time job for a Canadian or permanent resident. If you are interested in starting a business in British Columbia but are hesitant about relocating to a smaller community, the EI Regional Pilot requires applicants to make an exploratory visit to the community, during which you will explain your business proposal and the municipal representative will inform you of the network of settlement and support services available to you. Afterwards, you can make a formal expression of interest. This gives applicants an opportunity to experience the community first-hand and determine whether the community is right for them and their families and for the representative to determine if your business aligns with their community goals. Prior to registering, you must obtain a referral from the community of your choice. Registered profiles are then scored based on your qualifications and business proposal, which takes approximately one month. The highest-scoring profiles will then receive an invitation to make an application to the BC PNP. Subsequently, you will have 120 days to complete and submit an application to the BC PNP. Following assessment, if your application is approved, you will be required to sign a Performance Agreement, obligating you to fulfill the terms of your proposed business plan, after which you will be issued a letter in support of a work permit. You may then apply to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for a work permit so that you can commence business operations in the province. After running your business for a minimum of 12 months, you can apply for a provincial nomination for permanent residence if you have met the terms and conditions of the program and your Performance Agreement. Upon being nominated, applicants may apply for permanent residence to IRCC under the Provincial Nominee Class. The EI Regional Pilot program provides an excellent opportunity for prospective business immigrants to apply for permanent residence and reside in British Columbia while supporting widespread economic development in less populated regions. Compared to other business immigration streams, the EI Regional Pilot works in collaboration with small-town communities across the province to address their unique economic needs while at the same time establishing a lower financial threshold for the entrepreneur, due to the lower cost of living in the eligible regional communities. During the mandatory exploratory visit, prospective entrepreneurs will be able to see first-hand why many BC residents choose to settle outside the major urban centres. If you are an experienced entrepreneur with an interest in settling in a smaller community in British Columbia, the EI Regional Pilot program may be the permanent residency pathway right for you. Contact an immigration lawyer to determine your eligibility for this program and to help maximize your chances of success. Importance Of Technology In Indian Agriculture By KAILASH CHOUDHARY : I ndian civilisation is one of oldest civilisations in the world and similarly Indian agriculture is also of the same age. Ancient Indian farmers were quite rich because agriculture was the most advanced and prestigious occupation of that time. Fifty per cent of the population is still dependent on agriculture and occupations related to agriculture. Indian traditions, customs and religious culture were adversary affected along with agriculture due to foreign invaders and rulers and our advanced agriculture lagged behind as compared to other countries. After achieving freedom, with the support of our farmers and the manpower related with agriculture, our country has become independent in terms of food grains, cotton, sugar, milk, meat and poultry products. Today India has become the main producer of cereals, milk, sugar, fruits, vegetables, spices, eggs etc. The contribution of rice, meat and sea foods is 52 per cent in the total export. Although India occupies only 2.4 per cent land of the world, proportionately we have more cultivable land in the world which is capable to fulfill our requirement of food grains. Moreover, we can supply food products all over the world through exports. The farmer-friendly Modi government has initiated a new export policy to double the export price by 2022. The government is planning to increase the export price from USD 30 billion to USD 60 billion. A broad agriculture policy has been initiated to take care of issues related to agriculture and agri-cells have been established in many Indian embassies under this policy. The government has decided to develop the field of transport of goods and courier facilities through innovations. As a result of the efforts made by this government, the export of agricultural produce and products related to agriculture has been increased to Rs 2.73 lakh crore. Today, India is capable of supplying food to the other countries of the world. Favourable climatic conditions, vast cultivable land, our hardworking farmers etc are factors which will certainly increase our agriculture export. With a view to prepare Indian farmers to compete with the farmers of other countries in a better way, opportunities are being provided to them to adopt new and advanced technologies with the help of the Centre and state governments, but this area needs further development. It is the need of the hour to give priority to research for the development of various high producing crops. If we want to compete with the world with respect to production, our farmer brothers will have to use advanced technologies available in the global community. Private investors will have to play an important role in export oriented activities and the basic structure will have to be developed. Loss of food items could be reduced with structural development work like godowns, cold storages and market yards etc. We can encourage value added services by promoting the food processing industry. By increasing quality of our products, we can attract other countries to import our food products. These measures will help us establishing/recognise Brand India at the international level. Combined efforts of the Centre and states are required to address the challenges of export related problems. The Central government has provided new financial packages to the agriculture sector to provide them all possible help and the targets of the government to double their income could be achieved. The government is promoting agri-business with a view to provide maximum benefit to the farmers. Amazon, Alibaba, E-bay and Wallmart E-commerce agencies have brought revolutionary changes through artificial intelligence and machine learning. In line with the revolution of Ecommerce, a platform of E agri/digital agriculture is being prepared with the help of which agri-business schemes will reach the major urban and town areas. Home delivery agencies like Big Basket and Grofers have helped in paving the way to develop beneficial agri-business for their own with the help of agriculture specialists. Green farm house, poly house and small bio farms for growing vegetables etc are becoming beneficial for the farmers due to their quality and fair prices. These days organic farming is becoming popular among women farmers also. Today a farmer can start agricultural business plan as a startup, develop it as a source of permanent income and sell his products in the open market. Medicinal plants like Aloe vera, Neem, Tulsi can be produced on a large scale for medical and pharmaceutical sectors. All efforts are being made by the government to enable farmers to have freedom and facility to sell his products as per his choice. The government is encouraging innovations and advanced scientific agricultural techniques for paving the way for reforms in agricultural sector and rural development to ensure inclusive development. Some of the important advanced agricultural techniques which can transform Indian Agriculture are as follows: Bio Technology: This is a technique which helps the farmers produce more in lesser area by use of advanced agricultural systems. This technique is also environment friendly and helps in increasing food production by the use of plant and animal wastes/residues. Nano Science: This is a technique which provides information to the farmers through use of smart delivery system and nano sensors as to whether or not plants are receiving water and other necessary inputs in adequate quantity. Besides, it also provides information about the quality of food produced. Geo Spatial Farming: By adopting geo spatial farming, agricultural production can be increased on a large scale. Higher production can be achieved on the basis of factors like weeds, quality of soil and its moisture content, production (fertility), rate of seeds, need of fertilisers and other such factors. Big Data: Big data will help in smart farming and it will help the farmers in taking appropriate and timely decisions. This will help in forecasting and advance estimates and will strengthen the agricultural development. Drones: They help in increasing production by reducing costs and loss in agricultural produce by supervision work. Advanced sensors, capability of digital imaging, soil analysis, crop spraying, crop monitoring, analysis of health of crops including fungus infection is possible with the help of drone technique. Necessary permissions from the Central government is to obtain for agriculture and other works. Recently in Rajasthan, the role of drones has proved to be important in safeguarding agricultural produce from locust attacks. We can transform this challenge of worldwide spread of the Corona pandemic into an opportunity as due to the epidemic, there is matter of concern of lack of food items in the whole world. Due to this concern, there is a big gap being observed in supply and demand because people have started storing food items. India can use this situation as an opportunity so that it can pave the way of economic prosperity for our farmers. Tough Task By Yashika Mathur ; Actress Raashii Khanna, who recently returned from Milan, Italy, after shooting for her upcoming film Thank You, reveals that shooting in a foreign location, while people back home in India struggled with Covid, upset her. The actress says shooting in Italy was safe because people in the country very responsibly observed protocol. We were in the middle of the pandemic and I was at first scared to go there (Italy). Once there, I realised people in Italy were very responsible with wearing masks even though the second wave had passed. Very few people were shooting with us in the crew and all precautions had been taken, she tells IANS. While I was there, the second wave in India intensified and I was constantly reading about what was happening in India. It was upsetting. It felt bad that our country was suffering and we were away. Now we are back and we cant do much. Its a helpless situation. We shot for what we had gone for, but it was upsetting humanly. We were constantly thinking about what was happening back home, Raashii adds. Raashii made her acting debut with Shoojit Sircars 2013 Hindi film Madras Cafe, and eventually forayed Telugu filmdom with hits such as Touch Chesi Chudu, Tholi Prema, Venky Mama and World Famous Lover. Talking about how Covid brought obstacles for the production team of Thank You, the actress says: Honestly, there is always pressure to finish on time but I had a very good team that had taken everything under consideration and they didnt put any pressure. We were all stressed about finishing the shoot as there were restrictions because we were from India. There were certain locations that were cancelled because we were Indians and there was this thing about the pandemic growing in India that went against us. She adds: There were challenges that the production team faced but other than that we were really protected. There were days when we were shooting for 18 hours a day because we didnt have a choice. It wasnt like pre pre-pandemic that you could shoot at luxury and anywhere you wanted to. It was more difficult this time. n Amit Shah urges Assam, Arunachal to resolve boundary dispute at earliest NEW DELHI, UNION Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday appealed to Assam and Arunachal Pradesh Governments to resolve their boundary dispute at the earliest in order to fulfil Prime Minister Narendra Modis vision of a peaceful and prosperous Northeast. Shah said this here while chairing a meeting of Chief Ministers of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh Himanta Biswa Sarma and Pema Khandu to resolve the boundary issues of the two States. The Home Minister assured both the Chief Ministers of maximum possible assistance from the Central Government in this regard. Shah urged both the Chief Ministers to resolve the boundary dispute at the earliest in order to fulfil the vision of the Prime Minister of a peaceful and prosperous Northeast, sources said. As many as 12 panels were formed by the Governments of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, following discussions between the two Chief Ministers on July 15. The two States, as per the declaration, decided to restrict the number of disputed villages to 86, instead of the previous 123, and agreed to make attempts to resolve all issues by September 15. Assam and Arunachal Pradesh share an 804.1-km-long border. Arunachal Pradesh, which was made a Union Territory in 1972, had complained that several forested tracts in the plains that traditionally belonged to hill tribal chiefs and communities were unilaterally transferred to Assam. After Arunachal Pradesh achieved statehood in 1987, a tripartite committee was appointed which recommended that certain territories be transferred from Assam to Arunachal. Assam contested this claim and the matter is in the Supreme Court. 12 students score 100 percentile in CUET-UG NEW DELHI, AT LEAST 12 candidates have scored 100 percentile normalised score in all five subjects in CUET-UG while 104 got the perfect score in four subjects, according to National Testing Agency (NTA) officials. The results for the debut edition of the Common University Entrance Test (CUET)-UG were declared earlier on Friday. A total of 21,159 candidates have scored 100 percentile in at least one subject. The top scorers include 12,799 female candidates and 8,360 male students. Performance of every candidate has been evaluated using equi-percentile method wherein normalised marks of each candidate have been calculated using the percentiles of each group of students in a given session across multiple days for the same subject, said Sadhana Parashar, senior director (exams), NTA. While English has the highest number of 100 percentile scorers (8,236 candidates) Political Science is on number two (2,065) followed by Business Studies (1669). Other subjects which have witnessed over 1,000 candidates with 100 percentile are Biology, Economics and Psychology, meaning the cutoffs for college admissions in these subjects are likely to be high. The merit lists will be prepared by participating universities, who will decide about their individual counselling on the basis of the CUET-UG score card, Parashar said. War is biggest crime against humanity Staff Reporter RAIPUR, Department of Business and Management of Mats University organised a two-day Chhattisgarh Research Conclave-2023 on the topic Global Financial and Economic Changes: Impact on Development here at New Circuit House on March 17 and March 18. Governor Biswa Bhusan Harichandan graced the programme as Chief guest and inaugurated the conclave on Friday. Addressing the conclave, Governor Bishwa Bhusan Harichandan said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is of the view that establishing peace in the world should be the first priority to bring changes in the global economy. War only leads to destruction and it is the biggest crime against humanity. War has a negative effect on the economy, the Governor added. The Governor said that an appeal has been made by Prime Minister to adopt the path of peace to end ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. The impact of war falls on the people and the common people have to go through economic misery. As such, a way should be found to solve it through dialogue only. He said that India is the fifth largest economy in the world after America, China, Japan and Germany. The dream of Prime Minister is to make India a five trillion dollar economy which is now taking a real shape, he added. Sharing his views, Chancellor of Mats University Gajraj Pagaria focused on the impact of development of global financial economy. Lyudmila Mukherjee who is working on Sustainable Development in Fashion Industry of Ukraine and Vice-Chancellor of the university Professor K P Yadav also also addressed the conclave. Governor Biswa Bhusan Harichandan also released a souvenir on the occasion. Earlier, the programme commenced with the national anthem, followed by state song and garlanding the statue of Maa Saraswati. Later, Chancellor of Mats University Gajraj Pagiraya welcomed Governor Biswa Bhusan Harichandan and other guests. Director General Priyesh Pagaria honoured the Governor and other guests on the occasion. Vice-Chancellor of the University Dr Deepika Dhand, Registrar Gokulananda Panda, Head of the Department of Business and Management, organisers along with heads of various departments, professors, scholars and researchers from different states, students and eminent citizens were also present. Twelve Colorado Springs high school students attended the Pioneers Museum Tuesday for what they thought was a reception recognizing outstanding students a half-truth that failed to mention theyd also receive one of the states most coveted college awards. Daniels Fund President and CEO Hanna Skandera surprised the students with college scholarships worth up to $100,000 when she revealed they were all selected for the foundations prestigious Daniels Scholarship Program. Bill Daniels believed that education was a game changer, that it could create possibilities that nothing else could, Skandera said of the foundations namesake and founder. We are proud and inspired by these kids because they are going to be the leaders of tomorrow. The program provides four years of financial support at any nonprofit, accredited college or university in the U.S. depending on financial need. Selected students demonstrate exceptional character, leadership and a commitment to serving their communities. Christian Carlos Ruiz Mendez, a Daniels scholar from St. Marys High School, said years of hard work instilled in him by his family have paid off. It means everything that Ive been through, Ruiz Mendez said of the scholarship. My mom emigrated from Mexico, and shes a single mom. I just think about the times I go to work with her, I go to work with my grandpa, and I just do it all for them, for my family. His mother, Araceli Mendez, said the scholarship is a blessing because without it, her sons education would have been limited to what was affordable, which were not the best options for her son. Education has not come easily for her family. For years they spent their weekends working at stadiums in Denver from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and sleeping in the car just to afford a Catholic education for her children. They leaned on Parents Challenge, a nonprofit that helps low-income families send their children to the schools of their choice. Its through this organization that he first learned about the Daniels Fund as a fourth grader, Ruiz Mendez said. Thanks to the Daniels Fund, gone are the days of the weekend job to make educational ends meet. 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. About 230 graduating high school seniors from Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming will receive Daniels scholarships each year. To date, the program has awarded more than $250 million in scholarships to more than 2,930 students. About a third of scholars are first generation college students, Skandera said. The stories these kids have of their families and the work theyve done to get to where they are is pretty amazing, she said. I remember last year there was a young woman whose parents had been killed in a car crash just overcoming so many different hurdles that life might bring that some kids might just give up. She didnt give up. She just kept going. Israel Oketunmbi, a Daniels scholar from Sand Creek High School, didnt speak much English when he emigrated from Nigeria to the United States at the age of 7. Elementary and middle school were a struggle, he recalled, as he struggled through behavioral and academic issues without being able to properly communicate. His counselors helped him through it, however, inspiring him later on to begin mentoring programs at his former elementary and middle schools. Each week he works with students for one to two hours on homework and discusses how they are feeling. The best Daniels scholars are anybody that writes their own story, Oketunmbi said, anybody that goes out there, tries to make this world a better place. Namesake Bill Daniels was a cable television pioneer who owned hundreds of cable systems and helped to shape the industry in its early days, according to the foundation website. After growing up poor during the Great Depression, he committed himself to a life of giving back to those in need. He left $1.1 billion to the Daniels Fund upon his death in 2000, formally establishing the foundation. The Daniels Fund distributed more than $63.8 million through nonprofit grants and student scholarships in 2022, according to a February news release. The foundation has donated more than a billion dollars to date through scholarships and grants. Amit Shah to flag off Vijay Sankalp Rally in Chhindwara on Mar 25 Staff Reporter Addressing a press conference in Dhar on Friday, State President of Bharatiya Janata Party and MP Vishnudatt Sharma said that Madhya Pradesh is the State of Thakreji and the organisation of the party here is very strong. He told that Union Home Minister Amit Shah will inaugurate the Vijay Sankalp Rally from Chhindwara on March 25 with the wish of victory in every seat and will address the workers conference. On the other hand, the National President of the party J P Nadda will come to Bhopal on March 26 and will perform bhoomipujan of the new State office building of the party. BJP Government is working for the development of every section. he said. Sharma said that the people of the State have also seen Madhya Pradesh before 2003. There was a Congress government headed by Digvijay Singh and the public was crying. After that, people have also seen the Kamal Nath government formed by mistake for 15 months, which used to run on the instructions of Digvijaya Singh. That government had done the work of snatching the rights of the poor by stopping the schemes of public interest in the State. The BJP government under the leadership of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is working for the development of every section. The Ladli Bahna Yojana implemented by the State Government is a historic step in this direction, he added. Welfare schemes for poor our strength: Sharma said that in the year 2023-24, the party will enter the fray with a resolve to achieve the target of 51 per cent votes. For this, every worker of the party is engaged in strengthening the booths. Our biggest strength in the State is the poor welfare schemes started by the BJP government. He said that in a democracy, the one who works for the public among the public, survives and the people of the State know very well who does the work of development. Rahul Gandhi should apologise for defaming the country: Vishnudatt Sharma said that on the one hand the leaders of most of the countries of the world are saying that if anyone can find a solution to the war between Russia and Ukraine, it is India and the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi only. On the other hand, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is doing the work of defaming India abroad. They are lying that I am not being allowed to speak. Rahul Gandhi should apologise for defaming the country and lying. He said that like him, some people in Madhya Pradesh also want to do politics of lies and deceit and want to destabilise the state. For this, the official Twitter handle of the Congress is being used. During the conference, Indore division organisation co-incharge Raghavendra Gautam, district organisation incharge Shyam Bansal, district president Rajeev Yadav, partys state minister Jaideep Patel, MP Chhatarsingh Darbar, district panchayat president Sardar Singh Meda and all officials of the party were present. Entry of H3N2 influenza in MP, first case in Bhopal Staff Reporter The first case of H3N2 influenza was detected in Bhopal after which the virus-related infection has entered Madhya Pradesh. On Thursday, the report of a Bairagarh based 26-year-old youth has been found H3N2 positive, who does not have any travel history. After having symptoms of the infection his sample was sent to AIIMS, Bhopal, laboratory on Monday. Later, the laboratory confirmed the case as positive for H3N2, said Bhopal Chief Medical and Health Officer (CMHO) Dr Prabhakar Tiwari. H3N2 has been the dominant subtype followed by H1N1. The Bhopal patient is now among 14 new cases of H3N2 diagnosed during the week in the country. The Health Commissioner has issued an advisory in this regard to the CMHOs and civil surgeons of all the districts. Apart from this, it will be investigated in Bhopal, Gwalior and Jabalpur. At the same time, instructions have been given to make adequate arrangements for necessary equipment, medicines and medical oxygen in the hospitals. According to the Directorate of Health, four days ago, a 25-year-old youth living in Bairagarh had complained of cold and cough. His swab sample was sent to AIIMS, Bhopal, for testing for Influenza H3N2. The report came positive on Thursday. At present, the youth has been quarantined at home. Medical Education Minister Vishwas Sarang said that the health of the H3N2 positive youth is stable. He does not need to be admitted to the hospital. Diabetic, heart, liver, kidney, cancer and respiratory patients are more at risk. According to the advisory, the risk of H3N2 infection is high for small children, pregnant women, sugar, heart, liver, kidney, cancer and respiratory patients. The immunity of the person suffering from these diseases is low. Also, individuals suffering from related diseases tend to be immuno compromised. According to the guideline, these patients of the immuno-compromised category can become serious if they get infected with H3N2 and H1N1. They may also have to be admitted to the hospital. Ensure availability of medical oxygen. The Health Commissioner has called a meeting of the District Task Force to the CMHOs and Civil Surgeons of all the districts and instructed them to review the preparedness for treatment. In the meeting, ensure the availability of treatment arrangements, necessary equipment, medical oxygen in hospitals. In addition, also check infection manpower mapping and the status of COVID-19 and influenza vaccinations. For such patients suffering from cold, cough and fever, who have symptoms like H3N2, a swab will be taken from the throat of the concerned person for their examination. It should be sent to the designated lab for H3N2 influenza test. Oppn puts Cong Govt in dock over chit fund scam Staff Reporter RAIPUR, The Opposition put the Congress Government in the dock over the issue of returning money to investors defrauded by chit fund companies in State during the Zero Hours. Shiv Ratan Sharma said chit fund companies have swindled thousands of crores from the people. Around Rs 3,000 crore of citizens are stuck in Sahara. The pieces of land that the Congress Government confiscated from the Chit Fund Companies after the arrest of some company directors were sold to the close allies of the Congress party at cheap prices. MLA Ajay Chandrakar slammed the Congress Ministers/MLAs for constantly disrupting them during Zero Hours to stop the Opposition from raising important issues. Notably, the ruling MLAs took a jibe at BJP, saying all the chit-fund scams happened during BJP governments. He said no money was returned to investors, who lost crores of rupees to the chit fund companies. Saurav Singh said it was the UPA Government that allowed the establishment and function of chit fund companies, whereas, the Narendra Modi Government brought regulations for these companies, after which the companies shut down. Saurav Singh asked the Congress Government what happened to the land of Sahara at Dharampura. To whom did the Congress Government sell the land? Dr Krishnamurti Bandhi stated only a thorough discussion and debate will reveal the full details of the chit-fund scams. He also reminded the Congress party of their manifesto, in which they promised to return all the money invested in chit fund companies. MLA Ranjana Sahu said people had high hopes for the Congress Government as the Congress party had promised to recover the money in its election manifesto. Rajneesh Singh also reminded the ruling party about their promise and said the Congress Government got the investors to fill up the forms thrice and still no one knows where all those forms disappeared. Some close aides were pleased, and properties seized from the chit-fund companies were sold to Congress people. Pramod Kumar Sharma said farmers even sold their lands to invest. Now, all their lands are gone along with their investment. Former leader of the Opposition Dharamlal Kaushik said Congress made lofty promises before the election. The government even made the investors fill up forms to get back their money, but all of those applications are nowhere to be found. The Congress Government is only interested in giving lands to their own people. Leader of Opposition Narayan Chandel claimed the Congress Government only returned around Rs 40 crore, but only to their close aides. After returning merely Rs 40 crore, the government gave out advertisements worth over Rs 100 to publicise it. Opposition seeks reply from Mayor on crucial issues Staff Reporter Members of both the Opposition and the ruling party raised issues of their respective wards on the second day of general assembly meeting of Jabalpur Municipal Corporation organised in Pt Bhawani Prasad Tiwari auditorium, on Friday. The Opposition members also grilled treasury bench and senior officials on the issue of corruption, scandals and arbitrary actions. On the second day, corporators held prolonged discussion on uncleanliness, officials arbitrariness and stray dog menace. The Opposition members demanded reply from the Mayor, officials concerned and the Mayor-in-Council members. They received some satisfactory answers, while some questions got lost in assurance of investigation. Discussion on important issues started after lunch break. Opposition BJP members raised issues of their respective wards. They accused contractors and officials of embezzling crores of rupees in dog sterilisation. The Leader of Opposition gave a warning of knocking the door of EOW and demanded to constitute a committee to investigate the matter. The Mayor welcomed the Opposition leaders statement and he also accepted the demand for an investigation committee. However, discussion on contract of door-to-door garbage collection could not take place on Friday and now it is likely to be discussed on Monday. On the scam in sterilisation of stray dogs, Opposition members claimed that the Maan Seva Sai Samiti had been given the contract for sterilisation of dogs, with capacity to sterilise maximum 10 dogs per day within resources available to them. However, the Samiti is carrying out sterilisation of 40 to 50 dogs daily and getting issued money through bribing concerned officials. The issue of officers arbitrariness also echoed during the meeting. Expressing great resentment over absence of officials in the meeting, Opposition members said until the officers arrive, there should be no discussion in the House as there was no one to answer. However, the Chairman referred to rules and initiated the proceedings of the House. Our youths are back to science to make India Vishwa Guru: Sakhalecha Staff Reporter Youths have a huge contribution in making a Self-reliant India. Thats why we have to move forward towards Atrmnirbhar Bharat through science. Earlier, in the field of science, we were at the forefront of the world. There was some decline in the intervening period, but now our youths are back in the field of science to make India a Vishwa Guru, said Science and Technology Minister Omprakash Sakhalecha. Minister Sakhlecha was addressing the students presents at the inauguration of the 38th Madhya Pradesh Young Scientist Congress and Science Festival which started at SATI College in Vidisha on Friday. The programme was organised under the aegis of MP Council of Science and Technology and Samrat Ashok Technological Institute (SATI). Sakhalecha also said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is constantly working for how to increase the interest of the coming generation in science. The intention of Prime Minister and Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is that the interest of the youth of the country should increase in science, start-ups and industries should start in every village and every city and our country should emerge as a developed and self-reliant country on the world stage. We all have gathered here for the purpose of fulfilling this objective. I have full faith that the readers of research papers here will move forward and the interest in science will also increase in the minds of the listeners. Today technology is changing fast: Minister Sakhalecha said that there is a need for rapid changes in the education system in the coming times. Today, technology is changing rapidly. Science is moving in every field, without it nothing is possible. Along with the world, we are also gaining momentum here. What are the challenges in the coming times, what are we doing for this. This must be considered. He appreciated this program organised at SATI College and said that such events generate interest in science among the students. RGPV Vice Chancellor Dr Sunil Kumar said that what we all want is a secure future. Are we giving such a discipline to our students, but science is such a discipline, which can give a secure future. He said that from childhood till today, whenever he lies under the open sky, he thinks about the limits of science. How limited is it? He said that Vidisha is a small town but has a sense of belonging. I feel familiar with whomever I meet here. Research should also be done on controlling the weather: During this, Secretary of Maharaja Jivajirao Education Society, Dr Laxmikant Markhedkar, who arrived as a special guest, said that SATI has got the privilege of organising the Madhya Pradesh Young Scientists Congress and Science Festival for the second time. He said that the first time this event was held here in 2007 and is being organised now. Addressing the young scientists from across the country, he said that a day before, unseasonal rains and hailstorm destroyed the crops of the district. Due to which the farmers suffered a lot. On the other hand, due to unseasonal rains and hailstorms, there is a lot of damage to the crops across the country. Thats why young scientists from all over the country should do research on this as well and take control of the weather in their hands. He said that this event is being organised to fulfill the dream of the countrys Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Chairman of the Board of Governors of the organisation and Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia. It is known here that how young scientists do research and how they spread technology in every field through research. Dr Anil Kothari, Director General of Madhya Pradesh Council of Science and Technology, said that today we have to do research according to the needs of the society and the country. How can we move forward by doing research in new areas? This should also be considered. We have to work on what kind of concept science is. Experts from all over the country have come to participate in the event. Acceptance is key to happiness By Manjusha Chincholkar : Todays fast-paced and stressful life is taking a toll on emotional and physical health of people. We are losing our mental fitness as well. The only way to fix this is to rediscover peace and happiness in life. Ahead of International Day of Happiness that falls on March 20, Yogacharya Jay Shukla, Founder of Sivananda Ashtang Yogashala, shared insights on how to attain genuine happiness. His general observation is that people find happiness in the pleasures of the world. They go for outing, attend parties, plan vacations to de-stress themselves and have fun. The moment they are back to their hectic routine, they again get caught in the vicious circle of competition and stress and constant struggle to be at their best. They push themselves harder at the cost of their well-being. Where is the happiness then, asks the Yogacharya. Enjoyment is a fleeting phenomenon while happiness stays within us. Enjoyment is momentary while happiness can be a perennial feeling. Its the peace of mind that brings happiness. And majority of the people fail to understand this, he points out. Shukla wants people to embrace yoga. He says, Mind and body are inter-connected. If something is happening in the body, it means that something has been going on in the mind as well. The most beautiful part of yoga is that we start with what we have. When we perform yogasanas, certain points in our body get pressed which release burden and make one feel relaxed. Our breathing changes and mind becomes calm. Changes in breathing bring changes in the mind. It is a positive change which happens gradually with regular practice. This peace of mind brings happiness. Yoga is one thing that unites the world irrespective of caste and religion. It belongs to all, feels the Yogacharya. When asked if youngsters of today are inclined towards yoga, he said that compared to India other countries are more into yoga practice and research. Indians are still under the influence of West and prefer going to gyms and focus on body-building. Youth is yet to realise the power of yoga. But there are some sections practicing yoga and creating awareness about its benefits, he says. On mentioning about change in thought process through yoga, he says, It is not the body that is tight but the mind. Body and mind are connected. Rigid thoughts create affect body and so you cannot be happy. If body is flexible, mind becomes ready to accept things as they are. Yoga teaches acceptance. If we do not accept life as it is, we are going to suffer. Acceptance and flexibility of mind come with yoga. Shukla also says, We work on our body but not on our mind. This creates imbalance which is not good. The Yogacharya also insists that one should spare at least 10-15 minutes for oneself irrespective of age. Mediation, yogasanas and breathing exercises will gradually lead you on the path of happiness. Just make this small beginning. You will smoothly overcome pain and attain bliss. Yoga, breathing exercise, proper eating habits, positive thinking and being grateful are mantras to be happy in life, feels Yogacharya Jay Shukla. The Yogacharya firmly believes in the saying of Vishnudevananda Saraswati that An ounce of practice is better than tonnes of theory. Everyone must obey the universal law of inclusion Nobel Laureate Kailash Satyarthi inaugurating the Civil20 India Inception Conference. C20 India Chair Mata Amritanandamayi Devi, Dy CM Devendra Fadnavis, Dr Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, Ahmad Maftuchan, Alessandra Nilo, and Nivedita Bhide also are seen. Staff Reporter : Mata Amritanandamayi Devi, Chair of Civil20 India, inaugurates C20 Inception Conference Nobel Laureate Kailash Satyarthi, Patron C20 Secretariat Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, Dy CM Devendra Fadnavis graced the occasion The future belongs not to the single entities, who stand divided, but to those who mingle and co-operate with others. Countries and societies which try to rise on their own will surely fail. This is a warning from Nature to mankind. Hence, let the mantra be Mingle, not Single. Humanity does have a certain degree of freedom to live life as they choose. However, we cannot change the laws of Nature at will, like we change television channels. It is the way of God and Nature to be all-inclusive. To exclude is the way of man alone. Everyone who lives in this world must obey the universal law of inclusion, said Mata Amritanandamayi Devi, Chair of Civil20 India, during the inauguration of Civil20 India Inception Conference on Monday at Hotel Radisson Blu. Mata Amritanandamayi Devi chaired the session. Nobel Laureate and Founder of Satyarthi Foundation, Kailash Satyarthi was the chief guest. Devendra Fadnavis, Maharashtras Deputy Chief Minister and Chairman of Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini; Dr Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, Vice Chairman of Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini and Patron of C20 India 2023 Secretariat; Ahmad Maftuchan, Sherpa of C20 Indonesia 2022; Vijay Nambiar, former Ambassador and Sherpa of C20 India 2023; Alessandra Nilo from Gestos, Brazil and Troika Member of C20, and Nivedita Bhide, Vice-President of Vivekananda Kendra at Kanyakumari were the guests of honour. Elaborating her point further, Amritanandamayi Devi stated, People experience two types of poverty in the world first is poverty of food and shelter, and second is poverty of love and compassion. There is a need to cultivate the qualities of love and compassion. A healthy mingling of diversity is essential for the human culture to flourish. She said, the Government of India, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has accomplished a great deal of progress which is creating a huge transformation. The world is one family has been Indias mantra from old times, she said, adding that it would continue to be so in the future. The Presidency of the G-20 nations is a unique opportunity to model this truth before the world, she added. Dr Vinay Sahasrabuddhe informed the audience that 357 delegates are attending the Inception Conference. There are representatives of 26 countries and 130 international delegates have arrived in Nagpur for the C-20 Inception Meet. He presented a Secretary report. Welcoming the participants and members, Civil20 India 2023 Sherpa Vijay Nambiar said that the Civil 20 India 2023 Inception Conference is a meeting for grouping of civil society. Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have been, and continue to remain, a strong support to governance, he added. To complement and supplement these efforts, there needs to be a constructive and productive relationship within CSOs, he said. Ahmad Maftuchan commented, CSO leaders must strengthen their engagements with G20. Alessandra Nilo explained, The role of civil society in todays world is very important. Civil20 is tirelessly working to solve the problems faced by modern society. Implementation of the progressive commitments made by various governments are either lagging behind or are being neglected. The implementation of these commitments will be possible only if Governments are effectively engaged with the civil society. Devendra Fadnavis presented Voice of Nagpur book to Mata Amritanandamayi Devi. Medha Dixit compered the programme while Swadesh Singh, Sous-Sherpa of CIVIL20 India 2023 proposed a vote of thanks. India, Japan resolve to boost ties in Indo-Pacific, defence NEW DELHI : THE India-Japan global partnership is based on shared democratic values and respect for the rule of law and promotes peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday after holding wide-ranging talks with his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida. The two Prime Ministers largely focused on significantly boosting cooperation in areas of clean energy, semiconductors and co-development of military hardware besides exploring ways to deal with regional security challenges amidst the increasing assertiveness of China. During the talks, Modi conveyed to Kishida that one of the areas of very strong cooperation between India and Japan could be co-innovation, co-design co-creation in the defence manufacturing sector, officials said. Modi and Kishida also vowed to work together to deal with pressing global challenges under Indias presidency of the G20 and Japans chairship of the G7 grouping. Kishida, who was in India for just about 27 hours, said he invited Modi to the G-7 summit in Hiroshima in May, and the offer was immediately accepted. On the sidelines of the talks, a note was exchanged between the two sides concerning the provision of the fourth tranche of a Japanese loan of up to 300 billion yen (around Rs 18,000 crore) for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail. The India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership is based on our shared democratic values, and respect for the rule of law in the international arena, Modi said in his media statement. Strengthening this partnership is not only important for both our countries, but it also promotes peace, prosperity and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. In our conversation today, we have reviewed the progress made in our bilateral relations, he added. The Japanese Prime Minister arrived in Delhi this morning on a brief visit amid global geopolitical turmoil over the Ukraine conflict and increasing concerns over Chinas aggressive behaviour in the Indo-Pacific. Modi said he and Kishida exchanged views on defence equipment and technology collaboration, trade, health, and digital partnership. There was also a fruitful discussion on the importance of reliable supply chains in semiconductors and other critical technologies, he said. Last year, we had set a target of Japanese investment of 5 trillion yen in India in the next 5 years, that is, Rs 3,20,000 crore rupees. It is a matter of satisfaction that there has been good progress in this direction, Modi said. Modi said fast progress is being made on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail project. Our meeting today is special for another reason as well. This year India is chairing the G20, and Japan is chairing the G7. And therefore, this is the perfect opportunity to work together on our respective priorities and interests, Modi said, adding he explained in detail to Kishida about Indias priorities for its G20 Presidency. In his remarks, Kishida said Tokyos economic cooperation with New Delhi continues to grow rapidly and it will not only support further development of India but create significant economic opportunities for Japan. Briefing reporters, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said Modi and Kishida held substantive discussions commensurate with the depth of the India-Japan engagement and that the talks covered cooperation in areas of defence and security, economic partnership, climate and energy, people-to-people exchanges and skill development. Asked whether challenges being faced by the two countries from China figured in the talks, Kwatra indicated that the matter figured in the meeting. They spoke about the challenges that we face in the region and how India and Japan and other like-minded countries can work together to address those challenges and cooperate in the wider expanse of the Indo-Pacific, he said. PM Modi conveyed to Kishida that one of the areas of very strong cooperation between India and Japan could be co-innovation, co-design co-creation, Kwatra said. The Foreign Secretary said Prime Minister Modi made it clear to his Japanese counterpart that when it comes to private investment and foreign direct investment in the field of defence, the two spheres are completely open in India. Kwatra said the Japanese companies are not only invited but are also encouraged to harness the opportunities and advantages that are inherent in the Indian manufacturing ecosystem and that the Make-in-India initiative is not just for India but also for the rest of the world. He said the two leaders also discussed regional issues of significance including the Indo-Pacific. India summons UK diplomat over pulling down of Indian flag at London by Khalistani NEW DELHI : UK police arrested one person in the incident INDIA on Sunday night summoned the British Deputy High Commissioner and demanded an explanation over the complete absence of security after videos of pulling down of the Indian flag at the Indian mission in London during a protest by pro-Khalistan elements emerged on social media. In a strongly-worded statement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said India finds unacceptable the indifference of the UK Government to the security of Indian diplomatic premises and personnel in the UK. British Deputy High Commissioner Christina Scott was summoned to the MEA in view of the incident as High Commissioner Alex Ellis was out of Delhi, sources said. The senior-most UK diplomat in New Delhi was summoned late evening today to convey Indias strong protest at the actions taken by separatist and extremist elements against the Indian High Commission in London earlier in the day, the MEA said. An explanation was demanded for the complete absence of the British security that allowed these elements to enter the High Commission premises, it said. The MEA said the diplomat was reminded of the basic obligations of the UK Government under the Vienna Convention. India finds unacceptable the indifference of the UK Government to the security of Indian diplomatic premises and personnel in the UK, the MEA said. It sought immediate steps to identify, arrest and prosecute those involved in Sundays incident. It is expected that the UK Government would take immediate steps to identify, arrest and prosecute each one of those involved in Sundays incident, and put in place stringent measures to prevent the recurrence of such incidents, the MEA added. In a tweet, High Commissioner Ellis said, I condemn the disgraceful acts today against the people and premises of the @HCI_London - totally unacceptable. Images of shattered windows and men climbing the India House building were circulating on social media and videos from the scene showed an Indian official grabbing the flag from a protester through the first-floor window of the mission, while the protester was seen waving a Khalistani flag hanging off its ledge. Scotland Yard said it was aware of an incident in the area but is yet to issue an official statement. Maha Metro receives prestigious Asia Book of Record citation A welfare check turned deadly in Monte Vista after at least one officer with the Monte Vista Police Department allegedly shot an 18-year-old wielding two knives. The Colorado Bureau of Investigation is investigating the officer-involved shooting in the Rio Grande County city, which occurred shortly after noon on Tuesday when two officers responded to an address in the 1200 block of S. Broadway St. for a welfare check. While on the scene, a man allegedly jumped out of a window and ran toward officers swinging two knives, according to a news release from the CBI. The release said a Taser was deployed and the suspect was shot at, but it is not immediately clear if both officers shot the suspect. The 18-year-old Monte Vista man, who has not been publicly identified, was pronounced dead at the scene, officials said. The officers were not struck by the knives, but one officer reportedly sustained minor injuries. The two involved officers, each with approximately 10 years of experience, were placed on administrative leave per department policy, but will not be identified to the public until the 12th Judicial District Attorneys Office issues a final report on the incident, according to the CBI. The investigation is continuing. Old pension scheme: Mah Govt employees end strike MUMBAI : MAHARASHTRA Government employees agitating for restoration of the old pension scheme (OPS) on Monday called off a week-long strike after a meeting between their representatives and Chief MinisterEknath Shinde here, a union leader said. Vishwas Katkar, the striking unions coordination committees convenor, claimed the State Government has in principle agreed to extend monetary benefits equivalent to the OPS to employees who are part of the New Pension System (NPS). He did not provide further details. Chief Minister Shinde welcomed the decision to withdraw the strike, which had affected work at Government offices and functioning of State-run hospitals. The Government employees were on an indefinite strike since March 14 demanding restoration of the OPS which was discontinued in the State in 2005. Making a statement in the Legislative Assembly in Mumbai, Shinde said, Meetings were held between the Chief Secretary, the Chief Ministers Office and representatives of various unions of State Government employees. Today (Monday), I held a meeting with representatives of the unions who positively responded to my appeal and decided to withdraw their ongoing strike. The CM, without referring about the key demand of OPS restoration, said the Government was positive regarding their grievances. I welcome the decision of the unions to withdraw their strike amid challenges before the State Government. The State Government is totally positive regarding their demands. A committee has already been formed to address their demands. An appropriate decision would be taken after we receive the committees report, Shinde said. Under the OPS, a Government employee gets a monthly pension equivalent to 50 per cent his/her last drawn salary. There was no need for contribution by employees. Under the NPS, a State Government employee contributes 10 per cent of his/her basic salary plus dearness allowance with the state making a matching contribution. The money is then invested in one of the several pension funds approved by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) and returns are market-linked. Self improvement is the key Q. I am from Hyderabad and I am studying in Class 12th. I live in a joint family and two months ago, I lost my cousin brother in an accident, which happened in front of me. I didnt cry for first four days and then on fifth day I went into my room and shed tears for four hours. I was very close to my cousin brother. He was the one with whom I shared all my secrets. I am in a very pathetic situation because I am still struggling through it. I feel that he is there and I cant sleep because I always .. The Biden Administration announced the establishment of two new national monuments the Avi Kwa Ame national monument in Nevada and the Castner Range national monument in El Paso, Texas. Both sites are designations to honor tribal nations and indigenous peoples along with the national wildlife and nature that inhabit the area. The newly named national monuments are the Biden Administration's second and third new monument designations, following the creation of the Camp Hale-Continental Divide National Monument in Colorado last fall. The Washington Post/The Washington Post via Getty Im Avi Kwa Ame National Monument: The area accompanying the Avi Kwa Ame under new proclamation is one of the largest contiguous areas of protected wildlife habitat in the U.S., according to the release. The designated area ties together the protected lands of the Mojave Desert in California to the southwest with the Lake Mead National Recreation Area and other protected areas to the east near the Colorado River. The Mojave, Chemehuevi and portions of the Southern Paiute tribe consider the Avi Kwa Ame, also known as Spirit Mountain, one of the most sacred places on Earth in religious and cultural importance, according to the release. In addition, the new national monument will protect Nevada's most ancient and intact Joshua tree forest, the release said. Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Frontera Land A Castner Range National Monument: The Castner Range national monument will consist of 6,672 acres of high-desert mountains, making up the southern component of the Franklin Mountain range, just outside of El Paso, the White House release said. The sacred area is actually located on the Fort Bliss Military Base and continues to be the "most significant cultural site for documenting the history of tribal nations, including the Apache and Pueblo peoples and the Comanche Nation, Hopi Tribe and Kiowa Indian Tribe of Oklahoma." The designated area contains more than 40 known archeological sites, including living structures, hearths, remnants of pottery and other tools, and many petroglyphs and images on the rocks that make up the canyons and mountains of Castner Range. the release said. The area served as the training and testing site for the U.S. Army from 1926-1966 during World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. The Army ceased training at the site and closed Castner Range in 1966. none A federal district court decided Monday to allow former graduate student Maggie DeJongs lawsuit against officials at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville to proceed, rejecting in part university officials attempt to dismiss the case and evade responsibility for allegedly violating DeJongs constitutional rights. Rather than accept and embrace diverse ideological perspectives, SIUE officials are determined to force their graduate students to think and speak exactly the same or stay silent and they will punish anyone who steps out of line, Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) legal counsel Mathew Hoffmann said in a statement. On behalf of Maggie, and every student who is equally protected under the First Amendment to respectfully share his or her religious or political views without government punishment, were pleased the court has allowed this case to proceed. It is a sad day for civil dialogue and freedom of speech when universities can issue gag orders like those issued against Maggie for nothing more than expressing her beliefs beliefs held by millions of Americans. EDWARDSVILLE Officials at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) remain silent regarding a lawsuit filed by a former student alleging university officials violated her First Amendment right to free speech last year. The case has garnered national and international attention since Maggie DeJong, a former grad student in the university's Art Therapy program, filed the suit on May 31, 2022. She is being represented by the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), a conservative Christian nonprofit legal advocacy group. On Monday, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois, with locations in Benton and East St. Louis, rejected some assertions in the lawsuit but also allowed the case to proceed. Rather than accept and embrace diverse ideological perspectives, SIUE officials are determined to force their graduate students to think and speak exactly the same or stay silent and they will punish anyone who steps out of line, ADF legal counsel Mathew Hoffmann said in a Monday press release. Contacted by The Intelligencer after the court's decision this week, a spokeswoman said, "SIUE will have no comment on pending litigation." Origins of the issue The lawsuit filing by the ADF on behalf of DeJong alleges that she caught the attention of other students in the Art Therapy program at SIUE due to her posts on social media and views expressed in class discussions. Topics ranged from religion to politics, Black Lives Matter, critical race theory (CRT), COVID-19 regulations, the Kenosha, Wisc., case of acquitted shooting suspect Kyle Rittenhouse, and Marxism. The lawsuit states that "like many other students," DeJong expressed her views, in her case "informed by her Christian faith and political stance," and that they "often differed from those of other students." When some students reported DeJong's speech to university representatives, SIUE officials issued no-contact orders to DeJong in February 2022, the lawsuit alleges. These prohibited her from having "any contact" or "indirect communication" with three fellow graduate students. The three stated DeJong's speech added up to "harassment" and "discrimination." The no-contact orders "informed Ms. DeJong that 'upon information and belief . . . interactions between yourself and (the three students) would not be welcome at this time,' the lawsuit states. The other graduate students involved stated that DeJong's speech added up to "harassment" and "discrimination." The no-contact orders "informed Ms. DeJong that 'upon information and belief . . . interactions between yourself and [Student A.S., Student T.P., and Student S.W.] would not be welcome at this time,'" the lawsuit states. DeJong contacted the ADF in response to the no-contact orders, and the group's attorneys sent a letter on her behalf to SIUE alleging that the university was stifling the student's speech. It was then that SIUE leaders detailed the materials underlying the orders and related investigation to DeJong, according to the ADF. At that same time, the university closed its investigation, the ADF states. The court filing on DeJong's behalf also alleges: "Though Ms. DeJong did not engage in any misconduct, University officials threatened 'disciplinary consequences' if she violated the no-contact orders. "And just in case Ms. DeJong strayed from the confines of the unconstitutional edicts, University officials copied an SIUE police lieutenant on each order," the lawsuit alleges. Filing details and media attention The conflict between the beliefs of DeJong and other students centered largely on the hot topics of the day: In general, left-leaning or liberal politics versus right-leaning or conservative politics. One social media post by DeJong that the ADF alleges was "used to justify the no-contact orders" was from Twitter. She retweeted a post by Andrew Bemo, whose current Twitter account has two tweets and states he is from Austin, Texas, that referenced the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. It said, in part, "We cannot destroy this country like BLM riots!" Another was a social media post by DeJong that features a quote by John MacArthur, a prominent Christian Protestant pastor and author noted by Christianity Today as one for his influence as a preacher, which says in part: "Those who dare to take an unpopular stand ... will inevitably be marked as troublesome. Compromise has become a virtue while devotion to truth has become offensive." DeJong's lawsuit which also names as defendants Randall Pembrook former chancellor of SIUE, Jamie Ball, director for Equal Opportunity, Access, and Title IX Coordination; Megan Robb, program director of the Art Therapy Counseling Graduate Program at the college alleges harm to her by the incidents and actions by SIUE officials. "Because of Defendants actions, Ms. DeJong has suffered sleeplessness, anxiety, chest pains, feelings of sadness, loss of appetite, weight loss, lack of concentration, harm to her reputation, and future loss of employment and wages." After DeJong's lawsuit was filed in May 2022, the issues between her and SIUE gained traction on a national and then international level. Media from The Washington Times to The Christian Post, The Alestle, The Daily Mail in the UK picked up the story. Appearing on the Fox News program "Fox & Friends First" in June 2022, DeJong said, "I was alarmed when I had received three no-contact orders that prevented me from having direct or indirect communication with these three students. Essentially, they were restraining orders that applied to on and off-campus." This week's court input The federal court on Monday, ruling on an SIUE and Pembrook, Ball and Robb motion to dismiss the DeJong v. Pembrook case, stated: DeJong clearly has the right, as enshrined in the First Amendment, to express her religious, political, and social views on her personal social media account and to engage in mutual conversations with fellow students regarding those opinions without fear of retaliation from school officials. The ADF alleges that the court was "rejecting in part university officials attempt to dismiss the case and evade responsibility for allegedly violating DeJongs constitutional rights." The federal court filing stated the motion is "granted in part and denied in part." The court dismissed DeJong's effort "seeking declaratory relief" related to invalidations of two SIUE policies. It also dismissed one count related to Robb. "DeJong is granted leave to amend her complaint on or before April 10, 2023," the court ruling states. Counsel Hoffman, in a press release, stated: On behalf of Maggie, and every student who is equally protected under the First Amendment to respectfully share his or her religious or political views without government punishment, were pleased the court has allowed this case to proceed. "It is a sad day for civil dialogue and freedom of speech when universities can issue gag orders like those issued against Maggie for nothing more than expressing her beliefs beliefs held by millions of Americans." This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate MADISON, Wis. (AP) Just two days before he drove his SUV through a Christmas parade in suburban Milwaukee, killing six people and injuring more than 60, Darrell Brooks Jr. had posted bail for charges of domestic violence. He had been accused of using his SUV to run over the mother of his child, and a pretrial assessment found Brooks was at high risk of reoffending. But a court official set that bail at a mere $1,000 cash at the request of prosecutors, who later called their recommendation a mistake. For the parade killings, Brooks was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Brooks quickly became the poster child for a Republican-backed push to enact tougher bail policies. The Republican-controlled Wisconsin Legislature is asking voters to ratify a constitutional amendment that would make it harder for violent criminals to get out of jail on bail. GOP lawmakers in other states also are scrambling to make it harder for defendants to get out of jail before trial after branding themselves as tough on crime in the 2022 midterm elections. Their efforts have led to a fierce fight with Democrats over public safety and the rights of criminal defendants. Recent Democratic overhaul measures in states such as Illinois and New York have sought to eliminate cash bail and lessen pretrial detention on the premise they do more harm than good, especially to marginalized groups. But Republican lawmakers in at least 14 states have introduced some 20 bills so far this year to do just the opposite. Their proposals include increasing the number of non-bailable offenses, requiring more people to pay cash bail and encouraging or requiring judges to consider a defendants criminal record when setting bail. Criminal justice experts and advocacy groups warn the Republican-backed measures arent supported by research and could worsen crime rates and disparities between rich and poor. Bail is meant to ensure a defendant returns to court and isn't supposed to be a punishment, since the defendant hasn't yet been convicted. Cash bail is not a benefit to defendants or to public safety, said Shima Baradaran Baughman, a law professor at the University of Utah who studies bail. When people are detained before trial even for a few days, they are dramatically more likely to reoffend later, Baughman said. In other words, it is much safer to the public to release most people before trial than to detain them. Defendants jailed before trial are much more likely to plead guilty to charges often accepting deals that sentence them to time already served that end their detainment, researchers from Harvard, Stanford and Princeton found in a 2018 study. The same study found higher unemployment rates for pretrial detainees after they're released. Its not uncommon for defendants who cant make bail to lose their jobs and even their homes while in jail awaiting trial. While Republicans seeking to widen the use of bail acknowledge people are legally presumed innocent before trial, some say they believe most defendants are ultimately guilty and that society would be safer if more are locked up. Georgia Sen. Randy Robertson, a longtime sheriffs deputy and former state president of the Fraternal Order of Police, said he is extremely confident that most arrestees are guilty. In February, the GOP-led Georgia state Senate passed a Robertson proposal that would add 53 offenses to a current list of just seven charges that always require cash or property bail. The new offenses include passing a bad check, which can be a misdemeanor or a felony, and such misdemeanors as reckless driving or fighting in public. Robertson argues that victims feel the justice system doesnt care about them when suspects are released without cash bail. The measure requires three-time felons to post cash or property bail, as well as those with felony convictions in the past seven years. It also says any defendant can't be released without posting bail unless they appear before a judge. The measures in Georgia, Wisconsin and elsewhere worry Insha Rahman, vice president of advocacy and partnerships at the Vera Institute for Justice. When you are setting money bail on all kinds of offenses and judges cant release people, you are absolutely treading on presumption of innocence, she said. Rahman, a former public defender who helped design bail laws in New York and other states, said the best research supports ending cash bail and offering personalized release conditions for most defendants. People who pose a clear and immediate threat to public safety are the exception, she said, and should be detained until trial. All money bail does is privilege the amount of money someone has in their pocket, not public safety," Rahman said. Wisconsin Republican Sen. Van Wanggard, a former police officer who sponsored the constitutional amendment that gained traction after the Waukesha parade killings, said he doesn't believe imposing cash bail on more people or requiring higher bail violates the presumption of innocence. If someone is a repetitive criminal, I surely would rather have that individual locked up than out committing another crime, Wanggaard said. If ratified by Wisconsin voters on April 4, the amendment would let judges setting bail consider the criminal history of someone accused of a violent crime. Wisconsin judges currently can only set bail as a means to ensure someone returns to court. The measure also would require judges to publicly lay out their reasoning for the bail amounts they set. Opponents criticize as overbroad the expanded list of crimes under the amendment, including watching a dog fight, violating a court order against contacting criminal gang members and negligently leaving a firearm where a child gains access to it. Ohio voters passed a similar amendment in November, requiring judges to consider a suspects threat to public safety when setting bail. Bills in Indiana and Missouri would likewise give judges more latitude to consider public safety and criminal histories. In New York, bail has been a polarizing issue since majority Democrats passed a 2019 law abolishing pretrial incarceration for most nonviolent offenses. Many prosecutors, police officials, Republicans and even some moderate Democrats argued the changes threatened public safety. Republican candidates running against crime saw big gains in New York City's suburbs in 2022. And Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul, under pressure from voters, has said she wants to revisit bail laws this year to give judges more leeway when setting bail. Democratic bail changes in Illinois ran into roadblocks when the state Supreme Court halted a new law that would have eliminated cash bail beginning Jan. 1. Prosecutors and sheriffs from 64 counties had sued, challenging the measure. The Supreme Court heard arguments on the lawsuit last week. Baughman, the Utah law professor, said the Illinois law would likely both release more people before trial and improve public safety. We are the only country in the world that forces defendants to pay money to obtain a constitutional right of release before trial, she said. Poor defendants and people of color are most harmed when cash bail becomes the norm in a jurisdiction. ___ Associated Press writer Jeff Amy contributed from Atlanta and writer Michael Hill contributed from Albany, New York. ___ Harm Venhuizen is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Harm on Twitter. I realized later that part of the reason we got along so well was because she made me feel special. She never told me, exactly, that I'm "special." It was just a "way" she had that made a person feel valued and supported and ... well, special. Now, maybe that says something about me and my ego subconsciously delighting that my friend made me feel unique. I actually think everyone likes to be made to feel this way, and why not? With all the negativity in the world, it's nice to get a boost here and there. "Alice"* was about 80, and we spent a lot of time together especially in the last few months of her life. She was on hospice and we all know what that means. I'm intentionally being vague due to health privacy laws, but I was one of the caregivers who assisted her. We knew each other before she was terminally ill, so it felt like helping a longtime friend, not doing a job. Of course, she and I had a lot in common, so it was easy to be friends. We talked about everything from politics to religion to dogs (always dogs!) to sex to any and all current events. She was sharp as a tack just a super smart person. She even put up with my puns and corny sense of humor. She grew up in the Chicago suburbs; I grew up in the country in Central Illinois. I only knew her late in life, but she seemed a bit sophisticated and somewhat "proper." Yet she wasn't snobby. "Dignified" is an excellent word to describe her. We were both Catholics, and she had a fondness for the Jesuits. We sometimes communicated by walkie talkie so that she could get help immediately if I was in the other room. Usually, when I started to leave her room to go to the kitchen, for example, I'd remind her: "If you need anything, just holler at me." Now, I said this to amuse myself. It reminds me of where I grew up and people I knew who commonly used words like "holler." And then there was Alice and the contrast between her measured, intellectual way and us bumkins from the sticks. Honestly, it tickled me. A couple of weeks before she died, when I started to leave the room and said my usual "holler at me" line, I stopped. "You know, in all this time, Alice, you have never once hollered at me." She was feeling bad, lying down, with her eyes closed. Then, clear as a bell, in a serious, measured, deliberate and quite dignified way, she said: "Jesuits do NOT 'holler.'" She wasn't as silly as I am, but she definitely had a sense of humor! Alice always made me feel important and proud of my unique talents as a human being. After she died, I realized she made everyone feel that way. Her caregivers, friends, children, grandchildren ... She was just the kind of person who lifted others up. I'm still figuring out just how she did that. But she sure did. It reminded me of my dad. We were always close. He died in 2006 at age 61 from lung disease (it was not related to smoking; we still don't know why he got it). I miss him every day. I'm the oldest, and out of four girls, I'm the "tom boy" for sure. All of us girls are well-rounded, thanks to both our parents. We know the difference between a Phillips and a flat head as well as a barrette versus a scrunchie. Well, my sisters do. I keep my hair short because I'm too lazy to do anything with it. But I was typically the one who held the flashlight when Dad fiddled with something in the car engine. We'd both get out creepers (the mechanics kind, not the Minecraft fella) and go underneath the house (it was on a concrete slab) to fix duct work. He did the fixing. I did the flashlight holding. So, for many reasons, I always felt close to my dad. He was thoughtful, too, and I could talk to him about anything. After he died, I realized practically everyone close to him felt the same way. I actually felt a tiny bit sore about that at first. Wasn't I the special one? He made me feel like I could do anything. I'm not sure how to explain it. Somehow, he just made me feel good about myself, no matter what. Then, years later, after Alice died, it dawned on me how people like my dad and Alice make every person around them feel valued and important. It's just natural for some people, I think. But I know the basic source now, and I'm so glad. It wasn't because I'm special. It's because they were. *NOTE: Because she isn't here to give permission, I've changed my friend's name to protect her identity. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Inforial (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, March 21, 2023 15:54 27 d5259e4d93052b0e76bee70b05303f03 4 Inforial HSBC Free Countries worldwide are rapidly shifting from internal combustion engines (ICE) to electric vehicles (EV) as part of their strategy for lowering carbon emissions. Indonesia, on its part, aspires to plant its feet on the global stage amid such a shift. Well-endowed with vast reserves of nickel, the largest at 22 percent of global reserves, Indonesias nickel output already has far outpaced other countries at 1 million tons per year. To put it into context, Indonesia alone contributed to about 30 percent of global production. The country is expected to maintain its top rank in the years to come, with annual nickel production projected to increase to 4.5 million tons within five years. At the moment, the stainless steel industry consumed around two-thirds of the global nickel supply, but the battery industry is catching up fast. According to an HSBC study, EV adoption rate worldwide will rise to 27 percent in 2025 from just 8 percent in 2021. The number is expected to climb further to 53 percent in 2030 and 73 percent in 2035. Indonesia sits at the heart of this revolution, benefitting on at least three fronts. Driving FDI and exports In January 2020, President Joko Widodo enforced an export ban on nickel to ensure a stable supply of the mineral for domestic smelting. The government has also simplified the mining permit process and offered fiscal incentives for smelter developments. Since then, major companies seeking to tap into the rising popularity of EV have been flocking into the country. South Koreas LG Group, Chinas CATL, CNGR, Huayou, and Taiwans Foxconn are among the household names pledging billions of dollars in nickel processing and battery manufacturing. Germans BASF and Frances Eramet are finalizing their investment plan for a nickel smelter in the country. The Ministry of Investment/BKPM estimated investment potential from downstream policies in the mineral sector, including nickel and coal, amounting to US$427.1 billion by 2035. Thanks to the higher value of processed concentrates, export proceeds from nickel jumped to US$20.9 billion in 2021 from just US$1.1 billion in 2014. President Jokowi expects export receipts of nickel to exceed US$30 billion this year , a major boon for state coffers. Indonesia plans to copy its nickel playbook into bauxite, with a proposed export ban later this year. The country wants to turn bauxite into alumina, and eventually aluminum. The latter is also an important material for EV batteries. Add that to the countrys reserve of cobalt, used to extend EV battery life, and Indonesia looks primed to become a major hub for EV battery production. Indonesia is the largest nickel producer in the world and it plans to increase production to 4.5 million tons annually in the next 5 years. Furthermore, it is also exciting to see the efforts from the Indonesian government to attract investment for building an extensive EV value chain with a focus on high-value activities, said Francois de Maricourt President Director at PT HSBC Indonesia. As Indonesias EV industry continues to grow, Indonesia can potentially become a key player in EV global supply chain, Maricourt added. End-to-end EV ecosystem Government efforts in creating an end-to-end ecosystem are starting to show substantial gains. Authorities are in talks with US EV maker Tesla and Chinese electric car producer BYD to set up a manufacturing facility in the country, while Germans VW and US carmaker Ford are exploring opportunities to tap the countrys battery potential. The presence of these global car giants will complement Chinas SGMW (Wuling) and South Koreas Hyundai existing assembly lines. Led by Wuling and Hyundai, as well as Japanese hybrid models, EV sales in 2022 crossed 20,000 units, a six-fold jump from 2021. The governments plan to introduce incentives for EV buyers as well as lower-priced models will help boost EV sales to exceed 50,000 units this year, according to Fitch Ratings. But, to truly create a holistic EV ecosystem in the country, a significant ramp-up in charging stations is needed, according to HSBC. The number of charging stations totaled 570 at the end of 2022, less than one-tenth of over 6,700 petrol stations spread across the country. The after-sales service for EV as well as stronger regulatory frameworks will be required to boost the domestic EV market. While challenges remain in the downstream sector, such as the limited infrastructure of charging stations and availability of after-sales services, the development of the EV ecosystem is expected to play a role in supporting Indonesias ambition for net-zero emissions by 2060, said Riko Tasmaya, Global Banking Managing Director at PT HSBC Indonesia. Help achieve Net Zero Target An aggressive shift to EV adoption will help Indonesia to lower its overall emissions. The government last year showed an increased ambition in lowering greenhouse gas emissions, increasing its carbon reduction goal to 32 percent by 2030 from 29% previously. Achieving the Net Zero Target by 2060 requires great efforts in multiple sectors, such as forestry and energy, but the Indonesian government has shown great strides. A strong push to create an end-to-end EV ecosystem will create numerous business opportunities as the country moves up in the global supply chain, while at the same time helping Indonesia achieves its climate cause. HSBC is proud to host an investment forum that focused on the strategic investment roadmap for Indonesias nickel & EV industrial outlook, featuring views from government and industry players, said Tasmaya. The forum, held on March 8 in collaboration with the German-Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, brought together participants across various fields, from research and consultancy firms to upstream and midstream mining companies to EV manufacturers. Such an event also served as a crucial avenue to connect participants from various industries with Indonesian policymakers, highlighting HSBCs unique position in leveraging its international and on-the-ground presence. Partnering with institutions like HSBC can help navigate the dynamic and exciting opportunities in this emerging Southeast Asian powerhouse. Lets challenge the convention and work together to drive the growth of the EV industries in Indonesia and beyond, Tasmaya added. (ism) Topics : HSBC Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, March 16, 2023 President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has urged regional administrations in the country to wean themselves off foreign payment networks like Mastercard and Visa and start using credit cards issued by domestic banks to shield any transactions from possible geopolitical fallout that could disrupt economic transactions. Jokowi said that the war in Ukraine with the attendant economic sanctions imposed by the United States could create problems as economic tools, including payment systems, could be used against countries perceived to have any involvement in the conflict. "Be very careful. We must remember the sanctions imposed by the US on Russia. Visa and Mastercard could be a problem," President Jokowi told a national meeting to promote the use of Indonesian-made products and services. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin AFP Moscow, Russia Tue, March 21, 2023 17:45 27 d5259e4d93052b0e76bee70b05306e47 2 Economy Russia,China,Siberia,Xi-Jinping,Gas,Gazprom,Vladimir-Putin,geopolitics Free Russian energy giant Gazprom said Tuesday it had reached a daily record in gas volumes supplied to China through the Power of Siberia pipeline. On March 20, China's request for Russian gas supplies via the Power of Siberia pipeline significantly exceeded the existing daily contractual obligations," the company said in a statement. "Gazprom delivered the requested volumes and set a new historical record for daily gas supplies to China," the company said in a statement, ahead of formal talks between Xi and Vladimir Putin. The company declined to comment to AFP on the volumnes, describing the figures as closed commercial data. China has emerged a key economic partner for Russia since the West piled more sanctions on Moscow for its military intervention in Ukraine launched last year. The economic pivot to China has been a boon to Russia as Moscow lost much of its market share in Europe after the Ukraine conflict intensified. Deliveries via the Power of Siberia pipeline in Russia's Far East reached an all-time high of 15.5 billion cubic meters in total last year, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said last month. And by 2025, Moscow is seeking to more than double exports through the pipeline to 38 billion cubic meters each year, he said. In an article published by the Kremlin ahead of Xi's visit, Putin described Power of Siberia as the most important economic partnership of the last 100 years. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Vincent Fabian Thomas (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, March 22, 2023 More electric vehicle (EV) producers are looking to build factories in Indonesia, the government has stated, in a sign that generous incentives and subsidies both upstream and downstream are paying off. Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Pandjaitan said on Monday that Chinas Wuling and South Koreas Hyundai were planning to build additional manufacturing facilities in Indonesia. Furthermore, the government was aiming to get new carmakers, such as China-based BYD Auto, to build EV assembly plants in Indonesia, Luhut said. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Jakarta Thu, December 29, 2022 Work It Right is a weekly column that provides practical and insightful advice on navigating the complex areas of work culture, career development and professional management. A new year often brings anticipation over the good things to come, and one thing we have all been sorely missing is a "third space", where we can meet up with friends or bump into strangers, away from the confines of either home or work. There has been nothing like the COVID-19 pandemic to remind us that sharing space with others is a critical part of our wellbeing. Living confined at home for more than two years and having to maintain our distance with others have triggered the maddening feeling of disconnect. After all, humans are social creatures and wired to connect with others, and the absence of social activity has resulted in feelings of intense boredom, loneliness and alienation. What is a third place? Sociologist Ray Oldenburg has long recognized our need to be a part of a communal space. In The Great Good Place (1989), he talks at length about the need for a third place between home, or the first place, and work, or the second place, where people can spend their time. While home is private and work offers a structured social experience, a third place is a generally more relaxed public environment where people meet and interact informally in different ways. Such spaces fulfill peoples need for recreation before, between and after work and family. According to Oldenburg, a third place is a powerful remedy to isolation and exclusion. It restores connections, gives us identity, provides support and enables us to be our genuine selves. Strong social relationships are vital to our health and happiness, and a third place, also called third space, is a haven for building rapport with others. How does a third space look like? During the pandemic, many third spaces went online, from social media platforms to messaging groups. However, according to Oldenburgs observations, the most effective environment for a third space is an offline place, where people can bump into each other both casually and frequently. He also mentions the following characteristics as being unique to a third space. 1. Neutral ground The activities that happen in a third space do not usually involve serious planning, scheduling, structure or organization. People are free to come and go as they plaease. They are there because they want to be there, not because they have to be. It is the absence of rigid rules that makes a third space attractive, allowing people get away for a while from their issues at home and work. 2. No hierarchy Everybody is welcome in a third space. It is an equal, unpretentious communal space where neither economic nor social status matter, and there are no requirements for participation. 3. Low-profile Third spaces are usually modest establishments, and some even resemble a comfortable, warm and inviting living room. This makes people feel comfortable spending time there. 4. Easy Access There are no physical, regulatory or financial barriers to entering a third space. They are accessible to everyone. 5. Regular visitors Third spaces are frequented by regulars: people who habitually return and become an important part of the mood and atmosphere of a space. They give the space character, set the tone and are welcoming to both old-timers and newcomers. 6. Free conversation People gather in a third space primarily to enjoy each others company. There is a strong sense of spontaneity, purposelessness and willingness among all participants to go wherever the conversation leads them. 7. Playful mood Third spaces allow people to put aside their concerns and get into a playful mood, in contrast to their more serious approach to their duties at either home or work. The conversations are usually light, often filled with witty exchanges. 8. Home away from home Although a third space is not home, it is remarkably similar to a good home in terms of the psychological comfort and support it extends. Third spaces in 2023 With pandemic restrictions easing, hopefully toward full reopening in 2023, anticipation and excitement over physically reconnecting with others has appeared on the horizon. What spaces could accommodate such hopes? From warteg (food stalls) to coffee shops, plenty of venues are available to serve as a third space. Some people have even created their own third spaces, such as an arisan (tontine) group and creative communities. The excitement over venturing into communal spaces and socializing is again in the air. From being online in 2020-2022 to going offline 2023, in whatever space that might be, plenty of conversations await us. After all, we have a lot to catch up on, dont we? Wishing you great conversations in 2023! Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin AFP Miami, United States Tue, March 21, 2023 13:55 27 5fceed71997e5776a1634d25dc3014d0 2 Entertainment XXXTentacion,united-states,music,crime,Entertainment Free A Florida jury on Monday found three young men guilty in the shooting death of the rising rap star known as XXXTentacion in 2018. The artist, whose real name was Jahseh Onfroy, was 20 when he was shot to death in broad daylight in Deerfield Beach, near Miami. XXXTentacion had hit number one on the album chart in 2018 with "?" but his success proved controversial due to his history of violence. He had been awaiting trial on charges of beating his former girlfriend while she was pregnant. After a week of deliberations, a jury in Fort Lauderdale found three defendants guilty of first-degree murder and armed robbery. They are Dedrick Williams, 26; Trayvon Newsome, 24; and Michael Boatwright, 28. Sentencing was set for April 6. The first-degree murder conviction could send them to prison for life. On June 18, 2018, a four-wheel drive vehicle cut off XXXTentacion's car and two people got out and shot him. They stole a bag containing $50,000 in cash and fled. Prosecutors said it was Boatwright and Newsome who got out of the car, but Boatwright who shot the rapper. Williams was accused of being the getaway driver and mastermind of the attack. A fourth suspect, Robert Allen, 26, testified against the other three months after pleading guilty to second degree murder and armed robbery. At the time of his death, XXXTentacion was seeing his career start to take off, winning fans with work filled with open and dark verse about his suicidal thoughts. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Nina A. Loasana (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, March 21, 2023 The State Secretariat has suspended official Esha Rahmansah Abrar from his duties to facilitate an internal probe into his wealth, part of a wider crackdown on corruption sparked by public outrage over the ostentatious lifestyles of some civil servants. State Secretariat spokesperson Eddy Cahyono Sugiarto said the suspension was intended to make the investigation into the sources of Esha's wealth easier. "We have formed an internal investigative team to probe Esha's unreasonable wealth, Eddy said in a press release on Sunday. We will also work together with the Corruption Eradication Commission [KPK] and the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center [PPATK] and other related bodies to find comprehensive data on his wealth. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, March 21, 2023 President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo said on Tuesday that the safety of New Zealand pilot Phillip Mehrtens would be the top priority in any operation to release the hostage currently being held by a Papuan separatist group. Jokowi said that military officials were carefully weighing their options on how to secure the release of Mehrtens, more than a month after the New Zealander was abducted shortly after landing at an airstrip in Nduga, Papua Highlands. "Last night we had an internal meeting and the most important thing is that we will be very careful and the safety of the pilot will be the primary consideration," said Jokowi in a press briefing held after the launch of the Papua Youth Creative Hub in Jayapura, Papua, on Tuesday. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Dio Suhenda (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, October 14, 2021 With unemployment among people with disabilities running high, activists are calling for the development of a more inclusive workplace and fairer employment practices. In a virtual national conference held by the United States Agency for International Development's (USAID) Mitra Kunci program earlier this month, Sri Setyaningsih, who heads the Boyolali Communication Forum for People with Disabilities (FKDB), a disability community in Boyolali, Central Java, spoke about the problems facing disabled people under her care. Her community works in partnership with the local social affairs agency. According to Sri, the problem lies with the fact that disabled people are often too dependent on parents or families as a result of being sheltered for most of their lives, meaning they lack the skills for employment. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Nur Janti (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, October 27, 2021 Recent cyberattacks on state agencies one related to the National Cyber and Encryption Agency (BSSN) and another that puts child victims of abuse at risk further underline the urgent need for effective cybersecurity and personal data protection. On Oct. 21, an alleged Brazilian hacker named SonIx defaced the website of the national malware center hosted by the BSSN, an agency that is supposed to detect and prevent cyberattacks, as retaliation for what SonIx claimed was the hacking of a Brazilian government website by Indonesian hackers. BSSN spokesperson Anton Setiyawan told The Jakarta Post that the agency was still conducting an investigation to ensure that no data was stolen, adding that pusmanas.bssn.go.id had been temporarily disabled. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin A. Muh. Ibnu Aqil (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, October 28, 2021 Indonesia is ramping up efforts ahead of the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), with more people perceiving the climate crisis to be more important and environmentalists recommending continuous improvements. The climate conference will start in Glasgow, Scotland on Sunday and run until Nov. 12, after a year-long delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Indonesian delegates will embark on a mission to show that the country is serious about mitigating and adapting to climate change and to look for ways to obtain climate financing for the country, according to Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar. The delegates are officials from various ministries and agencies, as well as non-party stakeholders of the COP26 such as businesses and civil groups. President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo is slated to join the COP26 World Leaders Summit from Nov. 1 to 2, after attending the G20 Summit in Italy from Oct. 30 to 31. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Dian Septiari (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, October 30, 2021 President Joko Jokowi Widodo has finally stepped out of the country after more than 20 months of domestic duties, as he headed overseas on Friday to attend a string of high-profile events in a week-long, three-nation tour. Jokowi is set to participate in the Group of 20 Summit in Rome, Italy in person over the Halloween weekend, following which the host will hand over the presidency of the club of the worlds biggest economies to Indonesia. From there, the President and his entourage of ministers and Cabinet staffers will head to Glasgow, Scotland to attend the highly anticipated UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) on Monday and Tuesday, before they fly to the United Arab Emirates to attend the World Expo in Dubai and participate in Jokowis first bilateral visit after nearly two years. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin A. Muh. Ibnu Aqil (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, November 1, 2021 Indonesia's young people are highly concerned about the impact of climate change, with some having started climate conscious movements of their own as they feel that environmental issues are not well represented in politics. They want everyone, including older generations and policymakers, to do more to address climate change together, as President Joko Jokowi Widodo and world leaders gather in Glasgow, Scotland for the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) to find ways to keep the global temperature rise below 1.5 degrees Celsius. Aulia Salsabella Suwarno, a 22-year-old member of Generation Z and recent graduate of Bandung Technological University in oceanography, who now works as a contract employee at the Maritime and Fisheries Ministry in Jakarta, is a prime example. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Dio Suhenda (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, November 5, 2021 Civil society organizations have raised concerns about the nomination of Army chief of staff Gen. Andika Perkasa as the sole candidate for the Indonesian Military (TNI) commander, calling it a setback in the efforts to reform the nations armed forces. President Joko Jokowi Widodo has sent a letter to the House of Representatives tapping Andika to replace Air Chief Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto, who will retire by the end of this month. Andika will go through a confirmation hearing with House Commission I overseeing defense before he can be inaugurated as the new TNI chief. The confirmation hearing is expected to take place on Friday, according to House deputy speaker Sufmi Ahmad Dasco. We plan to conduct the selection interview tomorrow. We'll see. Hopefully it will go smoothly," Dasco said on Thursday, as quoted by Kompas.com. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Editorial board (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, March 21, 2023 03:07 27 5fceed71997e5776a1634d25dc2fafca 1 Editorial AUKUS,Indo-Pacific,Nuclear,submarine,China,peace,safeguard Free Australias announcement that it is acquiring nuclear-powered submarines from the United States is escalating the heat in the already tense Indo-Pacific region, and now with the added nuclear factor thrown into the pot. It has certainly angered China, the target of Australias military buildup, and caused concerns for other countries, including Indonesia. Granted its not a nuclear weapon, but acquiring the nuclear technology to build the submarines takes Australia a step closer to becoming a nuclear power. It is setting a precedent in exploiting the nuclear naval propulsion clause in the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which is designed to prevent more countries from acquiring nuclear weapons and keep the world safe. Canberras assurances that it will abide by the NPT and pointing out at its fine records does not guarantee that other countries will not follow suit, in the name of protecting sovereignty or any other pretext. We already have more than our share of nuclear countries in the Indo-Pacific region. We could do with less, and not more. Australias move is dangerously paving the way toward the full nuclearization of the region. The submarine deal announced last week comes under the auspices of the trilateral defense pact known as AUKUS involving Australia, the United Kingdom and the US. It was founded in 2021 with the intention to counter the growing military strength of China in the Indo-Pacific region. Now, more than ever, Australia is living up to its reputation as the self-appointed deputy sheriff in this part of the world for the US, a term incidentally coined in 1992 by then prime minister John Howard. The deal, which will cost Australian taxpayers A$368 billion (US$244 billion) for the next three decades will include the delivery of two or three Virginia-class submarines in the 2030s, and followed by the development of a new submarine class SSN-AUKUS in South Australia, with the technology provided its two AUKUS partners. Indonesias response has been appropriate and measured, not outrightly opposing Australia acquiring the nuclear submarines and as well as the technology to build them. In a statement, the Foreign Ministry reminded Canberra of its obligations under the NPT and to build the safeguards mandated by the International Atomic Energy Agency, including the verification mechanism that is effective, transparent and non-discriminatory. Indonesia last year succeeded in leading the campaign to mainstream the issue of nuclear naval propulsion in building submarines. During the periodic review of the Conference of Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, Indonesia warned that the nuclear propulsion article has the potential to pose a big risk to world peace. Obviously, it had not moved fast enough to prevent Australia from using the loophole as it announced the plan last week. There is no denial that Chinas rapid military buildup, including in the hotly contested South China Sea, these past two decades has changed the power balance in the Indo-Pacific. All other countries in the region and beyond are adjusting to this new reality in different ways. The US is leading the campaign to stem the rise of China by building alliances, including establishing AUKUS now with the nuclear-submarine deal with Australia. While we cannot stop Australia from moving ahead with the plan, Indonesia should continue to voice its long-held opposition to the nuclearization of the Indo-Pacific region and the rest of the world for that matter. To the suggestions as echoed by officials and observers in Australia that Indonesia is a beneficiary of the greater security protection provided by the presence of Australias nuclear-powered submarines, this may be true if China was the single biggest threat to regional peace. If history is any guide, there are other powers and countries that have the potential to threaten regional peace and stability. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ni Komang Erviani (The Jakarta Post) Denpasar Mon, March 20 2023 Bali Police launched on Friday a special operation targeting foreign nationals who committed a crime or violated the law across the island. The five-day special operation is held amid an increasing number of foreigners showing bad behavior while in Bali. More than 475 police personnel will be closely monitoring foreigners across Bali. Bali Police chief Insp. Gen. Putu Jayan Danu Putra said the special operation, called the Agung Operation, was jointly held with other stakeholders, including the immigration office, the tourism agency, the tax office, the transportation agency, the labor agency, public order police, the tourism association and traditional village security, among others. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin AFP New York, United States Sun, March 19, 2023 09:55 29 c764d7f631a5262d39a7c5c953641bbe 2 Americas Donald-Trump,Stormy-Daniels,porn-actor,Republican,criminal-charge,new-york Free Former US President Donald Trump said he expects to be "arrested" Tuesday over an alleged hush-money payment to a porn star in 2016 and he urged his supporters to protest, as prosecutors gave signs of moving closer to an indictment. "Leading Republican candidate & former President of the United States of America will be arrested on Tuesday of next week," the 76-year-old billionaire said Saturday on his Truth Social platform, adding: "Protest, take our nation back!" An indictment would make Trump the first former US president to be charged with a crime, marking an explosive and unpredictable development in the 2024 White House race - as Trump seeks again to clinch the Republican nomination. Not even a conviction in the hush money case would prevent Trump from running, but an indictment could have major consequences, galvanizing his critics but also electrifying his supporters. Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy reacted with fury, accusing New York prosecutors of pursuing "political vengeance" against Trump. McCarthy vowed on Twitter to launch a congressional probe of the matter. But his Democratic predecessor, Nancy Pelosi, denounced Trump's announcement as "reckless," saying it would "foment unrest among his supporters." "He cannot hide from his violations of the law, disrespect for our elections and incitements to violence," added Pelosi, who was still speaker when Trump was impeached for inciting the January 6, 2021 rioting in the US Capitol. The current investigation, led by Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg, an elected Democrat, centers on $130,000 paid weeks before the 2016 polls to stop porn star Stormy Daniels from going public about an affair she says she had with Trump years earlier. Trump's lawyer told CNBC on Friday that his client, if indicted, would surrender to face criminal charges. Trump has denied having had an affair with Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, and has dismissed the investigation as politically motivated. 'Illegal leaks' In his Truth Social post, written in capital letters, Trump referred to "illegal leaks from a corrupt & highly political Manhattan district attorneys office" and said the investigation was "based on an old & fully debunked (by numerous other prosecutors!) fairytale." He doubled down in another post, assailing his successor, President Joe Biden, as "crooked" and urging his followers to "Protest, Protest, Protest!!!" Reports said authorities were planning to increase security around the Manhattan courthouse in coming days. Trump's lawyer Susan Necheles indicated that his posts Saturday were based on media reports and not on any fresh action taken by prosecutors. "Since this is a political prosecution, the District Attorney's office has engaged in a practice of leaking everything to the press, rather than communicating with President Trump's attorneys," Necheles said in a statement to AFP. A grand jury is a citizen panel which examines evidence presented by prosecutors to decide if a charge is warranted. The jury in New York heard on Monday from Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen, who made the payment to Daniels. Cohen was sentenced to three years in prison in 2018 on related federal charges. He pleaded guilty but said he had been carrying out Trump's orders. Daniels herself met with prosecutors on Wednesday and "agreed to make herself available as a witness, or for further inquiry if needed," according to her lawyer Charles Brewster. Trump has been invited to testify, which legal experts say suggests an indictment is near. The payment to Daniels, if not properly accounted for, could result in a misdemeanor charge for falsifying business records. That might be raised to a felony if the false accounting was intended to cover up a second crime, such as a campaign finance violation, The New York Times has reported. 2024 prospects Trump is facing several criminal probes at state and federal level over possible wrongdoing that threaten his new run at the White House. In Georgia, a prosecutor is investigating Trump and his allies' efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss in the southern state. The grand jury in that case has recommended multiple indictments, the forewoman revealed last month. The former president is also the subject of a federal probe into his handling of classified documents as well as his possible involvement in the January 6 rioting. Some observers believe an indictment bodes ill for Trump's 2024 chances, while others say it could provide a huge boost. "The arrest secures the nomination for Donald Trump," tweeted Rick Wilson, a political strategist who quit the Republican Party in protest over Trump. "The base will rally politically, and possibly physically." Tech billionaire Elon Musk, a self-described libertarian who has increasingly aligned with Republican positions and who overturned the Twitter ban on Trump, went even further. "If this happens, Trump will be re-elected in a landslide victory," Musk said in a tweet. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin AFP Beijing, China Sun, March 19, 2023 President Xi Jinping heads to Russia on Monday hoping to deliver a breakthrough on Ukraine as China seeks to position itself as a peacemaker. Freshly reappointed for a third term in power, Xi is pushing a greater role for China on the global stage, and was crucial in mediating a surprise rapprochement between Middle Eastern rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia this month. Rumours that he may soon hold his first call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky since the outbreak of war have raised hopes in Western capitals that Xi may lean on his "old friend" Putin to stop his bloody invasion during the three-day state visit. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin AFP Tehran, Iran Mon, March 20, 2023 08:15 28 5fceed71997e5776a1634d25dc2eeb7e 2 Middle East and Africa Saudi-Arabia,Iran,China,diplomacy,Ebrahim-Raisi,Muhammad-bin-Salman,Middle-East Free Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has favourably received an invitation from Saudi Arabia's King Salman to visit the kingdom following the reconciliation deal between the two countries, an Iranian official said Sunday. "In a letter to President Raisi... the King of Saudi Arabia welcomed the deal between the two brotherly countries (and) invited him to Riyadh," tweeted Mohammad Jamshidi, the Iranian president's deputy chief of staff for political affairs, adding that "Raisi welcomed the invitation". The two regional heavyweights announced on March 10 a Chinese-brokered deal to restore ties seven years after they were severed. Riyadh cut relations after Iranian protesters attacked Saudi diplomatic missions in 2016 following the Saudi execution of Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr -- just one in a series of flashpoints between the two longstanding regional rivals. The deal is expected to see Shiite-majority Iran and mainly Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia reopen their embassies and missions within two months and implement security and economic cooperation deals signed more than 20 years ago. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian told reporters on Sunday that the two countries had agreed to hold a meeting between their top diplomats. He added that three locations for the talks had been suggested, without specifying which. The detente between Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest oil exporter, and Iran, strongly at odds with Western governments over its nuclear activities, has the potential to reshape relations across a region characterised by turbulence for decades. Iran and Saudi Arabia support rival sides in several conflict zones including Yemen, where the Huthi rebels are backed by Tehran, and Riyadh leads a military coalition supporting the government. The two sides also vie for influence in Syria, Lebanon and Iraq. A number of Gulf countries followed Riyadh's action in 2016 and scaled back ties with Tehran, though the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait recently restored ties. Iran said last week it would welcome restoring ties with Bahrain following the deal with Saudi Arabia. In the past, Bahrain accused Iran of having trained and backed a Shiite-led uprising in the Sunni-ruled kingdom in order to topple the Manama government. Tehran denies this. In September, Iran welcomed an Emirati ambassador after a six-year absence, and a month earlier it said Kuwait had sent its first ambassador to Tehran since 2016. Iran's top security official Ali Shamkhani also held talks with Emirati President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi on Thursday in yet another sign of the shifting relations in the region. Photo: The scene on Grand Street on a recent weekend afternoon. Lower East Side news from the past week: Three years after the pandemic begun, there has been some recovery in Chinatown, but the long ordeal showed that many of the institutions and small businesses that make the neighborhood special are very precarious. [Eater] A new commercial needs assessment was recently released, providing new information about the challenges facing small businesses and the community at large. [NYC.gov] A staffer in City Council member Christopher Martes office will stay on the job after he left profanity-laced voicemails for one of the Chinese language medias best known reporters. [Politico] UPDATE Sunday evening the Daily News reported that the aide, Steven Wong, has resigned. City Council member Carlina Rivera released a statement about efforts to address various needs at Tompkins Square Park. [EV Grieve] An exit interview with Ariel Palitz, the former Lower East Side club owner who went on to become NYCs first nightlife mayor. [The New York Times] Veselka has big expansion plans, with new outposts planned in Williamsburg and at Grand Central Station. [New York Post] From The New York Times, a video profile of Fong On, New York Citys oldest family-run tofu shop. [YouTube] The Perspective Atlanta, Georgia Posted: February 5, 2023 We are in this unprecedented political mess because James Biney's National Patriotic Party (NPP), forged a marriage of convenience with the governing Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC). As supposedly a smart or perhaps cunning politician, Senator James Biney of Maryland County cannot continue to hide behind his political strategy of beauty versus the beast; a common feature amid his shenanigans. A local daily, the Heritage newspaper carried a banner headline last week captioned: CDC-led Government is of no Benefit to the Southeast - Senator Biney opens up... Really! Biney, like many a hypocritical, sycophantic, and deceptive politician must have got away with mindless political chicanery in the past, but a dawn of a new day has no place for such selfish and unpatriotic maneuverings. What is Senator James Biney's track record of championing the doctrine of internal criticisms within the Coalition for Democratic other than being at the forefront of reckless NPP in-fighting? Senator Biney should stop the quasi-intra-coalition blame game, especially in an election year. Make no mistake, Biney was a kingpin in the CDC-NPP's marriage. Biney fought tooth and nail for the merger and later a consummate deal that became finalized. James Biney graciously celebrated what in his wisest mind was the best political deal for Liberia. Of course, it was anyone's guess that Biney would sheepishly make merry especially when Charles Taylor's National Patriotic Party was almost virtually dead and buried. History is simply not peculiar! Liberia True Whig Party (TWP) and Samuel Doe's National Democratic Party of Liberia (NDPL) became decimated after their fall from grace. Birthed out of an atrocious rebel war, the NPP evolved out of no ideological clarity. The likes of Biney and several others had reckoned that Charles Taylor, the leader of the senseless rebellion was a pseudo-charismatic persona that was capable of leading a broken country. Mind you, they were misreading Taylor's wartime charisma or reckless bravery to mean a rational leader who would become a true patriot apparently dedicated to the course of national development. Lest we forget, followers, easily get consumed by the frenzy of what their leaders say rather than the ability to deliver. When level-minded Liberians challenged, questioned, and doubted the ability of George Weah's patriotism and capability to make any fundamental difference for an ailing small West African nation, James Biney, and many of his kind thought counterclockwise. They unquestionably recognized Weah's popularity and saw it as a springboard to ride their personal ego. There was nothing short of that. Weah and his people also irrefutably believed Taylor's NPP was deeply rooted in Nimba, Bong, and Margibi counties and therefore sought to capitalize on their strength. That was essentially mythical! Charles Taylor's exit took along whatever psychic excess baggage there was after all. Ever since 2018 when George Manneh Weah was handsomely inaugurated as President, Biney solidly stood firmly behind a new ruling Coalition he birthed, nurtured, and nursed to lead the small West African nation. When Liberians were crying about massive looting and abuse of public office, where was James Biney and his NPP? They had become 'Bobo! Some NPP folks were even frustrated that they had no jobs. For them and their availing opportunity of largesse, all was well. President Weah was delivering on bogus promises made to the Liberian people. Barely 61 months on, particularly when Liberians are bracing themselves for another landmark election that would either force them into degeneration or rescue their aspirations, Senator James Biney is thriving on a rebirth of his political double standard and mischief at the expense of the entire southeast where President Weah is supposed to hail from. This is a dumb political chess game, Senator Biney! Nobody in the southeast will lately consider you a true ally or a reckoning cum genuine voice. The roads in the southeast and other parts of our country were terribly bad when the LD$16 billion went missing, the $25 million mop-up became a fiasco, and the $30 million stimulus disappeared in thin air. Where was Biney's controversial voice in the wilderness when four senior government auditors died under mysterious circumstances? Where was Biney's hypocritical voice when his darling President, George Weah had been proceeding wrongly and mindlessly? Where was Biney when the Senate has been grotesquely confirming unqualified and questionable characters? Where was Biney on the floor of the Senate when the national interest was being compromised? It is shameless that Senator James Biney would see an election year to speak unkindly of his own baby, the CDC as conceived of, engineered and cocooned and marketed and advertised to the Liberia people. George Weah does not need Biney's fake blessing in the southeast. President Weah's political fate lies in the hands of the Liberian electorates. If they questionably believe he deserves a second term, surely they will face the consequences. If they don't think likewise, it is their call. James Bineys biggest worry should be to rescue the NPP which is engulfed in serious in-fighting and needs some kind of miraculous intervention as it were. Bineys doctrine of self-criticism cannot reposition him as a good cop versus the bad guys. The Perspective Atlanta, Georgia Posted: February 5, 2023 Stanton Witherspoon Caught Red-Handed MIAMI More than two dozen individuals have been charged in the Southern District of Florida for their alleged participation in a wire fraud scheme that created an illegal licensing and employment shortcut for aspiring nurses. According to three recently unsealed indictments returned by a South Florida federal grand jury and two informations filed by federal prosecutors, defendants engaged in a scheme to sell fraudulent nursing degree diplomas and transcripts obtained from accredited Florida-based nursing schools to individuals seeking licenses and jobs as registered nurses (RNs) and licensed practical/vocational nurses (LPN/VNs). The bogus diplomas and transcripts qualified purchasers to sit for the national nursing board exam and, after passing it, to obtain licenses and jobs in various states as RNs and LPN/VNs. The overall scheme involved the distribution of more than 7,600 fake nursing diplomas issued by three South Florida-based nursing schools: Siena College in Broward County, Fla., Palm Beach School of Nursing in Palm Beach County, Fla., and Sacred Heart International Institute in Broward County. These schools are now closed. Each defendant faces up to 20 years in prison. Not only is this a public safety concern, it also tarnishes the reputation of nurses who actually complete the demanding clinical and course work required to obtain their professional licenses and employment, said U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Markenzy Lapointe, who added that a fraud scheme like this erodes public trust in our health care system. Crimes such as these unfortunately continue to spring up, especially in this area. Health care fraud is nothing new to South Florida, as many scammers see this as a way to earn easy, though illegal, money, said acting Special Agent in Charge Chad Yarbrough, FBI Miami. What is disturbing about this investigation is that there are over 7,600 people around the country with fraudulent nursing credentials who are potentially in critical health care roles treating patients. Were it not for the diligence and hard work of the investigators on this case, the extent of this fraud may not have been discovered. The charges speak to the purpose of a nursing license which is to protect the public from harm by setting minimum qualifications and competencies. The alleged selling and purchasing of nursing diplomas and transcripts to willing but unqualified individuals is a crime that potentially endangers the health and safety of patients and insults the honorable profession of nursing, said Special Agent in Charge Omar Perez Aybar of Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). In coordination with our law enforcement partners, HHS-OIG continues to aggressively investigate bad actors who so brazenly disregard the well-being of others in order to enrich themselves fraudulently. Charges Related to Fraudulent Nursing Diplomas and Transcripts from Siena College. U.S. v. Witherspoon, et al., case no.: 23-60005-Cr-Smith U.S. v. Sanon, case no.: 23-60013-Cr-Moreno The charging documents describe Siena College as a Broward County school licensed by the Florida Commission for Independent Education and the Florida Board of Nursing that offers a Practical Nursing Program and an RN to Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program. Eunide Sanon managed Siena College. The indictment charges defendants Stanton Witherspoon of Burlington County N.J.; Alfred Sellu of Burlington County N.J.; and Rene Bernadel of Westchester County, N.Y. with conspiring to commit and committing wire fraud. The indictment alleges that Witherspoon, Sellu, and Bernadel solicited and recruited individuals who sought nursing credentials to gain employment as an RN or LPN/VN. It is alleged that these defendants arranged with Sanon, who managed Siena College and is charged by information with wire fraud conspiracy, to create and distribute false and fraudulent diplomas and transcripts. These fake documents represented that the aspiring RN and LPN/VN candidates had attended Siena Colleges nursing program in Broward County and completed the necessary courses and clinicals to obtain RN or LPN/VN diplomas. In fact, the aspiring nurses never completed the necessary courses and clinicals. The information against Sanon alleges that he and others sold thousands of fake Siena College nursing diplomas and educational transcripts to nursing applicants who used them to obtain RN or LPN/VN licenses in various states and nursing jobs with unwitting health care providers throughout the country. Charges Related to Fraudulent Nursing Diplomas and Transcripts from Palm Beach School of Nursing. U.S. v. Russ, et al., case no.: 23-60007-Cr-Singhal According to the charging documents, Palm Beach School of Nursings objective was to prepare students to meet Floridas licensing and nursing board requirements and become eligible to take the national licensing exam in order to work as registered nurses. The indictment charges Gail Russ of Broward County; Cheryl Stanley of Collier County, Fla.; Krystal Lopez of Palm Beach County; Ricky Riley of Broward County; Norberto Lopez of Palm Beach County; Damian Lopez of Palm Beach County; Francois Legagneur of Nassau County, N.Y.; Reynoso Seide of Union County, N.J.; Cassandre Jean of Palm Beach County; Yelva Saint Preux of Suffolk County, N.Y.; Evangeline Naissant of Nassau County, N.Y.; Rony Michel of Monmouth County, N.J.; Vilaire Duroseau of Essex County, N.J.; and Yvrose Thermitus, a/k/a Yvrose Thompson, of Union County, N.J., with conspiring to commit, and committing, wire fraud. The indictment alleges that these defendants solicited and recruited individuals who sought nursing credentials to gain employment as an RN or LPN/VN. It is alleged that these recruiter defendants then arranged with Palm Beach School of Nursings owner Johanah Napoleon and school employees Gail Russ, Cheryl Stanley, Krystal Lopez, and Ricky Riley to create and distribute false and fraudulent diplomas and transcripts representing that the aspiring RN and LPN/VN candidates had attended Palm Beach School of Nursing and completed the necessary courses and clinicals to obtain RN or LPN/VN diplomas. In fact, the aspiring nurses never completed the necessary courses and clinicals. The nursing applicants used the fake diplomas and transcripts they purchased from the owner and employees of Palm Beach School of Nursing to obtain RN or LPN/VN licenses in various states and nursing jobs with unwitting health care providers throughout the country. Napoleon was previously charged by information and has pled guilty to conspiring to commit health care fraud and wire fraud, as well as wire fraud (case nos. 22-60111-Cr-Smith and 22-60118-Cr-Smith). Charges Related to Fraudulent Nursing Diplomas and Transcripts from Sacred Heart International Institute U.S. v. Jean, et al., case no.: 23-60010-Cr-Smith U.S. v. Etienne, case no.: 23-60012-Cr-Singhal According to charging documents, Sacred Heart International Institute was a Broward County School licensed by the Florida Board of Nursing that offered a nursing program designed to prepare students for employment as practical nurses. The indictment charges Ludnie Jean of Harris County, Texas; Serge Jean of Harris County, Texas; Simon Itaman of Harris County, Texas; Anna Itaman of Harris County, Texas; Rhomy Louis of Suffolk County, N.Y.; and Nadege Auguste of Broward County with conspiring to and committing wire fraud. It is alleged that these defendants solicited and recruited individuals who sought nursing credentials to gain employment as an LPN/VN. These recruiters then arranged with Charles Etienne, Sacred Hearts owner, to create and distribute false and fraudulent transcripts and diplomas representing that the aspiring candidates had attended Sacred Heart and completed the necessary courses and clinicals to obtain LPN/VN diplomas. In fact, the aspiring nurses never completed the necessary courses and clinicals. Etienne is charged by information with conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The nursing candidates used the fake diplomas and transcripts they purchased from Sacred Heart to obtain LPN/VN licenses in various states and nursing jobs with unwitting health care providers throughout the country. U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Markenzy Lapointe; acting Special Agent in Charge Chad Yarbrough, FBI, Miami Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Omar Perez Aybar, HHS-OIG, made the announcement. FBI Miami and HHS-OIG Miami investigated these cases. Valuable assistance was provided by Homeland Security Investigations, Miami Field Office; U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs-Office of Inspector General; United States Postal Inspection Service, Miami; and Florida Attorney General-Florida Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, Mid-Atlantic Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Clark is prosecuting this case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Grosnoff is handling asset forfeiture. This case is being prosecuted in conjunction with a related criminal matter in the District of Maryland. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov Click here to access charging documents. 23-CR-60005 23-CR-60007 23-CR-60010 23-CR-60012 23-CR-60013 The Perspective Atlanta, Georgia March 20, 2023 Introduction In just seven months from now, Liberians will go to the polls on October 10, 2023 to elect new national leaders (i.e., president, vice president, and legislators). Already the local political landscape is being beset by intense pre-election wrangling, acrimonious politicking, bigotry, egotism, and related electoral absurdities. There are also noticeable attempts to undermine the integrity of the 2023 elections by those claiming rigged elections in advance of October 10. Some people have even gone to the extent of bequeathing unto the sitting president the fate of his predecessors from the general elections of 1985 and 1997 should his government make any attempts to rig the 2023 elections. But how so? Why go to extreme measures of predicting doom in the country resulting from potentially rigged elections in 2023? What would happen if it turned out that those claiming rigged elections emerged as winners or losers of the 2023 presidential race? Should Liberians then prepare for another civil war as happened in the aftermath of the 1985 and 1997 elections? Are there still no lessons learned about electoral democracy in Liberia since the first multiparty elections of 1985? These are questions whose answers border on sustaining national unity, peace, and stability in Liberia. And EUs chief observer at Election 2023 Nigeria Barry Andrews probably got it right when he opined about the results of the Nigerian presidential race thus: "Our message is very clear - that we would encourage any complaints to be brought through the appropriate legal channels, even as he acknowledged observing significant shortcomings in the Nigerian electoral process (Nwonwu, 2023). In the case of Election 2023 Liberia, my hope will be that Liberians will repent and atone for the mistakes of 1985 and choose the legal route this time around in the face of any electoral disputes arising from the 2023 general elections. Liberians should resist the current waves of political manipulations and distortions of facts and information as legitimate electioneering tactics. For if no foul play is intended by the statement that the sitting president will be a one-term president come Election 2023, then how does a counter statement that the sitting president will get a first-round victory come Election 2023 equate to a desired by the sitting government to rig the 2023 presidential race? I think all Liberians need to pray for free, fair, transparent, and peaceful elections in October than attempt to incite the public unnecessarily on bogus claims that usually paint the sitting government as the new bloodsucking demon in town. Creeping Signs of 1985 Tensions The zest and political themes surrounding the 2023 elections are not quite different from the 1985 elections. In 1985 Liberia faced a serious political quagmire regarding its ability to hold free, fair, and transparent national elections after 133 years of one-party rule from 1878 to 1980 and nearly five years of military rule from 1980 to 1984. There were highly visible signs of contentious politicking and competing interests in Liberia in 1985 between the old powerbrokers in the TWP (erstwhile ruling True Whig Party) and the new powerbrokers in the PRC (the then ruling Peoples Redemption Council), just as it is the case today between the ruling CDC (Coalition for Democratic Change) and the opposition UP (Unity Party), LP (Liberty Party), and ANC (Alternative National Congress), etc. The TWP and its supporters saw the 1985 elections as an opportunity to regain state power, while the PRC and its supporters saw the elections as an opportunity to retain state power. It was a sort of do or die game between the two groups, and the Liberian public only became unwilling pangs in this political gamesmanship. Of course, the old powerbrokers were represented in the 1985 elections by LAP (i.e., the Liberia Action Party), while the new powerbrokers were represented in the elections by NDPL (i.e., the National Democratic Party of Liberia). In 1985, like today, there were multiple attempts by the old powerbrokers to ostracize and paint the new powerbrokers locally and internationally as uneducated, immature, inexperienced, visionless, ill-mannered, and grossly unfit for the post of president of Liberia. Soon, after the 1980 coup but not long before the 1985 elections, the traditional intellectual class (i.e., journalists and clerics) joined the camp of the old powerbrokers by providing a sustained campaign of assaults, provocations, and castigations against the new powerbrokers in uncertain terms. The current levels of suspicion and animosities underpinning activities leading to the 2023 elections are not quite different from the political scenarios of 1985. In 1985, the old powerbrokers succeeded to a larger extent in their campaign to malign, isolate, and ostracize the new powerbrokers until the downtrodden class (i.e., street peddlers, youths, and ordinary folks decided to align with the new powerbrokers. The downtrodden class never had anything close to the intellectual sophistication, financial wealth, and independence of the intellectual class and the old powerbrokers, but they had a real gema huge voters base. Hence, the old powerbrokers saw the alignment of the downtrodden class to the new powerbrokers as unacceptable and too dangerous to the attainment of their objective of regaining state power, so swift actions had to be instituted to discourage and dismantle such collaboration. These swift actions culminated in a series of clandestine activities throughout the 1980s, before and after the 1985 elections, which resulted in a series of coup attempts, public agitations, and eventually the 14-year civil war from 1989 to 2003. I see Liberians moving down these slippery slopes once more with the current levels of tensions building up in the country in the run-up to the October elections. Like in 1985, the most outlandish adjectives are being thrown at the incumbent leadership from every direction, while the vision-bearers in the opposing camps remained clueless about the best direction Liberia should take to stimulate national human-capital development and socioeconomic growth. Historically, the political crises that engulfed the 1985 elections in Liberia started with underground leaflets and newspaper articles popping up across Liberia with damaging stories about the sitting government and its head. The stories kept coming with more disturbing details about corruption, human rights abuse, and suppression of press freedom among government officials, but the government kept mute on addressing these issues. Then came discoveries of various arms and ammunitions, coup attempts, and drug busts across Liberia, but the government acted less forcefully and transparently in its reactions. Then came Election Day on October 15, 1985, when all four participating political parties declared victory in the presidential race as if the legislative race did not matter. The governments inactions in 1985 amid these arms discoveries, failed coup attempts, and electoral rigmarole escalated whatever political tensions that were already brewing in the country in light of the 1985 elections. The net result was that the government lost credibility with the public and the rest of what happened next is now history. I see these very signs and political tactics used before, during, and after the 1985 elections gradually creeping upon the Liberian nation and people as the country prepares for Election 2023. Like in 1985, the newspapers (and this time not underground leaflets but), radio talk shows, and social media platforms have begun to publish damaging stories about the government and its head, while the government remains mute. The intensity of corruption and human rights violation charges levied against government officials is also on the rise, with little or no meaningful reaction from the government. Like in 1985, arms and ammunition have been discovered across the country, along with huge drug busts, but the government is still mute on these issues. Political tensions are also brewing every day between the incumbent leadership and political rivals just as in 1985, but Liberians are showing no anxiety about a possible repeat of the errors of the past. Yet, care must be taken by all peace-loving Liberians not to undermine the integrity of the 2023 elections and plunge the country into another chaotic situation. In December 2022 Liberia averted a potential coup detat because the Liberian army chief of staff refused to act favorably after he received multiple text messages from people home and abroad, asking him to stage a coup amid president [George Manneh] Weahs prolong [sic] stay from the Country at the time (Menjor, 2022). A month later in January 2023, Liberian security officers discovered consignments of illegal arms and ammunition at the main national seaport and a private home in Monrovia. Subsequent drug busts netted huge quantities of narcotic drugs worth millions. These discoveries elevated the threat levels in Liberia from merely speculative to serious, but many Liberians still dont seem to care about the potential impacts of these discoveries on Liberian democracy. And I want to wager that one of the main reasons for these outcomes is that since the successes of the 1980 coup and 1989 military invasion, many Liberians now think that the shortest way to state power in Liberia is through armed insurrection rather than through the ballot box. Hence, if care is not taken to arrest the current waves of agitations, castigations, and dissensions in the run-up to Election 2023, the politics of division and bigotry will continue to take root in Liberia and Liberia will once more become the theater of violence. In fact, I found it strange that many Liberians opted to react angrily to public assurances given by the Liberian army chief of staff and the defense minister that the Liberian army will exercise its constitutional mandate to preserve peace and stability in Liberia in the face of armed insurrection or electoral violence arising from the Election 2023. In particular, the army chief of staff warned Liberians that anyone found violating the laws of Liberia during the 2023 elections will be held liable for his or her actions regardless of status or affiliation in society, adding We will execute our constitutional duties. We will not allow anyone or a group of people to obstruct our hard-earned Peace and Democracy. We will support the LNP [Liberian National Police] and relevant agencies to protect key installations where necessary (Menjor 2023). Like the chief of staff, the defense minister warned in a commemorative speech marking the 66th anniversary of the Armed Forces of Liberia in February 2023 that Liberians should not dare cross that Democratic Red-Line beyond the collective will of the people if your [their individual] dreams fall short by perpetrating violence because the Liberian army will stand by the expressed will of the people in line with the Constitution of Liberia (Dopoe, 2023). The statements by these two national security officers seem fair, honest, forthright, and welcoming in attempts to prevent any form of violence during the October 10 elections, but some Liberians still find the statements threatening because, as retired Liberian army general Mansfield Yancy exclaimed during a political rally at the former Camp Schieffelin in 1984, Liberians are a funny and peculiar people. And one will not have to struggle very hard to note the peculiarity of Liberians in this instant case, which shows the growing impact of the politics of division on our individual psychics. Constitutional Requirements for the Liberian Presidency From 1878 to 1980 under one-party TWP rule, Liberian citizens of voting age were forced to watch helplessly from the sidelines as the TWP hierarchy handpicked one national leader after another at TWP-organized electoral caucuses. The last two TWP-selected presidents prior to the 1980 coup, William V.S. Tubman and William R. Tolbert, Jr., were elected unopposed at TWP caucuses and not by eligible Liberian voters through direct citizens-driven multiparty elections. The 1985 elections became the first national elections since independence in 1847 in which Liberians voted directly for their candidates of choice without the additional burdens of property ownership and affiliation with the ruling party. The 1985 elections produced two career politicians, one military officer, and one classroom teacher as presidential candidates from four independent political parties, which reality represented a far cry from TWP-caucus elections, which usually featured a single candidate for election by acclamation or the proverbial white ballot. Now, as someone who in my capacity as a print journalist covered the 1985 electoral process from political party registration, campaigning, and voting to declaration of the official vote tallies and results, I felt that the 1985 elections created great prospects for the promotion and sustenance of electoral democracy in Liberia, if not pluralistic democracy in general. The 1985 elections were an open field in that all four participating political parties were formed in 1984, with technically no ruling party and opposition parties in place. No party produced a political platform going into the 1985 elections, so none of the four parties had a winning advantage over the other. Hence, voters participating in the 1985 elections had to rely solely on their own preferences and perceptions of individual presidential and legislative candidates rather than on individual party philosophies, plans on national unity, peace, and development, and other tangibles. Mind you, the way the Liberian electoral system is set up anyone from any background can be president of Liberia provided that that person meets five basic constitutional requirements: 1) be a natural-born Liberian; 2) be 35 years of age; 3) be owner of real property valued at minimum $25,000 American dollars; 4) be resident in Liberia ten consecutive years prior to a presidential election; and 5) be a majority vote getter or decisive winner in a presidential election. The first four requirements are usually enforced by the national election commission, which has the constitutional authority to organize elections, qualify candidates and political parties in an election, and certificate winners after an election. The fifth requirement is usually enforced by eligible voters. These five requirements are the only constitutional qualifications to becoming president of Liberia. Indeed, it stands to reason that individual presidential candidates, along with their political parties and supporters, may be inclined to question the constitutional qualifications of fellow contestants, but they are generally unqualified to question the abstract qualifications of fellow presidential candidates except during political debates. I use the words abstract qualifications to refer to the individual preferences of voters. And like in previous elections in Liberia since 1985, voters participating in the 2023 elections will have unrestricted rights to choose a candidate of choice in the presidential and legislative races, based solely on their individual preferences. These individual preferences or abstract qualifications could include a candidates physical outlook, dress code, outspokenness, leadership skills, professional work experience, level of education, popularity, international contact, charity giving, business acumen, political party affiliation, religious affiliation, financial prowess, ethnicity or county of origin, and so on. And, because the Liberian constitution imposes no educational or leadership requirements on potential presidential candidates, it will remain the prerogative of voters to exercise their free speech and free association rights in choosing a presidential candidate of choice, based solely on individual preferences. These individual voter preferences or abstract qualifications usually formed the backbone of any electoral process in a democratic system, and to pretend that popularity or name recognition is not a major decisive factor in an election is simply an attempt to obscure this basic reality in Liberian electoral politics. Generally, though, politics is driven by popularity or name recognition, and no politician worth his or her salt will deny this reality. In the search of name recognition, political parties, and individual politicians usually hold lavish political rallies and retreats, lengthy public speeches and press conferences, visit families in distress, offer scholarships to students, and galvanize their partisans and supporters to undertake street protests on various governance issues just to generate recognition public and acceptance. Unfortunately, many Liberian political parties and presidential candidates often spend an awful lot of time badmouthing their opponents than producing, sharing, and explaining their political platforms to voters on how they plan to govern and develop Liberia should they be elected. This politics of division must now be replaced by tangible governing and development alternatives in the 2023 elections if Liberia must enjoy peace, unity, and genuine development in the future. Conclusion Electoral politics in Liberia today is characterized by acts of bigotry, egotism, and disrespect, coupled with an entitlement frenzy among potential presidential candidates. And there can be nothing more glaring of this sort of attitude than a defeated presidential candidate feeling empowered and inclined enough to the tell the rest of his Liberian compatriots that they made a mistake in electing his opponent in 2017. But, how so? What if he were elected instead would it be prudent to still call the outcome a mistake? I have argued in the past that The lure of ethnic entitlement to the presidency of Liberia, and the greed for political and economic power by few Liberian men and women have reduced Liberia to a beggar state (Gbessagee 2009). Accordingly, the current public incitement about possible rigging of the 2023 elections in favor of the incumbent may not be anything more than a mere political ploy to call into question and delegitimize the results of the 2023 elections even before the elections are held, but the message should not be overlooked. For if the goal here is to sway public opinion away from an incumbent win to an opposition win in Election 2023, then such tactics are not good for promoting electoral democracy and national unity, peace, development, and stability in Liberia. Back in 1985 LAP played similar tactics in attempts to edge ahead the pack in the presidential race and the results became deadly for the whole country. In 2023 let the ballot box be the only determiner of individual and party victories. Let independent and party-backed presidential candidates sell their political platforms to voters in a timely manner so that the voters will make independent choices based on their own preferences. This is the beauty of the free, fair, and transparent democratic elections for which Liberians have labored so long. And every political party has a base, so a presidential candidate attempting to badmouth another presidential candidate is only a waste of precious time and goodwill, as such badmouthing will not sway a true partisan to leave his or her party and vote for a candidate in another party. Let us allow true multiparty elections to take root in Liberia. About the Author Nat Galarea Gbessagee is a former director of public affairs in the Liberian Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs, and Tourism. He is an educator and social commentator on contemporary Liberian issues. He holds a PhD in rhetoric and technical communication from an American university. He can be reached at ngg06@yahoo.com. Reference Dopoe, R. (2023, February 13). Liberia: Dont cross the red-line, defense minister warns politicians. The Daily Observer. https://www.liberianobserver.com/liberia-dont-cross-red-line-defense-minister- warns-politicians Gbessagee, N. G. (2009, August 30). Building a coup-proof government and rotating presidency in Liberia. Blojlus Blog. https://blojlu.wordpress.com/2009/08/30/building-a-%e2%80%98coup-proof%e2%80%99-government-rotating-presidency-in-liberia/ Menjor, D. S (2022, December 7). Liberia: AFL Wont Tolerate Disturbance, Chief of Staff Warns. Daily Observer. https://www.liberianobserver.com/liberia-afl-wont-tolerate-disturbance-chief-staff-warns Nwonwu, C. (2023, March 1). Bola Tinubu's Nigeria election win: The rigging claims of Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar. BBC. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-64802490. Daniel Van Kampen is the Town of Cobourg's manager of economic development. A number of exciting projects are expected to come to fruition at the Lucas Point Business and Industrial Park in 2023, including the Brock Street Brewing Company setting up shop there. When the Brock Street Brewing Company was looking to expand its operations, it didnt have to look farther than Cobourg, says one of four owners of the Whitby-based craft brewery. Mark Woitzik noted Cobourg was at the top of the list when the company was searching for a potential expansion location. Cobourg is one of the most beautiful small towns in Ontario, said Woitzik. My wife and I always visit there; our ownership group are regular visitors to Cobourg and one of the principal (owners) is actually from Cobourg. So, weve had a long connection with Cobourg. When we were looking to increase production and create new opportunities for our company, Cobourg was the first city we focused on to try and see if we could make something happen, said Woitzik. Brock Street plans to make a multi-million-dollar investment at the Cobourg Lucas Point Business and Industrial Park, creating a 40,000-square-foot bottling plant, restaurant and large gift shop in Phase 1 of their development project at Lucas Point, explained Woitzik. Phase 2 includes an 18,000-square-foot facility that Brock Street hopes to provide up to 10 independent industrial units for local entrepreneurs wanting to expand their businesses or create a new business. It was ideal because its in the east end of town (and) its close to the waterfront, but the other thing thats nice about it is theres really a void of a lot of things out there. Tribute Homes is really investing out there, so you know there are going to be growth opportunities, said Woitzik of the Lucas Point area. The Brock Street Brewing Company is one of several companies well into the planning stages and could be building this year at Lucas Point, noted Daniel Van Kampen, the Town of Cobourgs manager of economic development. After a couple of down years during the height of the pandemic, economic development in Cobourg is starting to pick up steam in town and nowhere is that more apparent than at Lucas Point, with companies currently going through the planning and development phase and expected to break ground this year, he said. Were definitely in a better place than we were three years ago I think its going to be a better year than 2022, said Van Kampen. Van Kampen noted in addition to Brock Street, Loadstar Trailers Inc. recently purchased a two-acre site on Dodge Street to expand its Cobourg manufacturing and robotics operations. The land purchase was endorsed by council during a recent committee-of-the-whole meeting. In other words, final approval by council is still needed. Dodger Investments is expected to build on a nearly three-acre site on Thompson Street within Lucas Point this year, said Van Kampen. Within that building will be Davey Tree, an urban and community forestry solutions company, which is set to establish a national distribution/logistics centre for its Canadian operations in Cobourg. Brock Streets Phase 1 development includes a bottling/packaging plant with plans to bottle seltzer and spirit products and the potential for a beer at its Lucas Point location, said Woitzik. Meanwhile, the restaurant although hes reluctant to share too many details he describes as a elevated gastropub with Brock Street products to be served there. The restaurant and gift shop will comprise 6,000 square feet of the building, said Woitzik, adding it will include a west-facing patio area. The gift shop will include to-go products, like vodka seltzers and spirits, retail clothing and other locally-produced artisan wares. We want to partner with local businesses if they want to retail things like local cheeses and meats. Whatever we can do to support the community is what we want in there, he said. Phase 1 is still in site plan development, noted Woitzik. It should be finalized in the next few months. Actual construction could start in the latter part of this year. And if all goes well, it could be open in time for the holiday season. Meanwhile, Brock Streets Phase 2 proposal for an 18,000-square-foot building is to create a hub for local entrepreneurs and artisans, said Woitzik. Any interested businesses can contact him at mark@brockstreetbrewing.com. Were trying to create a hub of artisan, local businesses or people who want to relocate there to create really cool shops to make this a hub of activity, said Woitzik. Woitzik estimated there could be roughly 50 jobs created within the bottling plant, restaurant and gift shop. However, that number doesnt take into account local contractors who would be hired for the construction project. To keep the economic development momentum growing within Cobourg, Van Kampen noted the department is well into the process of creating a five-year development strategy and action plan for development goals to be clearly defined. Van Kampen provided an update at the halfway mark of the project to councils during the March committee-of-the-whole meeting. The goal is to have the completed document in place by mid-2023. Among the documents provided to council included economic development strategies employed by other similar-sized towns in southern Ontario that would have implications for Cobourg. When we complete this project, this will be our first development strategy and action plan since 2018, said Van Kampen, who noted community input into the plan is important to us. Van Kampen noted some of the key insights so far included the need to retain and expand existing businesses; improve business investment tools and the need to attract and retain youth in the workforce, as well as support innovation and entrepreneurship and home-based businesses. The strategic action plan, although still a work-in-progress, was met with good reviews from council at the committee meeting. I would like to say thank you very much. Very good reading, said Coun. Miriam Mutton. Youve given me some helpful ideas for the upcoming strategic planning session. So, thank you. Job well done. What a great comprehensive report, added Coun. Randy Barber. Its great to see comparisons with like-sized communities There are some good ideas that have been done by other municipalities that I think we can borrow for Cobourg. STORY BEHIND THE STORY: After hearing about economic development plans during a recent meeting, we caught up with the Brock Street Brewing Company and municipal staff to delve into upcoming development plans. The brewing company has big plans for Cobourg. SHARE: Affordable and attainable housing, long-term care and paramedic services are the top priorities for 2023 of the Eastern Ontario Wardens Caucus. Peterborough County Warden Bonnie Clark, the vice-chair of the group, told The Examiner that housing wait lists are far too long and there are huge wait lists for long-term care rooms, as well as significant issues around paramedic services in the county and elsewhere in the province. The EOWC represents 750,000 people in rural Eastern Ontario and includes wardens from 13 upper-tier and single-tier municipalities and 90 local municipalities. The groups priorities for the coming year were set at its annual strategic priority setting meeting March 9 and 10. Across the EOWCs region, there are about 12,000 to 14,000 units on municipal community rental housing wait lists, according to a press release from the group. The EOWC has a regional housing plan, called 7 in 7, that proposes building at least 7,000 community rental units over seven years across the region to address the wait lists. Housing wait-lists across eastern Ontario are far too long, Clark told The Examiner. The 7 in 7 is meant to provide additional community housing throughout eastern Ontario and in the Peterborough area. We dont have the specifics yet as our business plan is being developed but the need is there and we must address and do what we can.. There are also huge wait-lists for long-term care, she said. We need to care for our seniors. We have a workforce issue with much needed nurses and PSWs across the province and it needs to address the issue of staffing agencies that pose an unnecessary and unsustainable resource and cost burden on municipalities, Clark said. The COVID-19 pandemic has increased pressures on municipalities paramedic services, said the news release. During the year ahead, the EOWC is advocating for permanent, sustainable and predictable funding to support paramedic services as well as community paramedicine efforts. The province currently funds our community paramedics programs which play a vital role in helping people in their home, Clark said. Seniors are able to get assistance by the community paramedics in their homes which then allows folks to remain in their homes longer, and demographically we are one of the oldest populations in Canada, she said. Community paramedics play a vital role in the health-care continuum and help to keep non-emergency health related issues out of hospital emergency departments, she added. We are well served by our community paramedic program. But Peterborough County continues to see huge impacts due to ambulance off-load delays at the Peterborough Regional Hospital Centre and this is a trend across the region, Clark said. The EOWC is advocating for the provincial government and associated stakeholders to reduce these off-load delays at hospitals. The province needs to work with the hospitals to come up with a solution to improve flow of patients in hospitals and keep paramedics focused on serving their communities, said Clark. The EOWC is also calling on the Ontario government to modernize the paramedic dispatch system to improve the efficiency of reacting to calls and overall level of service. The caucus has set clear goals and we intend to strongly advocate on behalf of our regions communities and residents, said chair Peter Emon. BB Brendan Burke is a staff reporter at the Examiner, based in Peterborough. His reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative. SHARE: Spring cant come soon enough for Oorbee Roy. Thats when she takes flight. In her backyard. It makes you feel good. I forget about the world and do something just for me, explains the Toronto mom. Roy started skateboarding five years ago in her early 40s. She didnt want to be just a spectator while her two children and husband, avid skaters, had all the fun. Now she rolls, spins and jumps, free as a bird on the halfpipe ramp they built in their Riverdale backyard, a home they bought partly because of its outdoor space. We built this ramp for me, for my mid-life crisis, laughs Roy, who spends a liberating 30 or 45 minutes a day on it. Its the perfect size for me and mellow enough for my knees, she adds, pointing to the transition, or curved part, at either end. Known as Aunty Skates, a character she created to spread joy and positivity during the pandemic, Roy became a TikTok star for skating in a flowing South Asian sari. The toughest part of getting out of her cushy comfort zone and onto hard wood was progressing through fear, she recalls of the learning curve. The fun took hold. For us, its a way of life, she says of her husband Sanjeev Shah, her 10-year-old son and her 13-year-old daughter. They visit local skate parks to navigate bowls, banks and obstacles. Roy also teaches beginners how to skate during weekend sessions in her backyard. (Shell be hosting a free introductory clinic for adults on Saturday, May 13 from 1 to 3 p.m. at Toronto Beaches Skatepark in Ashbridges Bay at Coxwell Ave. and Lake Shore Blvd. E. Details on auntyskates.com.) Constructing ramps is in the familys DNA, Roy says. My husband loves building ramps! The one they erected last summer to replace an older, rotting structure used a combination of new materials and recycled parts from a teardown at his office. Shah, whos in the food manufacturing business, likes to take a therapeutic spin before and after work, she explains. With help from friends, they built their new ramp in modules so it can easily be taken down or moved. It took a long time; it was a labour of love. Backyarding activities have become a habit for Canadians, according to a recent survey by the TurfMutt Foundation, an organization that promotes outdoor spaces and experiences. Almost 90 per cent of those polled said they enjoy using yards, parks and other green spaces. As winter winds down and thoughts turn to outdoor recreational activities, Roy encourages other homeowners to consider making their own ramp after first checking municipal codes for rules and requirements. She estimates the cost of a DIY halfpipe or mini ramp, which has two sloped sides and a flat section in the middle, at around $1,500. A professionally built structure could cost about $5,000, says Roy, who consulted Ramp to Rail, a Toronto-based ramp builder A smaller, quarter-pipe ramp with only one sloped side is easier and cheaper to erect, costing $200 or less if you have scrap wood kicking around, says Roy, who has instructions for building one on her website. The secret to success with a half pipe is all about getting the dimensions right, she points out. The three main factors to consider are height, width (so you can turn back and forth) and transition, the concave part at either end that can be steep or not so steep. The base of a ramp or quarter pipe is a frame which is easy to create, she says. The most difficult measurement of a ramp is the transition. Materials required include plywood sheets; pressure-treated 2-by-4s; round metal pipe, called coping, that runs across the top edge; roofing paper to cover the plywood; and Skatecrete, a high-pressure laminate overlay. Roy recommends constructing a ramp on paving stones so the wood doesnt rot. After that, its smooth sailing or flying. SHARE: Peel Regional Police say theyve recovered more than $10 million in stolen high-end vehicles, many of which were bound for overseas, including to the Middle East. Police made four arrests and recovered 78 vehicles, saying the suspects targeted residences in the early morning hours. The suspects, from Mississauga, North York and Aurora, range in age from 29 to 48. They face multiple charges including auto theft and possession of property obtained by crime. The Project R&R press conference is being held to share the outcomes of a three-month auto-theft investigation that extended across the GTA, into Quebec and overseas. It was achieved through Peel Regional Polices 11 Division Criminal Investigation Unit and Airport Division officers, in collaboration with the CBSA and Equite. The announcement comes as Canadian police forces report a dramatic increase in the theft of high-end vehicles for shipment overseas. To say that it is an epidemic, nationally and in Ontario, is an understatement, Nishan Duraiappah, Chief of Peel Regional Police, said at a press conference on Tuesday. Canada is becoming known as a source country for exported stolen autos, Duraiappah said as Peel police announced the results of Project R&R, a three-month, multi-jurisdictional investigation into a GTA auto theft ring with ties to the Middle East. Thieves are adept at quickly dismantling tracking devices on cars, police said. Duraiappah said anyone who sees a vehicle with a hole cut in the rear tailgate should call police. The chief noted that his force has seized more than 500 stolen vehicles in the first two months of 2023, compared to 2,400 for all of 2022. Most vehicles in Project R&R were en route to the Port of Montreal, where they would be loaded onto shipping containers and shipped overseas, especially to the United Arab Emirates, police said. Peel regions multiple transportation links help explain the increase in car theft, Duraippah said, adding his force is working with industry partners and the Canada Border Services Agency to get a handle on thefts. The criminal network hit in Project R&R reaches other provinces and around the world and is well organized, well funded, Tom Warfield, Inspector 11 Division Criminal Investigation Bureau, said. Det. Trevor Oldham, who ran the investigation, said the police project began with the theft of Range Rovers and then expanded to other makes. Vehicles were found in a number of spots, including temporary cooling off locations, Oldham said. According to police, the suspects transported stolen cars from the Peel and GTA regions to the Port of Montreal. Police said they recovered the vehicles at the ports and other locations including rail yards. The investigation continues overseas, Oldham said. Oldham said there are other groups active in car theft in Peel Region.s These vehicles are in such high demand in other countries, Oldham said. As long as it is so lucrative to do it, we believe it will still continue. The press conference comes less than two weeks after Toronto police announced arrests in a carjacking last May, in which Maple Leafs winger Mitch Marner lost his Land Rover in a carjacking in South Etobicoke. Last month, York police recovered 64 vehicles in the Republic of Malta worth $3.5 million that were stolen off driveways in Toronto and across the GTA. MB Marissa Birnie is a breaking news reporter, working out of the Stars radio room in Toronto. Follow her on Twitter: @marissabirnie Read more about: SHARE: Phanaeng Curry named worlds best stew BANGKOK: Thai dishes continue to be desired delicacies among food enthusiasts around the world after a global food website TasteAtlas ranked Phanaeng curry the best stew in the world, ahead of Japanese curry and Sichuan hot pot. culture By National News Bureau of Thailand Wednesday 22 March 2023, 08:30AM Photo: NNT TasteAtlas has placed Phanaeng curry at the top of the Best Stews in the World ranking, with a 4.8 score out of 5, reports NNT. The website describes Phanaeng curry as a variety of Thai curry that is characterized by its thick texture and a salty-sweet peanut flavor, consisting of meat that is stewed with dried chilis, kaffir lime leaves, coconut milk, cilantro, cumin, garlic, lemongrass, shallots, and peanuts. The dish is traditionally made without any vegetables. Another Thai dish making the top-ten ranking is Massaman curry, coming at number eight with a score of 4.6. The website says Massaman stands out from other Thai curries as it is the mildest and sweetest kind. TasteAtlas describes Massaman curry as a combination of creamy coconut milk, meat, potatoes, and a curry paste made with roasted spices, while highlighting the use of coconut milk in this dish as an authentic Thai element, providing a rich base for the rest of the ingredients. Thicker cuts of meat such as beef, bone-in chicken, lamb, and mutton are typically used for this dish, which is cooked along with spices such as cumin, coriander, cloves, cinnamon, and peppercorns, mixed with fresh garlic, chili, galangal, lemongrass, tamarind paste, and palm sugar. Colorado Springs hotels welcomed visitors last month with improved occupancy rates from the year before. Hotel occupancy bumped up 2.9% in February to 60% compared to 58.3% the same month last year, according to the Rocky Mountain Lodging Report. Local hotel occupancy was also up from 58.9% in February 2020, the month before the nation dove into COVID-19 instigated shutdowns. Levels were not quite up to the 63.5% occupancy seen in 2019, a benchmark year before the onset of the pandemic. Average daily rates jumped in February to $117.85 in Colorado Springs, up 4.6% from 2022. Denver hotel occupancy followed suit with a nearly 6% increase from the same month last year to a rate of 62.1%. 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. Glenwood Springs, Craig and Greeley, among other destinations, outperformed Denver. Denver's average daily rate rose to $136.71 in February, a 6.7% boost from the previous year. The lodging report doesnt include The Broadmoor or Cheyenne Mountain Resort in its Colorado Springs numbers; those hotels are included in a separate category for resorts. 404 Something's wrong here Sorry. We can't find the page you're looking for. RETURN HOME UNITED NATIONS (AP) A report issued on the eve of the first major U.N. conference on water in over 45 years says 26% of the worlds population doesnt have access to safe drinking water and 46% lacks access to basic sanitation. The U.N. World Water Development Report 2023, released Tuesday, painted a stark picture of the huge gap that needs to be filled to meet U.N. goals to ensure all people have access to clean water and sanitation by 2030. Richard Connor, editor-in-chief of the report, told a news conference that the estimated cost of meeting the goals is between $600 billion and $1 trillion a year. But equally important, Connor said, is forging partnerships with investors, financiers, governments and climate change communities to ensure that money is invested in ways to sustain the environment and provide potable water to the 2 billion people who dont have it and sanitation to the 3.6 billion in need. According to the report, water use has been increasing globally by roughly 1% per year over the last 40 years and is expected to grow at a similar rate through to 2050, driven by a combination of population growth, socio-economic development and changing consumption patterns. Connor said that actual increase in demand is happening in developing countries and emerging economies where it is driven by industrial growth and especially the rapid increase in the population of cities. It is in these urban areas that youre having a real big increase in demand, he said. With agriculture using 70% of all water globally, Connor said, irrigation for crops has to be more efficient as it is in some countries that now use drip irrigation, which saves water. That allows water to be available to cities, he said. As a result of climate change, the report said, seasonal water scarcity will increase in regions where it is currently abundant such as Central Africa, East Asia and parts of South America and worsen in regions where water is already in short supply, such as the Middle East and the Sahara in Africa. On average, 10% of the global population lives in countries with high or critical water stress and up to 3.5 billion people live under conditions of water stress at least one month a year, said the report issued by UNESCO, the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Since 2000, floods in the tropics have quadrupled while floods in the north mid-latitudes have increased 2.5-fold, the report said. Trends in droughts are more difficult to establish, it said, although an increase in intensity or frequency of droughts and heat extremes can be expected in most regions as a direct result of climate change. As for water pollution, Connor said, the biggest source of pollution is untreated wastewater. Globally, 80% of wastewater is released to the environment without any treatment, he said, and in many developing countries its pretty much 99%. These and other issues including protecting aquatic ecosystems, improving management of water resources, increasing water reuse and promoting cooperation across borders on water use will be discussed during the three-day U.N. Water Conference co-chaired by King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and Tajikistans President Emomali Rahmon opening Wednesday. There are 171 countries, including over 100 ministers, on the speakers list along with more than 20 organizations. The meeting will also include five interactive dialogues and dozens of side events. ___ This version of story corrected to 3.6 billion in need of access to basic sanitation in paragraph 4, not 3.6 million. SHARE: Trinamul Congress chairperson Mamata Banerjee reached Puri this afternoon. As it was raining heavily she did not go to the Jagannath temple and will be visiting tomorrow. Miss Banerjee has special respect for Lord Jagannath and every year she does a special puja at her residence in Kalighat where the puja is conducted by Dwitapatiji. Banerjee arrived at Biju Patnaik International Airport where she was received Odishas minister of state for home and sports, Tusharkanti Behera. The West Bengal government has proposed to set up a guest house in Puri where people from the state could stay. Thousands of people from Bengal visit Puri every year. The state government is constructing a replica of Jagannath temple in Digha which will be opened shortly. Miss Banerjee will meet the president of Biju Janata Dal, Naveen Patnaik at the latters residence in Bhubaneshwar on Thursday. She will discuss about the opposition unity with him, sources said. Miss Banerjee is likely to go to Delhi in the first week of April at the invitation of Arvind Kejriwal where she will be meeting leaders of the opposition parties. On 29-30 March she will protest against the financial deprivation by the Centre.The highhandedness of the investigating agencies at the alleged instruction of the BJP-led Centre to harass the opposition has led to their unity.It may be recalled that Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav met her at her residence last Friday. Miss Banerjee has decided to go ahead without the Congress. Political experts said the meeting with Mr Patnaik is very significant as both were working to bring the opposition parties together. Miss Banerjee has made it very clear that Trinamul would get in touch with the regional parties. Miss Banerjee has very cordial relations with the chief minister of Telengana K Chandrashekhar Rao and Tamil Nadu chief minister ML Stalin. Miss Banerjee believes that BJP wants Rahul Gandhi to become the face of the opposition as in that case it would be easier for the party to face 2024 Lok Sabha election. A total 25,119 projects of Rs 17,624 crore have been sanctioned from the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF) in the country and Madhya Pradesh has a maximum 5,567 projects worth Rs 4,275 crore, the Parliament was told on Tuesday. The total amount disbursed for the development of Infrastructure through the AIF stands at Rs 11,722 crore, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar told the Lok Sabha in a written reply. AIF scheme benefits are being extended to all farmers of all types without any discrimination and Scheme benefits including 3 per cent interest subvention and the collateral free loans with free guarantee cover are intended to extend the benefits to small and marginal farmers among others. In fact, the other farmer groups like SHGs, FPOs and other collectives are also eligible under AIF which benefits the small and marginal farmers, said the reply. The Agriculture Infrastructure Fund Scheme (AIF) was launched in July 2020 and facilitates financing of Rs 1,00,000 crore that is being provided by various lending institutions for funding agriculture infrastructure Projects at farm-gate and aggregation points all over the country. All loans under this financing facility up to a limit of Rs 2 crore will have interest subvention of 3 per cent per annum and credit guarantee coverage for eligible borrowers under CGTMSE scheme, said the reply. As per the Ministrys information, these benefits will be available for a maximum period of 7 years. The scheme facilitates setting up and modernization of key elements of the value chain including Post Harvest Management Projects like supply chain services including e-marketing platforms, warehouses, silos, pack houses, assaying units, sorting and grading units, cold chains, logistics facilities, primary processing centres, and ripening chambers. Other projects for building community farming assets including organic inputs production, and bio stimulant production units are covered under AIF. Recently new activities such as integrated spirulina production, sericulture processing, Honey Processing and setting up of plant quarantine units are also brought under AIF. Navroz is here! The festival is celebrated by Parsis all across the world. Navroz marks the first day of Farvardin, the first month in the Zoroastrian calendar, also known as the Shahenshahi calendar. Although this Parsi New Year is observed across the globe on March 21, around the time of the vernal equinox, Parsis in India use the Shahenshahi calendar, which does not account for leap years. Due to this, India celebrates the Parsi New Year roughly 200 days after the rest of the globe. Parsis also observe Navroz in the month of August. Navroz 2023: History and Significance Navroz celebration is believed to date back to the time when Prophet Zarathustra founded Zoroastrianism, one of the earliest known monotheistic religions in the world, in Persia (now Iran). It was one of the most important religions in the ancient world until the emergence of Islam in the seventh century. During the Islamic invasion of Persia, several Persians fled to India and Pakistan. Since then, their festivals have become a part of Indian festivities and are celebrated by people from diverse cultures. For followers of Zoroastrian philosophy, this day represents the time when everything in the universe is completely renewed. Jamshed, a monarch of the ancient Sasanian Empire, is credited with introducing the Parsi calendar. Hence, this holiday is also called Jamshed-i-Nouroz. Celebration of Parsi New Year Nowruz is made up of the words now and ruz, which respectively denote new and day. On this occasion, Parsi families across India, especially in the states of Maharashtra and Gujarat as they have a sizeable Parsi population, visit the holy temples to offer prayers. They also prepare traditional Parsi dishes like Farcha, Berry Pulao, and Jardaloo Chicken, among several other things. Parsis also believe it to be a day of remittance of sins and a time for repentance. The non-aligned movement originated in international politics from a group of states that shared the peacetime policy of avoiding political or economic affiliations with the major power blocs. At the beginning, the non-aligned movement consisted primarily of Asian and African states that were once colonies of the Western powers and were wary of being drawn into a new form of dependence by the West or by the communist bloc. Founded by Jawaharlal Nehru, Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt and Sukarno of Indonesia, the basic concept of non-alignment originated in 1955 at Bandung, Indonesia. It was the first Afro-Asian conference that set out to promote concerted economic and cultural cooperation and oppose colonialism. Twentyfive countries attended the conference. It affirmed the right to independence and to neutral coexistence in the Cold War between the East and the West. The movement mandated seeking development assistance from both the US and the Soviet Union while refraining from forming political or military alliances with either country The first conference of the non-aligned movement (NAM) took place in Belgrade, in September 1961 under the leadership of Josip Broz Tito of Yugoslavia. Apart from the three leaders of the Bandung conference, Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana complemented the leadership making it five. The selection of Belgrade as the first venue of the conference deserves a mention. As premier and president of Yugoslavia, Tito developed an independent form of socialist rule in defiance of the Soviet Union. He pursued a policy of non-alignment, built ties with other non-aligned states and improved relations with the western powers. President Tito displayed courage to defy USSR. During the Cold War era, NAM played a vital role in stabilizing the world order and preserving peace and security. Non-alignment did not mean neutrality of state on global issues; it meant peaceful intervention in world politics. The towering presence of Nehru, then Prime Minister of India, as one of the founder members was highly visible in framing the policy of nonalignment. Principles of NAM were largely guided by Panchsheel, the five principles of peaceful coexistence enunciated in the agreement between the Tibet region of China and India signed on 29 April 1954. Of the five, three principles were included in the nonalignment document. They were a) respect for sovereignty, sovereign equality and territorial integrity of all states, b) respect for the political, economic, social and cultural diversity of countries and peoples and c) promotion and protection of multilateralism and multilateral organisations as the appropriate framework to resolve, through dialogue and cooperation, the problems affecting humankind. The policy of nonalignment revealed a glorious and glittering history of post-World War II India. Independent India born out of partition was looking for a strong foundation to enrich and strengthen liberal democracy in the crisis ridden world devastated by the war. For a poor country that just achieved independence, it was an arduous task to maintain sovereignty and strengthen democracy and at the same time maintain international neutrality. It is not that easy in todays world to understand and comprehend the importance and significance of non-alignment that India pursued and adopted to make the country prosper seventy years ago. In spite of many frustrations, many denials, many failures and many errors, India continued to follow the principles of nonalignment. India achieved unique distinction on the world stage to take its nascent democracy to new heights by keeping equidistance in the bi-polar world. Nehrus charismatic personality, his political sagacity, his acceptability as a great leader of the country along with his position and prestige in the world contributed greatly to Indias strength in world politics. Indias backwardness, poverty, underdevelopment and poor military strength did not matter. It was recognition of Indias civilisation, tradition and culture. India under Nehrus leadership set a unique example in the world by following the principles of non-alignment. Later many Asian and African countries after attaining independence emulated Indias policy. Many experts had commented that Indias foreign policy was at its best during that period. India being a founder and the largest member in NAM was an active participant in NAM meetings till 1970. Indias inclination towards the erstwhile USSR created confusion in smaller members. It led to weakening of NAM and small nations drifted towards either US or USSR. India skipped the 17th NAM summit held in Venezuela in 2016. Very recently, India has received another honour. It will be the leader of G-20 countries for one year. The G-20 summit is held annually under the leadership of a rotating Presidency. India holds the Presidency from 1 December 2022 to 30 November 2023. It is the first ever G-20 summit to be hosted in India and also in South Asia. Brazil will take over from India to host the next summit. The G-20 is an intergovernmental forum comprising 19 countries and the European Union. It is composed of most of the worlds largest economies including both industrialised and developing nations. These nations represent around 85 per cent of global GDP, over 75 per cent of the global trade, about two-thirds of the worlds population and 60 per cent of worlds land area. Initially the objective of the G-20 was to create a new financial architecture to achieve global economic stability and sustainable growth. This was considered necessary by the industrialised nations and developing economies in the wake of 1999 Asian financial crisis followed by another global economic and financial crisis of 2007. The G-20 group was designated the premier forum for international economic cooperation. There are six Asian countries in this group of twenty. India is one of them. The other five are China, Indonesia, Japan, Saudi Arabia and South Korea. India is a major developing economy and has a vital stake in the stability of the international economic and financial system. India has been setting ambitious targets to keep infrastructure investment on track and also put in place problem resolution mechanisms to overcome implementation bottlenecks. In the modern world, economic growth and military strength are the two determinants of power equation. On these two factors, India is marching forward. India is a nuclear weapons power and has for all practical purposes, abandoned the call for global nuclear disarmament. In foreign policy, Indias joining the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, a coalition seen by many as a counterforce to Chinas rise in the Indo-Pacific and getting membership of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation led by China shows Indias balancing approach in the new global order. While taking over the Presidency of G-20, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, Indias G-20 Presidency will work to promote the universal sense of oneness. Hence, our theme ~ One Earth, One Family, One Future PIB, Mumbai in a press release said, India is deeply committed to democracy and multilateralism. Indias G-20 Presidency would be a watershed moment in her history as it seeks to play an important role by finding pragmatic global solutions for the well-being of all and in doing so, manifest the true spirit of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam or the World is One Family. The agenda of G-20 now goes beyond macro-economic and financial stability. The expanded agenda includes trade, sustainable development, health, agriculture, energy, environment and climate change. In international law, almost all these functions fall under the jurisdiction of United Nations. There are numerous multilateral treaties on these subjects and agencies to implement them. Twenty countries composing G-20 cannot be the arbiter and decision making authority on collective security, responsibilities, commitments, strategies and institutions. Overlapping responsibilities in international relations and global order should stop and the implementation of these subjects should remain within UN domain. Indias leadership in the G-20 summit this year and Indias leadership of non-alignment seventy years ago reveal contrasting pictures. G-20 presidency is by rotation. It is for a year. This is a common practice in international relations. Two days summit conference cannot change the world for the better. Indias turn will come next after many years. However, India has achieved this status as a developing country, one among the twenty. No doubt this is a great achievement. As against this, Indias leadership on non-alignment was original and everlasting. It had no parallel. It cannot be replicated. It cannot be duplicated. India attained that status as a poor country, just free from the shackles of foreign yoke. That was a wonderful and glittering history of which all Indians should be proud. The writer is a former central civil service officer who retired from the Ministry of Defence Researchers have tracked 55 zero-day vulnerabilities that were exploited in 2022 by the hackers, most targeting Microsoft, Google and Apple products, a new report has shown. According to information security company Mandiant, products of Microsoft, Google and Apple made up the majority of zero-day vulnerabilities in 2022, consistent with the previous years, and the most exploited product types were operating systems (19), followed by browsers (11), security, IT, and network management products (10), and mobile OS (six). Zero-day vulnerabilities are security flaws in software that are publicly disclosed or exploited before a developer is aware of it or releases a fix. They are extremely valuable to hackers because exploiting them is simple and stealthy because there are no protection measures or specific monitoring to track and stop the attacks. In terms of the targeted products, Windows was hit with 15 zero-day flaws in 2022, followed by Chrome with nine actively exploited flaws, iOS with five zero-day flaws, and macOS with four zero-day flaws. The report said that the Chinese state-sponsored cyber espionage groups exploited more zero-days than other cyber espionage actors in 2022, which is consistent with the previous years. Threat actors exploited 80 zero-day flaws in various products to perform security breaches in 2021, indicating a slight decrease from the previous year. About four zero-day vulnerabilities were exploited by financially motivated threat actors, with 75 per cent of these instances appearing to be linked to ransomware operations. The report said that cyber-espionage groups exploited 13 of the 55 zero-day flaws exploited in 2022, while Chinese cyberspies leveraged seven. MEXICO CITY (AP) The number of monarch butterflies wintering in the mountains of central Mexico dropped 22% from the previous year, and the number of trees lost from their favored wintering grounds tripled. Frost and extreme temperatures in the United States may have played a role in the butterflys decline during the most recent winter season, said Humberto Pena, director of Mexicos nature reserves. Monarchs east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States and Canada overwinter in the fir forests of the western state of Michoacan, west of Mexico City. The total area they occupied this past winter dropped to 5.4 acres (2.21 hectares), from 7 acres (2.84 hectares) a year earlier. The annual butterfly count doesnt calculate the individual number of butterflies, but rather the number of acres they cover when they clump together on tree boughs. Gloria Tavera, conservation director of Mexicos Commission for National Protected Areas, said the area of forest cover appropriate for the butterflies that was lost rose to 145 acres (58.7 hectares), from 46.2 acres (18.8 hectares) last year. Illegal logging has been a major threat to the pine and fir forests where the butterflies gathering in clumps to keep warm. But experts said that this year, more than half the tree loss was due to removal of dead or sick trees affected by fires, storms or pests. Tavera said a lack of rain had plunged trees into hydric stress, making them more vulnerable to diseases, pests and fires. Jorge Rickards, Mexico director of the WWF conservation group, blamed climate change, The monarch butterfly is an indicator of these changes, Rickards said. Critics say that in the past, removal of diseased trees has been used as a pretext for felling healthy trees for timber. Tavera said she had no evidence that occurred this year, adding, I don't think anyone is lying. Each year the monarchs return to the United States and Canada on an annual migration that is threatened by loss of the milkweed they feed on north of the border and by deforestation in the butterfly reserves in Mexico. Due to a myriad of factors, monarch numbers have dropped in recent years. Experts say drought, severe weather and loss of habitat especially of the milkweed where the monarchs lay their eggs as well as pesticide and herbicide use and climate change all pose threats to the species migration. Illegal logging also continues to plague the reserves, and Pena said there are plans to station National Guard troops in the reserve to prevent it. But open, illegal tree cutting actually dropped 3.4% this year, largely due to the efforts of inhabitants to protect their forests, a change of attitude by many. For example, on Jan. 23, the communal farm community of Crescencio Morales once the area with the worst illegal logging fielded its first class of trained and officially approved forest rangers. The 58-strong forest ranger Community Guard of Crescencio Morales began life several years ago as a rag-tag band of farmers armed with a motley collection of weapons, before the state government offered to train and equip them. The communitys struggle began in the early 2000s, when residents fought to kick out drug traffickers and illegal loggers and redeem itself in the process. Back in 1998, the inhabitants of Crescencio Morales decided to set fire to the monarch butterfly colonies, in order to log the land, recalls Erasmo Alvarez Castillo, the leader of the communal, or ejido, farmers in the village. Residents quickly saw two things: The illegal logging brought with it the incursion of drug cartels and surrounding communities were making money off tourism. So starting around 2000, the farmers began reforesting the mountain slopes. But they still had to expel the drug gangs. It was a long and arduous fight that eventually forced the farmers to take up arms, after calls to police for help in defending the community went unanswered. Things came to a head when the town declared itself an autonomous, self-governing municipality. Faced with armed, rebellious farmers, the government decided to try to professionalize the community force and train it to protect the forests. Now, with the butterflies back, the village can dream of attracting tourists. The land we have on the mountaintop is very beautiful. It would be good for a tourism site, Alvarez Castillo said. The plan is to make trails, put up cabins a tourist site without destroying the environment. ___ Solis reported from Crescencio Morales, Mexico. A couple of weeks back, I was in Thiruvananthapuram to attend a few meetings. Afterwards, I visited an old artist friend, Shibu Natesan. He lives and works between three cities: Attingal, near Thiruvananthapuramhis home town; Baroda, where he studied, and London, where his wife and child lives. Shibu is a highly skilled painter, who switches effortlessly between different media like oil and watercolour. The last time I visited his studio in Kerala was a decade ago. He leads a hermits life. He paints or sketches every day. Other daily practitioners include artists like A. Ramachandran and Laxma Goud. Whether it is outdoors or in studios, they enjoy daily practice. Shibu loves to travel to beaches and mountains in his jeep. His studio was full of small paintings, piled-up oil colour tubes, canvas tubes, watercolour palettes, brushes, easels, mirrors, hard-boards to paint on and objects from religious destinations. Students at Kala Bhavan It is always a joy to visit artists studios. During my student days at Sir J.J. School of Art, I used to visit studios of artists like Akbar Padamsee, Laxman Shreshta, Anju Dodiya and Atul Dodiya, Bhupen Khakhar, Prabhakar Barwe, Ramachandran, Sudarshan Shetty and many others. The learning was priceless and largely unavailable in college. The other day, I was at the Santiniketan Society of Visual Art and Design (SSVAD) in West Bengal as part of an artists workshop and camp convened by Jogen Chowdhury. I have always had great memories of Santiniketanits atmosphere, classrooms, K.G. Subramanyans murals, paintings, sculptures, studios and the greenery around the campus. SSVAD, a non-profit organisation, was set up by Janak Jhankar Narzary, Jogen Chowdhury and a few other like-minded people nine years ago. The funds were raised by selling artworks donated by eminent artists. The name is, of course, a play on the word svad meaning taste. I think the idea originated from looking at the students at the Kala Bhavan in Santiniketan. After their formal education, where do they go and where do they practice and exhibit their works? SSVAD is trying to create opportunities for a new generation to boost their confidence and awareness of the art world through workshops, camps, residencies and symposia, and by providing exhibition and performance spaces. In recent years, SSVAD has acquired some more land and created a new studio for print-making and residences. Shibu was also among the artists who were invited to give presentations at Kala Bhavan. On a very humid morning, the students sat on the tiled floors. I wondered how they were going to sit like that for three hours. But they did! Shibu made a presentation on his paintings in oil and watercolours, and spoke about his travels, his workspace and styles of paintings. Thereafter, it was my turn and I made a presentation on the art world, how to build a career in art, and the creation of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, institutions and other art festivals. Sanjayan Ghosh and Prashanta Sahu, both of whom teach at Kala Bhavan, had organised the conversation sessions with artists N.S. Harsha, T.V. Santhosh, Jagannath Panda, Shibu and myself. It went on for a long time and the students had a lot of questions. I would like to mention here that this is my last Everyone is a Camera column for THE WEEK for now. I wish to thank the good people at the publication. Perhaps, I can end with an anecdote from Kala Bhavan. After the conversation sessions, a young postgraduate student came up to me, showed me an issue of THE WEEK, and said: Your column has given me so much information about the art world and it really has helped me to grow. Here is to more healthy and creative conversations! editor@theweek.in The basic structure of our nation is the source of the basic structure of our Constitution. So, in protecting the basic structure of our Constitution, the Supreme Court is protecting the very basis of our nationhood, which is unity in diversity. Delivering their judgement, rejecting a petition moved by a hindutivist, Justice K.M. Joseph and Justice B.V. Nagarathna have stamped their judicial imprimatur on the idea of India that for the past nine years has been under its most serious challenge ever. As the honourable justices aver, There is no space for bigotry in Hinduism. Yet, the forces who do not represent the Hindu religion but a political perversion of it, are symbols of bigotry seeking to lump all non-Hindus, especially Muslims, as barbaric invaders. The court rightly asserts the golden principle of fraternity, which is enshrined in the Preamble. The petitioner who decried foreign invaders as looters was rhetorically asked, Can you wish away invasions from history? What are you trying to achieve? It was unambiguously affirmed, India that is Bharat is a secular country wedded to the rule of law, secularism, constitutionalism of which Article 14 stands out as the grand guarantee of both equality and fairness in state action. No politician has put it more clearly than that. Illustration: Bhaskaran Underlining that, India is a secular state, this is a secular forum, Justice Nagarathna pleaded, let us not break society with such kinds of petitions, please have the country in mind, not any religion. And Justice Joseph added, I am a Christian, but I can say I am equally fond of Hinduism Try and understand its greatness. Saying that, History cannot haunt present and future generations, the bench warned against our becoming prisoners of the past and underlined that this court should not become an instrument to create havoc. And Justice Joseph concluded, We have to understand our own greatness. Our greatness should lead us to be magnanimous. In addressing these words to the petitioner, the bench had much more than the petitioner in mind. The audience Justice Joseph and Justice Nagarathna were addressing was much wider extending to the nation as a whole and including all those who have been undermining our fraternity as a nation. The audience would include the ruling dispensation. While Rahul Gandhis plea to open in the bazaar of hatred the store of love might be construed as a partisan political jibe, when a similar view is expressed by a bench of the highest court in the land, it is imperative that the powers-that-be absorb the judicial message. There is no place in our nationhood for the targeting of minorities with lynchings or love jihad, or bulldozing the very modest homes of blameless Muslims, or holding them to be Babar ki auladexpressions that are freely bruited about without a word of reprimand from their leaders, indeed with encouragement of one minister demanding goli maro saalon ko. It is, thus, that the ground is prepared for calls to genocide that go unpunished. The nation has been brought to a very dangerous place. The court has rightly warned against invoking history selectively to create schisms in society. Yet, this is the precise stock-in-trade of those who have risen on the ladder of the pogrom in 2002 and abuse of the civic and human rights of a section of our society. In the words of an earlier judgment of the Supreme Court, the egregious violence that went into the brick-by-brick demolition of the Babri Masjid is to be deplored. The court is, in effect, warning against the stoking of religious vengeance-seeking. It is for the sangh parivar in both its avatars as the RSS and the BJP to heed the call of the court. I have no expectation they will. Which is why we secularists must fight on, confident that the Supreme Court is behind us. Aiyar is a former Union minister and social commentator. Call me old fashioned, (but not old, please), but I am only too happy to have been to the FDCI and Lakme Fashion Week held in Mumbai last week. I thought I would make it for one or two shows during the now four-day event, but I went every day. I dressed up, I wore designer-loaned clothes, I sat in the front row, I had great cocktails and bad coffee, I air-kissed some celebrities, I posted cool stuff, I posted mean stuff. Fashion week, these days, is everything all at once. I find that in these times of digital media and social media, the importance of traditional news-gathering is out of the window. Brands are creating their own narrative now. They dont have to depend on a Vogue India or a Mumbai Mirror to feature them, they feature themselves on their Instagram pages for almost a million followers (or at least several thousands of them). Sales are now directly to consumers, either via their websites or via Facebook and Instagram. I know at least two dozen really cool labels that were born during the first lockdown and are already reasonably successful brands, dressing stars and all, only by showcasing on Instagram. Everyone is a star if they believe they are. Anavilas show at the Lakme Fashion Week | AFP What is the point of a fashion week then? In the pre-digital world, these were hallowed events. Going to a fashion show was such a privilege. Front rows were lined with glamorous socialites matching Indian designer wear with international heels and handbags. Foreign buyers would flock to fashion weeks across the world to check out new designers and stock up on their merchandise, or then just visit a far-flung country on an all-expenses-paid trip. Journalists would be hounded to attend shows. After-parties were rambunctious, and after-after-parties were also a thing. None of this exists anymore. Fashion weeks are put together on a string and prayer, mostly for the organising team to make some profit off the event. That may not be such a bad thing. The self-reliant, disorganised but still organised fashion business congregates at a fashion week. Buyers have been replaced by stylists, almost everyone is repping someone or the other. The designers from Delhi have had easy access to the Bollywood dressing scene, something they have secretly envied Mumbai for since decades. The cliquish FDCI would oust the Delhi lot if they appeared at the Mumbai week. Much of the old-world glamour is gone, but there are new tricks to learn. In these challenging times, designer labels need to either sink or swim. After more than two years of staying home, or events being scaled down for fear of the virusand then the rapidly sinking economyit is finally reassuring to pretend to return to the times when things were better. Never mind that most of the clothes on the runway were laughable, the ones that were good were such a mood-fix (shout out to Tarun Tahiliani, Namrata Joshipura and Anavila for knocking it out of the park with their superbly done collections). Almost every other designer sent out shimmering cocktail wear, easy to do in India with cheap nets and sold-by-the-kilo sequins flooding the bazaars. It hurts the eyes, and I cant even recall the names of the dozens who let Indias amazing artisanal styles down. But I am willing to hold my breath until our GDP is healthier again. Fashion week is struggling to survive, just like many of us are. But while we are here, lets put on a nice dress and play fabulous. Lets remember the good times, and hope for them to return. @namratazakaria A recent speech by the head of Invest India, Deepak Bagla, has gone viral on social media. It is a wonderful exercise in boosterism, telling the worldespecially potential investorsabout the wonderful opportunities in India, our demographic advantage, rate of growth, burgeoning FDI and more. As an Indian, I felt a warm glow listening to it, and pride that we had achieved so much and had so much to offer the world. (For the very few who may somehow have missed the WhatsApp forwards, just google Mr Baglas name and the words Treasury and 2023.) All of us want to believe the best about our country. It is a welcome change not to be hearing the relentless negativism of our politics, hate-speech emanating from ruling circles and the deafening silence of the government when minorities are attacked, women are raped, innocent people are lynched and so on. But can we afford to delude ourselves that the rosy picture Mr Bagla paints is the full story of our India, even overlooking political and social issues and just focusing on economics? A number of simple, uncontested facts and figures Mr Bagla does not mention come to mind: How much of our heady GDP growth can simply be attributed to population increase? In 1960, our population was 445 million, and we had a GDP of $37 billion; in 2020, it was about 1.4 billion, and our GDP was almost $3 trillion. So over 60 years, our population multiplied by three and our GDP by eight. This is no different from the way global GDP grew; exponential growth of this kind is not only not unusual, but typical. Much of our growth, in other words, was due to an expanding population, including a growing labour force. The government tells us proudly that it distributed free food grain to 80 crore, or 800 million, Indians. If so many Indians required free food grain, does that speak of a glowing economic success story or a painful increase in poverty? Reports suggest that as many as 40 million, or 4 crore, Indians have sunk below the poverty line in the last four years, adding to the numbers of absolute poor. The claims about FDI flowing into India at a record high rate have been contestedthe $532 billion coming into our country in seven-and-a-half years is not borne out by the figures issued by reputable international bodies. But beyond the claims of high FDI, why is it that over the same period, private sector investment in India, as a proportion of GDP, has stagnated? Why are our own businessmen so afraid to invest in India, as Mr Bagla wants the world to do? Some 8,000 high net worth individuals (that is, people with assets exceeding a million US dollars) have emigrated out of India last year (the third highest such exodus in the whole world). Does this suggest India is a good place to invest and flourish, or rather that many of the rich feel they cannot thrive in the business conditions here? We can boast about our demographic dividend of a youthful working-age population ready to be the work-engine of the world, but what have we done to train and skill them to seize the opportunities offered by the 21st century? Most of the unemployed are unemployable because they have dropped out of school by the ninth grade, learned very little before then and failed to acquire usable skills thereafter. Worse still, the numbers of educated unemployed testify to the irrelevance of much Indian college learning. Keralas Employment Exchange lists about two lakh professional and technical job seekers as of 2022, including 6,000 medical doctors and 44,000 engineering graduates. Of the rest, some 71 per cent of them are ITI certificate or diploma holders. Highly literate and educated Keralas youth unemployment stands at 42 per cent. What hope can we offer them? And, finally, and perhaps, most damningly, a total of 1,83,741 Indians have renounced their citizenship this past year, as the government officially informed the Lok Sabha. Why would so many do that, if India was shining for them? Its wonderful to hear Mr Bagla, and always pleasant to feel good about ourselves. But if it becomes a substitute for thinking seriously about our nations challenges, it can only hurt us. India needs hope, not hype. editor@theweek.in Determined to Eliminate the global dependency and Monopoly of china in the Unmanned Aircrafts market and make INDIA a global leader : Suhas Tejaskanda, CEO, Flying Wedge Defence Bangalore based Flying Wedge Defence and Aerospace started a state of art facility to build Unmanned aircrafts and drones in Electronic City, Bangalore with ELCIA. Indias leading Electronics manufacturer Tescom joins the consortium to make 100% in INDIA. Total investment on this manufacturing project has gone to Rs. 100 crores. Company stated that they Research, Design, Develop and Manufacture UAS(Unmanned Aircraft Systems) in INDIA. The facility has a Research division, Mechanical manufacturing division and Electronics manufacturing facilities like SMT lines, laser Etching, PCB fabrication, milling, motor winding machines, CNC laser cutting, WEDM and various other industrial grade machines. Various testing equipment like automatic optical inspection and NABL certified laboratory for various tests. Global market for drones in India is about $6 Bn and $30 Bn globally. Today all the UAS and drone manufacturers have no choice other than importing child parts and assembling them in India. Government of INDIA banned import of foreign drones. There is a huge push to startups in the UAV space. After this ban there is a huge shortage in supply of drones. DJI which used to be a pioneer in drones is no longer able to operate in INDIA. Further drones should be Type Certified to be operated in India.It is very unfortunate that all manufactures have to import drones in semi assembled state .For example most of the drone operators and manufactures import EFT 610 P drone in semi Assembled state from china for agricultural purposes. We were focused on building advanced defence grade drone catchers, killer unmanned Aircrafts, long range surveillance helicopters for Defence forces. Flying wedge will be manufacturing 2 lakh kisan drones in the next two years. We will be building drones and unmanned aircrafts to all companies in India and also to the world.We want to add new wings to PM Modis dream of Atma Nirbhar Bharat in Defence and Aerospace sector : Suhas Tejaskanda, CEO, Flying Wedge Defence. Company is aiming to be the dominant drone services provider of India focusing more on women Entrepreneurs from Tier 2/3 cities. Notably Flying Wedge Defence has signed an MOU worth 100 crores with Government of Karnataka during Bandhan Event at AeroIndia 2023. Tata Motors, on Tuesday, announced that it will increase the price of its commercial vehicles up to 5 per cent. The price rise will come into effect from April 1. The price hike will vary according to individual models and variants. "The decision to increase prices is a result of the companys efforts to comply with the more stringent BS6 phase II emission norms," Tata Motors said in a statement. The automaker said as the company transitions its entire vehicle portfolio to meet BS6 phase II emission norms, customers and fleet owners can expect a range of cleaner, greener, and technologically superior vehicles that offer higher benefits and lower total costs of ownership. Meanwhile, shares of Tata Motors rose 0.43 per cent on Tuesday to close at Rs 412.50. A sessions court in Mumbai, on Monday, rejected veteran lyricist-poet Javed Akhtar's plea challenging summons issued against him by a magistrate in connection with a criminal case filed by a lawyer over his alleged objectionable remarks against the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). The lawyer, Santosh Dubey, had in October 2021 filed a complaint against Akhtar before the metropolitan magistrate court in suburban Mulund under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 499 (defamation) and 500 (punishment for defamation). The magistrate, after hearing arguments of both sides, had issued summons to the veteran lyricist in December last year. The 78-year-old Bollywood personality, through his lawyer, filed a petition before the sessions court against the summons. The session court has rejected the revision application filed by renowned writer Javed Akhtar against the Mulund court's order, Dubey said. Akhtar has to appear before the Mulund court on March 31, he added. The complainant, who claims to be an RSS supporter, had alleged Akhtar, with a view to gain political score, unnecessarily dragged the name of the RSS and defamed the organisation in a "calculated and well planned move" while making the remarks during a television interview. The statements made by the accused during the interview were aimed at defaming the Nagpur-headquartered Hindutva organisation as well as to discourage and misguide people who have joined the RSS or would like to join the outfit, the complaint had alleged. Akhtar had made the controversial remarks in the backdrop of the Taliban seizing power in Afghanistan in August 2021. It might be time to mask up. At a time when H3N2 influenza virus is spreading with Covid-like symptoms, doctors suggest making surveillance and covid-appropriate behaviour mandatory, and stressed on the need to step up testing, as well as identifying genomic surveillance. Symptomatic people should self-isolate themselves, irrespective of whether it is Covid or any other flu, says Dr Sandeep Budhiraja, Group Medical Director at Max Healthcare. People should wear masks in crowded places. Social distancing, regular sanitisation and following coughing and sneezing etiquettes go a long way. Also, those who have not yet taken their third dose of Covid vaccine should do that. With the rapid rise in Covid and influenza cases, doctors are worried about a huge patient surge. They advocate pro-active surveillance at the earliest. Last year was challenging for medical practitioners who treated Covid patients. Many lost their lives. Dr Milan Dhariwal from North Bengal Medical College and Hospital in Darjeeling, suggests that The government must declare mandatory use of masks in hospitals, airports, railway stations and other crowded places, along with rapid Covid test at international airports. Dr Minesh Mehta, senior physician and critical care specialist at Shalby Multi-speciality Hospitals, Ahmedabad, stresses on increasing the number of hospital beds, ensuring adequate supplies of PPE, intensifying testing and contact-tracing efforts. He also advocates providing financial and mental health support to healthcare professionals, and prioritising distribution of vaccines to high-risk populations. Another precautionary step that experts suggest is involving fewer people at weddings and congregations. Last year, several states had restricted the number of wedding guests to 20, or at the most 100. The worry is more this year, because till last year, it was only Covid, but today, we have H3N2 and swine flu hitting people. Covid is also returning with several variants. "It's time to accept the Covid-appropriate behaviour as almost a permanent way of life, including social distancing, masking, washing hands and maintaining good civic behaviour, says Dr Tarun Sahni, Senior Consultant, Internal Medicine, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals. He adds, Surveillance at public places epidemiologically on a random basis can help to get an idea how the disease and strains are spreading. In a setback to the government's efforts to bring back fugitive Mehul Choksi from Antigua to face trial in the multi-crore PNB scam case, the Interpol has removed the Red Corner Notice (RCN) against him. This means that Choksi will be free to travel outside Antigua without fearing arrest or questioning. The last time Choksi found himself on the verge of being extradited or deported to India was when he was found in Dominica on May 25, 2021allegedly battered and bruised after a rough boat ride from Antigua and Barbuda. The fugitive diamantaire from the Carribean is still reeling from the experience. But the Interpol decision has given a shot in the arm to Choksi who is likely to use this to counter the claims of the CBI and ED who are demanding his speedy extradition from Antigua. A spokesperson for Choksi said that the decision of the Interpol to strike his name off the RCN, buttresses his claim that he was kidnapped and was being forcefully taken to India, allegedly violating the international norms and protection given to him as an Antiguan citizen. The report from the Antiguan police, and the evidence adduced by Choksi in the ongoing High Court proceedings in Antigua, point to an alarming case of state orchestrated kidnap, torture and attempted rendition by the Indian government, said Choksis spokesperson. The decision of Interpol to delete the Red Notice strengthens these concerns, the spokesperson said. He further said that the preliminary ruling of the High Court in Antigua demonstrates that there is a case to answer for a full investigation. In turn, Choksi has presented a compelling case that the Indian government is behind the orchestrated kidnap from Antiguan territory, his torture and the attempt to render him to India in breach of the international rule of law, he said. The Interpol has made it clear that it does not issue RCNs unless there is substantial evidence and does not include persecution by the state on any religious or political lines. Choksi is one of the main accused in the multi-crore PNB scam case in which his nephew Nirav Modi is in jail in London where he faces the possibility of extradition soon after he has exhausted his legal options to claim asylum in the UK. As the impasse in Parliament entered the seventh straight day, the BJP and the Congress traded traitor barbs on Tuesday with the ruling party terming Rahul Gandhi as a "present-day Mir Jafar of Indian polity" and the opposition party hitting back dubbing the saffron outfit members as "Jaichands". With the BJP and opposition parties accusing each other of paralysing Parliament and escalating the slugfest, attempts to break the deadlock by Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla failed to yield any results. Dhankhar has scheduled another meeting of floor leaders of various parties at 10 AM on March 23. Both houses of Parliament have failed to transact any significant business ever since the start of the second leg of the budget session on March 13 except on Tuesday when amid the din caused by opposition members the Lok Sabha passed a Rs 1.118 lakh crore budget for 2023-24 for the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha will not have a sitting on Wednesday and will reconvene on March 23. While the opposition led by the Congress has been demanding a JPC probe into the Adani row, the BJP is seeking an unconditional apology from Rahul Gandhi for his "democracy under threat" remarks made in London and accusing the Congress leader of insulting India and its institutions on foreign soil and seeking foreign intervention. Several opposition party leaders also held a protest in the corridors of Parliament House and raised slogans demanding a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the Adani row. They also hung a banner from the first floor of the Parliament building that read "We want JPC". BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra set the tone for yet another stormy day by alleging that Rahul Gandhi is the "present-day Mir Jafar of Indian polity" who went overseas seeking help from foreign forces to become a 'nawab' in India, and demanded his apology. "It would not be an aberration to say that Rahul Gandhi is a present-day Mir Jafar of Indian polity. What he has done in London is the same thing that Mir Jafar did," he told a press conference. "Rahul Gandhi did the same thing during his visit to London. He invited foreign forces to come to India. Shehzada wants to become a nawab. Shehzada has sought help from the East India Company to become a nawab," Patra charged. Mir Jafer, a former Nawab of Bengal, signed an agreement surrendering to the British army that heralded the start of the British rule in India and his name is often used to refer to a traitor. Hitting back, Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera said the BJP will be seen as "Jaichands" in history and claimed its ideological forefathers were British apologists. "You want to become Jaichand of democracy....You will be called Jaichands in history if you accord more importance to your friend and not to the country. We urge you to think about the country and not your friend," Khera said, adding that it is an irony that people whose ideological forefathers have been historically known to be the apologists for the British and today they are giving us lectures on patriotism. Jaichand, a king from the Gahadavala dynasty of northern India, is often referred to as a traitor who went overseas seeking help from foreign forces. Khera also said the ruling BJP is just a tenant and not the owner of democracy and asserted that holding the government to account does not amount to criticising the nation. Noting that Gandhi will not apologise, he said criticising the works of the government does not amount to criticising the country. Union ministers Piyush Goyal and Pralhad Joshi accused the Opposition of willfully stalling Parliament with its "irresponsible" comments and "unfounded" allegations to mislead the country amid global recognition of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership. With the meetings by Birla and Dhankhar failing to bring any breakthrough to end the deadlock, Goyal and Joshi accused opposition parties of repeatedly "insulting" the Rajya Sabha Chairman. The Congress hit back at the BJP, alleging that Goyal, who is the Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha, got the ruling party MPs to prevent Leader of Opposition in the House Mallikarjun Kharge of the Congress from speaking twice even after the Chairman had permitted him. "Silencing of LoP is also an issue quite apart from the JPC on Adani," Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said on Twitter. "How can the Opposition demand for a JPC into the PM-linked Adani scam be linked to the BJP's demand for an apology from Rahul Gandhi on totally baseless accusations?. The JPC is on a real, documented scam. The apology demand is a hoax being raised to divert attention from the Adani scam." The Rajya Sabha chairperson personally called up several opposition leaders, including Kharge to attend the meeting but they refused, Joshi said. After almost the entire opposition except for the regional parties like the TDP, YSR Congress and the BJD skipped the first meeting before noon, Dhankhar called another meeting in the afternoon which was attended by floor leaders of more parties like the TMC and DMK but the Congress and some other parties stayed away. Joshi said this is a "great disrespect" to the Chair. "It is our prime duty to run the proceedings of House in an orderly manner," Dhankhar told political parties. During the 90-minute meeting, Dhankhar highlighted that the House is meant for debate and discussion in a collaborative manner, and not for confrontation and deadlock. Most opposition parties, however, attended the meeting convened by Birla. Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury represented his party. Sources said Birla asked the two sides to agree to let the House run and thrash out their differences outside. They added that Joshi said the treasury benches will follow the Chair's decision. However, several opposition parties have stuck to their guns on the demand for a probe into the Adani row. AAP national convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday said the Punjab government was not afraid of taking stringent measures to curb criminal activities in the state. His comments came after Punjab Police launched a major crackdown against radical preacher Amritpal Singh and members of his outfit 'Waris Punjab De'. "When we came to power in Punjab, people said they (AAP) can work in the fields of education, health and power, but handling law and order situation will be tough. "The system we inherited from previous governments showed that criminals and gangsters were provided political protection. But our government is an honest one. We are taking strict action against such elements," Kejriwal said. The action taken over the past few days has shown that AAP government is "ready to take strictest step" when it comes to maintaining law-and-order as well as peace in the state. He said the strict action against criminals taken by the Punjab government has shown that the "AAP is a hardcore patriotic party". "After coming at the helm, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann-led government of AAP began taking actions against several drug mafias and gangsters. "Over the past one year, the AAP dispensation in Punjab has proved that if intentions are good and the government is honest, the law and order can also be very well maintained," Kejriwal said. Kejriwal congratulated Mann for the crackdown and also thanked people for their support. "We are patriots. We love Bharat Mata (mother India). Anyone doing anything against Bharta Mata will not be spared. Anyone trying to destroy peace and tranquility will not be spared. Bhagwant Mann-led AAP government has proved that it is ready to take strictest action in the national interest if need arise," he said. Police in Punjab on Saturday had launched a massive manhunt against Singh and members of his outfit. The preacher, however, gave the police a slip and escaped their dragnet when his cavalcade was intercepted in Jalandhar district. In his reaction to the police action, Mann said he received several calls from people praising his government. "People are telling me, you have done a good job. There should be peace and harmony in Punjab and in this matter, we will support you," he said in a video message. Delhi government has resubmitted to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs for its clearance of the budget of the national capital territory for the financial year 2023-24 that was scheduled to be presented in the Vidhan Sabha today, after some queries were raised by the Centre over certain proposals of the budget. There is, however, uncertainty over when the budget will be presented since the Delhi government is yet to hear from the Centre with regard to the financial document after its resubmission. Delhi Finance Minister Kailash Gahlot told reporters that responses to the queries raised by the MHA with regard to the budget were framed and communicated to the relevant authorities yesterday evening. The responses were approved by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal around 9:00 pm last night and sent to Lt Governor V. K. Saxena immediately after. The clearance from Saxena came around 11 pm, after which the file was sent to the Delhi government's Principal Secretary, Finance. Gahlot said the budget was resubmitted to the MHA around 9:00 am this morning through an e-mail and the physical copy has also been sent to the Centre. He, however, said that so far there is no information from the Centre with regard to the resubmitted budget. Recounting the sequence of events that led to the unprecedented situation of the presentation of the budget getting delayed, Gahlot said the budget document was sent to the MHA on March 10, well in advance of its scheduled presentation in the Vidhan Sabha on March 21. He said it was brought to his notice only around 2:00 pm yesterday (Monday) that the MHA had raised some queries about the budget through a letter on March 17 and not approved it. He sought further information from the Principal Secretary, Finance and the Chief Secretary and asked the officials to put before him the queries in the proper official format so that they could be replied to. At six pm, the file was put up before me and we immediately formed replies to the queries, Gahlot said. It is very surprising indeed that the Finance Minister gets to know about the queries which were communicated by the MHA on March 17 on March 20, he said. He described the development as unconstitutional, saying it is for the first time that an elected government has not been allowed to present the budget. The intention is to now allow Delhi government to work. If the budget is not presented, salaries cannot be paid and the work of the government will come to a standstill...If everything is to be done by asking the Centre, then why do we have a Delhi cabinet and an elected government?, Gahlot said. There is uncertainty over when the budget will be presented since the Delhi government has still not heard from the MHA. The Budget Session was scheduled to get over on March 23. The Punjab Police have issued a lookout notice and non-bailable warrant against radical preacher Amritpal Singh, who continues to evade arrest. As the manhunt enters day five, the authorities have extended the search to other states. "We are making all efforts to arrest him. Were hopeful that well arrest him soonIt is difficult to say that. Punjab Police is receiving full cooperation from other states and central agencies," Punjab IGP Sukhchain Singh Gill told reporters on Tuesday. The Punjab police had arrested four aides of Amritpal Singh on Tuesday for helping him escape. The accused Manpreet Singh alias Manna, Gurdeep Singh alias Deepa, Harpreet Singh alias Happy and Gurbhej Singh alias Bheja helped the 'Waris Punjab De' chief to escape in a car while he was being chased by cops in Jalandhar on Saturday. During questioning, they revealed that Amritpal first went to a gurdwara in Nangal Ambian village where he "changed his clothes, and wore a shirt and pants, and escaped along with three others on two bikes." The officials have also seized a vehicle he used to travel. They recovered .315 bore rifle, some swords and a walkie-talkie set from it. Rapid Action Force personnel flag march amid crackdown against Amritpal Singh and his aides in Jalandhar | PTI Meanwhile, the search for the fugitive has extended to other states. The Uttarakhand Police on Tuesday conducted a combing operation at gurdwaras, hotels and in areas on the Indo-Nepal border in Udham Singh Nagar district. City Superintendent of Police Manoj Katyal said the search was conducted after the state police received information from their Punjab counterparts that Singh and his associates were trying to flee the country. Intelligence agencies are also monitoring the situation. A close vigil is being kept on the India-Nepal border so that he does not escape to Nepal. The police have also put up posters to inform residents that Singh and his aides are wanted in Punjab. A hearing on the habeas corpus petition was also held on Tuesday which saw the Court lashing out at the Punjab government for lapses in handling the case of Amritpal Singh. The court questioned the government on how Amritpal could escape when the government has 80,000-strong police force. "When there was a threat to the security of the country, what was the government doing till now? They were roaming around with weapons. How did he manage to escape despite so many police. What are 80,000 police doing when the countrys security is in danger?" the High Court said. Grapevine is among the world's oldest crops and have a significant impact on European civilizations. However, the origins and spread of the grapevine have been hotly debated among researchers. In a new genome project, scientists have analysed thousands of vine genomes from China to Western Europe, providing insight into the grapevine's evolution and domestication. Researchers from the Chinese Yunnan Agricultural University led the extensive genome project, collecting thousands of vine genomes along the Silk Road. They were able to determine the grapevine's evolution from the wild vine to today's cultivar. The Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany provided a critical contribution to the project by providing a collection of wild vines. Wine was one of the oldest products traded all around the world. It pushed the exchange of cultures, ideas, and religions. At the end of the Ice Age, grapevine originated from the European wild vine, of which only a few relic populations have survived to date. One of these populations can be found on the Ketsch peninsula on the Rhine river between Karlsruhe and Mannheim. So far, the traces of when and where exactly wild vines were domesticated, of whether grapes for wine production and table grapes have the same origin, and how thousands of vines developed have been hidden in the mist of the prehistoric era. Still, it is clear that grapevine survived partly drastic climate changes and gathered a number of genes from Asia as a result of early human migration movements. "For some years now, it has been known that today's Silk Road once was a wine road. The Chinese symbol for alcohol is derived from Georgian wine jugs, so-called Qevri," explains Professor Peter Nick of KIT's Joseph-Gottlieb Kolreuter Institut for Plant Sciences (JKIP). Nick, who had already cooperated with Chinese researchers in a previous project to determine grapevine genomes, suggested to collect grapevines along the previous Silk Road and to analyze their genomes. The project revealed that the grapevine survived drastic climate changes and gathered genes from Asia due to early human migration movements. Today's Silk Road was once a wine road, and the Chinese symbol for alcohol is derived from Georgian wine jugs. The project's findings indicated that winegrowing originated in the South Caucasus earlier than 11,000 B.C., making wine older than bread. Winegrowing technology quickly spread across the Mediterranean, leading to the production of a large variety of vines through cross-breeding with local wild vines. About 7,000 years ago, large-berry species developed into table vines in the Middle East. Domestication of the grapevine was accompanied by climatic changes, such as the end of the Ice Age and the warm and moist Atlantic climate period between 8000 and 4000 B.C. The genome project's results revealed that medieval vines in Southwest Germany contain genes of vines from Azerbaijan and Central Asia. The project has produced the most detailed model of grapevine evolution and domestication to date, providing valuable insight into the history of one of the world's oldest crops. The Netherlands is moving to stop central government employees from having apps including popular video sharing service TikTok installed on their work phones, amid concerns over data security. Countries including the United States and Britain, as well as the European Union's executive branch, have banned the use of TikTok on government staff phones over fears that its Chinese owner, ByteDance, could share user data with the authoritarian government in Beijing. For civil servants employed by the national government, it is immediately discouraged to have apps from countries with an offensive cyber programme against the Netherlands and/or Dutch interests installed and used on their mobile work devices," the government said in a statement Tuesday that did not identify TikTok by name. The new policy came after lawmakers asked whether it was possible to ban central government staff from using the app on work devices. The advice follows an assessment by national intelligence agency AIVD that warned that apps from such countries, which include China, Russia, North Korea and Iran, carry a heightened risk of espionage. A law China implemented in 2017 requires companies to give the government any personal data relevant to the country's national security. There's no evidence that TikTok has turned over such data, but fears abound due to the vast amount of user data it collects. Alexandra van Huffelen, the Dutch minister for digitalisation, said in a statement that the new policy goes beyond discouraging one application. We opt for a structural solution that central government officials can trust in their work in a digital world. The government said it is planning to move quickly to set up all mobile devices given to central government staff in such a way that only pre-permitted apps, software and/or functionalities can be installed and used. The decision comes two weeks after the Dutch government angered Beijing by announcing that it is planning on imposing additional restrictions on the export of machines that make advanced processor chips, joining a US push that aims at limiting China's access to materials used to make such chips. There is an important moment in Mrs Chatterjee Vs Norway in which during a courtroom scene, Debika Chatterjee (Rani Mukerji) makes an emotional appeal to the judge Main achhi maa hu ya buri, ye toh nahi pata, par maa hu. This entire courtroom sequence that happens towards the end of the film, like many other moments in the film, is crafted well lto make the audience feel the character's trials and triumphs. Bollywood, every now and then, comes up with a motherhood drama that tugs at your heartstrings, like Sridevis Mom and English Vinglish, Kajols Tribhanga, and Vidya Balans Paa. Rani Mukerjis Mrs Chatterjee Vs Norway, directed by Ashima Chibber, is a worthy addition to this line-up. Every few years, Mukerji steps out of her comfort zone and attempts a character that only she could bring to life Blacks Michelle, Laaga Chunari Mein Daags Vibhavari, the unabashed and brave cop in Mardaani and Mrs Chatterjee Vs Norways Debika. Mukerji outshines herself and is natural in the role of a mother seeking justice, based on the true story of Sagarika Chatterjee and her husband Anurup Bhattarcharya. Debika Chatterjee, her husband, and their two young children are settled in Norway. Debikas world revolves around her children. Her occasionally abusive and self-centered husband, vying for the green card, does little to help her raise children. Debikas world is shattered when her children are taken away as the state alleges misconduct in handling the children due to cultural differences. How a single woman fights a country to get her children back forms the story. Her husband abandons her, labelling her mentally unstable to protect his citizenship while her in-laws create trouble in her fight to win back her children. Mukherji is in fine form as a distraught mother up against a culture and system that she is alien to. The makers of the movie have managed to make the audience cry and feel as the mother onscreen battles the pain of separation from her children. Directed by: Ashima Chibber Starring: Rani Mukerji, Anirban Bhattacharya, Jim Sarbh, Neena Gupta Far away from the cries of joy at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles following The Elephant Whisperers historic Oscar win, Bomman was straining his ears for a different cry inside the Palacode forest in Marandahalli in Tamil Nadus Dharmapuri district. Bomman, one-half of the elephant whisperer couple featured in the Netflix documentary, had spent three sleepless nights searching for two baby elephants, who had lost their mother to electrocution. How am I going to unite them with the herd? I am worried about the little one, he tells THE WEEK. The little one kept crying for milk and did not eat anything for the past three days. I kept coming back to the spot where the mother elephant and a Makhna (a male elephant without tusks) were buried. How can I eat or sleep after seeing this? As he talks about the baby elephant, he remembers Raghu and Ammu, the calves he raised with his wife Bellie, in The Elephant Whisperers. We have rescued 84 elephants at the Mudumalai camp since 1910. Fifty-one baby elephants have been rescued and reunited with the herd. Supriya Sahu, additional chief secretary, department of environment, climate change and forests, Tamil Nadu Bellie, meanwhile, is busy receiving plaudits for the Oscar nod from her indigenous Kattunayakan community in Theppakadu, near the picturesque Mudumalai Tiger Reserve in the Nilgiris. I am overwhelmed as the world now talks about elephants and elephant caretakers, she tells THE WEEK. Bomman left Dharmapuri only after Chief Minister M.K. Stalin asked him to come to Chennai. His phone has been ringing incessantly. I have been getting congratulatory calls from everyone, he says after meeting Stalin at the state secretariat in Chennai. I am happy. But I will be very happy only when I am able to rescue the little one. I have to reunite it with the herd or take it to the Theppakadu elephant camp in the Mudumalai range. Sitting next to Bommanhis wiry hair oiled and neatly combed and with a dash of sandalwood paste on his foreheadis a smiling Bellie, clad in a red sari with a yellow towel on her right shoulder. She has come all the way from Theppakadu with her daughter Manju Sivakumar, 30. I accompanied my mother as she hasnt travelled anywhere out of Theppakadu, Manju tells THE WEEK. Bomman and Bellie were brought to Chennai by forest officials as Stalin wanted to congratulate the couple. Bellie is confident that Bomman can unite the baby elephant with the herd. If not, we can care for it and raise it, like we did with Raghu, if the forest department asks us to, she says. Bomman and Bellie, both 54, are now superstars among the Kattunayakans, a particularly vulnerable tribal group that has settled in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Kattu or kadu means forest and nayakan means leader or chief, essentially connoting that Kattunayakans are lords of the foresttheir sustenance comes from the forest and they, in turn, protect it. In Tamil Nadu, the Kattunayakans are traditional dwellers of the Mudumalai forests in the Nilgiris. The 40-minute documentary, directed by Kartiki Gonsalves and produced by Guneet Monga, is based on the life and work of Bomman and Bellie. Bomman hails from a family of mahouts. He took on the mantle after his fathers death. He is an expert in locating abandoned calves and uniting them with the herd, making him a favourite of the Tamil Nadu forest department. A few years before Raghu and subsequently Bellie and Ammu walked into his life, Bomman used to do odd jobs for the forest department; he had also separated from his first wife then. After Raghus arrival, his life changed, for the good. Raghu came to Bomman injured, covered in bites by stray dogs. He was rescued by forest officials from Denkanikottai, a semi-urban panchayat town near Krishnagiri in north Tamil Nadu in 2017. The calves get lost if they have an injury or cannot keep pace with the herd, says a forest official who cared for Raghu along with Bomman and Bellie at the elephant camp. Sometimes, after going deep into the forest, the mother elephant or the entire herd comes back to take the calf. Sometimes, the calf is abandoned. Raghu was one such abandoned calf, which got lost and then suffered injuries because of dog bites. In lockstep: Bomman and Bellie after meeting Chief Minister M.K. Stalin in Chennai | R.G. Sasthaa Bomman was asked to foster Raghu, but because he was grievously injured, he needed motherly care and psychological support. And so, Bellie was brought in to help. Bellies first husbandSennanused to help the forest department in carrying out the wildlife census. She had three childrena son and two daughters. Her husband was killed by a leopard in the forest. He died on the spot, says Manju, who was all of seven then. The leopard was sitting on a tree branch and he was standing under the tree. The leopard jumped on him and bit him in the neck. After his death, my mother raised us. Bellies other daughtermiddle childdied by suicide. She talked about losing her daughter in the documentary and how Raghu consoled her. Manju lives with her husband and daughter in Mudumalai. Her eyes light up when she talks about her daughter, who was in the documentary. Bellies elder son, Kaalan Sennan, works with the forest department at the Thepakkadu elephant camp. Today, both Bomman and Bellie have become elephant caretakers at the camp. I am happy with the work I do, says Bellie. And, it was while caring for Raghu and Ammu, who was brought to them in 2019, that love bloomed among the twotheir wedding was also part of the documentary. I have told him to do this job the forest department has given him, says Bellie. I told him that we can live together hereafter. As a mahout, Bomman knows well how to handle baby elephants. Under his care, Raghu and Ammu were fed milk and ragi balls as per the instruction of the veterinary doctors at the elephant camp. He would take them out on walks in the forest and also train them to live in the wild. Bellie initially had little knowledge about animals. Her first husbands death had scared and scarred her. But Raghu and Ammu healed hertoday, she is an expert in taking care of elephants. If the elephant is sick or down with fever, its eyes will water nonstop, she says. Its ears will turn warm. Elephants are just like human beings, and feel the same towards us like children feel for their parents. The elephants usually learn a lot from herd members. So the younger ones are tutored and trained like being in a herd. After three to four years the elephant is given from one mahout to another and then left in the forest, only if they are willing to go. Likewise, Raghu and Ammu are now with another mahout at the camp. When Raghu was handed over to another mahout, it broke Bellies heart. I was worried as Raghu got separated from me and was moved to the elephant camp, she says. He is my child. Raghu will recognise me wherever he is. And, Bellie had a short but emotional reunion with Raghu and Ammu before she came to Chennai. The forest department helped me in raising them and now when I wanted to see them they helped me again, she says. The bond that the couple have with the animals and with each other shone through in the documentary. Gonsalves, says Bomman, knew him for some time. She used to come to meet me, he says. One day she told me that she wants to film the way we raise the elephants. I said yes. He remembers how just five people would come and film whatever they were doing for a week. They will film us for a week, leave and then come back again, he recalls. Bellie says that they were filmed for nine months. I was as I used to be every day, she says. The elephant camp was set up in 1910 at Game Hut, where the Nilgiris begin, and then shifted to Thepakkadu in 1927. We have rescued 84 elephants at the Mudumalai camp since 1910. Fifty-one baby elephants have been rescued and reunited with the herd, says Supriya Sahu, additional chief secretary, department of environment, climate change and forests, Tamil Nadu. We roped in Bellie because we wanted to give motherly care to Raghu. Bomman and Bellie lived with the calf. And, our Mudumalai camp has the best mahouts and cavadis (assistants). On March 15, the state government announced Rs1 lakh each for the 91 mahouts and cavadis at the Theppakadu elephant camp and Kozhikamuthi elephant camp in Tamil Nadu. The Oscar is bringing more than just recognition to these elephant whisperers. London, Mar 21 (PTI) The UK police have launched an investigation after a man walking home from the mosque in Birmingham was set on fire by a male suspect. West Midlands Police, which is leading the investigation with the support of the Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU), said a man was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after the attack on Monday evening. The victim was taken to hospital with serious injuries, which are not believed to be life threatening. Our officers have been working through the night to establish what happened and who is responsible, Chief Superintendent Richard North, Commander at Birmingham police. We are taking this matter extremely seriously and are using all resources available to us. We are keeping an open mind to the motive of the attacker and we wont speculate further at this stage," he said. The victim was walking home from Dudley Road mosque in the city, when he was approached by a man. He spoke to him briefly before spraying with an unknown substance and then his jacket was set alight, causing burns to his face, the police said. The West Midlands Police said it is examining CCTV and speaking to witnesses and urged the community to work with its officers to avoid any speculation at this stage. Extra officers have been patrolling the area to speak to the community and to provide reassurance. North said the forces investigation continues with support from Counter Terrorism Policing West Midlands CTU because of their specialist capabilities to help establish the circumstances surrounding the incident. We have officers patrolling the local area to reassure people and we are visiting local faith establishments to keep them informed, he added. Police are also looking into whether a similar attack in west London last month, where an 82-year-old man was set on fire outside a mosque, is linked. The Metropolitan Police previously said the London victim was set alight as he left the West London Islamic Centre at Singapore Road in the Ealing borough on February 27. Udaipur (Rajasthan), Mar 21 (PTI) A workshop on 'Non-Pricing Policy Levers to Support Sustainable Investment' was organised on day one of a three-day meeting of the G20's Sustainable Finance Working Group here on Tuesday. This is the group's second meeting under India's presidency of the G20. A review of specific measures and experiences underlining the need for capacity building on regulatory measures in developing countries was presented at the meeting, according to a release. It mentioned that non-price-based policy levers have performed better than expectation and are cost-effective. The need to develop an ecosystem for green finance was also underscored. The role of financial disclosures requirement and financial strengthening was indicated, the release stated. 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 TikTok went on a counteroffensive Tuesday amid increasing Western pressure over cybersecurity and misinformation concerns, rolling out updated rules and standards for content as its CEO warned against a possible U.S. ban on the Chinese-owned video sharing app. CEO Shou Zi Chew is scheduled to appear Thursday before U.S. congressional lawmakers, who will grill him about the companys privacy and data-security practices and relationship with the Chinese government. Chew said in a TikTok video that the hearing comes at a pivotal moment for the company, after lawmakers introduced measures that would expand the Biden administrations authority to enact a U.S. ban on the app, which the CEO said more than 150 million Americans use. Some politicians have started talking about banning TikTok. Now this could take TikTok away from all 150 million of you, said Chew, who was dressed casually in jeans and blue hoodie, with the dome of the U.S. Capitol in Washington in the background. Ill be testifying before Congress this week to share all that were are doing to protect Americans using the app, he said. TikTok app has come under fire in the U.S., Europe and Asia-Pacific, where a growing number of governments have banned TikTok from devices used for official business over worries it poses risks to cybersecurity and data privacy or could be used to push pro-Beijing narratives and misinformation. So far, there is no evidence to suggest this has happened or that TikTok has turned over user data to the Chinese government, as some of its critics have argued it would do. Norway and the Netherlands on Tuesday warned apps like TikTok should not be installed on phones issued to government employees, both citing security or intelligence agencies. Theres a high risk if TikTok or Telegram are installed on devices that have access to internal digital infrastructure or services, Norways justice ministry said, without providing further details. TikTok also rolled out updated rules and standards for content and users in a reorganized set of community guidelines that include eight principles to guide content moderation decisions. These principles are based on our commitment to uphold human rights and aligned with international legal frameworks, said Julie de Bailliencourt, TikToks global head of product policy. She said TikTok strives to be fair, protect human dignity and balance freedom of expression with preventing harm. The guidelines, which take effect April 21, were repackaged from TikToks existing rules with extra details and explanations. Among the more significant changes are additional details about its restrictions on deepfakes, also known as synthetic media created by artificial intelligence technology. TikTok more clearly spells out its policy, saying all deepfakes or manipulated content that show realistic scenes must be labeled to indicate theyre fake or altered in some way. TikTok had previously banned deepfakes that mislead viewers about real-world events and cause harm. Its updated guidelines say deepfakes of private figures and young people are also not allowed. Deepfakes of public figures are OK in certain contexts, such as for artistic or educational content, but not for political or commercial endorsements. (AP) In conversation with Agro TimesWagner Yanaguizawa, animal protein economic analyst at Rabobank said that Brazil has never had such a high risk for avian flu. The expert also said that, at the moment, the beef embargo on China has not resulted in significant impacts on chicken meat prices. The big point of attention for chicken meat is the issue of avian flu. These are unprecedented cases in South America that started at the end of October 2022, we already have 9 countries affected, Chile, Bolivia and Argentina have already registered cases in commercial farms and suspended exports, and Brazil has never been at such a high risk of entry of this virus in national territory, he warns. Still, the Rabobank does not work with the entry of the virus into the industry. Our production, which is concentrated in the south of Brazil, has intensified animal health protocols in recent months. Even if some wild bird enters the country, this should not impact international production, but if it does, there will be a great impact on the price of all proteins, he adds. Exports This Monday (20) the Foreign Trade Secretariat (Secex) released data with poultry meat shipments in the third week of March. Exports of poultry meat and its edible offal, fresh, chilled or frozen from Brazil, yielded US$548.36 million in the first 13 working days of March, with a daily average of $42.18 million. The total quantity exported by the country reached 291,347 thousand tonswith a daily average of 22,411 thousand tons. The average price per ton was $1,882.20. Compared to March 2022, there was a 32.4% increase in the average daily value, a 28.2% gain in the average daily quantity and a 3.3% increase in the average price. The terrorist who seriously injured an Israeli-Arab in a bombing attack in northern Israel crossed the Lebanese border using a ladder to avoid being detected by the smart fence, the IDF revealed on Thursday. The terrorist was wearing explosives attached to his body as he crossed the border and was also carrying a large bag of equipment. He not only succeed in evading the border fences sensors but he also escaped the notice of IDF soldiers at nearby watchtowers. After the explosion at the Meggido Junction, Israeli security officials noticed that the bomb was similar to those used by terrorist groups against Israel in southern Lebanon prior to Israels withdrawal in 2000. A day after the attack, a little-known terrorist organization named Galil Forces the Lone Wolves, which is affiliated with Hezbollah, took credit for the attack. The IDF announced on Monday evening that the military investigation has ruled out the possibility that the terrorist crossed into Israel through a terror tunnel. The IDF continues to study and investigate the incident in order to draw the necessary operational conclusions, the army stated. (YWN Israel Desk Jerusalem) Sponsored Content One morning, 7-year-old Blimi woke up to find herself in the hospital. Shed been completely healthy, until a recurring pain above her eye and sudden blurred vision led her mother to take her to an eye doctor. A series of tests revealed a blocked vein that can burst at any moment and leave her blindor comatose!forever! The doctors unanimously concur that Blimi requires an urgent catheterization of the brain, and in Israel, the chances of success are virtually none. Blimis only chance is to travel immediately to the United States for emergency surgery. At home, the family is in a state of shock and terror. Her parents have always struggled to make ends meet, but now theyre facing an impossible expense. Klal Yisrael is joining forces to save Blimis life! We cant refuse the pleas of a little girl who just wants to live! Save Blimi now! Shell has revived the sale of its stake in a controversial Berlin oil refinery. The PCK Schwedt refinery is Germanys fourth-largest and supplies 90 per cent of Berlins fuel. The German government took over control of the refinery from Russian-state oil giant Rosneft last year. Shell had originally put its 37.5 per cent stake up for sale back in 2021. Russia links: The German government took over control of the PCK Schwedt refinery from Russian-state oil giant Rosneft last year. Shell originally put its 37.5% stake up for sale in 2021 But the process was scuppered by uncertainty over the future of the refinery after Russias invasion of Ukraine last February. The sales relaunch was made possible after the German government last September put the German unit of Rosneft under a trusteeship as part of a wave of European sanctions on Russia following Moscows invasion. That included Rosnefts 54.17 per cent of the Schwedt refinery. Shell is understood to have shared information about the refinerys operations, costs and revenues with potential buyers. The refinery has operated at a reduced rate in recent months as it struggles to replace crude oil supplies delivered from Russia through the Druzhba pipeline, which were halted as part of the EU sanctions. ALBANY A dispute between satellite and digital carrier DirecTV and a local Fox affiliate, which blacked out the World Series and Super Bowl, has landed in federal court. In a complaint filed last week, DirecTV is suing Nexstar Media Group and affiliated broadcast companies White Knight and Mission Broadcasting, which carries Fox in the Capital Regions market. The El Segundo, Calif.-based DirecTV claims Nexstar is violating anti-trust laws with the help of White Knight and Mission Broadcasting. Mission and White Knight are now unlawfully coordinating with Nexstar to raise prices and extract supercompetitive retransmission consent fees from DIRECTV, reads the complaint filed in New Yorks Southern District court. The complaint acknowledges that the blackout of the local Fox affiliate, which started back in the fall, has prompted DirecTV customers to end their subscriptions and switch to other viewing options. The precise number of people who have quit DirecTV, however, is redacted in the legal complaint. While DirecTV provides service through satellite dishes, it also works like many other television streaming services, such as YouTubeTV, Hulu and Sling, to provide through an app what was previously only available as traditional cable programming. Satellite companies, like cable firms, bring their customers a variety of programming by paying retransmission fees to the content providers such as Fox or other networks. But Mission and White Knight are contending that Nexstar is asking too much for the content. The lawsuit provides a mini-window into how the complex satellite TV business works. In order to get around anti-trust laws regarding broadcasting, the Irving,Texas-based Nexstar works with sidecar networks, or smaller companies like White Knight or Mission. They are supposed to be independent although they work with larger firms like Nexstar to develop programming packages. The lawsuit alleges that the sidecars in this instance have become little more than subsidiaries of Nexstar. Mission and White Knight have entered into an agreement in which they have effectively relinquished decision-making authority to Nexstar, which has served as the ringleader of a conspiracy to harm competition and violate the antitrust laws, the lawsuit contends. DirecTV also complains that Nexstar has deployed a third party consultant to act as a go-between with the two parties, but that that individual appears to be favoring Nexstar in negotiations. The precise amount of money involved in these disputes isnt clear since those are proprietary figures to a certain extent. Directv Complaint by Karlin Rick on Scribd An estimate from Standard & Poors, reported earlier by the Fierce Video industry news site, estimated that the dispute is affecting 1.3 million viewers. They estimated that the White Knight and Mission companies brought in $178.1 million worth of retransmission fees in the impacted areas in 2022. Satellite providers paid between $4.25 and $6.25 per subscriber to carry the broadcasters' content. Nexstar said they are confident they will win in court, contending they've done nothing wrong. Nexstars shared services agreements with White Knight and Mission Broadcasting are in full compliance with FCC rules, and each station group independently negotiates its own retransmission consent agreements with its cable, satellite, and telco partners," Nexstar spokesman Gary Weitman said. "This lawsuit is without merit and Nexstar looks forward to prevailing in court. A Mission Broadcasting executive late last year said their costs for getting content have gone up sharply in recent years. That means they need to get more money from carriers like DirecTV. In addition to the Capital Region, the Wichita Falls, Texas-based Mission Broadcasting serves 25 other markets nationally. DirecTV also said that since 2006, the retransmission fees paid to companies like Nexstar have increased 5,770 percentfrom $214.6 million in 2006 to an estimated $12.6 billion in 2022. DirecTV concedes in the complaint that many of the satellite customers can get some content for free with an over-the-air antenna. The complaint didnt specify how many people use antennae. What was once a free product has become an increasingly costly burden on millions of American households, the complaint said. rkarlin@timesunion.com 518 454 5758 @RickKarlinTU COHOES The neighborhood of Ed Sokol's childhood was a lovely place. Across the street from his home was a hay field cut by a farmer up the hill. In the other direction, to the east, was marshland fed by a Salt Kill Creek where fish would jump and spawn. That world is gone, as are the fish. The marshland was decimated by Interstate 787. The field was turned into Saratoga Sites, a public housing complex. And the farm itself is now Norlite, an incinerator of hazardous waste that doubles as the bane of Sokol's existence. "I've experienced just about everything Norlite can give," the 89-year-old told me. "They've been very bad neighbors." The farm had already vanished when Sokol, then in his 20s and newly married, began building a home for his family on land gifted to him by his father. But the site that would become Norlite was just a small excavating outfit then. It didn't seem a reason to worry. By the 1960s, that had changed. Norlite, which opened in 1957, was covering the Cohoes neighborhood in dust from its piles of gravel and other aggregates. Ed and his wife Sylvia complained and even circulated petitions demanding the company clean up its act. But nobody seemed to take their complaints seriously. One time, Ed Sokol told me, a man from the state Department of Environmental Conservation arrived to set up what appeared to be an air filter on the Sokols' property and told Ed to call him if it turned black. When it quickly did, Ed called. The man retrieved the filter, left without saying a word and the Sokols never heard more, despite their phone calls. A pattern emerged. The state would show some interest in the complaints, promises would be made about how Norlite would be made to clean up its act, and yet nothing really would change as the Sokols continued living in the shadow of the smokestacks, raising their two children and doing their best to live the good life. It was in 1977 when Norlite started burning hazardous waste. Think about that. The state allowed a company to burn toxic materials in the midst of a Cohoes community that by then included residents of Saratoga Sites, built in the 1960s. Who was looking out for the plant's neighbors? The state certainly wasn't. It was like they didn't exist, or didn't matter. The decades passed, the complaints continued and Norlite frequently was cited for some environmental offense or another. In 2002, the company pleaded guilty to environmental crimes, after being caught dumping oil, diesel fuel and polluted water down a storm drain. That same year, the DEC fined the company for over 30 violations, mostly for sloppily handling hazardous waste. But from Ed and Sylvia's perspective, nothing changed. As Norlite kept on burning waste to produce its gravel, the couple says they lived with the silica dust that coated their windowsills and got into everything. With time, the Sokols would learn that silica dust exposure is linked to lung cancer, silicosis, kidney disease and other serious ailments. In recent years, with attention from Cohoes Mayor Bill Keeler, Norlite's alleged health impacts started to be taken more seriously, so much so that the Cohoes Housing Authority decided to move residents out of Saratoga Sites. The complex is mostly empty now, its windows eerily dark, and slated for demolition. But the Sokols and others in privately owned properties remain. "What about us?" Ed asked. "Who's protecting us?" The Sokols do not want to move. Ed built the ranch-style house with his own two hands. He and Sylvia raised children there and filled it with memories. Besides, why should they be the ones to go? They aren't causing problems. They were in the neighborhood first. Norlite, the Sokols say, should be shuttered. "We never would have built here if we'd known what would happen," Sylvia said. "We're too old to move now. We're stuck." A Norlite defender granted, there aren't many might suggest the Sokols themselves prove the plant isn't as hazardous. After all, the couple has lived near the plant since it opened all those years ago and yet here there are, approaching their 10th decade. When I mentioned that to Ed, he went to his living room window and pointed to several homes where cancer has struck. Those and other nearby cases, he believes, are illustrative of what some claim is a cancer cluster in the area. (Norlite denies the assertion.) Ed himself was recently diagnosed with multiple myeloma. "Is it because of Norlite? I don't know. But they don't know either," Ed said. "I don't want to see people lose their jobs but if a company is hurting people's health, they shouldn't be in business. They're there to make money, but we have to live, too. It just isn't right." Ed said that phrase it just isn't right repeatedly as we talked. Who could argue? Who with a straight face could suggest that Ed and Sylvia have been treated as they deserved, that their rights were respected, that they've been heard? Who would want to endure what they have? In February, Norlite and Attorney General Letitia James settled an injunction request filed part of an ongoing lawsuit claiming dust from the plant endangers public health. Per the deal, Norlite will install new air monitoring systems and implement other dust-control measures. "This agreement marks a new chapter for Norlite," company CEO Ghia Rossi said, before promising "additional steps that can and will be implemented to make sure the Cohoes facility is the gold standard for manufacturing and for community involvement." Let's hope so. But you can understand if Ed and Sylvia don't believe it. cchurchill@timesunion.com 518-454-5442 @chris_churchill This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Soumya Boutin grew up in a home with dirt floors. Her father worked multiple jobs. School was unpleasant. At times, the classroom scared her. In her small village in Morocco's Atlas Mountains, girls stopped attending school and were married around the time they turned 13. The teen girls had children shortly thereafter. Boutin, who is now a senior at Emma Willard School, was able to escape that life and move to America thanks to a chance meeting with an American orthopedic surgeon. She now loves school and wants to help young women in her home village through Soumya's Journey, a not-for-profit she officially launched this summer. So far, their fundraising has been done solely through word-of-mouth and the website, but they are looking to host events later this year. She's been invited to share her story and speak about the non-profit at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Berkshire Community College during their lecture series in April. "Something I really enjoyed at school (in the U.S.) was the way the teachers treated you like a human. Sadly, in the mountains, we don't laws that are in place, they are not really in practice and teachers would abuse children," Boutin recalled. "You would get hit if you got an answer wrong. So you would naturally not want to go to school and every day you would dread it." Here, said the Emma Willard student, she can have and express her opinion. She can talk with her friends without a teacher hitting her because she spoke while the teacher was lecturing, something American students surely take for granted. Boutin's life changed when she 5. She was playing outside with her younger brother, Mohammed, who was born with a genetic foot condition. He struggled to walk and Boutin took care of him. Dr. Pier Boutin, a Massachusetts-based orthopedic surgeon, was visiting Soumya's village with a friend. Boutin saw the children playing. Due to her line of work, Mohammed's condition caught the orthopedist's attention. This chance meeting was the start of a deep and life-changing relationship that would bond the two families permanently. With Boutin's assistance, Mohammed and his father made several trips to the U.S. to surgically repair the boy's feet. He's now a teenager and can walk without difficulty. The relationship also led Boutin who wrote a book about the experience, called The Little Mo Effect to adopt Soumya. During the process, Soumya's village teacher pulled Boutin aside and said "she's not very smart, not like her brother." The high school senior is now a U.S. citizen who excels academically at the private, all-girls boarding and day school in Troy. "When she came here, she adapted really quickly," said Boutin, who helped Soumya get caught up to her grade level by doing extra schoolwork at home. Math, she said, was the toughest. But they did it. Soumya is still in touch with her family in Morocco, speaking with her parents and siblings several times a week. The conditions in her village have not changed in the five years since Soumya's been gone, and she really wants to help break that cycle. Boutin shares the story of Soumya's cousin, Mouna. Mouna was the one person the village thought would make it through high school, Boutin said. Mouna was focused on school; she was bright and independent. Sometimes she didn't wear her hijab. And then Soumya learned that Mouna dropped out of school and got married. The culture pulled her out, Boutin said. "Soumya was devastated," said Boutin. "It was impetuous to really, really make a difference." Girls in Soumya's village marry as teens because they have no other choice. Leaving school at a young age means the girls have no marketable skills and cannot survive on their own. Families marry their daughters off believing it is what's best for their children in a community that is deeply impoverished. "They know she can't exist by herself," said Soumya, whose birth mother was married at 13 and had her first child at 15. "She needs it to be able to afford food." Soumya knows breaking cycles steeped in traditions more than a century old is not easy. But, with the help of her nonprofit's board of trustees, her mom, friends and staff at Emma Willard, she's giving it a try. The idea of Soumya's Journey came about when Soumya was about 13 and in the car with Boutin talking about several former classmates who were recently married. "I would think 'I don't know what to do about this'," Soumya said. "And I was heartbroken about it." Building a school has the potential to be the most-effective solution, Soumya said. It's a critical step in breaking the cycle. Most girls get married because they don't have anything else to do. Options are minimal, often nonexistent. But give these girls a continuing education one that focuses on math, science and language, as well as trades and they become less dependent on others. Soumya envisions a school that teaches coding and cosmetology, as well as other trades. "So the second they get out of there they graduate they can start their own businesses," she said. Not only would this help the young women, but it would also help the economy of the village. And, she adds, if girls could stay in school till they're 18, they wouldn't need to be married meaning the school would help break both the lack of education cycle, as well as teen marriage. "What Soumya is doing is impressive and amazing," said Xavier McKinzie, who works in college counseling as Soumya's adviser at Emma Willard. "We have had multiple conversations where I tell her that I am probably going to audit the classes she teaches in the future. It's at the point where I won't be surprised at the strides that she will go to." SCHENECTADY When the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany filed for Chapter 11 last week, it noted that its outstanding litigation with state Attorney General Letitia James and others over the collapse of the St. Clare's Hospital pension plan is not the reason it sought bankruptcy protection. Rather, it was the more than 440 lawsuits filed against the diocese under the state's Child Victims Act since 2019 50 of which have been settled that prompted the diocese to file for bankruptcy. The diocese does acknowledge the ongoing St. Clare's litigation, albeit briefly, in its bankruptcy papers filed March 15 in U.S. District Court in Albany. But the papers note that the St. Clare's cases, which have been consolidated in state Supreme Court in Schenectady for both discovery and trial, were "not a precipitating cause" of the bankruptcy. In fact, the diocese went out of its way to try to assure St. Clare's pensioners in a news release issued last week that the pension lawsuits are "not the diocese's purpose for filing" Chapter 11, although it will have the effect of putting the pension litigation on hold during the bankruptcy case. "The St. Clares pensioners are certainly close to my heart and, as I would do with anyone in a difficult situation, I offer my pastoral care," Albany Bishop Edward Scharfenberger said in a statement. The attorney general's office, which filed its lawsuit against the diocese regarding the collapsed pension last May, has declined multiple requests to comment on the church's bankruptcy filing and its impact on its case against St. Clare's. Some of the original St. Clare's pensioners who sued the diocese before the attorney general's office sued last year are represented by attorneys with the AARP Foundation, a charitable affiliate of the national nonprofit that advocates for senior citizens. "We are currently examining the impact of the dioceses bankruptcy petition on the case," said Bill Rivera, senior vice president of litigation for the AARP Foundation. "We will do everything we can to move forward as expeditiously as possible and minimize any further delays in getting the diocese to fulfill its promises to St. Clares retirees." The attorney general's lawsuit alleges that top officials with the Albany diocese, including former Bishop Howard J. Hubbard, had mismanaged the fund and falsely told the Internal Revenue Service that required annual contributions were being made to the pension plan. The complaint seeks restitution for the pensioners, whose fund was created in 1959, about a decade after the diocese co-founded the hospital. The attorney general's office launched an investigation of the matter about three years ago under pressure from state lawmakers. The office of state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli determined it had no authority to investigate the pension fund's collapse. The former hospital workers learned five years ago that their pensions would be sharply reduced or eliminated because the fund was wiped out by a $50 million shortfall that was attributed to the 2008 recession and the Catholic church's decision to stop funding it. The beneficiaries included laboratory technicians, nurses, orderlies, emergency medical technicians, and other staff members some with decades of work history at the hospital. The diocese closed St. Clare's Hospital in 2008, and Ellis Hospital acquired its assets as part of the statewide hospital consolidation program. More than half of the 1,100 St. Clare's pensioners have been told they won't get any of their pensions owed. The remainder will only get 70 percent of what they expected after the diocese stopped making payments into the fund and cancelled the pension's insurance, leaving the retirement plan with a shortfall of tens of millions of dollars. Colm Ryan, an attorney for St. Clare's Corp., the nonprofit that managed St. Clare's Hospital, wrote to state Supreme Court Justice Vincent Versaci on March 13, two days before the diocese filed for bankruptcy protection, asserting there was evidence that the attorneys general's office before James was elected to the position knew that the pension plan had a major shortfall prior to the hospital's closure. The attorney general's office oversees the regulation of nonprofits and charities in the state. Ryan said documents turned over by the attorney general's office have made clear that the office was aware prior to July 2010 that the St. Clares Retirement Income Plan was significantly underfunded. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate ALBANY The Upper Washington Neighborhood Association believes the developer looking to build an affordable housing development on Colvin Avenue is misrepresenting the groups position on the project as it seeks to gain support and financing. The council member for the area has introduced legislation that would rezone the property, as well as lots across the street. Missouri-based developer Vecino Group is looking to build a five-story, 187-unit affordable housing development that would include 57 units for veterans who have no permanent homes. The proposal is part of a larger redevelopment of an Armory Garage parking lot at 64 Colvin Ave. In a letter to the Vecino Group last month, the Upper Washington Neighborhood Association accused the developer of telling other organizations that the neighborhood supported the project. The neighborhood association has raised concerns about the project since it was first introduced last spring, including questions about the overall size and density of the project, as well as the impact on city services in the area. We do not believe the Vecino Group can support this project and we do not believe it is appropriate in our neighborhood, or anywhere in the city of Albany, the group wrote in a letter signed by Zachary Simpson, the association's president, and 12th Ward Councilman Hyde Clarke. Clarke, who represents the area, is pushing two ordinances that would change the zoning for several properties along Colvin Avenue near Central Avenue, including 64 Colvin Ave. One ordinance would change the zoning from mixed-use community urban to mixed-use neighborhood center." The second piece of legislation would impose a cap of one dwelling unit per 750 square feet of gross floor area for any land zoned mixed-use neighborhood center. In his memos attached to the legislation, Clarke says the changes better align the area with the rest of Colvin Avenue along Westland Hills park and with the citys 2030 plan. From a planning perspective and in accordance with the Albany 2030 Plan, Colvin Avenue is a walkable main street with a mix of business and medium density residential, Clarke wrote. The current zoning map utilizes the park entrance as a divide between two different zoning districts. The park entrance should not be a divide between neighborhoods, but a connection. The practical effect of the change, if approved, would force the developers to shrink it to match the proposed zoning change, including changing it from five floors to four. The change might also limit the number of units, a key point of contention by the neighborhood association. Bruce Adib-Yazdi, Vecino Groups project manager for the development, said they have reached out to the neighborhood group and tried to address their concerns as the project developed. Adib-Yazdi said he believes that depending on how the project is configured, they can still reach their desired units under the changes proposed by Clarke. In a recent letter to the neighborhood group, the developer sought to assuage some of the groups concerns about the projects size and potential impact on the surrounding area. We understand the stance of too many units, or too large of a footprint. With that, we are looking at design options to reduce the impact through building design, such as varying section heights between 3, 4 and 5 stories, Adib-Yazdi wrote. Vecino Group is still working to close on the property and is planning an open house discussion with the neighborhood group for later this month. The projects financing would mostly come through the states Housing Finance Agency. The developer is working with Albany Housing Coalition, which recently received a $1.4 million grant to help fund veteran services and rents for those units. The 57 veterans housing units would not be transitional housing, but would have year-long leases like other apartments. The rents for the remaining 130 units would be affordable housing. In addition to the proposed housing development, a separate developer is looking to open a self-storage facility on the site at the intersection of Colvin and Central avenues, along with a potential fast-food restaurant. ALBANY This fall, University at Albany is launching two new degree programs a Bachelor of Science in Nursing completion program and a Master of Science in Population Health Nursing to help alleviate the nurse shortage in New York. Nearly 30,000 registered nurse positions requiring a bachelors degree were posted throughout New York state in the 12 months leading up to October 2022. That demand comes amid a growing call for the nursing workforce to have a strong understanding of the social determinants of health and health equity, university officials said Monday. As one of the most diverse public research institutions in the country, UAlbany and its School of Public Health are uniquely positioned to fill this unmet need, according to UAlbany President Havidan Rodriguez. New York State is facing a severe shortage of health care providers, including nurses, Rodriguez said. Together with the fact that our states population is aging rapidly, with the proportion of New Yorkers in the 65+ age bracket the largest it has ever been, there is a critical and urgent need to bolster our health care workforce. "With the creation of the nursing program at UAlbany, we are poised to help solve the nursing shortage by providing a pathway for existing nurses to attain advanced degrees to expand their skillsets and career options. State initiatives to address the health care workforce shortage are also expected to drive interest in the nursing field over the next few years. Gov. Kathy Hochul last year announced a scholarship program for nurses, part of a broad effort to grow the state's health care workforce by 20 percent over the next five years. Registered nurses throughout the state will also soon be impacted by the BSN in 10 law. Passed in 2017, the law requires all registered nurses practicing in New York to obtain a baccalaureate degree in nursing within 10 years of obtaining their initial licensure. By 2027, when the first cohort of nurses reaches that deadline, the Capital Region is expected to see a surge in demand for degree-completion options, according to Mary Gallant, UAlbany's interim dean of the School of Public Health. Given that the Capital Region is home to numerous hospitals and medical facilities, there has long been high demand for a nursing program at UAlbany, Gallant said. Further, the pandemic has underscored the importance of a strong understanding of public health among those working in the health care field." The program will be led by Director and Professor Jessica Castner, who comes to UAlbany following a yearlong residency as the Distinguished Nurse Scholar-in-Residence at the National Academy of Medicine. Demand for health care workers is soaring, yet, in 2021, nursing schools across the country turned away 91,938 qualified applicants from baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs due to a shortage of faculty and other resources to accommodate them, Castner said. This shows that while demand for such programs is growing, our capacity to train nurses, as a nation, is insufficient. At UAlbany, we are ready to help fill this gap." Through the School of Public Health's partnership with the Department of Health, nursing students will have access to unique clinical placement opportunities related to public health and population health. By coordinating with nearby Hudson Valley Community College (HVCC), UAlbanys biggest transfer partner, the BSN completion program will give students graduating with their associate degree in nursing from HVCC a pathway to pursue bachelor's and master's degrees at UAlbany. Students of the program will have opportunities to undertake research alongside faculty who are leaders in their fields. Students will have the option to enroll in the completion program on a full- or part-time basis beginning this fall. Coursework completed during their nursing associate degree programs will be counted toward the BSN. ALBANY She was addicted to drugs and heard she could earn $1,000 a day as a sex worker in the Capital Region. But after only a few days work going on dates for Christopher Thomas in October 2019, the woman had seen enough and bolted back to Vermont, she testified Tuesday at Thomas sex trafficking trial in U.S. District Court in Albany. Because I wanted to go home and they were making me uncomfortable, the Rutland woman testified before U.S. District Judge Mae DAgostino. The woman was one of several witnesses including four former sex workers who testified against Thomas, who is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katherine Kopita and Rachel Williams. The 39-year-old Colonie man faces charges of sex trafficking of children, sexual exploitation of a child, coercion and enticement, conspiracy-related sex trafficking and prostitution charges, witness tampering and distribution of child pornography. During cross-examination, Thomas defense attorney John Wallenstein asked the Vermont woman: Isnt it a fact that you had a meltdown and ran out? Yeah, she responded in agreement. Earlier, the Vermont woman told jurors that in September 2019, she responded to Facebook messages which she believed came from Thomas. One message stated I want you!" Another said: Its money to be made. She responded in a message that she was down to work as an escort. A month later, she testified, Thomas assistant, Janell Grady, 26,known as "Nelly," who has since pleaded guilty to sex trafficking-related charges, picked her up in Vermont. She said Grady provided her with marijuana and ecstasy as they rode from Vermont to Thomas home on Richmond Street in Colonie. During the ride, two female sex workers appeared to be underage, she testified, drawing an objection from Wallenstein. The next day, the witness said, she learned the rules of the job. Thomas told her you cant say no to dates. The woman said she was allowed to keep half the money she was paid for sex, but that it did not go far because Thomas arranged for her to get crack cocaine, cocaine and ecstasy. Wallenstein grilled the woman about her addiction to crack cocaine, suggesting she would not have a clear memory of what happened. The attorney tried to suggest that someone other than Thomas had sent the Facebook messages. How much crack were you using at that time? the lawyer pressed. Every day, she said. Thats what addicts do. While acknowledging her memory was hazy, she said, "facts are still facts." The woman testified she has been clean from drugs for two years. Another witness, a woman originally from Troy, later testified that she agreed to become a sex worker for Thomas after she lost her apartment and he offered her a place to stay. She said she was told she could make $7,000 a week. She said on one occasion she saw Thomas hit Grady. Another woman, also from Vermont, said she was in a volatile situation in Schenectady when she agreed to work for Thomas. She said she believed she would be selling drugs but then learned she would be a sex worker. She said she was not paid for her work. The woman also said she saw Thomas physically assault Grady then tell her to mind my business or I would end up like her. The trial continues Wednesday. For Tim Burton, who signed a three-year employment agreement with the city of Helena on March 13 to be its next city manager, one of the most important tasks ahead is continuing to "create a culture where family actually is the priority." While seated in his City-County Building office overlooking the southern end of Last Chance Gulch, the 63-year-old Burton expounded upon fostering a family-first mindset with the understanding that hundreds of employees have pressing obligations at home. "Especially with day care as challenging as it is to find," he said. But one doesn't need to look hard to see that sentiment permeate the day-to-day dealings with staff. "The atmosphere in that building is so encouraging," Helena Mayor Wilmot Collins said. City Commissioner Sean Logan said just walk into any meeting with city administrators and "you can just see they're a pretty happy group, and they're a group who works well together, and that includes Tim being the leader of that group." Collins said he perceived the staff was concerned the city commission might not select Burton and have to work through yet another regime change. "We wanted some peace of mind for our employees," Collins said. Helena Public Works Director Ryan Leland, one of the most senior city administrators, was hired as a city engineer by Burton during Burton's first stint as Helena's city manager from 2000 to 2009. Leland said having worked under Burton previously, he knew what to expect and now fellow city employees "see what it can be like and are breathing a sigh of relief." He said that relief was felt almost immediately with Burton's hiring on an interim basis in April of 2022 and not only among staff. "He calmed everyone down," Leland said. "You could see the commission kind of relax. ... It was a good feeling." The commissioners and Burton met shortly after he was hired on an interim basis in 2022 to hash out priorities for the temporary gig. They came up with stabilizing operations, presenting a balanced budget and reviewing city systems and capital improvement plans. He exceeded expectations. Within weeks, Burton hired a director of community development and a city attorney. He later hired chiefs of the police and fire departments. He generated comprehensive capital improvement plans for each department, detailing existing assets, needs and long-range plans to meet those needs. He also delivered a balanced budget within the first six months as interim city manager. "Last year's budget season was the best I've ever participated in," Logan said. Logan headed the subcommittee created to assist the city in finding a city manager for the seventh time since the departure of Ron Alles in 2018. He said the city historically relied on its human resources department to conduct all hiring processes, but as its operations grew larger and more complex, the need to bring in a third-party consultant to help land as talented an employee as it needed became apparent. However the city was less than satisfied with results of previous consultants, as evidenced by the abrupt departures of former City Managers Ana Cortez in 2020 and Rachel Harlow-Schalk in 2022, and Logan said leadership wanted to "use a local firm that knew the community" in this latest attempt. To the tune of $150 an hour, Helena-based Communication and Management Services helped shepherd the city commission through the entire hiring, from writing the job listing to orchestrating a thorough public interview process involving not only the city commission, but also its leadership team and Helena Citizens' Council. Collins said the firm did an "exceptional job." "CMS proved their worth," he said. City spokesman Jacob Garcin said the city paid CMS $21,137 for its work. CMS also did a survey of city staff and commissioners to catalogue issues and concerns with previous hiring processes and recommendations regarding the selection criteria and process for the new city manager hire. The survey results were compiled in a report given to the subcommittee in October. Collins and Logan, as well as City Commissioners Melinda Reed and Emily Dean, were surveyed. Department heads and staff surveyed included Police Chief Brett Petty, Fire Chief Jon Campbell, Clerk of the Commission Dannai Clayborn, Human Resources Director Renee McMahon and Leland, among others. The report states most city commissioners expressed concerns about a "lack of understanding or agreement on what the city needs in a city manager during (the hiring) process." One unnamed commissioner referencing the previous city manager hiring process stated "the two top candidates had divergent backgrounds, approaches and characteristics 'two quite different people,'" according to the report. Department heads surveyed indicated they felt "previous recruitment processes were adequate," and that "the selection process is transparent and provides opportunities for input by city employees and citizens." Logan said the survey was crucial. "They made the recommendation early on to do the assessment of the previous two hires," Logan said. "That helped them and us build a better process." CMS Managing Consultant Jim Kerins said that early reconnaissance was critical to ensuring the forthcoming processes' success. "It was less a look back and more of an assessment of what everyone's needs were," Kerins said. "It really laid out elements of success for the job, and we used that as criteria for the selection process." He said "by design," it was set up as a process "the city can take and use." Logan and Dean have said they both hope to see the process replicated in future big-ticket hires. Kerins said it was the commission's dedication to the process that truly made it a success. "I was so impressed with how the commission was engaged, deliberate and thoughtful throughout the process," he said. "Hiring a city manager is one of the most important things a city can do in this form of government, and I was pleased with the level of effort our elected officials put into it." Former Montana governor and local bar owner Steve Bullock said that what the city got for its effort is a city manager who is "deeply invested and passionate about his work, but is measured and consistently keeps his cool; a trait that is not always easy to maintain while working in upper-level government positions." Burton worked as Bullock's chief of staff during Bullock's time as attorney general and governor. "Having worked at the highest levels of state government and leading the League of Cities and Towns, he brings even greater experience than when he first served as city manager," Bullock said. "And, in speaking with him since, he maintains the same degree of excitement and enthusiasm about the city manager position as when I recruited him away from the city the first time." Burton, whose annual salary is $180,000, said though "the world has changed around us" since last he held the position more than a decade ago, "the mission of the city is the same." The city still has to provide clean drinking water and an able police force. But the changes bring along new challenges, and Burton said one of staff's core responsibilities is "ensuring the commissioners are as informed as they can be when they go across the hall to take a vote." He said leveraging "strong strategic partnerships" to solve some of the largest issues such as the unsheltered population, housing shortage and scarce child care options will also be critical as those partners "have much more expertise than the city." Burton's new list of priorities as the full-time city manager "are established by the mayor and commission," but that he believes those priorities will look similar to those a year ago, continued stabilization efforts and another balanced budget for fiscal year 2024. Issues such as housing and child care will also continue to be a concern for the commission going forward, Burton said. His trick to taking care of the big things is often to take care of the little things. Leland said he believes with a city manager in place for the next three years, the city can begin to reestablish processes for things like departmental budgeting and development within the city, "so everyone knows what to expect." He said those types of processes fell to the wayside over a tumultuous past few years with little administrative stability. By taking care of the little things like that -- securing water rights needed for municipal growth, ensuring a predictable process for developers and treating those around him with a familial respect -- Burton has faith his community can work through the big things like a housing shortage. "We're not alone in finding our way through this," Burton said. So, once again, the Lake George Park Commission wants to try out an aquatic herbicide in The Queen of Americas Lakes something thats never been done before. And a compliant Adirondack Park Agency was poised to let it do just that before a judge stopped the APA from cutting corners on its own review process. We cant seem to say this enough: One of the nations most pristine lakes is not the appropriate place for a chemistry experiment that could risk its water quality and all that depends on it. Were well aware that the manufacturer of ProcellaCOR and the commission say they are convinced of the safety of this treatment for Eurasian watermilfoil, and that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency agrees. And yes, the invasive plant represents a threat of its own to the quality of the lake. And yes, mechanical removal of the plant is labor-intensive, and a costly and annually recurring expense. And yes, the commission only wants to see how the treatment performs on a trial basis in two locations on the lakes eastern shore. But were also well aware that a chemical dropped into a body of water doesnt just stay put. And that the EPA approved this product just five years ago. How many things were allowed to be dumped in lakes and rivers before their toxicity was understood? How may products did regulators say were acceptable in drinking water sources in seemingly small concentrations only to determine, after years of exposure, that they were wrong? A case in point is PFAS, or polyfluoroalkyl substances, used in a variety of applications including nonstick cookware and firefighting foam. The EPA last Tuesday proposed to drop its legally enforceable cap on PFAS from 70 parts per trillion in drinking water to just 4 ppt. It also recommended a nonenforceable limit of zero in some cases. Supposedly more cautious New York had a limit of 10 ppt. Thats small comfort to people in Hoosick Falls, where one of those substances, PFOA, was found in the drinking water thanks to a private citizen whose father had died of cancer. It took years to get the state to take meaningful public health action. Sign up for the Observation Deck newsletter Read the latest Times Union opinion, perspective and letters to the editor on Mondays by signing up for our Observation Deck newsletter. Whats particularly troubling in the Lake George matter is that the Adirondack Park Agency rubber-stamped the Lake George Park Commissions request without a required public hearing amid ongoing litigation brought by opponents of the herbicides use, no less. A state Supreme Court justice ruled March 3 that the APA should have held a public hearing before issuing the permit. That lapse turns out to be an ongoing dereliction by the APA, which the Adirondack Explorer reports has not held such public hearings in years. Gov. Kathy Hochul should put an end to this arrogant negligence. As for the herbicide plan, it should at the very least be open to public scrutiny and comment. And no action should be taken on the application while the Lake George Associations lawsuit proceeds. There is just too much at stake to rush a potential misstep in a lake on which so many people depend for drinking water and their livelihoods. ALBANY Thousands of advocates seeking to influence state lawmakers in the final days of budget negotiations poured into Albany on Tuesday in hopes their messages would resonate with Gov. Kathy Hochul and the Legislature. Special interest groups that flood the Capitol each spring on "lobby days" are part of an annual rite of passage during the legislative session, and an effort that often leaves many of the groups competing for attention from reporters and lawmakers as they scramble to make their pitches in an unoccupied stairwell, lobby or patch of grass outside. Health care rally Health care workers affiliated with 1199SEIU, a large and influential labor union representing hospital workers and other medical providers, ramped up the most forceful presence as they arrived in a fleet of buses on Tuesday morning and walked around the Capitol before descending State Street and filing into the MVP Arena for a more formal rally. The swarm of health care workers protested Medicaid cuts they said Hochul had promised would not affect their jobs, drawing an audience at their concert-like event that included Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Assembly Speaker Carl E. Heastie. The health care workers are still reeling from a pandemic exodus that saw many of their colleagues leaving jobs in nursing homes or hospitals as they endured burnout and low wages. Staffing levels in that sector have hit a crisis point and in the home care industry, for instance, workers have left in droves and are able to make more income in fast-food restaurants. Stewart-Cousins invoked her own involvement with the health care system while growing up in New York City and later caring for her mother, saying she is cognizant of their struggles. The Senate's one-house budget released earlier this month rebuked Hochul's proposed plan to raise Medicaid by 5 percent, saying that the amount was insufficient and that her plan would ultimately result in a net cost cut to medical providers. Their counter is to raise Medicaid rates by 10 percent. "I know what you do, I know what you need," Stewart-Cousins told the workers. "We have your back." The health care workers want Hochul and the Legislature to inject an additional $2.5 billion to close the Medicaid coverage gap, which advocates say is one of the widest in the country. They say that the gap short-circuits reimbursement rates, which in turn affects primarily safety-net medical providers in lower-income areas. Climate activists Blocks away from the arena, a contingent of climate activists walked to three banks in downtown Albany, calling on financial institutions to divest from the fossil fuel industry. The protest came a day after a United Nations climate report warned of irreversible damage by 2035 if the world does not significantly slash emissions the sort of dire prediction that has been made before. "If its wrong to wreck the planet, its wrong to profit from that wreckage," said Vanessa Arcara, co-founder of climate group Third Act. She urged financial institutions to hasten emissions-cutting measures by investing in energy-efficient companies and industries instead. Arts & Culture Around noon, a group supporting arts and culture programs gathered outside the Senate gallery on the fourth floor of the Capitol to seek millions of dollars to buttress and increase funding for those organizations across the state. As the rally unfolded an all-female quartet delivered a harmonious, a capella version of the Star Spangled Banner as their supporters cheered. They are pushing to restore staffing arts-education staffing positions at the state Education Department, $100 million for cultural capital projects and an increase in the baseline funding for the state Council on the Arts. Faith leaders As the quartet sang, faith leaders from across the state gathered on the other side of the Senate chamber near the Million Dollar Staircase for a news conference calling on the governor to fund efforts to help tenants and immigrants, including measures to battle homelessness and increase justice in housing courts. The rally was led by Rev. Peter Cook, executive director of the New York State Council of Churches, who addressed myriad issues he said need to be shored up by lawmakers. "We commend the governor for $1 billion in investment for asylum relief, most of that money is going towards New York City," he said. "Unfortunately, it only goes towards for temporary kinds of housing. There's very little money for asylum relief upstate, we need to change that." Assemblywoman Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas, among several lawmakers attending the rally, rattled off a list of priorities including preventative health care and helping impoverished undocumented residents. "But for me very personally, to fight for immigrant justice and immigrant health is central," she said. "It is smart economics. It is smart health policy, and is the right thing to do for New York state." Retail theft One floor below the faith leaders, supermarket owners and employees called for increased penalties for retail theft, an issue that is often discussed in the backdrop of the 2019 changes to the states bail laws. They said their workers fear violence and stores are enduring a loss in profits. The issue, they said, is an epidemic of petit larcenies, many of those crime being committed by the same individuals. Assemblyman Manny De Los Santos, D-Manhattan, said that retail workers should have the same protections afforded transit workers and first responders, who can now expect those who assault them to face stiffer penalties. "Retail workers should be put in the same category. They are no different," De Los Santos said. Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, D-Bronx, has backed the states changes to its bail laws and accused tabloids of fear mongering on the issue; but on retail theft, he said changes need to be made to the states bail law. "Every single day we are hearing more stories about workers being assaulted, people being shot and, of course, thefts," Dinowitz said. "This cannot go on." He proposes making assault against a retail worker a D-level felony. For those charged with stealing within two years of being convicted of petit larceny, the offense should be upgraded to grand larceny, a bail-eligible charge. The intent, according to his bill, is to "deter an increasingly common crime." During that rally on the third floor of the Capitol, the progressive lobbying group, Center for Community Alternatives, released a memo opposing the proposed changes. The memo was backed by other left-leaning groups, public defenders and the New York Civil Liberties Union. "Everybody deserves to be safe, regardless of their profession," reads the memo, which notes that those who have an open retail theft case and are charged again for retail theft are eligible to be held in jail pretrial following controversial revisions to the law passed last year. Mental health Earlier Tuesday, supporters pushing for cost-of-living wage adjustments for workers in the mental health and human services field filled "the well" of the Legislative Office Building. State Sen. Samra G. Brouk, D-Rochester, chair of the Senates Mental Health Committee, called for the 8.5 percent pay raise for workers, which the Senate included in its budget proposal at a $500 million additional cost to the governors proposal. Brouk also advocated for "Daniels Law," which would require a social worker to respond to someone in a mental health crisis, as opposed to just police handling the matter. While Brouk was discussing the proposal, a woman upset with the lawmaker yelled expletives at her, disrupting the rally. As the woman appeared to become more agitated, state troopers arrived and escorted her from the gathering and directed her to the Empire State Plaza concourse, where she walked away. Those in attendance applauded the police intervention and the rally continued. ALBANY New York's more than 81,000 volunteer firefighters save taxpayers an estimated $3.8 billion a year in wages and benefits at a time when their ranks are dwindling but recruitment efforts are being ramped up, according to a study released by the Firefighters Association of the State of New York. "Were just trying to show what the value of volunteer service is to the citizens of New York," said John S. D'Alessandro, the organization's secretary and a commissioner with the Halfmoon-Waterford Fire District in Saratoga County. D'Alessandro and other board members with the statewide association said the critical roles of volunteer emergency responders in most counties outside of New York City is often taken for granted and the study the group commissioned is part of an effort to educate the public "on the significant role that the volunteers play and the value that they bring ot the taxpayers." The analysis by Resolution Economics, Inc., which has a staff of economists and policy analysts, sought to measure the economic value of volunteer fire departments across New York. The study also estimated the costs of transforming all-volunteer fire departments outside of New York City to paid departments, which it pegged at $188 million a year in general operating costs and an additional $83.8 million annually to maintain equipment and structures. "Volunteer firefighters reduce municipal government expenses by eliminating the need to pay for career firefighter wages, benefits, and related costs," the study found. "Volunteer organizations engage in extensive fundraising, which avoids tax levies for purchasing, maintaining, and operating firefighting equipment. Municipalities do not need to spend funds on fire stations with living quarters or other structures, which saves them a full range of annual operating expenses such as administration and utility costs." In December, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a measure into law that allows taxing entities such as school districts and local government agencies to offer a 10 percent property tax credit to volunteer firefighters. But that also requires the recipient to choose between that tax benefit or a $200 income tax credit that was enacted 23 years ago a figure that has not been increased. "Here it is 2023 and and it's still at $200," said Edward Tase Jr., president of the state firefighters association. "Wed like to see that increased to $1,000. The cost of living has gone up drastically in the last 20 years." Another barrier for extending tax benefits to volunteer firefighters is that their ranks include many younger members who still live with their parents or pay rent and do not own property. Hochul announced in January that she would propose legislation to allow communities to pay "modest compensation" to eligible volunteer firefighters and use state funding to help cover costs associated with core training. The governor's office said volunteer departments serve about 9 million New Yorkers or roughly half the state's population. Most departments have reported a decrease in volunteers in recent years as calls for service increased nearly 30 percent between 1997 and 2000. That increase has triggered a significant uptick in mutual aid calls, in which departments must seek assistance from neighboring departments when battling fires or responding to other emergencies. New York saw a 151 percent increase in mutual-aid calls between 2000 and 2020, compared to a national increase of 61 percent over the same period. Tase has pledged to recruit 10,000 additional volunteers in firefighting and emergency responder ranks across the state in the next two years. "That was my goal when I took the presidency in August last year," he said. "Its a long stretch but it can be done." There are also a large number of volunteer firefighters who are over 50, and the ongoing recruitment efforts are seeking to offset the loss of active members who are leaving the ranks due to age. The study also examined response times for both urban and rural fire departments and, as expected, found that those organizations with fewer members took longer to response to emergencies. "The capacity of volunteer fire departments to ensure adequate fire protection coverage heavily relies on the availability of individuals who are willing and able to volunteer as firefighters," the study concluded. "The number of volunteers in a department significantly determines its ability to provide firefighting resources and respond to various types of other emergencies." Charles A. "Charlie" Dowd, Montanas last survivor of Pearl Harbor, has died. The longtime Anaconda resident died in his sleep after a brief illness on March 17. He was 99 and had been living at the Southwest Montana Veterans Home in Butte. Dowd was born in Rochester, New York on Dec. 23, 1923, to David Albert Dowd, a World War I veteran and Josepha Grace Hillen, according to an obituary posted by Longfellow Finnegan Riddle Funeral Home and Cremation Services at https://bit.ly/3yU8O1i. In March 1941 of his senior year in high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and was trained as a radioman. He was assigned to duty in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. According to an October 2021 story in The Montana Standard, Dowd had reported for duty at 11:30 p.m. on Dec. 6. He worked through the night at a radio-direction finder installation on Ford Island before returning to his barracks. He lay down on his bunk. Soon he would be aiming a rifle and firing some of the first shots of the Japanese air attack on Dec. 7, 1941, that would become Americas involvement in World War II. Dowd raced to a barracks window and saw a nearby patrol bomber hangar rise up in a huge ball of orange flame. A Navy chief asked for volunteers to race to a nearby armory for weapons. Dowd and radioman acquaintance Sam Jensen jumped into action. A man at the armory issued both Dowd and Jensen 1903 Springfield 30-06 rifles and bandoliers of brass cartridges. The two raced to the rooftop of an adjacent administration building and took kneeling firing positions. Dowd said they were about 50 yards from the USS California. Dowd said later that the adrenaline and rage he felt that morning conquered the fear he might have otherwise experienced. I didnt have any fear at the time, he said. We were angry. Thats why we were shooting at them. There were 2,403 service members and civilians who died that day, 14 of them were from Montana. The attack filled Dowd with resolve. He volunteered for any radioman duty he felt would keep him close to the action. Dowd served four years and 10 months in the Navy. His service during World War II earned him two Bronze Stars and other commendations. He returned to Rochester after the war and eventually moved to Florida, completed a college degree and taught building trades and industrial arts for 17 years before retiring and moved to Anaconda. I came out here for the hunting, for the fishing and the wilderness, he told the Montana Standard. Dowd returned to Pearl Harbor to commemorate the attacks 50th anniversary. He stood where he and Jensen had fired at Japanese aircraft flying by. This time, the emotion surfaced. They let me get back on the roof and I was crying. I was thinking about all the boys who were killed on that day. We were all boys. Accolades for Dowd came from Montana officials. Charlies story is a solemn reminder that freedom is never free and the price paid by the greatest generation is a debt that we will never be able to repay, Republican Sen. Steve Daines said. Heroes like Charlie Dowd are who make Montana the last best place. He will be missed greatly. Democratic Sen. Jon Tester praised Dowd as well. Charlie Dowds extraordinary courage at Pearl Harbor and exemplary service is what makes our country the greatest in the world, and we owe him a deep debt that can never be repaid, he said. A member of the 'Greatest Generation,' he proudly answered the call to service and was among the thousands of radiomen working all day and night transmitting and receiving messages to keep our nation safe, Tester said. He is one of Montanas very best, and he will be sorely missed. Dowd was secretary of the Anaconda Sportsmen's Club and the Outdoor writer for the Anaconda Leader newspaper with his byline "The Wild Side" by Charlie Dowd. After the death of his wife, Clara, in 2021 he became a resident in the Southwest Montana Veterans Home in Butte. After a brief illness, he died in his sleep on March 17. A funeral service for Dowd will be held 11 a.m. April 27 at Grace Baptist Church, 501 Cedar St., Anaconda. Visitation will take place prior to the service at 10 a.m. A graveside service will be held afterward in the Veteran's Section of New Hill Cemetery, Stumptown Road, Anaconda. A luncheon will be held at Grace Baptist Church after the graveside service. Longfellow Finnegan Riddle Funeral Home and Cremation Services is handling arrangements. Condolences to the family can be made at longfellowfinneganriddle.com. NAYPYIDAW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd March, 2023) Russian Prosecutor General Igor Krasnov has arrived on his first working visit to Myanmar, a Sputnik correspondent reported on Wednesday. Krasnov is scheduled to meet with Myanmar Minister of Legal Affairs and Attorney General Thida Oo and Prime Minister Min Aung Hlaing. During one of the meetings, the parties intend to sign a memorandum of cooperation. The verdicts handed down last week to two senior members of the independent Belarusian news website TUT.by were condemned by media as retaliation for truthful reporting. In a closed hearing in Minsk on Friday, a court convicted the websites editor-in-chief, Maryna Zolatava, of incitement and distributing material aimed at harming national security. The sites director, Lyudmila Chekina, was convicted of tax evasion, incitement and organizing the distribution of material aimed at harming national security. The journalists, who have both spent nearly two years in pre-trial detention, were each sentenced to 12 years in prison. Three other journalists from the website also faced trial but had left the country earlier. The news website reported extensively on the contested 2020 presidential election when President Alexander Lukashenko claimed victory and opposition candidates were detained or forced to flee. Since 2020, TUT.by and its staff have been harassed, the newsroom raided, and access to its website blocked as part of what analysts say is Lukashenkos wider crackdown on opposition voices. Authorities labeled the TUT.by site an extremist organization and many of its journalists have gone into exile. The Belarus Embassy in Washington referred VOA to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Belarus. The ministry did not respond to VOAs email requesting comment. Lukashenko has said in interviews that reports on media jailings in Belarus are misinformed. He told The Associated Press in 2022, the law is one and it must be observed. Media condemn verdict TUT.by was one of the most popular independent news websites in Belarus. It really was the largest media in the country, covering up to 70% of the internet audience, the sites co-founder Kirill Voloshin told VOA. It was a real power, a real potential tool of influence and a real threat to Belarusian authorities." In general, Voloshin said, The courts [in Belarus] treat journalists very harshly and are doubly harsh toward journalists and TUT.BY managers. Voloshin is among the estimated 400 Belarusian journalists who have left the country since 2020. Many now live or work from Lithuania and Poland. The co-founder said he believes Fridays hearing was conducted behind closed doors because none of the allegations are true. He said he doesnt believe his colleagues will be released any time soon, adding, The number of political prisoners will soon exceed 1,500, or has already exceeded. There is even a Nobel laureate there, there are well-known human rights activists." Barys Haretski, the deputy chair of the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ), said he believes the verdict is retaliation for TUT.bys journalism. Dictators are always afraid of the light, and when some events take place in the country, and journalists cover them honestly, dictators really don't like it, he told VOA. Haretski said that many journalists had dreamed of working for TUT.by before it was forced out. Lukashenko is fighting any dissent, especially with such large and influential media as TUT.by, he said. Persecution spreads Zolatava and Chekina are among dozens of journalists to be detained in Belarus since 2020. The BAJ at the start of 2023 estimated that more than 30 journalists remained imprisoned for their work inside Belarus. Political analyst Alexander Klaskovsky described the sentences as cruel even when compared to the wider situation for Belarus media. Under Lukashenko, the independent press was simply denied the right to exist, the political observer said. Lukashenko and his government considers the uncontrolled media as one of its main enemies and therefore there is no mercy here, Klaskovsky said. There is also a cold calculation in this, because the authorities are methodically clearing the field of independent media. He noted the harassment of the few remaining publications. In March, at least seven journalists have been detained, and authorities have raided reporters homes as well as the office of a local newspaper, Infa-Kurjer. Media analyst Galina Sidorova said that Lukashenko and Russian President Vladimir Putin are both involved in the persecution of independent journalists and the suppression of freedom of speech. Sidorova is the co-founder of 19-29 Foundation, a community of investigative journalists. We must not forget that the Putin regime is waging an aggressive war, and the intensified repressions against journalists in Russia are connected precisely with this, she told VOA. She also believes the harsh response to TUT.by is linked to its popularity, especially during the contested 2020 presidential election in Belarus. The website had millions of visits, Sidorova said, adding that it was among the first media outlets that the authorities wanted to crack down on. She dismissed the charges against the websites journalists, saying, The reason for all these accusations was the same: their highly professional journalistic activity. Despite a difficult environment, Sidorova noted that journalists still report, adding that the media community is looking for ways to somehow work and convey independent information to our audience in this terrible and unbearable situation. This story originated in VOAs Russian Service Western experts analyzing North Koreas latest intercontinental ballistic missile tests are watching to see whether Pyongyang will follow up by firing an ICBM into the Pacific Ocean on a flat trajectory more like a real attack on the United States. Such a test would be intended to demonstrate North Koreas ability to reach the mainland United States with a nuclear weapon as well as to gauge whether the Biden administration would try to intercept it, the experts told VOAs Korean service. North Korea said it launched a Hwasong-17 ICBM on March 16 to "give a stronger warning" to the U.S. and South Korea, saying those nations were escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula with large-scale military drills. The allies were three days into their 11-day Freedom Shield live exercises that Pyongyang views as a rehearsal for an invasion. The Hwasong-17 was fired into space on a trajectory that sent it to over 6,000 kilometers in altitude and about 1,000 kilometers in distance before it splashed into the waters off North Koreas eastern coast, according to state media. North Korea has not conducted a full-range test of its ICBMs involving longer and lower flight paths as if they were aimed at a distant adversary. The country has tested them only on a lofted trajectory. Experts said North Korea may test fire either its Hwasong-17 or Hwasong-15 to full range into the Pacific Ocean to demonstrate its capability to target the United States. North Korea said it launched the Hwasong-15 ICBM in February. The Hwasong-17 has a maximum range of 15,000 kilometers, which means it is capable of hitting targets anywhere in the U.S. The Hwasong-15 has the range of about 13,000 kilometers, making it capable of reaching almost all of the continental U.S. Jonathan McDowell, a satellite and space expert at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, said, "It's quite likely they could do such a test." The astrophysicist continued to say that North Korea could test fire a Hwasong-17 into the Pacific, in international waters near Hawaii. Proving capability In December, Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, said the country could launch an ICBM on a high angle "to clear up" any "doubts" about its capability. In February, she said North Korea could use the Pacific Ocean as a "firing range" to aim its missiles. Bruce Bechtol, a former intelligence officer at the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency and now a professor at Angelo University in Texas, said the goal of undertaking a full-range ICBM test aimed at the Pacific would be to prove the missile has the capability of reaching the U.S. "What that does is it demonstrates definitively that North Korea has the capability to do what it claims it can do, which is firing a missile at a long enough range successfully that it could hit the United States," said Bechtol. "The Hwasong-15 and the Hwasong-17 serve one purpose and one purpose only, and that is to strike American territory." Decision to intercept Experts say President Joe Biden needs to decide whether to authorize an interception if North Korea fires an ICBM on an operational trajectory. Bruce Bennett, a senior defense analyst at the RAND Corporation, said it is uncertain "whether President Biden is prepared to do that after Kim Yo Jong said that would be an act of war." He continued, "We have to show North Korea that [it] can't keep doing these extreme provocations, but we can't be sure that President Biden would have the courage to do that." On March 7, Kim Yo Jong said, "It will be regarded as a clear declaration of war against the DPRK, in case such military response as interception takes place against our tests of strategic weapons that are conducted without being detrimental to the security of neighboring countries in the open waters and air which do not belong to the U.S. jurisdiction." The DPRK stands for North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. David Maxwell, vice president of the Center for Asia Pacific Strategy, said, "We may not have any missile defense assets in the proper location to shoot down a missile that is targeting the middle of the Pacific Ocean." Maxwell continued, "If it is not tracking to a target in the U.S. or allies' territory, we are unlikely to shoot it down because our defensive capabilities only extend to U.S. and allied territory." Where in Pacific Bennett said the U.S. is less likely to intercept a missile if North Korea launches it below the equator into the South Pacific. However, he said, "If it goes near Hawaii, the chance that it could be intercepted goes up a whole lot." He continued, "The U.S. would find some serious incentives for intercepting it because we don't know if it has a nuclear warhead on it. What happens if Kim decides to test his seventh nuclear test by putting it on a ballistic missile and shooting it out over the Pacific?" Maxwell said, "It is unlikely that we will know whether a missile is carrying a nuclear payload unless we have very good intelligence." Targeting a location in the ocean near Hawaii would demonstrate a range of only about 7,000 kilometers, Bennett said. French journalist Olivier Dubois returned home on Tuesday following nearly two years in captivity in the Sahel. He was greeted by his family and President Emmanuel Macron at an airport near Paris. Dubois, 48, and 61-year-old U.S. aid worker Jeffery Woodke, who was seized in southwest Niger in October 2016 arrived in the Niger capital, Niamey, on Monday after being freed. Dubois stepped off the plane at Villacoublay air base on Tuesday and went straight to hug family members waiting for him on the tarmac. Macron also embraced him in front of the cameras, in a brief break from domestic political turmoil over his government ramming through a divisive pensions reform. "Yesterday, I couldn't believe it when I landed at the airport [in Niamey], but it's starting to sink in," Dubois told AFP. "I was not mistreated, nor humiliated or hit," he said. "There were some tough moments, but not physically tough." 'Tired but I'm fine' Dubois was kidnapped in Mali on April 8, 2021. In a video released by his captors, Dubois said he was taken by the Support Group for Islam and Muslims, or GSIM, the main jihadist alliance in the Sahel, which is linked to Al-Qaeda. "I feel tired but I'm fine," he told journalists on Monday. "I want to pay tribute to Niger for its skills in this delicate mission and pay tribute to France, to all those who have helped me to be here today." Dubois had lived in Mali since 2015 and was freelancing for French daily Liberation when he was seized. Details of the two men's release remain unclear, although Woodke on Monday thanked the "Nigerian, American and French governments," telling journalists: "Vive la France." Niger Interior Minister Hamadou Souley, who was at Niamey airport, said: "The hostages were picked up safe and sound by the Nigerian authorities before being handed over to the French and American authorities." Christophe Deloire, who is the head of watchdog Reporters Without Borders, said Tuesday he did not know why Dubois had been freed "or why now." Dubois is believed to have been the last French citizen held hostage by a non-state actor following the release in Mali of aid worker Sophie Petronin in 2020. 'Nightmare is over' Paris considers six citizens officially confirmed to be behind bars in Iran as hostages of a state. "It's just incredible, it's something that we've been hoping for, for two years," the journalist's sister Canele Bernard told AFP on Monday. "The nightmare is over for him and for his family. He will be able to get on with living, although it will be hard for him to get over it." At Niamey airport on Monday, Woodke was at Dubois' side, leaning on a stick. Woodke was seized at gunpoint from his home in Abalak in the Tahoua region of southwestern Niger. He had served as a missionary and humanitarian aid worker in Niger for 32 years, according to a supporters' website. He was said to speak the local language Tamasheq fluently, as well as Fula and Arabic. U.S. President Joe Biden welcomed the freeing of Woodke and thanked the government of Niger, calling it "a critical partner in helping to secure his release." Other Western hostages The Sahel has been ravaged by a jihadist campaign that began in northern Mali in 2012. In 2015, the insurgency swept into neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger. The violence has killed thousands of people and displaced millions from their homes, and increased risks for journalists and humanitarian workers. Two International Committee of the Red Cross employees kidnapped in Mali earlier this year were released on Sunday. At least six other Western hostages are believed to still be held in the Sahel. Romanian mineworker Iulian Ghergut and elderly Australian surgeon Arthur Kenneth Elliott were both abducted in Burkina Faso, in 2015 and 2016, respectively. Armed men kidnapped an Italian couple and their child, as well as a Togolese national in southeastern Mali in May 2022. Italian media blamed the abductions on jihadists. German priest Hans-Joachim Lohre is believed to have been held hostage in Mali since late 2022. Niger is an important Western ally in the troubled region, hosting a French military base and a U.S. drone base. Iran's supreme leader on Tuesday said the Islamic republic is not "upset" with European nations and is ready to work with them if they do not "blindly follow U.S. policies." Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in a speech marking the Persian New Year, accused the United States and some European countries of being behind women-led Iranian protests that flared in September last year. Khamenei said the West had sought to isolate Iran to no avail, adding that "we have strengthened our ties with Asia 100 percent, and we will continue this." He said Iran's relationship with the West had "weakened," but "we are not upset with Europe and are ready to work with any European countries or governments that do not blindly follow U.S. policies." The European Union and Britain have imposed waves of sanctions on Iran over its response to the protests that erupted over the death of Mahsa Amini, a young Iranian Kurd, after her arrest for an alleged breach of Iran's dress code for women. Hundreds of people were killed, including dozens of security personnel, and thousands were arrested for taking part in what Iranian officials described as "riots" fomented by the United States and its allies. Khamenei said Western leaders had "supported the riots, which were represented by a small percentage of the Iranian nation," adding that Iran had shown it was strong in the face of "such an international conspiracy." The supreme leader also touched on Russia's invasion of Ukraine, denying Iran had any involvement in the conflict despite accusations by Kyiv and its allies that it has supplied Russia with kamikaze drones used to bomb civilian targets. "We decisively reject being present in the Ukraine war," he said. "The poor Ukrainian people are afflicted with problems, but the weapons-manufacturing factories of the U.S. are benefiting," he added. About 30,000 education workers backed by the teachers' union began a three-day strike in Los Angeles on Tuesday, canceling school for nearly half a million students at the second-largest school district in the United States. The Service Employees International Union Local 99 seeks to increase what it calls poverty wages that average $25,000 per year for many of their members, including school bus drivers, custodians, cafeteria workers and classroom assistants. Thousands of protesters gathered for a rally in the rain outside the Los Angeles Unified School District headquarters, vowing to continue picketing for the next two days. "We love our students, and we're here for the students. But if we can't properly take care of our kids, how can we properly come here and work as well?" Lynneier Boyd-Peterson, a striking bus driver, told KTLA 5 television news. She was one of the striking workers who marched in pouring rain under umbrellas early on Tuesday carrying signs reading "Respect Us!" at a school bus yard. The service workers are backed by the 35,000 members of the teachers' union United Teachers Los Angeles, which refused to cross their picket line. The work stoppage is the latest in a series of job actions by educators across the U.S. who have complained of burnout and low wages, leading to a teacher shortage in many parts of the country. The Los Angeles strike follows a six-day teachers' strike in 2019 and the coronavirus pandemic that closed in-classroom instruction for more than a year in 2020 and 2021. Los Angeles schools superintendent Alberto Carvalho has acknowledged workers have been underpaid for years and said he was committed to reaching a deal. The strike has disrupted classes for 420,000 students, many of whom also depend on schools for meals, counseling and other social services. The city opened dozens of meal and safe-place sites on Tuesday for students. "I will make sure the well-being of L.A. students always comes first as I continue to work with all parties to reach an agreement to reopen the schools and guarantee fair treatment of all LAUSD workers," Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement. The union, which said 96% of its membership had authorized the strike, is demanding a 30% salary increase plus an additional $2 per hour for the lowest-paid workers, the Los Angeles Times reported. Carvalho told reporters on Monday the district was offering a 23% raise plus a 3% bonus and that "there are still additional resources to put on the table." Education experts have been warning of staff burnout for years. Those concerns grew when the coronavirus pandemic put additional stress on teachers, many of whom left the profession for better pay in the private sector, where their skills and education were valued. "What's happening in L.A. is going to happen in all the major cities if we don't start doing something collectively as a nation," said Jamie Sears, a former third-grade teacher who now teaches a master class for educators. A Virginia man who assaulted police with a stolen baton and used a flashing strobe light to disorient officers trying to defend the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, was sentenced Tuesday to more than four years in prison. Geoffrey Sills of Mechanicsville, Virginia, was convicted of assault with a dangerous weapon, obstruction of Congress and robbery for his role in the violence at the Capitol's Lower West Terrace tunnel, where police were beaten and crushed as they tried to beat back the angry mob of President Donald Trump supporters. The 31-year-old has already served a year and a half behind bars since his June 2021 arrest. Sills who arrived at the Capitol with a gas mask and goggles threw several pole-like objects at police, stole a police baton from an officer and hit at least two officers with it, according to prosecutors. He also pointed a strobe light at a line of officers in the tunnel. Sills posted videos of his actions and others on social media that day before deleting his account, prosecutors say. In one post showing officers in riot gear Sills wrote: Visited the Capitol today. In another post depicting rioters flooding into the tunnel, he wrote: Took a tour. U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden found Sills guilty in August after a stipulated bench trial an unusual legal proceeding in which defendants do not admit guilt to charges but agree with the government that certain facts are true. Prosecutors had been seeking nine years behind bars, writing in court papers that Sills has expressed little remorse and contrition." Prosecutors argued that his social media posts were those of a man proud of his actions. Sills' attorney wrote in court papers that his client didn't come to Washington on January 6 with any intention to commit violence and had a gas mask and tactical gear only because he feared a terrorist attack. He did not arrive that day planning or expecting to wreak violence. There is no evidence that he injured anyone. He went because his President asked him to. Once there, he stepped into a maelstrom not of his making," attorney John Kiyonaga wrote. An email seeking comment was sent to Kiyonaga after sentencing. Sills is among roughly 1,000 people who have been charged with federal crimes in the riot that left dozens of police officers injured. More than 300 people have been charged with assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers, including more than 100 who have been charged with using a deadly or dangerous weapon or causing serious bodily injury. More than half the January 6 defendants have pleaded guilty, including more than 130 who have pleaded guilty to felony crimes. Of the 400 who have been sentenced, more than half have gotten terms of imprisonment ranging from seven days to 10 years, according to an Associated Press tally. Nigeria's two main opposition leaders on Tuesday filed petitions seeking to cancel results from last month's disputed presidential election, court papers showed, to begin what could be a legal battle lasting several months. There have been numerous legal challenges to the outcome of previous Nigerian presidential elections, but none has succeeded. Atiku Abubakar from the biggest opposition People's Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party's Peter Obi asked the Appeals Court to invalidate the election won by Bola Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) Party. The opposition leaders said in separate affidavits the election was fraught with irregularities and accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of breaching the law by failing to use electronic machines to upload polling station results, among other criticisms. Atiku and Obi asked for an order "canceling the presidential election" and for the INEC to conduct a fresh vote. Tinubu has defended the election as credible. Obi campaigned as an outsider, galvanized young and first-time voters and had appeared to throw the contest wide open, raising some voters' hopes for change after years of hardship and violence under outgoing President Muhammadu Buhari, 80, a former army general. But Obi came third behind Tinubu and Atiku, both of whom had powerful political machines and decades of networking behind them. The APC and PDP have between them governed Nigeria since the end of military rule in 1999. Election observers from the European Union, the Commonwealth and other groups reported a range of problems, among them failures in systems designed to prevent vote manipulation. The observers criticized the INEC for poor planning and voting delays, but they did not allege fraud. The commission itself apologized for the technical problems during the count. The Appeals Court has 180 days to hear and make a ruling on Obi's challenge. If a candidate is not satisfied with the outcome of the tribunal, they can approach the supreme court, which will deliberate on an appeal within 60 days. Nigeria's next president will be sworn in on May 29. Violence and voter intimidation marred last month's presidential vote as well as last weekend's governorship polls. Turnout was low, despite the highest number of registered voters, at 93 million. A bill that would block gender-affirming care for transgender minors was amended and passed along party lines by a committee Tuesday. The House Judiciary Committee voted 13-6 with Republicans in favor and Democrats opposed to advance Senate Bill 99 to the full House. Carried by Sen. John Fuller, R-Whitefish, the bill passed the Senate in the first half of the session, also largely along party lines. During two lengthy hearings, Fuller and supporters of the bill said it would protect children from life-altering medications and surgeries before they reach adulthood. The bill has seen strong opposition on grounds that it discriminates against transgender Montanans and tramples on parental rights and standards of medical care. Rep. Casey Knudsen, R-Malta, brought an amendment to the bill on Tuesday that removed language prohibiting the use of public funds for any facility that offers gender-affirming care, including those out of state. That would remove concerns that children seeking other medical care out of state could still access those resources. Democrats on the committee voted against amendments and the bill. It is hard to see exceptions based on politics being carved out of our core values of privacy and freedom, said Rep. SJ Howell, D-Missoula. Rep. Zooey Zephyr, D-Missoula, Montanas first openly transgender lawmaker, said denying minors access to care, or mandating they de-transition if currently receiving care, would be tantamount to torture. Rep. Braxton Mitchell, R-Columbia Falls, was the lone Republican to speak in favor of the bill Tuesday, echoing opponents about protecting children from life-altering decisions and saying it is urgently needed due to an increase in young people identifying as transgender. A bill that would strip the requirement that the Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction be a certified teacher is nearing passage in the Legislature. The Senate on Tuesday voted nearly along party lines 32-18 to give initial approval to House Bill 181. The bill already passed the House on a vote of 67-31 and requires one final vote in the Senate to move on to the governor. HB 181 from Rep. Linda Reksten, R-Polson, would remove the requirement that the superintendent hold a degree applicable to the board of education for teacher certification. The bill has been amended from its original version to require at least a bachelors degree. Sen. Dan Solomon, R-Ronan, carried the bill on the Senate floor. The position has always entailed having a teachers certification, in other words a union member, in other words a teacher, he told the Senate. The bill would open up the opportunity to someone from another background such as business that may have more experience running an operation with a large budget, he added. The bill does require a superintendent without at least five years of teaching experience to hire a deputy with those qualifications. The bill was opposed by Sen. Edie McClafferty, D-Butte, who said a superintendent should have teaching experience to adequately understand what is happening in classrooms. Too often, teachers voices are left out of the policy discussions that affect them, she said. A bill granting investigators under the State Lottery peace officer status was summarily voted down by the Senate on Tuesday. House Bill 480 from Rep. Neil Duram, R-Eureka, would designate the security division of the State Lottery a criminal justice agency, and provide investigators peace officer status, meaning they could carry a duty weapon and make arrests. The bill passed the House nearly unanimously. On the Senate floor, HB 480 quickly met bipartisan opposition, with senators from both parties voicing concerns about expanded law enforcement authority when the division already has a memorandum of understanding with the state justice department. HB 480 was voted down 10-40. A bill that its sponsor said would provide financial security for ambulance providers across the state had its first hearing in the House Human Services Committee on Tuesday. House Bill 828 is from Rep. Ed Buttrey, a Great Falls Republican. It came out of work from more than 70 organizations involved in or providing ambulance services, he said. Under the bill, ambulance services would pay a provider assessment fee that would go into a pot of money used to draw down additional matching funds from the federal government. That money would then be distributed back as supplemental payments to ambulance services. Buttrey stressed the bill would have no cost to state coffers. With passage of this bill, we can leverage provider and federal dollars to ensure that our ambulance services can cover their costs, and continue to provide valuable life-saving services to our constituents across Montana, Buttrey said. Several ambulance services across the state advocated for the bill, saying it would mean they can continue operating. Ambulance services, especially volunteer services, across Montana have struggled for years to recruit and retain people. Industry groups estimate turnover at about 20-30% and those who spoke Tuesday told stories about long travel Justin Grohs, the general manager and a paramedic at Great Falls Emergency Services, told lawmakers that when he picks up someone covered by Medicaid, his service is reimbursed at 40% below the actual cost. That level of reimbursement is really not sustainable, Grohs said. Cherie Taylor, the president of Logan Health Cutbank, told lawmakers that recently they could not get ground services in their area because of the shortage of providers and had to rely on someone from Conrad to pick up a patient who was struggling for their life. It was a very critical situation and the reason why we got into that situation was because our EMS was struggling with the reimbursement rates to keep it manned and available for those types of transportations, Taylor said. Montanas Medicaid director told the committee the match for the program would be about 65%. The committee did not take immediate action on the bill. TikTok went on a counteroffensive Tuesday amid increasing Western pressure over cybersecurity and misinformation concerns, rolling out updated rules and standards for content as its CEO warned against a possible U.S. ban on the Chinese-owned video-sharing app. CEO Shou Zi Chew is scheduled to appear Thursday before U.S. congressional lawmakers, who will grill him about the company's privacy and data-security practices and relationship with the Chinese government. Chew said in a TikTok video that the hearing "comes at a pivotal moment" for the company, after lawmakers introduced measures that would expand the Biden administration's authority to enact a U.S. ban on the app, which the CEO said more than 150 million Americans use. "Some politicians have started talking about banning TikTok. Now, this could take TikTok away from all 150 million of you," said Chew, who was dressed casually in jeans and a blue hoodie, with the dome of the U.S. Capitol in Washington in the background. "I'll be testifying before Congress this week to share all that we're doing to protect Americans using the app," he said. The TikTok app has come under fire in the U.S., Europe and Asia-Pacific, where a growing number of governments have banned TikTok from devices used for official business over worries it poses risks to cybersecurity and data privacy or could be used to push pro-Beijing narratives and misinformation. So far, there is no evidence to suggest this has happened or that TikTok has turned over user data to the Chinese government, as some of its critics have argued it would do. Norway and the Netherlands on Tuesday warned that apps like TikTok should not be installed on phones issued to government employees, both citing security or intelligence agencies. There's a "high risk" if TikTok or Telegram are installed on devices that have access to "internal digital infrastructure or services," Norway's Justice Ministry said without providing further details. TikTok also rolled out updated rules and standards for content and users in a reorganized set of community guidelines that include eight principles to guide content moderation decisions. "These principles are based on our commitment to uphold human rights and aligned with international legal frameworks," said Julie de Bailliencourt, TikTok's global head of product policy. She said TikTok strives to be fair, protect human dignity and balance freedom of expression with preventing harm. The guidelines, which take effect on April 21, were repackaged from TikTok's existing rules with extra details and explanations. Among the more significant changes are additional details about its restrictions on deepfakes, also known as synthetic media, created by artificial intelligence technology. TikTok more clearly spells out its policy, saying all deepfakes or manipulated content that show realistic scenes must be labeled to indicate they're fake or altered in some way. TikTok had previously banned deepfakes that mislead viewers about real-world events and cause harm. Its updated guidelines say deepfakes of private figures and young people are also not allowed. Deepfakes of public figures are OK in certain contexts, such as for artistic or educational content, but not for political or commercial endorsements. While Europe and the United States have welcomed large numbers of Ukrainian refugees, many of them are in Israel, living in legal limbo without official refugee status. Linda Gradstein reports from the Israeli port city of Haifa, where a group is offering the refugees help. VOA footage by Ricki Rosen. U.S. officials are reacting to the joint statement by China and Russia on the Russian war on Ukraine. A statement was issued Tuesday in Moscow, where Chinese President Xi Jinping held two days of talks with his host, Russian President Vladimir Putin. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby, at the White House press room lectern on Tuesday, said there is nothing from the talks and agreement between the Chinese and Russian leaders that gives hope the war in Ukraine is going to end any time soon. If China wants to play a constructive role here in this conflict, then they ought to press Russia to pull its troops out of Ukraine and Ukrainian sovereign territory, Kirby said. They should urge President Putin to cease bombing cities, hospitals and schools, to stop the war crimes and the atrocities and end the war today. Kirby added that while China should not be considered a neutral party, the United States has seen no indication the Chinese are poised to provide the Russians with lethal weapons. Days after Hanoi released its first white book on religious policies in 16 years, Vietnamese activists are pointing to its similarities to China's policies. The white book, Religion in Viet Nam, catalogs the religions practiced in the country and outlines the "comprehensive" policy of the Communist Party of Vietnam guaranteeing religious freedom. A white book gathers rules and standards often in the form of an official government report that takes its name from the binding color. Nguyen Tien Trong, deputy head of the government's Committee for Religious Affairs, said at a release event on March 10 that the government and the party consider religious freedom a basic right, according to local media coverage. Independent religious groups told VOA Vietnamese that the document was little more than a "wall curtain" hung to cover up the persistent violations of religious freedom after the U.S. put Vietnam on a Special Watch List (SWL) in December. The white book "is probably a way for the government to resist the recent designation of the U.S. State Department on the SWL list," Catholic priest Dinh Huu Thoai of the Redemptorist Church in Ba Ria Vung Tau told VOA last week during a telephone interview. "They can use this book to circumvent the world, to deceive international organizations." Dinh added that the book is "a beautiful wall curtain that they set up. ... It's not like that in reality." The U.S. State Department had no comment on the white book. The Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in December that the decision by the U.S. to put Vietnam on its special watch list on religious freedom is based on "unobjective assessment and inaccurate information regarding the situation of freedom of religion and belief in Vietnam." China's regulations require religious organizations to obtain government permission for nearly every aspect of their operations, submit to greater state supervision and register all clergy in a national database, according to a 2022 Congressional Research Service report. A similar law in Vietnam came into effect in early 2018 that required religious communities to register their organizations and their places of worship with the government as a prerequisite for religious activity, according to a 2019 United States Commission on International Religious Freedom USCIRF report. Dan Slater, the John Orin Murfin Professor of Political Science and director of the Weiser Center for Emerging Democracies at the University of Michigan, said, "I think that Vietnam (has) a pretty clear example in China where the authoritarianism and the religious repression go together," he said. "There aren't many sources as a potential anti-regime mobilization in Vietnam and religion is one of them, so they're going to be very allergic to religious expression in Vietnam, more so than a lot of other places in Southeast Asia," said Slater, who spoke with VOA Vietnamese at a virtual event on March 8 organized by USCIRF. It focused on the intersection of religious freedom and rising authoritarianism in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Vietnam is one of the group's 11 member nations Thich Khong Tanh, a member of the outlawed Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam, told VOA Vietnamese in a phone interview on Wednesday that "both countries crack down on independent religious groups." Thich, who was evicted from the Lien Tri Pagoda by Ho Chi Minh City authorities in 2016 before they demolished it, added "Government bodies in charge of religion in both China and Vietnam are headed by top Communist Party members." Le Minh Nguyen, who immigrated to the U.S. after the Vietnam War and now lives in Westminster, California, is the former chairman of the Tan Dai Viet political party in California a group that advocates for democracy in Vietnam. He told VOA Vietnamese via email that while the leaders of China and Vietnam fear any organized groups, they are especially wary of religious organizations with powerful leaders. "They fear civilization clashes in which religion plays a dominant role," said Le. "The Vietnamese Communists protect the regime by studying and following the example of the Chinese Communists, so it's not surprising that their policies of religious persecution have so much in common." Beijing has restricted all but a few approved religious groups by creating a high-tech surveillance state, utilizing facial recognition and artificial intelligence to monitor Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities, Christians, Tibetan Buddhists and other religions. "Vietnam's Communist leaders are as anti-religion as those in China but use more subtle and sophisticated approaches," Nguyen Dinh Thang, CEO of Boat People SOS, an NGO organization based in Virginia that advocates religious freedom in Vietnam, wrote to VOA Vietnamese on Thursday. Nguyen said substituting a state-condoned religion for an original practice is one of them. "Vietnam follows in the footsteps of China in outlawing genuine churches and creating impostors as substitutes." For example, in 1981 authorities outlawed the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam, which at the time represented Vietnam's majority religion. Most of its top leaders were sent to prison. In the same year, the government created the Buddhist Church of Vietnam, Nguyen said. Unrecognized religious groups in Vietnam, including Cao Dai, Hoa Hao, Christian and Buddhist groups, face constant surveillance, harassment and intimidation, according to a 2020 Human Rights Watch report. Followers of independent religious groups are subject to public criticism, forced renunciation of faith, detention, interrogation, torture and imprisonment. The government has shut down a spontaneous push to ban Nazi symbols nationwide after Opposition Leader Peter Dutton attempted to force a debate in federal parliament, backed by the Greens and a number of independents. Dutton moved to suspend normal parliamentary business so shadow attorney-general Julian Leeser, who is Jewish, could introduce a private members bill to ban swastikas, Nazi salutes and Nazi uniforms, among other associated symbols. The Victorian and NSW governments last year banned the public display of Nazi symbols, and on Monday the Victorian government pledged to ban the Nazi salute after dozens of black-clad people from the neo-Nazi group the National Socialist Network attended an anti-trans rights rally outside the states parliament on Saturday. Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull, the campaigner who led the Let Women Speak rally, is set to speak outside Parliament House in Canberra on Thursday. She has denied associating with neo-Nazis and criticised those men who attended. Australians strongly back the case for people to withdraw their superannuation for medical emergencies but most do not want the funds used to buy a home or pay a mortgage, highlighting a political clash on looming laws to set the purpose of $3.3 trillion in savings. Only 37 per cent of voters think super should be used for a deposit on a first home, despite a vigorous campaign for the idea since the Coalition unveiled the proposal at the last election and called for more freedom to tap into retirement accounts. Treasurer Jim Chalmers has unveiled plans to define the purpose of super in federal law. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen An exclusive survey conducted by Resolve Strategic for this masthead reveals low levels of support for other potential uses for super such as helping out relatives in need, which is backed by only 11 per cent of voters, and starting up a business, which is backed by 13 per cent. Treasurer Jim Chalmers has unveiled plans to define the purpose of super in federal law after years of dispute over the Morrison governments move to let people withdraw $38 billion from their retirement funds during the COVID-19 pandemic. Stockholm: A Swedish court has given Greta Thunberg and hundreds of other climate activists the go-ahead to proceed with a class action lawsuit against the Swedish state for insufficient climate policy. Swedish Thunberg, and 600 other young activists in a group called Aurora, launched proceedings in November, claiming the state had to do more to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius in order to live up to the European Convention on Human Rights. The group said on its website that the Swedish state does not treat the climate crisis as a crisis. It wants the court to decide that Sweden needs to cut emissions by at least 6.5-9.4 million tonnes of CO2 per year, counting from 2019. China. Love it or hate it. You cant live with it and you cant live without it. Some days farmers are shaking their fist in the air at the western horizon and other days are doing high-fives with the folks at the local Chinese restaurant, who will never know why. With Premier XI Jinping in Moscow consorting with Vladimir Putin, most news consumers have fears that nothing good will come about. And with computer chips that seemingly are grown only in Taiwan, the electronic world could end abruptly any given day. Agriculture is in the middle. From one day to the next, farmers are uncertain whether their day will be made or lost on what happens when China is in the sentence. With the COVID-inspired wreck of the supply chain, and skyrocketing shipping costs, American farmers suffered. Whether crop protection chemicals were made in China, or tractor and combine computer chips were made in Taiwan, farmers were hamstrung in their 24-hour effort to get crops planted, grown, and harvested. The shipping delays and international politics were both blamed. Last week, farmers were ecstatic when unexpectedly China generated as much fun as they could stand. Chinese corn buyers, absent from U.S. markets for eights months, suddenly appeared. Just like the Churchill Downs announcer on Derby Day would say, Heeeeere they come! Chinese corn buyers were in the starting gates each morning Tuesday through Friday. Eighty-three million bushels of U.S. corn were booked for export to China last week, the first such purchase since August of 2022. No one saw it coming, since China had been booking Brazilian corn for May delivery. That caused U.S. grain exporters to dust the cobwebs off their order sheets, and book ocean freighters that had been in drydock since last summer. Farmers loved that, and with the help of the 17-cent rally in corn futures, China was their new best friend. It needed hog and poultry feed. That corn rally did not extend into this week. Xi is in Moscow. Shaking hands. Smiling. And while he has more to think about than the price of corn in Chicago, farmers here are a lot more concerned about it than the price of eggs in China. When Xi returns to Beijing, he will meet next week with President Lula da Silva of Brazil, who is flying to China with an airplane load of 240 Brazilian business executives, 90 of them from agricultural companies in Brazil, wanting Chinas business. Heigh ho the Derry-o, a-courting we will go! Brazils new railroad, funded by China, from its grain belt to its shipping ports is complete. That is keeping China as the top market for Brazilian grain. What else does Lula da Silva want? China is also the top market for U.S. agriculture, but also for Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Indonesia, Argentina, Chile, Malaysia and Vietnam. A country that has over 1 billion people to feed is going to need food from global exporters; the United States included. China knows U.S. farmers are the best at what they do, but current politics prevents smiles and handshakes. WSU, Sonora Grill continue 10-year effort to provide scholarships for students March 14, 2023 OGDEN, Utah Sonora Grill in downtown Ogden will host its 10th annual Dining for Dollars event March 23 to support Weber State Universitys Oportunidad Scholarship Fund. One hundred percent of proceeds from the event are donated to the Oportunidad Scholarship, which offers support to low-income, first-generation college students and undocumented students who do not qualify for Federal Student Aid, grants or loans. In the last decade, Dining for Dollars has contributed nearly $200,000 to the scholarship fund. There are star students out there who, due to their circumstances, can sometimes slip through the cracks, said Steve Ballard, owner of Sonora Grill. Many of them would have won or qualified for scholarships, but because they dont live in the state or because they dont have residency, they dont qualify for aid and theyre forgotten. Jeff Hurst, interim vice president of WSUs Student Affairs said the Oportunidad Scholarship not only supports students who have limited opportunities for school funding, but it also creates a positive community partnership between Weber State and a leading Ogden business. This scholarship is how I invest in my community, Ballard said. Ive always felt for every dollar you invest in your business, you should invest $10 to support your community. Those wanting to support Weber State students can dine-in at Sonora Grill, order to-go at 801-393-1999 or thesonoragrill.com on March 23, or donate directly to weber.edu/Dining4Dollars. Sonora Grill is located at 2310 S. Kiesel Ave., Ogden. Spring break in Kenya: WSU interior design student brings vision to life March 15, 2023 OGDEN, Utah Sadie Wood spent her spring break in Taru, Kenya, building a community center that she helped design. My time in Kenya was life-altering, said Wood, an interior design student at Weber State University. It was nothing like what I expected it to be. The opportunity came after Wood won the WSU Interdisciplinary Design Charette, a 48-hour competition where students design a building for a nonprofit organization from top to bottom. Teams include students from Weber States interior design, building design and construction, and construction management programs. We had two days to design a community center from the ground up, Wood said. Our team was up until 2 or 3 a.m., and up again a few hours later thinking about square footage, layout, colors, cost and a million other things. Were all perfectionists, and we wanted our building to be the best. Woods team took first place with their design for a Kenya Keys community center in Taru. When designing the building, which houses a gathering area and library, the team took inspiration from Kenya's national flower and acacia trees. Each member of the winning team was awarded a $1,000 scholarship and the opportunity to travel to Kenya to participate in the construction of the building they designed. Wood and 30 other WSU students spent 10 days in Kenya. During that time, the team cut wood, mixed cement by hand, and placed bricks for the foundation of the new center, but Wood said her favorite part of her time abroad was visiting local schools and playing games with children. Wood will graduate with a bachelors degree in interior design in April. Shes considering careers in commercial and residential building design, and hopes to one day own an interior design company. She credits her success in the competition and the interior design program to her professors for encouraging and supporting her. All of the professors in the interior design department have always been so dedicated to helping me be a better designer, Wood said. Theyve not only had an impact on how I see design, but how I see the world. ALLENTOWN, Pa. - Some Allentown residents say they're fed up with the Allentown Parking Authority. Tuesday night, they packed the Americus Hotel to share their concerns and frustrations with members of the authority during a forum. More than 25 people spoke, and each person could take the podium for up to five minutes. The event, spanning almost three hours, was mostly cordial, but at times, community members got heated. "Parking Authority needs to be getting rid of. It's strictly out for money," said Dianna Nye, who lives on Turner Street. "We should all just go home right now. I believe we're wasting our time," said Victor Martinez, a resident. Martinez was among the people perplexed that city council members did not sit with the Allentown Parking Authority at the front of the room, but council president Daryl Hendricks did sit in the audience. Hendricks said the solicitor advised council against sitting together at the front. "We're here - not as officially on the board," said Hendricks. "I'm here because I'm concerned about how we're functioning, and I want to hear from the public." And people had plenty to say. "I can't afford to pay these tickets," said Cynthia Velez, who works for a mental health organization in the city and responds to different situations. "During my job, I'm getting these tickets. We work with mental health crisis. If somebody calls me, it can be any time, day or night." Velez says there is a warrant out for her arrest for the number of tickets that still need to be paid. "I have to watch everywhere I park, because it's reserved or it's this or it's that, but it's not marked that way," she said. Others also expressed frustration with what they call a lack of signage explaining the rules; some called for additional Spanish translations. In addition, people said they're receiving multiple tickets for single issues, like parking near a fire hydrant. "Some of the things that are not correct: The parking authority does not write the ordinance. Council does," said APA Executive Director John Morgan. "The parking ordinance can be changed." Residents are also taking issue with the times they're being ticketed. "They are excessively ticketing the citizens of Allentown," said Yamilett Gomez, a community ambassador who has lived in the city for decades. "Cut your hours down. We don't need 24 hours." Gomez passed around a petition in an effort to try and get the APA to scale back its hours; she wants the APA to end its round-the-clock coverage and, instead, begin enforcement at 8 a.m. and end ticketing at 6 p.m. She believes the authority could be "on call" in the remaining hours. "Hard workers.... They come home. They want to be able to park, go inside, cook and have dinner," stated Gomez. "They can't just relax. The city is crowded. There's barely any parking anywhere. "They need to maybe rewrite their ordinances and change their laws." Morgan says the APA was requested by the city - after it lost its dispatch center - to provide 24/7 coverage to help police and other first responders when there are parking issues and complaints. People claim the agency tries to get a certain number of tickets each month, but Morgan insists the authority has no quotas. "Sometimes at 2 o' clock in the morning people call and say, 'Someone's blocking my driveway. I have to get out,'" explained Morgan. Morgan added that people may think they are being singled out repeatedly, but he claims the APA is now fully staffed, with a workforce of more than 80 people. In previous years, he says the agency had just 40 workers on the streets, claiming the APA faced the same issues with recruiting and retaining staff as many other industries. Hendricks said the APA has a lot to consider when they are patrolling the streets. Public safety, he says, is forefront for them. "Parking in alleys, for instance," added Hendricks. "One thing they're not considering - and one thing we're looking into - is the safety factor of that. Fire trucks cannot go through alleys, emergency vehicles, ambulances and such. An alley is a street, and by code, we have to treat all streets in a like manner. In center city, you can't park in alleys. If you do that, they become impassable, so it's a balancing act here." Officials say there is a lot of confusion when it comes to parking and, with more people moving into the city, a lack of space. The authority is also in debt. They say they're looking at what can be done, including potential changes to the code and a study to alleviate the issues. "There's work that has to be done internally," added Morgan. "There are some things we heard that we did not expect, and those things will be addressed." Morgan says the APA will consider moving its board meetings to the evenings, so they can continue to receive as much feedback as was received at Americus Tuesday night. 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Questions If you have any questions about the terms of use, please contact Indiana Public Media. Weather Alert ...Gusty Winds and Elevated Fire Conditions Through This Afternoon... Gusty westerly winds will continue through this afternoon, sustained around 15 to 20 mph 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 of 15 to 25 percent are present across the region. This combination of winds and low humidity will lead to elevated fire weather concerns. Caution should be used in any outdoor burning. John McDonnell, former Labour shadow chancellor under Jeremy Corbyn and long-time head of the Socialist Campaign Group (SCG) of Labour MPs, has become one of the foremost supporters of NATOs war against Russia in Ukraine. A former backer of the Militant tendencynow split into the Socialist Party and the UK section of the International Marxist Tendencyand championed by the pseudo-left as a leading figure in Labours supposed left-wing transformation under Corbyn, McDonnells actions have exposed the myth of a socialist wing within the Labour Party. John McDonnell speaking at the People's Assembly rally in London. November 5, 2022 [Photo: WSWS] On the day of the Russian invasion, McDonnell tweeted his plan to attend a demonstration organised by the Ukraine Solidarity Campaign, where he would speak alongside the pro-NATO stooge Paul Mason. In April 2022, he commented in response to Labour leader Sir Keir Starmers attack on the Stop the War Coalition (STWC) and any affiliated Labour MPs, In the discussion of the war in Ukraine, nobody in the Labour Party I am aware of has asserted there has been any moral equivalence between Russia & NATO A commitment to NATO, has been Labour policy democratically determined by party conference & accepted by every Labour leader for inclusion in every Labour Manifesto, including by Jeremy Corbyn, since NATOs inception. Since then he has involved himself more and more deeply in a network of nominally left-wing groups supporting NATOs war effort, including Sotsialnyi Rukh (Social Movement) in Ukraine. An apologia for imperialist war On February 21 this year, McDonnell gave an account of his actions titled, The Ukrainian Question for Socialists.His arguments combine every lie and distortion used to justify support for the imperialist ambitions of the United States and its allies. His approach is deliberately superficial, giving no explanation of the origins of the war and doing his best to hide them. McDonnell's article, "The Ukrainian Question for Socialists" [Photo: screnshot/Labour Hub web site] Russias invasion is presented as the inevitable action of an imperial power, entirely cut off from its geopolitical context. McDonnell barely mentions either NATO or the United States, despite their shipment of billions of dollars of military aid, including advanced weaponry, extensive training of Ukrainian soldiers, deployment of special forces on the ground and implementation of sweeping economic sanctions. These actions prove that the war in Ukraine is a de facto war between NATO and Russia. It is a continuation and escalation of the 30 years of uninterrupted war waged by the US to assert its global hegemony following the dissolution of the Soviet Unionmost notably the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and proxy wars in Syria and Libya. As these operations floundered in the Middle East and northern Africa, NATO turned its attention to Ukraine as a staging ground for aggression against Russia. The US and the European powers backed the 2014 Maidan coup against the Russian-friendly government of Viktor Yanukovych, spearheaded by fascist groups like Svoboda and the Right Sectormany of which are now organised in the Ukrainian military. The imperialist powers then sponsored Ukraines war against the breakaway regions in the East of the country, with especially close family, cultural and historical ties to Russia. Extensively training and equipping Ukraines armed forces, NATO worked to integrate the country into its structures, while the US openly endorsed its plans to retake Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014 as a non-negotiable condition of its national security. All of this is falsified by McDonnell, who champions how Ukrainian socialists, anarchists and anti-fascists and independent trade unions aided the toppling of the corrupt Russian-backed presidency of Yanukovich while also opposing the growth of fascist groups. He invokes the illegal invasions and occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan and the bombing of Syria and Libya by the US and its alliesand his own show of opposition to Britains involvement made while never breaking with the warmongering Labour Partyto brand Russias invasion of Ukraine more of the same. With such a consistent track record of opposing illegal wars launched by imperial powers, it is completely understandable why I have opposed and condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine and why I have supported arming Ukrainians fighting the invasion of their country, he writes. This is a cynically misleading comparison. The Putin governments decision to invade Ukraine is a profoundly reactionary attempt to secure the position of Russias oligarchy vis a vis the imperialists at the cost of hundreds of thousands of Russian and Ukrainian workers lives. But it is not the action of an imperialist power. Putins disastrously misconceived intent was to blunt the impact of US aggression by winning a position from which to secure a deal with Washington. By contrast, the genuinely imperialist aims of the US and NATO are to inflict a crushing and destabilising defeat on Russia, creating the conditions to topple its government, if possible split up the country, and instal a puppet regime, giving the ruling classes of the imperialist powers unfettered access to its resources and geostrategic territory. There is no limit to the number of Russians and Ukrainians they would see dead to achieve this goal. It is not, as McDonnell claims, Ukraines self-determination being fought for, against its subjugation by an imperialist aggressor. The country is being swung like a club and it population used as cannon fodder against Russia by its imperialist master, the United States. McDonnell waves away these facts to set up the false dichotomy: support the Ukrainian or the Russian government. He writes, Ukrainians were faced with the realistic prospect of the subjugation of their country by an imperialist aggressor My Ukrainian socialist and trade unionist comrades, who believed in nothing more than internationalism, solidarity and peace, joined the territorial force to halt the aggressor. For those who question their decision, I simply ask the question what else could they do? There is not a trace of socialism in these words. The essential task of socialists in a war is to refuse to line up behind one or another national ruling class, to forge links between the working classes being set to slaughter one another and mobilise them against their governments. Helping the Zelensky regime win the war will not help to ensure that a peace is created based upon trade union rights, workers control and public ownership, in McDonnells fatuous words. It will strengthen the most ferociously anti-Russian, right-wing elements of the state and the armed forces, embolden NATO and either drive the Russian Federation of 140 million people to collapse and imperialist enslavement or the Russian government to escalate to a nuclear warif NATO does not do so first. When McDonnell speaks of Ukrainians right to defend themselves, he means the right of the Zelensky government to wage NATOs war down to the last Ukrainian. Moreover, he says this war should be fuelled by the supply of NATO weapons: I have supported the provision of arms to Ukrainians to maintain their defence of their country. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, right, meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Speaker's House in the Palace of Westminster, London, during his first visit to the UK since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Wednesday Feb. 8, 2023. [AP Photo/Stefan Rousseau/pool photo via AP] The devastating consequences of this position are buried under saccharine phrases. Weapons, McDonnell generously admits, are certain to be used. But this is a defensive war and the arms argued for are for defence. Elsewhere, For them this is a defensive war that if successful could force a negotiated settlement. And further, the Ukrainians need the weapons to defend themselves against renewed attack, if only to secure the breathing space for talks to start. NATO is backing Ukraine on the proviso that there must be no negotiated settlement, only a strategic defeat for Russia. The only thing each new shipment of arms has ensured is a future delivery of even more destructive weapons. Just how deceptive McDonnells words are was highlighted by a statement published by the Ukraine Solidarity Campaign on February 16, signed by McDonnell along with fellow Labour MPs Nadia Whittome, Clive Lewis, Rachael Maskell, Lloyd Russell-Moyle and Ian Lavery, and leaders of the GMB, ASLEF, PCS and NUM trade unions. Pro-NATO, anti-communist counter-demonstrators at a Stop the War rally led by gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell [Photo: WSWS] Going even further than the Tory government, they call for the gifting to Ukraine of all the surplus UK military equipment due to be replaced, especially the 79 Challenger tanks, 170 Scimitar reconnaissance vehicles, all Warrior infantry fighting vehicles, Typhoon fighter aircraft. The Putin government has repeatedly stated that it views the war in Ukraine as existential and has refused to rule out a nuclear first strike. NATO, up to its neck in the conflict, cannot be seen to lose and is led by the US which likewise is actively contemplating a pre-emptive (first strike) nuclear attack. McDonnell and Co are not just pro-imperialist, but pro-imperialist to the point of courting nuclear war. McDonnell, Corbynism and the official anti-war movement McDonnells unalloyed embrace of NATOs war is a devastating political exposure of those who championed his and Corbyns tenure at the head of the Labour Party or looked to them to provide the focal point of an anti-war movement. McDonnell was invited to speak at the Stop the War Coalitions first major rally on the war in Ukraine on March 2, 2022just four days after attending Paul Masons pro-war rally. He ultimately refused to appear, as did the Socialist Campaign Groups Diane Abbott, after Starmer issued an ultimatum against it, with McDonnell stating: People are dying on the streets of Ukrainian cities. This is not the time to be distracted by political arguments here. Now is the time to unite and do all we can to assist the people of Ukraine desperately seeking asylum and to do all we can to bring about peace. Nothing is more important at this time. Nothing should distract us from that. So I wont feed into that distraction by going tonight. He added, My final comment is that, in the wider context of securing a socialist Labour government, and possibly inspired by my team Liverpool at Wembley at the weekend, I do believe its important for socialists to stay on the pitch for as long as it takes. Starmer spared the STWCs blushes. McDonnell would have used the platform given to him to make the Ukraine Solidarity Campaigns pitch for NATO military support. For most of the intervening year, the STWC has observed a gentlemanly silence over McDonnells positions. It finally felt forced to respond with the release of his The Ukrainian Question for Socialists, publishing a piece by Stop the Wars vice-president, the Stalinist Andrew Murray, Dont back the Tories on Ukraine. Andrew Murray speaking at the Stop the War Coalition rally in London, February 25, 2023 [Photo: WSWS] Murrays is a Dear John letter, appealing to his better nature. It seeks to preserve McDonnells reputation as a left-wing figureand hence excuse Stop the Wars orientation to him and his fellow SCG warmongerswhile lightly chiding his embrace of pro-NATO forces. The article makes several correct points. That the Ukrainian regime has banned a host of left-wing parties, Collective bargaining agreements have been scrapped and the unions legal right to veto dismissals has been likewise abolished. And that this is a war which our own government is, in effect, fighting and NATO has a programme for prolonged war. The prospect is raised of NATO weapons being used to drive on to the Crimea and the Donbas, liberating people who, as The Economist has acknowledged, do not want to be liberated. Murray nonetheless absurdly accepts as good coin McDonnells argument that he is acting out of concern for Ukrainian socialists. His case boils down to one essential pointUkrainian socialists and trade unionists want the arms, so they should be given them. He lends this legitimacy with the comment, Ukrainian trade unionists and socialists have the right to form a bloc with this authoritarian government if they wish. The wayward John is offered the advice, He would rightly not give Sunak, Johnson or Truss a minutes credit on any other political issue. To assume that on the Ukraine war their policy somehow aligns with Ukrainian socialists and workers is illogical. But Murray does not provide an independent policy for Ukrainian, or any, workers. Rather, he implores McDonnell to recognise the alternative which John only acknowledges in passing. That is peace negotiations. That is the position championed by China, India, Brazil, South Africa even Saudi Arabia! Stop the War is fatally compromised by its political perspective. Opposed to a mobilisation of the working class, it advocates an end to war through a more judicious foreign policy, more multi-polar, pro-European and independent of the United States, to be pushed in Parliament by the Labour left. Previously its models were France and Germany, whose hesitations in the past over US-led wars from which they expected little gain were painted as a fundamental policy difference. The line-up of Paris and Berlin with Washington over Ukraine has only forced the STWC to look further afield. It has no such alternatives when it comes to British capitalist politicians. It should be remembered that until 2015, it was McDonnell who ran as the Socialist Campaign Groups left candidate for Labour leader, in both the 2007 and 2010 leadership election campaigns. Murray notes his high standing within the movement. Corbyn only took his place reluctantly after McDonnell demurred, and ending up elected on a swell of anti-Blairite sentiment and opposition to the crimes of British imperialism. Britains Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell, left, embraces Jeremy Corbyn, Leader of Britains main opposition Labour Party during his speech on stage during the Labour Party Conference at the Brighton Centre in Brighton, England, Monday, Sept. 23, 2019 [Photo: Kirsty Wigglesworth/WSWS] As McDonnell pointed out last April, this did not stop every Labour manifesto produced under Corbyns leadership containing a commitment to NATOand he could have added the Trident nuclear weapons system. While Corbyn has attended several Stop the War events since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, not one Labour Party member of the SCG has associated with the STWC or mentioned NATO critically since Starmers ultimatum was issued last spring. Half a dozen, with McDonnell in the lead, are actively working to provide a left face for NATOs war. Murray is forced to acknowledge in his article that McDonnells piece echoes points made in an open letter he and a few other Labour MPs signed last week [the February 16 Ukraine Solidarity Campaign statement]. The minimising phrase a few other Labour MPs hides the critical fact that there is no left-wing or anti-war faction within the Labour Party whatsoever; no one has challenged or will challenge Starmers party of NATO. Outside parliament, Momentuma members organisation set up to support Corbyns leadershiphas not posted on the issue since May 2022. This last word was an interview with academic David Wearing who says of NATOs military involvement in Ukraine: Theres been no groundswell of opposition to this from the left, and rightly so. Ukraine has no option but to defend itself militarily, it has the right to do so, and it has the right to seek the means of self-defence from the only sources credibly able to provide it, namely Russias Western adversaries. None of this is complicated and most of us understand it. An anti-war movement can only be built in a fight against the pro-imperialist Labour Party, including its misnamed left flank. That is the lesson of McDonnells comments which Stop the War refuses to acknowledge. It is the basis on which the Socialist Equality Party and the International Youth and Students for Social Equality are fighting to mobilise opposition in the working class and among young people. The official death toll of the two February 6 earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaras, which devastated both Turkey and Syria, has now passed 58,000. There are 50,096 confirmed fatalities in Turkey and 8,476 in Syria. On March 20, Vice President Fuat Oktay announced that 6,807 of those who died in Turkey were foreign nationals. The vast majority of these were Syrians who fled to Turkey to escape the war in their country. Istanbul, Turkey, viewed from Camlca Hill on the Asian side of the Bosphorus strait, November 2013. [Photo by Alexxx Malev / CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 The impact of the Kahramanmaras earthquake was enormous. After the first quake, nearly 14,000 aftershocks with magnitudes up to 6.7 occurred in the region. These earthquakes, centered in Kahramanmaras, affected 13.5 million people in Turkey over an area of 1,000 square kilometers. They were felt as far away as Lebanon, Cyprus, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Iran and Egypt, sending people into the streets to escape the threat of collapsing buildings. The devastation took on horrific proportions in 11 provinces in Turkey. Environment Minister Murat Kurum said that in cities affected by the quake, 279,000 buildings, with 821,302 independent sections, had collapsed or were moderately or heavily damaged or slated for demolition. In these regions, over 500,000 tents have been set up and more than 2 million people are still staying in tents. While over 40,000 people are trying to shelter in containers in the region, millions affected by the quake have had to leave the region to find shelter. Moreover, there are still problems in the earthquake zone in terms of access to tents, containers and basic necessities such as water, food, showers and toilets. Turkeys Justice and Development Party (AKP) government led by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on the other hand, is addressing the peoples housing problems in its campaigning for the May 14 elections as a servant of the profit interests of the ruling class. After saying that they had started building 27,253 apartments in 11 provinces affected by the earthquakes since February 21, Kurum said, We are planning the construction of 15,000 village houses together with our General Directorate of Construction Works in March. Again, together with the TOKI [Housing Development Administration], our General Directorate of Construction Works and Emlak Konut [Real Estate Investment Company], we will start the construction of 309,000 houses in the next 2 months. The ministry is awarding housing construction tenders to construction companies close to the government without regard for basic scientific criteria. Scientists are warning the government against starting construction of permanent housing while aftershocks continue in the earthquake zone. Without detailed ground surveys and a scientific study and urban planning, this simply creates conditions for new catastrophes. Moreover, concerns among the public and scientists about the Marmara earthquake, which could occur at any moment according to scientific data in Turkey, continue to increase. Scientific studies indicate that the Central Marmara Fault, which runs through the Sea of Marmara south of the metropolis of Istanbul, generates major earthquakes approximately every 250 years. The last major earthquake on this fault occurred in 1766. Moreover, since movements on the North Anatolian Fault in 1999, scientists have raised ever more urgent warnings that enormous stress has accumulated on the Central Marmara Fault. Dr. Dogan Kalafat, Director of the National Earthquake Monitoring Center (UDIM) at Bogazici Universitys Kandilli Observatory and Earthquake Research Institute, stated that the probability that a magnitude-7 earthquake will hit Istanbul before 2030 is 64 percent. It has a 75 percent chance of occurring in the next 50 years. Kalafat added that the probability of a major earthquake in Istanbul happening by 2090 is 95 percent. The catastrophic damage and loss of life caused by the earthquake in Kahramanmaras is a warning of what such a quake would do to Turkeys most populous and most industrially-developed region. In Istanbul (15,907,951), Kocaeli (2,079,072), Tekirdag (1,142,451), Bursa (3,194,720), Balkesir (1,257,590), Canakkale (559,383) and Yalova (296,333), a total of 24,437,500 people would be affected by an earthquake centered under the Marmara Sea. The provinces around the Marmara Sea contribute the most to Turkey's Gross National Product. Istanbul alone has a share of over 30 percent. The Marmara Region overall has the highest population density in Turkey. The results of an earthquake in such a region, whose building stock is not very different in terms of quality and resistance to earthquake damage from that in the Kahramanmaras region, would be especially devastating. On this issue, eyes turn to Ekrem Imamoglu, the Republican People's Partys (CHP) mayor of Istanbul, with this question: What has been done about Istanbul's earthquake preparedness? In an interview with journalist Ugur Dundar on TV100 last month, he spoke on preparations being made for an expected earthquake. When Dundar asked Is Istanbul ready for an earthquake, he replied: If we move at the past 20-year pace, we will need 100 years to solve Istanbuls problems. Imamoglus remarks blaming his predecessor, the AKP municipal administrations for decades, made clear that the government's grossly inadequate policies have led to tens of thousands of unnecessary deaths in the affected region. However, what Imamoglu has done on earthquake preparedness since his election in 2019 is also completely inadequate. On March 1, the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB) published its mobilization plan to turn Istanbul into an earthquake-resistant city. At the meeting, however, Imamoglu delivered an opening speech whose content was almost a confession of having done nothing since he took office in 2019. After the Turkish-Syrian quakes, he announced, the municipality's earthquake budget will be revised, in an admission that the previous levels of funding were inadequate. His proposals included establishing an earthquake council, identifying and preparing temporary shelter, laying foundations for the construction of affordable social housing, and increasing rapid inspections of buildings. He did not say why he waited for four years to begin such policies. There are, however, 1.17 million houses in Istanbul (255,000 built before 1980, 538,800 from 1980-2000, and 376,000 from 2000-2019). According to IBB rapid inspections, it is known that the concrete, iron and construction standards of houses built before 2000 cannot withstand a major earthquake. Thus, 793,800 houses need to be reinforced, or demolished and rebuilt. The most difficult question raised by Imamoglu's statements was about non-profit building reinforcement. This is a proposal for state authorities to help private citizens finance the reinforcement of their own homes, by ensuring that construction companies do the work at cost and do not make any profit on the reinforcement operations. However, it leaves private citizens to foot the entire bill for the earthquake reinforcement of their own homes. This sinister Non-profit building reinforcement scheme means the wealthy can reinforce their homes against earthquakes, while workers, who cannot afford to pay to rebuild their homes, are left to be wounded or killed if their houses collapse in the next earthquake. Workers and the urban poor do not know how they will cover the next days basic food expenditures, let alone pay to retrofit or renovate housing they live in. Taking out a loan for this would mean for most working people in Turkey being condemned to crippling debt for a lifetime. While Kurum has raised the state credit limit for urban transformation from 600,000 TL to 1.250.000 TL, this is not comforting news for workers. Indeed, if a minimum wage worker devotes his entire wage to loan repayment, he would repay a loan of 1,250,000 TL in 147 months. Finding the necessary resources to protect workers and the urban poor from earthquakes is a task that cannot be carried out within the confines of the capitalist market. It requires the mobilization of the working class in political struggle. Only the planned use of the vast social wealth and productive capacity created by world industry can build the earthquake-resistant housing that is critical to protect tens of millions of people in Turkey and internationally. Last weekend Kurt Campbell, national security coordinator in the Biden administration, visited New Zealand in a delegation that included US State and Defence Department officials and Coast Guard representatives. It was the first stop in a Pacific tour that has continued this week with visits to the Cook Islands, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands. Kurt Campbell, national security coordinator in the Biden administration. [AP Photo/Lai Seng Sin] Campbell met with New Zealand Defence Minister Andrew Little as part of the push to integrate the country more fully into the far-advanced US preparations for war against China. Driven by the worsening global economic crisis, US imperialism is rushing headlong into a war to redivide the world at the expense of both Russia and China. Senior US general Mike Minihan recently stated that he believes war with China is likely within two years. The NZ visit followed a meeting in San Diego between Biden and the Australian and UK prime ministers Anthony Albanese and Rishi Sunak, which confirmed that Australia will be supplied with nuclear-powered attack submarines as part of the anti-China AUKUS military pact. This has been accompanied by a militarist propaganda campaign from the Albanese government and the Australian media, with major newspapers calling for the reintroduction of conscription and even for Australia to acquire nuclear weapons. The US is clearly concerned that New Zealand, a partner in the US-led Five Eyes intelligence sharing network, has sought to distance itself from the more belligerent anti-China rhetoric. The previous National Party government and the current Labour-Greens government have expanded the economic relationship with Chinathe largest market for New Zealand exportswhile also strengthening military ties with the US. Wellington has sent troops to Iraq and Afghanistan, and is providing funding and training to Ukrainian forces for the US-NATO proxy war against Russia. Campbell told journalists in Wellington that the US was responding to an urgent set of security challenges in the Indo-Pacific, and like-minded countries are rallying independently to those challenges. He called for increased cooperation with New Zealand, saying: We will be announcing soon that we want to launch a bilateral engagement between the United States and New Zealand on technology, without going into any detail. Campbell said there was deep discussion with New Zealand about increasing US engagement in the Pacific region and that NZ could be involved in AUKUS. Again he did not elaborate on what this would look like. Clearly concerned to avoid antagonising China, New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins played down the significance of the talks. Asked what sort of involvement New Zealand could have in AUKUS, he told the media yesterday: I dont want to speculate on that while were continuing to have conversations. He added that New Zealands nuclear-free legislation was a pretty big stumbling block to us being involved in AUKUS as its currently framed. The legislation, introduced by the 1980s Labour government, prohibits the entry of nuclear-powered vessels into New Zealand waters. In fact, the nuclear-free policy was significantly undermined in 2016 when the then-National Party government invited a US navy warship to visit New Zealand for the first time in decades. The decision was supported by Labour and the Greens. The US military has a policy of not revealing whether its ships or aircraft are nuclear-armed. Moreover, as a member of the Five Eyes, New Zealands Waihopai spy base is integrated into US-led operations against China. Whistleblower Edward Snowden revealed that NZs Government Communications Security Bureau spies on China and other Asia-Pacific countries, feeding the intelligence to the US National Security Agency. New Zealands role in this military-intelligence network means that it would be involved from the outset in any war between the US-Australia and China. Hipkins reluctance to fully embrace AUKUS, for now, points to nervousness in ruling circles about the implications of the US confrontation with China. Wellingtons fraught balancing act is highlighted by the fact that, after Campbells visit, NZ foreign minister Nanaia Mahuta departed on a visit to Beijing, where she met her counterpart, Qin Gang, to discuss stronger trade ties. The visit coincided with President Xi Jinpings meeting with Russias Vladimir Putin to propose peace talks to end the conflict in Ukraine, something Washington vehemently opposes. The accelerating charge towards war has revealed divisions in New Zealands ruling elite. Sections of the media, including the nominally liberal Daily Blog and pro-US commentators such as Anne-Marie Brady, are pushing for a much firmer anti-China stance. On the other hand, a worried New Zealand Herald editorial on March 18 said former Australian prime minister Paul Keating had made valid points in his criticism of AUKUS. Speaking on behalf of a minority faction of the Australian bourgeoisie, Keating raised concerns about the cost to Australian capitalism of joining a full-blown war against China. The Herald noted the lack of public say over the details of AUKUS and questioned whether it is strategically smart or good value, adding that defence is gobbling up billions that could be spent on climate change. It said the deal increases the chances of Australia being a substantial player in any US conflict with China. Were Australia to be a major target, New Zealand would be affected. Concerns were also raised by former Green MP Gareth Hughes, who wrote in Stuff that nuclear war was now terrifyingly possible in the next few years and that New Zealand would be required by treaty obligations to act if Australia is attacked. Hughes said New Zealand should take an independent stance, focused on reducing tensions, finding solutions and building trust. War is never inevitable. As a model, he pointed to the role played by Helen Clarks Labour government during the brutal US war against Iraq. According to Hughes, Twenty years ago New Zealand displayed its independent foreign policy by refusing to be railroaded into Bushs coalition of the willing, despite opposition from the National Party at the time. This is a falsification of history. In fact, the Labour Party government sent dozens of army engineers to Iraq in 2003, after having already participated in the illegal invasion and occupation of Afghanistan, with the support of the pseudo-left Alliance. US embassy cables later released by WikiLeaks confirmed that the Clark government joined the Iraq war for commercial reasons, including to protect NZ dairy giant Fonterras contract to supply Iraq. Hughes praise for the Clark government speaks to the fact that there is no anti-war faction in the political establishment. New Zealand is a minor imperialist power, and since World War II its ruling class has maintained a close alliance with the US and Australia in order to defend its own interests in the Pacific region and more broadly. The Green Party, as part of the present Labour-led government, has supported major increases in military spending, including new aircraft and navy vessels, aimed at boosting New Zealands interoperability with the US and other allies in preparation for war. Along with the entire parliament and media establishment, the Greens support the escalating war against Russia, which is conceived of in Washington as a step towards war with China. There is widespread opposition to war, as there was 20 years ago, when tens of millions of people joined protests throughout the world against the invasion of Iraq. But the failure of that movement to stop the invasion proves that war cannot be opposed through appeals to any faction of the capitalist class and its political parties, including Labour and its allies. A genuine anti-war movement can only be built on the basis of socialist and internationalist principles. The working class must be united across borders in a movement to abolish the source of war: the capitalist system and its division of the world into rival nation-states. We urge readers in New Zealand to attend the meeting on April 4, hosted by the International Youth and Students for Social Equality at Victoria University of Wellington, The War in Ukraine and How to Stop It, to discuss these burning questions. On Monday morning, a general assembly of 1,000 students and staff voted to occupy Tolbiac university campus in Paris to protest Macrons anti-democratic passage of his widely hated pension reform. French police outside the occupied Tolbiac campus of the University of Paris. [Photo: WSWS] Around 30 minutes after the occupation began, police and gendarmes, including riot units armed with assault rifles, descended on Tolbiac and blocked off the entrances, preventing students from other campuses who came to support Tolbiac students from entering. The cops ultimately cleared the occupation of the university on Tuesday. Last Friday, five students had been arrested at this campus while marching in defence of requisitioned garbage workers. Mina, a philosophy and law student at Tolbiac, said, Of course, the 49.3 [the anti-democratic article Macron used to pass the pension reform] made us all very angry. But, we were already protesting before, its not the first occupation [of Tolbiac]. There have already been some at the beginning of the anti-reform movement. So its not only against reform, but its also against everything else, like the immigration law, global warming and the discriminatory selection of Masters students in universities. Asked why students oppose the reform, Mina said: Were going to get to a job market thats already in a state of collapse, and we know very well that if we now accept retirement at 64, that means were going to have it at 65-67, we dont know whats going to happen to us. Many students stand in solidarity with the workers, but it also concerns many of us now because there are students who already work. [The reform] is a policy of capitalist rigour and to pass it they must stamp authority over most of the population, to impose an economic and financial vision on them. About police repression of protests, Mina said: It is not a minority at all that is against the reform, and the only weapon they have left is the police. Theyre not very far-sighted, actually, its really spreading the feeling of fear in people and its extremely arbitrary. Referring to footage of police violence widely shared on social media, Mina added, You could see 50-year-olds being beaten while theyre on the ground. Mina agreed with the perspective of mobilizing the working class in order to bring down Macron: We saw that the demonstrations werent enough. We could be 2 million, 3 million on the street, but Macron didnt care. So finally, it's blocking the country and therefore showing who is indispensable. Its the garbagemen, its the people who work in the refineries, its the students, its us who really run the country. We have to show or prove our importance, and we have to use the only weapon we have left: the strike. About the union bureaucracies Mina said, The union bureaucracies are not at all representative of how the French think. Because we have seen that even if the all-union alliance calls for more scattered protests, there are spontaenous demonstrations and other unannounced things that happen. This shows we are not dependent on them to make demonstrations or to block the country. The all-union alliance is also protecting its own interests. Speaking around an hour before the failed vote of no-confidence in Macron, Mina explained, I know there are people who believe in the motion of censure, but the French shouldnt depend on the all-union alliance, nor on the deputies, nor on the government. You cant count on any of them, because the demonstrations are not enough to make them take us seriously. So now we have to move to a higher speed. We are seeing a radicalization of the movement, which I think is necessary since nothing else works. The WSWS explained that the struggle against the reform was exposing the two fundamental camps in capitalist society, the working class and the ruling class. Against a revolutionary perspective of fighting for the working class to take power, the pseudo-left deputies in the parliament and the inter-union front are playing a reactionary role in defense of the capitalist state. On the pseudo-left parties and the union bureaucracy, Mina commented: Yes, its exactly that. Theyre connected and each of them protects their own interests and not the interests of a large majority of the French people. This is why the only way we have left is to strike. When asked about historical benchmarks for the current struggle, Mina stated, The French Revolution of 1789 and May 68. Because May 68 inspires most students and it can be seen on the signs. In fact, it is said March 2023, the new May 68, because this is where the student movement really grew and managed to radicalize, which was not necessarily the case before. And the revolution, because its a historical tradition and it is cherished in our memory and this movement needs to follow that path. When asked why she thought how a revolution had been avoided with the Grenelle Accords in May 68 Mina said, Well [the ruling class] were very scared and [the Accords] did win many freedoms, but the Fifth Republic then had many ways to stop the movement and they had the support of other governments in Europe. It wasnt just a French event, but the governments across across Europe united against it, which made it more complicated to fight in France. Mina also spoke on the significance of the fact that the current struggle in France is unfolding amidst a massive wave of strikes throughout Europe and Africa: I have seen that the English are in full revolt and in Greece as well. We hear about these events but unfortunately we are not in communication with them. In France, we are in a second stage of radicalization and now the third stage should be something more international. We have to understand this more by combining issues that affect us all internationally, such as at the ecological level for example. Especially as we know that the most precarious will be those who are impacted the most quickly. Everywhere we have a common enemy: the shareholders, the employers, and capital. We need a convergence of all these struggles for there to be real change. Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF III) American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) Funds for Students who attended Maymester, Summer I, or Summer II 2022 Deadline to submit an application was December 31, 2022. The application has closed. This page remains for informational purposes only. Frequently Asked Questions See a copy of the application OVERVIEW Western Texas College students who were financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic can now apply for a new wave of financial relief funding. The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA), a third coronavirus relief bill signed into law on March 11, 2021. The ARPA provides $1.9 trillion in federal stimulus funding, including approximately $39.6 billion for higher education. Western Texas College (WTC) will distribute government grant funding via the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. These funds are from the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF III), a federal grant funded by the U.S. Department of Education to provide financial aid grants to students who experienced unexpected expenses related to the disruption of Western Texas College campus operations to the novel coronavirus COVID-19. These expenses can include tuition, food, housing, course materials, technology, health care, transportation, and childcare. The financial aid grant funds awarded to students under this grant do not need to be paid back to WTC. The amount a student receives is determined by the number of students applying for aid and the amount allocated to WTC. The Financial Aid Office and the Vice President and Dean of Student Services of Western Texas College are administrators of the funds. Applications will be accepted until all the WTC allocation has been expended. The HEERF III requires all colleges participating in the program to provide the following information: Western Texas College (WTC) has signed and returned to the Department of Education the HEERF III funds Agreement. This document guarantees that WTC intends to use HEERF III funds provided through the American Rescue Plan Act as Financial Aid Grants to students to cover costs associated with significant changes to the delivery of instruction due to the coronavirus. The estimated total number of students at WTC eligible to participate in programs under Section 484 in Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 and thus eligible to receive Financial Aid Grants through the HEERF III is currently being determined. To determine which students receive Financial Aid Grants, WTC evaluates eligibility based on the student being Title IV eligible and on the student's Expected Family Contribution (EFC). FILL AND SUBMIT A STUDENT APPLICATION FOR GRANT FUNDS HEERF III FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS What is HEERF? In March 2021, the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 was signed, creating the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund III. This fund provides colleges and universities the means to provide support to students who saw financial hardships as a result of the pandemic. Hardships include added technology expenses, lost wages, overdue charges on student accounts and unexpected childcare expenses, among others. Will HEERF aid have to be paid back? The aid is a grant; therefore, students will not have to pay back the federal government. Funding received can be used to assist students with financial needs such as educational costs, housing, food and health care expenses. How do I apply? Complete and submit the application found here. Which students are eligible to receive HEERF III emergency funds? Institutions are required to prioritize grants to students with exceptional financial need, such as those who receive Pell Grants. The HEERF III funds can be awarded to online students as well. Eligible student groups include citizens, permanent residents, international students, refugees, asylum seekers, DACA recipients, other DREAMers, and similar undocumented students. Must have been enrolled in in Maymester 2022 or Summer 1 and Summer 2 2022 terms at WTC. Must be in good academic standing. Must complete application in full. How much will I receive? Awards are based on your needs as identified on the application. Each eligible student's actual amount is determined by the number of applications received and the funds available. While the award is based on need, awards will be on a first-come, first-served basis. The deadline to apply for the HEERF III funds is Saturday, December 31, 2022. How will I receive the money? Funds will be distributed to the student by check. Please ensure that the address you provide on your application is correct, as this is where your check will be mailed. Do I need to repay the money I receive? No, this grant does not need to be repaid; it is meant to provide financial assistance to those impacted by COVID-19 during the Maymester 2022 or Summer 1 and Summer 2 2022 terms. Does this funding affect my other financial aid? No. The federal grant will provide financial assistance to students who experienced unexpected expenses related to COVID-19. It will not have any impact on other financial aid you have or may be eligible to receive. What if I still have an account balance at WTC? Funds will be paid to the student directly, regardless if the student has an outstanding balance on their WTC account. Any due balance will remain the student's responsibility and will need to be paid in full before enrolling in a future semester. With the student's consent, the funds could be used to pay outstanding balances to WTC. Are the HEERF III Grant funds included in my gross income? No. The financial aid grant funds under the HEERF III are qualified disaster relief payments under section 139 of the Internal Revenue Code. The grant funds are not included in your gross income. Spring Opportunity Session Welcome to the Spring Opportunity Session Semester page! Here you will find instructions to apply and register for classes as well as links to course offerings and costs. The Spring Opportunity Session Semester will last eight weeks. Students who currently attend a college or university other than WTC will need to check with their advisor to ensure the course(s) they choose will be accepted at their school. To register, students who are new to WTC will need to fill out an Application for Admission and submit their transcripts. Students who are already admitted to WTC will need to fill out a course registration form located in the MyWTC portal. New Admissions Deadline: February 20, 2023 Registration for Classes Deadline: February 27, 2023 Classes Start: March 6, 2023 Classes End: May 1, 2023 You can review the courses offered online in MyWTC. See the costs for tuition and fees. HOW TO APPLY AND REGISTER FOR CLASSES New Students Step 1. Complete an application for admissions using either Apply Texas, WTC online application, or download a WTC application (pdf). Step 2. Request and submit your official college transcript from the school you currently attend or your high school transcript from your school. (Fax or a photocopy will not be considered an official copy. To obtain your grade at the end of a semester, an official transcript(s) must have been received by the Admissions Office.) Mail, fax, or email all required documents (listed above) to: Western Texas College Attn: Admissions Office 6200 College Ave. Snyder, TX 79549 Phone: 325-574-7933 Fax: 1-325-574-6524 admissions@wtc.edu Step 3. Once admitted, you will receive an email with your user name and password. Log into your MyWTC account. Under the Home tab, go to Academic Advising and fill out the Course Registration form. Please do not submit multiple forms. Once pre-reqs have been verified by our Online Advisor, you will receive a confirmation email of your enrollment in your class(es). Current and Returning Students Current and returning students, who have not attended another college or institution since attending WTC, can register for classes through their MyWTC account. Returning students, who have attended another college or institution since attending WTC, need to submit an official transcript from the college or institution last attended. (Once admitted, a confirmation will be sent to the email you provide with instructions to log into your MyWTC account and register.) To assist students in making good choices, WTC provides an Online Advisor to help with topics such as course transfer, degree planning, and general questions about the students educational program. If you need more information about any of the topics on this webpage or need to discuss your coursework, contact: Michelle Hilliard, Online Advisor 325-574-7622 michelle.hilliard@wtc.edu Two Newport News inmates tunneled through their jail cells wall and escaped Monday afternoon, law enforcement officials said, only to be found hours later at an IHOP restaurant in Hampton. John Michael Garza, 37, and Arley Vaughn Nemo, 43, were missing from a routine headcount at the Newport News Jail Annex about 7:15 p.m. Monday. Jail staff later discovered they had burrowed through the wall of their cell. The tunnel led to the exterior of the building and the men made it over the security wall, the sheriffs office said in a news release. Garza, of Hampton, had been in jail since Dec. 19 on charges of contempt of court, probation violations and failure to appear. Nemo, of Gloucester, had been in custody since Oct. 7 on charges including credit card fraud, credit card larceny, forgery, possession of burglary tools, grand larceny, contempt of court and a probation violation, according to the sheriffs office. Law enforcement sought the publics help in apprehending them in the hours after their escape. Hampton police arrested the men around 3:30 a.m. Tuesday after they were found sitting at a table at a restaurant in the 1000 block of Mercury Boulevard, according to police spokesperson Ernest Williams. Williams said the pair gave themselves up peacefully, adding that Hampton police received a tip from someone at the restaurant who had seen them in news reports. A spokesperson with the Newport News Sheriffs Office confirmed the men were arrested at an IHOP restaurant but did not provide details Tuesday morning about the the inmates manner of escape. Schools across Tennessee will be required to reevaluate their use of segregated environments for special-needs students. The U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati, a federal judge in Knoxville and a state of Tennessee administrative law judge have all ruled Knox County failed to educate a student with a disability in the proper educational setting. In 1954, the United States Supreme Court held that separate educational facilities based on race violated the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution. Similar rights under the 14th Amendment were extended to many students with disabilities by the courts and ultimately by the enactment of federal laws now known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act in 1975 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. The IDEA codified the right to a free, appropriate public-school education for students with disabilities in their schools' least-restrictive educational environment. Roger Ethan Deguimera, 8, who is on the autism spectrum, is non-verbal but uses an adaptive device to say he needs a break at his home in Karns April 16, 2022. In a recent court case, Knox County was informed it couldn't provide a kindergartner who is autistic with academic instruction in a segregated classroom for special-needs students. Segregated vs. nonsegregated classrooms at issue In the recent case, Knox County wanted to provide a kindergarten student who is autistic with academic instruction in a segregated classroom for special-needs students. Knox County proposed to limit the students participation with his peers to lunch, recess and non-core academic content. The Knox County Law Department argued the traditional kindergarten class would be too large, fast-paced, academically driven and distracting for the special-needs student. The Law Department suggested the students lack of verbal communication skills would present challenges in a nonsegregated environment. The students parents requested placement of the student in the regular-education classroom with supplementary aids, services and supports, including the students use of a communication device. Hear more Tennessee voices:Get the weekly opinion newsletter for insightful and thought-provoking columns. Following precedent from a Hamilton County case, the Court of Appeals reminded Knox County it cannot separate a student from his peers merely because a placement among the general-education student population would be challenging or would require creativity such as focusing on small groups, classrooms co-taught with general-education and special-education teachers, creation of modified content for curriculum, and reliance on paraprofessionals. This would include allowing parent-provided applied behavior analysis therapists in the classroom, an issue highlighted by parents at the February and March Knox County Board of Education meetings. Story continues The court cautioned Knox Countys self-perceived inability to mainstream students with disabilities is not in accord with educational best practices. Such practices consider the non-academic benefits of inclusive, non-segregated environments such as age-appropriate communication, social and emotional gains, and pre-vocational skills. Parents vs. special-education administrators The issues highlighted in the recent case are illustrative of the ongoing struggle and increasing legal battles between parents and special-education administrators in Knox County related to the educational philosophy for teaching students with disabilities. Earlier this year and prior to the recent court decision, Jon Rysewyk, superintendent of Knox County Schools, directed his staff to review Knox Countys practices related to students with disabilities, which affect over 9,000 students. This review and the recommendations that follow should allow Knox County Schools to implement evidence-based inclusionary practices that support Rysewyks priorities around student success and career preparation. This will also support the districts renewed focus on parental engagement, will result in savings to Knox Countys taxpayers and will help Knox County achieve state inclusion benchmarks. Hamilton County goals provide a roadmap for Knox County Hamilton County conducted a similar review and implemented inclusive practices when facing similar judicial scrutiny. A member of Rysweyks senior staff participated in Hamilton Countys process. To avoid continued costly litigation at taxpayer expense, further judicial review and state and federal inquires, Knox County Schools should presume competence for every student and consider adopting the following primary goals crafted by Hamilton County: Will Edwards Maximizing evidence-based inclusion in the general-education classroom; Placing every student with a disability in his or her zoned school; Improving communication and relationships with the families of those students; Developing services and opportunities for successful post-graduation transitions for students with disabilities; and Training and support for current and future teachers, administrators and staff to make the transition to inclusion a success. Our schools will not prosper without seeking excellence for every child and allowing students with disabilities to have the same opportunity for success as their peers. Will Edwards is an attorney and a parent of a KCS student with a disability. Edwards serves as a governor-appointed member on the Tennessee Council on Developmental Disabilities and the Tennessee Council on Autism Spectrum Disorder. This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Opinion: Knox County schooled on inclusion of special-needs students Editor's note: A year ago, the Des Moines Register began publishing "Inside COVID's Siege," a seven-part series that told stories of dedication, sacrifice, loss, pain and joy from inside Mary Greeley Medical Center. The Register returned in early January to document the pandemic's ongoing toll as another surge of COVID patients taxes a weary staff. AMES, Iowa Last nights grief lingers, hanging like a thick quilt over the Intensive Care Unit as nurses start their 12-hour shifts before sunrise. The middle-aged mans lungs had stiffened slowly since his arrival weeks earlier, coronavirus shallowing his breaths. Unvaccinated, hed been placed on a ventilator in an eastern Iowa emergency room and shipped nearly three hours away to Mary Greeley Medical Center, site of the nearest open ICU bed. He didnt want to be kept alive by machines, he wrote in a living will, but loved ones couldnt fathom withdrawing care. Keep fighting, they said. Keep fighting. But doctors knew the battle was already lost. The virus ran through his lungs like a forest fire in a dry summer, leaving deep, painful scars scattered like charred stumps and broken branches. Nurses redoubled support, waiting for a sign of progress, hoping a little green might sprout through the blackened remains. A month on, nothing was taking root. Family members stood over the mans bed as the end neared, yelling accusations: You gave this to him! This is your fault! He died as the sun set, not more than 10 minutes after nurses turned off his machines. No one in the unit had ever heard his voice, says Julie Scebold, the nurse manager. Never seen his smile. Which just makes the loss even more heartbreaking, she says, looking up at her staff gathered in the break room, and down at todays list of patients. They have a nearly full unit. Again. Mary Greeley's ICU staff watched with angst as Iowas COVID cases skyrocketed this month, the curve less the usual rolling hill and more the shaft of a hockey stick. Dread crept in as the state set new positivity records. Anxiety exploded when COVID admissions ticked up, surpassing the previous highs of the hospital's darkest waves. Story continues And now these doctors and nurses faced a daunting reality: The pandemics worst might be yet to come. Over the next month, the expected increase in severely sick COVID patients victims of the highly contagious omicron variant has collided with treatment shortages; an influx of admissions from now-open operating rooms and routine medical appointments; and a dangerously overburdened health care workforce, its ranks critically thinned by burnout. There's an inevitability, says Dr. Dan Fulton, the hospitals infectious disease specialist, that if people aren't going to get vaccinated, they're going to get COVID and they're going to end up here. While the staff's dedication remains, their morale has eroded. Overwhelming sadness has faded into dull numbness, a necessary callous for souls weighed down by so many traumatic losses. Now, when patients are extubated, no commemorative song plays across the hospital, no nurses dance in the aisles. Now, discharge celebrations are muted. The newly saved leave carrying the staff's hopes that they will become advocates fighting misinformation in their echo chambers. Now, when there are victories, says Dr. Tamim Mahayni, the ICUs director, they just dont feel like victories. ICU director Dr. Tamim Mahayni listens to patient Rodney Eurom's chest at Mary Greeley Medical Center in Ames. Plagued by a crisis of hope, the staff know all too well that positive cases today will bear them patients in two weeks and body bags in a month. They understand deeply that its here, inside the hospital, where the virus's cruel toll on the careful is witnessed, where the price of bad decisions is paid. So, despite overwhelming exhaustion, they steel themselves for another new peak what they hope will be the last gasp of a six-month stretch that saw fractious families, younger, more adversarial patients, and death that feels utterly unnecessary, Mahayni says. A year ago, we had hoped the vaccine was going to bail us out of this, he says as he prepares for morning rounds. It didn't even cross my mind that there would be people who didn't want the vaccination, and it didn't cross my mind that there would be people who so angrily didn't want the vaccination. We had a way out, he adds, looking in on the patient in Bed 6, a case that's the mirror image of the man they lost not 12 hours ago. People just didn't take us up on it. BED 6: 'I'M ON MY WAY,' A PATIENT'S DAUGHTER PLEDGES Rodney Eurom, a previously healthy auto mechanic, has been on a ventilators maximum support for about 24 hours, and his condition isn't improving. He's been in the ICU's Bed 6 for two weeks, needing more and more oxygen every day, the same tragic trajectory Mahayni has seen in patient after patient. At this point, if his heart were to stop and we were to do chest compressions, his chance of any meaningful recovery is incredibly low, Mahayni tells Rodney's daughter, Jennifer Harrison, who chokes back tears through the phone. At that point, we're likely just breaking his ribs." Respiratory therapist Dana Baker listens to patient Rodney Eurom's chest in the ICU at Mary Greeley Medical Center in Ames on Monday, Jan. 10, 2022. Barely able to manage tying his robe and shuffling into old gym shoes before the ambulance arrived at his Marshalltown home, Rodney told his daughter he was weaker than wet paper. He couldn't keep anything down, he said, the result of a bad stomach bug he'd been fighting for about 10 days. But Jennifer noted a new shallowness in his speech, a hoarseness in his voice. Dad, are you having trouble breathing? she asked. Yeah, I just cant seem to catch my breath, he replied. Go to the hospital, Jennifer pleaded. Right now. By the time he tested positive at admission, Rodney was already too far into COVIDs course for any of the recommended early treatments. Hanging up with Mahayni, Jennifer buys a one-way ticket on an evening flight out of Rhode Island. Im on my way, she texts her dad. I need you to know, I am on my way. A SHORT-LIVED CALM GAVE WAY TO A NEW WAVE After fighting the pandemic for more than a year, the summer of 2021 tricked the ICU staff into believing the crush of COVID was abating, that the firehose onslaught was finally finally slowing to a trickle. For two weeks, the ICU didnt have a single COVID patient. No one died from the virus in May or June. The sixth floor, which had been the hospitals COVID unit, opened half its beds to postsurgical care, returning to its prepandemic function. Carts carrying COVID-required protective gear were wheeled off the floor and into closets. A few glorious weeks, Scebold says, when everything felt normal. Dr. Tamim Mahayni and other staff go from room to room checking on patients during morning rounds. But then came the fall. October and November brought more cases, more patients and more exposed employees. As COVID marched across the country, critical care beds became scarce; rehabilitation centers and nursing homes filled, too. Nurses called from Davenport, Sioux City, Minnesota, western Nebraska, even Waco, Texas, hoping they could find a bed for a gravely ill patient. And, despite vaccination, 2021s holiday season felt just as overwhelming as 2020s, Mahayni says. Part of that is because its not grandma and grandpa dying now, Mahayni says. Its mom and dad. Patients in their 40s and 50s have been the norm in this wave, and the ICU has had a handful of 20- and 30-year-olds needing critical COVID care, too. People seem sicker, nurse Abbey Malone says, with fewer obvious risk factors and increasingly more devastating side effects, which keep them in the hospital longer. Read the entire series from the beginning: Inside COVID's Siege The ICU may see more survivors, but the staff also see the ruin left behind, all the ways their patients' lives will never be the same. It sounds morbid, but sometimes I feel like COVID is just finding more creative ways to hurt people, Malone says. For the unvaccinated, patient-provider relationships tend to start at a more adversarial point, especially if someone is sick enough to be in the ICU. Families are increasingly asking for "a la carte medicine," Mahayni says, refusing some treatments because of misinformation, requesting others because of a headline on Facebook or a video on TikTok. Several patients died believing their COVID diagnosis was false, that doctors were missing some sort of other weird fungal infection. Another had ivermectin anti-parasitic tablets not approved by the FDA but touted in some alt-right circles as a miracle drug delivered to her hospital room, a violation of Mary Greeley policy. The patient's prescription had been written by a physician's assistant in Wisconsin, filled by a pharmacy in Phoenix and brought to the hospital in a bundle of other mail by a friend. u0022I'm sorry you feel that wayu0022 has become nurse Marjie Dyson's mechanical refrain, a kind of bulletproof vest protecting her from hostile patients and families. Nurses giving updates have been cussed out by patients sure that the staff's medical care, not the virus, is what's actually killing them. Family meetings at bedsides have become so heated security has been called. In the sixth floor COVID unit, nurses continue to play cop to patients' visitors, reminding them to wear a mask, to gown up. "You know these don't work," a family member scoffed at nurse Marjie Dyson, pointing at his mask. "I'm sorry you feel that way," she replied. I'm sorry you feel that way. I'm sorry you feel that way. The phrase has become Dyson's mechanical refrain, a kind of bulletproof vest protecting her from disinformation's flak. Life inside the hospital, Mahayni observes, is not immune to the divisions outside its doors. Even if the majority of people are kind and appreciative, the bad experiences are so bad, they grate. Last year, I was never accused of doing things to their loved ones, Mahayni says. Last year, I was never accused of, Why arent you doing this for my loved one?" BED 5: A MOTHER WHO'S LONELY, WORRIED, AFRAID The woman in Bed 5, a mother in her 40s, is groggy and delirious. Orange rays, the morning's herald, bounce off the stuffed dog and glittered drawings her kids have sent over her 47 days in the hospital. A pair of cheery speech therapists switch out the cap on her tracheotomy, a small tube placed in the windpipe when breathing help is needed long-term. Normally, the trach renders her mute, air bypassing vocal cords and going straight to lungs, but this cover lets her interact in short bursts. Respiratory therapist Dana Baker works with a patient in the ICU. Can you say hello? one of the therapists asks. Despite her diaphragm pumping like shes yelling into the wind, the woman's voice is wispy and faint, barely audible over the rooms cacophony of beeps and hums. Hello, she squeaks. A few days earlier, when the woman was coming to after surgery and before she was strong enough to speak, nurses could tell she was trying to communicate, that she wanted to say something desperately. They placed a template of pictures in front of her, made for people to point at what they might need food, bathroom, phone or how they might be feeling. She wrestled with a pen, trying to write a note. But her weakness yielded only scribbles. So she circled a trio of emotions in the corner: Lonely, worried, afraid. A THIRD YEAR OF COVID LOOMS AS LOSSES MOUNT As fall days grew shorter and patient counts increased, intensity inside the hospital rose slowly, like a kettle on low heat. Cases begat hospitalizations begat deaths. And as much as the staff have become experts in compartmentalization, the pain of those deaths sits just under the surface, like a cut thats scabbed but not healed. For Mahayni, the man in his 40s who died just before Thanksgiving is forever seared into memory. Hed received one shot of a two-dose vaccine, opting not to finish because of the side effects. A few months later, a colleague came to work sick. The man started out on the COVID floor, then transferred to the ICU, following the tragic trajectory of needing more and more support. His teenage daughters waited in the chapel as Mahayni and the team tried to put the man on a ventilator, desperate to get his oxygen up. But he crashed. Dr. Tamim Mahayni listens to a patient's chest while nurse Abbey Malone looks at the patient's family photo in the ICU. In the shadow of the sanctuary's altar, its centerpiece a stained glass dove, he told the family that their father was gone. Then he walked over to the office of his wife, also a doctor in the hospital, and cried in her arms. The man died with 40 years of life left to live, Mahayni says. I look at my children and think, what is their potential? What are they going to choose to do? What kind of trouble are they going to get into? Who are they going to marry? I can't imagine not being around to see any of that, he says, looking away. It's too much to think about. Scebold keeps a list of the COVID patients theyve lost taped up in her office. Mahayni and her nurses still talk about them, letting stories salve the difficult memories. There was the local firefighter whose law enforcement colleagues stood watch over his body, forming a processional as their fallen brother was carried back to his hometown. Or the patriarch on a ventilator whose unvaccinated son stood outside his rooms glass doors every day. When the end came, the sons wife, who had to be vaccinated for work, gowned up and read a letter from him at his fathers bedside. There were all the family members who sobbed as they told nurses theyd been fighting with their loved ones about getting vaccinated. And all the patients who changed their minds as mild cases got worse, asking for treatments theyd rejected or begging for a vaccine. By then, the time for those interventions had long passed. Nurses Stephenie Simmons and Emily Owen wear protective gowns, masks and face shields as they prepare to check on a COVID-19 patient at Mary Greeley Medical Center in Ames on Friday, Jan. 7, 2022. The team tries to hang on to the good moments, too, the bits of joy, nurse Amy Olson calls them. Like the man who asked Scebold to pray with him, trying to recite the Lord's Prayer as an oxygen mask forced air into his lungs. His wife held vigil overnight, chanting and begging God to get her husband through. Unlike so many others, he lived. Or the pregnant woman so sick with COVID that her baby had to be delivered by emergency cesarean section before she was put on a ventilator. The infection meant that even as the new mom slowly started to heal, she still had to be separated from her baby. The entire hospital seemed to be following the womans case, Fulton says an army reciting prayers for a happy ending. When news that the mom and her baby would be going home made its way across the hospital, Fulton watched his colleagues lighten, as if this invisible boulder theyd all been carrying had finally lifted. A win like that, Fulton says, revives the spirit, acting as armor against the losses they know are yet to come. BED 2: DONT WORRY, WE'RE HERE,' A NURSE ASSURES A PATIENT WITHOUT FAMILY PRESENT The man in Bed 2 was just passing through central Iowa on his way west when his breathing started to slow. He got dizzy, a bit light-headed. An unvaccinated semi-driver in his 50s with no significant health risks, he pulled over at a rural hospital. For about a week, as his need for support increased, the man asked about being transferred closer to his family in the northern Midwest. But all those hospitals were full. The requests were denied. Just after the new year, the man was put on a ventilator and life-flighted to Mary Greeley. He wasn't showing much improvement a few days later, so Mahayni asked nurses to prone him, the difficult process of turning a patient onto his stomach in hopes of expanding his lungs. Nurses, respiratory therapists and patient care techs gather to prone a COVID-19 patient in the ICU at Mary Greeley Medical Center in Ames on Thursday, Jan. 6, 2022. Hed prescribed the process just twice before COVID, but finds himself ordering it two or three times a week nowadays. After 16 hours, the man needs to be turned back over, a task that requires about five nurses rolling his sheets tightly before lifting and pushing in unison. There arent enough free ICU hands to help, so his nurse, Treasa Throntveit, calls in for extra help. At least two people, she says. Prepping the room, she rubs the mans forehead. We need to get you turned over, dont we, buddy, she says. With the move complete, a respiratory therapist resets the man's tubes, adjusting machines and monitors now that he's lying face up. Throntveit gently rubs a damp cloth on his cheeks. She knows the proning didn't help, that the man's prognosis isn't improving. Dont worry," she repeats, tenderly wiping. "Were here. IT'S IN THE ICU WHERE THE RUBBER MEETS THE ROAD The elephant in the room is vaccines. Always vaccines, Mahayni says. I try to think how many COVID deaths would we have seen if everybody had gotten vaccinated, Mahayni says. And the answer would be zero. It just seems unreal, he adds, to think about that's what it would have taken. At the beginning of the pandemic, when there was so much uncertainty and so few absolute truths, Fulton, the infectious disease doctor, became the hospitals Mr. Rogers, a cheerleader for perseverance. It seemed he could take everything that was large and complex and scary about the virus and make it small and simple and somehow less scary. Since the spring, hes tried to do the same with the vaccines. He sits with patients for hours picking apart their misunderstandings. He tempers his reading of the New England Journal of Medicine with essays by the purveyors of misinformation to try to understand their logic, understand what about their arguments is so attractive. Infectious disease specialist Dr. Dan Fulton visits with COVID-19 patient Barb Gidel. And he talks with employees who question vaccination, meeting them in the ICU, where the rubber meets the road," he says. Any sense that this isnt a severe illness evaporates very quickly here." What hes found under the anger and the impetuousness of many unvaccinated patients is fear, deep fear. Like the old man who broke down, revealing hed just been so scared that getting the shot would bring his cancer back. Or the family members at the end of hope, grasping at sham treatments in a desperate attempt to stave their loved ones suffering. The unvaccinated are not abstract, he reminds himself. Theyre real people, salt of the earth people. Theres been a failure to educate, to get them the right information in the right way a failure he takes on his own shoulders. Theres this sense of sadness and regret, but there's also this kind of existential regret," he says, "Like, couldn't we have gotten to him months ago to get him in the lifeboat, get him protected back then. We didn't get that done. AFTER A DISCHARGE OR DEATH, THE BED IS FILLED; THE CYCLE BEGINS ANEW Last nights grief lingers again, that familiar quilt of angst greeting nurses starting their 12-hour shifts. As morning dawns, a new day promises more milestones of anguish and glimpses of rare joy. In Bed 2, doctors and nurses couldn't stabilize the truck driver. His sister drove in to be at his bedside as his ventilator was removed, holding his hand as he passed. She bagged up his few personal items, and got back in her car. She was heading west to see her parents, she said. They'd both recently been exposed to COVID. The mid-40s mother in Bed 5, nearly two months into her hospital stay, transfers up to the sixth floor to recuperate. After resetting wires, nurses place the stuffed dog on a shelf and tape up her kids' glittered drawings. Shes at the beginning of a very long journey to recovery, Fulton says. But shes better, a rare win for the ICU team. Nurses Emily Owen and Stephenie Simmons check on a COVID-19 patient. A few hours later, a middle-age man takes her place in Bed 5. Hes COVID positive, unvaccinated, and needing more and more support every day. Hes at the start of the disease's tragic trajectory. I didnt know COVID could make you this sick, the man tells his nurse as she adjusts his pillow. In Bed 6, Rodneys room, Jennifer rubs her dads feet, kneading meticulously. Her days at his bedside have been a dance of a step forward, a step back. But we know were going to have a breakthrough, she says, massaging as worship music blasts from the iPhone shes placed on his belly. Were going to have a miracle, aren't we?" Her dad may be sedated, but she believes he can hear her, believes he can feel her presence. On the other side of the room's glass doors, Mahayni and his nurses wait for a sign of progress, hoping, desperately, that a little green may sprout through the blackened remains. Courtney Crowder is the Register's Iowa Columnist and the editor of Iowa Mourns, the Register's collection of obituaries written to honor Iowans who have died from COVID-19. She traverses the state's 99 counties telling Iowans' stories. Reach her at ccrowder@dmreg.com or 515-284-8360. Follow her on Twitter @courtneycare. Zach Boyden-Holmes is a photographer for the Register. Follow him on Twitter @Boydenphoto. More in this series This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa ICU full of omicron COVID cases; weary staff fight to save lives Andrea Reeb, the New Mexico state representative who recently stepped down as special prosecutor on the upcoming Rust criminal trial against Alec Baldwin and Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, wrote in emails sent to the Santa Fe district attorney last fall and acquired by The New York Times that she believed working on the case could help her electoral campaign. Reeb was selected by DA Mary Carmack-Altwies last June to handle criminal charges related to the accidental death of Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. Baldwin, the actor-producer who was holding the gun that fired and killed Hutchins, and Gutierrez-Reed, the armorer for Rust, both face charges of involuntary manslaughter that, if convicted, could come with an 18-month prison sentence. At the time, Reeb was also running as a Republican for a seat in the New Mexico House of Representatives in the November midterm elections. New emails, which were acquired by the New York Times via a request under the states Inspection of Public Records Act, showed that Reeb told Carmack-Altwies when she was hired that she understood the DAs decision not to inform the press about her appointment. Also Read: Rust Special Prosecutor Quits After Enhancement Charges Scuttled: Best Way I Can Ensure Justice Is Served At some point though, Reeb wrote, Id at least like to get out there that I am assisting you as it might help in my campaign lol. Reeb, who was running in a solid GOP-controlled district, easily won her election and was part of the team that brought the involuntary manslaughter charges against Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed while striking a plea deal with Rust assistant director David Halls. But Reebs position as prosecutor was challenged by Baldwins attorneys, who argued that her double role as elected legislator and special prosecutor was a violation of New Mexicos state constitution as she was holding power in two different legislative branches. Reeb was also criticized by legal experts for her decision to bring an enhancement charge against Baldwin, which could have raised his prison sentence if convicted to five years but which was based in state law that was passed after Hutchins death occurred. Story continues Also Read: Alec Baldwin Pleads Not Guilty in Rust Shooting, Waives First Court Appearance The enhancement charge was dropped, and this past week Reeb announced that she would step down from the case, saying that she believed her presence was becoming too much of a distraction as pre-trial hearings continued. I will not allow questions about my serving as a legislator and prosecutor to cloud the real issue at hand, Reeb said in a statement announcing her departure from the case. In a statement to the Times, Gutierrez-Reeds attorney Jason Bowles said that the uncovered emails show a troubling picture of a prosecution that worried less about the law and facts than they did about wanting the limelight for personal political purposes. TheWrap has reached out to the New Mexico DAs office for comment. Also Read: Rust Tragedy Hasnt Improved Hollywoods On-Set Safety and Crews Worry Theyre Expendable Baby Rocket in Guardians of the Galaxy 3 Veteran Marvel Studios executive Victoria Alonso has stepped down from her role as president of physical, post production, VFX and animation. A mainstay of the MCU, Alonso has worked on every Marvel Studios production to date, helping to launch the franchise with Iron Man in 2008. Her 17 year tenure has seen the studio grow from a bold-but-risky idea into the highest-grossing franchise in film history. As yet there has been no explanation for her sudden departure from the studio she helped to build. Born in Argentina, Alonso moved to the United States when she was 19, starting out in the film industry as a visual effects artist on films such as The 6th Day, The Core and the Oscar-nominated Big Fish. She joined the fledgling Marvel Studios in 2005 as executive vice president of visual effects and postproduction and was credited as a co-producer on the first run of MCU films. 2011's The Avengers saw her gain an executive producer credit, which she has retained for every subsequent production. She was promoted to president of physical, post production, VFX and animation in 2021. Alonso was also a high-profile voice in Marvel Studio's representation efforts, vocally calling out Disney's response to Florida's so-called "Dont Say Gay" bill, stating, "As long as I am at Marvel Studios, I will fight for representation." She was named one of the Most Influential Hispanic Women in 2019 and 2020 by People en Espanol magazine. Despite her resignation on March 17, Alonso still has credits on a number of forthcoming MCU projects including this year's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and The Marvels, and Disney Plus shows Secret Invasion, Ironheart, Echo, and Agatha: Coven of Chaos. Marvel Studios have so far declined to comment on her resignation and there is, as yet, no word on what she will do next, though her memoir, Possibility Is Your Superpower, is set for US publication on May 2. Confused by the MCU timeline? Read our guide on how to watch the Marvel movies in order. Charley Morris, 20, and a sophomore at Ohio Wesleyan University, is believed to have drowned while kayaking with his father on a family vacation in Arkansas. An Ohio Wesleyan University student is believed to have drowned in an Arkansas lake while kayaking with his father, according to an Instagram post from the Delaware, Ohio university. Charley Morris, 20, hasn't been located since his disappearance on the afternoon of March 16, while on a family trip for spring break in Beaver Lake, Arkansas. The sophomore from Kansas City, Missouri, went out on the lake with his father, Chuck, 47, before a storm that morning, according to a Kansas City Star article on the incident. Charley and Chuck, a percussionist for the band Lotus, were on the lake while Charley's mother, Jennifer Thompson, and his sister, Amelia, 12, went into town, according to the article. That afternoon, when the pair didn't come back as expected, Thompson and Amelia drove around and searched for their family members before reporting them missing to authorities. Since then, many have joined in the search for the pair. Ohio Wesleyan hosts vigil, says community is 'heartbroken' On Tuesday evening, Ohio Wesleyan posted Charley's photo on its Instagram account, stating that the university community is "heartbroken at the announcement that authorities have strong evidence" that the student and his father drowned. He will be remembered for his love for his family and the outdoors, his talent as a runner in cross country and track, his service as a Bishop Scholar tutor in local elementary schools, his dedication to his classwork, and his participation with OWUs chamber orchestra," said Ohio Wesleyan President Rock Jones in a message to campus. "Most of all, he will be remembered at OWU as a beloved friend." On Monday evening, the university hosted a vigil for Charley and Chuck, according to its Instagram page. 'This is a recovery': What authorities say about the search Chuck Morris, 47, and his son Charley, 20, who are believed to have drowned on March 16, 2023 while kayaking on a family vacation in Arkansas. Authorities with the Benton County Sheriff's Office found both kayaks and a jacket in the water, but no sign of the Morrises. Story continues Lieutenant Shannon Jenkins with the sheriff's office said search efforts were still underway on Tuesday evening. Jenkins said the pair are believed to have left on the kayaks around 11 a.m. on March 16 and were expected to return around 2 p.m. The sheriff's office was contacted by Thompson around 4 p.m. and the search began, Jenkins said. Authorities used sonar in the water and K9's in the water and on the land, she said. "We have a lot of resources and (are) doing everything we can possibly do," Jenkins said Tuesday. "Tomorrow we will scale back but will still have teams on the water. This is a recovery." Jenkins said Thursday was very windy and storms were coming in, with wind gusts up to 35 miles per hour. Multiple law enforcement agencies were helping with the search. Neither Chuck nor Charley had on life jackets, Thompson told the Star. 'Unsurvivable' conditions: The family's statement A GoFundMe page has been set up for the family at gofund.me/bd9a1acf. On the page is a statement from the family stating that there was an "exhaustive search" for the two men. "The family and the commanders leading the search and recovery activities are in agreement as to the fate and probable location of Chuck and Charley," the statement reads. "The weather and other elements created a perfect storm on the lake, and in the lake, that was unsurvivable." Recovery efforts continue and the family said it has been overwhelmed by support and love and will celebrate Chuck and Charley's lives in gatherings soon. "As a family, we are deeply grieving but have been heartened by all the love and tributes that have been sent our way for Chuck and Charley," the statement reads. "We love you all. Please also continue supporting the Lotus community that was Chucks passion, and the Ohio Wesleyan University community that Charley dearly loved. Thank you for keeping them all in your hearts and prayers." Lotus' statement on Chuck and Charley Morris We were all hoping for a miracle, but at this point, the search for Chuck & Charley has moved to a recovery. With help from K9 teams, there is a probable location on the lake, but logistical challenges including temp, weather, and depth have prevented a recovery thus far. (1/3) pic.twitter.com/EZ9Z24pcQx Lotus (@LotusTweets) March 21, 2023 The band Lotus, which identifies its genre as "jam/electronica/house," posted on its Twitter about Chuck and Charley on Tuesday. "We were all hoping for a miracle, but at this point, the search for Chuck & Charley has moved to a recovery," the post reads. The band, which lists its location as Philadelphia and recently released a new album, said it doesn't know how long the recovery will take, and directed people to the GoFundMe page. "While we are deeply grieving, we plan to celebrate Chuck and Charley's lives, our memories with them, and what they meant to so many people." dking@dispatch.com @DanaeKing This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio Wesleyan student, father believed drowned on spring break trip Photo Illustration by Kelly Caminero / The Daily Beast / Alamy This story has been updated. A controversy is raging within the small but fiercely passionate world of ichthyology (the study of fishes). Depending on who you talk to, either a rare deep-sea shark washed up on the shores of Greeces Anafi Island in 2020, and marked the first-ever recording of a goblin shark sighting in the Mediterranean Sea; or, some scientists faked the whole discovery using a plastic toy and duped the world with some trickery thats not much more advanced than a simple social media prank. The fight stems from a paper published in the journal Mediterranean Marine Science last May, which detailed a goblin shark specimen that a citizen scientist stumbled upon while walking along the Greek beach. The paper, authored by three marine biologists from three different universities (two in Greece and one in Scotland), included a photo taken by a citizen scientist depicting an unusually small, gray-blue and remarkably well-preserved goblin shark. It was an incredible findingthe kind scientists pray might fall into their lap during the course of their careers. And for some, it was too good to be true. The photo rang alarm bells for some marine scientists almost immediately after it was published. Why These Ocean Pics Are Both Stunning and Terrifying It looks like a very common toy, Vicky Vasquez, a shark expert at the Pacific Shark Research Center in Monterey, California, told The Daily Beast. In the ensuing kerfuffle, Twitter sleuths pointed out that the shark in the image bore an uncanny resemblance to a goblin shark model manufactured by Italian toymakers DeAgostini, right down to the seam on the side of the mouth. Marine biologists across the globe have been pushed into picking sidessome who are highly skeptical the goblin fish specimen is the real deal, and some who still maintain that the specimen could be genuine. The authors stand by their work, going as far as to write an extra defense of the paper, published last week, that pushes back aggressively on the idea they published a toy model in a peer-reviewed journal and passed it off as scientific evidence. Story continues (The authors did not respond to requests for an interview. Hours after this story was first published, The Daily Beast was informed that another researchers submission for a comment was rejected due to the original authors announcing they had officially retracted their paper. The original paper remains accessible online. The journal did not respond to requests for comment.) It is hard to believe a single studyand really, a single photographhas elicited so much sniping in the last year between scientists, a community thats often portrayed as level-headed, sometimes to the point of dullness. But the stakes of the new fight are high, in part because of the nature of the goblin shark itself, and in part because the age of disinformation has spurred researchers into a more combative state to scrub away false information as fast as possible, before it has a chance to take hold. Rare as Gold Goblin sharks, the common name for Mitsukurina owstoni, are a reclusive and somewhat mysterious species. They make their home in the deep ocean, as far down as 1,300 meters (4,300 feet), where light is scarce and the pressure is strong enough to snap human bones. There, they mostly feed on fish, squids and crustaceans, which they snatch up with their razor-sharp retractable jaws. Fewer than fifty goblin sharks have been scientifically documented, though they occasionally turn up as bycatch in commercial fishing nets. Their range includes the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans, as well as the Gulf of Mexico. But scientists really have no idea where they breed or how long they live. The new study reports that the goblin shark photo was taken on August 25, 2020, found by a citizen on Klisidi beach of Anafi Island, credited to Giannis Papadakis. The paper does not specify who Papadakis is, or whether he is the one who first found the specimen on the beach. (As mentioned, the authors did not respond to questions from The Daily Beast.) A photo of the goblin shark in question, published in Mediterranean Marine Science in May 2022. Giannis Papadakis Nevertheless, finding a genuine juvenile goblin shark in the Mediterranean would signal a significant range extension for these benthic behemoths and could even provide tantalizing clues as to where they breed. That is, if the find is real. Jurgen Pollerspock has doubts. An independent shark researcher based in Germany, Pollerspock has seen a plethora of deceased sharks over the course of his career. He came across the paper on the Anafi Island goblin shark last July, and added the article to an online shark, ray and chimera research database he helps curate. He more or less forgot about it until a couple of months later, when he finally had time to sit down and read it. Something about the discovery struck Pollerspock as fishy. After reading the article in detail, I had doubts about the record, he told The Daily Beast in an email. Head of a goblin shark on display at a muesum in Australia. Dianne Bray / Museum Victoria Pollerspock, along with three other shark experts, decided to write into the journal detailing their concerns. Mediterranean Marine Science published their comments last week. In those comments, the researchers point out that the shark-in-question only appeared to have four gill slits, even though goblin sharks have five. Its jaw was fully protruded in hunting position, rather than relaxed, despite lacking visible teeth. And its nose had a weird downward droop unlike most goblin sharks' characteristically stiff, straight snout. But the biggest red flag they found was that the picture lacked any measurement scale. The authors only vaguely listed the specimen as not exceed[ing] 80 cm (2.5 feet) in total length, which would make it the smallest goblin shark on record. Goblin sharks regularly grow to lengths of 2.5 meters (8.5 feet). Fishing in the Mediterranean has a long tradition, Pollerspock said. It would be a surprise if such a large animal had remained undiscovered until today. The original authors didnt relent in the face of Pollerspock and his co-authors commentsinstead, they doubled down, writing a rebuttal (also published in the same journal) that defended the findings. The authors provided new clarifications meant to address some of the issues, including a more precise measurement of 17-20 cm (just over half a foot) long, and an assertion that the specimen was unusually small because it was embryonic. They chalked the weird nose and teeth up to individual variation, and blamed the extended jaw on stress before death. The gill slits, they insisted, were all there if you zoomed in. The fact that they had a rebuttal is what really, really got me hooked, said Vasquez. I thought it was just gonna get very quickly retracted. In most cases of academic fraud or mistaken identity, the journal pulls the questionable paper soon after well-qualified experts raise concerns. This is what happened in a famous case of fish fraud from the late 1990s, when someone tried to pass a poorly photoshopped picture of a coelacanth off as a new species. In this case, however, Mediterranean Marine Science let the paper stand. Others were also critical of the rebuttal, especially that it was an embryonic specimen. I dont think that argument holds a lot of water, Chip Cotton, a marine biologist at SUNY Cobleskill in New York who specializes in deepwater sharks, told The Daily Beast. He explained that its rare for an embryonic shark to wash up on beaches intact; theyre much more likely to get eaten by hungry marine scavengers, especially in the deep sea. Cotton suspects that such a tender morsel would almost certainly be gobbled up before it came anywhere near the shoreline. The odds are just astronomical, he told the Daily Beast. When Cotton first saw the photo, he suspected it might be a cat shark with a fake snout photoshopped onto its face. However, hes since come around to thinking that the specimen is probably a toy spruced up with some color editing. Likewise, Vasquez believes that the specimen in the photo is way too rigid to be a real deep-shark, whose skulls stay hard but whose bodies and fins tend to become flabby and flaccid on land. Inside the Controversial Claim Rocking the Weather World Playing Defense Not everyone is convinced the shark is plastic. When I first looked at it, I thought it was odd. But the more I look at it, the more I think its an actual specimen, Glenn Parsons, a marine biologist at the University of Mississippi who helped describe the first documented goblin shark in the Gulf of Mexico two decades ago, told The Daily Beast. He cites the fine white edging on the sharks fins, which is characteristic of late-term embryos in many shark species. However, if the shark is a model, those white tips could be the result of plastic degradation and sun bleaching, according to reporting by Gizmodo. Still, its hard to tell from a single mid-quality photo. You really cant prove it unless you have it in your hands, Parsons told the Daily Beast. Perhaps the biggest worry among scientists isnt really the fact that the photograph itself might be fake, but the consequences downstream. Phony range extension data might seem harmless, but it can have sweeping consequences. It can certainly throw off the science, biogeographer Alexa Fredston of the University of California, Santa Cruz told The Daily Beast. This can influence everything from government funding to ecological models to how (or whether) conservation policy gets enacted. Fredston also worries that the dust-up could scare researchers off of crowd-sourced data. Thousands of species have been successfully documented or rediscovered thanks to the efforts of citizen scientists, while peer-reviewed mix-ups involving such data remain rare, she said. I really hope it doesnt prevent people from engaging with citizen science. But even if the shark is fake (and if the paper really was retracted, that seems to be a bigger likelihood), that doesnt necessarily mean that its a case of intentional fraud. Vasquez and Cotton believe its possible that the authors simply got overexcited about what would have honestly been a pretty cool discovery, and didnt do their due diligence in following up. Or, they said, it could be that, as early-career scientists, they felt enormous pressure to publish something in an academic journal, like a great white that has to keep moving to survive. Pollerspock himself assumes good intentionsif sloppy scienceon the part of the original papers authors until proven otherwise. 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. RACINE Gov. Tony Evers knows Racine has high infant mortality rates. Its a city that has issues with making sure that the babies and moms are well, he said. That is why the governor paid a visit to the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center in Racine on Monday to discuss infant mortality in Racine. Evers and Racine Mayor Cory Mason hosted a roundtable with City of Racine staff, community members and local leaders. Those who spoke addressed trepidations, successes and suggestions about ways to solve the ongoing issues. Evers 2023-25 budget proposal invests more than $50 million to support Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies, including expanding Medicaid postpartum coverage from 60 days to 12 months, investing more than $5.6 million for maternal and infant mortality prevention, and expanding Medicaid benefits to cover doula services, including childbirth education and emotional and physical support provided during pregnancy, labor, birth and the postpartum period. Mason called the rates for infant mortality unacceptably high. Were really excited about the investments that your budget makes to invest in maternal and child health and give mothers the resources they need, Mason told Evers. Evers, a father, noted this issue is important to him and that the state has made some progress, but theres still much to do in getting mothers resources they need. Im here to hear your issues and see how we can be helpful, Evers said, addressing the roundtable. This money is available for us to do this work Lets take advantage of it. The issue According to a Racine County Fetal, Infant and Child Death Review Report compiled in 2017 by the now disbanded Central Racine County Health Department, from 2011 through 2016, there were 14,388 live births in Racine County, with 62 stillbirths, 104 infant deaths and 87 child deaths. Sixty-one percent of Racine County births were from the City of Racine and 39% of births were from the remainder the county. The distribution of fetal, infant and child deaths was similar to the pattern of births, where 68% were in the City of Racine and 32% from the remainder of the county. Black women experience a greater proportion of stillbirths and infant deaths than white women in Racine County, according to the report. Low income women of all races have higher odds of having a stillbirth or infant death. Teenagers had higher odds of an infant death or stillbirth. Thirty-six percent of fetal, infant and child deaths were Black; Black births make up 17% of all births. We really want to reduce infant mortality for children of color, Mason said. We want to live in a city and a state where every kid has the opportunity to reach their first birthday. The majority of women who experienced a stillbirth or infant death received adequate and early prenatal care. However, women who received inadequate prenatal care had almost two times greater odds of having an infant death or stillbirth than women who received adequate prenatal care, according to the report. Solving it Evers said the state still has a long way to go. Its really gratifying for me as governor to see different agencies working together, private sector, faith-based sector, you name it, to make better outcomes for our babies here in Racine, Evers said. Hopefully we have some success in the Legislature, but also at the same time, we can look at ways to deal with some of the obstacles. State Rep. Greta Neubauer, D-Racine, said the whole caucus of the Assembly Democrats is focused on the mother and baby provisions. Up in Madison we are doing everything we can to get these provisions through the state budget process, Neubauer said. She added that advocacy work and a number of proposals have been attempted in previous budgets, but did not pass because Republicans took them out. (Im) really hoping that this is the year we can finally get some more of these items done, Neubauer said, adding shes happy to see doula support in this budget. Mason said Racine has been working on this issue with nonprofits, county government and the faith community for more than 10 years. Weve made good progress on reducing infant mortality, but we know that we need to expand those services beyond pilot level, he said. Racine County Public Health Division Health Officer Jeff Langlieb spoke of several ways the county addresses preventing infant mortality. Some of the services offered from Racine County Public Health include postpartum home visits, Healthy Families Racine County and Racine County Home Visiting Network, a group of local agencies that provide free home visitation services to pregnant and parenting families. Langlieb called infant mortality a population health outcome. Its great to have these initiatives, (but) its incredibly expensive to scale the most expensive type of programming, he said. Where were short is were trying to address the population health outcome, we need to start seeing the population. We need to expand that reach and extend that benefit for home visiting to all families in an equitable way where that, again, basic level of support for all families that postpartum support through 12 months is really, really important. Langlieb asked if a home visit for every mother who gives birth would help solve the issue of infant mortality. Theres no one-size-fits-all approach, Mason said. I think the challenge is, if theres resources, that we can scale it out to make sure that we have the breadth and the depth that we need in those programs. That would really make a great step forward. More concerns Nicole Urquhart, founder of Baby Express, a business that provides prenatal and child care coordination, helps with diaper, formula and car seat assistance, transportation assistance and breastfeeding support, said her business needs to do more outreach with its families. We want to meet families at their point of need, even at point of crisis wherever the case may be, Urquhart said. Thats where additional resources are needed We would like to have the funding to be able to do more to adjust to their needs. Bishop Lawrence Kirby of St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church said there must be a holistic approach to addressing infant mortality. Kirby added that hes seen mothers who had to bring their 3-day-old children out in the cold to purchase items they need at the drugstore. He said hes been called to hospitals where an infant has died and the mother wont let go of the baby, and Kirby had to try to convince the mother to release the body to hospital staff. I dont know what kind of support we give to those kinds of mothers, Kirby said, suggesting attention to the spiritual aspect could be a solution. He also suggested adding someone in the community who could provide support and counseling to new mothers instead of just having psychiatrists or therapists. It is really serious to minister, to reach out, and to counsel with mothers whove lost infants or kids born, and we have to give services for them, Kirby said. There needs to be some kind of follow up. In photos and video: Gov. Tony Evers in Racine to discuss infant mortality Gov. Tony Evers takes notes Gov. Tony Evers listens Hope Otto Jeff Langlieb Resident Janine Anderson Greta Neubauer Nicole Urquhart Group photo Racine resident and former Journal Times reporter Janine Anderson speaks at round table Racine County Public Health Division health officer Jeff Langlieb and Racine County human services Director Hope Otto Gov. Tony Evers says Wisconsin has a long way to go for infant mortality Gov. Tony Evers covers budgeting for mother and baby Gov. Tony Evers explains why he came to Racine to talk about infant mortality Former President Trump could be indicted in the coming days, a seismic event that will ripple through the political world. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has signaled he is prepared to bring charges against Trump over a hush-money payment to cover up an alleged affair during the 2016 election. Trump, who over the weekend indicated he was expecting to be arrested this week, has launched a stream of attacks against Bragg and urged supporters to protest. Heres what to watch ahead of a possible indictment How are charges announced A grand jury could decide this week and as early as Wednesday whether to indict the former president on charges related to a hush-money payment made to porn star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 election. What comes next will be closely watched, but the specifics are unclear. If Trump is indicted, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is likely to work with Trumps team to arrange his surrender in New York City. Trump resides in Florida, and his attorney has said he would not refuse to surrender. Trump would have to be arraigned in New York City, but he is unlikely to be held in Manhattan while the legal case against him plays out, allowing him to continue campaigning as a 2024 presidential candidate. What does Trump do Trump has sought to weaponize the looming charges against him for political purposes, even predicting his own arrest would happen Tuesday despite no inside information or evidence to support his claim. The former president is likely to use the announcement of charges to hammer home his message to supporters that he is a target of a politically motivated justice system that must be torn down and rebuilt. Trumps campaign already sent out numerous fundraising missives to his supporters seizing on the reports of Trumps imminent arrest, and it is expected to do the same if and when an indictment drops. And Trump himself has turned his Truth Social feed into a sounding board for aggressive attacks against Bragg, demeaning the 49-year-old district attorney as a racist, [George] Soros backed prosecutor who is being manipulated by Democratic leaders. Story continues With Trump unlikely to be held in Manhattan after the charges are filed, he is expected to continue his schedule as a 2024 presidential candidate, beginning Saturday with a rally in Waco, Texas, where his grievances will be on full display in front of a crowd of ardent supporters. What will protests look like Authorities in New York City have been on alert for the possibility of protests, setting up metal barricades near the Manhattan courthouse in anticipation of a charged response to Trumps arrest. Republicans have generally called for any protests to remain peaceful, and chatter among pro-Trump groups has yet to show any organized effort for widespread demonstrations. But the rhetoric coming from Trump and his team has put many on edge about the prospect of violence, particularly two years after a pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol. Trump himself urged supporters to protest, take our nation back! in the same Truth Social post where he predicted his own arrest would happen Tuesday. In a separate post, Trump bemoaned what he described as the decline of the country, writing: Theyre killing our nation as we sit back & watch. We must save America! Protest, Protest, Protest!!! Trumps attorney, Joe Tacopina, warned it would be an all-out war if the former president is indicted, while Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) suggested that charging Trump would blow up our country. House GOP goes on attack House Republicans in particular have signaled they will rally around Trump and go on offense on his behalf. Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has led an effort to blast the looming charges as politically motivated, and he has threatened to review federal funding for the Manhattan district attorneys office. Three House GOP committee chairs requested testimony from Bragg, writing to the district attorney that a decision to indict Trump will erode confidence in the evenhanded application of justice and unalterably interfere in the course of the 2024 presidential election. The strategy is reminiscent of the former presidents previous impeachment trials, when House Republicans like Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and former Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) were among his most outspoken defenders. Braggs office in an internal memo Monday said it would not be intimidated by rhetoric from Trump and Republicans. How does it shake up 2024 race? Even with multiple investigations hanging over him, Trump has remained the front-runner for the GOP nomination in the 2024 presidential race. The former president has a fervent base of supporters who give him a solid floor in any primary race, and some of that support will only be re-entrenched by what some view as a politically motivated prosecution. Still, an indictment could prove damaging to Trumps prospects long-term. Other contenders like former Vice President Mike Pence and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley have repeatedly argued the GOP has better choices than Trump moving forward, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) made a point to note Monday that hes never had to pay hush money to cover up an affair. One strategist who worked on Trumps 2016 campaign acknowledged the former president is still a force in the GOP, but argued that at a certain point the baggage will become too much for voters to look past. An indictment is not like Democrats going after him in the Oval Office, the strategist said. This is of his own making. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Editors note: Welcome back to our series Lets Dish, Kansas City, showcasing some of our favorite restaurant meals. Click here to sign up for our new newsletter. And scroll down to learn how you can participate. Lets get this out of the way right now: Its not a jye-ro, rhymes with Cairo. Its not a hero thats a sub sandwich. A gyro is pronounced year-oh. Like the year of 2023, explains DeeDee Jovaras, who as co-owner of Mr. Gyros Greek Food & Pastry with her husband, Chris, keeps that little lesson handy. Regardless of how you say it, at this restaurant, the gyro ($8.25) is a delicious bestseller, with warm, pillowy pita bread wrapped like a taco around savory slices of meat, along with tomatoes, onions and tzatziki sauce (a yummy blend of sour cream, cucumber and secret seasonings). Yet, Im here to tell you to order something else. Ive been going to Mr. Gyros for decades, and Ive found when I order that sandwich, I eat it all at once. It quickly becomes a distant memory. The Gyro Platter at Mr. Gyros comes with a big pile of meat, pita bread to stuff it in, tomatoes, onions, feta cheese, olives, a hot pepper and tzatziki sauce. Instead, I spend a little more and order the Gyro Plate ($10.95) and a large Greek salad ($9), and I get two, maybe three meals out of it. Plus, I get the joy of creation. Both the plate and the salad come with small triangles of pita, the perfect amount for the mound of meat. You take a piece of the pita and pile a few slices of meat on top. Add a slice of tomato and a slice of onion. Fold it over and dunk it in the tzatziki sauce. Bliss. Cleanse your palate every so often with bites of the salad, loaded with feta cheese and tangy dressing. More bliss. A large Greek salad at Mr. Gyros comes with lots of veggies and crumbled feta cheese, tangy dressing and slices of pita. The meat, a combination of beef and lamb, comes from a Greek supplier in Chicago, Jovaras says. The restaurant roasts huge cylinders of it on rotating spits. (Heres another language lesson for you: Gyro means to turn in Greek.) Then the cook shaves off strips with an electric knife and throws them on the grill to give them just the right taste and texture. Gyro meat, a combination of beef and lamb, is roasted on a spit and then shaved into thin slices with an electric knife. Its very healthy, Jovaras is quick to point out, more than once. A lot of people want us to do the french fries, but everything here is very very healthy. You feel good when you walk out. I dont think you feel like you ate something and then you feel guilty about it afterward. Story continues (Unless you get the crispy-sweet, to-die-for baklava for dessert. But thats another story.) And though its all a little exotic, its not fancy. Order at the counter and wait until your number is called. Food is served on paper plates with plastic forks, or in plastic foam takeout containers, which I always need. DeeDee Jovaras, co-owner of Mr. Gyros, demonstrates how the dishes are prepared in the kitchen, including this Greek salad, topped with an olive. DeeDees in-laws, Ted and Soula Jovaras, immigrants from Greece, founded Mr. Gyros four decades ago, opening the first location at 83rd and Metcalf in Overland Park. Soula did all the baking. Ted did the gyros, dolmades, dressings and other savory menu items, recipes Mr. Gyros still uses. Artwork from their native island of Limnos decorates the walls at the location I go to, at 8575 W. 135th St. in Overland Park. The mural in back shows the Greek island of Rhodes. And Teds portrait hangs at the table that was his favorite before he died almost five years ago. Mr. Gyros has four locations around Johnson County, including this one at 8575 W. 135th St. in Overland Park. When DeeDee and Chris took over the operation, they expanded the menu and the locations, which now total four. Recently their two boys, Teddy and Alekos, joined the company and are helping move it to the next level, their mom says. We are one of the few family-owned restaurants in this town that have survived this many years, she says. People think were a franchise, and were not. But we work it. Youre going to see me here every single day. All the locations get that family touch, she says. It makes the food come out better, with better quality. Whatever theyre doing, its working. Buster Murdaugh, the surviving son of disgraced South Carolina legal scion Alex Murdaugh, says he had nothing to do in the death of a teenager found near his family home eight years ago. Buster Murdaugh, 26, has framed the speculation connecting him to the 2015 death of 19-year-old Stephen Smith as false and baseless. In 2015, years before Alex Murdaughs legal entanglements, the body of Stephen Smith was found alongside a country road in Hampton County, South Carolina. The location was just 15 miles from the Murdaugh family estate. Smiths vehicle, which was located just a few miles away, had run out of gas, per an NBC News report. RELATED: Alex Murdaugh Gets Trial Date For Wrongful Death Suit Involving 19-Year-Old Killed In Boating Accident An autopsy later concluded that Smith died after being fatally struck by a vehicle while walking along the road. A driver, however, was never arrested in the deadly hit-and-run. "These baseless rumors of my involvement with Stephen and his death are false," Buster Murdaugh said in a statement Monday. "I unequivocally deny any involvement in his death, and my heart goes out to the Smith family." Buster Murdaugh in court. Buster Murdaugh, the son of Alex Murdaugh. Photo: Joshua Boucher/The State/Tribune News Service via Getty Images Buster Murdaughs public statement follows on the heels of his father, Alex Murdaughs conviction and sentencing in the double murder of his wife, Maggie Murdaugh, 52, and son, Paul Murdaugh, 22. Alex Murdaugh, the once prominent lawyer, whose powerful family had dominated the legal landscape, was ultimately sentenced to two consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole. Hes filed court records indicating he intends to appeal the ruling. Prosecutors said the then-drug-addled attorney carried out his familys slayings to purposefully generate sympathy for himself in an attempt to obscure a slew of financial crimes he was being investigated for. Following Alex Murdaughs 2021 arrest, state investigators announced theyd re-opened their investigation into Smiths mysterious death. At the time, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division said the development was based upon information gathered during the course of the double murder investigation of Paul and Maggie Murdaugh." Authorities noted theyd received multiple tips from the public following Alex Murdaughs arrest, linking his family to Smiths death. Story continues Buster Murdaugh, however, is adamant the accusations are bogus. "I have tried my best to ignore the vicious rumors about my involvement in Stephen Smiths tragic death that continue to be published in the media as I grieve over the brutal murders of my mother and brother. I love them so much and miss them terribly." According to multiple media outlets, Buster Murdaugh and Smith were peers at the same South Carolina high school, however, those reports havent been independently verified by Oxygen.com. Buster Murdaugh testifies during his father's trial Buster Murdaugh testifies during his father's trial at the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, S.C., on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023. Photo: Grace Beahm Alford/The Post And Courier/AP/Pool Smiths family, however, have since publicly stated theyve raised money via an online crowdfunding effort to exhume the late teens body for the purposes of having a new independent autopsy and medical exam conducted. "We need a new, unbiased look at his body and an accurate determination of his cause of death based on facts," Smith's mother, Sandy Smith, wrote on GoFundMe. Lawyers for their family, however, stated that Buster Murdaugh, specifically, wasnt a target in the latest efforts to exhume and re-examine Smiths body, noting the family just wants answers. "We've not mentioned Buster's name one time, attorney Ronnie Richter told reporters at a media conference on Monday, according to NBC News. This is not about Buster Murdaugh, so, this is about Stephen Smith. There's no reason to discuss Buster Murdaugh and there's no comment to make back to Buster Murdaugh." Alex Murdaugh Leaving Court Handcuffs Richters co-counsel, Eric Bland, also referred to Buster Murdaugh as a victim, and was adamant that the cases evidence would guide their independent investigation. "As we sit here today, Buster is a victim he lost a mother, a brother and now his father's in jail, Bland said. Buster, as we know, has nothing to do with this, and whatever is mentioned in the records, that's what investigators are going to look at, but we have no knowledge at all about Buster or the Murdaughs having anything to do with this right now. We're starting with a fresh set of eyes." The Smith familys efforts to re-examine his remains come in tandem with calls by former Murdaugh housekeeper Gloria Satterfields loved ones to exhume her body as well. In 2018, Satterfield died after allegedly tripping and falling down a flight of stairs at the Murdaugh home. State investigators also announced theyd re-probe Satterfields death following Alex Murdaughs arrest. To date, one has been criminally charged with homicide in connection to Satterfields death. Oxy App Buster Murdaugh attended every day of his fathers murder trial, which opened on Jan. 25. He was the first defense witness to testify at the blockbuster trial. During his testimony, Buster Murdaugh told jurors his father was destroyed by his mother and brothers sudden deaths. On the stand, Buster Murdaugh described the chain of events that followed when his father revealed Maggie Murdaugh and Paul Murdaugh had been fatally shot. As his fathers trial wore on, at times, Buster Murdaugh looked visibly exhausted and strained. Following Alex Murdaughs sentencing, national tabloid reporters trailed Buster Murdaugh to his Hilton Head, South Carolina condo where a New York Post reporter photographed him through the blinds at the property and also walking his dogs. The 26-year-old later filed a police report directly related to the incident, claiming the media was harassing him. "I am requesting that the media immediately stop publishing these defamatory comments and rumors about me," Buster Murdaugh added in his recent statement regarding Smiths death. Senate Democrats on Tuesday expressed alarm at former President Trumps call for protests in response to a potential indictment this week by the Manhattan District Attorneys Office. But some also held back as they awaited the possible indictment over a hush money payment made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels to be handed down. Democrats panned Trumps immediate response to a potential arrest, harkening back to his call out to his supporters prior to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. I worry about it in the context of Jan. 6, Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) told The Hill. We saw what happened when the former president incited violence on Jan. 6, so I worry because of the former presidents past record. I think its ridiculous, said Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.). Certainly I worry about President Trump doing things that are irresponsible, but it wouldnt be the first time. But Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) during his daily floor remarks on Tuesday notably stuck to other topics, including the chambers series of votes doing away with the Authorization of Military Force for the Iraq War, railway safety legislation and the House Republicans H.R. 1 energy bill. Im not commenting on this until we see what actually happens. Its premature, Schumer told NBC News when asked about Trumps call for protests. However, that has not stopped some other Democrats from going after the ex-president whether he is charged or not. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), a longtime adversary of Trump, told reporters that the situation will further reveal the former president as a crook. Im not on the jury, so I can say that, Blumenthal said. The American people have seen through him before. Trump is in hot water after his former fixer, Michael Cohen, made a $130,000 payment to Daniels days before the 2016 election and as she was set to publicly claim she had an affair with the former president, which he denies. Story continues The political ramifications if an indictment is indeed handed down remain to be seen as Trump mounts a third presidential bid. Conservatives and Trump supporters have almost roundly condemned the push as a politically-motivated attack on one of the partys leading figures for the nomination, and even some moderate Democrats are worried about those optics. Theres many reasons not to support Donald Trump. Theres many reasons why Donald Trump should not be president again in the United States. But you should not allow the court system to be perceived as basically a political pawn as you will, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), who is up for reelection in 2024, told reporters. I think it would basically have the reverse effect as some people would think not for the good, he added. Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), the chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, declined to delve into what a Trump indictment could mean politically. Lets wait to see what the indictment is and what the facts are before we start commenting on that, Peters said. The nascent effort on the part of House Republicans to train their fire on Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D), meanwhile, has senators concerned on both sides of the aisle. Reps. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), James Comer (R-Ky.) and Bryan Steil (R-Wis.), the chairmen of the House Judiciary, Oversight and Administration committees, have all called on Bragg to testify to lawmakers. Jordan also has dismissed the allegations, having compared them to a bookkeeping error. Going after law enforcement folks who are working to enforce our laws is a very dangerous practice, Van Hollen said. This is a moment for all Republicans, all the peoplejust to let justice take its course. No ones above the law. Everyones entitled to due process. The former president will have due process. This is not a moment for Republicans to be attacking folks in the justice system, Van Hollen added. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), a top ally of Senate GOP leadership, indicated to reporters that House Republicans should sidestep targeting Bragg and instead stick to the agenda they ran on when they got elected to the majority. A number of Republicans also took issue with Trumps protest push. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) told reporters that she didnt see how they could be helpful nor beneficial for the former president. Anytime anyone wants to assemble peacefully, thats fine, Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) told reporters. The minute they get violent, they should go to jail. Alexander Bolton contributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Key Speakers At Conservative Political Action Conference Former President Donald Trump departs during CPAC in National Harbor, Md., on March 4, 2023. Credit - Al DragoBloomberg/Getty Images Donald Trump could make history once againthis time as the first former U.S. president ever to be criminally indicted. A Manhattan grand jury could return an indictment as early as this week in a case involving his alleged hush-money payment to former porn star Stormy Daniels. Daniels says she and Trump had an affair; Trump denies this. Like all things with Trump, its unprecedented, says Barbara Perry, a presidential historian at the Miller Center at the University of Virginia. President Ulysses S. Grant was technically the first President to be arrested for speeding on a horse and buggy in 1872. But the Trump case will go down in history as one of the biggest political scandals in American historyeven if the charges relate to the seemingly mundane offense of bookkeeping fraud. Criminal history, as it pertains to U.S. presidents, is pretty brief. In terms of the seriousness of the scandal, Perry argues the Watergate scandal is the closest parallel because it was the first time a President resigned. President Richard Nixon stepped down in 1974 after tapes revealed he participated in the cover-up of the 1972 break-in at a Democratic National Committee office in the Watergate complex. Several Nixon advisors, from the White House lawyer to the Attorney General, served prison time. While the Department of Justice initially argued that a sitting president couldnt be indicted on a criminal charge, Nixon was not assured that protection post-presidency, so his successor Gerald Ford pardoned him. As Ford put it, My fellow Americans, our long national nightmare is over. But a Sept. 1974 Gallup poll reported 53% of Americans thought the pardon was the wrong thing to do, and its one of the reasons Ford was voted out of office in the next election. Newspaper headlines being read by tourists in front of the White House on Aug. 8, 1974. Bettmann Archive/Getty Images Read more: What Was the Biggest Political Scandal in American History? 7 Historians Make Their Picks Story continues Arrests of major federal officials have an even longer history. Secretary of the Interior Albert Fall was convicted of bribery in 1929 for accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in Liberty Bonds after allowing a private company to lease oil reserves in Wyoming known as Teapot Dome. Back then, TIME called Fall the first felon in a Presidents cabinet in U.S. history. As biographer Robert Dallek explained the significance of the scandal, People in the government were selling the administration to the highest bidder, using their government power to exploit bad positions to make a lot of money. Fall served under President Warren G. Harding from 1921-1923, and Harding came to be viewed as corrupt. Increased press scrutiny revealed that he had a mistress. The stress of the scandal is thought to have led to his fatal heart attack in August 1923. Bill Clinton was the last President who was close to facing criminal charges. Paula Jones, a receptionist, claimed she suffered emotional damage after Clinton exposed himself to her in a hotel room in May of 1991, back when he was the Governor of Arkansas, and sued for sexual harassment. In Clinton v. Jones, the Supreme Court sets a precedent that a president can be sued for actions allegedly taken before he becomes presidentthat in turn led to an impeachment, says Perry. President Clinton did have to pay civil damages to Paula Jones, and the suit brought to light the other womanizing he had engaged in, including a roughly two-year relationship with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky. However, while he was impeached in Dec. 1998 and acquitted in Feb. 1999, the scandal didnt impact his popularity. His approval ratings kept going up. President Bill Clinton reacts to being impeached by the House of Representatives outside of the oval office in the White House Rose Garden, on Dec. 19, 1998. David Hume KennerlyGetty Images There are similar worries that charging Trump could further boost his popularity with his sympathetic base. Yet Clinton wasnt trying to run for re-election; the impeachment happened in his second term. Trump, however, is trying to stage a comeback after losing the 2020 election. With GOP rivals already making hay of the scandalFlorida Governor Ron DeSantis quipped, I dont know what goes into paying hush money to a porn starit remains to be seen whether criminal charges would help or hinder his 2024 bid. Federal and company officials said they plan to push forward with a plan to store nuclear waste in southeast New Mexico even after lawmakers passed a bill intended to block such a project during the legislative session that concluded Saturday. The New Mexico House of Representatives passed the bill on a 35 to 28 vote, and it was signed by hours later by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, a vocal opponent of the project proposed by Holtec International. If licensed and completed, Holtecs facility would temporarily store up to 100,000 metric tons of spent nuclear fuel rods brought in via rail from nuclear power plants around the country to the remote location near the border of Eddy and Lea counties. More:Nuclear waste transportation fears lingering amid storage project in southeast New Mexico But Senate Bill 53, sponsored by Sen. Jeff Steinborn (D-36) would bar New Mexico agencies from issuing permits to such a facility without expressed state consent and unless a permanent repository is available. Amid the legislative effort in direct response to the companys proposal for southeast New Mexico, spokesman for the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Dave McIntyre said the agency planned to issue a final decision on the license by May, and that the bill had no impact on its licensing process for the Holtec facility. The NRC previously issued a final environmental analysis, predicting the facility would have minimal impact and recommending a license be issued. More:Bill to block nuclear waste in southeast New Mexico heads to House Floor for final vote Company says nuclear waste plan 'still viable' despite bill Holtec spokesman Patrick OBrien said the company believed the project was moving forward with continued support from local government leaders who argued it could help diversify the economy of the oil-dependent region. The company was recruited by the Eddy-Lea Energy Alliance (ELEA), a consortium of the cities of Carlsbad and Hobbs and Eddy and Lea counties, which also provided the land and signed an agreement which would result in ELEA receiving a third of the facilitys revenue. Story continues OBrien said the project posed little risk despite concerns expressed by Steinborn, Lujan Grisham and other opponents that the project could expose New Mexicans to radiation both in the area around the facility and along the waste transportation routes. More:Safety, longevity of nuclear waste disposal near Carlsbad debated amid permit renewal We are deeply disappointed that the House saw fit to pass SB 53. The HI-STORE project, a public-private partnership between Eddy Lea Energy Alliance (ELEA) and Holtec, is a tremendous economic opportunity for Southeastern New Mexico, he said in an email. The federal government has the sole authority to regulate nuclear waste, OBrien argued, meaning SB 53 was pre-empted by federal law, a point brought up frequently as the bill was debated in Santa Fe. With strong local support and the desire of ELEA to diversify its economy, passing a bill that is pre-empted by federal law and will be adjudicated accordingly in the courts, is a counterproductive action that inhibits the States growth in the area of clean energy, OBrien said. More:Bill to block nuclear waste project in New Mexico gaining momentum in State House He said the company believed the project was still viable with local support from ELEA, and was important to supporting carbon-free energy from the nuclear sector. We will continue to work with our partners, key stakeholders, and governmental officials to help provide an interim solution to the spent fuel management impasse in the United States and help us maintain the momentum for a greener, carbon-free future, OBrien said. Southeast New Mexico leaders clash with lawmakers on nuclear waste Carlsbad Mayor Dale Janway said the city still expected the proposal to come to fruition. More:Nuclear warhead development moves forward at federal lab in New Mexico However, we strongly believe that this project will triumph over the long haul, Janway said in a statement. As has been pointed out multiple times throughout this legislative session, we believe this bill will ultimately not hold up in court and will simply serve as a delaying process that is costly to the state. He said SB 53 ignored years of study and previous support of the project from lawmakers and past governors alike. It ignored the numerous occurrences of declared consent, Janway said. It ignored the vast economic benefits and economic diversity this project would bring to the state, as well as scientific enhancements. More:Pollution bills struggle in New Mexico legislature. Here's what passed and failed But as SB 53 passed into law, Steinborn said it was essential policy for New Mexicans statewide to have a voice in decisions related to nuclear waste in their state. He said without a permanent repository, the Holtec site could become de-facto dumping ground for high-level nuclear waste, continuing the states history of disproportionately taking on risks from nuclear activities, including uranium mining in the northern portion of the state and the U.S. first nuclear weapons tests at the Trinity Site near Alamogordo. New Mexico Sen. Jeff Steinborn Today was a great win for New Mexico and the country, Steinborn said. We protected our state from this short-sighted and long-term dangerous plan and in doing so, pushed the federal government toward what needs to be the real solution, which is a permanent repository. More:New contractor takes over nuclear waste disposal at site near Carlsbad under $3B contract The bill was also supported by environmental groups throughout the session who opposed the project for perceived dangers to the environment and public health. Camilla Feibelman, president of the Rio Grande Chapter of the Sierra Club argued New Mexico benefited little from nuclear energy and thus should not be forced to accept risks associated with its waste. Communities that opted to host nuclear power plants got the energy, jobs and property taxes, but Holtec would allow them to export all the costs to the communities along the rail lines and to New Mexico, she said. The federal government needs to follow its own law and identify and operate a permanent storage facility before making us the country's de facto nuclear-waste dump. Adrian Hedden can be reached at 575-628-5516, achedden@currentargus.com or @AdrianHedden on Twitter. This article originally appeared on Carlsbad Current-Argus: New Mexico passes bill to block nuclear waste site near Carlsbad Reba McEntire arrives at the 56th CMA Awards on Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2022, at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn. | Evan Agostini, Associated press Country music sensation Reba McEntire became the saving grace for a small town in her home state of Oklahoma. In late January, Atoka, Oklahoma, celebrated the grand opening of Rebas Place, a combination restaurant, bar, live music venue and retail store brought to life by country music superstar Reba McEntire, the restaurants website says. As of 2021, the small town is home to 3,188 Oklahomans. Sitting right off U.S. Highway 75, which stretches from Texas to Canada, Atoka sees millions of travelers drive past every year. The town was in dire need of something to boost its economy and attract travelers for a pit stop. Reba offered an answer. According to The New York Times, Rebas restaurant has brought in half a million guests to Atoka since opening in January. Guests who enter the restaurant are greeted by the comforting smell of southern cooking that includes some of Rebas personal favorites, such as cornbread, fried green tomatoes and banana pudding. Related Reba performed a live concert for the grand opening and stayed around afterward to get to know restaurant guests, take pictures and sign autographs. Crowds of McEntire fans many of them dressed in glittery tops and tasseled jackets to mimic her signature style lined up outside a stolid three-story brick building whose only trace of glitz was a tall red electric sign reading Rebas Place. The wait time for a table was four hours, the New York Times said of the opening event. Carol Ervin, economic development director for Atoka, said Rebas Place was just the thing to turn the city around. For years she had been planning this project and approached Reba with the idea in 2020. McEntire had been back home in Oklahoma with her siblings at the time taking care of her ill mother. The Dallas Morning News reported that the development of the project has made McEntire feel more connected with her roots. Story continues I just wish Mama and Daddy were here to see it and love it, McEntire said in the article. Angelia Whiddon, a staffer at the restaurant who has lived in Atoka off and on for 50 years, told the Dallas paper, This is the most exciting thing here thats happened in quite some time. The restaurant interior is decorated with McEntires most iconic outfits, the New York Times reported. Under a soaring ceiling, diners packed into booths made from old church pews and gazed at posters showcasing Ms. McEntires albums, movies and shows, which have traded on her friendly, just-plain-folks image. Some of McEntires biggest fans have hopes to someday see the country stars own version of Dollywood, the Times noted. Ukrainian troops fire a captured Russian T-80 tank at Russian positions in the Donetsk region on November 22. AP Photo/LIBKOS Ukrainian troops have repurposed an array of gear that Russian forces have left on the battlefield. That includes T-80 tanks captured from the 1st Guards Tank Army, an elite Russian armored unit. But Russian tanks are designed for Russian forces, and Ukraine might get limited use out of them. There is poetic justice in the idea that a country under attack is using its adversary's weapons against it. No wonder Western observers have been thrilled by reports of Ukrainian forces capturing hundreds of Russian tanks and turning them against the invaders. No doubt Western governments were happy, too; the more weapons Ukraine captures for itself, the fewer Western countries may have to send from their own stocks. Michael Kofman, the director of the Russia Studies Program at CNA, said that the gear Ukraine is repurposing includes tanks that were captured from Russia's elite 1st Guards Tank Army and sent back into Bakhmut, the site of Ukraine and Russia's deadliest fighting. Kofman spoke at a March 13 event hosted by the Carnegie Endowment and described a recent trip to Bakhmut, where he said that he saw "a reinforcing tank platoon coming in from the Ukrainian side which was entirely made up of Russian T-80s that they had captured from 1st Guards Tank Army at Izyum." Russian soldiers on a T-80 tank heading toward the Azovstal plant in Mariupol on April 16, 2022. Maximilian Clarke/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images "They were very easily identifiable," Kofman added. "You can see an entire unit composed of nothing but captured Russian tanks." That the tanks were trophies from a 1st Guards Tank Army defeat must be particularly galling to Moscow. The unit earned fame as a Red Army formation from World War II. It was deactivated in 1998 but reactivated with great fanfare in 2014 as an elite, well-equipped force that became the Russian army's prime ground maneuver unit. The 1st Guard Tank Army took heavy losses in several battles around Kyiv and Kharkiv when it was deployed in Ukraine and eventually had to be withdrawn for refitting. Russian troops have been quite generous with their equipment, leaving an array of hardware, some of it undamaged, for Ukrainian forces to capture. Story continues Living off captured hardware may work for insurgents, but it doesn't work for armies that need advanced weapons for protracted operations, and Ukraine now faces the question of how long these vehicles will be in fighting condition. Workers upgrade a T-80 tank at the Malyshev Tank Factory in Kharkiv in July 2015. SERGEY BOBOK/AFP via Getty Images While Ukrainian mechanics have worked wonders to restore captured Russian equipment aided by the fact that most of Ukraine's pre-war arsenal was based on Soviet-era designs sustained operations with Russian tanks will require a stream of parts from Russian factories. "They don't have the parts that keep a lot of these running," Kofman said. "So on paper you may capture a lot of vehicles, but you don't have the engines, you don't have the transmissions, you don't have the parts to keep them going." While Ukraine needs tanks and will get use out of them, Kofman said that ammunition and other spare parts are higher priorities: "First and foremost, it's artillery ammunition and replacement of artillery barrels. Alongside air-defense ammunition that's missiles and what have you, and air-defense systems." Kofman said that he believes Ukraine doesn't need tanks as much as it needs armored vehicles to carry infantry into battle. "Ukraine has very large brigades of mechanized infantry, but to be mechanized, they actually need to be riding on something. Otherwise, Ukraine has a lot of manpower, not a lot of mobility," Kofman said at the Carnegie event. Ukrainian soldiers with a damaged tank after the Russian withdrawal from Izyum in September. Metin Aktas/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images A similar situation played out in World War II; one reason German-panzer divisions were so formidable early in the conflict was that they were the first to carry infantry in armored half-tracks rather than in soft-skinned trucks so that infantry could safely keep up with the tanks. Large numbers of immobile Ukrainian infantry "might work for a defense-in-depth strategy and that might work for holding Bakhmut," Kofman said, "but it's not going to work if you want to go on the offensive." Kofman said that Ukraine still needs Western tanks, which have a more reliable supply of spare parts and ammunition. However, these tanks including the older Abrams tanks the US has agreed to send need to be refurbished and could take months to arrive. Political and public attention is focused on tanks as well as fighter jets for reasons that are as much symbolic as strategic, but discussions that are "overly centered" on tanks risk neglecting other crucial factors, Kofman said. Such discussions often don't touch on "important things like force quality and training, expanding that, scaling it up, and dealing with the real challenges in the Ukraine force things like communication systems, distribution of intelligence, surveillance assets, and intelligence," Kofman said. "A lot of other things have been very significant in this war but are less spoken of." Michael Peck is a defense writer whose work has appeared in Forbes, Defense News, Foreign Policy magazine, and other publications. He holds a master's in political science. Follow him on Twitter and LinkedIn. Read the original article on Business Insider 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. 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 Dr. Miguel Cardona, Secretary of EducationBiography Dr. Miguel A. Cardona was sworn in as the 12th U.S. Secretary of Education on March 2, 2021. Secretary Cardona is one of three children, whose parents moved from Puerto Rico in the 1960s for better opportunities in the mainland United States. That experience, and his bicultural upbringing, have helped shape Secretary Cardona's passion to serve all students and improve their opportunities for success. Secretary Cardona's focus throughout his career on raising the bar for equity and excellence in education for all learners guides his leadership of the U.S. Department of Education in service of the nation's 65 million students, ranging from prekindergarten to adult learners, and their families. Over the last two years, Secretary Cardona led the nation's efforts to safely and successfully reopen schools for in-person learning, going from only 46 percent of school buildings open when President Biden took office to nearly 100 percent open just nine months later, while distributing historic federal education funding for P-12 schools and colleges; working to increase higher education access, affordability, and student success; and leading unprecedented federal efforts to transform the country's student loan system. Across all these areas, Secretary Cardona has highlighted the urgency of seizing this moment through intentional collaborationparticularly working in partnership with parents, families, students, and educatorsand the opportunity we have, as a nation, not only to recover from the pandemic, but to reimagine a higher-performing and more equitable education system that works better for all. In the year ahead, the Department will be focused on achieving academic excellence and accelerating learning for all students; delivering a comprehensive and rigorous education for every student; eliminating the educator shortage for every school; investing in every student's mental health and well-being; providing every student with a pathway to multilingualism; and ensuring every student has pathways to college and a career. Secretary Cardona previously served as the commissioner of education in Connecticut, a position he held after being appointed by Governor Ned Lamont in August 2019. In this role, Secretary Cardona faced the unprecedented challenge of responding to the Covid-19 pandemic and led safe school reopening efforts in the state. The state was the first in the nation to provide equitable access to learning devices amid the pandemic, being one of the first in the country to safely reopen. Recognizing the increased importance of providing resources for the social-emotional health of students and staff, the state also collaborated with the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and other public-private partnerships to provide free social and emotional learning courses for students. Secretary Cardona's approach to leadership in Connecticut focused on partnerships: within his Education Department, between state agencies, and with local boards, educator unions, school administrator associations, child advocates, and most importantly, students and families. He attributes his success in Connecticut, in part, to those strong partnerships. Secretary Cardona has two decades of experience as a public-school educator from Meriden, Connecticut, the same school system he attended as a child. He began his career as an elementary school teacher and went on to serve as an elementary school principal, leading a school that included outstanding programming for 3- to 5-year-old students with developmental delays, students with autism and other sensory needs, and students enrolled in the district's bilingual education program. Following that role, Secretary Cardona led performance and evaluation efforts for the Meriden Public Schools and became assistant superintendent for teaching and learning. Secretary Cardona is the recipient of the 2012 National Distinguished Principal Award for the State of Connecticut and the Outstanding Administrator Award from the University of Connecticut's Neag School of Education. Secretary Cardona earned a bachelor's degree from Central Connecticut State University, a master's degree, two additional advanced leadership certifications, and a doctoral degree from the University of Connecticut. His greatest source of pride is his family. Secretary Cardona and his beautiful wife Marissa, an educator herself, are the proud parents of two children. Eduroam @ EIT What is Eduroam? Eduroam (education roaming) is the secure, world-wide roaming access service developed for the international research and education community. Eduroam allows researchers, staff and students from participating institutions to obtain Internet connectivity when visiting other participating institutions by simply opening their laptop or mobile device, connecting to 'eduroam' and entering their home university account details. The user's authentication request is sent to the user's home institution, who verify the user's credentials and sends to the visited institution the results allowing access. All New Zealand universities and some ITPs participate in eduroam. For a list of NZ eduroam enabled institutions, please visit REANNZ's site. Eduroam is also available in worldwide locations. For more detail on worldwide coverage see the European eduroam site How can I access it? To access eduroam, simply connect to the 'eduroam' wireless network at an eduroam enabled institution. Eastern Institute of Technology staff and students cannot access the eduroam service on Eastern Institute of Technology campuses. You should use the EIT Wifi BYOD network while you are at the Eastern Institute of Technology. For further information about connecting to the EIT Wifi on-campus, click here. Our security configuration is provided in the table below. Please contact the IT Services Help desk on +64-6-9748000 extn. 4357 or help@eit.ac.nz if you have any questions. Eastern Institute of Technology Eduroam security configuration SSID eduroam Wireless Security Type WPA-Enterprise Encryption Type AES EAP Method PEAP Phase 2 Authentication MSCHAPV2 CA Certificate Not required Identity EIT staff: your_username@eit.ac.nz EIT student: your_username@student.eit.ac.nz Anonymous Identity Leave blank Password Your current EIT password. Network Access Available Full access to the Institutes 1Gbit/s Research connection, plus up to 2 Mbit/s of shared internet bandwidth is available to visitors from other eduroam partners. Access is limited to VPN, HTTP, HTTPS, and SSH. Visitors to Eastern Institute of Technology The use of eduroam is governed by the REANNZ eduroam Policy For visitors to Eastern Institute of Technology the Acceptable Use Policy of your home institution also applies. The eduroam network is not content filtered and access by staff or students under 18 requires parental consent. Activity monitoring and logging In accordance with the Eastern Institute of Technology computer use regulations and Eduroam NZ policy, we will collect the following when you access the eduroam network at Eastern Institute of Technology: The User ID you login as. you login as. The MAC Address of the device you are using. of the device you are using. The IP Address that your device is assigned on the network. that your device is assigned on the network. All traffic including destination, ports, and protocols. This information is kept for a minimum of three months and may be made available to eduroam security or technical contacts if required to investigate network issues. How much does eduroam cost? eduroam is FREE for its users, there is no charge for eduroam use world-wide. The providers of eduroam hotspots make the service available to benefit all members of the research and education community. Other eduroam information eduroam FAQs: For further information about eduroam please go to:http://www.eduroam.org/index.php?p=faq eduroam Companion App: You can easily find eduroam enabled institutions abroad by using the 'eduroam Companion' app by the JNT Association. This can be downloaded for IOS and Android devices: IOS - Go to http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/eduroam-companion/id480611749?mt=8 Android - Go to https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.ja.android.eduroamcompanion&hl=en When a student boards Yvonne Johnsons school bus for the first time, their eyes grow wide and fill with wonder. Sometimes they even crack a smile, marveling at the twinkling lights, bright colors of paper, zigzagging streamers, stickers galore all features of Johnsons Love Bus that she drives five days a week for the Omaha Public Schools. Students will find Johnson in the driver seat, welcoming them into her small sanctuary. Her patterned clothes, full face of makeup, curly hair and flowery scent make children so comfortable they call her Momma. Theyre not my students. Theyre my babies, Johnson said. And I tell my babies I love them, both the big ones and the little ones. I want them to know that Im safe to be with. The 25-year veteran bus driver has been operating the Love Bus for the last five years. Every few months, she spends multiple days decorating the exterior and interior of the vehicle to match the current season or holiday, like fall, Christmas, Valentines Day and spring. Most of the decor comes from a discount store. One year she spent $200 decorating for Christmas because she couldnt help herself. Johnson created the Love Bus after being inspired by the bus of a co-worker, who has since retired. But instead of simple window stickers or trim, Johnson said she goes overboard each year to make the bus environment as welcoming as possible for her students. You have to give them something to focus on, or all they are going to do is go to sleep or misbehave, Johnson said. They dont spend a lot of time with me, but its enough time that I can leave good memories that I had as a child. Leslie Lopezs son, Julian, has been riding Johnsons bus since he started prekindergarten in August at Gomez Heritage Elementary. Julian has autism and rarely speaks, but Lopez said he always has a big smile seeing the bus arrive each morning. My son loves the bus, how it is always decorated with seasonal colors, Lopez said. He loves her. She is very noble and sweet with children. Another of Johnsons students from Gomez didnt speak the entire first semester. But when Johnson decorated for spring earlier this month, the student boarded the bus, looked up and said flower. I said, OK, she is going to get flowers in her departing package, Johnson said about the gifts she gives to students at the end of the year. Sometimes Johnsons giving doesnt stop at the bus shes been known to send high school students money after they graduate to help with their college experience. Johnson doesnt have children of her own. I just love it, she said. I didnt birth them, but they are mine. Days can be long for Johnson, who gets up at 2:30 a.m. She said it takes her a while to get her lashes on for the day. At 5:30 a.m., she gets to work and goes through a safety checklist for her bus before taking off around 6 a.m. to pick up students enrolled at Gomez and Bryan High School. Johnson said she occasionally helps with busing around noon, but work for the evening routes begins around 2:15 p.m. Of course with 13 babies on here, it can get pretty long, so I may get back by 5:45 p.m., Johnson said. Ive driven 12 hours a day before. Johnson is part of the bus driver fleet employed through OPS, not Student Transportation of America, which transports the majority of students in the district. OPS drivers transport about 2,000 students, mostly in special education. Student Transportation of America has been experiencing worsening staff shortages, impacting bus route coverage about 74% of routes through the vendor are covered by a full-time driver. On the routes that the district handles itself, 89% are covered by a permanent driver. OPS bus drivers are like a family and work together to handle staff shortages when they happen, Johnson said. She thought about working as a substitute driver at one point but found out if she did, it wouldnt be guaranteed she would drive the Love Bus. She said without the decorated bus, she wouldnt be able to bring joy to others. It matters not just to the students my co-workers, principals and teachers come on here and love the feeling on here, Johnson said. People in traffic have honked me down, because its dark in the morning and you can see all these lights. And theyre like, Whats going on in there? You do all that for the kids? I say yes. And its kind of contagious. Photos: OPS driver decorates her bus for students 030923-owh-new-bus-pic-cm03.jpg 030923-owh-new-bus-pic-cm07.jpg 030923-owh-new-bus-pic-cm05.jpg 030923-owh-new-bus-pic-cm04.jpg 030923-owh-new-bus-pic-cm02.jpg New Delhi: With radical preacher Amritpal Singh still on the run, Punjab Police on Tuesday (March 21, 2023) released several photographs of the Khalistan sympathiser, including some in which he is not wearing a turban, and sought the help of the public to arrest him. Amritpal on Saturday had managed to give police a slip after changing his vehicle when police had launched a massive crackdown against him and his outfit 'Waris Punjab De'. He was initially seen in his Mercedes car but later switched to Brezza SUV during the police action. In a new photo that appeared on social media, he could be seen riding a pillion on a bike wearing a pink turban and black goggles, suggesting that he tried to change his appearance to get away from the eyes of the cops. CCTV footage showed him escaping in the SUV from the Jalandhar toll plaza. Releasing as many as seven pictures of Amritpal Singh in different looks, police appealed to people to help them in tracing him. Punjab Police releases a few pictures of 'Waris Punjab De' chief Amritpal Singh, requesting people to help them in his arrest. pic.twitter.com/cXbQayGsdm ANI (@ANI) March 21, 2023 At a press conference in Chandigarh, Inspector General of Police (Headquarters) Sukhchain Singh Gill said that they have four arrested people on Tuesday who helped Amritpal escape in the car. During their questioning, it came to the fore that Amritpal Singh went to a gurdwara in Nangal Ambian village in Jalandhar. "There he changed his clothes, and wore a shirt and pant, and escaped along with three others on two bikes," Gill said. Manpreet Singh alias Manna, a resident of Nava Killa in Shahkot, Gurdeep Singh alias Deepa, a resident of village Bal Nau in Nakodar, Harpreet Singh alias Happy of village Kotla Nodh Singh in Hoshiarpur, and Gurbhej Singh alias Bheja of village Gondara in Faridkot have been apprehended for helping Amritpal Singh during the police chase on Saturday, he added. The SUV has been seized from Manna, he said, adding that a .315 bore rifle, some swords and a walkie-talkie set were found in it. Watch | IGP Headquarters addressing a Press Conference on #AmritpalSingh at #PunjabPolice HQshttps://t.co/49PvcsyPGC Punjab Police India (@PunjabPoliceInd) March 21, 2023 Gill said the situation is completely peaceful in Punjab and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has been monitoring the situation and taking regular feedback from police officers. NSA invoked against Amritpal Singh The IG informed that the National Security Act (NSA) has been invoked against Amritpal Singh. A lookout circular and a non-bailable warrant have also been issued against the pro-Khalistan leader. The Punjab Police stated that 154 people have been arrested so far as part of the crackdown against Singh. Police have also detained Kulwant Singh Raoke of village Raoke in Moga district and Gurinderpal Singh alias Guri Aujla of Kapurthala under the National Security Act. Altogether, seven people have been detained under the NSA, the police said. ALSO READ | Arvind Kejriwal Lauds Bhagwant Mann For Maintaining Law & Order Amid Amritpal Singh Crackdown Amritpal's uncle Harjit Singh and driver Harpreet Singh have been booked in a separate case for taking shelter for two days at the residence of Manpreet Singh, the sarpanch of Uddowal village in Mehatpur in Jalandhar, at gunpoint. They have been booked under the relevant provisions of the IPC and the Arms Act. Harjit Singh -- who has been shifted to Dibrugarh jail in Assam -- and Harpreet Singh had surrendered before police in Jalandhar. SRINAGAR: As strong earthquake tremors were felt across North India, the doctors at a hospital in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district kept their nerve and delivered a baby through lower-segment cesarean section even as strong earthquake tremors shook the Valley on Tuesday. Anantnag districts Chief Medical Officer shared a video on Twitter and said, ''Emergency LSCS (lower-segment cesarean section) was going on at SDH (Sub District Hospital) Bijbehara, Anantnag, during which strong tremors of earthquake were felt.'' Kudos to the staff of SDH Bijbehara which conducted the LSCS smoothly and thank god everything is all right,'' the tweet said. The tweet also included a video that showed how the doctors performed their job and delivered the baby while everything around them was shaking. WATCH: Doctors Delivering Baby Amid Tremors At Hospital In Anantnag Emergency LSCS was going-on at SDH Bijbehara Anantnag during which strong tremors of Earthquake were felt. Kudos to staff of SDH Bijbehara who conducted the LSCS smoothly & Thank God,everything is Alright. CMO Anantnag Official (@cmo_anantnag) March 21, 2023 Strong Earthquake Tremors Jolt North India It may be recalled that an earthquake measuring 6.6-magnitude on the Richter Scale struck the Hindu Kush region in Afghanistan, shaking the Kashmir Valley so violently that residents in many areas rushed out of their homes in search of safety. Strong earthquake tremors were also felt across several cities in North India on Tuesday night. People in north India including in Delhi and adjoining areas felt earthquake tremors around 10.17 PM which triggered panic among residents and forced them to flee their homes to safer and open areas. National Centre for Seismology said that an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.6 on the Richter Scale hit 133km SSE of Fayzabad, Afghanistan at 10:17 pm on Tuesday. Following the tremors, Delhi Fire Services received calls regarding tilted buildings and cracks appearing in buildings from Jamia Nagar, Kalkaji and Shahdara areas. Fire services teams rushed to these areas to take stock of the situation. However, authorities later confirmed that no tilting was found in buildings due to the earthquake. Besides the Delhi-NCR region, earthquake tremors were also felt in Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Rajasthan. A resident in Rajasthan's Sri Ganganagar district said he felt three tremors back to back. A senior seismologist said the reason why people in northwest India and Delhi felt the tremors for a relatively longer time is because the "depth of the fault was more than 150 km". People in northern India first felt the primary waves and then were impacted by the secondary waves, he said. There were disruptions in mobile services in some parts of the Jammu region immediately after the earthquake, an official said. In east Delhi's Shakarpur, anxious people filled the congested lanes after claims by some that a building had tilted, but it turned out to be a false alarm. Two fire tenders were rushed to south-east Delhi's Jamia Nagar after a call claimed that a building was leaning there, officials said, adding further information is awaited. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted, "Strong tremors were felt across Delhi-NCR. Hope you all are safe." Chatter about the possible epicentre of the earthquake and memories of the destruction caused by a series of temblors in Turkiye dominated the discussions in the groups of people who rushed out of their homes. The tremors also sparked panic in Rajasthan as people rushed out of buildings as a precautionary measure and enquired about the earthquake from others. In Punjab and Haryana and their common capital Chandigarh, people rushed out of their homes during the tremors. There were similar reports from many places in Haryana, including Panchkula, Ambala, Karnal and parts of the National Capital Region. In Himachal Pradesh, people in Shimla, Mandi and several other places rushed to safety. "Tremors were felt in all the 12 districts of the state but no loss of life or damage to property has been reported," Special Secretary Disaster Management Sudesh Mokta said. Many people in Jammu and Kashmir also rushed out of their homes after tremors were felt. In Katra, devotees rushed out of guest houses. Mumbai: Actress Rashmika Mandanna has said that she will not be dancing to the popular number 'Saami Saami' from 'Pushpa: The Rise' anymore. Rashmika interacted with her fans in a question-and-answer session. When a fan told her that he wants to groove with her to her famous Saami Saami song, Rashmika said she's danced 'too many times' to the song. She wrote back: "I've done saami saami step tooooo many times.. that now I feel like I'll have issues with my back when I get older.. why you do this to me re.. ?? let's do something else when me meet." She was also asked if she would be working with Thalapathy Vijay, to which Rashmika replied that she is manifesting that. One even asked her if she likes Malayalam cinema, to which Rashmika replied: "Are you kidding.. loveeeeee Malayalam cinema..Malayalam films are just so pure and people are fullllll love." The actress also told a fan, who enquired about her performing Lavani at a award event, that she will speak Marathi "little little". "It was surreal. Learnt some new Marathi phrases well.. soon I'll manage to speak like little little.. ?? hopefully!," Rashmika said. Rashmika is now looking forward to the release of 'Pushpa: The rule' starring Allu Arjun. KEARNEY A Kearney man has filed petition to recall a Kearney Public Schools Board of Education member with the Buffalo County Election Commission. James Clark filed the petition last week against KPS Board of Education member Dave Brandt. Notification of the petition was sent to Brandt March 16, but he has yet to receive the certified mail, said Election Commissioner Lisa Poff. The following statement is Clarks reasoning for filing the petition: During the March 6, 2023, KPS BOE meeting, David Brandt left the meeting during the public comment period, missing much of the commentary and returned to cast a vote on the very topic discussed by more than 45 speakers. Such action reveals contempt for the stakeholders Mr. Brandt was elected to represent. These actions are unacceptable and warrant removal. At the March 6 meeting, the school board members voted 4-2 in favor of a measure that would restrict athletes in middle and high school (grades 6-12) to compete according to their biological gender at birth, as stated on the students original birth certificate. The rule was adopted because of discussion about potential transgender athletes in the district. Board members John D. Icenogle, Paul Hazard, Steve Gaasch and Drew Blessing voted in favor of the policy. Brandt and Kathy Gifford voted against it. The board is required to vote on a second reading of the policy at a subsequent meeting. During the meeting, 47 KPS patrons provided testimony to the board regarding the policy over a five-hour period. Brandt confirmed in an interview with the Kearney Hub that he left the meeting for about an hour to attend his sons orchestra concert. Brandt explained that the school board meeting had been rescheduled, thus conflicting with the concert. I was there for over an hour of the public comment at the beginning. I stayed up until the concert started and came on back, he said. Despite the news of a petition to recall his position on the board, Brandt intends to fulfill his duties as an elected official. He was elected to the board in Nov. 2020. If somebody thinks that Im unfit for the position because I attend my kids activities, then that is unfortunate, Brandt said. I was elected to a four-year term, and I will serve until my term is over. In an interview, Clark said Brandt did not hear a vast majority of comments from KPS stakeholders, and he did not meet his responsibilities as an elected official. He was voted by we the people to sit on the board, Clark said. He is not respecting the voters, and he is not doing his job. Clark is the vice chairman of the Buffalo County Republican Party. He said he doesn't believe it's a political issue. "Its about protecting children and childrens rights," he said. Once Brandt officially receives the notification, he will have 20 days to supply a defense statement to the Election Commission. Clarks reason for filing the petition and Brandts defense statement would both appear on the petition. Clark will have 30 days to collect 2,227 names or 35% of the votes received for the top vote-getter in the November 2022 election. The Election Commission will then have 15 days to verify the signatures, Poff explained. If there are not enough signatures, Brandt will remain in office. If there are enough signatures, Poff will notify KPS, the governing body. The school will have 21 days to set an election. The school must give the Election Commission 50 days notice for the election date. If an election is set, Brandt would have 24 days prior to the election date to resign, which would negate the need for the election. If he doesn't resign, the election will be held. Islamabad: A strong 6.8 magnitude earthquake with the epicentre in Afghanistan shook Pakistan, killing at least nine people in the country and injuring over 160 others and causing many buildings to collapse, according to media reports on Wednesday. Two persons were also killed in Afghanistan, the Associated Press reported. Citizens rushed to the streets in panic The earthquake's epicentre was Afghanistan's Hindu Kush region, while its depth was 180 kilometres, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department. Tremors were also felt in many parts of north India, including the Delhi-National Capital Region. In Pakistan, earthquake tremors were felt in Lahore, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Quetta, Peshawar, Kohat, Lakki Marwat, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Sialkot, Kot Momin, Madh Ranjha, Chakwal, Kohat and Gilgit-Baltistan areas. Television footage showed panic-stricken citizens out on the streets. Saddened to hear that the powerful #earthquake rattled many cities of #Pakistan and some other friendly countries . Prayers and thoughts with our brothers and sisters. Allah bless all! pic.twitter.com/J7jMSgK3tX March 21, 2023 9 people died in the earthquake The earthquake killed nine people, including two women, and injured over 160 others in Pakistan as well as causing many buildings to collapse, Geo News quoted officials as saying. At the time of the earthquake, a stampede was reported in the markets of Rawalpindi, The Express Tribune newspaper reported. Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has asked disaster management officials to remain vigilant to handle any situation. An emergency was declared in the hospitals of the federal capital on the instructions of Federal Health Minister Abdul Qadir Patel, The Express Tribune newspaper reported. Sharafat Zaman Amerkhail, a spokesman for Afghanistan's Ministry of Public Health, said that the heads of all medical centres have been instructed to prepare staff for possible casualties from the earthquake. According to the international seismological centre, apart from Pakistan and India, tremors were also felt in Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, China and Kyrgyzstan. Earthquakes are common in Pakistan. A 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck Islamabad in January this year. The deadliest quake to hit Pakistan in 2005 killed more than 74,000 people. Liberal Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Janet Protasiewicz said at a debate Tuesday that she would rule fairly on politically charged cases despite repeatedly voicing her support for abortion rights and revisiting the state's legislative maps, while conservative Dan Kelly said she has already made clear how she would vote on those matters. Throughout the debate, which comes two weeks before the April 4 election, Kelly repeatedly accused Protasiewicz of lying about him on the campaign trail and in her ads. Protasiewicz, a Milwaukee County Circuit judge, also defended the sentences she handed down to criminal defendants after conservatives put a spotlight on them, saying they were too lenient. "I think the map issue is really kind of easy, actually," Protasiewicz said at the State Bar of Wisconsin debate regarding revisiting the state's 10-year legislative maps, which favor Republicans. "I don't think anybody thinks those maps are fair." "I can assure you that every single case that I will ever handle will be rooted in the law," Protasiewicz continued. But Kelly said her comment that the maps are unfair reveals how she would vote on the case. "This is the problem that you have when you have a candidate who does nothing but talk about her personal politics," Kelly said. "She's already told each and every one of you how she will approach this. And although she says the formulaic words that she will follow the law, she's never said one thing in this campaign that would lead to any reasonable belief that that's what she would do." In the only scheduled debate between the candidates, which was co-sponsored by WisPolitics.com and WISC-TV, Protasiewicz also said the large amount of money she received from abortion rights groups wouldn't inform how she decides cases on abortion. Abortion access Liberals have largely framed the race as a referendum on abortion rights in Wisconsin, a topic that has galvanized Democrats since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last June. Protasiewicz has derided the decision overturning the constitutional right to an abortion, and her campaign has aired several ads highlighting her abortion rights views. Democrats have filed a case challenging the state's near-complete abortion ban, which the winning candidate will likely help determine on the court now controlled 4-3 by conservatives. Kelly, a former Wisconsin Supreme Court justice, has pitched himself as the candidate who would best preserve the rule of law, saying he would follow statutes and the state Constitution while Protasiewicz would legislate from the bench. But Protasiewicz went after Kelly for receiving an endorsement from Wisconsin Right to Life, a group that says it endorses those "who have pledged to champion pro-life values and stand with Wisconsin Right to Lifes legislative strategy." "That's absolutely not true once again," Kelly said in response to Protasiewicz's accusation that he pledged to uphold the anti-abortion group's values. "So, this seems to be a pattern for you, Janet, just telling lies." Kelly said he only told the group that he would follow the law. Kelly has been quiet on the abortion issue in this campaign, but in a since-deleted 2012 blog post he described abortion as "a policy deadly to children." He's also provided legal counsel to Wisconsin Right to Life. Advising on elections Kelly also said Protasiewicz was lying when she talked about his past work advising Republicans about the plan to deliver Electoral College votes for former President Donald Trump after the 2020 election despite President Joe Biden winning the state. Protasiewicz said Kelly had extensive conversations about the plan with one of the false Trump electors, former Republican Party of Wisconsin chair Andrew Hitt. Hitt's testimony before the committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol states, "Mr. Olson and I and then another lawyer, Mr. Kelly, and I, you know, had some pretty extensive conversations." Referencing the testimony, Kelly pointed out that Hitt said "conversations" instead of the singular form of the word because he was also talking about another attorney. Kelly said he wasn't in the loop about the plan in his one call with Hitt. In his testimony, Hitt said he and Kelly talked for 30 minutes about the plan, adding that Kelly was advising the party on election law. Outside spending Unlike Protasiewicz, whose campaign has been running a large proportion of the ads in her favor, the vast majority of the ads and money on Kelly's side have come from outside groups. Kelly said Wednesday that he has had no communication with outside groups, though he said in the past that he expects third parties to spend millions on his behalf. Candidates are prohibited by state law from coordinating with outside groups making independent expenditures to boost a candidate or attack an opposing candidate. Later in the debate, Kelly and Protasiewicz said they would avoid partisan events if they are elected to the bench despite running in the most expensive judicial election in U.S. history, a race that has involved extensive donations from political groups on both sides. Both also defended judicial elections as the best way to select Wisconsin Supreme Court justices. The candidates will face off on April 4 to replace retiring conservative Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Patience Roggensack. Protasiewicz has outraised and outspent Kelly in the election. But conservative groups have propped Kelly up with millions in hopes he protects the policies liberals are trying to overturn. Criminal sentences Protasiewicz defended her past sentences as a criminal court judge after conservatives aired many ads spotlighting cases in which she gave defendants no prison time or prison sentences they say were below the average. "It's interesting that a handful of cases have been cherry-picked and selected and twisted," Protasiewicz said, adding that she "would not have been in homicide and sexual assault court for three years if the parties, the people, the community and the rest of my colleagues thought I wasn't handing down sufficient sentences to take care of the community." Kelly said there wasn't enough time in the campaign to probe every one of her cases. He said people making those ads picked out representative cases, calling the reasoning behind her decisions problematic. Kelly said Protasiewicz didn't hand down a sentence to somebody convicted of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Protasiewicz said her opponent was simplifying her reasoning, adding that the sentencing process is far more nuanced than he suggested. Protasiwicz was also asked to defend the terminology in one of her ads about criminal defendants Kelly represented. A narrator in the ad, entitled "Predator," accuses Kelly of defending child sex "predators" and continues to say, "Dan Kelly defended those monsters." Without defending the use of the term "monster," Protasiewicz said the purpose of the ad was to respond to Kelly after he said she was soft on crime. "Your response to that is to lie about me, to slander me, and not only slander me but slander all attorneys who handle criminal defense cases," Kelly said in response. "What you're telling all the people of Wisconsin is that you believe that criminal defense attorneys only take the cases because they like the crimes their clients get accused of committing." Case recusals Kelly said the donations are protected under the First Amendment, adding that it was up to the justices to make sure their opinions aren't informed by groups' support. Kelly said he's not accepting funds from the Republican Party of Wisconsin and went after Protasiewicz for accepting millions from the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, saying she was "bought and paid for" by the organization. Protasiewicz previously said she would sit out cases involving the Democratic Party after it donated $2.5 million to her campaign. Kelly said he would welcome the Republican Party of Wisconsin to canvass on his behalf, however, which would amount to an in-kind donation to his campaign. While Kelly declined campaign funds, Protasiewicz pointed out that the Republican Party of Wisconsin had paid Kelly for past legal work. Kelly said he was never on the party's payroll, adding that the organization was just one of his clients. With the rest of the meteorologists away this week, Sean Sublette talks with Jessica Whitehead, Executive Director of the Old Dominion University Institute for Coastal Adaptation and Resilience, to discuss some of the hidden and subtle ways the warming climate is sneaking up on us. The impact goes of which goes beyond hotter summers. ELM CREEK The Elm Creek and Overton fire departments responded to a grass fire on the Buffalo-Dawson county line northwest of Elm Creek during the afternoon of Tuesday, March 21. A grass fire broke out near the intersection of Road 755 and Road 450, Apache and 100th Road in Buffalo County, during the early afternoon and the Elm Creek Fire Department initially responded. At 2:19 p.m., the Overton Volunteer Fire Department was called to provide mutual aid to the scene; the grass fire had spread two acres. Overton provided extra tanker support on scene, per the Buffalo County Sheriffs Office. On scene, the fire appeared to have started in the east ditch of Road 450 and spread northeast into a field in Buffalo County. Winds were light on scene, and the so the fire was quickly contained, grass rigs followed up hitting any lingering hot spots. Near critical to critical fire conditions have crept back into the forecast recently, a Red Flag warning had been issued across south central Nebraska last Sunday, due to a combination of low relative humidity and high wind gusts. However, elevated fire conditions were not in place on Tuesday. The Buffalo County Sheriffs Office assisted on scene. LEXINGTON A redevelopment project to relocate the Lexington Taco Johns away from Highway 30, closer to the Interstate 80 corridor, was considered by the Community Development Agency at their Monday, March 20 meeting. The Taco Johns Redevelopment Project proposes building a new restaurant just south of the Scooters Coffee, east of Walmart. The franchise would move away from the Highway 30 corridor, where it has been located for decades. The project site is currently undeveloped and preparation including, grading, and the extension of water, sewer, and electrical utility improvements will be needed. Construction on the new location is anticipated to start in May 2023 and be finished by fall 2023. The redeveloper estimates that the total project costs will be around $1,230,000.00, around $400,000.00 being eligible for tax increment financing (TIF), which the redeveloper plans to seek. City Manager Joe Pepplitsch said Taco Johns is working with the current owner of the ground near Scooters, a subsidiary of Viaero Wireless, to acquire the site in question. The Taco Johns site in Lexington is owned by Derock, Inc., registered to Juliska Derockbraine. Juliska and Richard Derockbraine were both in attendance at the meeting, noting that the move was being mandated by the Taco Johns corporate office. Pepplitsch said if the CDA approved the redevelopment plan it will go to the planning commission for their review and recommendation, then to the city council for their approval before returning to the CDA sometime in April. The CDA approved the redevelopment plan. During the roundtable discussion Pepplitsch said two projects that were approved by the CDA in the past will be returning to be discussed again after both were delayed. One will be the proposed 80 room Holiday Inn Express, to be located just south of Goodwill on Plum Creek Parkway. The CDA approved the project in August 2019, but the project was sidelined due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Anant Enterprises, LLC, based in Omaha, the redeveloper has received bids for the project and will be returning to Lexington with a slightly changed plan. Another project that will be returning to the CDA in a future meeting will be the Viaero Wireless 80 foot monopole to be located along Frontier St. and Plum Creek Parkway. The CDA approved the project in June 2020, but enough time has elapsed without any work done that Viaero will need to return for approval if construction is to start. A majority of the Dane County Board is calling on County Executive Joe Parisi to fire the director of the Vilas Zoo following a settlement with a former UW-Madison researcher who accused her of sexual assault and retaliation. Twenty-six of the 37 county board supervisors asked Parisi to terminate Ronda Schwetz immediately in light of the $500,000 the county's insurer has to pay the researcher. The insurer for the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, an independent group that accredits zoos, has to pay the researcher $2.3 million. The Wisconsin State Journal is not naming the researcher because he is the victim of an alleged assault. Schwetz does not admit to any wrongdoing under the terms of the settlement. The zoo is a prized community asset that requires us to hold leadership accountable for their conduct that should be above reproach, the supervisors said in their memo to the county executive. Parisi did not respond to a request for comment. Schwetz has long denied the allegations and did so again on Monday. The county investigated allegations concerning Schwetz and the researcher twice and did not find evidence to substantiate misconduct, said Amy Utzig, the countys human resources director. The settlement involving director Schwetz, the AZA and the insurance company that is discussed in todays news accounts stems from previous allegations the county has already investigated, Utzig said. Dane County takes claims of misconduct by and towards our employees seriously and investigates allegations when we learn of them, she said. Greg Brockmeyer, head of county administration, said in an email on Monday that the county disputed the researchers claim in court and that Schwetz did not have to admit to wrongdoing. She will continue to serve as zoo director, Brockmeyer said on Monday. The researcher said that Schwetz drunkenly groped and lay on top of him while they were sharing a hotel room during a trip to Seattle in 2018 for an AZA conference. Shortly after reporting Schwetz to the AZA, the researcher was fired days into a new position at the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago. In a letter to its members, the AZA said it failed to handle credible complaints of sexually inappropriate conduct against Schwetz. Following the allegations, Schwetz and close associates on AZA committees then interfered with the researchers work and career, a violation of the AZAs anti-retaliation policies. Supervisors in key leadership roles signed on to the request for Schwetzs termination, as well as Sups. Cecely Castillo and Chuck Erickson, who represent the area where the zoo is located and serve on the zoo commission. Under the terms of the settlement, Schwetz must not attend AZA conferences and must resign from AZA committees. The AZA also must create a system for third-party reporting of sexual harassment and the investigation of complaints. Editor's note: This story has been corrected to note that the payments to settle the researcher's claim are being made by the insurers for Dane County and the AZA, not by the county or the organization itself. GALVESTON, Texas A federal judge paused the Biden administrations waterway protections in Texas and Idaho as Republicans across the country challenge the environmental regulations as vague and argue the rules would create economic burdens. The preliminary injunction by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Vincent Brown of Texas surrounds a rule finalized in December that defines which waters of the United States often called WOTUS qualify for protection under the Clean Water Act. The decision was signed Sunday and affects only Texas and Idaho. Roughly half of all U.S. states are taking part in lawsuits challenging the rule. Earlier this month, the U.S. House also voted to overturn the protections under a measure that Biden said he would veto if it reaches his desk. The unlawful rule would have saddled Texans across the state with crushing new regulations, slowing our states economic development and limiting our job growth, Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a statement. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said in a statement that it was reviewing the courts decision and its options. The rule went into effect elsewhere across the country Monday. The change repeals a Trump-era rule and expands some water pollution protections to thousands of small streams, wetlands and other waterways. Our goal is to protect public health, the environment, and downstream communities while supporting economic opportunity, agriculture, and industries that depend on clean water, the EPA said in a statement. Republicans have targeted the regulation in Congress and in court, where at least five federal lawsuits are challenging the EPA rule. The Supreme Court is considering a related case by an Idaho couple who have been blocked for more than 15 years from building a home near a lake after the EPA determined part of the property was a wetlands that could not be disturbed without a permit. A decision in the case, known as Sackett v. EPA, is expected this year. Interview with Ali AlMatrouk, Vice Chairman and Managing Director at Jadeite Group What is the history of Jadeite Group? What subsidiaries do you work with directly? The Jadeite Group is a company that was started back in 2016 by my parents. Our family goes back in business since the late 1800s. The family had its ups and downs during this 100 years' time. But in 2015, my maternal grandfather, Jassim Wazzan took his company public, Mezzan Holding Company. It is a $800 million company in sales every year. We got equity because we sold some portion of our shares in the company and we started the Jadeite Group. We are 80% focused on property development and 20% on what is called exciting ventures. We are into these exciting ventures because we are young and we want to do something more than just real estate. So, we invested in TONS e-grocery, a company that was literally doubling or tripling revenues every year since inception. So far this year, we grew 50% compared to last year. Also, we have Porter Express which is a last mile and fulfillment provider. The reason we invest in that is that it goes in line with e-grocery because e-commerce is the trend and somebody has to deliver all these shipments. We grew this company threefold in 2020. This is a big opportunity for us and we are going to expand further investing with Porter Express going forward and TONS as well this year in order to diversify into the region. We try to make things that are available in the West that are not very available in the region and bring them here. Whatever we think is applicable from the east to the west, we bring here. Simsim we established in San Diego because there is not a good shawarma place in North America. We try to play on something that we know, that we understand, that we can give value to business. Recently, during the pandemic, we also did our first private equity deal. There is a woodworking factory that we invested in here in Kuwait. The reason we invested in it is because of the huge construction projects that are expected to happen in Kuwait in the next couple of years. We are expecting 28,800 villas to be constructed in the next two to four years and we want a slice of that. The way we do things is a bit different. We do not do things in a way where we do not have a competitive advantage. We try to focus on providing an exceptional customer experience to our clients. We like to run our things in a way that is international as much as we can and we try to build internal cultures that are unmatchable here in the region. The people who work in our group advocate other people to work in our group. Within five years, I hope that we reach a point where we become one of the top 50 talent attraction companies in the region. We try to get exceptional people that are focused in STEM science, technology, engineering, mathematics because technology is involved in everything, in every single investment that we do. We would like to be a company that whenever you graduate from a top school in engineering or mathematics or computer science and the likes, you would think to apply to work with us. What are your competitive advantages for TONS specifically? What do you bring to the market that is different? In three years, I would like to be in at least two Gulf countries for the subsidiaries. In five years, we are targeting half a billion dollars in sales. I want Jadeite Group to be the Blackstone Group of the region. The company started back in 2017 when the e-grocery space was not as accepted. I started the brainstorming back in 2014. In 2015, I did a survey with 80 people and 20% said they would buy groceries online. If I would just have gone by the survey, I would not have started the business. Back then, it was one of the few players of grocery delivery in the market. Now, things have changed during COVID. We are a marketplace where you choose your area, which supermarket serves your area, and our personal shopper delivers the goods that you ordered from the supermarket to your home. When we started there were just two or three players in the Kuwaiti market. As time passed, some other competitors came. When COVID started, we just saw a rapid rise of competitors coming left and right. A lot of companies sometimes see an opportunity and try to grab it and they do not really understand what goes behind the business. They think it is just a quick buck. But grocery delivery is not a quick buck. It is not a high margin business. It is a very operationally intensive business. Profitability is very, very narrow in this industry in general. So, a lot of people who jumped in after COVID are going to go away and then, the people who offer the best service, the best variety, and the fastest delivery to clients will remain. This is what we tried to focus on. We try to offer the best service to our clients and hopefully, offering the biggest variety. Today, we have around 60,000 SKUs (stock-keeping units) offered to our clients. We are optimizing our delivery network so that we can offer faster delivery to our clients. We have been relatively successful here in Kuwait. We have been growing rapidly, doubling and tripling every year since going to launch in 2017. We are studying heavily now the possibility of opening in Saudi Arabia. One of our advantages is the ease of use. Our UI UX (User Interface / User Experience) is one of the best in Kuwait. Everything we do we do with good design, good branding, good communication, and good function as well. This is our competitive edge. We try to do everything right to deliver the best experience for our customers. Yes, we are the grocery provider, but we do things differently and we try to maintain that. For Porter Express, what do you bring to the market that is different? What is your competitive edge? What we bring that is different is quality of service and our technology. Our system is more advanced than other systems available in the market and we offer our capability and quality of service. According to our customers, we are ranked as one of the few reliable players here in Kuwait. The market is very fragmented. There are a lot of small players that come and go. They do not have drivers that represent the companies that we deal with. But we work with FedEx, DHL, UPS, etc. All the major players in the region outsource their last mile delivery to us. We deliver what we say we are going to deliver at a reasonable price with a quality that represents their image. It is as simple as that. We are investing heavily in technology now. We are working on APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) that will connect their e-commerce platforms directly to our logistics systems and we can get their shipments immediately delivered to our system so that we can fulfill the order as fast as possible. We have grown in scale significantly during COVID. In terms of shipments per day, we are the number three player in the market. Other larger competitors can have all the money in the world, but if you do not know how to manage and deliver to the clients' expectations, they will leave you. We just offer the best quality that we can and we deliver on our promise. Are you looking for investors or partnerships, technological or otherwise? We like to have partners that are strategic in general in any of our businesses. We want partners that share our ethical profile, because we as a family try to work on a certain ethical standard that we do not compromise whatsoever. We are actually in discussions with a major retailer here in Kuwait to get into a partnership with them. We want a partner to scale, hopefully to get into the Saudi market, because we see a huge potential there. We are looking for partners that are strategic because we do not want to make it a local game anymore. For the first five years of our business, we have been primarily investing in Kuwait and we are starting to realize that this market is too small. If you want to grow, you have to go nearby. Our next step is to go to the GCC market. The market is getting competitive. However, this is just the beginning of e-commerce. In 20 years' time, you will see a significant portion of the grocery market going online. Today, we have not passed even 10% in the region. So, for an $80 billion market, if 10% is e-grocery today, that is one billion. I expect within 10 years, we will get into the 20-30% range. What are some of your success stories? With Porter Express, acquiring the business was our biggest success story today. When we acquired the business, it was a failing business. With a very minimal investment, we were able to make a 2,000% return on investment in two years. Our target is to reach yearly 20 times in profits for the next two years and as we speak, we are doing another funding to scale Porter Express. We are in the process of acquiring a warehouse and we are going to do a fulfillment center, the first in Kuwait. Will this growth be through acquisitions or will it be with a local partner? We are not going to do acquisitions, obviously because if there is a meaningful player then they are going to be significantly bigger than us. We would like to get a Saudi partner on board that shares our values, that shares our vision, that shares our ethical standards, and he will help us with the knowhow and navigating doing business in Saudi Arabia. We will do what we do best which is logistics and delivery of e-grocery. It is better to be partnering with somebody who knows the market rather than us on our own who have never been exposed to the Saudi market. The market is much bigger if you do it right. So, that is our next step in our strategy to focus and expand our businesses in nearby countries, primarily Saudi Arabia and we might open offices in Dubai as well. What CSR activities are you active in? For example, our bags are recyclable. When you walk around Kuwait City you will see people carrying TONS bags because the bag is recyclable and it can be used elsewhere. During the pandemic, we helped to pay the tuition of students whose parents are facing financial difficulties. We believe in education and we believe in giving people the opportunity to educate themselves. We cannot stand the child not being able to complete his education because of the lack of money. But we do not make a fuss out of it. We do not publish it. It is just something that we do for ourselves. What will the group be in three years time? What is your ambition and what do you want to achieve? In three years, I would like to be in at least two Gulf countries for the subsidiaries. In five years, we are targeting half a billion dollars in sales. I want Jadeite Group to be the Blackstone Group of the region. We started as a real estate business and a small portion of our businesses is exciting ventures. After a couple of years in business, we realized that that 20% is generating significantly more than the 80% in real estate. We saw that we are good at taking small companies or emerging companies and growing them. So, we would like to shift the Jadeite Group strategy to more of a private equity strategy that will cover businesses and real estate at the same time. We want to be known for one of the best cultures in the Gulf region, a culture that inspires entrepreneurial drive, a culture that extracts the human potential, a culture that attracts the best talent in the region. This will be applied to the Jadeite Group as an investment and private equity player in the near term and on our subsidiaries each by itself, each in its own way, in its own indices. After a couple of years of business, I started to realize that it is not the strategy that makes you win, it is not the product only that makes you win, it is the people that make you and if you get the right team and the right people and build the right environment for them to thrive, it can achieve a lot. This is not something that I see significantly here in Kuwait. We are working on this culture. We are still young. We are still working as a company, but one day we are going to be one of the talent attraction companies here in Kuwait. What inspires you to do what you do? What drives you? What drives me is that I just do not want to be the person that comes to this world and leaves without having any impact. It is as simple as this. I am inspired by both of my grandfathers. Both of them came from quite humble beginnings and one of them went to become the founder of one of the main conglomerates, the top 100 companies in the Middle East, which is Mezzan Holding Company. My other grandfather was also a business magnate in the old days in Kuwait and he actually built the first concrete building. What drives us is making a legacy. We are not here just to eat, sleep, and have fun. We are here to deliver something and your life is a story about what you want to deliver. Our story is to deliver an institution that unlocks human potential in this region. I want to get people to work and do something exceptional and hopefully benefit the region at some point in time. What drives me is making an impact on this region and hopefully building an institution that will outlast us in centuries to come. So, you have that long term vision, not just here to do one thing and then be done. You want to expand and leave a mark. Exactly. I appreciate the companies that were started by their founders and they are still around, for example, Johnson and Johnson or Proctor and Gamble. These companies started 150 years ago and they are still thriving and still as relevant as they were back then. Few companies in the region are to that extent. I would like our company, our group, to be one of those one day: to be a company that is institutional, that is working, that has a huge community, that has a very strong Board of Directors, that has very strong corporate governance, that went on without the family and it will just run and grow by itself. It matters and it offers a service that people want, it offers a solution that businesses want, and it is a contributor. What is the state of the sector or doing business in the region? The West is significantly ahead of us when it comes to building organizations and unlocking ideas and making them global. We typically are the adopters of the West's initiatives. So, if somebody does something, we just copy the model and implement it here. I wish we as a region can work on our educational institutions and our educational system and build a collaboration between education and corporations to come up with something that is novel or original. I envy Silicon Valley because of the education system available there when it comes to Stanford University, UC Berkeley, and the likes and the availability of industry like Apple, Intel, Google, etc., that are collaborating and building this ecosystem that unlocks human potential and creates trillion dollar companies out of almost nothing. Unfortunately, here in the region, we do not think this way. I see the Chinese doing it right now. They are becoming significantly more innovative and becoming really a competitor to what people are doing in Silicon Valley. I wish we will have something here in this region that combines education, industry, and people and intellect and creates something that will benefit the world. For more information, please visit: www.jadeitegroup.com. FAIR USE POLICY This material (including media content) may not be published, broadcasted, rewritten, or redistributed. However, linking directly to the page (including the source, i.e. Marcopolis.net) is permitted and encouraged. ABOUT SUCASA PROPERTIES EXECUTIVE SUMMARY As a highly regarded real estate company with a dedicated team of professionals, SuCasa Properties is addressing Ghanas core housing opportunities and challenges. Well-equipped in all aspects of the real estate industry, SuCasa operates with the single aim of achieving the highest possible customer service standards. The company works in several different verticals in the industry, including residential and commercial construction, renovations or facelifts, property sale and rental, and property management. The SuCasa brand echoes a sound of hope and re-assurance. The continuous increase in demand for Ghanas housing infrastructural asset presents a real challenge to the government. The various interventions from the government, private real estate managers and other home providers have not sufficiently addressed the menace. The governments call for public-private partnership engagement is commendable, but what is required at present is the state-of-the art technology and economic model capable of furnishing the housing infrastructural deficit gap with the needed units of affordable homes equally accessible to every nook and cranny. The housing infrastructural deficit gap of 1.8million units implies that about 85,000 units of annual housing demand is impending putting the market scissors of demand and supply at a nonequilibrium scale, where demand outweighs supply. In fact, the consequences are dire. To adequately bridge this gap and factor the ordinary Ghanaians purchasing abilities to own a home into the solution trajectory, requires pragmatic innovations. The private sector, usually driven by profit maximization motive, has not successfully addressed the housing demand index of the low to middle income earners of the economy. This is a worrying trend, if our resolve to providing affordable housing for all the citizenry is to be gauged on a realistic scale. Many factors, including the global economic crisis and its direct ramifications on rising cost of living, and other debilitating consequences such as high cost of building materials on one hand; land management issues, challenges with easy and convenient access to domestic credit facilities, fraudulent intermediate brokers (agents), rapid population growth and urbanization, and increasing middle means on the other, all account for the opposition to societys inability to completely nip the problem in the bud. Here, when we talk about innovation, we are addressing strategic innovation, technological and scientific deficits in our social intervention schemes already on the roll out, and most importantly, engaging with the right economic model to effectively arrest the challenge. Incorporating all these into the solution benchmark has evoked the thinking, passion, and the evolution of the SuCasa Affordable Housing Scheme on the market with such an unbelievable practical and pragmatic initiative, both on the side of planning, technological invention and economic affordability of the solution to the countrys current housing infrastructural development deficit. THE POPULATION GROWTH TREND While more established markets such as Europe, India and China have aging and often declining populations, Ghanas young population is rapidly growing. From a population strength of 29.77 million in 2018, Ghanas population growth is projected to hit 50-60 million by 2050. Fueled by this population growth, Ghana is experiencing a strongly rising demand for reliable housing. The flipside of the coin is rising levels of homelessness due to overpriced and inadequate housing options in many parts of Ghana. Leveraging the most emergent technologies, highly skilled and dedicated leadership, labor force and modern construction or renovation and marketing strategies, SuCasa Properties envisions itself as more than just a real estate; it is a lifestyle company, committed to informing and connecting worldwide communities by becoming the number one real estate company on the entire African continent. FAIR USE POLICY This material (including media content) may not be published, broadcasted, rewritten, or redistributed. However, linking directly to the page (including the source, i.e. Marcopolis.net) is permitted and encouraged. ST. REGIS Witnesses described a terrifying, bloody, chaotic scene at the crowded St. Regis Travel Center this past Saturday as an armed robbery suspect stormed through a gift shop waving a gun. Meanwhile, the Mineral County Sheriff has hinted that there was a "disconnect" between law enforcement agencies in Idaho and Montana that "can be improved." Over the course of roughly 20 minutes, the suspect apparently demanded keys to a car from employees, took a hostage and died by gunfire. Eventually, according to the Mineral County Sheriffs Department, the yet-to-be-identified suspect was shot and killed in the street by law enforcement officers after the suspect shot a hostage. Scores of people, including families with children, were at the shopping center/gas station as multiple SWAT teams and a helicopter joined nearly 100 law enforcement officers on the scene. It was extremely intense, explained Stacie Lyn Carroll, a gift shop worker at the travel center who was there when the incident started at about noon. It was pretty scary. And the radios so chattery and everybodys like panicky on the radio and nobody knew where to go or what to do. According to the Mineral County Sheriffs Department, four armed robbery suspects were being pursued by Idaho law enforcement officers after an incident at a gas station in Osborn, Idaho, earlier in the day. Apparently Idaho deputies chased the suspects to the Montana-Idaho border, where officers from Mineral and Sanders counties and the Montana Highway Patrol took up the chase. The suspects split into two groups, and two other people were arrested near Haugan. The two other suspects, a woman and the man who eventually was killed by gunfire from officers, continued to St. Regis. According to a press release from the Sheriffs Office, the woman was arrested without incident but the male suspect apparently took a hostage and shot that person, who was injured but survived. Law enforcement then engaged the suspect and the suspect succumbed to his injuries, the press release stated. The hostage was taken to a Missoula hospital for treatment. No officers were injured in the encounter. Mineral County undersheriff Wayne Cashman relayed what he knew to MTN News earlier this week. "(The suspect) was firing at a couple citizens who were approaching him, he had a hostage that he had taken out of the travel center, he fired a couple shots at the civilians who were coming, not to confront, but were advancing towards him, at which point he pushed the hostage away, fired two shots in the back of the hostage," Cashman told the news station. "Our deputies arrived on scene at that point and returned fire, hitting the subject." The Mineral County Sheriffs Office has told the Missoulian that no further details about the incident are available as of Tuesday, including the suspects name, because the incident is still under investigation. Officials with Mineral County's Department of Emergency Services held a community meeting on Monday night to allow people who witnessed the incident to have access to therapists. A video taken by Carroll on her cellphone that day recorded the sound of well over a dozen gunshots. There are still bullet holes on the outside of the travel center. She said the suspect had demanded keys to a car from some workers at the travel center and then had walked through with the gun. At some point in the confusion, Carroll said people were screaming and crying, and one person had the hostages blood on their hands. Another witness, who asked not to be identified, said 10 people were hiding in a storage area. Theres all this yelling, yelling, yelling, Carroll said. And theres people running all over, children are running behind me towards the toy section, which, he was right there. And I saw him holding the gun. He pointed it at all of us, including towards me. And I took off because everybodys saying run. So I was hiding behind some jewelry. Carroll said she had wild ideas running through her head. I wanted to tackle him because hes short, she recalled. But that gun looked pretty serious to me and he looked unstable for sure. With a look in his eyes that was super crazy. Eventually, after the suspect went outside, Carroll and others went outside. She started recording a video, and someone told her and others to get behind some cars. First, there were two single gunshots in quick succession, then a flurry of more gunshots followed. Many of the witnesses were told to go stay in a nearby motel as the scene was investigated. Mineral County Sheriff Ryan Funke said there were probably 100 law enforcement officers on the scene eventually, including Missoula officers. This is an ongoing investigation, he said. Were looking at more information on where the disconnect was from Idaho to Montana, and I assure you, were gonna look into all avenues and see, you know, what we can do better in the future, but a statement will be released from the Mineral County Sheriffs Office when we conclude our investigation. At the community meeting, Kim Clarke came to the podium and said that she and others were led to a hiding place in a storage area in the travel center by an employee, and she wanted to thank that woman for having calm nerves in the face of danger. It was just scary, Clarke said. You never think youre going to be in that kind of situation. You think that will happen to other people. Missoula attorney Lance Jasper, who lives in St. Regis and whose family owns businesses at the travel center, was there that day and addressed the crowd. "It was for me, the most terrifying situation, having my son with me," he said. Amy Lommen, the critical incident stress management team operator for Mineral County, told the crowd that she hoped the community could come together over the incident. Were here to provide support for everyone who was there, she said. We understand that this has a ripple effect. The Spokesman-Review newspaper reported that the suspects were from Seattle, per the Osburn, Idaho Police Chief Darell Braaten. The Pryor Mountain wild horse herd would be reduced by about 55 animals next year in the first of several planned gathers under a proposal from the Bureau of Land Management. These details, along with insight to the herds health and genetics, are contained in the agencys Joint Herd Management Area Plan Revision, Wild Horse Gather Plan and Proposed RMP Plan Amendment released for public comment last week. Comments on the 88-page document are being taken through April 14. The plan was panned as pretty unacceptable to most wild horse advocates by Ginger Kathrens, founder of the wild horse advocacy group The Cloud Foundation, based in Colorado. Yet she added it could be made palatable with changes. There needs to be a removal, but this would be a real slash and burn, she said. Well-known As of January, the herd consisted of 205 horses spread across the 42,000-acre range along the Montana-Wyoming border, located roughly 50 miles south of Billings. The majority of the range is on BLM land, but it also crosses onto the Custer Gallatin National Forest and the Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area. The Pryor horses gained international fame after Kathrens documentary films followed one of the stallions, named Cloud, from his birth in 1995 into adulthood. The herd is also well known because some of the horses display characteristics similar to the original Spanish horses brought to the Americas in the 1500s: narrow but deep chests, short backs, with a sloping croup and low-set tail, the BLM noted. However, a 2013 National Academy of Sciences report found the herd was not genetically unusual, with respect to over 145 other wild horse herds, despite its Spanish ancestry. Plan details Over the next 10 years to suppress the herds growth, the BLM is proposing to continue to treat some mares with birth control injections, while also removing more horses until reaching a goal of 90 to 120 animals, excluding foals less than a year old. Without the removals, the BLM said the areas rangeland health would continue to deteriorate. Based on a 2021 review of the habitat, a year of severe drought, the range was rated highly degraded. Amy Waring, chief of BLMs Biological Resources & Science Branch, stressed the widespread damage to the range, noting that some groups had asked the agency to perform improvements like controlled burns or seeding. Those activities would only work if horses could be kept from disturbing the areas for two years, she said. The BLMs preferred management alternative would treat mares ages 2-3 with a birth control administered via darts. Mares over age 4 would not be treated until after they have successfully foaled once, which is defined as a foal living one year. Removing horses ages 1 to 4 followed by 5 to 10 from the population, is the BLMs preferred action. No horse 20 years or older would be taken off the range. Right now, about 41% of the population is age 11 or older. Kathrens said any horse that reaches the age of 20 in the Pryor Mountains is long-lived. She added The Cloud Foundation would prefer to see a selective removal of younger horses. Those are the easiest to adopt out. The BLM is proposing to remove horses that are genetically well represented on the range, along with specific horses such as Ukko, the offspring of a father-daughter pairing, and Norma Jean, Ukkos mother. The mares known as Greta and Helenium would also be removed because they have not responded to fertility control. Greta has seven offspring and Helenium has three. Kathrens said her group also continues to advocate for protection of mountain lions in the Pryor Mountains, which may kill young and sick horses, as a means of natural population control. You cant be killing mountain lions and then complain about too many foals, she said. The natural way is the best way. Amendment In addition, the BLM is proposing to amend its Billings Field Office management decision related to herd characteristics. The agencys former decision was ambiguous, the EA stated, and therefore was not practical to implement. Now, the BLM is proposing to manage for genetic diversity as measured by Observed Heterozygosity (Ho). Observed heterozygosity is a measure of how much diversity is found, on average, within individual animals in the herd. Were striking language that said we would manage for all bloodlines, Waring said. The rewrite is the outcome of a series of court decisions, starting in 2016, that found fault with the BLMs resource planning. One of the results of the court rulings was to halt the agencys 2018 horse gather to remove animals. The Cloud Foundation was behind the legal challenges, but Kathrens said her group is in conversations with BLM officials to try and find more common ground and explore other options. One suggestion she proposed would be to open Demijohn Flat, to the west of the current range, for inclusion in the wild horse range. That would provide good forage for the horses, she said. The BLM discounted that idea in its EA, writing that wild horses can only be managed on areas of BLM and forest lands where they were known to exist in 1971, the year the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act was passed. If opportunities for private land purchase or lease present themselves, the agencies would consider them, especially if they involve winter range, the EA stated. Winter range is recognized by both agencies as being the limiting factor for overall population size. Other options the BLM has proposed is removing conifers that are encroaching into grasslands and improving water sources at Cottonwood Creek and Sykes Spring, Waring said. At Cottonwood Creek work to remove invasive species and install beaver dam analogs would require closing off the source for one year. At Sykes Spring the water source needs to be re-engineered, Waring added, possibly with a solar-powered well. More information, relevant documents, instructions, and a venue for submitting comments on the BLM plan are available on the agencys e-Planning project website at https://eplanning.blm.gov. Search using the NEPA number: DOI-BLM-MT-C010-2020-0004-EA. A Hardin couple is facing murder charges in connection to the death of a 6-year-old Apsaalooke girl. Veronica Tierza Dust and Roseen Shantel Lincoln, previously named in court documents as Roseen Lincoln Old Crow, have been charged in Big Horn County District Court with deliberate homicide and tampering with evidence. The charges came more than two years after investigators found the body of Mildred Old Crow in a trailer near Garryowen. In November 2020, the Montana Department of Justice issued a Missing Endangered Person Advisory for Mildred, the Gazette previously reported. Non-custodial members of her family reported to the state Department of Public Health and Human Services and the Bureau of Indian Affairs they had not seen the girl for more than a year. One family member told the BIA Office of Justice Services the last time she saw Mildred was in April 2019, and the girl had bruises on her face and arms. Dust and Lincoln became the guardians of Mildred in March 2017, according to court documents. About a month after the MEPA for Mildred was issued, Crow Tribal Court ordered the couple to bring the girl to the BIA Division of Human Services. When Mildred still remained missing, Tribal Court charged and sentenced Dust and Lincoln for criminal child endangerment. In February 2021, about two months before Dust and Lincoln were sentenced in Tribal Court, investigators found Mildreds remains in a travel trailer on the Crow Indian Reservation. Her body was wrapped in a plastic bag inside a plastic storage tote sealed with tape, court documents said. An autopsy performed that month determined Mildred had a laceration on her head and a fractured leg, and the girls body showed signs of chronic abuse and malnutrition. In April 2019, court documents said, Dust and Lincoln were drinking heavily in their Hardin home. It was around this same time Mildred allegedly died due to abuse from the couple. After her body remained in their bathroom for an unknown amount of time, county prosecutors alleged, Dust and Lincoln hid it in a storage tote and collected benefits as Mildreds guardians for two years. Of all the people reported missing from 2017 through 2019, 81% were under the age of 18, according to Montanas Missing Persons Data Project, which was published by the Montana DOJ. The project also showed that Big Horn County had nearly twice as many missing persons than Yellowstone County. During the current State Legislature session, the Montana House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a bill that would continue Montanas Missing Indigenous Persons Task Force, created in 2019 to address the endemic crisis of missing Native Americans in the state. House Bill 163, Lee Newspapers reported, would also add personnel to the task force and give it authority make recommendations to local, state and federal agencies. The bill has since been referred to the Senate. Despite making up only about 7% of the states population, Indigenous people account for about a quarter of all missing person cases on average in Montana. Dust and Lincoln, both 36, are scheduled to be arraigned in Big Horn County District Court on March 28. Both are in custody at Yellowstone County Detention Facility and Big Horn County Detention Center, respectively. Agents with the FBI, BIA and Big Horn County Sheriff's Office all contributed to the investigation that led to their charges. If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, The Hollywood Reporter may receive an affiliate commission. Senreves minimalist bags have been spotted on the arms of Angelina Jolie, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Brie Larson, Emma Roberts and many other A-listers and nows your chance to score the eco-conscious brands Hollywood-loved carryalls at a major discount. 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Community forums hosted throughout the state by Montanas top education official over the last four months left many people with more questions than answers. Concerns over teacher pay, school funding formulas, special education, charter schools and proposed obscenity laws dominated the gatherings. Participants also wondered why many of the meetings were set during mid-day, when few school officials, teachers or parents could attend. In a public letter released on Tuesday, Arntzen said she was proud of the multiple voices heard at the sessions, where "voices had an opportunity to be heard at these 'pass-the-mic' events, some lasting over two hours." She summarized the top topics as putting quality teachers in classrooms, provide more mental health support for students and insight on proposed charter school bills moving through the Legislature. However, participants at meetings such as Stevensville brought up many other issues, such as climate change and sex education, as a matter of curriculum. Teachers, administrators and parents to current students shared worries about teacher pay, housing and funding. Arntzen evaded the wide ranging questions posed at the Stevensville event and frequently responded that she had no authority to address those concerns at the Office of Public Instruction and instead directed people to take up issues with their local school board trustees, their legislators and the Board of Public Education. Some attendees at the meeting accused Arntzen of passing the buck. Its not passing the buck, Arntzen responded in December. Its passing the authority and giving them the authority in your community venue to talk about how that should be handled. In the first four sessions before the Legislature convened, attendees' concerns were more broad and conversations centered on issues of teacher retention and recruitment, special education funding, student mental health struggles and the fiscal cliff schools are facing with the impending deadline to spend federal COVID relief funds, according to local reporting from those meetings. The March sessions took a harder look at new laws currently being considered in the Capitol, particularly when it came to charter schools: House Bill 549 carried by Rep. Fred Anderson, and House Bill 562 from Rep. Sue Vinton. Both bills passed the House. While both allow for the formation of charter schools in the state, Andersons bill maintains a connection to governing these schools through the local school board, while Vinton proposes a separate commission to oversee those schools. At a meeting at Lewistown Junior High School two weeks ago, Arntzen asked the crowd to share their thoughts on the two bills. According to reporting from the Lewistown News-Argus, most speakers were skeptical or vehemently opposed, with some questioning how charter schools would work given the states current struggles with teacher retention and recruitment. The No. 1 thing I believe we need in front of students is a professional, Arntzen told the Lewistown crowd, to which an attendee shouted and asked her to answer the question, according to local reporting. One bill segregates out towns with populations of under 1,000 people, Arntzen said. "Those places couldnt have charter schools. The other opens it up completely. Were one of only four states without charter schools. State resources would flow to both (types of schools) ... This superintendent cant do it on public money alone. We will need more resources for school choice to work. Lewistown Public Schools Superintendent Thom Peck shared his opinion on the topic, stating that the way charter schools are being marketed as school choice is totally false and that public money should be dedicated to public schools, according to the News-Argus. Arntzen responded at least two times that local school boards handled matters such as teacher pay. Its not just the board that makes the salary matrix, Peck retorted. Its based on a state funding formula. If we want to ensure we can recruit and retain good teachers, the salary matrix needs to be changed. In Havre, some community members expressed their support of charter schools. But teacher shortages and HB 234s definition of obscene were topics of concern there as well as Sidney and Lewistown. That bill seeks to revise the application of Montanas obscenity law to public school employees and would apply criminal penalties to those who display or distribute materials to minors that are determined to meet the states definition. Critics have called that definition vague and worry about its implications for teachers and librarians. The sessions in Stevensville and Billings attracted crowds of 60-70 people, with the Great Falls meeting swelling to about 150 attendees, according to the Great Falls Tribune. However, Great Falls Public Schools Superintendent Tom Moore was critical of the OPIs communication with local school districts about the listening tour. Moore told the Tribune in December that he first heard about the events just a couple of weeks prior during a Zoom meeting with the states seven other AA superintendents. By his account, none of the AA superintendents had been contacted about the OPIs events, nor had they been asked to participate or help facilitate conversations. While the first four sessions were held on weeknights, three of the five March events were scheduled to begin at noon or 1 p.m. during traditional working hours, meaning that many teachers, administrators, parents and other community members could not attend. The last session of the tour held in Butte started at noon on a Wednesday and only 13 people attended, according to the Montana Standard. Some of those at the meeting at Montana Technological University were state legislators, parents and teachers from Bozeman, Anaconda and Three Forks. Arntzen apologized for the early meeting time in Butte and explained that she couldnt schedule it for later in the evening because she had an engagement at the Montana Youth Challenge Academy in Dillon. In 2021, Montanas AA superintendents and four county superintendents penned two separate letters to Arntzen expressing their disappointment with her leadership. In response, former Missoula County Public Schools Trustee Mike Gehl and Jim Riley, a trustee at Smith Valley School District in Kalispell, organized a letter praising Arntzen that produced more than 500 signatures. The Lewistown News-Argus contributed reporting to this story. In the past two weeks tribal hunters have killed an additional 131 Yellowstone National Park bison in the Gardiner Basin, according to the most recent Interagency Bison Management Plan report. A total of about 878 bison have been killed by native hunters in what's been the deadliest season since tribal treaty rights to hunt bison were recognized by the state of Montana in 2005-06. The 2016-17 season had set the previous high mark for bison kills by tribal members at 440 animals. When tribal kills are added to animals that were wounded and had to be shot by officials and 75 state-licensed hunters who filled their tags, the total hunter kill so far this winter has been more than 1,060 bison. The park's total bison population this fall was estimated at around 6,000 animals. The high number of hunter kills drew criticism from Jaedin Medicine Elk, a Northern Cheyenne tribal member and cofounder of the bison advocacy group Roam Free Nation. When theres 30 hunters there from 10 different tribes, it turns into a competition to see who can get a buffalo, causing hunters to start firing into family groups hoping they kill a buffalo," he said in a statement. "It seems the new relationship is hunting them to near-extinction because our treaty rights are more important than the well-being of a strong buffalo population. The Nez Perce Tribe has led all tribal hunters with more than 380 reported bison kills this winter. They were followed by the Confederated Salish & Kootenai with 151 and the Blackfeet with 133. The hunts are the results of a changing dynamic at Yellowstone's northern border. The Park Service has elected to capture and send to slaughter fewer animals, instead capturing and testing animals for brucellosis. Bison that test disease-free are enrolled in the park's quarantine program for possible live releases to tribes once they complete the testing protocol. This winter, 282 bison have entered the quarantine program and another 88 were sent to slaughter with the meat distributed to tribes. Roam Free Nation and The Alliance for the Wild Rockies have drawn attention to the hunt with five billboards erected across Montana. The signs read: "There is no hunt. It's slaughter." Hunting is confined to small areas of public land just north of the parks, concentrating the harvest. About 140 bison remained north of the park where they can be hunted as of March 15. That's fewer than earlier in the winter when more than 900 bison crossed the park's north boundary in search of food in what has been a harsh winter. It was the largest out-migration of bison from the park in about a decade. Former blogger turned State House insider Dennis Itumbi claims his life is in danger. The ICT Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS) nominee was set to appear in court Monday, 20, 2023, for a case in which he is accused of forging a letter alleging former top government officials wanted to kill the then Deputy President William Ruto. But Itumbi skipped the court session due to Azimios street protests. Through his lawyer Katwa Kigen, Itumbi claimed Azimio leader Raila Odinga had adversely mentioned him in relation to the demonstrations in the country. The lawyer told Chief Magistrate Susan Shitubi that Itumbi was apprehensive following intelligence reports relayed to him by security agents. My client is not in court. Itumbis name was mentioned by the principal planner of the demonstrations and he was advised to stay away from the city during the period for his own security, said Kigen. The lawyer sought to have the matter pushed to another date. The prosecution did not oppose the request to adjourn the matter. Magistrate Susan Shitubi rescheduled the case to June 7, 2023. President William Ruto has said he will not condone impunity in the country. He said Kenya will be governed by the rule of law and everyone must operate within the Constitution.Nothing extra-legal will be part of what we do as a Nation, he argued. As we enjoy our rights as individuals, we must be careful to ensure that we do not trample on the rights of others. He was speaking on Monday at State House, Nairobi, where he witnessed the swearing-in of Solicitor General Shadrack Mose. The President said he was confident that Mr Mose will offer leadership based on his experience, knowledge and understanding of the law. Provide leadership and ensure that the Government gets the right legal guidance to discharge its mandate, he explained. He asked the Solicitor General to champion for appropriate legal framework that will enhance Kenyas Global Competitiveness. It is our commitment to ensure that we attract as much foreign direct investment as possible. We want to borrow less and do more for the country. The President noted that once Kenya wins the trust of international investors, it will wean itself of unnecessary borrowing. He told Mr Mose to ensure that the Government gets the best legal representation at all stages. Any award against the Government is an award against Kenyans. We want to settle awards that have merits. Students work on paintings at the former Koppers wood-treating site in Carbondale last summer as part of an SIU class funded by a Mellon Foundation grant that examines environmental injustices along the Mississippi River, through transdisciplinary research in the humanities, arts and social sciences. (Photo provided) Mellon Foundation grant allows SIU students to address environmental, racial injustices by Pete Rosenbery CARBONDALE, Ill. Southern Illinois University Carbondale students can learn about the intersections of environmental and social justice in a regional context through creative field research and engagement with community organizations as part of a 2- -year grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. At SIU, the grant will support courses that illuminate cultural, environmental and political histories of the Mid-Mississippi region, where development was accompanied by social displacement, racialized violence and exploitation. Grant programming and courses will equally highlight the importance of the grassroots organizations and cultural movements that carry on the work of communicating, healing, repairing and building solidarities. Sarah Lewison, a professor in the School of Media Arts, and Alfred Frankowski, an associate professor in philosophy in the School of History and Philosophy, spearheaded SIUs portion of the multi-layered collaborative project over the last year. We are thrilled that we will be able to enhance our student's experiences through this platform, Lewison said. We will be experimenting with field study and workshops for students, faculty and regional activists, and will be able to offer opportunities to students and faculty alike. Mellon award has many facets The Mellon Foundations award of more than $16 million in 2022 went to 12 liberal arts colleges for social justice-oriented humanities curricular development. Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota, received $1.497 million for its Mississippi River Watershed: An Immersive Humanities Curriculum project, aimed at developing innovative humanities-based educational activities that critically examine issues at the confluence of race, environment and extraction along five hubs of the 2,300-mile river. SIU, partnering with Rhodes College in Memphis, is on the Lower Mississippi River Hub. SIUs first course, offered in summer 2022, was co-taught by Frankowski (philosophy) and Lewison (media arts). In the course, titled Decolonizing Spatial Sovereignty, five SIU graduate students in communication studies, art and design, and media arts considered the politics of race, place and space in the regional context of the Mid-Mississippi watershed. The class studied how settler colonialism is defined by the relation to power and the aftereffects of violence that have shaped the Black and Indigenous political experience, globally and in this country. That included examining political violence and how sovereignty and coloniality still affect how people think and remember about these histories. The three-week seminar began with a survey of literature about colonialism and racialized forms of state power to prepare for visiting speakers and field workshops. In Cairo (Illinois) and Memphis (Tennessee), SIU students learned about grassroots neighborhood development organizing from Rhodes College faculty, students and locals. A graduate student from Cornell University shared his research on police surveillance conducted in urban environments. In Carbondale, students from SIU visited and made paintings at the former Koppers wood-treating site to learn about the environmental justice battle over the reuse of this contaminated land. Upcoming courses In fall 2023, Lewison is teaching a new course in environmental media, Rivers and Forests without End: the Mississippi Open School, open to undergraduate students across the campus. Students will do creative field research to tell the stories of human communities, and ecosystems in the region which, having already experienced colonization, development, and displacement, now face new upheaval due to climate change. In 2024 Finley Freibert, an associate professor in the School of Media Arts, and Joseph Smith, an assistant professor who is cross-appointed in the School of Africana and Multicultural Studies and Philosophy will teach another new course about Media Ecologies of Race. Lewison believes that interdisciplinarity is critical to contemporary education and that students hunger to be learning in connection with the real world outside of class. I'm really excited to be able to expand the work that we might be able to do to a larger campus community and to Carbondale, she said. For more information on the program, contact Lewison at slewison@siu.edu. SIUs Outside the Box new music festival opens March 24 by Pete Rosenbery CARBONDALE, Ill. Music lovers throughout the region will have a bevy of musical interests and influences to enjoy later this month as Southern Illinois University Carbondale hosts the Outside the Box 2023 new music festival, continuing the rich history of bringing internationally known musicians and performers to campus. The festival, now in its 16th year, runs March 24-31 at various locations on campus and in Carbondale. All of the workshops and concerts are open to the public, and admission is free. Grammy Award winning Third Coast Percussion kicks off the festivities at 7 p.m. Friday, March 24, showcasing its latest work, and will then be joined by the SIU Wind Ensemble conducted by Christopher Morehouse, professor and SIU director of bands, for the Southern Illinois premiere of American composer David T. Littles 2015 arrangement Radiant Child, co-commissioned by SIU. This year, nearly all of the School of Music faculty are contributing to the festival, including the universitys wind ensemble and concert choir, said director Christopher Walczak, associate professor of music theory and composition in the School of Music, which is within College of Arts and Media. This is an incredibly exciting time of year for the Carbondale community, especially School of Music students and faculty as they perform and interact with nationally and internationally recognized musicians of the highest caliber, often premiering completely new compositions, Walczak said. Theres an incomparable energy around Outside the Box. The concerts would be something special in any city, so were very proud to be able to offer these events to music lovers in our area. The workshops and concerts will be in several venues on campus, including Shryock Auditorium, Altgeld Hall and the Old Baptist Foundation Recital Hall, along with Artspace 304, 304 W. Walnut St., Carbondale. Other featured artists include composers Dana Wilson and Stephen Andrew Taylor, along with Emily Rach Beisel, saxophone; Margaret Herlehy, oboe; Wrest, a free improvisational trio, and digital animator Paul Hertz, who collaborated with Walczak to create Campos | Temporales, a 15-minute intermedia work. School of Music faculty who will perform are Joseph Bauer, bass; Christopher Butler, percussion; Jessica Butler, trombone; Rosanna Cauti, viola; Susan Davenport, conductor; Anthony Gray, piano; Sean Harold, composer, guitar; Yuko Kato, piano; Richard Kelley, saxophone; Eric Mandat, clarinet; Morehouse, conductor; Walczak, composer, and Douglas Worthen, flute. For the complete schedule of events, visit the Outside the Box website. SIU celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in March, April by Christi Mathis CARBONDALE, Ill. Southern Illinois University Carbondale will be recognizing Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month with a wide variety of special events, including guest speakers, workshops and more. Although the official nationwide commemoration occurs in May, the university is hosting its celebration in late March and April while more students and faculty are on campus. Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month is an important celebration for the SIU community, said Renada Greer, executive director of the Student Multicultural Resource Center and Trio Programs. As with all our heritage celebrations, we want to make sure our diverse students, faculty and staff feel valued and supported. We look forward to learning more about the Asian and Pacific Islander cultures and how we can continue to be supportive. Celebration begins March 21 The kickoff event, Empowering Asian American Pacific Islander Voices: Celebrating Heritage and Advancing Inclusion, is set for 4-5:30 p.m. March 21 at the Old Main Room at the Student Center. Everyone is welcome, and there is no cost to attend. Panelists Xiaoyan May Bao, Nilanjana Bardhan and Jennifer Butler will share their personal experiences as AAPI professionals and discuss the challenges and opportunities they have encountered during their careers. All three are faculty or staff members at SIU. Bao is the accounting program interim director and associate professor, while Bardhan is professor of communication studies and Butler is director of diversity and inclusion for the College of Business and Analytics. Each has diverse backgrounds and different experiences and their stories include involvement with diversity, inclusion, international peacebuilding and business. Expanding knowledge A pair of events are designed to enhance participants AAPI knowledge and experience, organizers say. Exploring the Asian College Student Experience: Perspectives and Insights, at 3:30 p.m. April 11 in the Old Main Room at the Student Center, will include a variety of perspectives as the panelists share their personal stories and insights about the challenges and opportunities they have encountered. The event will provide an enhanced understanding of what university life is like for Asian and Asian American students today. Sumikshya Lama, a Master of Accounting and MBA candidate along with Ushna Altaf, a second-year law school student, and other Salukis will share as Tanvi Reddy Dasaripally, a masters student in computer science and computing teaching assistant, serves as moderator. Challenging the Stereotype: Beyond the Asian Model Minority Myth, set for 3:30 p.m. April 25 at the Old Main Room of the Student Center, will feature student and faculty/staff panelists sharing their insights about how the myth perpetuates damaging narratives that oversimplify and distort the perception of the diverse experiences of Asian individuals. The discussion will focus on ways people can work together to confront and deconstruct harmful stereotypes while building a more inclusive and equitable society. Panels include: Satveer Klerdoctoral candidate in counseling psychology. Dianah McGreehandoctoral candidate in communication studies. Ramesh Neupaneassociate director of Study Abroad Programs. Butler will moderate this panel discussion. Explore cultures and more A variety of other events are planned during the monthlong celebration, giving participants opportunities to explore Asian cultures and more, including: Ramadan Challenge, 5-7 p.m. April 5 in the Student Services Building, Rooms 150/160. The traditional celebration including a fast beginning at dawn and breaking of the fast at sunset. Muslims or anyone interested in learning more about Ramadan are invited to participate in the 5 p.m. sunset meal and discussion about the significance of the holiday and experiences. Guided Japanese Painting, 2-4 p.m. April 18, Student Services Building, Rooms 150/160. Try your hand a painting Japanese style during this fun, interesting workshop. No experience needed. Martial Arts Demonstration and Workshop, 2-4 p.m. April 20, Student Services Building 150/160. An experienced instructor from Saiyan Jiu Jitsu studio will demonstrative martial arts skills, and then participants can learn basic techniques and movements in the workshop that follows. Events for the campus community including K-Pop Dance Night for students April 6 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Student Recreation Center and the Asian Faculty and Staff Council Reception, set for 4-5:30 p.m. April 27 at Student Services Building 150/160. The reception will celebrate the new Asian Faculty Staff Council and offer the opportunity to recognize and celebrate contributions of SIUs Asian faculty and staff and learn more about the council. Sponsors of SIUs the AAPI month celebration include the Student Multicultural Resource Center; Vice Chancellor for Anti-Racism, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; the College of Business and Analytics diversity and inclusion office, the Muslim Student Association and Beta Alpha Psi. Find the complete schedule of events and additional information about the month and the universitys Student Multicultural Resource Center, a unit of the Vice Chancellor for Anti-Racism, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, contact Greer at renadag@siu.edu or by calling 618-453-3113. Xiaoyan May Bao Xiaoyan May Bao Nilanjana Bardhan Nilanjana Bardhan SIUs Paul Simon Institute to host Chicago Beyond CEO to discuss expanding opportunities for young people CARBONDALE, Ill. Liz Dozier, founder and CEO of Chicago Beyond and a nationally recognized educational leader, will discuss her path-breaking work to expand opportunities and possibilities for young people through education, youth safety and wellness programs as part of a program by the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Dozier will join John Shaw, institute director, at 2 p.m. Thursday, March 23, via Zoom for a discussion Opportunity and Hope Through Disruption. The conversation is part of the institutes Understanding Our New World series. Visit paulsimoninstitute.org/events to register. Chicago Beyond was launched in 2016 to back the fight for youth equity with funding from philanthropists Kimbra and Mark Walter. Since its inception, Chicago Beyond has invested more than $40 million in community-led initiatives and individuals who are fighting for all youth to achieve their fullest human potential, in Chicago and beyond. Prior to starting Chicago Beyond, Dozier was the principal of Christian Fenger Academy High School in Chicago's Roseland neighborhood on the citys South Side. At the time one of Chicagos most violent and underperforming schools in Chicago, Dozier and her team used a holistic approach of restorative justice, mental health, and wellness strategies to turn the situation around. The schools dropout rate shrank from 19% to 2%, there was a 40% increase in freshman on-track to graduate and double-digit increases in attendance and graduation rate. Liz Doziers story is remarkable and inspiring, Shaw said. She began her career as an elementary school teacher and became a transformational principal at Christian Fenger High School, winning national accolades. She launched Chicago Beyond to bring about systemic change for young people and to support local leaders and organizations that are trying to develop and implement transformational reforms. Dozier shared her experiences with Justice and Opportunity Through Disruption at a South by Southwest educational conference in 2018. Attendees are encouraged to submit questions for Dozier on the registration form or email questions to paulsimoninstitute@siu.edu. SIU junior special education students Jillian Hulcher, of Springfield, Illinois, and Angie Hargrave, from Anna, Illinois, have gained valuable experience and enhanced their learning as theyve worked on the Behavior Assessment Training (BAT) Program. Photo by Russell Bailey SIUs $5.8M special ed project aims to help keep students with disabilities in Illinois schools by Christi Mathis CARBONDALE, Ill. A Southern Illinois University Carbondale team has launched a 2-year project to help educators around the state find effective ways to help students with disabilities and behavioral concerns stay in school rather than face disciplinary action such as suspension or expulsion, thanks to a $5.841 million Special Education Behavior Assessment Training (BAT) Project contract with the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE). Its all about the success of students, especially students who need help and an education the most, said Deborah Bruns, SIU special education program coordinator and professor and a project co-PI. We want to raise awareness and provide the resources and assistance to help special education professionals do their work as effectively as possible. We also want to help teachers, school administrators and others who work with special education children address any disproportionate administration of behavioral punishment through building stronger classrooms and sound, effective administrative practices. Those goals are being accomplished via the SIU/ISBE Behavior Assessment Training (BAT) project. We gather data and information for a thorough assessment, take all of that information and couple it with the rich expertise of our team and other experts and create presentations and comprehensive, professional training to help special educators and other professionals, said Harvey Henson, the director of the STEM Education Research Center and associate professor with joint appointments in the School of Education and School of Earth Systems and Sustainability who serves as principal investigator for the contract. Already about 100 people from 54 educational settings across Illinois have participated in BAT training events since it launched in fall 2022. This includes special and general education teachers, school social workers and administrators from school districts throughout the state, and regional offices of education and more. And SIU students involved in the project are gaining valuable experience through their participation. Early successes Those receiving BAT project assistance, such as the Freeport School District 145 in northwest Illinois, say it is much needed and appreciated. The district, located near Rockford, is home to about 3,500 students, including about 500 receiving special education services, said Daniel Holder, assistant superintendent of pupil personnel services at Freeport. Analyzing behavior is so complex, he said. Having experts to help us do that and find solutions to communication and other issues is highly beneficial. There is such a broad range of behaviors in children, and teachers are taught to be generalists. The SIU team has helped us focus on specifics. He noted that people who want attention will always find a way to get it, even if they dont have socially appropriate ways to ask. Thus, its not uncommon for students who have difficulty getting their needs across to jump up and down, make annoying noises or act out in various ways. The training from SIU has helped his faculty and staff learn to recognize what is happening, analyze the behaviors and find ways to establish effective communication. SIU has helped us clarify what the areas of focus should be, Holder said. After the initial workshop, one of the goals was to help us get on the same page in terms of key concepts and the language we use, from talking with families to teachers and staff. Dr. Louise Yoho (special education assistant professor and co-PI) and the others provided us with new understanding of what is happening with students and their behaviors and how we can better get a handle on it. It all begins with understanding. When we moralize behavior, we stop being inquisitive. Students want attention, they want to express their feelings and have some power and control in their lives. If we just write off their behavior as bad, weve blinded ourselves to ways to help them. But by figuring out what they are trying to accomplish with their behaviors, we can create a consistent plan to teach them more appropriate ways to handle things and reinforce proper behaviors. Its good stuff! More than 50 Freeport teachers, support staff and administrators participated in an all-day workshop led by the SIU team, and their response was overwhelmingly positive. Holder said. The SIU team has visited the Freeport school system for the initial workshop and met eight more times with faculty and staff in the classrooms. Holder said theyve spent a lot of time documenting, studying and learning. Its been a tremendous help to me on the administrative level, too. To have regular conversations with the SIU experts, including board-certified behavioral analysts, has helped us identify the gaps in our existing protocols and provided my colleagues with the support and information they need to bridge those gaps. The teachers are really excited about it. The SIU experts have really helped us a lot with messaging helping our students find appropriate ways to communicate. Having the SIU team in the classroom, right next to us, has really helped us realize we can do this better, and we are. The BAT project team also assists with functional behavioral assessments (FBA) and behavior intervention plans (BIPs), which are part of a students individualized educational plan (IEP) to ensure every student with a disability receives the instruction and services they need. Many parts to the picture The project includes several components: Helping update the ISBE guidance document on challenging behavior, last revised in 1996. Identifying school districts with a disproportionately high number of special education students from culturally diverse backgrounds who are the recipients of disciplinary measures such as suspension or expulsion due to their classroom behavior and offering intensive services to up to 10 districts identified by the ISBE in order to address this disparity. This includes on-site assessment and training, as well as professional development and ongoing interaction and assistance. Additional districts will be added over the course of the projects lifespan. A free, virtual 3-day conference was held last fall to provide professional development on culturally responsive assessment and planning for special education and general education teachers and administrators at all grade levels. Diverse topics were covered, including collaboration, troubleshooting reinforcement, evidence-based FBAs and BIPs, and much more. Participants earned professional development hours, and plans call for an in-person event in fall 2023. Monthly webinars, providing a wide array of information about classroom behaviors, student assessments, effectively addressing behavioral concerns and more. A statewide audience participates, and the topics have included implicit bias, viewing student behavior through a contextual lens, culturally relevant, evidence-based behavior interventions and more. Faculty members from other Illinois universities and professionals are involved in this component as well. The project also provides participants with informational documents packed with helpful guidance, including a glossary of terms relevant to information shared in the monthly webinars and annual conference. In addition, the SIU team is conducting research regarding student outcomes as a result of these efforts. We are examining the impacts of the professional development, said co-PI Justin McDaniel, a public health associate professor with a co-appointment in the neurology department of the SIU School of Medicine. We want to determine how the webinars and other assistance we provide affect the participants and their perceptions and what changes they make as a result. Collaborative project The project involves a multifaceted, cross-campus collaborative team of SIU faculty and staff from the School of Education, the STEM Education Research Center, the School of Human Sciences and the College of Agriculture, Life and Physical Sciences. The leadership team includes: Henson, who is the principal investigator for the contract. Co-PI McDaniel, who is handling much of the data analysis for the project. Co-PI Daniel Brown, a former Illinois State Board of Education assessment supervisor, who serves as the project manager. Co-PI Bruns, who also leads webinars and brings background in working with young children as well as families. Co-PI Yoho, who also leads webinars and helped create secondary and postsecondary school disciplinary policies. Co-PI Peter Nelson , assistant professor of curriculum and instruction, who assists McDaniel with data analysis. assistant professor of curriculum and instruction, who assists McDaniel with data analysis. Michelle Connet, the BAT project coordinator who brings a decade of experience as a special education teacher and principal. Impacting Salukis Four SIU students involved in the project have something distinctive to put on their resumes, including opportunities to present to state and national audiences. While working on the project, Jillian Hulcher, a junior special education major from Springfield, Illinois, said she has learned how to effectively help students with disciplinary problems. Often that means looking more at the bigger picture than the minor interruptions a behavior may cause. Its important to figure out how to communicate with all students in a way that is the most productive and that works for both of us, not just what is easier or more beneficial to me. Angie Hargrave, a junior special education major from Anna, Illinois, has worked as a paraprofessional in several local school districts and hopes to obtain a special education teaching position in Jackson County when she completes her degree. This group of experts, students and other participants has already taught me so much, Hargrave said. While listening to the webinars and doing research in preparation for future projects, I have vastly expanded the knowledge I obtained in my classes at SIU. The expert presentations are thorough, and theyve given me a better understanding of what is necessary to provide my future special education students with the best education possible. From a student point of view, sitting in on these meetings and listening to the experts collaborate, is a really good experience for us as we are going into the profession. Ive learned what it really means to have biases toward students and how it affects their learning and behavior. Ive also learned how different techniques and approaches toward classroom behavior can make a big difference and about the many resources and supports available to teachers. In working with the teachers, Ive also discovered that what they experience in real life can often be different than what they have learned in textbooks. Nhi Nguyen, a senior special education major from Binh Duong, Vietnam, said her experience with the project has enhanced the learning and practice shes gotten in the last four years at SIU. For instance, she said after watching several webinars from the BAT project, shes learning that these reports are not just another method to accommodate the students who exhibit behavioral difficulty but plans to increase the students chances to attend their academic classes with their peers in the most inclusive classroom. This helps the teacher improve unwanted behaviors, not just to improve students academic outcomes but also their relationships with others. In her career as a future special education teacher, Nguyen said she will see the students issues and situations in a different way. Its taught me to widen my knowledge of their different cultures and better understand where they come from and what they are trying to do because that helps us deal with the situation better. Nhi Nguyen was just accepted into the graduate program in the College of Health and Human Sciences and will receive a research assistantship from the STEM Education Research Center in support of her graduate studies and research on the BAT project. Madi Ledbetter, a senior special education major from Vandalia, Illinois, has also been involved with the project and assisted with the conference last fall. Hargrave noted that Connet and everyone else has been very supportive and encouraging and that all of those working behind the scenes have been appreciated by the experts involved in the project. The ultimate goal is to help identify any educational biases or poorly written policies and provide statewide high-quality professional development and other help to educators and administrators so they can better serve their students, said Brown, a STEM researcher and project manager. Students from 30 high schools to compete in SIUs Math Field Day by Tim Crosby CARBONDALE, Ill. Young mathematicians from two states will once again travel to Southern Illinois University Carbondale for a day of competitions, comradery and achievement. The annual Math Field Day is set for Tuesday, March 28, at the Banterra Center. Organizers expect students from about 30 schools in Illinois and Missouri to compete for prizes. A maximum of 36 students from each school, nine per grade, may compete. Event tests math skills The event includes a comprehensive test designed, presented and scored by faculty in the mathematics degree program. Hands-on workshops will be presented during the break between the exam and the awards ceremony. The testing kicks off at 10 a.m. and runs until noon. Organizers will present awards beginning at 2 p.m. at Shryock Auditorium. All students will take the same two-hour exam. Topics range from beginning algebra and geometry through trigonometry and college algebra. A few questions venture into calculus, finite mathematics and a clever thinking problem. Workshops, prizes on tap After a pizza lunch, students will participate in workshops between 1 and 1:30 p.m. provided by SIU faculty and graduate students at various campus locations. The top two finishers in each grade, freshman through senior, will receive cash awards again this year. First place winners will receive $75 while second place winners take home $50 each. Top-scoring student teams will receive trophies or ribbons in three divisions based on school enrollment size. Students also can win certificates for individual accomplishments in each academic division. Teachers program set SIU will host a program for math teachers during the event, as well. The program is set for 10 a.m. in the Roger & Sally Tedrick Auditorium, Boydston Center, Room 189, at the Banterra Center. Speakers will be Thara Lowndes, director of the Computer-Based Math Program Project at SIU, and Wesley Calvert, associate professor in the School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences. For more information, contact co-chairs Kathy Pericak-Spector, retired professor of mathematics, or Ron Nagrodski, senior lecturer in the mathematics degree program, at 618-453-5302 or terri.andrade@siu.edu. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has again written to Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla, seeking permission to speak in the Lower House to respond to the allegations levelled against him by the Bharatiya Janata Party leaders over remarks made by him in the United Kingdom. "I had written to you on March 17 seeking your permission to respond to totally baseless and unfair charges hurled at me by senior ministers in the Lok Sabha. I am making such a request again. I am seeking this permission under the conventions of Parliamentary practice, the constitutionally embedded rules of natural justice and Rule 357 of the Rules and Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha," Gandhi said in his letter. He said that the Rule 357 of the Rules and Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha allows him to respond to the allegations. Citing Rule 357, Rahul Gandhi stated, "A member may, with the permission of the speaker, make a personal explanation although there is no question before the House, in this case, no debatable matter may be brought forward, and no debate shall arise". Hitting out at the BJP, the Congress leader termed the allegations against him as "scurrilous" and "defamatory". "Members of the ruling regime have made scurrilous and defamatory claims against me both within and outside Parliament. As a result of these allegations, and the rules invoked by these individuals, it is only appropriate that you kindly me a right to reply as contained in Rule 357 which allows for personal explanations," Gandhi said. BJP leaders have accused Gandhi of "defaming" the country and have been demanding an "apology" from the Wayanad MP During his visit to the United Kingdom, Rahul Gandhi had talked of "institutional framework getting constrained". "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 democracy - 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. At another event, he had alleged that various institutions in the country were under threat."It shocked me how successful they have been at capturing the different institutions of our country. press, judiciary, parliament, and Election Commission are all under threat and are controlled in one way or the other," Rahul Gandhi had said. He had also termed the RSS a "fundamentalist" and "fascist" organisation alleging that it has captured almost all of India's institutions. The second leg of the Budget session has been seeing repeated disruptions due to the continued logjam between the ruling party and the Opposition. While BJP has demanded an apology from Rahul Gandhi, the Opposition is persisting with its demand for a JPC probe into the Adani issue. The second leg of the Budget session commenced on March 13 and will conclude on April 6. (ANI) A high-level Parliamentary panel has raised concern over under-achievement of targets under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthan Mahabhiyan or the PM-KUSUM scheme, which was launched in March 2019. The scheme was envisaged to provide financial support to the farmers for installation of standalone solar pumps, solarisation of existing grid-connected agriculture pumps and also to provide farmers an opportunity to become solar entrepreneurs by installing solar power plants on their barren or fallow agriculture land. Parliament's standing committee on energy, in its report on the demands for grants for the ministry of new and renewable energy (2023-24), which was presented in Parliament on Tuesday, said that the government needs to make some positive interventions in the form of subsidy and other measures. Also it has suggested that the ministry should coordinate and hold consultations with states in order to make them prioritise the scheme in the interest of the farmers, particularly small and marginal farmers. The committee made these observations after it was informed by the new and renewable ministry that targets under different components of the scheme could not be achieved. "The ministry has stated that the reasons for slow progress under the scheme are increase in prices of solar panels due to imposition of Basic Custom Duty (BCD) and increase in Goods and Services Tax (GST) from 5 per cent to 12 per cent, low demand from states and non-availability of farmers' share of funds," the panel noted. It has also been furnished by the ministry that under the scheme, for a solar plant of 1 MW, an investment of Rs 4 to Rs 4.5 crore is required, as there is no subsidy and these projects are purely based on commercial viability, the panel said in its report. In the light of the above facts, the Parliamentary panel has asked the ministry to make the abovementioned interventions to make the PM-KUSUM scheme a success. The panel further suggested that the ministry should ensure that there is no demand-supply gap in making available the required number of solar pumps for the farmers. --IANS ans/uk/ ( 364 Words) 2023-03-21-19:44:01 (IANS) The disruptions in parliament continued for the seventh day on Tuesday with no indications yet of the logjam ending soon as both BJP and the opposition sharpened their attack on each other. Both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were first adjourned till 2 pm and then for the day amid sloganeering by the members of the opposition and treasury benches. While the BJP members continued to demand apology from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his remarks in UK, the opposition insisted on JPC on the Hindenburg-Adani row. Lok Sabha Speaker and Rajya Sabha Chairman urged members to allow the Houses to function. Lok Sabha passed the Budget for Jammu and Kashmir for 2023-24 and the Supplementary Demands for Grants for the Union Territory amid the din in the House and sloganeering by opposition members over their demand. The House also passed Jammu and Kashmir Appropriation (No 2) Bill 2023 and the Jammu and Kashmir Appropriation Bill 2023. In Rajya Sabha, Chairman Jagdeep Dhankar said people expect members to exemplify the highest traditions. "They expect us to engage in deliberation and enlighten the people at large," he said. As the din continued, he adjourned the House till 2 pm. When the House reassembled, talked about his experience across the political spectrum and said he also had been a member of Congress party. "I greatly appreciate what the Leader of the Opposition has indicated as to how many political parties I have traversed. I have benefited from enormous experience of towering giants in various political parties, starting with Chaudhary Devi Lalji, Sharad Pawarji, etc. And I have been a member of the Congress Party and most of my friends are on left side..." "Yes, Janata Dal, with Chaudhary Devi Lalji. We had towering giants in Janata Dal at that point of time. I have also had the privilege of being a member of the largest party on the planet. So, I have traversed and, in the process, I have gathered experience. My involvement with these parties has been very impactful and my not being associated with some parties may also be impactful," he said. Dhankar said he was earlier member of parliamentary board of NCP along with Praful Patel. "We are all friends, friends of long standing," he said. As the members persisted with their demands, he adjourned the House for the day. The two Houses will not meet on Wednesday on the occasion of Ugadi, Gudi Padava, Chaitra Sukladi, Cheti Chand, Navreh and Sajibu Cheiraoba Dhankhar called a meeting of the floor leaders of different political parties in Rajya Sabha twice on Thursday in an attempt to break the logjam in the House over the issues raised by both ruling as well as opposition parties. In the meeting, he underlined that it is prime duty of the members to run the proceedings of the House in an orderly manner which is the essence of democracy and the expectation of the people. During the one and half hour-long meeting, Dhankhar highlighted that the House is meant for debate and discussion in a collaborative manner, and not for confrontation and deadlock. The first meeting was held at 11.30 am in which leaders of BJP, YSRCP, BJD and TDP were present. However, floor Leaders of other parties did not attend. The Chief Whip of the Congress Party and also the floor leader of the DMK Party called on the Chairman separately before the meeting and expressed their inability to attend the meeting. The Chairman indicated to these two leaders that this would not help the cause of democracy and his feelings be so conveyed to the leaders. Members from Congress, Trinamool Congress, DMK, AAP, BJD, RJD, CPI (M), JD(U), AIADMK, NCP, SP, SS, CPI, TRS and AGP were among those not present. Thereafter, the Rajya Sabha Chairman made another appeal to the floor leaders of the Parties, who absented from the first meeting, to revisit their decision and attend the second meeting which was held at 2:30 pm. The second meeting was attended by Deputy Chairman, Rajya Sabha, Dr Harivansh, Sharad Pawar (NCP), Dr Keshav Rao (TRS), Shri Tiruchi Siva (DMK), Dr Shantanu Sen (TMC), M Thambidurai (DMK), Sasmit Patra (BJD), GK Vasan (Tamil Maanila Congress), Birendra Prasad Baishya (AGP); Union Minister Leader of House Piyush Goel and Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Palhad Joshi. Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and Culture Arjun Ram Meghwal, Minister of State for External Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs, Shri V. Muraleedharan and Chief Whip of BJP in Rajya Sabha Laxmikant Bajpai were also present. To engage in further consultation, the Chairman has scheduled the next meeting at 10.00 am on March 23 with a request to all floor leaders to make it convenient to attend. Outside the Parliament, both BJP and Congress launched sharp attacks on each other. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Sambit Patra compared Rahul Gandhi to Mir Jafar and Congress leader Pawan Khera hit back. Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Shaktisinh Gohil also held a press conference and alleged that BJP MPs didn't let Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge speak in the House twice despite the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha permitting him. Rahul Gandhi wrote a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker seeking permission to speak in the House to respond to the allegations levelled at him by the Bharatiya Janata Party. "I had written to you on March 17 seeking your permission to respond to totally baseless and unfair charges hurled at me by senior ministers in the Lok Sabha. I am making such a request again. I am seeking this permission under the conventions of Parliamentary practice, the constitutionally embedded rules of natural justice and Rule 357 of the Rules and Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha," he said. Gandhi said that the Rule 357 of the Rules and Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha allows him to respond to the allegations in the Parliament."A member may, with the permission of the speaker, make a personal explanation although there is no question before the House, in this case, no debatable matter may be brought forward, and no debate shall arise". Hitting out at the BJP, the Congress leader termed the allegations against him as "scurrilous" and "defamatory". "Members of the ruling regime have made scurrilous and defamatory claims against me both within and outside Parliament. As a result of these allegations, and the rules invoked by these individuals, it is only appropriate that you kindly me a right to reply as contained in Rule 357 which allows for personal explanations," he said. Sambit Patra, who addressed a press conference earlier in the day, said Rahul Gandhi has to apologize for his remarks in the UK. "Rahul Gandhi will have to apologize in Parliament. He always defames the nation. He is the present-day Mir Jafar of Indian polity. He asked the foreign powers to intervene in the country. This is a consistent 'conspiracy' of Congress and Rahul Gandhi. His participation is least in Parliament and he says that no one allows him to speak," Patra alleged. "Mir Zafar did the same thing, he gave 24 Parganas to get help from East India Company and now Rahul is doing the same kind of politics. He is asking for help from foreign countries so that he becomes 'Shazada' in India," Patra added. Mir Jafar had betrayed Siraj ud-Daulah and helped the East India Company in the battle of Plassey in June 1757. Hitting back at Patra, Pawan Khera said that the BJP spokesperson would soon get a "strong answer". "Criticizing government is not criticizing the nation. Government should understand this. The debate does not make democracy weaken instead it strengthens it. The government is doing this drama because they are trying to escape the opposition's questions," he said. "They are worried that Rahul Gandhi might again ask the PM about his relations with Adani. There is no JPC probe yet, this is the reason they are creating so much drama. He will get a strong answer soon. We are also learning from them (BJP) how to give answers. Soon action will be done on his statement: Pawan Khera on Sambit Patra's statement that Rahul Gandhi is 'Mir Jafar' of the present era," he added. In his press conference, Gohil referred to the Rajya Sabha record details and said the moment Kharge's name was called, the ruling party members started sloganeering and the House was adjourned. He added that as soon as Kharge stoop up to speak at 2 pm when the Rajya Sabha resumed, sloganeering from MPs of the party in power started and the House was adjourned for the day. Gohil alleged that BJP is seeking apology from Rahul Gandhi just because it wants to divert attention from Adani issue on which the Opposition parties are demanding JPC. Gohil said that Union Minister Piyush Goyal refers to Rahul Gandhi's remarks in London which is against the rules. He asserted that Rahul Gandhi had not said anything objectionable on foreign soil and rather termed the threat on democracy in India as an 'internal problem' which had to be dealt with by the citizens of the country only, and had in fact ruled out the need for interference from outside. "If someone has to apologise, it is PM Modi as he had disrespected our country and our forefathers in many countries on various occasions, Gohil said. He alleged that PM Modi had "belittled our achievements in 70 years" during his visits abroad by stating that nothing had been done during all these years. The Parliament has witnessed continuous disruptions since it met for the second part of budget session on March 13. (ANI) Marking the first day of Chaitra Navratri, early morning 'aarti' was performed at the famous Jhandewalan Temple in Delhi on Wednesday. Devotees visited the temple to offer prayers and seek blessings from Goddess Durga. People were seen standing in the queue waiting for their chance patiently to offer prayers. Mantras were being chanted by priests and holy songs are being played at the temple premises. People also flocked to Chhatarpur Temple to witness the early morning 'aarti' on the first day of Chaitra Navratri. Chaitra Navratri or Vasant Navratri is celebrated during the spring season in India and it is considered to be an important nine-day celebration for the Hindu community. This year, the nine-day festivities begin on March 22 and will go on till March 30. Each day is dedicated to a different form of Goddess Durga, worshipping the power and qualities that each avatar represents. The first day of Chaitra Navratri falls during the 'Shukla Paksha' of the moon ie, the full moon phase. The rituals performed during the nine days in order to praise Goddess Durga, vary each day. It also marks the birthday of Lord Rama, which usually falls on the ninth day during the Navratri festivity, hence it is also known as Rama Navratri. The festival is much like Maha Navratri, dedicated to the nine different forms of Goddess Durga, collectively known as Navdurga. (ANI) Reviewing ongoing works and developmental schemes of the Legislative Assemblies, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Tuesday instructed officers to solve the problems being raised by the MLAs of their constituencies quickly. He said the District Magistrate should diagnose them at the district level as soon as possible. There should be no unnecessary delay in the works which have been kept on priority by the MLAs of their constituencies. Chief Minister Dhami said the necessary action being taken by various departments to solve the problems being faced by various areas should also be regularly reviewed. Special attention should be paid to the simplification of procedures for quick resolution of public problems. Departmental secretaries should regularly review their departments to solve the problems of the assembly constituencies. The effective secretaries of the districts should also regularly review the progress of development works in the districts, Dhami emphasized. He said that the development works of the assemblies would be reviewed every three months. Dhami said that there are immense possibilities in the field of horticulture, agriculture and tourism in Uttarakhand. More rapid work should be done to increase the livelihood of the people in these areas. He said migration will also stop as more and more self-employment opportunities are available to people at the local level. Work should also be done expeditiously under the Apple and Kiwi mission. He said the availability of improved varieties of seeds and plants for horticulture and farming should be ensured to the farmers. More efforts are needed to give a rapid boost to the state's economy. The Chief Minister instructed the officials that in view of the upcoming summer season, proper arrangements should be made for the supply of drinking water. In the meeting, the MLAs were apprised about the construction of roads, further improvement of health facilities, flood protection work, drinking water problem, garbage disposal problem, drainage and sewerage problems. The Chief Minister said that whatever public problems have been raised by the legislators, every possible solution will be given to them. (ANI) White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that the US has in some cases, significant concerns about China's behaviour, particularly its coercive and aggressive behaviour in the South China Sea. "In some cases, we have significant concerns about China's behaviour, particularly their coercive and aggressive behaviour for instance in the South China Sea in pursuing false maritime claims, concerns about intellectual theft and some trade practices," Kirby said in response to a question by Fox News reporter Peter Doocy on US' relationship with China. Doocy had asked if President Biden thinks China is abiding by the international rules of the road. The NCS further said: "There are other areas where we believe there is room for cooperation with China and we want to be able to pursue that, too, but in order to do that, you gotta keep those lines of communication open, you gotta have that ability to talk, particularly when things are intense like they are right now." The US on Tuesday refused to confirm a news report citing that the country provided crucial intelligence to the Indian military last year that helped it successfully tackle the Chinese at the border. Taking to the podium during the daily press briefing, National Security Council coordinator for Strategic Communications at the White House, John Kirby did not deny nor confirmed the story and said, "No, I can't confirm that," when pressed about the news report. According to the U.S. News and World Report, the US government for the first time provided real-time details to its Indian counterparts of the Chinese positions and force strength in advance of incursions by the PLA in Arunachal Pradesh's Tawang Sector. On December 9, 2022, hundreds of Indian and Chinese forces clashed along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) (ANI) The denial of women's rights to education by the "Taliban de facto authorities" in Afghanistan has no justification on any grounds as it has harmed not only them but also the country's future in a crucial way, the UN experts said in a statement. The continued "denial of girls and young women's right to school in Afghanistan marks a global low in education, harming an entire gender, a generation, and the future of the country," TOLOnews reported citing the statement. "On 22 March 2023, schools should be reopening to girls across Afghanistan. Instead, it appears that for the second successive school year, teenage girls will be banned from resuming their studies - making Afghanistan the only country in the world that forbids girls and young women from attending secondary school and places of higher education," the statement said. "Education is an enabling right, which is crucial in and of itself and for realising other human rights such as the rights to work, to an adequate standard of living, to health, to participate in society and communities, to equality before the law and to fundamental freedoms. Denying this right to half the population effectively denies women and girls most other human rights," the statement read, as per TOLOnews. Qatar hosted talks on the future of education in Afghanistan and the challenges and obstacles facing it, the Qatar foreign ministry said in a statement. The statement said that Assistant Foreign Minister Lolwah Al Khater, with the participation of the CEO of Education Above All Foundation, Fahad Al Sulaiti, represented Qatar in the talks held in Doha, where a delegation from the Afghan Ministry of Education, led by Education Minister Mawlawi Sayyid Habeeb Agha, a delegation of the UNICEF organization headed by UNICEF Regional Director for South Asia George Laria, and the Chief of Strategic Partnerships at Education Cannot Wait Organization Nasser Fakih also participated. "The participants also agreed on the need to ensure the right to education for all, develop a common vision that deals with challenges, and provide high-quality education opportunities for all Afghan students in all regions," the statement reads. The US special envoy for Afghanistan, Rina Amiri, said on Twitter that a "stable and sustainable Afghanistan hinges on reversing extreme policies like the ones banning girls from schools above grade 6." A women's rights activist, Mariam Marouf Arveen also lamented over the plight of Afghan women in the country and said that if the Taliban continues to deny the rights of females to attain education in the country which is already ravaged by war, the female generations of Afghanistan will be harmed severely. "If the Afghan women this year, as the year before, are deprived, we will see that the female generations of Afghanistan will be harmed seriously, including with a rise in forced marriage," TOLOnews quoted Mariam Marouf Arveen as saying. The Islamic Emirate's spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said that efforts are underway to facilitate the reopening of the schools and universities for female students. As female education continues to suffer majorly in Afghanistan under the Taliban regime, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) is all set to send a team of scholars to the country to discuss women's right to education and work with the regime, TOLOnews reported. Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August 2021, the situation of females in the country has only gone worse. Females in the country are prohibited from leadership posts and are not allowed to travel unless accompanied by a male companion. The Taliban promised to reopen all schools on March 23, 2022, but on that day they once more closed secondary institutions for girls. There is still no word on when or if these schools will reopen or the ban is indefinite. The Taliban took over Afghanistan in August 2021 and imposed policies severely restricting basic rights--particularly those of women and girls, dismissed all women from leadership posts in the civil service and prohibited girls in most provinces from attending secondary school. (ANI) Social media has become a crucial part of our daily lives in todays digital world. It is a platform where people can share their thoughts, ideas, and experiences with the world. Instagram, in particular, has gained massive popularity in recent years. With over one billion active users worldwide, it is a powerful tool for businesses, influencers, and individuals to promote themselves and their brands. While creating high-quality content and engaging with followers are crucial factors in growing your audience, sometimes it takes more than that. One way to grow your audience and increase your visibility on Instagram is by buying followers. However, not all services that offer this feature are legitimate. Here, we will explore the best two websites to buy Instagram followers. Goread.io is the first website that comes to mind when it comes to buying Instagram followers. This website is praised by reputable sources such as the Miami Herald and Kansas City Magazine. What sets Goread.io apart from other providers is its commitment to providing its clients with real, active Instagram users rather than bots or fake accounts. This ensures that your account gains authentic engagement and credibility, which is crucial in todays digital landscape. Furthermore, Goread.io offers a quick delivery time of just 24 hours, making it a perfect choice for those who need to boost their follower count quickly. The website also offers a satisfaction guarantee and a refund policy, making it a trustworthy and reliable option for those who want to buy Instagram followers. You can also purchase Instagram likes from Goread.io, which can further boost your accounts engagement and visibility. The second website that we recommend is Massgress. This website is perfect for those who want to buy genuine followers and increase their credibility and visibility on Instagram. Massgress uses tailored targeting techniques to provide its clients with authentic engagement, ensuring your account gains followers interested in your content. Story continues In addition to its high-quality services, Massgress takes Instagrams policies seriously and has dedicated customer support to assist you with any questions or concerns. Furthermore, you can buy their services with confidence, thanks to their money-back guarantee. This ensures you get value for your money and your account stays safe and secure. When deciding to purchase Instagram followers, selecting trustworthy companies that offer real followers is essential. While it might seem appealing to choose less expensive options, fake followers can harm your accounts credibility. Furthermore, Instagrams algorithm is designed to detect fake engagement, which can make your account penalized or even banned. Therefore, investing in legitimate services that offer real followers is crucial. Buying followers should not be the only strategy to boost your accounts visibility and engagement. Creating compelling and varied content is equally important. In addition, engaging with your audience and responding to their comments and messages is also crucial. Combining this approach with buying followers will give your Instagram account a significant advantage and help you achieve your goals. Buying Instagram followers can be a useful strategy to increase your accounts visibility and credibility, but choosing legitimate services with real followers is essential. Goread.io and Massgress are two websites that provide high-quality services and can help you achieve your Instagram goals. By choosing to work with these companies, you can boost your Instagram account while ensuring that your followers are authentic and engaged. McClatchy newsroom and editorial staff were not involved in the creation of this content. Trump supporters in front of Trump Tower in New York A few supporters gather in front of Trump Tower after former President Donald Trump urged supporters to protest his looming indictment, in New York, on March 20, 2023. Credit - Selcuk AcarAnadolu Agency/Getty Images Donald Trumps calls for supporters to protest his possible indictment by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg led officials to tighten security in New York and Washington and raised fears of potential violence. But Trumps exhortations were largely met with reluctance from both prominent supporters and the far-right online acolytes who responded to his rallying cry on Jan. 6, 2021. A demonstration on Monday organized by the New York Young Republican Club outside the Manhattan court where Trump would be arraigned if indicted drew barely 50 people. Only a handful of supporters showed up outside his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, according to local reports. Distrustful that protests might be traps set by federal law enforcement and without a fixed date or event to rally around, the vast majority of pro-Trump online groups seemed to waver between apathy and confusion, showing very little appetite for organized action. Hes not infallible and protest is very vague, one person wrote in a popular MAGA Telegram group. And what exactly does Protest, Protest!!! mean? another person asked in a different group. Im not trying to be a jerk but youd think he could give slightly more explicit instructions if he really wanted the tens of millions of people who support him to do something effective. While there were the usual mentions of civil war and apocalyptic language about using violence to take the country back that have become commonplace in far-right channels, polls in these groups asking if followers would protest for Trump overwhelmingly found their members opposed. While far-right groups see Trumps possible arrest as a politicized prosecution, they mostly advised each other to stay home. I think protest is bad advice from Trump, read one post on a pro-Trump forum. Unless youre willing to actually and truly do an insurrection, taking all oppressors prisoner (or worse), there is no point to protest here. Story continues Read More: With All Eyes on Washington, the Real Far-Right Threat Has Moved On. None of the prominent Trump supporters who played key roles in organizing rallies and protests in the past stepped up either, with many of them publicly declaring they were staying out of it. Im retired, Ali Alexander, a right-wing activist and key organizer of the 2020 Stop the Steal rallies that led to Jan. 6, wrote in a post on the Telegram messaging app. Alexander said he had spoken to Alex Jones, a prominent conspiracy theorist involved in the Jan. 6 rallies. Hes not protesting either. Weve both got enough going on fighting the government, he wrote. No billionaire is covering our bills. The muted response highlights the lack of enthusiasm for and widespread distrust of mass protests after the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, which led to more than 1,000 prosecutions. A review of more than two dozen popular pro-Trump Telegram channels, online forums, and social media groups also suggests that many supporters feel betrayed by what they see as the former Presidents abandonment of those who rallied for him on Jan. 6, 2021. Why would I protest for a man that left the [Jan. 6 protesters] high and dry? one user posted in a pro-Trump Telegram group. Trump did nothing to help them after they stuck [their] neck out for him. Has he called for protests about these poor guys? No. But hes calling for us to protest about his arrest, another person wrote. It doesnt sit right with me. Another user agreed: Hes right. Trump betrayed the J6 patriots. How can anybody still support [him]? Read More: Inside One Combat Vets Journey From Defending His County to Storming the Capitol. Many of the narratives in right-wing circles online have centered on warnings that the federal government is trying to stoke violent protests by Trump supporters so they can arrest them, according to an analysis shared with TIME by Logically, a U.K.-based tech firm that tracks online misinformation. Far-right groups have warned followers that any protests could be a setup or Deep State traps to draw our Trump supporters. When the British far-right YouTuber Paul Joseph Watson asked his more than 218,000 followers on Truth Social Is the potential protest against Trump being arrested a J6-style trap? more than 85% responded Yes. On online messaging groups and forums, Trump supporters discussed alternative ways to protest, with many urging people to withdraw their money from banks, organize national work strikes, set up prayer groups or fly American flags upside down. Dont expose your back, because Trump does not have yours, one user on a pro-Trump social media group wrote. And he never will. Read More: The United States of Political Violence Still, intelligence officials have tracked an uptick in violent rhetoric in recent days, with most threats targeting law enforcement, judges and government officials in New York, according to a CBS report. Extremism analysts and former law enforcement officials have cautioned that the risk of violence is more likely to come from an individual who decides to act, as happened last year when an armed man attacked the FBIs office in Cincinnati after the agents raided Trumps Mar-a-Lago residence. President Joe Biden released a first-of-its-kind U.S. Ocean Climate Action Plan on Tuesday, which he said will harness the tremendous power of the ocean to help in our fight against the climate crisis. Speaking at the White House Conservation in Action Summit, Biden said: We can reduce emissions by building offshore wind farms, better protect our coastal and fishing communities from worsening storms, changing fisheries and other impacts on climate change. Ocean advocates say it comes not a minute too soon. By absorbing more than 90% of the Earth's warming in recent decades, the ocean is already playing an enormous role in the climate crisis, said Lara Levison, senior director of federal policy for the ocean conservation group Oceana. Ocean policy is often overlooked in discussions of climate action and climate solutions, Levison said. "Theres so much emphasis on whats happening on land and not nearly enough focus on the ocean. A pod of Risso's dolphins swims in the Atlantic Ocean over the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument southeast of Cape Cod. Warmer oceans felt around the world Sea surface temperatures in the global ocean reached a record high on March 16, averaging 69.8 degrees, according to the Climate Reanalyzer at the Climate Change Institute at the University of Maine. In its latest report Monday, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said the window is rapidly closing to rein in the increasing greenhouse gas emissions that are driving warming temperatures. The report noted the impacts of the warmer atmosphere and oceans including more frequent heat waves, more intense droughts, and extreme rainfall are being felt around the world. Earlier in March, the U.N. reached the first High Seas Treaty to protect biodiversity in international waters. That treaty, not yet ratified, also pledges to protect 30% of the worlds ocean areas. The treaty will be the first international law to offer some protection to nearly two-thirds of the ocean that is beyond the control of surrounding nations, according to a March 15 editorial in the journal Nature. It will become law after its ratified by the national governments of at least 60 countries. Story continues HOW DOES CLIMATE CHANGE AFFECT YOU?: Subscribe to the weekly Climate Point newsletter READ MORE: Latest climate change news from USA TODAY What is the Ocean Climate Action Plan? The Ocean Policy Committee a White House-level group assigned to manage the environmental and economic health of the ocean created the plan. It outlines policies for climate mitigation and adaptation for the ocean, identifies gaps in science and management, and recommends new actions to tackle climate change, the committee stated. The three main goals are: A carbon-neutral future without the greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change. Accelerate nature-based solutions that protect coastal and ocean ecosystems that can store excess greenhouse gases, reduce climate threat, and protect communities and ecosystems against climate change. Enhance community resilience to ocean change by developing ocean-based solutions that help communities adapt and thrive. The administration said it addresses previously stated goals, such as: Conserving and restoring coastal and marine habitats that naturally store carbon. Expanding ocean-protected areas. Providing 40% of federal investment benefits on climate change to disadvantaged communities. Producing 30 gigawatts of energy from offshore wind by 2030. Achieving zero emissions from international shipping no later than 2050. Advancing environmental justice and engaging with communities, Tribes, and Indigenous people. What is 30 by 30? Last December, nearly 200 countries agreed to set goals to try to conserve 30% of the worlds land and oceans by 2030, and to halt and reverse the loss of biodiversity. In the U.S., roughly 12% of the nation's land is already protected and 23% of its oceans. On Tuesday, the Biden administration said it would direct Gina Raimondo, secretary of the Department of Commerce, to consider initiating a new national marine sanctuary designation around the Pacific Remote Islands within 30 days. That would meet the goal of protecting 30% of the nation's ocean. CLIMATE CHANGE CAUSES: Why scientists say humans are to blame. CLIMATE CHANGE EFFECTS: What are the effects of climate change? How they disrupt our daily life, fuel disasters. What do advocates say? Conservation groups lauded the ocean action, but fear it gives short shrift to further limiting fossil fuel production in the ocean and plastic pollution. Levison said Oceana applauds the intention to integrate environmental justice into federal ocean activities but said the non-profit is concerned the plan only includes a footnote about the single most important thing that should be done" ending offshore oil and gas leasing. A responsible ocean economy would empower the nation to tackle the climate crisis and the increasing loss of marine biodiversity, said Vikki N. Spruill, president and CEO of the New England Aquarium. "Now is the time to mobilize around the blue economy of the future: one where the oceans resources are used to meet our clean energy and food security needs, while safeguarding marine life and critical habitats, as well as coastlines and communities." Will it be enough? When asked Tuesday about the administrations actions not being enough to avert catastrophic temperatures, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said: This is why the president has made tackling climate change a priority. Biden has taken more actions than any other president on climate change, she said, vowing that he wont back down from the challenge. Does more work need to be done? Absolutely. Dig deeper NASA satellites show: Global warming driving more extreme droughts and floods Algae in the oceans: Big, stinky blob of algae takes aim at beaches Contributing: White House correspondent Joey Garrison Dinah Voyles Pulver and Doyle Rice cover climate, environment and weather issues for USA TODAY. They can be reached at dpulver@gannett.com and drice@usatoday.com. Find them on Twitter at @usatodayweather and @dinahvp. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Biden releases plan to harness ocean's power to fight climate crisis Bishop Louis F. Kihneman III named Jennifer Broadus the superintendent of Catholic Schools and said he was pleased she accepted the position. Her years of dedication to our Catholic school students, families, faculty and staff members while serving as teacher and as principal speak well of her abilities, said Kihneman in an announcement released Tuesday. She has shown that she can meet others where they are, inspire with her leadership and walk with them to encourage them to grow as disciples of Jesus, and to grow as educators and leaders. Broadus will take over for Mike Ladner, interim superintendent of schools, this summer. She has been the principal of St. James Catholic School in Gulfport for the last 18 years. Having served in the role of school administrator for the past 18 years, I have grown to respect and appreciate the work that our principals do each and every day, Broadus said. I look forward to continuing my work in the diocese and having the opportunity to support our principals. The Diocese of Biloxi is home to 14 schools, ranging from elementary to high school. Thirteen are Diocesan schools and one is a private Catholic school operated by the Brothers of the Sacred Heart. Broadus, a native of Gulfport, has spent her entire educational career in the Diocese of Biloxi. Her teaching career began in 1990 at St. John High School in Gulfport. For her six-year tenure, she taught several grade levels and subjects, including religion, social studies and algebra. In 1996, Broadus started teaching kindergarten at St. James Catholic School. She taught kindergarten and third grade at the school until 2005 when she became principal of the school. She said she is excited about her new role. I am honored to continue working in the Diocese of Biloxi and I look forward to serving in my new role as superintendent, Broadus said. I am excited for the opportunity to support our mission of forming Intentional Disciples and to foster the legacy of academic excellence in the Diocese of Biloxi. Story continues Broadus, who holds a Bachelor of Science degree in elementary education and a masters degree in educational administration from the University of Southern Mississippi, said her primary goals as superintendent are to: Form Intentional Disciples of Jesus Christ Enhance the legacy of academic excellence Support pastors, administrators, faculty, staff, students, and families Form partnerships with schools, parishes and families for Faith formation Share and witness her faith Jennifer and Steve Broadus were married 35 years ago at St. James Catholic Church in Gulfport, where they remain active parishioners. The couple serves as Eucharistic ministers and parish committee members. They were also youth group leaders for a time. The Broadus family includes four children and one daughter-in-law. All of the Broadus children attended St. James Catholic School and St. Patrick Catholic High School in Biloxi. By Joey Roulette WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Richard Branson's Virgin Orbit plans to recall on Thursday a small group of employees from a near company-wide furlough to work on rocket upgrades, an email to staff said, with the company confirming some team members would return. The number of employees due to come back to work at the cash-strapped company was not clear, but in the email seen by Reuters sent on Tuesday evening, Virgin Orbit CEO Dan Hart said it involved a "small subset" of employees. The furlough of nearly all of Virgin Orbit's some 750 staff began on March 16, after the company struggled in recent months to raise funds and suffered a high-profile rocket failure in January during its first launch attempt out of Britain. The move, in which only employees critical to company functions would remain, was intended to buy Virgin Orbit more time to finalize an investment plan and stave off bankruptcy. The small group of employees asked to return to work had been notified directly by their managers, according to a person familiar with the plan, while those not tapped would have their furlough extended to Monday, Hart said in the email. Discussions over Virgin Orbit's investment plan to stave off bankruptcy were ongoing, said a second person familiar with the process. The people spoke anonymously to discuss internal company matters. Hart said in the email that "several teams have been working around the clock as we continue to engage with investors and other stakeholders." A Virgin Orbit spokesperson said in a statement that the company was targeting an "incremental resumption" of operations to support its next launch. "Our first step will begin Thursday of this week, when we plan to return a subset of our team to focus on critical areas for our next mission," the company said. Virgin Orbit shares fell to a fresh record low close of $0.44 on Tuesday. (Reporting by Joey Roulette; Editing by Jacqueline Wong and Jamie Freed) At least two people have died after California was hit with another storm that brought high force winds, heavy rain, and more flooding. Millions of people remain under flood watch as the 12th atmospheric river this season pummels the state. Over 125,000 customers are without power, according to Poweroutage.us. California's severe weather is expected to subside on Wednesday, with forecasts suggesting the storm is headed inland. On Tuesday, parts of the Pacific Coast highway were shut down due to flooding. The highest rainfall levels have so far occurred in the San Francisco Bay Area, where the National Weather Service recorded as much as 4.4in (11.17cm) of rain in some regions. Part of the retaining wall on one interstate cracked on Tuesday before collapsing under pressure of heavy rain, the San Francisco Chronicle reported, and chunks of concrete fell down the rain-soaked hill. Traffic delays from the damage are expected to last weeks or even months, officials said. In another part of the Bay Area, a man driving a sewer truck was killed after high winds knocked a tree onto his vehicle, a local CBS affiliate reported. A train carrying 55 passengers through the Bay Area collided with another downed tree and derailed. No one was injured. Coastal flood advisories are in effect around San Francisco through Thursday. Houses near the San Joaquin river were partially under water after the storms Thousands have been evacuated from two small California towns, Alpaugh and Allensworth, in the central part of the state in Tulare County. Flooded farmland along the Tule River in the central part of California While some residents have been forced to wade through several feet of water to reach their homes in the aftermath of the storm's ferocity, additional high winds, rain and snowfall are predicted to continue in other parts of the US. As the storm tracks east and meets cooler temperatures, a winter weather advisory has been put in place from northern Nevada to Nebraska, where snow predictions range from 3in to 10in. A winter storm warning is also in effect in southern Nevada, north-western Arizona, and southern Utah. Story continues The National Weather Service has also issued a red flag warning in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado and New Mexico, where wind gusts are predicted to reach up to 55mph (88km/h). A woman and her dog wade home after the San Joaquin River flooded The atypical California rain defies years of historic droughts. Tens of trillions of gallons of rainwater have fallen on the state since the storms began in late December. The latest atmospheric river to hit the US southwest will stretch as far as the Rocky Mountains by Wednesday evening. Residents make their way over floodwater after evacuations in the San Joaquin Valley area Atmospheric rivers occur when water evaporates into the air and is carried along by the wind, creating long currents that flow in the sky like rivers flow on land. They can bring heavy rain and snowfall. Roads all along Central Valley California farmland were flooded on Tuesday California floods The extreme flooding this season has caused some parts of California to lift restrictions on water use as the rainfall has helped to ease the state's historic drought. Experts have cautioned that the dry conditions could return next year. Several factors contribute to flooding, but a warming atmosphere due to climate change can make extreme rainfall more likely. Note: This story has been updated to include newly provided information on Catherine Trevathan's salary. MOHICAN TWP. Catherine Trevathan is the new superintendent of Hillsdale Local Schools. Catherine Trevathan will take over as superintendent of Hillsdale Local Schools Aug. 1. She was chosen this week from a field of 33 candidates, according to a news release from the Ashland County district. I am truly honored to join the Hillsdale family, she said in the release. Ten candidates were singled out for first-round interviews, said Kevin Kimmel, superintendent of Mid-Ohio Educational Service Center, which aided in the search. The board interviewed three candidates in the final round, Kimmel said via email. Trevathan has served in administrative positions at school districts in the U.S. and overseas for more than 15 years, the release states. I commend the Hillsdale Local Schools Board of Education for involving their staff and school community in providing feedback during the final round of interviews," Kimmel said in the release. More news from Hillsdale:'It's a special place.' Hillsdale Elementary alumni bid farewell to much-loved school School district seeks tax levy:Hillsdale going to voters for second time to approve 1.25% income tax request Trevathan replacing Dickerson as Hillsdale superintendent The district's search to replace the retiring Steve Dickerson, who has served Hillsdale Local for more than 10 years, started early this year. Interviews began in March. "Our Board was impressed with Dr. Trevathans enthusiasm and dedication to her profession," school board President Vella King said in a prepared statement. "Her passion for students and experience as a leader will assist Hillsdale in operationalizing our new mission and strategic plan. The district had distributed a strategic planning survey among staff and some community members at the start of the year. At that time it was announced the school system was looking for "a leader who can drive improvements and academic performance, demonstrates fiscal responsibility, and possesses the ability to work collaboratively with faculty members, staff, students, parents and community stakeholders."Trevathan starts her three-year contract Aug. 1 at an annual salary of $120,000. Story continues From principal to superintendent According to her resume, Trevathan has been Little Miami Local School District's high school principal in Morrow, Ohio since 2013. She has also served the district as its director of student services. Additionally, Trevathan has logged experience as an administrator of special education in Huber Heights City Schools, and as an intervention specialist in schools in Cincinnati and Harrison. She has also served as a general education teacher in Arizona, Turkey and Bulgaria. Trevathan earned a doctorate of education in leadership from American College of Education in Indianapolis; a master's in administration from the University of Cincinnati; a master's in special education from Northern Arizona University in Falstaff; and a bachelor's in English from The College of Mount St. Joseph in Cincinnati. She pledged to deliver an exceptional educational experience for every student in the Hillsdale Local SchoolDistrict. "Together, we will build on the districts successes and address the challenges to ensure that each and every student reaches their full potential," Trevathan said in the release. In her resume, Trevathan said she uses her 25 years of experience in many ways, including "to elevate equity and accessibility among diverse populations." Trevathan and her husband, Ian, have two sons and plan to relocate to the district. Correspondent Linda Hall contributed to this story. This article originally appeared on Ashland Times Gazette: Hillsdale Local Schools hires Catherine Trevathan as superintendent Russia and China have increasingly invested in and enhanced their space programs in recent years, creating new threats to U.S. security in outer space. According to officials with the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), the two countries have been reorganizing and reforming their space forces. Kevin Ryder is a defense intelligence officer for Space and Counterspace. He said China wants to become a world dominant space power. "China in particular has placed a lot of economic and military power behind their space developments," Ryder said. The DIA recently released a report on Challenges to Security in Space. It explains that of the 541 satellites China has sent to space, most are used for reconnaissance or intelligence gathering. RUSSIA'S PUTIN, CHINA'S XI JINPING MEET IN MOSCOW, CALL EACH OTHER 'DEAR FRIEND' China has been sending satellites into space which pose a change to security in space. A rocket carrying a satellite launches into space in the Sichuan Province of China. "They want to see what we're doing, but deny us the use of that imagery," Ryder said. "They want to be able to communicate, but deny us the use of those communications assets. And they want to be able to use those assets to navigate while denying our ability to use GPS to navigate as well." READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP Defense officials and many Americans were concerned when China flew a surveillance balloon across sensitive sites in the U.S. Experts say those balloons are only a small part of Beijings surveillance efforts. John Huth is chief of the Office of Space and Counterspace. He said surveillance satellites also pose a large threat. "Those ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) assets fly over the United States multiple times a day over all of those sites where that activity was taking place," Huth said. Huth said China is specifically building assets to deny the U.S. and allies the use of space. PENTAGONS DIVISIVE SOCIAL POLICIES MAKING US WEAKER AGAINST CHINA, RUSSIA, SAYS TOP GOP SENATOR "Those same counterspace capabilities can impinge on what we expect out of daily life," Huth said. "Things like going to the ATM, getting gas, talking on our cell phones, getting internet and a whole host of other things. A day without space is something that most Americans probably haven't really thought too much about." Story continues According to the DIA report, Russia publically supports a space arms control agreement but its military doctrine states otherwise. The DIAs assessment is that "Russia views space as a warfighting domain and that achieving supremacy in space will be a decisive factor in winning future conflicts." Defense officials are also concerned about Russia and Chinas collaboration in space. "China and Russia both advocate in and organizations like the United Nations for the peaceful use of outer space," Ryder said. "But simultaneously, they continue to develop these counter space capabilities in order to deny or disrupt and maintain that space superiority." PUTIN RIPS WEST AS TRYING TO STIFLE RUSSIA, CHINA'S 'DEVELOPMENT, WHILE XI ARRIVES IN MOSCOW The U.S. has maintained superiority in many aspects of space. It is the only country to land a man on the moon. The last landing was in 1972, and now the race to return to the moon is a central focus for China and Russias space programs. China and Russia have plans to construct an International Lunar Research Station by 2035. The base would primarily consist of robotic technology with the capability of supporting human visits. "The moon is basically in space, the proverbial high ground," Huth said. "So what they're trying to do is get out there, see what capabilities, how they can operate. And even there's potential to have mining on the moon. There's rare earth minerals out there that they may be able to collect and use." The U.S. has similar plans to explore the moon alongside other allies. NASAs Artemis program lays out an ambitious timeline for its return to the moon. The next landing is scheduled for 2024 to begin work on the Lunar Gateway, which would be the first planned extraterrestrial space station in lunar orbit. The module is slated to launch in 2028. Plans for a base camp on the surface of the moon is scheduled for the early 2030s. NASA UNVEILS SLEEK NEW SPACESUITS FOR ARTEMIS III MOON MISSION NASA's Artemis rocket ready for blast off at Kennedy Space Center, Florida. Space junk is another growing concern for scientists. Experts say China and Russia have intentionally added to the issue by destroying faulty satellites. The tests were a trial run to see if taking out active satellites is possible. "Those were tests that show their intent as they're developing these anti-satellite missiles to disrupt or destroy U.S. capabilities, especially during a time of conflict," Ryder said. The tests also generated thousands of pieces of debris, adding to the tens of thousands already orbiting the planet. "A lot of it is what we call lethal, non-trackable pieces of junk," Huth said. "They're going 17,500 miles an hour. And there are much other larger dead objects to the size of automobiles or larger, also going 17,500 miles an hour. If and when they do collide, and they do occasionally collide, then that could be catastrophic for either an active spacecraft or spacecraft that are occupied by astronauts, cosmonauts or others." INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION MANEUVERS TO AVOID COLLISION WITH SATELLITE A SpaceX rocket launching into orbit at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Florida. According to the DIA report, there are more than 1,300 objects that are larger and weight than an automobile. "The space station has maneuvered from 1998 until this past year, around 30 times, as I recall, just to get out of the way of junk," Huth said. Most recently, the International Space Station was forced to maneuver twice in one week to avoid a collision. The number of objects in space is only increasing. SpaceX launches satellites around once per week. Some estimates show there could be more than 100,000 satellites in low earth orbit by 2030. Defense Intelligence officials say they are working with governments and private companies to make sure certain objects are being taken out of orbit, as new satellites go in. "It's basically responsible use of space," Ryder said. "You know what's up there? Let's try not to generate more." Despite the threats and concerns over adversarial space programs, experts believe the U.S. program has come a long way. "There has been a resurgence," Huth said. "Those things that we do to explore space, to understand space better, to leverage the environment in a positive way, are all for the good." Melcita Stanley hauls water for her livestock to her property in the Narrow Canyon area of the Navajo Nation in Arizona on Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022. The Supreme Court is currently hearing arguments concerning water rights on the Navajo Nation. | Spenser Heaps, Deseret News The Navajo Nation could have a slight edge in a case that will weigh heavily on the tribe and its ability to draw more water from the Colorado River. U.S. Supreme Court justices on Monday heard nearly two hours of oral arguments, the latest development in Arizona v. Navajo Nation, where the tribe claims the U.S. has a treaty-based duty to supply the reservation with adequate water. That argument stems from nearly a century of case law, beginning with Winters v. United States, where in 1908, the Supreme Court ruled the government has an obligation to supply water to tribes confined to a reservation via treaty. Justices Neil Gorsuch, Ketanji Brown Jackson, Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor all seemed to support the tribes claim. Its likely Justice Amy Coney Barrett, whose questions hinted at support for the tribes ability to pursue a claim to the river, will be the tie-breaking vote, as has been noted by several Supreme Court analysts. Related A ruling is expected by June, and the case could help resolve the Navajo Nations claim to Arizonas allotment of the Colorado River, where it currently does not have a quantified water right. Estimates vary, but its believed between 30% to 40% of residents living on the Navajo Nation, the largest reservation in the country, do not have access to running water. The Biden administrations assistant to the U.S. Solicitor General Frederick Liu said that while the government is committed to helping the Navajo Nation, the 1868 treaty didnt impose on the United States a duty to construct pipelines, pumps, or wells to deliver water. Still, the Navajo Nation maintains the federal government has failed to assess the Navajo Nations water needs and develop a plan to meet them, the tribe said in a statement. We honored our end of the deal, and they just need to honor their end of the deal, Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren said in a statement Tuesday. Story continues Related While their five colleagues appeared sympathetic to that argument, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel A. Alito Jr. and Brett M. Kavanaugh were skeptical. Congress has shown the ability to do this with other tribes and other reservations and that rather than a multiyear journey here, where, really, its not clear you can ever get what you really want out of the court system, as weve danced around today, we should leave it to Congress, Kavanaugh said, summing up what he said is the solicitor generals stance on the matter in a question to the tribes lawyer, Shay Dvoretzky. And Thomas seemed to imply that the tribe should consider alternative sources of water, including groundwater, instead of drawing from the already beleaguered Colorado River. Have you, throughout this litigation, suggested any other source than the Lower Colorado? he asked Dvoretzky. Alitos concerns stemmed from the existing agreements on the Colorado River, where eight states and Mexico are currently operating on a system of allocation that, amid drought, appears precarious. Do you think that you have the right to take out from that water source whatever quantity of water is necessary to meet the standard of a livable, permanent homeland regardless of the needs of others who are drawing water from the same water source? Alito asked. The Nation had water rights first. We do have priority rights to the water, responded Dvoretsky. Gorsuch appeared to be the justice most supportive of the Navajo Nations claim, telling Liu theres some obligation with respect to water in this treaty. Could I bring a good breach-of-contract claim for someone who promised me a permanent home, the right to conduct agriculture and raise animals if it turns out its the Sahara Desert? he asked. Liu said he didnt believe there would be a valid breach-of-contract claim, in which Gorsuch responded with skepticism. And while Barrett came across as the most neutral justice, with some concerns around the idea that the government could be responsible for infrastructure projects, there were moments where she expressed support for the Navajo Nation. It seems to me that the strongest arguments made on behalf of the Navajo in the Navajoss brief are in the nature of you breached the treaty, she said, ... you promised us a permanent home. In attendance were several Navajo leaders, including Nygren, Navajo Nation Vice President Richelle Montoya, and Navajo Speaker Crystalyne Curley. This case goes beyond the fiduciary duty of the federal government. The outcome of this hearing may determine the livelihood of our Navajo people now, and for all future generations, said Curley in a statement to the Deseret News. The right to water centers on our right to a permanent homeland through our treaties and the prayers of our ancestors since time immemorial. As a child, I grew up in a home without running water and to this day, we still have over 30% of our people who dont have access to clean running water in their homes. Our leaders long ago fought for our right to our homeland and that includes the right to water, the right to life. Last week, Floridas government refused to grant permission to the League of Women Voters to hold a rally on the steps of the Old Capitol in Tallahassee, according to a ProPublica story. The group was told that, under a DeSantis administration rule, its rally needed to be sponsored by a state agency. A thwarted rally during the legislative session may not seem like it warrants a ton of attention in the torrent of bad ideas pouring out of Tallahassee, but this is not small; its one more way the state is tightening its chokehold on free speech in Florida. The league said it was denied permission by the Florida Department of Management Services under a rule that went into effect March 1 that says the use of the space must be consistent with the Agencys official purposes. In other words, if it isnt part of Gov. Ron DeSantis anti-woke agenda or some other Republican cause, you need not apply. The supposed reason is to protect public safety and make sure state workers and officials can do their jobs. Funny how, in all these years, that hasnt been an issue. The area around the state Capitol has long been the site of all sorts of demonstrations, rallies and marches. But suddenly, thats a problem. Call us crazy, but could it have something to do with the perception that the league is left-leaning? Last year, a local official in Lake County, Illinois, called league members there partisan hags in a Facebook posting, apparently because he thought their debate formats favored Democrats. He later apologized for the hag part, anyway. In Florida, the league has taken an openly adversarial stance against the DeSantis administration in at least one instance. The group went to court to fight a 2021 voting law, with a judge striking down several provisions on grounds they were discriminatory. The state is appealing. The change in rules for rallies an excuse to restrict speech isnt happening in a vacuum. Weve already had the effort by the Republican Legislature to stop discussion of systemic racism at universities and in workplace training, the smackdown of Disney for daring to oppose the governors Dont say gay law on sexual orientation and gender identity instruction in schools and a bill to make it easier to sue for defamation that would have a chilling effect on public discourse. In this latest iteration, the government is using state rules and red tape to stop dissent from being heard. What are lawmakers so afraid of? And while the league managed to hold its event on a plaza nearby and discussed the muzzling of free speech, thats poor consolation. Lawmakers need to be open to hearing dissent if they are truly representing the will of the people and not just the will of one man. In this November 3, 2018, file photo President Donald Trump stands behind then-gubernatorial candidate Ron DeSantis at a rally in Pensacola, Florida. Butch Dill, File/AP Photo DeSantis hit back at Trump in the New York Post after he made salacious insinuations on Truth Social. He contrasted his winning record with that of the ex-president and accused him of boosting Fauci. A rivalry between the two is heating up ahead of a potential 2024 GOP primary contest. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis meant every word. If there was any doubt that the Republican governor misspoke or might walk back his Monday attacks on Donald Trump's character just as the former president was staring down a looming indictment the governor shattered them all in a follow-up interview with Piers Morgan of the New York Post. DeSantis doubled down on his attacks against Trump in an interview published Tuesday, raising questions about Trump's alleged affair with adult film actress Stormy Daniels and calling his administration full of "daily drama." He also reminded readers that Trump was a loser, indirectly referring to the 2020 election and the 2022 midterms when Democrats held onto more seats than expected. When Morgan asked him what he thought of "DeSantimonious," the nickname Trump gave him, the governor brushed it off and insisted he could defeat President Joe Biden. "I don't really know what it means, but I kinda like it, it's long, it's got a lot of vowels," DeSantis told the New York Post of the nickname Trump gave him shortly before Election Day. "We'll go with that, that's fine. I mean you can call me whatever you want, just as long as you also call me a winner because that's what we've been able to do in Florida, is put a lot of points on the board and really take this state to the next level." DeSantis' comments to the Post mark an escalation against Trump, who the Florida governor could challenge for the GOP nomination for president. Doing an interview with the New York Post was a particularly sardonic move given that the publication snubbed Trump after he announced he was running for president in 2024 and anointed DeSantis "DeFuture." Story continues DeSantis has been in politics since his 30s and hasn't lost a race since first running for the US House in 2012. He narrowly became governor of Florida in 2018 largely thanks to a Trump endorsement against a far better-known challenger. By 2022, DeSantis was running for reelection without Trump's help and won by a record 19 points. His latest attacks drew the immediate attention of Trump allies, who decried the governor for insulting Trump at a time when the Manhattan DA prepared to levy charges. All weekend, DeSantis had stayed silent on Trump, only to dig at him Monday over his alleged affair. Though DeSantis called the investigation politically motivated and said he wouldn't help with an extradition, he also dismissed the investigation as less important than his agenda in Florida, drawing the ire of MAGA-world and Trump himself. Speaking through a Truth Social post on Monday, Trump insinuated DeSantis might someday face his own "false" allegations from another woman, an "underage" classmate, or "possibly a man." DeSantis hasn't faced such allegations, but Trump was hitting back at the governor for trying to paint a certain picture of himself as a devoted father and husband. The contrast was no accident, DeSantis suggested in his New York Post interview, once again pointing to the allegations against Trump, saying, "There's a lot of speculation about what the underlying conduct is." "You really want to look to people like our Founding Fathers, like what type of character, it's not saying that you don't ever make a mistake in your personal life, but I think what type of character are you bringing?" DeSantis asked. "So, somebody who really set the standard is George Washington because he always put the Republic over his own personal interest." Underscoring the differences even further, DeSantis, 44, said one reason he might not run for president in 2024 is that he has three young children with his wife, Casey DeSantis. "I've got different obligations and it's not the easiest thing in the world to go through and I also want to make sure that I have a very clear rationale for doing what I'm doing," he said. Until now, DeSantis has generally avoided hitting Trump directly. Instead, his messages tend to be more subliminal. For instance, he held a press conference last year about Covid vaccine skepticism in West Palm Beach, which is close to Trump's permanent home. Trump was president when the federal government fast-tracked the vaccine and conservative voters have been more likely to reject boosters. DeSantis made it clear during the New York Post interview which will fully air on Fox Nation's "Piers Morgan Uncensored" on Thursday that he would run to the right of Trump on Covid. He again attacked Dr. Anthony Fauci, the former top infectious disease official in the federal government who became the face of the US response, which included lockdowns DeSantis rejected for Florida. Trump often butted heads with Fauci, though he kept him in his role. "The approach to Covid was different," DeSantis told the New York Post. "I would have fired somebody like Fauci. I think he got way too big for his britches, and I think he did a lot of damage." Read the original article on Business Insider A dog in Orlando, Florida, now has a forever family after an animal rescue revealed on Facebook disheartening comments that were reportedly made about her appearance. Lena, previously known as Dutchess, a cur mix, arrived at Orange County Animal Services over the holiday season, FOX 35 Orlando reported. The previous owner of the pup told the shelter Lena was born with "slight deformities under both her eyes," according to the station. VAN GOGH, A ONE-EARED DOG IN DESPERATE NEED OF A NEW HOM, PAINTS' HIS WAY TO ADOPTION Rescue staff told FOX 35 Lena was "sweet, energetic and intelligent." Lena, formerly known has Dutchess, went viral after Orange County Animal Services in Florida shared a post featuring negative comments visitors would make upon seeing her at the shelter. "The hard part is hearing the comments made about her," Orange County Animal Services wrote in its initial Facebook post dated Dec. 15. READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP Those comments, according to the post, included the following: -"She looks so ugly." -"What is that?" -"What's wrong with her?" -"Is she blind?" -"How much is this gonna cost me?" -"She'll never get adopted." The post was shared thousands of times, leading to an abundance of adoption applications, FOX 35 reported. DOG GOES VIRAL AFTER TIKTOK VIDEO SHOWS IT'S OVERLOOKED AT NY EVENT Lena was later sent to Rescue Dogs Dream, a small foster-based rescue, after Orange County Animal Services struggled to find her a permanent home, according to the station. Rescue Dogs Dreams took Lena into their care the rescue was able to pay for her keloid removal and find her a new home. "We pull dogs from local shelters to get them the help they need, and adopt them out," a representative at Rescue Dogs Dream in Inverness, Florida, told Fox News Digital. "We do background checks, reference and vet checks and home visits to ensure that they get a good home," the representative added. Lena was adopted two weeks prior to Rescue Dogs Dream's public Facebook announcement that was shared on Jan. 10, but her new family was awaiting her recovery before sharing the good news. DEAF DOG IS ADOPTED BY MICHIGAN TEEN WITH HEARING LOSS NOW THEY'RE INSEPERABLE Rescue Dogs Dream will pay for any medical procedures, food and vet care, including the surgery required to remove Lena's painful keloid scars. Story continues Keloid scars are raised scars that can result from injury, according to the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. Rescue Dogs Dream praised Lena's new family for their patience in taking care of her "They gave her the patience and training she required to be successful." Here, Lena is seen with her adopters. Her new family says she is doing very well and calls her "the sweetest dog they have ever met," Rescue Dogs Dream's Facebook post said. "Her family was extremely patient as she was not completely potty trained, did a lot of counter surfing and had other bad manners," a Rescue Dogs Dream representative shared with Fox News Digital. CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER Rescue dogs come from various backgrounds and some need to go through training, according to Rescue Dogs Dream. Rescue Dogs Dream, a Florida-based animal rescue, helped find care for Lena and find her a new family. "We wish all adopters would go into rescuing a pet with the anticipation that these dogs arent going to be perfect, and they need time and patience," the organization commented. Fox Corp. headquarters in New York City. (Drew Angerer / Getty Images) Attorneys for Dominion Voting Systems hammered away at Fox News' assertions that its reporting on false information about alleged voter fraud in the 2020 election was protected by the 1st Amendment during a court hearing Tuesday. The two sides went before a Delaware judge seeking summary judgments in the Denver voting machine makers defamation case ahead of an expected jury trial in mid-April. Dominion is seeking $1.6 billion in damages, claiming Fox News deliberately aired former President Donald Trumps false claims of voter fraud in the 2020 election to placate its viewers, who were fleeing the network in anger over how it called the state of Arizona for President Biden. "They had to do something to try to get the viewers back and what they did to get viewers back was start this new narrative that the election had been stolen and that Dominion was the thief responsible for stealing the election," said Stephen Shackelford, an attorney for Dominion. Fox News has argued the allegations by Trump and his representatives were newsworthy even if untrue and that the network's reporting was protected by the 1st Amendment. The network has cited "neutral reportage privilege," which protects media organizations against libel claims if they accurately and objectively report newsworthy charges made against public figures as part of an ongoing controversy. But Dominion's legal team said in court Tuesday that Fox News has gone far beyond that realm, as it presented the voter fraud claims and Dominion's alleged involvement well after they were dismissed by government agencies and journalists inside the network. Trump's legal team of Rudolph Giuliani and Sidney Powell appeared on Fox News in the months following the 2020 election, presenting such unproven allegations as Dominion being founded in Venezuela to aid Hugo Chavez and that its machines manipulated votes to favor President Biden. Such claims often went unchallenged on the network in the weeks after the election when presented by Trump's allies, despite evidence to the contrary. Story continues The hearing reviewed much of the court documents and deposition testimony connected to the case, in which Fox News anchors, producers and executives including boss Rupert Murdoch are cited for allowing the false claims to air while expressing their own skepticism and downplaying the reporting by some of the network's journalists and hosts who disputed the allegations. Erin Murphy, an attorney for Fox News, argued that the network's hosts always presented the statements by Powell and Giuliani as unproven allegations, repeatedly asking for evidence that was never provided. She said "reasonable" viewers would assume that the allegations were not being presented as fact. "The hosts followed up not by saying, Wow that must be true,' Murphy said. "They simply asked, 'how fast are you going to bring these suits?' and 'what evidence do you have to support them?'" But Dominion noted how the falsehoods were embedded into the programs, such as Maria Bartiromo's "Sunday Morning Futures," where the anchor set up an interview with Powell by teasing that the lawyer had "some fascinating revelations" and "Ms. Powell will explain what she has unearthed." Shackelford said such statements by Bartiromo "clearly signals what you are about to hear are some facts." Dominion attorneys noted how Fox News shows continued to book Trump lawyers Powell and Giuliani and allowed them to make false statements, even though it was accepted by many of the executives and hosts that there was no massive fraud and the election was legitimate. Dominion cited deposition testimony from David Clark, a Fox News executive in charge of weekend programming, who acknowledged on Nov. 6, 2020, that the election was fair. But the programs he oversees, including "Sunday Morning Futures" with Maria Bartiromo, continued to put Giuliani and Powell on her program . Bartiromo repeatedly asked for evidence, but offered no pushback to the overall thrust of the false claims. Dominion attorneys also pointed out how Fox News executives could have edited or corrected misinformation before the programs featuring Powell were rebroadcast, but chose not to a point that some legal experts believe is among the strongest pieces of evidence in the case. Fox News attorney Murphy said the network hosts cited in the suit never presented the allegations as factual and that a "reasonable viewer" would not interpret them that way. Murphy also challenged the notion that Fox News acted with malice by knowingly promoting false claims, saying there is no evidence that any of the executives at parent company Fox Corp. were directly involved in the editorial content on the network. Fox News leaders such as chief executive Suzanne Scott were described as being "rarely involved in content" decisions at the network. Fox News host Tucker Carlson was among the Fox News insiders who bemoaned Powell's appearances in private messages entered into testimony such as, Its unbelievably offensive to me. Our viewers are good people and they believe it. But Carlson's actions also are under scrutiny in the case. When he had My Pillow owner Mike Lindell the biggest advertising spender on Fox News appear as a guest in January 2021, the Trump-supporting mogul continued to promote voter fraud conspiracy theories. Murphy argued that Lindell was booked on Carlson's program to discuss cancel culture after being banned from Twitter. Carlson testified in his deposition that he did not know Lindell was intent on raising his election fraud allegations and did not engage with him when he did. Murphy tried to thread the needle even further, saying Lindell mentioned "machine fraud," but did not name Dominion and therefore viewers would not have assumed he was talking about the company. The emails and texts from Fox News employees entered into evidence have become a public source of embarrassment for the network as it creates a portrait of a media organization that cares more about satisfying its partisan viewers than presenting factual news. The legal battle is only becoming uglier for Murdoch's network after a Fox News producer filed a discrimination lawsuit Monday against her employer, Carlson and several of his producers, alleging the "Tucker Carlson Tonight" operation was rife with sexist, misogynistic and bullying behavior. The producer, Abby Grossberg, joined the staff of Carlsons show as head of bookings last September after nearly three years as a producer and booker for Bartiromo's "Sunday Morning Futures." In a federal court lawsuit filed in Manhattan, Grossberg alleges that Fox appeared to be positioning her and Bartiromo to become the scapegoats for the defamation claims brought by Dominion. Her suit asserts that Fox News attorneys intimidated her during prep sessions for her deposition in the Dominion case. Fox News Media engaged an independent outside counsel to immediately investigate the concerns raised by Ms. Grossberg, which were made following a critical performance review," a Fox News representative said in a statement. "Her allegations in connection with the Dominion case are baseless and we will vigorously defend Fox against all of her claims. Staff writer Meg James in Los Angeles contributed to this report. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. The Worlds Happiest Countries in 2023 - image of street view in Helsinki, Finland with trolley on street and people walking throughout the city The World Happiness Report analyzes peoples quality of life self-assessments across the globe to determine worldwide happiness. Sustainable Development Solutions Networks latest report reveals that Finland is the happiest nation in the world. The report draws data from more than 150 countries, and considers multiple factors that tend to lead to greater happiness. The rankings are based on average life evaluations over the course of the three years. Some of the key factors in the survey include healthy life expectancy, GDP per capita, social support and low corruption. Some of the other factors taken into account was the freedom to make life decisions and generosity in the community. For the sixth year in a row, Finland takes the top spot as the happiest country. Its neighbors, Denmark, Iceland, Sweden and Norway, also scored well on the happiness index within the top 10. Where Did The Countries Rank? The top ten countries in the 2023 report are: Finland Denmark Iceland Israel Netherlands Sweden Norway Switzerland Luxembourg New Zealand Australia, Canada, Ireland, the United States and the United Kingdom all landed in the top 20. Other popular expat countries, including Costa Rica, Mexico, Panama and Guatemala all made it into the top 50. Why is Finland The Worlds Happiest Country? Whenever rankings like this come out, it pegs one question: what makes this country stand out above the rest? Are they doing things that we wish wed seen before and we can start doing or is it something unique about their climate and history that make[s] them different? said John Helliwell, one of the reports authors. Fortunately, at least from my perspective, the answer is the former. The key to a happy sentiment in a country is taking a holistic view of the well-being of every component of a society and its members. This focus makes life evaluations better and leads to happier countries. Other factors, like accounting for future generations and preserving basic human rights, are also important factors in happiness. Story continues The objective of every institution should be to contribute what it can to human well-being, the report said. Photo Credit: Tapio Haaja Who Ranked Low On Happiness? The bottom two countries on the list are Lebanon and Afghanistan. Additional countries ranking on the lower end of the spectrum include Sierra Leone, Zimbabwe and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The bottom 10 countries rank four or less (out of 10) in happiness, compared to the average of 7.46. On The Future Of Happiness The pandemic, and the disruptions that followed have prompted reflection for many people. People are rethinking their life objectives, Helliwell said. Theyre saying, Im going back, but what am I going back to? What do I want to go back to? How do I want to spend the rest of my life? He hopes that this move towards thinking about values will affect not just factors, such as the jobs or schools people choose, but also how they operate within those environments. It isnt really about the grades or the salary, he said. Its about cooperating with other people in a useful way, and, of course, thats useful for the world, but the whole point of this happiness research is that its also good for the people doing it. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the International Day of Happiness, a day designated by the United Nations in 2013. Commemorated annually on March 20, the celebration recognizes the relevance of happiness and well-being as universal goals and aspirations in the lives of human beings around the world. For the ranking of all 150 countries, check out the full 2023 World Happiness Report. RELATED: Dont Worry, Be Happy: These Are The 10 Friendliest Islands In The Caribbean HOUSTON (Reuters) - A former Citgo Petroleum Corp executive jailed in Venezuela for nearly five years is seeking $100 million in damages against his former employer alleging it helped set him up to be arrested and failed to defend him from spurious charges. Tomeu Vadell and family filed the lawsuit on Tuesday in a Texas state court claiming Citgo sent him to Caracas when it knew "there was an extremely high risk" of harm. He was tortured in jail and he and his family were abandoned by the company, the lawsuit claims. Five of the original seven executives seized in 2017 were freed last October in a deal involving the release of U.S. jailed relatives of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. One Citgo detainee was released earlier and the seventh died in a Venezuelan jail. "We greatly sympathize with Mr. Vadell for everything he and his family have been through," a Citgo spokesperson said in a statement. "We disagree with this lawsuit, which irresponsibly equates CITGO, an American company based in Houston, with an authoritarian regime in Venezuela." Company officials "supported Mr. Vadell and his family in significant financial and other ways," the spokesperson said. Vadell and the other executives were summoned to a meeting at Venezuelan state-oil firm Petroleos de Venezuela , Citgo's parent. They were held and later charged over a refinancing deal for Citgo that never went through. A Venezuelan court sentenced the executives in 2020 to prison terms ranging from eight to 13 years. The case is Tomeu Vadell et al V. Citgo Petroleum Corp., Harris County District Court, No. 2023-17486 (Reporting by Gary McWilliams; Editing by Richard Chang) TikTok is facing growing scrutiny from government officials over cybersecurity fears about Americans' data. U.S. officials are reportedly demanding that Chinese owners sell its stake in the app or risk a nationwide ban. Later this week, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew is set to face questions from congressional lawmakers about the platforms' data security practices and relationship with the Chinese government. Meanwhile, a proposed bill with bipartisan support and backed by President Joe Biden would empower the executive branch to ban TikTok and other apps owned by Chinese companies. Former Under Secretary of State Keith Krach, who worked to crack down on TikTok under the Trump administration, joined "GMA3" hosts DeMarco Morgan and Eva Pilgrim to discuss why he views the app as a major cybersecurity threat. PHOTO: Former Under Secretary of State Keith Krach is shown during an interview with 'GMA3.' (ABC News) PILGRIM: You believe TikTok is a national security threat. What concerns you the most? KRACH: Well, I think the biggest thing is that TikTok can track keystrokes. Here's what that means. That means that they have access to your passwords, all your data. They have access to your health records, your bank records. They have access to your geopolitical information or your geospatial information. That means that they can track where you are, where you've been and where you're going. But I think one of the things that's worse is that it's not just about you. It's about the people you digitally interact with. So look at it as a digital virus, because it can infect the people around you. And the only vaccine for this is a total ban. MORE: 'Uncharted territory': How would a TikTok ban in the US work? MORGAN: Well, Keith, experts have called a potential TikTok ban unchartered territory. They've been talking about this for quite some time and a huge undertaking. And experts say a nationwide ban may not stop the app from collecting Americans' data. How exactly would one work? And how concerned are you that Americans would be able to get around a ban? KRACH: You know, it's actually not unprecedented. We did the same thing with Huawei and 5G. And if you look at Huawei and 5G, that's the backbone for the surveillance state, and TikTok is one of those key appendages that comes off of that. So right now in Congress, Sen. Warner, Sen. Thune, have a bill, the Restrict Act, that actually gives the Secretary of Commerce, Gina Raimondo, the authority to ban applications, technology from our adversaries. Story continues PILGRIM: A bipartisan bill to give the president power to ban the app is gaining support in the Senate. You've discussed TikTok concerns with members of Congress and the Biden administration. But how real of a possibility is this? What are you hearing from them? KRACH: Oh, this is certainly real. You know, I can tell you, as undersecretary, I had a lot of closed-door sessions with Congress. I couldn't tell the difference between a Democrat and Republican when it came to Chinese technology. You know, this is our biggest national security threat. And I can tell you, if they can weaponize a balloon, they can certainly weaponize 150 million American TikTok users at their mercy. MORE: Biden admin demands TikTok's Chinese owner sell stakes or risk being banned: Official MORGAN: So with that said, what's your response to critics of this ban, including the ACLU, who argue it would limit free speech and violate the First Amendment? KRACH: Look, I'm all for free speech. A big advocate for that. But the fact is, TikTok limits free speech. If you don't believe me, just try to post something on Tiananmen Square or post something on Taiwan, and you'll see what happens. You know, the other thing, too, is that TikTok has been used to limit freedom of the press. I was just talking to a reporter yesterday from the Financial Times, and she shared with me how TikTok, they actually use TikTok to track down one of their journalists and try to intimidate him writing an unflattering story about China. PILGRIM: One of the thing a lot of parents talk about when it comes to TikTok and social media. According to recent CDC data, nearly one in three high school girls considered attempting suicide in 2021, up nearly 60% from a decade before. And now schools across the country are suing social media companies for allegedly contributing to the youth mental health crisis. TikTok says they prioritize safety and wellbeing of teens with age-restricted features, screen time limits and parental controls. But my question to you, what can Silicon Valley do to better protect our kids? KRACH: Yeah. You know, Eva, I've got 11-year-old twins, a boy and a girl. So obviously, this is a big issue. You know, there's social media and then there's TikTok. TikTok is programed to be addictive. It preys actually on children. It's kind of disguised as candy, but it's actually cocaine. And this is one of the big things. If you look at how TikTok is actually being used inside of China-- I'm not talking outside of China-- they use it as an educational app for STEM, for science, technology, engineering and math. So there's two big differences there. And TikTok is by far the worst. Former Trump official calls TikTok a 'digital virus' originally appeared on abcnews.go.com The Fort Worth city council voted unanimously on Tuesday to offer video game company ProbablyMonster Inc. $1.5 million in tax incentives to set up shop in Cowtown. The package requires the Bellevue, Washington-based company to set up shop in Fort Worth, create 300 jobs paying at least $75,000 a year, and have at least a third of those jobs go to Fort Worth residents. The city would pay out the tax incentives over a five-year period. The company has to keep the 300 jobs through June 1, 2031. If they dont, the city can claw the money back. The grant money is coming from a special city fund set up to promote economic development, city economic development director Robert Sturns told the council on Tuesday. The company is anticipated to move into a temporary office in downtown Fort Worth by June 1, Sturns said. It needs to lease 30,000 square feet of permanent office space in Fort Worth by the end of 2024 to qualify for the incentive. Attorneys for Dominion Voting Systems told a judge in Delaware that Fox News personalities and executives knew that baseless allegations of vote manipulation in the 2020 presidential election were false but continued to air those claims and host the people who made them. Both parties are seeking summary judgment, each asking the judge to declare them the winner without having to proceed towards a jury trial as scheduled next month. The company has sued Fox for $1.6bn in a defamation lawsuit alleging that the network, risking losing its viewership and impacting its business, knowingly presented false claims that energised competing networks that were faithful to conspiracy theories elevated by former president Donald Trump and his allies. They chose to let the story be out there to let out the hoax, to release the Kraken, according to lawyer Rodney Smolla, referring to a nickname for Sidney Powell, an attorney allied with Mr Trump whose false statements about the company are central to the lawsuits claims. And why? Because Fox viewers were abandoning Fox. Dominion argues that its evidence meets the high bar for proving actual malice, alleging that Fox aired defamatory statements knowing that they were false or with reckless disregard for the truth. Fox News has strongly disputed Dominions claims and argued that Foxs coverage is well protected by the First Amendment. Dominion attorneys also asked Delaware Superior Court Judge Eric Davis to order Fox Corporation chair Rupert Murdoch and his son, Fox Corp CEO Lachlan Murdoch, to testify in court. Lawyers for the voting machine company argued that the Murdochs gave clear instructions to Fox News leadership after the 2020 election to shut down the talk of fact-checking and let the hosts run wild with baseless election conspiracy theories that are central to the false claims against Dominion. They made the decision to let it happen, Dominion attorney Justin Nelson told the judge. There is an obligation to stop it once he is made aware of it. Story continues Dominions legal team also is seeking to compel testimony from Fox Corps chief legal officer Viet Dinh and board member Paul Ryan, the former Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives. Attorneys for Fox told the court in a filing on 20 March that the judge should decline to compel their appearance at trial due to the hardships on those witnesses, and the undue burden given their limited knowledge of pertinent facts. Dominion should instead rely on the lengthy depositions already covered in court documents, Fox attorneys argued. Compelling live testimony at trial will add nothing other than media interest. But this is a trial, not a public relations campaign, according to Foxs legal team. Judge Davis said he is keeping an open mind as he considers arguments. I have not pre-decided this, he said. Everybody is going to get an opportunity to speak. Fox News attorneys have claimed that it was rightfully airing newsworthy claims endorsed by then-President Trump, but Judge Davis appeared to question the networks news judgment and approach towards covering such claims. It could have been a bigger story that a president who lost an election was making all these unsubstantiated false allegations, he said. The hearing on 21 March came hours after a pair of explosive lawsuits from a Tucker Carlson Tonight producer who claimed that the networks lawyers coerced her into providing misleading testimony for her deposition in the case months earlier. Abby Grossbergs lawsuits argue that such coercion joins a legacy of discriminatory conduct towards women at the network. More than six years after "Gilmore Girls" fans learned that Rory Gilmore was pregnant with her first child, we are finally getting the inside scoop about the baby's father. Valerie Campbell, who worked as a costume supervisor on the show's Netflix revival "Gilmore Girls: A Year In the Life" and as key set costumer on the original series, told fans in a March 19 TikTok video that there was only one obvious choice" about which of Rory's paramours fathered her child. Alexis Bledel as Rory and Matt Czuchry as Logan in "Its funny how many fan theories people have had as to who it could have been. For me, there was never a question as to the paternity," Campbell tells TODAY.com. "We were never told that Rorys character was pregnant. The moment I heard the final four words, there was only one choice. Fans recall that in the final moments of the reboot's finale, Rory (Alexis Bledel) told her mom, Lorelai (Lauren Graham), that she was pregnant. So many fans have speculated about the baby's paternity since 2016 that Campbell decided to address what she believes is a very "obvious" plot point. Speaking in a caffeinated cadence familiar to "Gilmore" fans, Campbell tells fans in her TikTok video to simply "do the math" to figure out when Rory got pregnant and by whom. Rory, she points out, had no visible pregnancy bump when she revealed she was expecting in the series' finale, which was set in in autumn. Campbell then quickly rules out Rory's ex-boyfriend Paul (Jack Carpenter), because she "definitely wasn't sleeping with him" in the weeks before realizing she was pregnant. Campbell also rules out the guy in the Wookiee suit hey, IYKYK who Rory hooked up with once with in the springtime. If the Wookiee guy was the baby's father, Rory would have had a baby bump by autumn, she explains. If it was the Wookiee, she would definitely be showing, and we never gave her a pregnancy belly, says Campbell. That is very, very important. We never gave her one. We were never instructed to give her one. It is definitely not the Wookiee. Story continues Which leaves just one other guy. The only obvious choice is, you guessed it, Logan, says Campbell. Rory and Logan began dating in Season 5 of the original series. The pair, who met at Yale University, part ways in Season 7 after Rory rejected Logan's marriage proposal. In the Netflix revival, Rory and Logan engaged in a full-on affair, sleeping together whenever Rory visits London despite the fact that both have other partners. The two decide in the wintertime to end the affair. But the following autumn, they meet up in Stars Hollow for one last romantic night together. Soon after, Rory realizes she's pregnant. Campbell tells fans in her TikTok video that "Gilmore Girls" creator Amy Sherman-Palladino always intended for viewers to infer that the baby's dad was Logan. "Amy herself said, 'Why are people even questioning who the father is?'" Campbell says. "It's because it was supposed to be very, very, very, very obvious," she adds. As for Sherman-Palladino possibly being upset with her for confirming the identity of the baby's dad, Campbell tells TODAY.com, "Haha, I hope not. Sherman-Palladino did not immediately respond to TODAY.com's request for comment on March 21. Campbell posted a follow-up video on TikTok in which she reiterates that it should be easy to determine which man is the baby's father. Must I remind you, the math! she says. If it was Paul, she wouldve had a baby in the fall ... If it was the Wookiee, she wouldve been about to burst. As for fans who hoped that Rory's first love Jess (Milo Ventimiglia) somehow impregnated her, Campbell quickly shoots down that idea. Why? Well, for starters, Rory and Jess never have sex in the the show's revival. "Seriously, guys, it's not immaculate conception," Campbell jokes. Campbell tells TODAY.com that if the "stars magically aligned again," she can't even begin to imagine what would happen to the characters of Stars Hollow. "Its so hard to speculate," she says, crediting Sherman-Palladino's creative vision. "Its just not something I could even attempt to imagine. Rory is not Lorelai, Jess is not Luke, Logan is not Christopher and we dont live in the same world we did in 2007 or even 2016. I can only imagine it would be filled with quirkiness, pop culture, plot twists, and lots and lots of coffee." This article was originally published on TODAY.com With its huge munitions factories and endless rose fields, Kazanlak in central Bulgaria has been really living up to its "Guns and Roses" nickname since Moscow invaded Ukraine. Bulgaria's booming arms industry has never had it so good, with exports estimated at $4.3 billion last year (about four billion euros) -- three times its previous record. The country's oldest arms maker Arsenal, which already employs 7,000 workers in its Kazanlak plant, is offering seaside holidays and other incentives to attract staff. It has even been tempting back Bulgarians who left the Balkan country to find work abroad. "When they hired us they said there's orders to keep us busy for at least five years," one of the newly hired workers told AFP at the factory gates. "I have only been here a week myself, but I already have three new colleagues," said the woman, who would not give her name. - Historic Russia links - While you might think it would be trumpeting its success from the rooftops, the company did not reply to AFP requests for an interview. Although Bulgaria itself has largely not sent arms to Ukraine because of the EU member's historic ties with Moscow, that is where Kazanlak's burgeoning production is mostly destined. Its arms and munitions are instead being bought up by neighbouring Romania and Poland before being funnelled to Kyiv. Kazanlak and the "Valley of the Roses" around it, which is also famous for its rosewater, suffered badly when its arms makers lost their markets when the Soviet bloc collapsed in 1989, though conflicts in the Middle East revived demand for their cheap and sturdy weapons, like the AR-M1, the "Bulgarian Kalashnikov" rifle, in the 2010s. Arsenal's upturn "benefits the whole town", Yordan Ignatov, deputy chair of the local chamber of commerce, said. "Last year, Kazanlak had the lowest unemployment rate in the country after Sofia," he added, half the national average. Investment is also booming. "Everything that is built is bought," real estate agent Teodor Tenev told AFP. Story continues Bulgaria specialises in ammunition for Soviet-era weapons -- those most used by Kyiv -- though it wants to modernise its ageing production facilities with European money to start churning out NATO-standard shells and other ammo. And there was more good news on that front Monday when European Union foreign ministers agreed on a two-billion-euro plan that included jointly purchasing desperately needed artillery shells for Ukraine. Even though it stands to vastly benefit from the deal, Sofia sought to save its diplomatic blushes by not signing the joint declaration. Nor did its reticence stop EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton from starting a tour last week of European arms makers in Bulgaria. Up the road from Kazanlak in Sopot, Breton visited the country's biggest arms maker, VMZ. The state-owned plant has a new production line for the 155 mm artillery shells that Ukraine's army needs. Breton's visit was not open to the media. - 'Not a political pawn' - Supplying arms to Ukraine is an extremely sensitive issue in Bulgaria. The Socialists -- the successors to the old communist party -- and the ever-rising ultra-nationalists are firmly against as the country gears up for the fifth election in two years next month. Parliament so far has authorised only one shipment of light arms and ammunition to Kyiv. Shortly after the invasion began, pro-European then-premier Kiril Petkov walked a tightrope to try to help Kyiv. "We estimate that one-third of the ammunition needed by Ukraine in the first phase of the war came from Bulgaria," Petkov told the German daily Die Welt. Even after the fall of Petkov's short-lived cabinet last June, indirect arms sales continued. Retired Bulgarian army colonel Vladimir Milenski regrets that Bulgaria has refused to openly arm Kyiv. "This would have sent a strong political signal showing that we are not a political pawn in Russia's hands," he said. "To belong to the EU and NATO family and behave in such a way as not to infringe on the interests of Russia, an aggressor, is in the end tantamount to supporting it." vs/anb/ds/jza/fg/dhw/lb Gwyneth Paltrow is having her day in court. On March 21, the Oscar winner appeared in a Park City, Utah courtroom to face off against Terry Sanderson, a 76-year-old retired optometrist accusing her of crashing into him while skiing at a resort in 2016. For the first day of their civil trial, Paltrowwho is countersuing Sanderson, claiming that he was the one who collided with herwore a cream-colored turtleneck sweater and dark pants. The legal battle began in January 2019, when Sanderson filed a lawsuit against Paltrow, now 50, for injuries he sustained when she allegedly smashed into him from behind on a beginner-level slope at Deer Valley Resort. In his filing, obtained by E! News, Sanderson said he suffered "a brain surgery, four broken ribs and other injuries" from the crash and accused Paltrow and her ski instructor of abandoning the scene while he was hurt. "I have suffered immensely not just from the physical injuries I suffered," the complaint read, adding that Sanderson also experienced "severe psychological problems including fear, anxiety and depression," as a result of "my time of being severely hurt, incapacitated and unable to defend or protect myself." Gwyneth Paltrow Through the Years Sanderson is seeking over $3 million in damages, per CNN. In a countersuit filed February 2019, Paltrow denied the accusations and said she was skiing with her family and ski instructor when Sanderson allegedly "plowed into her back." The Goop mogul also claimed that Sanderson admitted fault by apologizing to her after the crash and was now only taking legal action due to her "celebrity and wealth." Rick Bowmer/AP/Shutterstock "She did not knock him down, or cause him to suffer a concussion, brain injury, or broken ribs," Paltrow's filing read. "Ms. Paltrow did not 'hit and run,' nor did she leave Plaintiff alone. Plaintiff exhibited no injuries requiring emergent attention." According to court documents, Paltrow is countersuing Sanderson for "only symbolic damages in the amount of $1, plus her costs and attorneys' fees to defend this meritless claim." Story continues The ongoing trial is expected to last eight days. Paltrow is expected take the stand, according to the New York Times, and her attorney told the jury on March 21 that they would hear from the Iron Man star's husband Brad Falchuk and kids Apple, 18, and Moses, 16, who she shares with ex Chris Martin. E! News reached out to attorneys for Paltrow and Sanderson but has not received comment. For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News App Federal officers in 2022 discovered dozens of homemade fireams and comonents at a Salem residence believed to house the largest ghost gun manufacturer in Oregon. The first public hearing surrounding a package of firearms bills supported by House Speaker Dan Rayfield, D-Corvallis, and the Oregon Attorney General is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon. The three bills would ban ghost guns, raise the age of purchase and possession, and allow local governments to adopt rules restricting firearms and concealed carry in their buildings. Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum joined lawmakers Tuesday to discuss the package. Rayfield asked the group last year to work on measures to "improve the safety for Oregonians near and far," Rep. Paul Evans, D-Monmouth, said. "There are things that we can do in an approach that is reflective of the way Oregon approaches problems that could both respect the rights of gun owners and at the same time make a significant difference in our overall safety," Evans said. Three bills make up the package lawmakers are hoping to pass this session: House Bills 2005, 2006 and 2007. Ghost guns bill HB 2005 would ban the sale, manufacturing or importing of ghost guns specifically, undetectable and untraceable firearms. These firearms are defined in the bill as homemade guns including 3D printed, made of nonmetal substances, without serial numbers, and guns that after the removal of grips, stocks and magazines are not as detectable by a walk-through metal detector or X-ray scanner. Under the bill, people convicted of possession of an undetectable firearm would face a misdemeanor on the first offense, which carries up to 364 days in jail, a $6,250 fine, or both. If convicted of a second offense or more, a person could be sentenced to 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both. Ghost guns have emerged "as a weapon of choice for violent criminals, gun traffickers, dangerous extremists and generally people who are legally prohibited from buying firearms," Rep. Dacia Grayber, D-Tigard, said. It's an issue Rosenblum said she remains passionate about and has been working on for the past four legislative sessions. Rosenblum said data is sparse in Oregon but said in California, up to 50% of crimes being committed in the state with guns are committed with ghost guns. Story continues An investigation in 2019 from The Trace found that 30% of all guns recovered by agents in the state at the time were unserialized. In 2020, the LAPD reported recovering 1,921 ghost guns in 2021 compared to 813 ghost guns recovered in 2020. In San Francisco, nearly half of the firearms recovered in homicide cases in 2020 were ghost guns according to police. "They pose a real threat to Oregonians," Rosenblum said. "We believe that this law will save lives and I look forward to finally, after four long sessions, getting this bill across the finish line." Regulation of the sale and manufacture of ghost guns exists in at least 11 states including California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Washington. Raising the age limit HB 2006 would raise the age to purchase and possess specific guns to 21, expanding on a federal law that already bans the sales of handguns to people under 21. The bill does allow exemptions for individuals aged 18-20 who possess firearms used for hunting, shooting at established public or private target ranges, and similar purposes. A person who is at least 18 and would not otherwise be prohibited from possessing a gun could possess several firearms including a single-shot rifle; a double-barreled shotgun; or a repeating rifle that has a bolt, lever, pump, straight-pull or revolving action. There are also proposed exemptions for individuals age 18-20 who are in the military or law enforcement. Evans called the bill a "responsible approach to the problem." Six of nine of the deadliest shootings in the United States in recent years were committed by young people with firearms "designed for war," Evans added. The New York Times reported on the pattern in detail in 2022. They looked at the shootings since 2018 and noted that in Buffalo, New York; Uvalde, Texas; Boulder, Colorado; El Paso, Texas, Santa Fe, Texas, and Parkland, Florida, were committed by someone 21 or younger. Only two of the 30 deadliest mass shootings from 1949 to 2017 involved gunmen younger than 21, according to the New York Times. "I believe that now is the time for responsible gun owners to step up," Evans said. He spoke of his grandfather, who he described as an NRA member, dairy farmer and person who took joy in hunting. He also described him as the model of a responsible gun owner. "A responsible gun owner, when he recognizes a problem, you solve it. You try to find the most reasonable approach, the most tailored approach, the most fair approach," Evans said. "I believe that House Bill 2006 is a responsible and reasonable step forward that will keep deadly firearms out of the hands of people who aren't really prepared to have them." Under the bill, a person would also be prohibited from intentionally selling or transferring a firearm to someone under the age of 21. Punishment for someone under 21 in possession of firearms or someone who transferred a firearm to someone under 21 would be a maximum of 364 days in jail, a $6,250 fine, or both. States like Washington, California, Hawaii, Illinois, Florida, Delaware, Vermont, Maryland and Rhode Island have adopted policies to raise the minimum age for gun buyers to 21 for all firearms. Guns in public buildings The third bill, HB 2007, expands local control of gun restrictions. The state Legislature gave local school districts authority to ban firearms on school grounds in 2021. Under HB 2007, locally-elected governments would be authorized to prohibit firearms and concealed carry in their facilities and grounds. This could include cities or counties. The bill would not affect the possession of firearms outside of public buildings and adjacent grounds. Jurisdictions are also not required to adopt restrictions if they do not want to. A person in possession of a firearm in a building or on grounds subject to restrictions would face a Class A misdemeanor conviction punishable by 364 days in jail, a $6,250 fine, or both. "House Bill 2007 acknowledges and honors the unique differences in Oregon communities and Oregon values," Rep. Lisa Reynolds, D-Washington County, said. At least 32 school boards prohibit guns on their campuses, Reynolds said. The state has nearly 200 districts. Eugene School District 4J and Salem-Keizer Public Schools are among those with bans. "Local leaders across the state have shown this is something they and their communities value without forcing the same on communities who do not choose this restriction. The least we can do is untie their hands and allow them to make these decisions on behalf of their communities," she added. How to weigh in on the issue An informational meeting is scheduled for the package at 8 a.m. Wednesday in Hearing Room D. The meeting will also be viewable online. Public testimony for all three bills at once will be heard from 5-8 p.m. Written testimony can be submitted online. Dianne Lugo covers the Oregon Legislature and equity issues. Reach her at dlugo@statesmanjournal.com or on Twitter @DianneLugo. This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Oregon firearm bills would ban ghost guns, raise age limits A video from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory shows the massive hole in the sun's atmosphere. NASA/Solar Dynamics Observatory The sun is sporting a giant coronal hole that could fit 20-30 Earths across, back-to-back. Coronal holes blast rapid solar winds into space that travel 500-800 kilometers per second. The winds are relatively harmless and should reach Earth by Friday for a more stunning aurora. A giant, black region of the sun called a coronal hole was spotted on Monday by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory. Despite the name, however, this isn't a physical hole in the solar surface; coronal holes are cooler in temperature, so they don't glow as bright as other areas of the sun and therefore look black. "The current coronal hole, the big one right now, is about 300,000 to 400,000 kilometers across," Alex Young, the associate director for science at NASA Goddard's Heliophysics Science Division, told Insider over email. "That is about 20-30 Earths lined up back-to-back." One Earth compared to the size of the sun. ESA & NASA Coronal holes are common; there is "nothing unusual here," Scott McIntosh, a solar physicist and the deputy director of the National Center for Atmospheric Research, told Insider in an email. Holes like this are part of the sun's normal activity, but McIntosh said that they are "not well understood" and called these events "the 'dark side' of solar activity." Coronal holes are the source of rapid solar winds, which reach speeds of about 500-800 km per second, Young wrote. The solar winds from this coronal hole are scheduled to reach Earth by the end of this week. An animation of the solar wind shows particles streaming from the sun towards Earth. NASA "We will probably start seeing the effects of the high-speed wind on March 24," Young added. "When the high-speed wind reaches Earth, the particles and the magnetic field it carries will interact with Earth's magnetic field, effectively rattling it or like ringing a bell." More powerful magnetic fields, like from a coronal mass ejection, could cause electrical blackouts or disrupt communication technology. But coronal holes even large ones like this are far less violent. So the main effect to look forward to this Friday is a more vibrant aurora borealis. Story continues The Aurora Borealis seen over the sky near Rovaniemi in Lapland, Finland, October 7, 2018. Alexander Kuznetsov/Reuters However, we are entering a new phase of increasing solar activity where coronal holes will be less frequent, and coronal mass ejections and powerful solar flares will become more common, Young said. That can be a concern since the powerful magnetic fields from coronal mass ejections and solar flares have been known to surge power grids and fry satellites however, these events are infrequent. Young said that for him and other solar scientists, "it's gonna get more and more exciting and interesting" as solar activity increases. Read the original article on Business Insider Mr. Pickles, a 90-year-old radiated tortoise at the Houston Zoo, is a first-time father after his partner of 27 years, Mrs. Pickles, laid three eggs that hatched last week. The three new hatchlings were given the family names of Dill, Gherkin, and Jalapeno. A team at the Reptile & Amphibian House will take care of the baby tortoises until they're old enough to join their parents. Mr. Pickles, a 90-year-old radiated tortoise, is a first-time father after 27 years of companionship with Mrs. Pickles. Radiated tortoises, a critically endangered species, are native to southern Madagascar. Known for their high-domed shell marked with streaks that radiate from each plate, they are as small as 1.25 inches upon hatching and grow to be about 16 inches in length. RARE ELEPHANT TWINS BORN IN NEW YORK SURPRISE ZOO STAFF Females typically lay three to 12 eggs that have a relatively long incubation period of five to eight months, according to the Smithsonian's National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute. Dill, Gherkin, and Jalapeno will be taken care of by a team of herpetologists until they are old enough to live with their parents. Mrs. Pickle's eggs came as a surprise to herpetologists at the zoo who spotted her laying them around closing time several months ago. READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP "The soil in Houston isnt hospitable to the Madagascar native tortoises, and its unlikely the eggs would have hatched on their own if the keeper hadnt been in the right place at the right time," the Houston Zoo explained. While Mr. Pickles is at the ripe age of 90, the oldest radiated tortoise in history, Tu'i Malila, lived to be 188 years old. One of the three baby tortoises that hatched last week at the Houston Zoo. Researchers from the University of Auckland and Auckland Institute and Museum wrote in an academic article in 1971 that British explorer Captain James Cook gave Tu'i Malila to the royal family of Tonga in 1777, where the tortoise lived until his death in 1966. The record for the oldest known land animal in the world belongs to Jonathan, a Seychelles giant tortoise who turned 190 years old in December. For the first time in its history, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) will hear a case this week about the legality of denying a woman access to abortion services. A woman identified only as "Beatriz" is symbolically squaring off against the Central American country of El Salvador, which enforces an absolute ban on the procedure regardless of the fetus's health or any risk to the pregnant woman. The country will be in the dock before the Costa Rica-based IACHR for alleged human rights violations and "torture" for forcing Beatriz to carry a non-viable fetus for nearly three months despite a risk to her health. "The fact that the Court has agreed to hear this case strongly indicates... that the denial of any health service, including those that are controversial such as abortion, is a human rights violation," said Maria Antonieta Alcalde of the Ipas reproductive rights NGO, which is among the plaintiffs. Beatriz, who died in a traffic accident in 2017 after the case was filed, is taking El Salvador to task for denying her an abortion despite doctors knowing she was carrying a non-viable fetus at great risk to herself. - 'A form of torture' - In El Salvador, abortion has been prohibited since 1998 under penalty of jail time of up to eight years. Courts frequently find women guilty of the crime of aggravated homicide instead, imposing sentences that can go up to 50 years. Beatriz suffered from an auto-immune disease when she fell pregnant for the second time in 2013 at 20, after already going through a previous complicated birth. The fetus was found to be unviable due to a severe developmental defect, and according to court documents, Beatriz was told she could die if the pregnancy progressed. She sought legal recourse to be allowed to get an abortion, but saw her case thrown out by the country's Constitutional Court. She went into premature labor and the fetus died. Gisela de Leon of the Center for Justice and International Law (Cejil), a rights NGO also among the plaintiffs, said the state had "violated (Beatriz's) rights to life and personal integrity" by forcing her to carry the fetus for 81 days knowing it could not survive. Story continues "We are claiming that the suffering to which she was subjected, knowing that her right to life was at risk, is a form of torture," said De Leon. Beatriz's family decided to pursue the case after her death so that "no other woman will go through what she went through," according to her brother Humberto, 30, who withheld his surname to protect his sister's identity. He added his sister was a victim of a poor, marginalized upbringing which causes "such situations happening to women because they do not have access to a system that guarantees reproductive health." In Latin America, elective abortion is legal in Argentina, Colombia, Cuba, Uruguay, and some states in Mexico. In several countries it is allowed in certain circumstances, such as rape or health risks, while outright bans apply also in Honduras, Nicaragua, Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Several states in the United States have recently banned most abortions. The IACHR will hear testimony from relatives of Beatriz and doctors who treated her. Gatherings of women are expected outside the IACHR court building in San Jose, as well as in San Salvador, capital of El Salvador. The case will be heard over two days, with judgment expected in about six months. apg/fj/mlr/caw PASADENA, Calif. Appeals court justices hearing arguments Tuesday over a proposed copper mine southeast of Phoenix appeared to wrestle over two religious protection laws and nearly two decades of federal court decisions that could further define and interpret the laws. At issue is a plan to extract copper from 2,200 acres of national forest land, a process that Apache people say would obliterate Oak Flat, one of their most sacred spaces. Opponents of the mine are asking the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to stop the project. A three-judge panel heard the case in October 2021 and ruled against Apache Stronghold, the grass-roots group leading the opposition. But the full court agreed to rehear the case and convened Tuesday in Pasadena. Justices questioned attorneys on both sides about terms like substantial burden, the standard used to determine the effects of governmental actions like assessing fines for entering public lands, fencing off sites used for religious practice or refusing to allow a prisoner access to foods important to their religion. They asked if that is what the copper mine would impose on Apache people if it is completed and, during the course of its life, obliterates Oak Flat. Eli Crane: Native leaders are watching new lawmaker who represents more than half of Arizona's tribes Tuesday's hearing is the latest round of a nearly 20-year battle over the copper mine, about 70 miles east of Phoenix on land considered sacred and culturally important by several tribes in the region. Tribes, environmentalists and recreationists have battled the federal government and Resolution Copper, the mining company that convinced Congress to approve the exchange of Oak Flat Campground for several plots of environmentally sensitive land. Resolution's proposal would render Oak Flat useless for religious practices or other activities. The suit, Apache Stronghold v. United States, was filed in January 2021 in federal district court. After losing that ruling, the Native rights group took the case to the appeals court, which rejected Apache Stronghold's assertion that the mine would pose a substantial burden to their First Amendment religious practice rights. Story continues In November 2022, the appeals court announced it would rehear the case "en banc," or by its full panel of 11 judges. Judges ask about Treaty of Santa Fe During arguments Tuesday, government attorney Joan Pepin said Resolution may not actually turn the entire area into a 1,000-foot deep, 2-mile wide crater as animations released by the firm show. David Debold, an attorney who represents several rock and mining associations, said the company may not even start work on the mine after the required study, but can't determine that until the land swap is completed. Pepin also said Native religious beliefs had been taken into account in the legislation that authorized the swap because Apache Leap, a nearby peak, would be preserved. Judge Ronald Gould asked attorneys about the Treaty of Santa Fe, the 1852 pact that called for reservation lands to be set aside for the "Apache Nation of Indians." He wanted to know if the treaty's goal of supporting the happiness and prosperity of the Apaches justified issuing an order to halt the land swap. Special report: Indigenous people find legal, cultural barriers to protect sacred spaces off tribal lands Stephanie Hall Barclay, director of Notre Dame's Religious Liberty Initiative, said it could. Pepin countered, saying because Congress authorized the swap, and because Apache Leap would be preserved, that would not apply. Another justice, Lawrence VanDyke, asked if any religious protection laws would apply if "God says I need to be buried in Arlington National Cemetery to go to heaven?" And they wanted to know why the new environmental impact study had been held up when the Forest Service had promised it would be completed within a few months after President Joe Biden withdrew the first one, which set off a 60-day window to complete the land exchange. One justice wondered if the Forest Service was awaiting the outcome of the Apache Stronghold lawsuit. Barclay also said the courts should revisit a Navajo Nation case in which the courts ruled that using partially treated effluent to make snow on the San Francisco Peaks didn't pose a substantial burden to tribes' ability to collect plants and pray on the mountain range just outside Flagstaff. 'This is the last battle' After the hearing, Apache Stronghold and their supporters held a news conference. Luke Goodrich, an attorney arguing for Apache Stronghold, said everybody needs to hear what happened in the courtroom. "If the government can take away the central sacred site and stop those practices from Apaches, Apache Stronghold and tribal nations, nobody is safe from the government," Goodrich said. Wendsler Nosie Sr., leader of Apache Stronghold, tells 8th Annual Oak Flat Run participants, "We have to start defending the earth, the mother." Wendsler Nosie, head of Apache Stronghold, and his granddaughter, Naelyn Pike, also spoke. Nosie talked about the many protests and battles to preserve lands and cultural practices. But, he said, "This is the last battle." He said that if they lose this one, the U.S. will take everything in the name of corporate money. Pike said the Oak Flat struggle is an example of the continued genocide that is happening across the nation, to exterminate all Indigenous peoples in the nation. "But we are also witnessing a threat to all religious believers in this country," she said. "Our land is holy. It may not have walls and a steeple, but this is my religion and my belief." People came from many places to support Apache Stronghold, including the Lummi House of Tears carvers, who hauled a specially carved totem pole on a flatbed trailer. The totem pole has been taken to several sites under threat. Freddie Lane, a member of the Lummi Nation who traveled from Washington State, with a totem pole touring across the country to stop the degradation of Native lands, joins members of the Apache Stronghold group gathered in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Boyle Heights at Self Help Graphics & Art paint protest signs on Monday, March 20, 2023. The Apache group battling a foreign mining firm that wants to build one of the largest copper mines in the United States on what tribal members say is sacred land will get a new chance to make its point Tuesday when a full federal appeals court panel takes another look at the case. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) Local Aztec and Nahuatl people also donned traditional regalia to sing, dance and pray with Apache Stronghold. The court will deliberate on the case and release a decision in the following months. No date was given for a final ruling. Debra Krol reports on Indigenous communities at the confluence of climate, culture and commerce in Arizona and the Intermountain West. Reach Krol at debra.krol@azcentral.com. Follow her on Twitter at @debkrol. Coverage of Indigenous issues at the intersection of climate, culture and commerce is supported by the Catena Foundation. Support local journalism. Subscribe to azcentral.com today. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 9th Circuit oral arguments on Apache Stronghold rehearing Kakao Mobility, the ride-hailing subsidiary of South Korean messaging and internet giant Kakao, has made its first acquisition as it looks to raise its international profile. It has acquired Splyt, a startup out of London that works with apps in areas like travel, ride-hailing and finance to help them build out "super app" strategies by integrating other services. Kakao Mobility has already worked with Splyt, and it wants to use the asset to spur global expansion plans across Southeast Asia and Europe. Kakao Mobility currently offers limited services in about 30 markets outside of South Korea: most recently, it launched in Guam last year and Laos earlier this year. "Splyt and Kakao Mobility's technology teams have been collaborating since 2019 to integrate and enable global ride-hailing services for Kakao T users through Splyt's ride-hailing API platform," CTO of Splyt Stephen Mason told TechCrunch. Financial terms of the deal are not being disclosed, but there are some signs that it may not have been a super outcome for this super app enabler. Splyt says its services are used by more than 2 billion people in 150 countries by way of customers like Alipay, Uber, Binance, Grab, Trip.com, Booking.com, Kakao itself and 70 others. But after a flurry of activity over the last several years -- including raising $33.5 million from SoftBank, Grab, AmEx and others, per PitchBook data -- Splyt stopped providing updates about its business in July 2022. The acquisition will include technology and talent. Splyt has around 30 staff, and they will join Kakao Mobility. Key management at Splyt will move to South Korea to continue to manage and integrate the team into Kakao Mobility, a spokesperson for the latter company said. (Kakao Mobility has about 950 employees.) It's not yet clear how Kakao Mobility intends to use Splyt's tech: using it as a lever to work with a wider network of international partners or using it to extend Kakao Mobility's own app, Kakao T, which currently has around 32 million registered users. Story continues Kakao Mobility itself is at a crossroads as a business: The company was originally partly spun out of Kakao Corporation in 2017, and it is still 58% owned by it. But last year Kakao had to shelve plans to sell part of that stake to a PE firm after pushback from drivers and employees. A further plan for an IPO has also been put on hold amid a cool market for tech stocks at the moment. Other investors in the mobility business have included Carlyle, TPG, LG and Google, which have poured more than $840 million into it. A report last year in Korea Economic Daily notes that Kakao Mobility -- which, in addition to ride-hailing also offers parking space searches, navigation, bike rental and has worked on autonomous driving -- was valued at $6.5 billion. Splyt's emergence as a business speaks to a very particular time in the on-demand services market. Apps like Grab, Uber, Didi, Lyft, Ola and many others collectively raised billions of dollars to compete against each other and build out networks of gig workers and customers. Intense competition on a narrow range of services, however, made for very challenging unit economics, so a lot of these companies focused on folding in more services into those apps to improve loyalty and increase customer spend -- and thus the so-called "super app" was born. The complexity of integrating different services was a challenge in itself, however, and that was where Splyt stepped in, providing the tech behind the scenes to integrate services and reconcile payments between various parties. That in itself was enough to bring on SoftBank as an investor. When it led a $19.5 million round in the startup in 2019, SoftBank was a big backer of a number of these on-demand businesses, and it was also in search of its own entry point into the "super app" fray, and so the investment was seen as a way to help it on both of those fronts. But fast-forward to today, and a lot of the companies running these apps, not to mention SoftBank itself, have been struggling to grow and justify their investment exuberance of past years. All of that may have spelled splitsville for Splyt, but perhaps an opportunity too for Kakao Mobility to pick up the pieces for its own ends. "We will create a new service that innovates the mobility experience of users around the world by incorporating Kakao Mobility's platform capabilities into the global super app network that Split has built," CEO and co-founder of Splyt Philipp Mintchin said. "We're thrilled to welcome Splyt, which is the first overseas acquisition [of Kakao Mobility]," said Alex Ryu in a statement. "Kakao Mobility will continue to scale our product and accelerate further global expansions through Splyt, which has unrivaled global competitiveness in the mobility service platform space." CHEYENNE, Wyo. Abortion-rights supporters filed an amended lawsuit Tuesday seeking to block Wyomings new abortion pill ban from taking effect. A group hoping to open what would be the states second clinic offering abortions filed the amended lawsuit days after Republican Gov. Mark Gordon signed what is the nations first explicit ban on abortion pills. Absent court intervention, that ban would take effect July 1. Abortion-rights supporters already were seeking to block a separate sweeping abortion ban that took effect Sunday in Wyoming without the governors signature. That law seeks to overcome objections that prompted a judge to suspend a previous ban. The abortion pill ban and the sweeping ban conflict and create confusion about what is and isnt permissible under the new laws, according to the lawsuit. If theyre allowed to be in effect, the fundamental rights of Wyoming women and their families will be taken away by the state government and those rights will cease to exist, the amended lawsuit said. Both of the new Wyoming abortion bans make exceptions to save a pregnant womans life and for cases of rape or incest that are reported to police. Until Gordon signed the ban on medication abortions, no state had passed a law specifically prohibiting such pills, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research group that supports abortion rights. However, abortion pills already were banned in 13 other states with blanket bans on abortion, and 15 states already had limited access to the pills. Medication abortions also are a target of a separate lawsuit in Texas, where abortion opponents have asked a federal judge to reverse the Food and Drug Administrations 2000 approval of mifepristone. A two-pill combination of mifepristone and another drug is the most common form of abortion in the U.S. Wyoming has only one abortion provider, a womens health clinic in Jackson that only provides medication abortions but has canceled appointments after the states broad ban took effect this week. Teton County District Court Judge Melissa Owens is scheduled to hold a hearing Wednesday to consider whether to block that new ban while the legal challenge over it moves ahead. Key Insights Nanofilm Technologies International's estimated fair value is S$1.53 based on 2 Stage Free Cash Flow to Equity With S$1.51 share price, Nanofilm Technologies International appears to be trading close to its estimated fair value The S$1.40 analyst price target for MZH is 8.2% less than our estimate of fair value Does the March share price for Nanofilm Technologies International Limited (SGX:MZH) reflect what it's really worth? Today, we will estimate the stock's intrinsic value by taking the expected future cash flows and discounting them to their present value. This will be done using the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model. Models like these may appear beyond the comprehension of a lay person, but they're fairly easy to follow. We generally believe that a company's value is the present value of all of the cash it will generate in the future. However, a DCF is just one valuation metric among many, and it is not without flaws. For those who are keen learners of equity analysis, the Simply Wall St analysis model here may be something of interest to you. Check out our latest analysis for Nanofilm Technologies International The Calculation We use what is known as a 2-stage model, which simply means we have two different periods of growth rates for the company's cash flows. Generally the first stage is higher growth, and the second stage is a lower growth phase. To begin with, we have to get estimates of the next ten years of cash flows. Where possible we use analyst estimates, but when these aren't available we extrapolate the previous free cash flow (FCF) from the last estimate or reported value. We assume companies with shrinking free cash flow will slow their rate of shrinkage, and that companies with growing free cash flow will see their growth rate slow, over this period. We do this to reflect that growth tends to slow more in the early years than it does in later years. A DCF is all about the idea that a dollar in the future is less valuable than a dollar today, so we discount the value of these future cash flows to their estimated value in today's dollars: Story continues 10-year free cash flow (FCF) forecast 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 Levered FCF (SGD, Millions) S$16.9m S$29.0m S$39.4m S$47.3m S$54.3m S$60.2m S$65.1m S$69.3m S$72.7m S$75.7m Growth Rate Estimate Source Analyst x2 Analyst x2 Analyst x2 Est @ 20.17% Est @ 14.70% Est @ 10.87% Est @ 8.19% Est @ 6.31% Est @ 5.00% Est @ 4.08% Present Value (SGD, Millions) Discounted @ 7.5% S$15.7 S$25.1 S$31.7 S$35.4 S$37.8 S$38.9 S$39.2 S$38.7 S$37.8 S$36.6 ("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St) Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = S$337m After calculating the present value of future cash flows in the initial 10-year period, we need to calculate the Terminal Value, which accounts for all future cash flows beyond the first stage. For a number of reasons a very conservative growth rate is used that cannot exceed that of a country's GDP growth. In this case we have used the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield (1.9%) to estimate future growth. In the same way as with the 10-year 'growth' period, we discount future cash flows to today's value, using a cost of equity of 7.5%. Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2032 (1 + g) (r g) = S$76m (1 + 1.9%) (7.5% 1.9%) = S$1.4b Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= S$1.4b ( 1 + 7.5%)10= S$665m The total value is the sum of cash flows for the next ten years plus the discounted terminal value, which results in the Total Equity Value, which in this case is S$1.0b. In the final step we divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding. Relative to the current share price of S$1.5, the company appears about fair value at a 1.2% discount to where the stock price trades currently. Valuations are imprecise instruments though, rather like a telescope - move a few degrees and end up in a different galaxy. Do keep this in mind. dcf Important Assumptions Now the most important inputs to a discounted cash flow are the discount rate, and of course, the actual cash flows. If you don't agree with these result, have a go at the calculation yourself and play with the assumptions. The DCF also does not consider the possible cyclicality of an industry, or a company's future capital requirements, so it does not give a full picture of a company's potential performance. Given that we are looking at Nanofilm Technologies International as potential shareholders, the cost of equity is used as the discount rate, rather than the cost of capital (or weighted average cost of capital, WACC) which accounts for debt. In this calculation we've used 7.5%, which is based on a levered beta of 0.944. Beta is a measure of a stock's volatility, compared to the market as a whole. We get our beta from the industry average beta of globally comparable companies, with an imposed limit between 0.8 and 2.0, which is a reasonable range for a stable business. SWOT Analysis for Nanofilm Technologies International Strength Debt is not viewed as a risk. Weakness Earnings declined over the past year. Dividend is low compared to the top 25% of dividend payers in the Chemicals market. Opportunity Annual earnings are forecast to grow faster than the Singaporean market. Current share price is below our estimate of fair value. Threat Dividends are not covered by cash flow. Next Steps: Valuation is only one side of the coin in terms of building your investment thesis, and it is only one of many factors that you need to assess for a company. It's not possible to obtain a foolproof valuation with a DCF model. Instead the best use for a DCF model is to test certain assumptions and theories to see if they would lead to the company being undervalued or overvalued. For example, changes in the company's cost of equity or the risk free rate can significantly impact the valuation. For Nanofilm Technologies International, we've put together three essential aspects you should assess: Financial Health: Does MZH have a healthy balance sheet? Take a look at our free balance sheet analysis with six simple checks on key factors like leverage and risk. Future Earnings: How does MZH's growth rate compare to its peers and the wider market? Dig deeper into the analyst consensus number for the upcoming years by interacting with our free analyst growth expectation chart. Other Solid Businesses: Low debt, high returns on equity and good past performance are fundamental to a strong business. Why not explore our interactive list of stocks with solid business fundamentals to see if there are other companies you may not have considered! PS. The Simply Wall St app conducts a discounted cash flow valuation for every stock on the SGX every day. If you want to find the calculation for other stocks just search here. 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 Former President Donald Trump at the Conservative Political Action Conference on March 4. (Alex Brandon/AP) The expected indictment of Donald Trump by a Democratic prosecutor in New York City has put his rivals for the 2024 Republican nomination in a bind. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has not yet charged the former president in the case involving an alleged hush money payoff to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, who says she had an affair with Trump. But for now, the broad consensus among Republican strategists and campaign advisers who spoke with Yahoo News is that a criminal indictment will likely help Trump in the primary. Adult film actress Stormy Daniels speaks outside federal court in New York in 2018. (Mary Altaffer/AP) This is because GOP primary voters, generally speaking, still approve of Trump and agree with him that the myriad investigations he faces are witch hunts. And even those Republican voters looking for alternatives in the 2024 primary could rally to him in the face of what they perceive to be a partisan effort by an overzealous prosecutor. Anyone in office or seeking office should be denouncing this in clear-cut ways, said Tom Fitton, president of the conservative legal advocacy group Judicial Watch and a staunch Trump ally. Checking the box, saying youre concerned, isnt going to cut it. Now Trumps Republican rivals are scrambling to figure out what tone to take. And some of them are trying to do two things at once: denouncing the possible indictment while at the same time using it, to the extent they can, against the GOP frontrunner in part by just reminding voters what Trump is alleged to have done. Heres a look at how Trumps likely rivals for the nomination are seeking to navigate the issue. Chris Christie Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie speaks at the Republican Jewish Coalition annual meeting in Las Vegas in November 2022. (Scott Olson/Getty Images) In an appearance on ABC News, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said the circus continues when asked about Trumps preemptive response to the possible indictment. Trump only profits and does well in chaos and turmoil, said Christie, a former prosecutor thought to be mulling a run for the presidency. And so he wants to create the chaos and turmoil on his terms. Christie sounded a skeptical note as to whether an indictment could help Trump in the primary, saying, Being indicted never helps anybody. But he also said he expects most Americans not to take the charges very seriously. Story continues I dont think theres many Americans that dont believe that Donald Trump had an affair with Stormy Daniels and that dont believe he paid her money ... to keep it quiet, Christie said. So I dont think that the American people probably see this as a huge crime. Ron DeSantis Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis at an event in Davenport, Iowa, on March 10. (Ron Johnson/AP) At a Monday press conference, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis widely seen as Trumps top competitor for the Republican nomination was more forthright in his denunciation of the possible indictment than Christie was. But he too made sure to mention just what Trump is being accused of doing. After attacking Bragg as a left-wing radical looking to impose a political agenda on society at the expense of the rule of law and public safety, DeSantis quickly made a detour to Trump, without mentioning him by name. I don't know what goes into paying hush money to a porn star to secure silence over some type of alleged affair. I just I can't speak to that, DeSantis said. In an interview with Piers Morgan published in the New York Post on Tuesday, DeSantis doubled down on his criticism of Trump, saying the allegations involving Stormy Daniels are outside my wheelhouse and not something I can speak to. At the end of the day as a leader, you really want to look to people like our Founding Fathers, like what type of character its not saying that you dont ever make a mistake in your personal life, but I think what type of character are you bringing? DeSantis said. Nikki Haley Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley at the Vision '24 National Conservative Forum on March 18. (Win McNamee/Getty Images) Former U.N. Ambassador and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, the only other major candidate in the race, was only critical of Bragg while speaking to Fox News on Monday. From everything Ive seen from this New York district attorney is that this is something hed be doing for political points, Haley said. And I think what we know is that when you get into political prosecutions like this, its more about revenge than it is about justice. You never want to condone any sort of prosecution thats being politicized, because we know that thats just political revenge, she added. And I think we have seen enough of that over the past few years. Mike Pence Former Vice President Mike Pence at a GOP fundraising dinner in Keene, N.H., on March 16. (Steven Senne/AP) One week after blasting Trump in his starkest terms yet for the insurrection of Jan. 6, 2021, former Vice President Mike Pence, who is eyeing a possible summer launch for the White House, defended Trumps call for protests in response to the expected indictment. The frustration the American people feel about what they sense is a two-tiered justice system in this country, I think is well founded, Pence said Sunday on ABC News. But he added that protests should occur only in a peaceful and lawful manner. Otherwise, Pence has largely kept his fire trained on Bragg. I think many Americans are taken aback at the unprecedented indictment of a former president, but also the fact that the Manhattan DA, in the midst of a crime wave in New York City, then says that indicting the former president is his highest priority, he said Monday in Iowa. Chris Sununu New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu at a Republican Governors Association conference in November 2022. (Phelan M. Ebenhack/AP) New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, who has floated a possible run for the White House, said he felt Trump might benefit from an indictment. I can tell you, I think it's building a lot of sympathy for the former president, Sununu said Sunday on CNN. He added later: You know, there are other issues that really take precedence in terms of where this country needs to go, what we need to do to get stuff done, how we manage our budgets, how we secure the border. Vivek Ramaswamy Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy speaks at the Vision '24 National Conservative Forum on March 18. (Win McNamee/Getty Images) The only one of Trumps current or would-be opponents to lean into full-throated support of him has been Vivek Ramaswamy, a little-known long-shot candidate for the nomination. Ramaswamy, who has barely registered in most polling of the 2024 field despite being only the third candidate to jump into the race, has won plaudits from Trumps supporters for consistently speaking out on Twitter to support the former president. Shortly after news of the possible indictment broke, Ramaswamy wrote that it would be a national disaster and asked Bragg to drop the case. And the following day he pressed Haley and DeSantis to weigh in on the issue as well. I called on my fellow GOP candidates @RonDeSantisFL and @NikkiHaley to join me in condemning the potential Trump indictment because those of us *running against Trump* can most credibly call on the Manhattan DA to abandon this disastrously politicized prosecution, Ramaswamy wrote. Those staying silent A handful of possible contenders have remained silent on the issue. Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo all of whom have toyed with possible White House bids have yet to say where they stand. When Brendan Menapace ate, he felt terrible and wanted to nap. He noticed blood in his stool and visited his doctor. Having the support of his partner, family and friends made it easier for Brendan Menapace grapple with his stage 4 colorectal cancer diagnosis at age 29. (Courtesy Brendan Menapace) I just turned 29, so I didnt really think colon cancer, the now 30-year-old tells TODAY.com. All the symptoms really got worse, so I knew something was wrong, and (I needed) to find an answer. After testing, Menapace learned he had stage 4 colorectal cancer. It was definitely surprising, he says. It hit me pretty hard. "Textbook" symptoms In the summer of 2021, Menapace experienced pelvic pain, constipation, bloating and fatigue. I would eat and then pretty much immediately would want to lay down, he says. I felt terrible. He also noticed blood in his stool and couldnt sit for more than an hour and a half, which he noticed while driving to vacation. After eating, he would feel so awful that he felt drowsy. In retrospect, it was pretty much the textbook things they say to look out for, he says. He visited a doctor who sent him for a colonoscopy in early October 2021. As soon as Menapace woke, he knew it was bad. They told me as I was waking up, he says. There was a plan pretty much immediately. Two weeks after his test, he started chemotherapy from the end of October until January. Then he underwent 20 radiation sessions to his pelvis until March. From there, basically things had shrunk enough that surgery was viable, he says. But chemo and radiation take a toll on your body, so I was in pretty rough shape. In May, doctors surgically removed his rectum, part of his colon and lymph nodes, and he received a temporary ileostomy bag as his colon recovered. In July, doctors reversed his ileostomy, and by October, a PET scan showed no evidence of disease. Until you hit that five-year mark, youre not considered cured or cancer-free, Menapace says. Because of the way it spread, it wasnt as simple as just cutting out the tumor or declaring me cancer-free. Brendan Menapace underwent chemotherapy, radiation and extensive surgery to treat his stage 4 colorectal cancer. (Courtesy Brendan Menapace) Colon cancer in young people A recently published report from the American Cancer Society shows that the rates of colon cancer in young people are increasing. The reason for the increase remains a mystery. Story continues Rates were globally going down in older patients with screening, and we also thought this was one of those cancers that are cancers of aging, which is why you didnt screen somebody until they were 50, Dr. Ursina Teitelbaum, a medical oncologist at Penn Medicine, tells TODAY.com. Now were seeing this trend towards younger and also more left-sided the descending colon, sigmoid colon and rectum particularly and we dont really know why. Teitelbaum says older patients tend to have more cancer on the right side, which is the ascending colon. It's unclear why younger patients see more left-sided problems. But it leads to certain symptoms. If its on the left side or in the rectum, you may have pain with bowel movements or abdominal pain in general. You might have a change in what we see in the caliber of your stool. Instead of a normal-formed stool, you might have a skinny stool, she says. This is a funny point of conversation because people get uncomfortable talking about their bowel movements. But its actually really important to pay attention. Other symptoms include: Weight loss Fatigue Blood in stool Shortness of breath Pelvic pain I have one younger patient who was a very competitive biker who noticed instead of 100 miles a week, he could only bike 50 miles a week, she says. It turned out he had rectal cancer and (was) slowly losing blood, and that was the reason. Brendan Menapace's last chemotherapy treatment lasted for 46 hours and he carried it around in a fanny pack. (Courtesy Brendan Menapace) Some people feel embarrassed to talk about their bowel movements, even with their doctors, meaning they don't get help as quickly as possible. Other barriers can make it tough for younger people to get a colonoscopy, too, further delaying treatment. A lot of younger patients, people in their 30s, 40s, might not even have a primary care physician. They dont have any medical problems. They are perfectly healthy, Teitelbaum explains. There are other things that are difficult with (colonoscopies). You have to find someone to give you a ride. You have to take a day off work. You have to have insurance. You have to be able to afford a prep. So, there are a lot of barriers. Current screening recommendations for colon cancer are, starting at 45, people need to undergo a colonoscopy every 10 years, which recently changed from 50. Teitelbaum believes that both patients and primary care physicians need to be aware that colorectal cancer can occur to younger people. The key for now is education and thats not just educating people that are younger, but educating their health care providers that if someone comes in with blood in their stool or some of the symptoms, they might need to move screening for colorectal cancer higher on the differential, she says. Part of the problems is that hemorrhoids (are) really a common condition. Finding colon cancer earlier often means surgery alone can remove it. As it metastisizes, it becomes harder to treated. Once it spreads beyond to the liver, the chance of it being curable is much lower, she says. That said, I am happy to say most of the time, even when its not curable, its treatable. With colonoscopies, doctors can detect precancerous polyps and remove them before they become cancer. You can intervene and remove a polyp before it becomes cancerous, she says. That said, not every polyp will become cancerous. So, its a balancing act. Brendan Menapace experienced neuropathy when he underwent chemotherapy but is lucky that it stopped after treatment ended. (Courtesy Brendan Menapace) Huge learning curve While Menapace received chemotherapy, he experienced neuropathy, numbness and tingling from nerve damage. As soon as treatment stopped, these symptoms went away. He has had to adjust to not having a rectum. It has been a huge learning curve and just the trauma to my colon and lower digestive system things are never going to be the same, he says. Theres a new normal that Im working toward and that takes a lot of work in its own right. I have to be careful eating. He returned to work and exercise, resuming as much of a "normal life" as he can. When I leave the house, I have to know where a bathroom is. Its something in the back of my head, and I have to think about something that I never had to before, he says. Its hard to fathom the idea of something being different forever. With the help of his partner, friends, family and therapy, Menapace is trying to grapple with the changes he faces due to cancer. He encourages others to talk about their symptoms with their doctors, no matter how strange it might feel. Youre trained not to talk about your poop. Youre trained not to talk about your butt. This is not (what you talk about) in polite society. At first, I would rely on euphemisms and be kind of fake and make jokes, he says. If youre not detailed on what youre going through, youre not going to paint the right picture for your care team. Youre not going to get the right care. This article was originally published on TODAY.com By Neil Jerome Morales MANILA (Reuters) - President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said on Wednesday that four new military bases under a defense agreement with the U.S. would be located in various parts of the Philippines, including in a province facing the South China Sea. Last month, Marcos granted the U.S. access to four sites, on top of five existing locations under the 2014 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), which comes amid China's growing assertiveness in the South China Sea and towards Taiwan. "There are four extra sites scattered around the Philippines - there are some in the north, there are some around Palawan, there are some further south," Marcos told reporters at the sidelines of the Philippine army's founding anniversary. The EDCA allows U.S. access to Philippine bases for joint training, pre-positioning of equipment and building of facilities such as runways, fuel storage and military housing, but it is not a permanent presence. The Philippines and the U.S. would announce the locations of the bases soon, Marcos said, adding the sites would boost the country's ability to defend the "eastern side" of its largest island, Luzon. Luzon is the closest main Philippine island to self-ruled Taiwan that China claims as its own. China's foreign ministry on Wednesday reiterated its stance that the U.S. side was increasing tensions by strengthening its military deployments in the region, adding countries should be "vigilant" and avoid being used by the U.S.. "We generally believe that defence cooperation between countries should be conducive to regional peace and stability, and should not be aimed at third parties or harm the interests of third parties," spokesperson Wang Wenbin told reporters at a regular news briefing. A former Philippine military chief has publicly said the U.S. had asked for access to bases in Isabela, Zambales and Cagayan, all on the island of Luzon, facing north towards Taiwan, and on Palawan in the southwest, near the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. Story continues Some leaders of local governments at the potential EDCA sites have opposed Marcos' decision, worried they would be dragged into a conflict if one arose between the U.S. and China over Taiwan. But Marcos said his government has discussed with them the importance of the expanded U.S. access and "why it will actually be good for their provinces". Washington has committed $80 million worth of infrastructure investments at the five existing sites - the Antonio Bautista Air Base in Palawan, Basa Air Base in Pampanga, Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija, Benito Ebuen Air Base in Cebu and Lumbia Air Base in Mindanao. Speaking before Philippine troops, Marcos told them to be vigilant as the external threat to security was becoming more "complex" and "unpredictable". "Be vigilant against elements that will undermine our hard earned peace, our hard earned stability, continue to improve relations with your counterparts overseas," Marcos said. Without giving specifics, Marcos said he was aware of an "emerging threat" to his country's territory, which he said would require "adjustments in our strategy". "The external security environment is becoming more complex. It is becoming more unpredictable," Marcos said. (Writing by Karen Lema; Editing by Ed Davies and Himani Sarkar) A man who shot a woman in the arm before stealing a car, fleeing from cops and crashing on a highway in southwest Miami-Dade was arrested Tuesday, according to police. Michael James Clark, 52, faces charges including attempted felony murder, strong-arm robbery and aggravated fleeing from an officer, county court records show. The Miami-Dade resident remained at the countys Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center as of Tuesday evening. Officers hurried at around 12:15 a.m. Tuesday to the area of Southwest 137th Avenue and Southwest 268th Street following a 911 call about a shooting, police said in a news release. There, first responders found a woman known to Clark with a gunshot wound to her arm. Paramedics took her to a hospital in stable condition. Investigators said they believe that Clark shot her before stealing a 2003 Buick Park Avenue and fleeing the scene. According to Clarks arrest report, Palmetto Bay units spotted the stolen car hours later at Southwest 152nd Street and South Dixie Highway and tried to conduct a traffic stop. Cops say Clark refused and sped away, and a police chase began. The pursuit ended, the report says, when Clark sideswiped two vehicles, damaging the Buicks front left tire and causing the car to become undrivable. He was then arrested around 10:15 a.m. Tuesday at Don Shula Expressway (State Road 874) and Killian Parkway, police said. Clarks attorney information wasnt available Tuesday night. A previous attack? During the investigation, the victim told detectives that she and Clark had a verbal dispute on Monday night, according to a second police report. She told police that around 10 p.m. Clark took her cellphone from her hand before he started to hit and choke her in his home on the 26000 block of Southwest 138th Court. Clark then gave the cellphone back to her and allowed her to leave the residence, the report states. Long history of arrests This was not Clarks first interaction with police. In fact, his arrest record goes back to the 1980s, county court records show. Story continues In February, he was charged in a Miami-Dade court with attempted aggravated battery against a police officer and resisting an officer without violence. Those charges are pending and a trial hearing is scheduled for July 3. In 2021, Clark pleaded guilty in a Miami-Dade court to strong-arm robbery, attempted kidnapping, battery on a person 65 or older and third-degree grand theft in connection with crimes carried out two years earlier. He was sentenced to two years in state prison. He was then released in April 2021, Florida Department of Corrections records show. In 2012, he pleaded guilty in a Miami-Dade court to two counts of attempted armed robbery and two of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, and he was sentenced to five years in prison. Clark has also been convicted of additional charges throughout his lifetime including robbery, burglary, battery, violation of probation and cocaine possession. (Bloomberg) -- Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell is taking calls from his colleagues and is eager to return to Capitol Hill as he recovers from a concussion suffered earlier this month, a GOP senator said. Most Read from Bloomberg John Cornyn of Texas, one of McConnells closest friends in the Senate, said he sounds sharp but there is no timetable as far as when he would come back. Hes chomping at the bit, Cornyn added. Cornyn said he urged McConnell, 81, not to rush because the Senate under Democratic control isnt working on important legislation right now. The chamber this week is debating rolling back legal authorizations underpinning military operations in Iraq, including the invasion that began two decades ago this month. McConnell, Kentuckys senior senator, was taken to a hospital earlier this month after he tripped at a private dinner at Washingtons Waldorf Astoria Hotel for the Senate Leadership Fund, a super political action committee aligned with him. He was discharged from the hospital March 13 and has been at an inpatient rehabilitation facility since. Senate GOP Whip John Thune of South Dakota said he spoke to McConnell on Tuesday for about five minutes and discussed whats unfolding on the Senate floor. We have a lot of very capable members of our leadership team and so everybodys kind of stepping up and doing what they can to make sure that we got as I said all the bases covered until he gets back. McConnell sounded good, Thune added. I cant speak to when hes coming back McConnell was first elected to the Senate in 1984 and is now serving his seventh term. He is the longest-serving party leader in Senate history. Before his political career, he worked on Capitol Hill and was an assistant attorney general in the Ford administration. Story continues Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo heavily criticized President Biden for his designation of a new national monument in Nevada, arguing it would negatively impact residents for generations. On Tuesday, Biden announced he would establish the so-called Avi Kwa Ame National Monument in southern Nevada, a region that includes Spirit Mountain and used as a sacred space by Indigenous tribes, according to the White House. Lombardo, though, said he had contacted Biden about the 506,814-acre monument designation in his state, but never received a response. "Since I took office, the Biden White House has not consulted with my administration about any of the details of the proposed Avi Kwa Ame national monument which, given the size of the proposal, seems badly out of step," Lombardo, who took office in January, said in a statement. "Upon learning that the President was considering unilateral action, I reached out to the White House to raise several concerns, citing the potential for terminal disruption of rare earth mineral mining projects and long-planned, bipartisan economic development efforts," he continued. "While Im still waiting for a response, Im not surprised." BIDEN INTERIOR SECRETARY CHOKES UP WHILE TALKING ABOUT IMPORTANCE OF BISON FOR NATIVE AMERICANS The Castle Mountains within Avi Kwa Ame are pictured on Feb. 13 in Boulder City, Nevada. The newly-minted national monument, located near multiple national wilderness areas including the Mojave Desert, is home to both significant mineral reserves and land where energy developers have proposed large renewable energy projects. Nevada contains massive deposits of lithium, a key mineral for green energy technologies like electric vehicle batteries. READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP BIDEN ADMIN HIT WITH LAWSUIT OVER APPROVAL OF MASSIVE OIL DRILLING PROJECT: 'WE ARE ENRAGED' In 2015, Crescent Peak Renewables, a subsidiary of a Swedish energy firm, proposed a 500-megawatt wind energy project across more than 30,000 acres of federal lands in the area where Biden declared the monument. The Trump administration ultimately denied approving permits for the project, citing the 306 active mining claims that would be disturbed by its construction. Story continues Then, last year, the company proposed a scaled-down version of the project across nearly 5,000 acres. However, the entire project is unlikely to move forward since it is entirely located in the Avi Kwa Ame National Monument. Republican Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo speaks on Nov. 14, 2022 in North Las Vegas, Nevada. "This kind of Washington Knows Best policy might win plaudits from unaccountable special interests, but its going to cost our state jobs and economic opportunity all while making land more expensive and more difficult to develop for affordable housing and critical infrastructure projects," said Lombardo. "The federal confiscation of 506,814 acres of Nevada land is a historic mistake that will cost Nevadans for generations to come." AOC, TOP DEMOCRATS ISSUE STINGING REBUKE OF BIDEN OVER FAILED CLIMATE PROMISES In addition to establishing the Avi Kwa Ame National Monument, Biden also designated the Castner Range National Monument in western Texas near El Paso. President Joe Biden delivers remarks at the White House Conservation in Action Summit at the U.S. Interior Department on Tuesday. During remarks at the White House Conservation in Action Summit on Tuesday, Biden lauded both monuments. "[Avi Kwa Ame National Monument is] one of our most beautiful landscapes that ties together one of the largest contiguous wildlife corridors in the United States: 500,000 acres," he said. "Its breathtaking. Breathtaking deserts, valleys, mountain ranges. Rich in biodiversity. Sacred lands that are central to the creation story of so many Tribes who have been here since time immemorial." "[Castner Range is] also a place of incredible beauty.," he added. "As winter gives way to spring, Mexican gold poppies are bursting into bloom. You see I wish I what I wanted to do was have all this in a video behind me here because when you see it, its just breathtaking. Transforming desert plains and hills into a sea of vibrant yellow and oranges, framed with the rugged mountains and the blue sky." Fox News' Lee Ross contributed to this report Doug Gemmell Nature Photography A Connecticut photographer captured a bald eagle grabbing a slice of pizza from a parking lot. Doug Gemmell said it was not typical to see eagles grabbing food outside of fish or small rodents. The eagle ended up being chased away by four crows after a battle for the slice. The saying usually goes "as American as apple pie," but a juvenile bald eagle in Connecticut suggests the expression should have ended with "pizza pie" after it took off with a half-eaten parking lot pizza. Doug Gemmell, a retired banker turned photographer, told Insider this was the first time he's seen one steal a slice. "Pizza is not your typical thing," Gemmell said of America's bird. The photographer, who has been taking nature shots for 7 years now, said he found the eagle near Wethersfield Cove, a inlet located in Wethersfield, Connecticut, after hearing about eagle activity in the area in early March. He walked up to a Department of Motor Vehicles parking lot in the area when he saw an eagle fly around, then lower its legs. "That's always a sign that it's going to either land on something or grab something, and it was coming down pretty low to the ground," Gemmell said. "So at that point, I said 'you know what, let me lock on that thing and take us some pictures.'" Although he missed the shot of the eagle grabbing the pizza because of a snowbank in the way, Gemmell managed to grab some aerial photos of the eagle clutching its pepperoni prize. Doug Gemmell Nature Photography Soon after, four crows, who also wanted the slice, chased the eagle away, Gemmell said. He said he never saw whether or not the eagle ate the pizza. Gemmell speculated that the young eagle perhaps saw another creature eating the pizza, or grabbed it with the intent of dropping it. Young eagles are known to investigate random objects and sometimes grab objects too heavy for their bodies in order to practice their snatching. He said he's received a positive response after posting the image to Facebook, with people making humorous comments about America's pizza-loving bird. Gemmell also printed out the photo and hung it on his wall, and said he would be willing to send others prints of the eagle if they reach out. Story continues Insider asked Gemmell if he had heard of pizza rat a 2015 meme in which a New York City subway rat walked away with a slice of pizza twice its size. He confirmed he had. "Maybe this one could be the Pizza Eagle of Connecticut," Gemmell said. Read the original article on Insider Three separate shootings on Milwaukee's north side Tuesday afternoon left one person dead and three others injured, including a 66-year-old Milwaukee woman who was struck when a bullet entered her residence. The fatal shooting took place around 1:41 p.m. on the 4100 block of North 26th Street. According to Milwaukee police, an unidentified male was struck fatally and a 41-year-old Milwaukee man was hospitalized and is in stable condition. Less than an hour later, on the 3600 block of West North Avenue, a 32-year-old Milwaukee man was injured in a shooting. According to police, the man summoned for assistance from the Milwaukee Fire Department at 3000 W. Galena St., which is near Fire Station 32. He was then transported to a hospital where he was listed in critical condition, police said. Police arrested a 39-year-old Milwaukee man in connection to the shooting. At roughly 4:20 p.m., on 9600 block of West Allyn Street, on Milwaukee's far northwest side, a 66-year-old woman was struck by a bullet while inside her residence. She was transported to a hospital and is expected to survive, police said. Police do not have anyone in custody for the fatal shooting or for the woman who was struck inside her home. Anyone with any additional information about any of the three shootings is asked to contact Milwaukee Police at (414) 935-7360 or to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at (414) 224-Tips or P3 Tips. Our subscribers make this reporting possible. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing to the Journal Sentinel at jsonline.com/deal. DOWNLOAD THE APP: Get the latest news, sports and more This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: One dead, three injured in three separate shootings in Milwaukee Eliza Anderson, Deseret News The 2024 presidential election cycle is slowly building momentum with a new headline each day speculating on who will, or will not, announce a candidacy. As the campaigns accelerate, they will add fuel to the fire of election policy debates in the West. Two personal stories broadly capture these debates and how they affect individual voters. The first is the story of my wife, Melanie. As mother of our three children (two diagnosed with ADHD), she appreciates and supports Utahs vote-by-mail system. She describes the last time she tried to vote in person on Election Day as stressful and pressured an extended wait in a long line with two kids in tow and a third on the way and calls vote by mail easy, simple and straightforward. Rather than being forced to vote in a restricted time window on a single day, no matter how well that day works with our unique challenges, vote by mail means she can submit her ballot in a way that makes sense for her dropping it off early or on Election Day at a voting center or drop box. The second story involves a public statement I heard while preparing to testify to a Wyoming legislative committee about ranked choice voting. Brian Miller, a Wyoming resident, made his point succinctly: Why would we complicate the voting and election process for the people?, which he believes reforms such as ranked choice voting would do. Miller is concerned that adding complexity to voting may introduce doubt in elections among the electorate. If traditional ways of casting a ballot have downsides such as being more expensive, he believes we ought to be willing to spend the money necessary to do elections right. Ensuring trust The variety of experiences and viewpoints on elections in Western states leave policy approaches to elections as varied as Westerners themselves. In Utah, elections are primarily vote by mail, and there is an opt-in pilot program for cities and towns to use ranked choice voting if they want. Legislative proposals to restrict vote by mail and ranked choice voting were all defeated. Story continues Wyoming is not a vote-by-mail state. Wyoming lawmakers recently rejected a proposal to duplicate Utahs ranked choice voting pilot program. Colorado, Nevada, Washington and Oregon are primarily vote-by-mail election states, along with Utah. But Nevada took a large step last year toward moving to a system in which all candidates for federal office run in the same primary, and then the final five move on to the November election, which is a ranked choice election the system Alaska currently uses for its federal offices. This diversity of approaches to voting is under a general assault by those motivated by concerns stemming from the 2020 presidential election. On the one hand, some assail any voting method other than in-person voting, on Election Day only, as somehow unreliable. On the other hand, some use hyperbolic historical comparisons and accusations of malicious intent to assault sound election security reforms. Partisan concern over who won past elections and how supporters of the losing side responded to electoral loss flows in a constant undercurrent to the river of our election policy debate. We can and should strive for better than that. Forming sound election policy begins with sound election policy principles. The ability to choose our own representation in government through free and fair elections lies at the heart of the American experiment in free self-government. Public trust in the civic institution of voting in its fairness and the integrity of the results is the lifeblood of that institution. The importance of elections to freedom and equality in America means that policymakers, activists and voters should have something higher than partisan interest in mind when seeking to influence or change how we vote. Election reform as an exercise in increasing partisan power destroys public trust in elections and corrupts the heart of self-government. At the same time, no realistic voting reform idea or election policy debate can ignore the power politics at play, because doing so leaves us with the status quo of partisan division and polarization. The Utah way Sound state election policies should be grounded in the goal of expanding general access to voting while increasing the difficulty of voter fraud. This builds public trust in elections by ensuring that elections fairly offer any eligible voter the chance for their voice to be heard, and by keeping elections free from malign influence or manipulation. Seen through the lens of these principles, sound election policy has as much to do with administering election policy the right way as it does with selecting the right voting method. Sutherland Institute research that I authored concluded, for instance, that vote by mail can be a secure means of voting that offers voters sufficient access to voting. If policymakers begin vote by mail on a small scale, rolled out organically as election administrators and voters gain experience with primarily vote-by-mail elections over a decade or so as Utah did vote by mail can both be done securely and expand access to voting. My wifes voting experience attests to this. On the other hand, jumping blindly into a universal vote-by-mail election with little experience running such elections (as the COVID-19 pandemic forced many states to do), is not a great introduction to vote by mail. There are similarly better and worse ways to do ranked choice voting and in-person voting on Election Day. The important thing for policymakers is learning the best ways to administer each approach to voting and determining where and how each might be used to bolster public trust in elections. The stories of both Brian and Melanie have legitimate insights for how we run elections. But our currently divided politics struggles to produce policy ideas on that basis. Too often, groups on all sides push an election reform agenda often a partisan one based on only one experience or point of view and with an outcome in mind based on partisan political power. If Western policymakers will instead pursue election reforms based on sound principles, reliable data and the broad variety of voters experiences and viewpoints, they can promote public trust in elections and protect the civic foundations of American democracy. Derek Monson is vice president of policy for Sutherland Institute, a principle-based think tank in Salt Lake City. Authorities are searching for a missing Fall River girl who hasnt been seen since Monday. 12-year-old Giulia Vitoria Silva Cabral left her home around 9 a.m. and never made it to school, according to Massachusetts State Police. Officials say she was last seen in the area of Claflin Street in Fall River and may be heading to Peabody in a blue vehicle with an unknown man in his late teens to early 20s. Cabral is described as a 54, 127lb female with brown hair and brown eyes. Anyone with information about her whereabouts is asked to call police. .@FallRiverPD seeking to locate Giulia Cabral, 12, who left home at 9AM Monday 3/20/23 & did not arrive at school. May have gone to #Peabody in a blue vehicle w/a male in his teens to 20s. If anyone sees her or has info pls contact Fall River PD at (508) 676-8511 or call 911. pic.twitter.com/HVOAtGzQMo Mass State Police (@MassStatePolice) March 21, 2023 This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW Officers arrested three people after a report of domestic violence at a Rocklin apartment complex led to a standoff Monday night that continued for a few hours, before a SWAT team used tear gas and distraction devices to force a surrender. The standoff with police occurred at the Sunset Apartments in the 3500 block of Sunset Boulevard. An officer responded to a report of domestic violence, kidnapping, and false imprisonment committed at the apartment complex, the Rocklin Police Department announced Tuesday afternoon in a news release. The officer tried to speak to a man in the home, later identified as Daniel Chavez, who was wanted for the alleged crimes and had warrants for his arrest. Police said Chavez refused to answer the door and come out of the apartment. After more than an hour of trying to convince Chavez to come out of the home, the SWAT team and crisis negotiators were called to the home, police said. The SWAT team includes officers from Roseville and Rocklin police departments. Police said Chavez would not comply with officers and exit the home despite the negotiations. Authorities closed Sunset Boulevard to vehicle traffic, between Third and Pacific streets, as officers worked at the scene at the apartment complex, Rocklin police announced shortly after 9 p.m. Monday in social media posts. At 12:19 a.m. Tuesday, police announced that officers had cleared the scene and reopened the street. The SWAT team deployed two distraction devices and CS gas, a commonly used tear gas, to force Chavez and two other people in the apartment to surrender, according to the Police Department. Chavez was arrested on suspicion of kidnapping, domestic violence and resisting arrest, police said. He also had felony and misdemeanor warrants for his arrest. Police said Thomas Nicholson and Crystal Powell, who were in the apartment with Chavez Monday night and surrendered to police, were arrested on suspicion of resisting arrest. They also had warrants for their arrest. Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) issued some rare criticism of former President Donald Trump on Tuesday, saying truth is an essential quality in a leader and contrasting his potential rival with the character of the Founding Fathers. DeSantis spoke with British journalist Piers Morgan as part of a sweeping interview about his presidential ambitions. The governor has largely avoided needling Trump but took swipes at the former presidents leadership style and his legal woes surrounding a hush money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels in 2016. At the end of the day, as a leader you really want to look to people like our Founding Fathers, DeSantis said. Its not saying that you dont ever make a mistake in your personal life, but I think, what type of character are you bringing? I think the person is more about how you handle your public duties and the kind of character you bring to that endeavor. DeSantis also pointed to Trumps leadership style, backing away from what he called the former presidents daily drama. You bring your own agenda in, youre gone, he said. Were just not going to have that. So, the way we run the government, I think, is no daily drama, focus on the big picture and put points on the board, and I think thats something thats very important. He went on to say that voters needed to agree that theres a certain reality to the world we live in, an apparent dig at Trumps penchant for lies and misinformation after his 2020 reelection loss. Truth is essential, DeSantis said. We have to agree that theres a certain reality to the world we live in, and if we can just create our own facts, then were never going to be able to agree on anything or never really be able to do policy in a way that makes sense, and so, yes, its not your truth or my truth, its the truth. Despite that sentiment, the governor said that were he in charge during the COVID-19 pandemic, he would have fired Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nations top expert on infectious diseases. Story continues Trump and DeSantis were always going to have to get in the ring to decide wholl be the Republican nominee. Safe to say, I think my interview with @GovRonDeSantis has sounded the bell for Round One. It airs on @PiersUncensored on Thursday, and its a cracking watch. #DingDing pic.twitter.com/HrcGntnLFP Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) March 21, 2023 The interview published in the New York Post, a key tentpole in Rupert Murdochs media empire came just hours after DeSantis took a not-so-subtle jab at Trumps potential indictment related to the Daniels hush money case. I dont know what goes into paying hush money to a porn star to secure silence over some type of alleged affair, DeSantis said Monday during a news conference. I just, I cant speak to that. The governor did level criticism at the Manhattan district attorney and suggested the investigation is politically motivated. But his statement prompted immediate outrage from the former president. Ron DeSanctimonious will probably find out about FALSE ACCUSATIONS & FAKE STORIES sometime in the future, as he gets older, wiser, and better known, when hes unfairly and illegally attacked by a woman, even classmates that are underage (or possibly a man!), Trump raged on his Truth Social media network. Im sure he will want to fight these misfits just like I do! DeSantis added that the barbs about his name dont bother him, saying it wasnt important for him to be fighting with people on social media. To me, its just background noise, the governor said. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has signaled his office is likely to level criminal charges against Trump for his role in the $130,000 payment to Daniels during the waning days of his 2016 presidential campaign. Related... South Carolina Law Enforcement Division Chief Mark Keel confirmed Tuesday night that his agency is now investigating the 2015 death of Hampton County teen Stephen Smith as a murder. We do believe it was a murder, Keel told The State. We dont believe it was a hit-and-run. How Smith, 19, died has been the subject of increasing speculation for years, as one of a number of suspicious Lowcountry deaths. In recent months questions about his death his body was found on a rural road at night in have been raised by state and national media. For years, officials have said Smith, who was openly gay, was the victim of a hit-and-run. Keel said that he spoke earlier Tuesday with Columbia lawyer Eric Bland, who represents Sandy Smith, Stephens mother, and told Bland that SLED was now investigating her sons death as a murder. Bland and his law partner, Ronnie Richter, then released Keels statement to the media. SLEDs investigation into Stephen Smiths death has been ongoing since 2021, according to a SLED spokesperson. Smith, a nursing student at Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College, was found dead on Sandy Run Road in Hampton County around 4 a.m. on July 4, 2015. His car was reported to be 3 miles away, with its gas cap unscrewed. On July 8, an autopsy concluded that Smith died due to blunt force trauma to his head. An initial investigation by the South Carolina Highway Patrols Multi-disciplinary Accident Investigation Team concluded that it was a manslaughter due to a vehicular hit-and-run. However, the lead MAIT investigator, Todd Proctor, has repeatedly and publicly expressed doubts about this conclusion. Nothing about this case from the very beginning pointed towards it being a hit-and-run, Proctor told Fox News in a June 2021 interview. SLED has asked anybody with information to call 803-737-9000. This is a developing story. Check back for updates. A police officer places a barricade in front of Trump Tower, on Tuesday, March 21, 2023, in New York. AP Photo/Bryan Woolston The NYPD has set up steel barricades outside of the Trump Tower in New York City. Police officers were also seen stationed outside Trump Tower, per the Associated Press. The city is bracing for what could potentially be a Trump indictment in Manhattan. The New York Police Department is amping up security outside Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue, an early sign that the city's prepping for protests if former President Donald Trump is indicted. A video from the Associated Press showed steel barricades going up in front of the golden doors of Trump Tower on Tuesday. The video also showed NYPD officers stationed in front of the barricades. The NYPD did not immediately respond to Insider's query on how many officers have been stationed outside the premises, or if the police department had received credible threats of violence. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is investigating if Trump paid off the adult film actress, Stormy Daniels and violate New York election and document laws. A person dressed up as Donald Trump in an orange prison jumpsuit stands in front of the barricaded Trump Tower. AP Photo/Bryan Woolston On Monday, police put up similar steel barricades outside the Manhattan Criminal Court, where Trump could be indicted, per Politico. On Saturday, Trump posted an unsubstantiated claim on his Truth Social account that he will be arrested on Tuesday and called on his supporters to protest on his behalf. Trump was not arrested on Tuesday. "PROTEST, TAKE OUR NATION BACK!" Trump wrote on Truth Social on Saturday, echoing his own rhetoric before the Capitol riot. Bragg has told his employees that they will be protected from threats to the prosecutor's office. "We will not be intimidated by attempts to undermine the justice process, nor will we let baseless accusations deter us from fairly applying the law," a spokesperson for Bragg told Insider on Monday. If convicted, Trump could face up to four years in prison. Read the original article on Business Insider The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division is investigating the death of Stephen Smith, a 19-year-old nursing student whose body was found in the middle of a South Carolina road in 2015, as a homicide. An agency spokesperson told CNN there were no indications in the investigation that Smiths killing was a hit-and-run. Smiths body was discovered in Hampton County on July 8, 2015. Convicted murderer Alex Murdaughs surviving son, Buster, said that he unequivocally denies vicious rumors that he was involved in the death of his former classmate, Smith, who law enforcement officials originally said was a victim of a hit-and-run accident. READ MORE: Buster Murdaugh denies any involvement with death of high school friend Stephen Smith An incident report from the state highway patrol indicated Smith had suffered blunt force trauma to the head, and his death was initially deemed a hit-and-run. While a pathologist cited in a SLED report said Smith appeared to have been hit by a vehicle, the responding officer referenced in a report by the highway patrols Multidisciplinary Accident Investigation Team noted there was no vehicle debris, skid marks, or injuries consistent with someone being struck by a vehicle. Smiths shoes were also both on and loosely tied, the report added, and investigators saw no evidence suggesting he was struck by a vehicle. Notes from investigators in the case file say that according to family, Stephen would never have been walking in the middle of the roadway and that he was very skittish. According to notes taken by a SLED investigator at the scene, Smith had injuries to his left arm, hand and head. ALSO READ: Murdaugh family possessions up for auction this week His vehicle was found about three miles away, that report said, with the gas tank door open and the gas cap hanging out on the side of the car. The vehicles battery was functional but the car wouldnt start, the report added. We have a chance to right eight years of wrongs, and we intend to do just that, said the Smith family attorneys at Bland Richter Law Firm. Story continues Smiths mother, Sandy Smith, raised money for an independent autopsy after state police first said that her son had car trouble, was walking for help, and got hit by a car. Smiths family believes he was murdered. VIDEO: Alex Murdaugh trial: Jury finds attorney guilty of murder of wife, son Stormy Daniels. Drew Angerer/Getty Images A lawyer for Stormy Daniels said he gave the Manhattan DA communications between her and Trump's attorney. The revelation comes amid a probe into allegations that Trump was involved in a hush money scheme. The exchanges could limit the role Trump's current attorney could play in a future possible trial. An attorney for adult film actress Stormy Daniels gave the Manhattan DA communications between his client and former President Donald Trump's current attorney dating back to 2018, CNN reported Tuesday, possibly spelling trouble for the Trump legal team ahead of a possible indictment for the 2024 candidate. Daniels' attorney Clark Brewster told the outlet the email exchanges come from when Daniels was looking for a lawyer five years ago. The communications reportedly include information about Daniels' then situation, which Brewster said contains confidential information she disclosed to Trump lawyer Joe Tacopina. In an interview with Insider Tuesday, Tacopina denied ever speaking with Daniels. He said Daniels reached out to his office, saying she was looking for representation for "some nondisclosure agreement regarding Trump and a settlement and whatnot." When a paralegal in his office brought it up with him, he declined to take the case, he told Insider. "It's a joke," Tacopina said. "I have no attorney-client privilege with her. I didn't represent her. I never met her, never spoke to her." Even if Tacopina didn't take on Daniels as a client at the time, New York Bar rules outline certain obligations that attorneys have for prospective clients. A judge may disqualify Tacopina from the case if they find that Daniels shared confidential information with him, according to Stephen Gillers, a professor of legal ethics at New York University law school. "If Daniels shared confidential information with Tacopina, he may be personally disqualified," Gillers told Insider. "The scope of the disqualification can be from the entire case or from cross-examining her." Story continues Tacopina told Insider that the communication from Daniels didn't rise to a level that would raise a conflict. "Had I met with her, sat down with her, taken the case, or even just learned things that I could subsequently use against her that's one thing," Tacopina said. "That wasn't the case here. Because I'd never met with her. I never spoke to her. I never reviewed any documents she had." Tacopina is defending Trump in an ongoing case stemming from accusations that the former president was involved in a hush money payout to Daniels during his first campaign. Trump has denied all wrongdoing and his attorneys maintain that he was the victim of extortion. A Manhattan grand jury may decide to bring an indictment as soon as Wednesday. It's reportedly scheduled to hear from another witness on Wednesday before receiving instructions on bringing charges. Brewster didn't immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. He told CNN that he handed over the communications between Daniels and Tacopina following what he said were contradicting comments from the Trump lawyer about his firm's emails with Daniels. Read the original article on Business Insider The arranged marriage of UBS and Credit Suisse will create the biggest bank Switzerland has ever seen, with some wondering if the superbank might be too big for its own good. The deal struck late Sunday prevented the collapse of the country's second-biggest lender by folding it into the largest. Even before last week's dramatic events, both firms were already among the 30 around the world deemed of strategic importance to the global banking system and therefore too big to fail. Some in business, industry and politics are not convinced that one even bigger bank will turn out for the better. "Credit Suisse was really the bank of the economy and industry," said Philippe Cordonier of Swissmem, the national association representing the engineering industry. For exporting companies, Credit Suisse offered a range of services essential for international transactions, "payments abroad, credits, leasing or currency hedging", he told AFP. - Less competition - "This is where the question arises of what skills will be kept," said Cordonier, as the profiles of the two banks, although close, are not identical. So far, many questions remain unanswered. Such a takeover would normally need months of negotiations, but UBS only had a couple of days, under some serious arm-twisting by Swiss authorities. UBS chief executive Ralph Hamers admitted at an analysts' conference that he did not yet have all the details of the takeover. Switzerland is a confederation of 26 cantons and Cordonier said the alternative could be to turn from the national banks to the cantonal banks. However, many do not currently have the skills to help companies export to far-off markets such as Asia, and would have to develop them. The other option is to turn to foreign banks, although they would not possess "in-depth knowledge" of the Swiss market, Cordonier said. "If there is only one major bank that has the capacity to work abroad, this will restrict the choice of solutions for companies," said the engineer, who is also concerned about the repercussions on costs "if there is less competition". Story continues - SMEs worried - Founded in 1856 by Alfred Escher, the godfather of Swiss railways, Credit Suisse was closely linked to the country's economic development. The bank financed the expansion of the rail network, the construction of the Gotthard Tunnel beneath the Alps, and the start-up of Swiss companies that went on to become leaders in their sector. "Twenty-five years ago, there were four big Swiss banks," recalled the Swiss Federation of Companies, which represents small and medium enterprises. The banking sector has already seen major convergence in 1998 when the Swiss Bank Corporation merged with the Union Bank of Switzerland to form the modern UBS. "The concentration into a smaller number of banks reduces competition and makes it more difficult to obtain good financing conditions for SMEs," the federation said in a statement. The orchestrated takeover has also triggered virulent criticism among Swiss political circles, of all stripes. Politicians have called for the further tightening of regulations -- which are already strict in Switzerland -- in the face of this new giant, which will dominate the nation's banking sector. - Swift solution - A partial nationalisation could "at least" have been considered, said Tobias Straumann, professor of economic history at the University of Zurich, told the Berner Zeitung newspaper. Carlo Lombardini, a lawyer and professor of banking law at the University of Lausanne, said the UBS takeover "was surely the only swift and feasible solution". However, he would have preferred another outcome, such as a takeover "by a foreign bank", he told AFP. "But a large foreign group doesn't do acquisitions in a weekend," he admitted. The other solution would have been to nationalise Credit Suisse "to enhance the good bank" and consolidate the poor assets into a "bad bank" to be liquidated, he explained. However, it is already too late for such what-ifs, Lombardini said. "It's like wondering what would have happened if Napoleon had not lost at Waterloo," he said. "The real problem is we are going to have an even more 'too big to fail' bank," he warned. noo/rjm/rox Bland Richter Law Firm Lawyers for the family of a South Carolina teen found dead near the estate of the Murdaugh family in 2015 claim that state police now consider it an intentional killing. Attorney Eric Bland said he spoke with the chief of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division on Tuesday evening and was stunned by what he called an extraordinary disclosure. Bland quoted SLED Chief Mark Keel as saying, Right now we dont know who murdered Stephen but we do believe it was an intentional killing. SLED confirmed to The Daily Beast that the call took place but did not confirm what was said. Smith, 19, was found dead on a backcountry road in Hampton, South Carolina, not far from the Murdaugh hunting estatewhere patriarch Alex Murdaugh would fatally shoot his wife and son in 2021. A medical examiner concluded that Smith died from a hit-and-run accident. Shortly after Murdaugh was sentenced to life in prison, SLED announced they would open an investigation into Smiths death based upon information gathered during the course of the double-murder investigation of Paul and Maggie Murdaugh. The call between Bland and SLED comes one day after the only surviving son of convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh, Buster, released a statement slamming vicious rumors and denying any involvement in his high school classmate's death. I have tried my best to ignore the vicious rumors about my involvement in Stephen Smiths tragic death that continue to be published in the media as I grieve over the brutal murders of my mother and brother. I love them so much and I miss them terribly, Murdaugh said. I havent spoken up until now because I want to live in private while I cope with their deaths and my fathers incarceration. Buster Murdaugh Denies Involvement in Death of Teen The statement also came just moments before Smiths mother and her legal team announced a new investigation into Stephens death, which will include an exhumation and an independent autopsy. Story continues SLED officials have revealed that they did not need to exhume Stephen Smith's body to convince them that his death was a homicide, Bland and the other lawyer in the case, Ronald Richter, said Tuesday. However, they will be present and participate in any exhumation of Stephen's body to gather more evidence. We are committed to finding out what really happened, and getting the peace and justice the Smith family deserves. The lawyers added that SLED noted in the phone call that they were waiting until Murdaughs murder trial was finished before making an announcement about the update in Smiths case out of concern that witnesses would not be as forthcoming under the Murdaugh sphere of influence. Since the conclusion of the Murdaugh trial, more resources have been devoted and will be devoted to Stephen Smith's case, the lawyers added. We have a chance to right eight years of wrongs, and we intend to do just that. In a News Nation interview on Tuesday evening, Sandy Smith said she was elated to hear the latest development into her sons deathnoting that she has been fighting for more answers since 2015. This is what Ive been waiting for, she said, before later adding that she knew in her heart that the initial findings into Smiths death were not accurate. More here from Stephen's mom Sandra Smith and attorney Eric Bland about Stephen's death officially being classified as a homicide. Bland says investigators will be present when the body is exhumed and investigators "believe there is a small circle of people who have information." pic.twitter.com/isbtw4PDlV Brian Entin (@BrianEntin) March 22, 2023 On Monday, the lawyers noted their intention to begin their own investigation into the teenager after his mother, Sandy Smith, launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for an independent autopsy. As of Tuesday, the Smith family has raised over $80,000 to ensure an unbiased look at his body and an accurate determination of his cause of death based on facts. SLED is publicly supporting us, Sandy Smith, and her efforts to find out what really happened to her son, Richter added. They have expressed their condolences to the Smith family and will continue to work diligently to bring those responsible for Stephen's death to justice. 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. Austin, Texas law enforcement officers arrested a man on Monday for allegedly killing a man and then attempting to burn down the home to destroy the evidence, according to police. The Austin Police Department said officers and members of the Austin Fire Department responded to a report just before 11 p.m. on Sunday, of a fire on Meridian Oaks Lane. Zachary Salinas was charged with first-degree murder, first-degree arson and tampering with evidence. Once crews arrived, members of the fire department entered the home and found John Ryan Kern, who police said appeared to be stabbed. At the time of his discovery, Kern was still alive, though he died a short time later. HOUSTON POLICE IDENTIFY SUSPECT ACCUSED OF ROBBING ELDERLY WOMAN AT GUNPOINT IN HER OWN GARAGE During the investigation, APD homicide detectives and crime scene specialists spoke to the man who reported the fire to the 911 operator. The man told investigators Kern was his nephew and his roommate. READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP The roof of a police patrol car at night, with the blue and red lights flashing. Detectives also learned that a third roommate, 31-year-old Zachary Salinas, also lived in the home, and he was later located. SUV SMASHES INTO HOUSTON COFFEE SHOP, HITS TWO MEN DURING LIVE PODCAST: VIDEO Investigators allege that Salinas stabbed Kern to death inside the home, and in an attempt to destroy the evidence, Salinas tried to burn the house down. He was taken to the Travis County Jail and charged with first-degree murder, first-degree arson and tampering with evidence. Salinas was also held without bond. The investigation into the matter is ongoing and anyone with information about the incident is encouraged to contact the Austin Police Department at 512-974-TIPS. Police added that tips can be submitted anonymously through the Capital Area Crime Stoppers Program by calling 512-472-8477 or visiting austincrimestoppers.org. (Bloomberg) -- TikTok Chief Executive Officer Shou Chew plans to tell Congress his app does more to protect young users than rival social media and that Beijing has no authority over its data, invoking familiar arguments to head off a US ban or forced sale. Most Read from Bloomberg The app owned by Chinese internet leader ByteDance Ltd. expends a lot of effort protecting its mostly youthful contingent, Chew plans to say when he testifies before the House Energy and Commerce Committee Thursday, according to prepared comments reviewed by Bloomberg News. And the executive, who took the helm of the viral video phenom just two years ago, reiterated that it would never share information demanded by the Communist Party, which has no sway over ByteDances US- and Singapore-based subsidiary. Chews comments are meant to head off a barrage of questions expected from Representatives on the committee about teen safety and the impact on mental health of the endless, personalized feed of videos the app serves up. Thats not the only contentious topic Chew expects to address. During his first testimony before Congress, Chew will also be queried on data protection policies and whether the apps ownership by a Chinese tech company poses a national security risk. TikToks parent company, ByteDance, was founded by Chinese entrepreneurs, but has evolved into a global enterprise since its founding, Chew will say during opening remarks. Under this structure, there is no way for the Chinese government to access it or compel access to it. TikTok is fighting to convince lawmakers that the company should be allowed to continue operating in the US. The company has been told by President Joe Bidens administration that it needs to separate from its parent, ByteDance, or face a potential ban. Meanwhile, four bills have been proposed in Congress that would limit the app in the US. Story continues Chief among lawmakers concerns, apart from privacy, is a years-old law that compels Chinese companies to share information with government agencies if its deemed in the interests of national security. But Chew is expected to reject that perspective because TikTok isnt available in China and is headquartered abroad. Let me state this unequivocally: ByteDance is not an agent of China or any other country, hes expected to declare. The CEO also plans to outline TikToks $1.5 billion plan to protect American users by housing US data in domestic servers owned by Oracle Corp., allow auditing of TikToks recommendation algorithm and installing an independent three-person board for its sensitive US operations. Those measures go farther to protect user information than its competitors, the company has said. Read More: TikTok Has Option to Fight Back as US Weighs Ban or Forced Sale They include blocking under-16 users from sending direct messages and imposing automatic one-hour scrolling limits for those below the age of 18 a policy the company instituted just this month. We spend a lot of time adopting measures to protect teenagers, Chew will say during his remarks. Many of those measures are firsts for the social media industry. Those are familiar points that the company has made in the past, both publicly and in private meetings with lawmakers. The difference is theyre being delivered publicly by TikToks CEO himself, with a noticeably definitive tone. Chew on Tuesday took to TikTok to rally the platforms faithful to its defense. He asked users to leave comments on his post listing all the reasons they love the app, and what they would tell US elected representatives. The post has received more than 65,000 comments, the vast majority supporting the service. Its unclear how successful Chew will be in winning over the lawmakers in the room and the critics who will be listening. The Biden administration has already rejected the security plan, Bloomberg has reported. That decision comes as tension between the US and China continues to escalate. We have heard important concerns about the potential for unwanted foreign access to U.S. data and potential manipulation of the TikTok U.S. ecosystem, Chew plans to say. And our approach has never been to dismiss or trivialize those concerns its been to address them with real action. The bottom line is this: American data stored on American soil, by an American company, overseen by American personnel. Read More: TikTok Distrust Goes Bipartisan as CEO Prepares to Testify --With assistance from Zheping Huang. (Updates with more of Chews prepared remarks from the first paragraph) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. Former President Donald Trump is fighting a federal judges determination that his communications with attorney Evan Corcoran amid a grand jury probe of Trumps handling of classified documents likely contain evidence of a crime. Trumps 2024 presidential campaign issued a statement Tuesday attacking special counsel Jack Smith and the judge who issued the sealed ruling, Beryl Howell. The statement followed increasingly detailed news reports about Howells determination that Corcoran could be forced to testify and turn over related documents because prosecutors had shown sufficient evidence of an alleged effort to mislead investigators. Prosecutors only attack lawyers when they have no case whatsoever, the Trump campaign statement said, arguing that an ABC News report and other anonymously sourced stories about the still-sealed decision are based on illegal disclosures. These leaks are happening because there is no factual or legal basis or substance to any case against President Trump. The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals stayed Howells order temporarily on Tuesday night, ordering an extraordinarily rapid series of filings in a matter of hours including one from Trumps team by midnight Tuesday. The appeals courts order from Judges Cornelia Pillard, J. Michelle Childs and Florence Pan, all Democratic appointees doesnt identify Corcoran or the case at issue but makes clear that the government was on the winning side of the case in Howells court. The three-judge panel is asking Trumps attorneys to specify the precise set of documents at issue by midnight and for Smiths team to respond by 6 a.m. Wednesday to the Trump teams demand for a longer stay of Howells ruling. A spokesperson for Smith declined to comment Tuesday on the closed-door fight. The appeals court order followed the filing by Trump-linked attorneys of a pair of appeals and stay requests tied to Howells decision, which came on the final day of her seven-year tenure as chief judge of the federal District Court in Washington. Story continues The parallel submissions asked the appeals court to block Howells decision while the appeals go forward, docket entries show. The appeals were first reported by CNN. The short-term administrative stay granted Tuesday night does not appear to signal whether the appeals court will decide to keep Howells order on ice as full legal briefing proceeds in the dispute. The Trump campaign statement issued Tuesday evening also dismissed Howell, a former Democratic Senate aide appointed by former President Barack Obama, as a Never Trump judge. Howells secret order on Friday required Corcoran to testify about matters he and Trump had claimed were subject to attorney-client privilege. Her order relied on the crime-fraud exception, which permits investigators to pursue evidence that would ordinarily be privileged but contains evidence of likely criminal conduct. As chief judge, Howell supervised all disputes arising from grand jury proceedings happening in Washington. That responsibility passed Friday to U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg, who succeeded Howell as chief, but only after Howell issued the potentially momentous privilege ruling in the Trump-related legal fight. The Trump camps public attack on Howell appears to be its first aimed at the veteran jurist, with Trump notably avoiding attacks against her while she single-handedly presided over the numerous grand jury disputes arising from investigations into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol and into the classified documents. Even after handing off the chiefs position, however, Howell continues to hold significant sway over matters connected to Trumps inner circle. On Tuesday, she held a hearing in a lawsuit brought by two Georgia election workers against Rudy Giuliani, chiding the longtime Trump ally and his lawyer for what she described as an inadequate approach to required exchanges of evidence in the matter. Proceedings related to the classified-documents grand jury, including efforts by prosecutors to compel Corcorans testimony, are occurring under seal typical for nearly all grand jury proceedings. However, the appeals courts docket shows that the rulings being appealed were issued on Friday and correspond to a dispute that was filed with the District Court on Feb. 7. Thats just days before media reports emerged of an effort by Smith to force Corcoran to appear before a grand jury investigating the handling of classified records by Trump and his aides. Just before noon Tuesday, the appeals court consolidated the two appeals without further public explanation. Of the three judges assigned to the dispute, Pillard is an Obama appointee, while Childs and Pan are appointees of President Joe Biden. The grand jury probe of Trump, helmed by Smith, is an outgrowth of a monthslong battle between the National Archives and Trump to obtain hundreds of government records stashed at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida after leaving office. Trumps aides returned 15 boxes of records in January 2022, including some that bore classification markings. As a result, the Archives brought in the Justice Department to pursue whether Trump had retained additional classified material. In May 2022, the Justice Department subpoenaed Trumps office, demanding the production of any other classified materials he might possess at Mar-a-Lago. Justice Department officials traveled in early June to Mar-a-Lago, where they briefly interacted with Trump and picked up a folder of records deemed classified. Trumps team then certified that they had thoroughly searched the premises and turned over remaining classified documents. But the department developed evidence suggesting that this wasnt the case, leading to an Aug. 8, 2022, search of the property, where dozens of additional documents with classification markings were discovered. Corcoran, who was Trumps primary point of contact with the Archives and the Justice Department, has faced scrutiny for his involvement in efforts to certify that Trump had returned all potentially classified materials. The legal maneuvering comes as Trumps lawyers are also awaiting a potential indictment of their client in an unrelated case in New York, an investigation by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg into details of a hush money payment made in 2016 to the porn actress Stormy Daniels. Former President Trump is taking advantage of his possible indictment coming this week by sending out numerous fundraising emails asking his supporters to donate to his third presidential campaign. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has signaled that he is prepared to bring charges against the former president in connection to a hush-money payment made to adult film star Stormy Daniels to prevent her from exposing an alleged affair during the 2016 election. Trump, who has denied the affair, said in a social media post that he expects to be arrested this week regarding the investigation, calling for his supporters to protest the possible indictment. Barricades are being set up around Manhattan Criminal Court as our nation awaits an announcement on whether President Donald J. Trump will be INDICTED despite having committed NO CRIME, the fundraising email sent on Tuesday read. The email added that Trump knows true vindication will come on Election Day in 2024, when he says he will take back the White House. The email asks for donations, urging the supporters to send a contribution to the Trump campaign at the critical moment. If media leaks are correct, this could be the last time I write to you before a possible indictment comes down. So, I want to take this moment to THANK YOU for all of the support youve given our movement, a second email, signed by Trump, stated. As news of Trumps possible indictment grips the country, the former president has taken the opportunity to rally his supporters and members of his party for his 2024 presidential campaign. Many Republicans have flocked to Trumps defense, decrying that the probe into the hush-money payment is politically motivated. Bragg could look into a set of different charges if he chooses to indict Trump, which will likely focus on falsifying business records, legal observers say. This potential charge would likely be a misdemeanor, as it could prove difficult to upgrade it to a felony charge. Barricades were unloaded outside the Manhattan Criminal Court on Monday after Trump called on his supporters to protest his potential indictment. Lawmakers have also expressed concerns that this call could spark violence reminiscent of the Jan. 6, 2021 attacks on the Capitol. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Former President Donald Trump has not been formally notified about whether Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg plans to bring charges against him, sources familiar told Fox News Digital, amid speculation of a possible imminent indictment. Sources told Fox News, though, that there remains a real chance that Bragg does not choose to indict the former president. TRUMP TARGETED: A LOOK AT PROBES INVOLVING THE FORMER PRESIDENT, FROM STORMY DANIELS TO RUSSIA TO MAR-A-LAGO Multiple sources told Fox News that at least one more witness is expected to appear before the grand jury when it convenes Wednesday at 2 p.m. in Manhattan. It is unclear at this point who the witness or witnesses are. TRUMP-MANHATTAN DA CASE: BOB COSTELLO TESTIFIES TO GRAND JURY, SAYS MICHAEL COHEN IS A 'SERIAL LIAR' Grand jury deliberations and votes are secret proceedings, and an indictment typically remains under seal until an arraignment. READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg If an indictment is brought, Trumps attorneys would immediately be notified. If indicted and notified, Trump's attorneys would be able to begin negotiating the terms of a court appearance with the Manhattan district attorneys office. NO HANDCUFFS: EX-PROSECUTOR SAYS SECRET SERVICE, NYPD COULD ARRANGE POLITE TRUMP SURRENDER An indictment, if brought, could come as early as Wednesday, a source told Fox News, adding that the earliest Trump could appear in court if charged would be next week. If indicted, the U.S. Secret Service and the New York Police Department would discuss how the former president would surrender. The possible charges stem from the $130,000 hush-money payment that then-Trump lawyer Michael Cohen made to adult film star Stormy Daniels, whose legal name is Stephanie Clifford, in the weeks leading up to the 2016 presidential election in exchange for her silence about an alleged sexual encounter with Trump in 2006. HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE DEMANDS MANHATTAN DA ALVIN BRAGG TESTIFY ABOUT POSSIBLE TRUMP INDICTMENT Story continues Federal prosecutors in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York opted out of charging Trump related to the Stormy Daniels payment in 2019, even as Cohen implicated him as part of his plea deal. The Federal Election Commission also tossed its investigation into the matter in 2021. Cohen has said Trump directed the payments. Cohen paid Daniels $130,000 through his own company and was later reimbursed by Trump's company, which logged the payments as "legal expenses." Karen McDougal, a former Playboy model who allegedly had a relationship with Trump, received a $150,000 payment through the publisher of the supermarket tabloid National Enquirer. FLASHBACK: TRUMP SAYS HE DID NOT KNOW ABOUT $130K PAYMENT FROM MICHAEL COHEN TO STORMY DANIELS The Trump Organization "grossed up" Cohens reimbursement for Daniels' payment for "tax purposes," according to federal prosecutors who filed the 2018 criminal charges against Cohen for the payments. Trump has repeatedly denied wrongdoing with regard to the payments made to Daniels, and he has repeatedly said the payments were "not a campaign violation" but rather a "simple private transaction." Robert Costello, a former legal adviser to Cohen, appeared before the grand jury Monday and testified that Cohen is a "serial liar." Costello testified before the grand jury for more than two hours Monday. Costello said he testified that Trump did not know about the payments made by Cohen to Stormy Daniels. MANHATTAN DA ISSUES SCATHING RESPONSE TO GOP LETTER ON POSSIBLE TRUMP INDICTMENT: 'WE WILL NOT BE INTIMIDATED' The Manhattan DAs investigation into Trump began in 2019 by then-District Attorney Cyrus Vance. The probe was focused on possible bank, insurance and tax fraud. The case initially involved financial dealings of Trumps Manhattan properties, including his flagship Fifth Avenue building, Trump Tower, and the valuation of his 213-acre estate Seven Springs in Westchester. The investigation last year led to tax fraud charges against the Trump Organization and its finance chief, Allen Weisselberg. Images of Fox News personalities, including Bret Baier, Martha MacCallum, Tucker Carlson, Laura Ingraham, and Sean Hannity, adorn the News Corp. building in New York City. (Drew Angerer / Getty Images) A Fox News producer's discrimination lawsuit against Rupert Murdoch's Fox Corp. provides a wider glimpse into the network's alleged cultural problems, dealings with prominent Republicans and finger-pointing following a $1.6-billion defamation lawsuit. Abby Grossberg, who has worked in TV news for two decades, sued Fox, Fox News, Tucker Carlson and several producers late Monday, alleging the network is rife with sexist, misogynistic and abusive behavior. Grossberg's lawsuit alleges discrimination based on gender, religion and disability. She alleges that "constant bullying and gaslighting" caused her "so much stress and anxiety that her stomach ulcers flared up and she was in excruciating pain." The 79-page lawsuit, filed in federal court in New York, raises questions about whether Fox News has sufficiently modernized its workplace culture since co-founder Roger Ailes was forced out in 2016 amid allegations of sexual harassment, first raised by former anchor Gretchen Carlson. Other prominent Fox News figures have since toppled, including former prime-time star Bill O'Reilly and Eric Bolling, a former host of Fox News Specialists. "Fox News Media engaged an independent outside counsel to immediately investigate the concerns raised by Ms. Grossberg, which were made following a critical performance review," the network said in a statement. People close to Fox News say the network has made moves to improve the corporate culture, installing Suzanne Scott as chief executive in 2018 the only female chief in the network's more than 25-year history. They credit her with increasing the number of women on her executive team. Grossberg's complaint contains allegations that Fox lawyers pressured her to provide misleading testimony in Dominion Voting Systems' $1.6-billion defamation lawsuit. Fox News strenuously denies her claims. The conservative cable news channel has been accused of knowingly promoting falsehoods by former President Trump and his surrogates about the 2020 election being stolen with the help of Dominion voting machines and software. There was a separate hearing Tuesday in Delaware to begin to weigh the merits of that lawsuit. Story continues "Her allegations in connection with the Dominion case are baseless and we will vigorously defend Fox against all of her legal claims which have no merit," Fox News said in its statement. Grossberg worked at Fox News for more than three years, first as a senior booking producer for Maria Bartiromo's show before switching to become a senior producer and head of bookings for Tucker Carlson's popular prime-time show in September. (In the lawsuit, she claimed she "was unknowingly demoted" from her senior producer role in late November.) In the lawsuit, Grossberg contends that she heard male executives make sexist and belittling comments about Bartiromo, including that the financial news anchor was "crazy," menopausal, hysterical and a diva." One network official allegedly tried to blame Grossberg for Dominion's lawsuit against Fox News, accusing her that her inability to manage a diva [i.e. Bartiromo] created liability for the network, which resulted in the blockbuster defamation litigation. In the Dominion case, Bartiromo's role promoting untrue claims of widespread voter fraud has received much scrutiny. Grossberg's lawsuit alleged that a superior Ralph Giordano, a vice president of news coverage at Fox Business Network then sought to "coerce" her "into spying on Ms. Bartiromo" so that Grossberg could make "a clean start" at the network. After working less than five months on Carlson's show, Grossberg asked to go on medical leave in mid-January. When she said she discussed the situation with a superior, Thomas Fox, a senior editorial producer, she alleges that she was told, Were all under stress. This is Tuckers tone and just the pace of the show. In February, she requested to extend her leave on the advice of her therapist. In a meeting to discuss her legal claims earlier this week, Grossberg and her attorney refused to accept a proposed settlement. Fox then sued the producer and placed her on forced administrative leave, according to the lawsuit. Fox has since withdrawn its action. The lawsuit described how she was startled on her first day working for Carlson's show in September. She arrived at the office to see "many large and blown-up photographs of Nancy Pelosi in a plunging bathing suit revealing her cleavage. The images were plastered onto her computer and elsewhere throughout the office, the lawsuit said. The following day, according to the lawsuit, a senior executive producer of Carlsons program, Justin Wells, called Grossberg into an office with another colleague, Alexander McCaskill, in attendance. Wells allegedly asked Grossberg an "uncomfortable sexual question about her former boss: 'Is Maria Bartiromo [sleeping with] Kevin McCarthy?' Shocked, Ms. Grossberg replied 'No,' and quickly left the room, the lawsuit said. Staff members of Tucker Carlson Tonight had frequently engaged in group discussions, led by Mr. McCaskill, in which misogynistic views of women as objects to be judged solely based on their appearance were broadcasted, Grossbergs lawsuit claims. In these discussions, no woman, whether she was a Republican politician or a female staffer at Fox News, was safe from suddenly becoming the target of sexist, demeaning comments, the lawsuit said. Fox News host Tucker Carlson, pictured here in his network studio in 2018, was named as a defendant in a lawsuit filed by a producer on his show. (Jennifer S. Altman/For The Times) The lawsuit pointed to one alleged instance in October, when Michigan gubernatorial candidate Tudor Dixon was scheduled to appear as a guest on Carlson's show. "Before [Dixon's] arrival, a crass and sexist discussion in the newsroom ensued regarding whether Ms. Dixon or her opponent, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, was hotter and more [sexually desirable] the lawsuit said, noting that a producer "even polled the office on their views." When Congresswoman Kat Cammack (R-Fla.) appeared on TV in January on the House floor, Mr. McCaskill mocked her weight and appearance by stating she was fat like Kelly Clarkson, according to the lawsuit. "Such disgusting remarks were never made about men appearing on" Carlson's show, the lawsuit alleged. In one instance, the lawsuit alleged, McCaskill commented the network's "mothers room," where Fox News employees could pump breast milk, was a "waste of space." The executive allegedly said the space should instead be converted into a room of tanning beds for the guys to tan their testicles," in reference to a segment by Carlson on ways for men to boost their testosterone levels. Grossberg's lawsuit also contains snippets of communications allegedly between Grossberg and Carlson, discussing her efforts to secure an appearance by Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) when he was struggling to line up votes to win the speakership of the House. Grossberg wrote that she was facing reticence from McCarthy's staff, who were afraid that he would encounter pushback on air by prominent pollster Frank Luntz. McCarthy, she wrote, according to the lawsuit, was afraid, which is ridiculous. If he cant face you, how is he going to fight Biden and the Dems? After 7 losses it can only help him." According to the lawsuit, Carlson replied, Hed be a cowardly idiot not to. Which he may be. Carlson then continued: I really hope he [appears on the show]. Ill be a little mean, because thats who I am. But I wont be too mean. I want to help fix this." This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Two men have been arrested after a mob clashed with LGBT activists outside a Sydney church, Australian police say. The LGBT group said "hundreds of far-right thugs" punched protesters outside the church event attended by right-wing politician Mark Latham. Mr Latham said the meeting was being held to discuss "religious freedom and parental rights". The incident comes days after clashes between pro- and anti-transgender groups in Melbourne. New South Wales Police Superintendent Sheridan Waldau said peaceful protesters were set upon by a "mob" of about 250 people outside the church in Belfield, south-west Sydney on Tuesday evening. Glass bottles and other projectiles were thrown at officers, and a 38-year-old man was pushed to the ground and assaulted, police said. Riot police were called in to disperse the crowd, and two men, aged 34 and 41, were arrested and charged with encouraging the commission of crimes and common assault respectively, they said. Supt Waldau told reporters she expected further arrests on Wednesday as police reviewed footage of the incident. Video posted on Facebook showed a crowd of men confronting the LGBT activists and appearing to throw punches. Mr Latham, a member of the right-wing populist One Nation party, is an outspoken critic of the teaching of "gender diversity" in schools. He said the event had not been organised by One Nation or himself. In a tweet, LGBT group Community Action for Rainbow Rights (CARR) said several activists were "punched in the face multiple times as they were surrounded by a mob 30 times their size". Channel 9 reporter Ruth Wynn-Williams told Sydney's 2GB radio the incident had "a very small beginning", with some 15 LGBT protesters set upon by "a huge group of [Latham] supporters who came out of that church". "It wasn't a minor incident they were quite riled up when they took these protesters on," she said. Mark Latham is currently campaigning in the New South Wales state election Mark Latham said police had advised him not to speak at the event, and said this was "a denial of democracy". Story continues He tweeted that he was speaking about "important election issues", including "religious freedom, parental rights, school education and protecting non-Govt schools from Alphabet Activism", and "thoroughly condemned" the violence outside. Mr Latham began his political career with the Australian Labor Party and served as its leader from 2003 2005. He then retired from politics and became an outspoken political commentator, known for his generally right-wing, socially conservative views. He returned to politics in 2017 and is currently standing for One Nation in the NSW state election, which takes place this Saturday. Tuesday's incident follows last Saturday's clashes outside the Victorian state parliament in Melbourne between rival protest groups at a "Let Women Speak" event being staged by British activist Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull. The presence of neo-Nazis at that event, in apparent support of Ms Keen-Minshull, has triggered a huge backlash, with calls for Victoria to tighten up state laws on the display of hate symbols, including Nazi salutes. The Australian Liberal Party is also attempting to expel its MP Moira Deeming, who attended the event and was photographed alongside Ms Keen-Minshull. In a statement, Ms Deeming said neo-Nazis had "gate-crashed" the rally and most attendees did not realise who they were. "None of those organising the event had any involvement with these men, as has been confirmed by Victoria Police, the Australian Jewish Association and all the organisers themselves," she said. An elderly woman walks in front of a destroyed apartment building in the city of Avdiivka in Ukraine. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) says it has reached an agreement with Ukraine on funding worth $15.6bn (12.8bn). The organisation's first loan to a country at war is expected to be approved in the coming weeks. It would also be one of the largest financing packages Ukraine has received since Russia's invasion. The IMF recently changed a rule to allow loans to countries facing "exceptionally high uncertainty". "Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues to have a devastating impact on the economy: activity contracted by 30 percent in 2022, a large share of the capital stock has been destroyed, and poverty levels have climbed," IMF official Gavin Gray said in a statement. "The programme has been designed in line with the new fund's policy on lending under exceptionally high uncertainty, and strong financing assurances are expected from donors, including the G7 and EU." Mr Gray also said the agreement would "mobilise large-scale concessional financing" for Ukraine from international donors and partners, without giving further details. The funding still needs to be approved by the IMF's executive board. The IMF expects Ukraine's economy to record a slight contraction or growth this year. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said the funding would help the country "finance all critical expenditure and ensure macroeconomic stability and strengthen our interaction with other international partners". US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, who made a surprise visit to Ukraine last month, said: "An ambitious and appropriately conditioned IMF programme is critical to underpin Ukraine's reform efforts." The US is the IMF's largest shareholder and the biggest contributor to Ukraine in terms of money spent. Earlier this year, President Joe Biden announced nearly half a billion more dollars of US military aid to Ukraine. This was on top of the $112bn spent by Congress in 2022 alone. Military aid, which accounts for more than half of US spending on Ukraine, pays for drones, tanks, missiles and other munitions systems as well as training, logistics and intelligence support. Story continues Money has continued to pour into the conflict from all over the world since Russia's invasion of Ukraine last February. Last week, the IMF said its executive board had approved a rule change to allow funding for countries facing "exceptionally high uncertainty". Without mentioning Ukraine, it said the measure applied to countries experiencing "exogenous shocks that are beyond the control of country authorities and the reach of their economic policies". (Bloomberg) -- Venezuelan authorities stepped up arrests and stripped the immunity of a ruling party lawmaker on Tuesday as part of a widening corruption probe that has shaken the top ranks of the ruling socialist party. Most Read from Bloomberg So far 19 people have been detained, with more arrests to come, according to Jorge Rodriguez, head of the government-controlled National Assembly. This investigation is just beginning, Rodriguez said, during a parliamentary session broadcast by state TV. The time for justice has arrived. President Nicolas Maduro late Tuesday named Pedro Tellechea, head of the state oil company PDVSA, as new oil minister, following the resignation of Tareck El Aissami on Monday amid the corruption probe. Maduro said on Twitter that Tellecheas appointment was made amid a transformation process in the oil industry. El Aissami resigned saying that he would cooperate with the investigation, though he hasnt been formally accused of anything. Read more: Venezuelas Oil Minister Resigns Amid PDVSA Corruption Probe Judges, elected officials and the head of the crypto oversight agency have been detained so far. Venezuela is the most corrupt country in the Americas, according to an annual index published by Transparency International, which campaigns to promote clean government. Ruling party lawmaker Hugbel Roa had his parliamentary immunity taken away by the National Assembly, to enable his trial. Roa, a former technology minister, had a key role in promoting the Petro, the sovereign cryptocurrency proposed by the government to get around US attempts to restrict Venezuelas access to the global financial system. Roa traveled to Qatar and elsewhere seeking backers for the project. Story continues Joselit Ramirez, head of the authority in charge of regulating crypto currencies was also arrested, state TV said Monday. Reuters reported on Tuesday that the state oil company is owed billions of dollars, after it turned to intermediaries when US sanctions imposed in 2019 made it difficult to sell oil through normal channels. Grave Corruption On Sunday, Venezuelas public prosecutor said it had opened the investigation after the anti-corruption polices flagged grave administrative corruption and embezzlement involving a large group of people. The current government has been in power since 1999, led first by Hugo Chavez then, since 2013, by Maduro. Even so, Rodriguez said he hoped the investigation would also bring to justice opposition figures who stole the assets of the people of Venezuela. Venezuela holds presidential elections in 2024, with Maduro likely to run as the governments candidate, for a third six-year term. The opposition will choose a single candidate to confront him in primaries to be held Oct. 22. (Updates with naming of Pedro Tellechea as oil minister in fourth paragraph.) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. By Deisy Buitrago CARACAS (Reuters) -Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Tuesday named the head of state oil company PDVSA, Pedro Rafael Tellechea, as the new oil minister, a day after his predecessor resigned amid an extensive corruption investigation focused on the company. Former minister Tareck El Aissami resigned on Monday after the arrest of several government officials and judges in connection with graft investigations. Sources with knowledge of the issue said more than 20 lower-level PDVSA officials have also been detained over recent days. Tellechea has been head of PDVSA since January and ordered an audit into heavy losses suffered last year as tankers left the country without proper payments being made for cargo. The government has provided scant details of alleged corruption at the company, but the PDVSA arrests are linked to an investigation into the cargoes, a source said on Monday. PDVSA has accumulated $21.2 billion in accounts receivable, according to documents reported by Reuters earlier on Tuesday, after turning to dozens of little-known intermediaries to export its oil under U.S. sanctions. The enormous amount of unpaid sales - about 84% of PDVSA's total value of invoiced shipments - explains Tellechea's freeze on supply contracts when he took over as head of PDVSA. Tellechea first rose to prominence as head of state chemical company Pequiven, where he oversaw a boost in petrochemical exports that provided much-needed cash flow to Maduro's administration. He kept that post even as he ran PDVSA. It was unclear whether a successor or successors would take over those jobs. Appearing alongside heavyweights from his cabinet and the ruling PSUV party on Monday, including Vice-President Delcy Rodriguez and PSUV second-in-command Diosdado Cabello, Maduro said he plans to restructure PDVSA, but did not provide details. Maduro said his government is "going to the root" of corruption. It is not the first time the government has promised a crackdown on alleged PDVSA corruption. Executives and two former presidents of the company were arrested in 2017, while in 2018 authorities detained several executives for administrative irregularities. Story continues El Aissami said he would fully support the investigations, but sources close to the ruling party said his departure is evidence of a power struggle among officials close to Maduro. The ruling party-controlled National Assembly earlier on Tuesday unanimously revoked the immunity from prosecution of a legislator who is a close ally of El Aissami. El Aissami has served as vice president and as a minister and is under U.S. sanction for alleged connections to drug trafficking, which he denies. Tellechea's appointment is part of "process of transformation," Maduro said on Twitter, accompanied by a photo of himself and the new minister. "Maximum efficiency comrade!" he said in the post. (Reporting by Deisy Buitrago; additional reporting by Mayela Armas and Vivian Sequera; Writing by Julia Symmes Cobb; Editing by Robert Birsel and Lincoln Feast.) (Bloomberg) -- Australias regulators have warned the A$3.4 trillion ($2.3 trillion) pension industry that theyll be keeping a closer eye on funds reporting of unlisted assets in the wake of market upheavals caused by the sudden banking crisis. Most Read from Bloomberg The Australian Securities and Investments Commission and the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority will be monitoring the valuations provided by so-called superannuation funds, officials told an industry conference in Melbourne on Wednesday. Pensions are among the countrys biggest investors and are required to publicly disclose their overall holdings only every six months. We think that trustees should be much more proactive, given the state of the markets, and really be considering what you should be doing to make sure that your valuations are not stale, said Katrina Ellis, APRAs general manager of superannuation. If youre constrained by your policies on-out-of cycle valuations, we think thats something that you should look at because I think the turbulent markets are going to continue. Australias retirement funds have in recent years ramped up their holdings of private assets locally and abroad, which can be harder to sell and are subject to less frequent revaluations. About a quarter of global pension holdings are made up of alternatives such as private credit and infrastructure compared with 7% some two decades ago, according to consultancy Willis Towers Watson. Private Bets Shield Worlds Largest Investors From Market Mayhem While the industry suffered its worst returns since the global financial crisis last year, it was partly buffered by gains in unlisted assets. Its as yet unclear what the market ructions sparked by the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and the rescue of Credit Suisse Group AG will have on superannuation funds, which invest compulsory contributions by Australian employers on behalf of their employees. Story continues The unlisted assets base is really critical to get right, and we need to make sure that in volatile markets, things have been looked at, ASIC Commissioner Danielle Press told the panel, adding the regulator expected funds to go into more detail in their next round of disclosures, given the banking issues weve seen recently. Things like convertible bonds, how funds are disclosing those in their portfolio holdings, Press said. Wed be expecting that the trustees are actually looking at that for the next reporting period and making sure that their classification is in fact still right. APRA last week said it was monitoring the banking situation closely and is gathering information to fully understand the impact on Australian superannuation funds and their investments, in an emailed statement. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. Hyejeong Shin (ABC7) A 29-year-old woman who allegedly used fake documents to enrol in a New Jersey high school meant no harm and was only trying to recreate her happy teenage days, a court heard. Hyejeong Shin, who is originally from South Korea and moved to the United States when she was 16 to attend private boarding school, pleaded not guilty to a charge of providing a false government document on Monday. Her lawyer, Darren Gelber, said his client knows she erred with her plot to re-enrol in high school and has applied to enter a pretrial intervention programme that could eventually lead to a dismissal of the criminal charge against her. Shin is accused of using false documents to start at New Brunswick High School in January, where, according to authorities, she befriended some other students, got their phone numbers, and continued to communicate with them even after she was barred from the school grounds. Officials have since advised students not to contact the Rutgers University graduate. The womans matriculation at the high school prompted some to express concerns about school security. The womans lawyer, however, said she was only trying to return to a place of safety and welcoming and an environment that she looks back on fondly when she resumed her high school career. Shin is scheduled to appear in court again in May. (Bloomberg) -- After two days of talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin pledged even closer ties with Russias most powerful backer and hailed Beijings proposals for ending his war in Ukraine. Most Read from Bloomberg Many of the provisions of the peace plan proposed by China are in line with Russian approaches and could be used as the basis for a resolution when Kyiv and the West are ready for it, Putin said Tuesday in his most detailed comments yet on the blueprint, speaking in the Kremlin alongside Xi. The US and its allies have rejected the Chinese initiative as biased toward Russia and Ukraine has also reacted cautiously. But the proposals are Beijings most ambitious effort yet to seek an end to the year-old war. Xi discussed them in detail in one-on-one talks Monday, Putin said. Xi touted the close relationship between the two countries, signaling Beijings strong support for Russia amid efforts by the US and its allies to isolate Putin over his invasion of Ukraine. Xi invited Putin to make a return visit to China later this year, something Kremlin officials said was a possibility. Putin and Xi share a fundamental mistrust of the West and the US and in this, China supports Russia, said Vita Spivak, non-resident scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. But that doesnt mean China supports the war in Ukraine. They see Russian foreign policy as unpredictable and chaotic and they just have to wait it out. John Kirby, a spokesman for the US National Security Council, tore into Xi for flying all the way to Moscow without yet speaking to Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. And he and his regime keeps parroting the Russian propaganda that this is somehow a war of the West on Russia, that its some sort of existential threat to Mr. Putin, Kirby told reporters at the White House. Thats just a bunch of malarkey. Ukraine posed no threat to anybody, let alone Russia. Story continues Now look, if hes willing to talk to President Zelenskiy and willing to get the other side and, if any future potential negotiation can incorporate Ukrainian views and perspectives, Kirby added, then thats something that that could be seen as impartial. Russia has become increasingly dependent on China for trade with other markets cut off, but there was little sign of new deals. Putin hailed rising trade between the two countries and said hed discussed the Power of Siberia 2 pipeline to carry more Russian gas to China but didnt announce an agreement. Almost all the parameters of this accord have been agreed, he said, echoing his comments at a meeting last fall. China is in no rush to commit to the new Siberian gas pipeline despite Russian appeals. Moscow is already committed to increase supplies and with access to its main markets in Europe largely cut off due to the invasion of Ukraine, Russia has little leverage to force a deal with China. Russias invasion of Ukraine was the dominant backdrop of the talks, however. After the three-day visit to Moscow, Xi is expected to hold his first conversation since the invasion with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Putin and Xi agreed that responsible dialog is the solution to the Ukraine crisis, Chinas Foreign Ministry said in a statement after the talks in Moscow. Chinas cease-fire paper has little detail and largely consists of broader foreign policy positions long espoused by Beijing. While its embrace of the principle of territorial integrity won praise in Kyiv, which seeks to drive Russian forces back across the border, a cease-fire call that would freeze forces in current positions is a non-starter. Neither side appears willing to negotiate seriously at the moment, however. For Putin, Xi is by far the most significant international leader to visit since the invasion, which triggered Europes deadliest conflict since World War II and waves of sanctions by the US and its allies. Xis arrival comes just days after the International Criminal Court issued a warrant for Putins arrest on charges of war crimes. Russia has dismissed the move, and China called for the court to avoid politicization. The two sides discussed military cooperation, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said, without providing details, according to Tass. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Tuesday that the alliance had seen some signs Russia had requested lethal aid from China for the war in Ukraine. So far, he said, We havent seen any proof that China is delivering lethal weapons to Russia. China has said its not supplying weapons. The Chinese leader last visited Russia in mid-2019, while Putin went to Beijing in early 2022 to attend the opening of the Winter Olympics. At that meeting the two leaders agreed to a no-limits friendship and signed a series of long-term energy supply deals. The two met in September last year at a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, where Putin said he understands Beijings questions and concerns about his invasion of Ukraine, a rare admission of tensions between the diplomatic allies. --With assistance from Jennifer Jacobs. (Updates with a Kirby quote, in eighth paragraph. An earlier version corrected a reference to China, in fourth paragraph.) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. Photo: The Canadian Press FILE - Myrtle Felton, from left, Sharon Lavigne, Gail LeBoeuf and Rita Cooper, members of RISE St. James, conduct a live stream video on property owned by Formosa on March 11, 2020, in St. James Parish, La. Residents of a Louisiana parish located in the heart of a cluster of polluting petrochemical factories filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday, March 21, 2023, raising allegations of civil rights, environmental justice and religious liberty violations. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File) Residents of a Louisiana parish located in the heart of a cluster of polluting petrochemical factories filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday raising allegations of civil rights, environmental justice and religious liberty violations. The lawsuit names St. James Parish as the defendant and says the parish council approved the construction of several factories in two Black districts of the parish that emit harmful amounts of toxic chemicals. It said the pollution negatively affected the health of the area's Black residents. Plaintiffs in the lawsuit are calling for a moratorium on petrochemical plants like one being built by Formosa Plastics that was approved by the council in 2019. The Associated Press reached out to the council for comment but did not receive an immediate response. For several years, Black residents of St. James Parish have lobbied the parish council and state government to do something about petrochemical plants emitting toxic chemicals into the air they breathe. But they've been ignored, according to Shamyra Lavigne of Rise St. James, a local climate justice organization. We stand here today to say we will not be ignored. You will not sacrifice our lives. And we will not take any more industry in the fourth or fifth district of St. James. Enough is enough, Lavigne said at a news conference announcing the lawsuit, which was filed in the U.S. District Court Eastern District of Louisiana. Lavigne was one of St. James residents at the briefing who shared about their frustration from living near polluting factories and how they believe the parish council is responsible for creating environmental injustice. Every one of us has been touched by the parish's repeated decisions to pack Black neighborhoods with toxic chemical plants, said Barbara Washington, co-founder of the environmental justice organization Inclusive Louisiana. Every one of us has had stories about our own health and the health of our relatives and friends, who have had .... cancer and COPD." The plaintiffs live along Cancer Alley, an 85-mile (135-kilometer) corridor that runs along the Mississippi River between New Orleans to Baton Rouge and is filled with industrial plants that emit toxic chemicals, some of which are known carcinogens. In 2022, the Environmental Protection Agency said it has evidence that Black residents in the region have an increased risk of cancer from at least one nearby plant, which they sued last month in a separate case. The lawsuit filed Tuesday also claims that some of the factories were built on and destroyed the burial grounds of deceased slaves, which made it impossible for their descendants visit their dead ancestors. Some of these descendants, plaintiffs claim, are among those affected by the toxic chemical releases. For some of us, St. James Parish is .... the home of our ancestors, who were slaves, who worked the land for generations and never got paid, said Gail LeBoeuf, another co-founder of Inclusive Louisiana. LeBoeuf has liver cancer, which she acknowledged can't be traced back to petrochemical plant pollution with certainty, but said it can't be ruled out either. Attorneys for the plaintiffs said they are seeking remedies for the environmental injustices sustained by the residents, which they seek to halt by invalidating permits for factories underway and land use regulations that allow for the placement of factories in black districts. They are also seeking independent environmental monitoring of air, water and soil. The case will be assigned and the parish will be served, then will have an opportunity to respond in the coming weeks. The death of Stephen Smith, a 19-year-old found dead on a rural South Carolina road in 2015, is now being investigated as a homicide, authorities said Tuesday night. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division made the decision in the wake of the Alex Murdaugh trial, in which the former lawyer was convicted of killing his wife and son at the familys hunting property. The department first said in 2021 that it would open an investigation into Smiths death due to new information it gathered as part of its investigation of the murders of Paul and Maggie Murdaugh. Smiths body was found on July 8, 2015, and an autopsy showed blunt force trauma to his head and injuries to his arm and hand. His body was about 15 miles from the Murdaugh home. First responders at the scene questioned if his head injuries could have been due to a gunshot wound, but a coroner later ruled his death the result of a hit-and-run. He was found about three miles from his car, which was abandoned with its gas tank open, authorities said at the time. No one has been arrested or charged in Smiths death. Officials have not announced any link between the Murdaugh family or Smiths death. #BlandRichter is proud to announce that after an extraordinary disclosure phone call with SLED Chief Mark Keel, that the death of #StephenSmith is now considered a HOMICIDE, a shocking announcement after 8 years of being proclaimed a highway vehicular manslaughter. pic.twitter.com/hFsQ4L3JSR Bland Richter (@BlandRichterSC) March 22, 2023 Smiths mother said last week she intended to have his body exhumed to gather further evidence about his death. Story continues I just knew in my heart that what they were telling me was not true, Sandy Smith told NewsNation on Tuesday night. Lawyers for the family said authorities decision Tuesday showed officials already have enough information to raise concerns about his cause of death. SLED officials have revealed that they did not need to exhume Stephen Smiths body to convince them that his death was a homicide, the attorneys, Eric Bland and Ronnie Richter, said in a statement. However, they will be present and participate in any exhumation of Stephens body to gather more evidence. We are committed to finding out what really happened, and getting the peace and justice the Smith family deserves Fox Carolina reported Tuesday that SLED wanted to wait until after Alex Murdaughs trial to make the announcement about the new investigation. Related... The Central Virginia Planning District Commission (CVPDC) has announced the award of $773,000 from its Virginia Housing PDC Development Grant to four developers creating affordable housing within the region. The award, along with $450,000 awarded to Rush Homes in September, will result in 47 new affordable residential units across the Central Virginia Planning District, including the town of Altavista, Amherst County and the city of Lynchburg, a news release states. Grant awards were provided to Greater Lynchburg Habitat for Humanity, the town of Altavista, Amherst County Habitat for Humanity and AHC Investments LLC. Each of the developed units will be made available to individuals or families with incomes at or below 80% Area Median Income. It is a pleasure to announce the award to these projects creating much-needed affordable housing in our region. We applaud the commitment of each these developers in developing quality housing, Alec Brebner, executive director at CVPDC, said in the release. In 2021, Virginia Housing, a leader in advancing affordable housing throughout the Commonwealth, awarded $40 million to the 21 Planning District Commissions in Virginia. The CVPDC was awarded $2 million to provide funding to create at least 20 affordable units over the three-year grant, the release states. The $1.22 million in the CVPDC-awarded funds to date, will be leveraged by an additional $9.56 million in funding secured by the five developers to advance these affordable housing projects. Rachael Smith Transformation is not easy, Cisco EMEA president Wendy Mars said in a keynote address to a packed hall at Cisco Live Amsterdam this week, but its so important for us all to make sure that we transform, to stay relevant. And were all doing that within our respective businesses by sharing what we learn, by listening to each other. As Cisco Live affirmed, listening to customers along with the companys core purpose of powering an inclusive future for everyone is what drives its deep commitment to supporting positive transformation around the world. To that end, Mars touched on some key themes of the event including sustainability, security, and reduced IT complexity, all of which are critical customer concerns. And she spoke of some of the major challenges that have wracked the EMEA region, from COVID and supply chain bottlenecks to energy shortages and a brutal war at Europes doorstep. Despite the scale of these challenges, Mars stressed, we have a lot of opportunity and untapped potential. But none of us can do it alone. When we come together, all of you, our customers, our partners, our ecosystem and governments, we can achieve incredible things together. Eyes on the cloud, for a great customer experience For a deep dive into one of those customer-driven Cisco innovations, Mars welcomed Liz Centoni, who leads the companys efforts around full-stack observability. Today, businesses depend on apps as never before. And downtime or latency can be devastating. However, monitoring highly distributed cloud environments as well as identifying and isolating a problem is a massive headache. So, its no surprise that Centoni, who is Ciscos chief strategy officer and general manager for applications, believes full-stack observability is, at heart, all about customer experience. Our customers have a mix of applications in their environment, everything from traditional to hybrid to cloud native, Centoni explained. Theyre faced with complexity, tools, sprawl and friction between teams. Everyones pointing the finger at the other person. But they all have common outcomes. And those outcomes are really around performance, cost and mitigating risk. Ciscos platform strategy is key to cutting the massive layers of complexity and unifying the user experience, while at the same time providing business context. We build the platform for scale and performance, she emphasized, providing data-driven insights to drive services tied to business context. So, youre prioritizing actions that matter most to the business. It could be revenue, it could be cost, it could be lowering the risk and enabling outcomes. Were delivering real business use cases around application monitoring, application security by optimizing cost, optimizing the underlying infrastructure. With deeper AI, automation, threat intelligence, and continued innovation and integration in solutions like AppDynamics and ThousandEyes, Centoni sees even better results in the near future. Were closing the internet visibility gap, she concluded, across the application journeys to the cloud or SaaS. And being able to deliver this with the customer digital experience monitoring solution, especially as with the adoption of hybrid work, you can enable a much richer experience for the user. Powerful but simple: networking solutions from mass scale to small business With that, Centoni passed the torch to Jonathan Davidson, Ciscos EVP and general manager for networking, who expanded on the theme of simplicity and unified user experiences. Cisco networking builds the products and technologies that power the most sophisticated networks across the planet, he explained. This includes hyperscalers and service providers, public sector companies, enterprises, small/medium businesses, all that critical infrastructure depends upon Cisco for providing those unified experiences. Davidson emphasized that whatever the size or scale, infrastructure must solve common challenges and providing a unified, simplified experience is critical to success. "When architected in silos, he said, inconsistency across domains leaves networks vulnerable and increases security risks. Ciscos strategy for unified experiences begins with one vision to simplify it for everyone everywhere and anywhere and at every scale. And simplification begins with platforms. Think about Nexus Cloud, DNA Center, Intersight, ThousandEyes, and of course Meraki. The platform approach is easy to start using. It's easy to scale and extend, and its easy to innovate using the open API framework. Of course, making these technologies available to more and more people around the world is central to Ciscos core purpose: powering an inclusive future for all. In addition to offering a leap in performance and a drop in energy usage, Davidson spoke of the economic impact of the companys Silicon One chip. Unfortunately, he stressed, there are 3 billion people around the world who are either underserved or unconnected completely. And we are here to create an inclusive future for all. So, we must transform the economics of the internet. The Silicon One chip, together with Cisco advancements in optics, has enabled a new paradigm called routed optical networking. And its bringing advanced networking solutions to more people. Ciscos advancements in software and silicon and systems allow us to redefine the economics of the internet, Davidson stressed. Routed optical networking cuts the cost of building and operating networks in half. And we also are now utilizing Cisco Silicon One both in the Catalyst portfolio as well as in the Nexus portfolio to enable sustainability to be further enhanced. Security, end-to-end in every product Security remains a massive concern for organizations and individuals everywhere. And Tom Gillis, SVP and general manager of Ciscos security group, shared some critical advances in this area. Again, simplicity was a key theme. Gillis explained that despite having adopted a dizzying array of separate defensive solutions, organizations still contend with an ever-increasing frequency and severity of ransomware and malware attacks. We have to take a different approach, he stressed. And what Ive found is that if you have an end-to-end view, if you can see from the point where a user clicks on a link to the point of access to the point where an application actually talks to the data, as you lay out these puzzle pieces, the patterns become very, very clear. And we can figure out friend from foe. Gillis then spotlighted the capabilities of the Cisco Security Cloud, with its simplified user experience and powerful end-to-end view. We live in a world where your infrastructure has four basic flavors, he continued, three versions of public cloud and one of private infrastructure. And this is where your applications ae going to run. On top of this infrastructure, we already have software as a service and platform as a service that is independent of those infrastructures. We think the industry needs another layer, a security layer that is independent of the infrastructure, defined in software, but which provides that end-to-end view. And this is our vision of the Cisco Security Cloud. It is a cloud-delivered software layer with a single login, a single intuitive end-user experience, and perhaps most importantly, a single set of telemetry that can see everything, from the user click to the point of access, DNS, email, to the application interacting with the data. The result, Gillis believes, creates comprehensive security across five pillars: Network security (firewall); secure connectivity (SSE/SASE); Zero Trust; cloud application security; and threat detection and response. Towards a sustainable world Sustainability is an essential element to powering an inclusive future for all. And who better to expound on the subject than Denise Lee, vice president for the companys engineering sustainability office. Lee stressed that Cisco is on track to attain Net Zero status by 2040 and is in a great position to support other organizations in their own efforts. Cisco products, for example, can be 99.9 percent recycled, reused, or refurbished. And Cisco networking, Internet of Things, AI, Silicon One, and other solutions can create a critical foundation for any journey to sustainability. Smart buildings were but one use case that Lee shared. Ciscos low-voltage DC power-over-ethernet solutions are a key strategy for reducing the energy demands of a typical building, along with IoT solutions for monitoring and managing lighting, HVAC, security, renewables and other systems. Clean renewable energy is DC native power, she explained, and ethernet is also DC. So, without having to do the AC/DC, conversion you eliminate a lot of line loss, as well as thousands of pounds of high-voltage steel and copper cabling. Getting that IoT visibility into an overall building also allows you to have more automated control. In the end, its all about partnering with customers to create better business outcomes while solving some of our biggest global problems. As Wendy Mars concluded, Ciscos opportunity to drive and support those partnerships is key to the future. Its a privilege that we dont take lightly, she said. Were working to be the most strategic partner that we can possibly be. A Colorado man was sentenced to 5 years of probation Monday for violating probation on a case related to drug charges from 2019. Bradley W. Nohr, 60, of Loveland, Colorado, pleaded guilty to violation of probation, and to a charge of knowingly manufacturing, distributing, delivering, dispensing or possessing with intent to manufacture, distribute, deliver or dispense a controlled substance that is an exceptionally hazardous drug. Initially charged with felony distribution of methamphetamine and felony possession of money to facilitate a drug violation, Nohr agreed to go to treatment facilities in Hot Springs, South Dakota, and Lakewood, Colorado. His case went through many continuances until November, when he was requested to appear in Lincoln County District Court. As part of his plea deal, charges of possession of a controlled substance and possession of methamphetamine were dropped. Volkmer sentenced him to 5 years of probation, saying this was his last chance and any further violations would lead to jail time. The possession of money to facilitate a drug violation charge was dropped. In other Lincoln County District Court action Monday (defendants are from North Platte unless otherwise noted): Jason M. Borda, 38, pleaded no contest to child abuse. Sentencing is on June 5. Jesse A. Fosbinder, 39, plead guilty to misdemeanor attempt of a class four felony, along with misdemeanor theft. District Judge Cindy Volkmer sentenced him to 180 days jail and credited him with 82 days served. Charles W. Lynch, was sentenced twice to 36 months SSAS probation after pleading no contest to two separate cases, one involving felony theft of $5,000 or more and one involving three counts of possession of a controlled substance. The two sentences will run concurrently. Guadalupe Ramirez, 38, of Lexington pleaded no contest to felony possession of a deadly weapon by a prohibited person. Volkmer sentenced him to 24 months probation with 20 days in jail. To keep up with obligations in his life, Volkmer said he will serve jail time on weekends starting late March through late May. Miguel A. Vazquez Estrada, 28 of Bonners Ferry, Idaho, pleaded guilty to violation of probation. Volkmer ordered 10 months in jail with credit for 41 days already served. Terry L. Johnson, 60, pleaded not guilty to one count of felony driving while his license was revoked from a DUI and/or refusal to submit to a field sobriety test and one count of misdemeanor leaving the scene of an accident and/or failure to furnish information. Cedric W. Davy, 30, pleaded no contest to misdemeanor attempted tampering with a witness. As part of his plea deal, charges were amended down from felony tampering with a witness. Volkmer sentenced him to 12 months probation. Charles J. Royce, 29, of Gothenburg pleaded no contest to felony attempt of burglary. As part of his plea deal, charges were amended down from felony burglary. Sentencing is scheduled for June 12. Michael Stroble, 30, pleaded not guilty to felony possession of methamphetamine and felony tampering with evidence pending a class 2 felony. Eric D. Huey, 44, of Centennial, Colorado, pleaded not guilty to felony possession of methamphetamine, 28-139 grams. Jody C. Smith, 27, pleaded not guilty to felony assault in the first degree, felony assault by strangulation or suffocation and misdemeanor committing child abuse negligently. Richard Bachman, 41, of McCook, pleaded no contest to misdemeanor theft by unlawful taking $501 to $1,499. As part of a plea deal, District Judge Michael Piccolo sentenced him to 180 days in Lincoln County Jail with 98 days already served. Brannon M. Bridgeford, 43, pleaded no contest to felony theft by deception, $1,500 to $4,999. He was sentenced to 12 months probation and was ordered to pay $1,663.53 in restitution to City Discount Liquor. He agreed to put forward his bond of $225 toward the restitution. Mark C. Matson, 45, pleaded guilty to felony terroristic threats, misdemeanor domestic assault, causing bodily injury and misdemeanor negligently committing child abuse. The prosecution asked for a lighter sentence of 36 months probation and 90 days in jail due based on the victim's statement and that he is a first time offender. Piccolo sentenced him to those terms, crediting him with 37 days already served. John J. Kramer Jr, 61, pleaded no contest to felony resisting arrest, second offense and assault in the third degree. As part of his plea deal, charges of felony making terroristic threats, using a deadly weapon to commit a felony and felony assault of an officer or a healthcare worker in the third degree were all dropped. He was also charged with misdemeanor domestic assault of an intimate partner, but that was amended to the charge of assault in the third degree. Piccolo sentenced him to 364 days in Lincoln County Jail with credit 135 days served. Jennifer L. Rivas, 31, admitted a probation violation after being charged with felony committing child abuse intentionally, no injury. Piccolo sentenced her to 290 days incarceration with 150 days credit for time already served. She will also be on 9 months post-release supervision. If you were Mike Pence, youd be bummed too. Photo: Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images As the 2024 Republican presidential field takes shape, there are presently two candidates (one declared, one almost certain to do so) with a plausible path to the nomination: Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis. You can argue all day long about which of these two men has the best shot at the White House, but they are separated from the rest of the field by a huge gap according to every poll or common-sense assessment of the situation. In the RealClearPolitics polling averages, Trump (at 43.9 percent) and DeSantis (at 28 percent) gobble up nearly three-fourths of the vote. And then theres former vice-president Mike Pence, whos stolidly moving toward candidacy along with a few other distant dark horses. His four years as Donald Trumps vice-president and conservative Evangelical street cred have given him just enough name ID to run roughly even with the much less well-known Nikki Haley in the early polls; they are each at 6.3 percent in the RCP averages, which puts them third and fourth behind Trump and DeSantis. For Pence, that polling status may be even worse than it seems. McKay Coppins recently sat in on some Republican focus groups around the country, and the findings were devastating, as he writes in The Atlantic: He has alienated every Republican and Democrat Its over. Its retirement time. Hes only gonna get the vote from his family, and Im not even sure if they like him. He just needs to go away. It went on and on like that across four different focus groups. Of the 34 Republicans who participated, I heard only four people say theyd consider Pence for president and two of them immediately started talking themselves out of it after indicating interest. As Coppins sees it, Pences polling numbers reflect a following thats basically low-information voters who are tired of Trump and cant think of any other names: What to make of that 6 to 7 percent he gets in the primary polls? I imagine theres a cohort of GOP voters who are not particularly engaged who dont want Trump again, and Pence is the only other name they really know, [political consultant Sarah Longwell] speculated. That, or theyre all from Indiana, the state where Pence served as governor. A second Republican pollster, who requested anonymity to offer his candid view, told me, Seven percent is a weak showing for the immediate former VP. Balance this tepid-at-best support with the anger directed at Pence from two sides of the Republican Party. MAGA folk mostly agree with Trumps assessment that Pence should have stopped Congress from confirming Joe Bidens election on January 6. And anti-Trump Republicans are looking for a champion who wasnt one of Trumps most ridiculously craven toadies prior to January 6. Its easy to see why his candidacy is doomed. Pence has only one strategy left: He can go live among the conservative Evangelicals of Iowa for the next year and try to emulate the caucus wins there by Mike Huckabee in 2008, Rick Santorum in 2012, and Ted Cruz in 2016. Perhaps if he slavishly endorses every wild Christian right cultural position in sight and the other candidates bash each other into mush, the former veep can eke out at least a better-than-expected outcome in the first 2024 contest, with its unique demographics and its caucus rules that limit turnout. A giant Caucus Night blizzard could help, too. Even if that all transpires, though, theres little visible path beyond Iowa for Pence unless the rest of the field collectively self-immolates. So if, for whatever reason, you sympathize with Mike Pence and are the praying type, you might want to say a prayer on his behalf to St. Jude, the patron of lost causes. At this point he seems to be running for president out of lack of anything better to do. By approving a scaled-down project for new drilling in Alaska, even the Biden Administration tacitly admitted that oil and gas would be needed for decades regardless of the pace of the energy transition. However, the headline message from the U.S. Administration and EU policymakers hasn't changedthe world needs to move faster in deploying renewable energy solutions to reduce unwanted dependence on foreign fossil fuels coming from rogue regimes and to have a chance at net-zero emissions by 2050. Mixed Messages For The Oil Industry At the same time, oil companies are getting mixed messages. They are criticized for not investing in raising production when oil and gasoline prices are high, and slammed for wanting to keep and attract investors after years of poor returns with the excess cash they rake in. Big Oil isn't rushing to invest in mega projects as they continue to stick to capital discipline and to core areas from which they know they can extract relatively lower-emission barrels than in other basins at a higher profit per barrel. Permitting hurdles in the U.S., including in the midstream, as well as windfall taxes on energy companies' profits in Europe, are discouraging oil and gas companies from reinvesting much money into massive new developments. ConocoPhillips' Willow Project in Alaska, just approved by the Biden Administration, is a rare potential investment in an underdeveloped area, and could be one of the last such multi-billion projects, analysts tell Business Insider. The Willow Project is expected to produce 180,000 barrels of oil per day at its peak and potentially reduce U.S. dependence on foreign crude supplies, the company says. "Willow fits within the Biden Administration's priorities on environmental and social justice, facilitating the energy transition and enhancing our energy security, all while creating good union jobs and providing benefits to Alaska Native communities," said ConocoPhillips chairman and CEO Ryan Lance. According to Wood Mackenzie, Willow's Scope 1 and 2 emissions intensity would be lower than other Alaska projects and lower than many of the current sources of U.S. oil imports. Related: The Age Of The U.S. As A Middle East Power Broker Is Over Environmentalists were furious with the Administration's decision to approve the project, with Friends of the Earth's Fossil Fuels and Lands Campaigner Raena Garcia saying, "President Biden's approval of the Willow project is a colossal and reprehensible stain on his environmental legacy." "While the Administration sides with Big Oil and exploitation of our public lands, we will keep fighting until this project is stopped dead in its tracks." Environmental groups are also fighting to stop proposed oil and gas developments in the UK North Sea, with the Cambo and Rosebank projects the main targets of campaigners. Investors Want Returns And Capital Discipline Apart from climate campaigners, Big Oil is under pressure to not invest in high-cost projects, according to Andrew Logan, senior director of oil and gas at Ceres, a sustainability nonprofit that works with investors. "For a variety of reasons, they are under a lot of pressure from investors not to do that," Logan told Insider. "It's not just climate concerns. In the past, every time there's a boom, companies plowed money into oil and gas projects when costs were high, and returns were poor. So there's been a push for capital discipline." The oil and gas industry is disciplined in spending, also because of the mixed messages from policymakers and forecasts that global oil demand will peak in less than a decade. The Underinvestment Time Bomb But peak oil demand doesn't mean the end of oil and gas. Fossil fuels, accounting for over 80% of the world's energy supply today, will continue to be a key part of the mix decades from now. And new investment will be needed due to the fact that existing fields are depleting and need to be replaced with new resources. Saudi Arabia, the world's top crude oil exporter, has been warning for years that the rush to ditch fossil fuels and the reluctance to invest in new supply would create shortages in oil and gas while the world still needs them. Now the top executives of the biggest international oil and gas firms, such as BP's CEO Bernard Looney and Chevron's CEO Mike Wirth, are joining Saudi Aramco in calling for an "orderly" transition in which people should get secure and affordable energy supply they currently need and they currently get from fossil fuels. ADVERTISEMENT Low returns in the recent past and not-rosy expectations of future returns, either in absolute terms or on a risk-adjusted basis, are holding back the recovery of investments from Big Oil, Gautam Jain and Luisa Palacios, Senior Research Scholars at the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University, wrote in an analysis this month. Yet investment in upstream is needed, especially in lower-emission low-breakeven oil barrels, Wood Mackenzie said in a recent report. "The world is far from the end of the hydrocarbon era," said Andrew Latham, Vice President, Energy Research at Wood Mackenzie. "Truly advantaged resources, with low breakeven (resilience to low prices) and emissions (sustainability in scope 1 and 2 terms) are anything but plentiful," Latham said. "As things stand, we see enough to satisfy only about half of our base-case oil and gas demand forecast to 2050." By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: DES MOINES On a day when the need was on display, Gov. Kim Reynolds on Tuesday unveiled the new state program where Iowans can anonymously report potential threats of school violence. Reynolds and state Public Safety Commissioner Stephan Bayens introduced the Safe and Sound program at a Tuesday news conference at the same time the state was dealing with dozens of phone calls making false claims of shootings at Eastern Iowa schools. The state Department of Public Safety quickly determined the calls were fake and that there were no actual threats anywhere in the state. Nonetheless, the news conference immediately took on a different tone, and the topic showed the need for a program like Safe and Sound Iowa, Reynolds said. How fortuitous that it happened on the day that were doing the School Safety Bureau. And it really highlights this is whats out there, Reynolds said. We want to make sure that were doing everything possible to get these schools, school districts, administrators, teachers, and the kids the knowledge to report or respond and get in front of it. Under Safe and Sound Iowa, Iowans can report concerns about potential school violence anonymously via a website, a mobile app or a toll-free 800 number. State officials said data shows that perpetrators of school violence shared their plans with someone else in eight out of every 10 incidents nationally. Tips reported to the program will be distributed to local law enforcement to determine their validity and whether action is warranted. Actions can range from reaching out to an individual to provide preventive care or to other action by law enforcement officials. In the event of an active school emergency, Iowans should call 911, officials said. Safe and Sound Iowa is to be used by people hearing about potential threats. Effective today, the state of Iowa has new tools designed to protect the most innocent among us, Bayens, the public safety commissioner said. Im proud of the work weve done here to prevent school violence through early intervention so students who are struggling can receive the help they need before causing harm to themselves or others. We are excited to support and empower students to advocate for their schools and for themselves by using their voice to keep everyone safe. SCHOOL SAFETY CHECKS The School Safety Bureau also provides school districts information about best practices for school safety. The bureau, created last July with $100 million in federal pandemic relief funding, is headed by Don Schnitker, a special agent in the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigations major crimes unit. The bureau also provides free safety assessments to any district and building that requests one.. Roughly 85 percent of Iowas estimated 1,500 school buildings were assessed by the state and its third-party contractor, a state official said Tuesday. Schools also had the opportunity to perform the safety assessment themselves, in cooperation with local law enforcement, the official said. State teams doing assessments look at building entry control, electronic security and building communication, said John Benson, director for the Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. When we did the assessments, we obviously worked with school officials, but we also worked with local law enforcement and local emergency managers, Benson said. So we had the right people in the room to have an intelligent discussion about the schools. The bureau also gives emergency radios to any school requesting one, also at no cost to the school, to enable schools to more rapidly connect with first responders. Thus far, 1,253 radios have been ordered, and they are being installed and programmed throughout the state, Bayens said. The next phase is a federal grant program in which more than 500 schools have expressed interest, Benson said. A Davenport man on parole out of the Illinois Department of Corrections for a cocaine trafficking conviction has been arrested by Davenport Police for allegedly peddling cocaine, crack cocaine and marijuana. Michael Dewayne Jones Jr., 30, is charged with one count each of possession with the intent to deliver between 100 and 500 grams of cocaine and one count of possession with the intent to deliver between 40 and 200 grams of cocaine base, commonly referred to as crack. Each charge is a Class B felony under Iowa law that carries a prison sentence of 25 years. Jones also is charged with one count of possession with the intent to deliver marijuana and three counts of violating Iowas drug tax stamp statute. Each charge is a Class D felony that carries a prison sentence of five years. According to the arrest affidavits filed by Davenport Police Detective Emily Rasche, at 5:57 a.m. Monday, members of the Davenport Police Departments Narcotics Unit served search warrants simultaneously at two addresses on Emerald Drive. One of the search warrants was served at Jones residence in the 1600 block of Emerald Drive and the other at an apartment building in the 2000 block of Emerald Drive. At Jones residence, officers seized $7,317 in cash that was located throughout the house. Jones had $2,085 on his person. Officers also seized 1 pound of THC edibles, 199.3 grams of marijuana and a digital scale with cocaine residue. At the other address, officer seized 1,406 grams, or 1.406 kilos that equals about 3.1 pounds, of marijuana. Also seized was 194.85 grams of powder cocaine and 63.35 grams of crack cocaine and two digital scales with residue. In a post-Miranda interview Jones admitted to officers the drugs were his and that he was selling marijuana, powder cocaine and crack in the community. During a first appearance on the charges Tuesday in Scott County District Court, Magistrate Stephen Wing scheduled a preliminary hearing in the case for March 31. Jones was being held Thursday night in the Scott County Jail on a $50,000 bond, cash or surety. According to the Illinois Department of Corrections, Jones is on parole from the Sheridan Correctional Center. On Feb. 1, 2019, Jones pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful delivery of a controlled substance-cocaine, according to Rock Island County Circuit Court electronic records. The charge is a Class X felony that carries a prison sentence of six to 30 years. Jones was sentenced by Circuit Judge Norma Kauzlarich to six years in the Illinois Department of Corrections. He received credit for the time he served in custody awaiting trial and sentencing. Records show Jones was admitted to the Sheridan Correctional Center on Feb. 14, 2019. He was paroled on Nov. 20, 2020. He is scheduled to be released from parole on Nov. 20, 2023. However, with the new drug charges in Scott County, Jones parole could be revoked and he could be sent back to prison in Illinois. Jones felony record in Rock Island County includes two other convictions for cocaine trafficking, according to Circuit Court electronic records. On April 11, 2014, Jones pleaded guilty to one count of manufacture and delivery of a controlled substance, 1 to 15 grams of crack cocaine, during a hearing in Rock Island County Circuit Court. He was sentenced by Circuit Judge Frank Fuhr to two years on conditional discharge for the Class 1 felony that carries a prison sentence of four to 15 years. On Aug. 20, 2011, Jones was arrested on a charge of manufacture and delivery of cocaine at a school, public high school or park. The charge is a Class X felony that carries a prison sentence of six to 30 years. At the time of his arrest he was on probation in Scott County after pleading guilty to burglary and conspiracy charges. On Oct. 27, 2011, during a hearing in Circuit Court, he pleaded guilty to the lesser included charge of possession with the intent to deliver a controlled substance, a Class 1 felony. Circuit Judge Michael Meersman sentenced Jones to three years on supervised probation. Jones was unsuccessfully discharged from probation in that case on April 11, 2014. In Scott County District Court, on Nov. 5, 2010, Jones pleaded guilty to charges of third-degree burglary and conspiracy to commit a non-forcible felony. Each charge is a Class D felony. On Dec. 9, 2010, District Judge Mary Howes sentenced Jones to two years on supervised probation. Jones violated his probation and on March 10, 2011, he was sentenced to serve 90 days in the Scott County Jail. Jones was once again found in violation of his probation after being arrested and convicted in Rock Island County of a drug trafficking charge. On Dec. 15, 2011, with his probation revoked, Jones was sentenced to five years in the Iowa Department of Corrections on each of the burglary and conspiracy charges with the sentences running concurrently, or at the same time. Jones was paroled from the Iowa Department of Corrections on Oct. 5, 2012, and was released from parole on March 25, 2013. Iowa House lawmakers advanced a bill that would allow some forms of birth control to be dispensed without a prescription on Tuesday. A similar proposal passed out of the House Health and Human Services Committee as part of Gov. Kim Reynolds overarching maternal health care bill, but the Senate last week tacked the measure onto a bill that allowed epi pens to be dispensed without a prescription rather than including it in Reynolds bill. A three-member House subcommittee advanced that bill, Senate File 326, on Tuesday. Reynolds told reporters Tuesday she is working with lawmakers and leadership to get the policy passed in some form this year. My goal is to get it across the finish line, so were going to continue to sit down with lawmakers and find what that compromise looks like, she said. Rep. Devon Wood, a Republican from New Market who led the subcommittee, said she prefers the language in the House bill, which requires a patient to have a follow-up visit with a physician within 27 months of receiving the medication. Wood didnt say whether the birth control provision would be kept in the governors health care bill or in Senate File 326, but said there are several paths forward for the legislation. REYNOLDS URGES EPA TO ISSUE EMERGENCY E15 WAIVER Gov. Reynolds on Tuesday led a joint, bipartisan letter urging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to issue an emergency waiver allowing for the summer sale of higher ethanol blends. The EPA earlier this month announced intentions to allow the sale of E15 gasoline blended with 15 percent ethanol year-round, starting in April 2024. The fuel is restricted in the summer because of concerns about air pollution. The change was in response to a 2022 request from a bipartisan group of Midwest governors, including Reynolds, to allow the sale of E15 in the summer in their states. But Reynolds and other Iowa politicians have criticized the effective date of the rule, urging the agency to begin the waiver this year. Postponing implementation of our petition could result in higher prices at the pump during the summer 2023 driving season, as consumers would lose access to lower-cost, cleaner-burning E15, according to the letter signed by Reynolds and fellow Midwest governors Jim Pillen of Nebraska, Tim Walz of Minnesota and Kristi Noem of South Dakota. Continued availability of E15 throughout the summer of 2022 extended fuel supplies, helped avert potential shortages, and saved Americans at least $57 million in fuel costs, the governors write. Drivers choosing E15 saved $0.23 per gallon on average last summer, equating to $3-5 in savings per fill-up. We urge the EPA to act immediately to ensure lower-cost E15 remains available in the marketplace this summer. REYNOLD APPOINTS DEPUTY ADJUTANT GENERAL The governor Reynolds has selected Brig. Gen. William F. McClintock as the Deputy Adjutant General of the Iowa National Guard. McClintock will replace Brig. Gen. Stephen E. Osborn, who Reynolds picked last month to succeed Maj. Gen. Benjamin Corell as the adjutant general of the states military reserve force. General McClintocks extensive experience and proven leadership, alongside General Osborn, will ensure that the Iowa National Guard is Always Ready, Reynolds said in a statement. McClintock previously served as assistant adjutant general and as the full-time Army chief of Staff. The adjutant general is the second highest-ranking position in the Iowa National Guard. McClintock will assist in managing more than 7,000 part-time soldiers. PLANNED PARENTHOOD RALLY Abortion rights activists gathered at the state Capitol on Tuesday to urge state lawmakers to preserve abortion access in the state as part of a lobbying day with Planned Parenthood Advocates of Iowa. Democratic lawmakers who spoke to the group highlighted recent bills announced by House Democrats that would enshrine abortion rights in Iowas constitution and expand family planning services in the state. Despite the political realities that we see in the Legislature at this moment, this is not the time to throw up our hands and walk away, said Rep. Lindsay James, D-Dubuque. This is the time to dig deep and continue to push. Republican leaders have said they will not seek further abortion restrictions until the state supreme court decides on a bid from Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds to reinstate a 2018 law that banned abortion once cardiac activity is detected in a fetus, around six weeks. States Where Inflation Is Driving Increased Reliance on Credit Cards States Where Inflation Is Driving Increased Reliance on Credit Cards Price increases since 2000 by major consumer expenditure group Stress related to recent inflation decreases with age and income Nearly 21 percent of people resorted to credit cards to cope with inflation 15. Alaska 14. Missouri 13. North Dakota 12. Texas 11. South Carolina 10. New Jersey 9. New Mexico 8. Oregon 7. Connecticut 6. Colorado 5. California 4. Nevada 3. Arizona 2. Utah 1. Maine Photo: The Canadian Press FILE - Monarch butterflies gather on a shrub at Piedra Herrada sanctuary in the mountains near Valle de Bravo, Mexico, Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2023. In the annual monarch population report released on Tuesday, March 21, the number of monarch butterflies wintering in the mountains of central Mexico dropped by 22%, and the number of trees lost in their favored wintering ground more than tripled compared to last year. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte, File) The number of monarch butterflies wintering in the mountains of central Mexico dropped 22% from the previous year, and the number of trees lost from their favoured wintering grounds tripled. Frost and extreme temperatures in the United States may have played a role in the butterflys decline during the most recent winter season, said Humberto Pena, director of Mexicos nature reserves. Monarchs east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States and Canada overwinter in the fir forests of the western state of Michoacan, west of Mexico City. The total area they occupied this past winter dropped to 5.4 acres (2.21 hectares), from 7 acres (2.84 hectares) a year earlier. The annual butterfly count doesnt calculate the individual number of butterflies, but rather the number of acres they cover when they clump together on tree boughs. Gloria Tavera, conservation director of Mexicos Commission for National Protected Areas, said the area of forest cover appropriate for the butterflies that was lost rose to 145 acres (58.7 hectares), from 46.2 acres (18.8 hectares) last year. Illegal logging has been a major threat to the pine and fir forests where the butterflies gathering in clumps to keep warm. But experts said that this year, more than half the tree loss was due to removal of dead or sick trees affected by fires, storms or pests. Tavera said a lack of rain had plunged trees into hydric stress, making them more vulnerable to diseases, pests and fires. Jorge Rickards, Mexico director of the WWF conservation group, blamed climate change, The monarch butterfly is an indicator of these changes, Rickards said. Critics say that in the past, removal of diseased trees has been used as a pretext for felling healthy trees for timber. Tavera said she had no evidence that occurred this year, adding, I don't think anyone is lying. Each year the monarchs return to the United States and Canada on an annual migration that is threatened by loss of the milkweed they feed on north of the border and by deforestation in the butterfly reserves in Mexico. Due to a myriad of factors, monarch numbers have dropped in recent years. Experts say drought, severe weather and loss of habitat especially of the milkweed where the monarchs lay their eggs as well as pesticide and herbicide use and climate change all pose threats to the species migration. Illegal logging also continues to plague the reserves, and Pena said there are plans to station National Guard troops in the reserve to prevent it. But open, illegal tree cutting actually dropped 3.4% this year, largely due to the efforts of inhabitants to protect their forests, a change of attitude by many. For example, on Jan. 23, the communal farm community of Crescencio Morales once the area with the worst illegal logging fielded its first class of trained and officially approved forest rangers. The 58-strong forest ranger Community Guard of Crescencio Morales began life several years ago as a rag-tag band of farmers armed with a motley collection of weapons, before the state government offered to train and equip them. The communitys struggle began in the early 2000s, when residents fought to kick out drug traffickers and illegal loggers and redeem itself in the process. Back in 1998, the inhabitants of Crescencio Morales decided to set fire to the monarch butterfly colonies, in order to log the land, recalls Erasmo Alvarez Castillo, the leader of the communal, or ejido, farmers in the village. Residents quickly saw two things: The illegal logging brought with it the incursion of drug cartels and surrounding communities were making money off tourism. So starting around 2000, the farmers began reforesting the mountain slopes. But they still had to expel the drug gangs. It was a long and arduous fight that eventually forced the farmers to take up arms, after calls to police for help in defending the community went unanswered. Things came to a head when the town declared itself an autonomous, self-governing municipality. Faced with armed, rebellious farmers, the government decided to try to professionalize the community force and train it to protect the forests. Now, with the butterflies back, the village can dream of attracting tourists. The land we have on the mountaintop is very beautiful. It would be good for a tourism site, Alvarez Castillo said. The plan is to make trails, put up cabins a tourist site without destroying the environment. ___ South Dakota Mines will play host to Omnitechs iNSPiRE event from 8 a.m. to 2p.m. on March 24 in the universitys Surbeck Center. The event gives girls grades 8 to 12 an opportunity to engage in workshops and connect with local professionals in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields. iNSPiRE helps young women learn more about the variety of college and career paths available in high-tech industries. Many of the volunteers and student mentors at INSPiRE are South Dakota Mines alumnae who have careers in local high-tech companies. iNSPiRE has seen fantastic success in Sioux Falls in recent years, and Omnitech decided to expand the event to Rapid City for 2023. Last year more than 100 students from 20 schools attended the event supported by 20 local organizations and 39 volunteers. This years Rapid City event filled to capacity in a short time. Although a lot of STEM fields are largely dominated by men, it has been our experience that women who choose these careers are very successful," said Joe M. Krizan, Omnitech founder, president and CEO. "We started this event to demonstrate opportunities to girls before they make career decisions and possibly iNSPiRE them to pursue STEM. Dr. Scyller Borglum, a South Dakota Mines alum who is a leader in the United States energy industry, will offer opening remarks and inspiration. Students will then break into smaller sessions with mentors from various fields. The keynote speaker at iNSPiRE is Amie Konwinski, the founder and CEO of Smart Gen Society, which is a non-profit focused on informing students, parents and educators around the country about digital safety and awareness. She has spent her career in military leadership, computer engineering, executive marketing management and advocating for safe and private digital use. Omnitech provides custom software solutions to businesses in South Dakota and surrounding states. Omnitech started in Sioux Falls, South Dakota in 1998 with a mission to provide a local option for software engineering solutions. Opening a Rapid City, South Dakota office in 2018 allowed Omnitech to provide full coverage across the state and increased interaction with students from South Dakota Mines. This close relationship with Mines and other state universities has helped them fine-tune a multi-year internship program and foster strong engineering talent in the state. The Montana State Hospital underwent another change in leadership this week while the state health department continues to search for a permanent administrator. Carter Anderson, previously the inspector general at the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services, is out as interim administrator of the facility in Warm Springs. Anderson took over in April when the last administrator, Kyle Fouts, was removed and transferred to another facility. A new interim administrator, David Culberson, took over the post Monday, according to the health department. Fouts' tenure ended days after the federal government terminated the hospital's certification and federal reimbursement agreement due to repeated failures to maintain health and safety standards at the facility. The months around that collapse were tense. Several patients had died preventable deaths. Staffing vacancies for some positions were as high as 70%. And a reliance on traveling staff had put the facility more than $7 million over budget. Interviews with staff over the past year indicated Anderson had been a stabilizing presence for the facility, but on Monday employees told the Montana State News Bureau they were informed he had been put on administrative leave. The Montana Free Press first reported Anderson's departure. A spokesperson for the Department of Public Health and Human Services declined to comment on the nature of Anderson's departure from the state hospital or whether he had been reassigned within the department, saying it was a personnel matter. Culberson is the former chief executive officer of San Joaquin General Hospital in California. He departed that position in June last year, according to reporting by the Stockton Record. "David joins MSH with more than 30 years of experience in hospital administration and turnarounds, including at publicly owned and operated facilities," DPHHS spokesperson Jon Ebelt said Tuesday. "We look forward to benefiting from Davids leadership and expertise in inpatient behavioral health facility management as MSH continues its substantial reform journey after more than a decade of neglect." While Culberson steps into the new role as an interim administrator, Ebelt said the department is actively looking to recruit a permanent administrator and that the job is posted online. The state legislature, meanwhile, is currently wading through several proposals to relieve the many issues at the state hospital. The state health department has proposed a $300 million behavioral health initiative that would, among other objectives, establish two new behavioral treatment facilities. Lawmakers have expressed much skepticism for such a large financial request without more details such as locations of the building sites and whether or not the state would run those facilities or contract operations out to a third party. Another bill would end the practice of admitting dementia and Alzheimer's patients to the state hospital. It is already forbidden by its policies from doing so, although the ongoing practice was identified by lawmakers last year as an issue that could resolve some of the staff training issues. That bill has passed through the House Health and Human Services Committee as well as the House floor, and on Monday was assigned to the Senate Judiciary Committee. It has not yet been scheduled for a hearing. A collection of environmental groups suing the U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service over a logging project in grizzly habitat north of Troy has asked a court to halt work on the project while their lawsuit plays out. The Center for Biological Diversity, Alliance for the Wild Rockies, WildEarth Guardians, Native Ecosystems Council and Yaak Valley Forest Council sued the federal agencies last year over the Kootenai National Forest's Knotty Pine Project. The Kootenai Tribe of Idaho intervened as a defendant alongside the federal agencies. The project entails commercial logging and fuels thinning in an area about 10 miles north-northwest of Troy, around where Yaak River Road meets U.S. Highway 2 just east of the Idaho-Montana border. The project proposes logging 5,070 acres, including 1,000 acres of clear-cut, scattered across several individual units. Most of the work is proposed for northeast of Highway 2 and northwest of Yaak River Road. The environmental groups allege that the project will irreparably harm a dwindling population of grizzly bears living in the Cabinet-Yaak Ecosystem, one of six designated recovery zones for the federally protected species. The project is located within the recovery zone. The groups say the project would especially harm four female bears, including one with offspring, that reside within the project area itself. In their lawsuit, the groups allege that the federal agencies failed to adequately analyze and consider the impact of logging and thinning particularly the road building it entails on grizzly bears. On Monday, the groups filed a motion in U.S. District Court in Missoula seeking an injunction that would halt any work on the project while the lawsuit plays out. The Forest Service already built one road for the project last fall, according to the motion well ahead of the planned May 15 start date for work. An injunction is necessary to prevent "irreparable harm" from taking place before a decision is handed down in the lawsuit, the motion stated. The Forest Service does not comment on pending litigation. In an environmental assessment the Forest Service completed for the project, the agency stated that the project is needed to return the forest to a vegetation composition that is more resilient to wildfire and insect infestation. In particular, the EA stated, the forest has an overabundance of 1015-inch diameter trees and a dearth of seedlings and saplings smaller than 5 inches in diameter. Logging and thinning, the agency stated, would also provide economic value through forest products, and enhance foraging habitat and winter range for big game. But the environmental groups argue that the project would imperil the small and shrinking population of grizzlies in the area. According to the Forest Service and Fish and Wildlife Service, the Cabinet-Yaak Ecosystem was home to 5560 grizzly bears in 2017, with 73% probability that the population was stable or growing. But since then, data shows a precipitous decline in grizzlies: 50 in 2018, 45 in 2019, 42 in 2020. "The latest Fish and Wildlife Service count shows there are only 42 grizzlies left in the Cabinet-Yaak ecosystem," Mike Garrity, executive director of the Alliance for the Wild Rockies, said in a statement Monday. "Yet the Forest Service is chomping at the bit to clear-cut and bulldoze logging roads into the Knotty Pine Project area, which is home to at least four female grizzlies and at least one with cubs. This is completely irresponsible since most grizzlies are killed within one-third of a mile of a road." An October 2022 presentation from the Fish and Wildlife Service documented three non-natural deaths of female grizzlies in the Cabinet-Yaak in 2022. Biologists believe the non-natural deaths of just one or two females a year in that ecosystem could imperil the population. Grizzly bears tend to die in, or abandon, roaded forests, according to numerous studies collected by the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee. Grizzly sow and cub survival generally falls when the density of open roads surpasses 0.64 miles of road per square-mile of land. The environmental groups argue in their lawsuit that the Forest Service and Fish and Wildlife Service failed to include the known presence of illegal roads within the project area when analyzing the overall impact of the project on grizzly bears. The groups also question whether the project would build new roads into previously roadless "core habitat" for grizzlies. A Fish and Wildlife Service biological opinion on the project states that "treatments will be conducted by hand crews using chainsaws accessing the area primarily by open roads." The groups allege that the Forest Service plans "over 1,300 acres of pre-commercial thinning in core habitat for grizzly bears without disclosing how the units will be accessed." The EA for the project states that the project would impact existing core habitat by reopening currently blocked roads to facilitate project work. The roads would remain closed to the public, according to the EA, and other, currently gated roads in the area would be more permanently blocked to create "in-kind replacement of core" habitat. Before that work begins implementation could start May 15 the parties in the lawsuit are set to file briefs by March 22 supporting their competing motions for judgment in their favor. It's possible a decision in the lawsuit could be handed down before the project is implemented, potentially stopping it before it begins if the court rules in the environmental groups' favor. But the groups allege that the Forest Service already started some work on the project, and that an injunction is needed to prevent more early work from taking place while the lawsuit is yet to be decided. "(O)ver 2 miles of road had been rebuilt on October 24, 2022, including a road through grizzly bear core habitat," according to Monday's court filing. "Defendants have now confirmed that further logging and road construction activities for the project will commence as soon as May 15, 2023." "The Forest Service is allowing construction and logging in areas of the forest that green up first and produce critical spring food for bears," Kristine Akland, Northern Rockies senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a statement Monday. "This habitat is critical for female grizzlies, who need to replace energy stores they burned off during months of hibernation. These vulnerable grizzlies cant afford to be displaced by logging any time of the year, and especially not in the spring." Kathmandu, Nepal, February 9, 2022 The Ambassador of Japan to Nepal, H.E. Mr. KIKUTA Yutaka, signed a grant contract with Mr. Lalmani Joshi, Director of Meri Stop Community Service Center Nepal, for installing medical equipment at Meri Stop Community Hospital in Kailali District. The project is funded under the Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP) of the Japanese Government and involves a grant of USD 107,532 (approximately NPR 12.72 million). The project will support the installation of medical equipment at the hospital, including electrocardiogram (ECG), cardiac monitor, C-Arm machine, ultrasonography (USG) machine, endoscopy machine, operation theater table, operation theater lights, electrolyte analyzer, x-ray, computed radiography (CR) system, immunoassay analyzer, and generator. Meri Stop Community Hospital has been offering wide range of different medical services, including gynecology, orthopedics and family planning services. However, due to the lack of medical equipment, it was difficult for the hospital to diagnose diseases and provide timely treatment. Kathmandu, Nepal, March 28, 2022: Japan has handed over a newly-built Health Training Center and Emergency Shelter to the Rolpa Municipality in Rolpa District amid a function on Sunday. The new building has been built with grant assistance of USD 80,375 under the Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP) of the Japanese Government. On the occasion, Japanese Ambassador to Nepal, Mr. Kikuta Yutaka sent a message congratulating everyone involved in the project. Ambassador Kikuta appreciated the efforts of all who worked together with the Embassy to complete the project and hoped that the health post would become a community asset and serve the local people during and after the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. This health post is an important medical service center in the community and provides free medical services. The old building had nearly collapsed and therefore had to be rebuilt to ensure the continuity of health care in the community. By P Krishna Kumar/ETTravelWorld Deepak Raj Joshi, former CEO of Nepal Tourism Board and a voice of the Nepal tourism industry has expressed the opinion that the ongoing border issues between India and Nepal would not impact the travel and tourism relations between the two countries. He expressed the hope that all disputes between the two countries will be resolved through political and diplomatic dialogues once the atmosphere of fear due to the pandemic is settled down. Joshi was speaking to ET Travel World on the prospects of bilateral and regional travel in the post-pandemic situation. Nepal will continue to attract Indian tourists irrespective of the ongoing disputes. These disputes will be resolved and Indians will continue to visit Nepal like before, he said, ruling out any glitches in travel and tourism relationships. Tourism is a binding force for people, communities and businesses in many countries in the world. People to people relationships are quite strong between the two countries, he added. Joshi, who recently joined as member of the a new tourism initiative called Project Hope Travel, a public-private-partnership headed by former UNWTO Secretary General, Taleb Rifai established to share ideas, initiatives for a new reality of the travel and tourism industry after COVID-19, has said that there are variety of reasons why Nepal will continue to charm Indian tourists. Nepal is less impacted by the pandemic, it is the closest international destination and it offers a variety of experiences in a small area. He expects a staggered opening of destinations starting from July 5 when borders are expected to open. The industry is in the process of finalising the safety and hygiene protocols for the service providers and the framework will be ready soon, he said. Once the SOPs are finalised, the training process will begin, he informed. As Nepal has no domestic tourism base, Joshi expects the government to open the borders for Indian and Bangladeshi tourists along with easing of lockdown restrictions for domestic travel. Joshi said that there is a strong bonding in the travel trade in the region which will make the tourism recovery faster in the region. There is a lot of potential for regional tourism in the region which sends out 30 million travellers and receives only 22 million tourists, he said. For regional travel to happen, there should be a simple visa system and easy system of currency convertibility in the region, he observed. Kathmandu, Nepal, March 21, 2023: Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has received the vote of confidence for the second time from the House of Representatives (HoR) on Monday. Prime Minister Dahal, who is also the chairman of the CPN Maoist Center, received 172 votes from 10 parties represent in the HoR. The Nepali Congress (NC), the largest party in the parliament, Prime Minister Dahals own party, CPN Maoist Center, Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), Janata Samajwadi Party (JSP) Nepal, CPN (Unified Socialist), Janamat Party, Loktantrik Samajbadi Party (LSP) and Nagarik Unmukti Party. Independent parliamentarians Prabhu Shah, Amresh Kumar Singh and Yogendra Mandal also voted Prime Minister Dahal. The lawmakers from the CPN-UML and Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP), however, voted against of the Prime Minister Dahal while Nepal Workers and Peasants Party remained neutral in the voting process. Maoist Center Chairman Dahal, who was sworn in as the Prime Minister in 25th December 2022, faced the floor test within three months of the new governments formation after former alliance partners- CPN UML and the RPP withdrew their support to the government. Earlier on January 10, a total of 268 HoR members supported the motion in the first mandatory vote of confidence. Kathmandu, Nepal, March 14, 2023: Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has shown his unwillingness to take part in the second Summit for Democracy to be hosted by the US President Joe Biden on March 29 and 30. According to a source close to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) Prime Minister Dahal would participate in the summit only through the virtual means but not physically. However, it is confirmed yet officially. The US is going to host the Summit for Democracy in the support of the governments of Costa Rica, the Netherlands, Republic of Korea, and Republic of Zambia. World leaders, governments head and head of states of different countries including Prime Minister Dahal have already been invited to take part in the summit. It is said that Prime Minister Dahal has already received the invitation from the US president, Biden. As of the willing of the Prime Minister Dahal to take part in the summit only through the virtual means, the MoFA has already informed to the US government to this effect. The Prime Minister Dahal would address the summit virtually on March 30, claim the source. In the first Summit held in December 2021, former Prime Minister and Nepali Congress president Sher Bahadur Deuba had participated. WASHINGTON, Nov 26: Twitter's ban on then President Donald Trump after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by his supporters was a "grave mistake" that had to be corrected, Chief Executive Elon Musk said on Friday, although he also stated that incitement to violence would continue to be prohibited on Twitter. "I'm fine with Trump not tweeting. The important thing is that Twitter correct a grave mistake in banning his account, despite no violation of the law or terms of service," Musk said in a tweet. "Deplatforming a sitting President undermined public trust in Twitter for half of America." Last week, Musk announced the reactivation of Trump's account after a slim majority voted in a Twitter poll in favor of reinstating Trump, who said, however, that he had no interest in returning to Twitter. He added he would stick with his own social media site Truth Social, the app developed by Trump Media & Technology Group. Republican Trump, who 10 days ago announced he was running for election again in 2024, was banned on Jan. 8, 2021, from Twitter under its previous owners. At the time, Twitter said it permanently suspended him because of the risk of further incitement of violence following the storming of the Capitol. The results of the November 2020 presidential election won by Democrat Joe Biden were being certified by lawmakers when the Capitol was attacked after weeks of false claims by Trump that he had won. Trump repeatedly used Twitter and other sites to falsely claim there had been widespread voter fraud, and had urged supporters to march on the Capitol in Washington to protest. The attack is being investigated by U.S. prosecutors and a congressional committee. Twitter did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday on Musk's statement that Trump did not violate any Twitter terms of service when his account was suspended. Earlier on Friday, Musk tweeted that calling for violence or incitement to violence on Twitter would result in suspension, after saying on Thursday that Twitter would provide a "general amnesty" to suspended accounts that had not broken the law or engaged in spam. Replying to a tweet, Musk said it was "very concerning" that Twitter had taken no action earlier to remove some accounts related to the far-left Antifa movement. In response to another tweet asking if Musk considered the statement "trans people deserve to die" as worthy of suspension from the platform, the billionaire said: "Absolutely". The East Dundee Village Board Monday overrode the village president's veto of plans for Elgin Mall vendors to relocate to a former Dominick's store on Dundee Avenue. (Mike Danahey/The Courier-News) The East Dundee village presidents veto of plans for the Elgin Mall to relocate to the village was overridden by the Village Board Monday night, but the negative comments voiced by some residents has a company official wondering if they should seek another location. Honestly, there is a concern, even though we are approved, that we are not welcomed, said Elgin Mall Inc. President Rosa Leal, who questioned the racist overtones of some of the comments made. Advertisement Village President Jeff Lynam has been vocal in his opinion that the mall, made up of 87 vendor businesses, was not right for East Dundee when speaking to the East Dundee Planning and Zoning Commission last month and vetoing the boards original approval earlier this month. He also said it should be rejected there was insufficient parking available, a point also brought up by some residents who oppose the mall opening in the former Dominicks grocery store at 535 Dundee Ave. Advertisement One man presented a petition that he said showed 78% of neighbors near the building were concerned about parking, which needed a variance because the spaces available are fewer than allowed by village ordinance. Other comments focused on whether the mall might increase crime in the area, despite the police chief saying his research showed the business generated limited crime in Elgin, and if undocumented immigrants might be working there. Despite the opinions voiced, the board voted 5-0 to approve the business and the variances needed. Trustee Rich Treiber voted present. Mall vendors, who formed a corporation after learning last August that their Elgin lease would be ending, have been seeking a new location for months. They won board approval to move into the East Dundee strip mall in February, only to have the decision put on hold buy Lynams veto. Dan Shapiro, the lawyer representing the mall owners, said he believed Lynams parking lot complaint was meant to divert attention from other unspoken reasons he has for opposing the mall. I think the claim theres not enough parking is a red herring, Shapiro said. Leal said shes now uncertain about whether to proceed with relocation plans, fearing the mall could be unfairly blamed if a robbery or some other crime occurs in town. Advertisement We dont want to take those risks, she said. She will speak with vendors this week about whether they should start looking for another location, Leal said. We want to be here for the long term. We want to be part of the community, and not (have people) see us as a threat, she said. Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News. LONDON (AP) The head of Britains Royal Navy said he is deeply disturbed by allegations that female submariners were bullied and sexually harassed and has ordered an investigation. The Daily Mail newspaper carried claims Saturday by former Navy Lt. Sophie Brook that she faced a constant campaign of sexual bullying as well as physical assaults. She said male crew members on submarines were like vultures whenever a new female would come in." Brook alleged the men kept a crush depth rape list ranking female colleagues in the order they should be raped in the case of a catastrophic event. Brook, 30, left the Royal Navy earlier this year and was later given a suspended jail sentence for sharing in an email sensitive information about her submarines movement. The newspaper quoted another, anonymous, navy whistleblower as saying women were constantly pestered for sex aboard submarines. Women make up about 10% of full-time Royal Navy personnel and have been eligible to serve on submarines since 2011. The head of the navy, Adm. Ben Key, said these allegations are abhorrent. Sexual assault and harassment has no place in the Royal Navy and will not be tolerated, he said in a statement. I have directed my senior team to investigate these allegations thoroughly. Anyone who is found culpable will be held accountable for their actions regardless of their rank or status, Key said. The Ministry of Defense did not comment on specific allegations but said it accepted that more needs to be done about inappropriate behavior. It said it is improving reporting mechanisms for sexual offenses. SIOUX CITY -- Community Policing Sgt. Thomas Gill is optimistic the Sioux City Police Department will see a greater number of police officer applicants in 2023 than in recent years. According to data provided to The Journal by the department, 56 individuals applied to become police officers in 2022, but only 38 of them showed up for testing. As of March 10, Gill said the department already had 49 applicants. The application period, which opened on Feb. 20, runs through March 26. Police officer applicants have to be at least 21 and U.S. citizens. They cannot have a felony on their record or a misdemeanor conviction for domestic violence. "It's fun. You get to actually go out there and help people who are maybe having a bad day," said Gill, who noted that college athletes and current and former military members are among those who have been successfully recruited in the past. When Gill tested with the SCPD in the mid-'90s, he said there were 300 officer applicants taking the written test, which, at that time, was biennial and administered before the physical agility test. The number of candidates has dwindled since then. On Feb. 14, Gill said the SCPD went before the Civil Service Commission to change its education requirement, which could draw more applicants. Sioux City was the only remaining police department in the Midwest mandating applicants have at least 60 college credit hours with a "C" or better, according to Gill. Now, they just need a high school diploma or GED equivalent. Gill said the department is also switching from testing applicants on an annual basis to every six months. During a February city operating budget session, Police Chief Rex Mueller told the City Council about staffing challenges the SCPD is dealing with, amid a difficult recruiting climate. He said the department is experiencing "burnouts really heavy," half a dozen injuries and retirements. "When things like Memphis are happening, that really makes people question coming into this profession, so we need to be very aggressive at bringing the best people to come here and work in Sioux City," Mueller said, referencing the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man. Five former Memphis, Tennessee, police officers, who are Black, have been charged with second-degree murder in connection with Nichols' death. The City Council voted in a split decision to add four police officers in the next budget year, which will increase the department's allocation from 127 full-time officers to 131. Officers are guaranteed to make at least $60,067.87, or roughly $28.87 an hour, to start. That figure doesn't include overtime. On April 22, officer applicants who are deemed eligible will be invited to take a physical agility test, which includes a timed 1 1/2 mile run, sit-ups and pushups. Gill said candidates can also do the physical agility test during orientation night on April 3. If they pass the physical test that night, Gill said they don't have to take it on April 22. "Now, we do it smarter. We do the physical (test) first. Those that can't pass the physical are done. They don't get to go to the written test," he said. Gill said the math portion of the written test is a stumbling block for many candidates. He said more than 30% fail the 20 questions, which they have 20 minutes to complete. During the department's orientation night, Gill said applicants will have an opportunity to go over the written test, which also has report writing, reading comprehension and grammar sections. "It's pretty easy math, but its timed. They give you scrap paper. You can't use a calculator," said Gill, who recently took a sample test and finished the math portion with just 17 seconds to spare. "I would have rather had time to go back over my answers, but I didn't have a chance. But I got 100%." Candidates who pass the written test undergo social media checks and additional background checks. The next step in the process is an oral interview with the Civil Service Board. Then, the field is narrowed down to a certified list of 20 candidates. After background checks are finished up on those 20, Chief Rex Mueller and the department's command staff interview the candidates. "We'll probably be sending officers, I don't know how many, to the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy on Aug. 28," Gill said. For more information on the department's hiring process, visit siouxcitypolice.com/careers. A former Lincoln attorney disbarred in 2019 who was sentenced to prison for felony theft a year later on state charges learned Monday he would have to serve federal prison time, too. Craig A. Hoffman, 46, initially was indicted for tax evasion but pleaded guilty to failure to pay withholding and FICA taxes in a deal with federal prosecutors. On Monday, Senior U.S. District Judge John Gerrard sentenced him to two years in federal prison, followed by two years of supervised release. Hoffman was also ordered to pay $325,197.90 in restitution. He's set to begin serving the sentence in June. The U.S. Attorney's Office said beginning in 2011 and continuing into 2016, Hoffman failed to turn in payroll taxes to the IRS, with the exception of two quarters. Last year, he was discharged from parole after serving a sentence of two to four years in prison for keeping $27,500 in insurance checks, settlement payments intended for two of his clients. Hoffman voluntarily surrendered his license to practice law in Nebraska and was disbarred in 2019. Photos: Majestic sandhill cranes in Nebraska Flying in a clear blue sky Pair of sandhill cranes at sunset near Gibbon, Nebraska Sandhill cranes on and above a field near Gibbon Sandhill cranes Cranes Cranes Sandhill cranes Cranes Cranes Cranes Sandhill cranes Sandhill cranes flying high Sandhill cranes Sandhill cranes Sandhill cranes Sandhill cranes Sandhill cranes The Nebraska Project cranes The Nebraska Project The Nebraska Project Sandhill Cranes Sandhill crane Sandhill cranes Sandhill cranes Rowe Bird Sancutary Cranes in January Cranes in January Cranes in January Sandhill cranes Sandhill cranes Sandhill cranes Sandhill cranes Sandhill cranes Sandhill cranes Cranes Sandhill cranes Cranes at sunset Cranes in the water Sandhill cranes at sunset Cranes fly in waves over trees at sunset Sandhill cranes begin to roost at sunset Sandhill cranes glide in for a landing to roost for the night Viewing sandhill cranes from Richard Plautz viewing site A sandhill crane flies above a field south of Gibbon Sandhill cranes silhouetted against the evening sky Sandhill cranes fly over a field Sandhill cranes flock near an irrigation pivot Sandhill cranes forage for food in a field A pair of sandhill cranes glide in a clear blue sky Sandhill cranes gather near farm machinery Sandhill cranes on the Platte River in Nebraska KEARNEY Movie lovers are feeling ripples of excitement this week following Bobby Wilsons Facebook announcement that he anticipates his Cinema 8 theater will reopen sometime in April. The last time Cinema 8 screened a motion picture was on July 9, 2021. A massive storm shut down the complex just as it was rebounding from the COVID-19 shutdown. Wilson said the theaters audience on that date for Black Panther represented that rebound. Tcket sales in 2021 were Cinema 8s biggest day since reopening from the pandemic and since it recovered from Kearneys flood of July 2019, that inundated south Kearney, including Cinema 8. Cinema 8s bout of bad luck took a turn for the worse around 10 p.m. on July 9, 2021. The storm sounded like boulders hitting the building. I saw pieces of metal flying around outside, Wilson said about the scene as he herded movie goers to safety in the center of the theater after fierce winds peeled away Cinema 8s roof. Rainwater that collected on the roof crashed down into the theater. Wilson said as he evacuated people someone noticed the odor of gas. They called for help to turn it off. It wasnt until movie goers left Cinema 8 safely that Wilson and his Cinema 8 staff could assess the damage. They could see stars through holes in the roof. Rainwater flooded the theaters interior. Flooring and seats were ruined, screens were wrinkled and damaged, electrical systems were drenched. Today, as Wilson recalls the July 2021 storm, hes grateful no one was injured, but he said the damage was so extensive it affected almost every corner of the eight-screen theater. He said restoring Cinema 8 was a struggle unlike anything hes experienced. During the past 21 months of rebuilding, hes overcome numerous supply chain disruptions, labor shortages and delays at every turn. The trainload of theater seats he had purchased somehow disappeared in the Midwest. Rare electronics devices were promised to arrive in weeks but got stuck in Belgium. The battle left Wilson exhausted but not defeated. This week he celebrated a couple victories: The new backlit Cinema 8 sign over the concessions stand was turned on, and a crew from Pepsi was plumbing soft drink dispensers. It soon will be time to fire up the popcorn machines. Wilson said hes excited to get back into the business of entertaining people. Hes ready to smell the aroma of corn popped in coconut oil wafting through the lobby. He said Cinema 8 will have a soft reopening. He wants to slow things down so that the new crew of 15-20 can get things right. Wilson hasnt announced an opening date and hasnt booked any films yet, but hes confident Cinema 8 will be back in three or four weeks. Hell be watching the weather forecasts as July 9, 2023, approaches. He said hes hoping that the string of bad weather and bad fortune that began on July 9, 2019, and repeated itself on July 9, 2021, is broken. Just in case, we might wrap the theater in bubble wrap, he said. Photos: Majestic sandhill cranes in Nebraska Flying in a clear blue sky Pair of sandhill cranes at sunset near Gibbon, Nebraska Sandhill cranes on and above a field near Gibbon Sandhill cranes Cranes Cranes Sandhill cranes Cranes Cranes Cranes Sandhill cranes Sandhill cranes flying high Sandhill cranes Sandhill cranes Sandhill cranes Sandhill cranes Sandhill cranes The Nebraska Project cranes The Nebraska Project The Nebraska Project Sandhill Cranes Sandhill crane Sandhill cranes Sandhill cranes Rowe Bird Sancutary Cranes in January Cranes in January Cranes in January Sandhill cranes Sandhill cranes Sandhill cranes Sandhill cranes Sandhill cranes Sandhill cranes Cranes Sandhill cranes Cranes at sunset Cranes in the water Sandhill cranes at sunset Cranes fly in waves over trees at sunset Sandhill cranes begin to roost at sunset Sandhill cranes glide in for a landing to roost for the night Viewing sandhill cranes from Richard Plautz viewing site A sandhill crane flies above a field south of Gibbon Sandhill cranes silhouetted against the evening sky Sandhill cranes fly over a field Sandhill cranes flock near an irrigation pivot Sandhill cranes forage for food in a field A pair of sandhill cranes glide in a clear blue sky Sandhill cranes gather near farm machinery Sandhill cranes on the Platte River in Nebraska Following the invasion of Ukraine, Western countries imposed unprecedented sanctions on the Kremlin. The sanctions were set in place in response to Russia's war. Regime change was specifically not part of this objective. In fact, the United States has a long history of working cooperatively with autocratic regimes, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt and previously Russia. However, because of how the situation has unfolded, these two objectives (ending the war and changing the regime) have essentially merged as the conflict has become an existential challenge for the West. Not since Hitler has a single individual been able to personally control a state so completely. Putin is now personally responsible for tens of thousands of deaths, trillions of dollars of damages, and widespread disruption of the international community. The UN International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine has concluded that an array of war crimes, violations of human rights and international humanitarian law have been committed in Ukraine. President Biden's initial comment on Putin's actions, "for God's sake, this man cannot remain in power," was promptly walked back to a focus on weakening Russia. But Biden's comment was absolutely correct. Putin's removal has to be an objective, and not just a US objective. It is not a case of opposing a foreign leader because of objection to internal programs but because Putin's leadership threatens global stability, undermining peace and prosperity in Europe, including for the Russian people themselves. Yet, as Michael Rubin comments, the administration is reluctant to seek victory. Those who do support seeking victory, typically see it as seeking Ukraine's absolute victory or giving Ukraine what it needs to exit the fight. There are two basic problems with these proposals. First, they are heavily focused militarily. More importantly, they do not address the underlying confrontation of Russia with the world. The United States needs to stand up to its traditional global leadership role and promote the emergence of a positive Russian government. This could fundamentally improve the entire global strategic situation A cease fire could halt hostile military operations but not lift sanctions. Ukraine is totally opposed to relinquishing any territory, even temporarily. And Putin adamantly needs to show some kind of victory. A cease fire under these conditions would provide no basis for a peace agreement to end the war, addressing war crimes and reparations. Lacking that, there is no end of the war in sight, and no basis for lifting the sanctions. A cease fire would shift the confrontation from a military contest to a diplomatic and socio-economic one. The confrontation challenges Russia on a global scale; the ultimate objective is not protecting territory in Ukraine but promoting the emergence of a more progressive Russian government. The center element of the sanctions is Plutin - the combination of Putin and his plutocracy that has taken control of Russia and led it into a blind alley, waging war not only against Ukraine but against the Russian people. The West is slowly recognizing this as a real existential threat. Lifting of sanctions would require Russia to renounce its claims of sovereignty over regions of Ukraine. This simply cannot happen with Putin in place. A new and more progressive Russian government is now the only way out of the war. The West needs to make it absolutely clear that the sanctions are not directed against the Russian people, but against Putin's ability to continue the war. Minimizing Russian assets is critical because Putin is draining all the assets he can from the Russian people to support this war effort. Ending the war and ending sanctions could lead to a whole new era of peace and prosperity in Europe. The sudden burst of military effort brought on by the war in Ukraine could be replaced by a sudden collapse of the need for military expansion. Budgets could focus on development. Arms control would become a central area of cooperation. Globally, support for autocracy would be dramatically lessened. Such a situation would obviously not be attractive to Putin; economic development is actually one of his greatest fears, a fear that the people would actually take charge as happened with several earlier color revolutions. This is what drives Putin's focus on internal repression and what makes public uprisings unlikely, reinforced by broad public support for traditional authoritative governments. The Russian elite supports Putin out of self-preservation and the wider public largely accepts his baseless claim that Russia's survival and territorial integrity are threatened by the West. But sanctions have also made mid-level officials, bureaucrats and entrepreneurs deeply aware of the impact Putin is having on the country. They are not beneficiaries of the plutocratic system, but rather also victims of Putin and sensitive to the dramatic impact that the sanctions are actually having as the Russian economy is imploding. The West needs to stress that the alternative to sanctions is not a shattered Russia, but a peaceful and prosperous Europe that would include a dynamic new Russia. The West needs to give that vision of a new Russia as high a visibility as possible, focusing on how it would dramatically change the situation. - Russian energy supplies are now a challenge for Europe but in a new Europe, Russia would once again be an important player. Western energy managers need to outline what a positive relationship could look like in the future - Western companies that have withdrawn from Russia need to re-energize discussions with potential partners in Russia, outlining what positive programs could be re-established once sanctions are gone. - International organizations also need to re-energize discussions with Russian counterparts, stressing their interest in renewing positive programs. The Russian diaspora has to be encouraged to join in this effort. - Thousands of highly educated Russians who have fled the country in recent months would be the first to return if a new system emerged, and they are badly needed. The Russian diaspora has deep roots in the region and could be a crucial element in building a better Russia, facilitating dynamic economic ties between their countries of residence and a new Russia. - There is now a new-found effort to mount a coordinated effort against Putin's regime as a Russian Action Committee is laying out a detailed vision how to dismantle the current Russian government and install new representative one. Overall, mid-level officials and everyday Russians need to see an attractive picture of a dynamic Russia as sanctions are lifted in response to the emergence of new governmental arrangements. Outreach to the Russian people is essential. The United States and its allies need to stress the willingness to support economic development in Russia and build a mutually beneficial trade relationship. Some of the prior relationships, particularly with energy supply, were overly one-sided and need to be adjusted. The Russian people have to see the absolute sham of Putin's claim of a threat from the West. Detailed information on Putin's corruption, on the major losses of the Russian military - including a major Ukrainian attack on a Russian barracks - and on the devastation of the Russian economy need to be widely distributed within Russia. The ultimate objective is to demonstrate to the Russians how economic integration with the West would support fundamental development. The central objective of the confrontation with Russia has to be doing what should have been done 30 years ago - integrate Russia economically into the Industrialized World. That is a daunting task, thwarted then by oligarchs determined to keep control of economic systems. That this is the alternative to sanctions has to be made crystal clear to the Russian public. The Western world with US leadership needs to push for a new and more progressive Russian government that can work cooperatively to address and correct as far as possible the destruction of the war in Ukraine. This would significantly decrease autocracy globally and raise the potential for meaningful talks on nuclear arms reduction. Sanctions have a mixed history of success. Conceived as an alternative to war, they have frequently led to more violence. They are a limited tool that can actually encourage nationalism, which is exactly what Putin is trying to do with them. But he cannot avoid the fact that sanctions are crippling his economy and provide a strong incentive for key officials and the public at large to insist on change. They are indeed an alternative to war and can be a centerpiece of Western efforts to promote change in the Russian government. Police have set up barricades outside the Manhattan Criminal Court after Donald Trump called for his supporters to protest ahead of an expected indictment over the hush payments to Stormy Daniels made just before the 2016 election. Trump claimed the indictment would come down Tuesday, which it did not, but his explicit call for unrest has left New York bracing for a potential mass protest. Does the city need to be worried? Trumps call for action sounded similar to his rhetoric before the Jan. 6 attack, but the response this time seems to be a lot more muted. At one major protest in Manhattan, more journalists showed up than supporters. Ahead of the indictment, the timing of which remains unclear, I asked Colin P. Clarke, the director of policy and research at the Soufan Group, a security consultancy, about what hes seeing in the bowels of the Trump online universe and how he expects the presumptive indictments to play out during Trumps run for president. Whats clear is that the former president may have more than legal troubles on his hands. Our conversation has been condensed and edited. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Aymann Ismail: Trump obviously senses the New York indictment is near and lashed out this weekend, asking his supporters to protest and take the country back. What are they saying on the message boards and Discords that you monitor? Colin Clarke: Compared to last August when you had the Mar-a-Lago raid? Theres definitely a more muted reaction. There are far fewer threats of violence. And I just dont know what to make of that. Honestly, its just the usual grievances, redirection, repeating a lot of the same phrases that Trump uses: witch hunt, this is the deep state. Theres a lot of What about Hunter Biden? and going after Alvin Bragg, the D.A., saying things like, Well, why is the D.A. pursuing something so insignificant when theres immigrants flooding over the border? Its hard to defend Trump and say he didnt do this, because its clear that he did sleep with Stormy Daniels and pay hush money. I think maybe among his followers, its deemed to be kind of his least offensive thing. They see this as politically motivated, both in terms of the charges and the timing. Advertisement I have also seen a lot of fake posts online showing large crowds and things like that, basically saying, Look, people are coming out in numbers. Its hard to say whos posting themif its Trump supporters or Trump detractorsbut theres been a lot of what we call MDM, or mis-, dis-, and mal-information, already flooding the internet. And I would expect to see a lot more in the coming days. It doesnt sound like youre seeing any chatter about organizing a real rally for him. When he calls for his followers to congregate, its hard not to think of Jan. 6. These are people who very much see themselves as victims because Trump sees himself as a victim, even though all of these things are self-inflicted wounds. I mean, no one forced him to cheat on his wife, lie about it, and then pay hush money to cover it up. Its just a lot of the same old. Its tiring. Theres nothing really new here. Maybe thats why you dont see the same level of enthusiasm amongst the supporters. Maybe some have moved on to DeSantis. They kind of see Trumps chances as severely diminished, and they want to move on to who they see as a winner. Another possibility is that his followers actually receive kind of a shot in the arm from all this stuff that ends up making him more popular among his base again because they feel like hes a martyr, that hes being persecuted. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Is there worry in your circles about that? I think extremism researchers like myself are always concerned whenever you have something like this pop up, because of past events, like Jan. 6. After the Mar-a-Lago raid, an individual attacked the Cincinnati FBI field office. So it only takes one person out of a smaller radicalized minority to act. But right now, the national security communitys attention is captured by Ukraine. Theres just so much going onother really big world events, the economy, the concerns over SVB and a potential repeat of 2008so thats some of the oxygen out of what wouldve otherwise been a story that dominated the headlines. We previously discussed how the FBIs clamping down on insurrectionists after Jan. 6 pushed some of these groups further into the margins. Is that still the case? Will it affect Trumps ability to draw crowds this time? Advertisement Thats related to it, too. I think theyre quite a bit more paranoid because theres already been more than 1,000 charges levied against Jan. 6 participants. So the smart people are not saying anything on social media because they dont want to be charged. That doesnt mean that theyve lost their fervor in terms of supporting him. Theyre just being a bit more surreptitious about how they operate online. This could be much ado about nothing, or this could be something sizeable, or it could be something in the middle, which is a small but fairly angry crowd out there protesting Trumps potential indictment if that indeed does go through. But I think the fact that its happening in New York City means that people would have to travel from out of state; its not Trump country. So theres also the potential for counterprotestors showing up, and then incidents occurring between protestors and counterprotestors. Theres also very, very strict gun laws there. And so if people are thinking about coming from out of state and packing heat, theres some real penalties there for carrying weapons in New York City. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement How do you see the various potential Trump prosecutions play out down the line, headed into 2024? Do you think they will ultimately help or hurt him? Short term, I think it actually may benefit him because hell point to all of these charges as further proof that hes being persecuted, that this is a witch hunt, the way that his supporters will frame it. Theyll look at the timing of these charges and say, Well, why now? Would these charges have been brought if he didnt decide to run again? The MAGA folks are a highly conspiratorial lot, so any lens that they look through, theyre going to see a conspiracy. And if Trump breathes air into that, then we could have some problems. Advertisement From a national security standpoint, what do you hope for? Prosecuting Trump and potentially giving him oxygen? Or not prosecuting him? Strictly from a national security standpoint, I think its clearly not prosecuting him. But do we uphold the rule of law equally for everybody? I dont think we ever have in this country, so this wouldnt be anomalous to me. I think politicians, celebrities, the wealthy have always gotten away easy. But I would say on balance, I have my own questions of the timing of this. Is this something serious enough to warrant a prosecution? And you think of all the kind of unintended consequences. Think back to Hillary Clintons server. Had James Comey not come out and announced it at that time, did that tip the election? So you think of just all these kind of little wrinkles in the timing of things, and it does give you pause. Is this worth it for the D.A. to bring charges if its going to cause such a shitstorm? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But at the end of the day, the more charges that pile on, at some point hes going to be losing supporters, those kind of fence-sitters, the people that want a much cleaner candidate and that have been looking for an excuse to move on from Trump. With the hardcore of the hardcore, as he said, he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and they wont leave him. But I think that that hardcore is being whittled away day by day. And the more drama you have that makes him seem less and less like a serious person, I think the worse off it is for the man. For a lot of lesbians, Nicole Conns derided and ridiculed 1992 lesbian romance Claire of the Moon is considered being a horror movie. The truth is that good, genuine lesbian horror films are in short supply. All of that has changed with Attachment (Nordisk Films), now streaming exclusively on Shudder. The feature film debut by director/writer Gabriel Bier Gislason, Attachment," not only expands the lesbian horror market but along with 2019s The Vigil also shows there are stories worth telling in the Hebrew horror genre. Attachment begins with a suitably meet-cute opening. Maja (Josephine Park), dressed like her former childrens TV character Elf Princess Carla, is running frantically through a Copenhagen library, late for a childrens story time event. She crashes into Leah (Ellie Kendrick), who has an arm-full of books. Of course, theres a mix-up and the young women end up with the others books. After the story time they exchange the books and end up back at Majas apartment where she makes them tea. Londoner Leah is doing field work abroad in Denmark. Its her first time there, which she notes is odd because thats where her mother is from. With only a couple of days to spend together before she must return to London, Maja and Leah make the most of their time together. Short of renting a U-Haul, Leah cancels her travel plans and stays with Maja. But things take a strange turn when Leah, whom Maja has seen sleepwalk, has a seizure resulting in a broken leg. Maja accompanies Leah on her journey back to London where she lives on the second floor of an apartment building she shares with her hyper-religious mother Chana (Sofie Grabl) who lives on the first floor. Chana is an overprotective mother, who babies Leah and dismisses Maja. Some of Chanas coldness stems from the fact that, as Chana puts it, Maja is a "goy." In fact, this seems to bother her more than the fact that Leah and Maja are in a relationship. However, Chana thinks nothing of barging into Leahs bedroom at the most inappropriate times. Chana also taunts Maja with a story about a bowl that Maja broke (when Chana startled her), as another example of the way she wields maternal power. Before long, bizarre things happen. A black candle is mysteriously lit every night. Maja hears the floorboards creaking at night. She discovers other strange things around Leahs apartment. Chana insists Maja wear an amethyst amulet. Maja stumbles upon a religious bookstore owned by Leahs uncle Lev (David Dencik), who at first cautions Maja about Chana. Maja makes an effort to learn things about Chanas religious sect, and Jewish mysticism, including the various superstitions, such as those about Golem and Dybbuks. In this way, Attachment is as scary as it is informative. But nothing can prepare Maja for the horror to come. Beginning with the return of Leahs seizures, which she has been having since childhood. One such childhood seizure resulted in the death of a young friend who came over for a playdate. After a sabbath meal where, knowing that Maja has a peanut allergy, Chana put peanuts in the food they were eating, Leah is convinced that Chana was trying to kill Maja. She stops wearing her amulet and agrees to go back to Denmark and stay in Majas fathers summer house with her. While there, things take an even more ominous and terrifying turn. As refreshing as it is frightening for the way it addresses subjects not unusually found in contemporary horror movies, Attachment is certified Kosher. Rating: B+ Gregg Shapiro is the author of eight books including the poetry chapbook Fear of Muses (Souvenir Spoon Books, 2022). An entertainment journalist, whose interviews and reviews run in a variety of regional LGBTQ+ and mainstream publications and websites, Shapiro lives in Fort Lauderdale with his husband Rick and their dog Coco. Its probably nothing to be alarmed about, but in a few recent high-profile movies, gay characters are being killed off. This includes the Oscar-nominated movie Close and the M. Night Shyamalan flick Knock at the Cabin, as well as the Jim Parsons vehicle Spoiler Alert (Focus). With four well-deserved Emmy Awards to his name for his singular portrayal of Sheldon Cooper on The Big Bang Theory, out actor Parsons established himself as a comic genius. Since that time, hes also proven himself to be an equally capable dramatic actor via his performances in the movie version of Larry Kramers The Normal Heart, and the remake of Mart Crowleys The Boys in the Band. Parsons continues that trajectory with Spoiler Alert, the movie adaptation of Michael Ausiellos 2017 memoir Spoiler Alert: The Hero Dies. Directed by Michael Showalter, the same straight man who showed sensitivity to gay characters in the Oscar-winning The Eyes of Tammy Faye, with a screenplay by two gay men actor David Marshall Grant and writer Dan Savage Spoiler Alert is nothing less than respectful to its queer characters. Michael (Parsons), a staff writer for TV Guide, considers his line of work to be a dream job as he long imagined his childhood as an 80s sitcom (Spoiler Alert features a few reenactment fantasies to illustrate the point). To prove hes not allergic to fun, he joins a gay co-worker at a bar for a themed night. There he sees Kit (Ben Aldridge), whom Michael describes as a sweatband-wearing matinee idol. As luck would have it, Michael is Kits type a tall dweeb. They share personal details to get to know each other better. Kits a photographer who designs ads. Hes an only child from Pennsylvania, where his retired parents Marilyn (Sally Field) and Bob (Bill Irwin) still reside. Marilyn is a triathlete, and Kit is not out to either parent. Michael is a middle child whose parents are dead. His childhood obsessions include Christmas and soap operas. Hes an FFK (former fat kid) who still has body issues. A textbook case of opposites attracting, they begin a courtship, eventually moving in together. A first serious relationship for both, they come to it from different places. Its more of a serious adjustment for Kit whose previous relationships tended to be a series of hookups, while Michael lives in fear of having his heartbroken. They have a pretty good run, which includes 11 years of shared Christmas pics. But during their 13th year together, they see Tony (Grant), a couples counselor. Michael accuses Kit of always being on Grindr (looking, not touching, as per their agreement), always being stoned, watching too much TV, and flirting with office stud Sebastian (Anton Porowski). Kit accuses Michael of being at the office too much, and drinking too much, but not willing to get high with Kit. They try a temporary separation, with Michael staying in their apartment, and Kit moving to Brooklyn. At one of their Christmas parties, Kit reveals that he hasnt been feeling well. A visit to his doctor reveals that a growth has been found and he is scheduled for a biopsy. The story takes a turn for the worse when Kit is diagnosed with a rapidly growing neuroendocrine tumor. No spoilers here, but what follows is a series of heartbreaking scenes, including one in which Field (who is wonderful throughout) gets to have another Steel Magnolias moment, while Parson has his own Shirley-MacLaine-in-Terms-of-Endearment scene. This is a whole-box-of-tissues movie, and its surprising that it was overlooked at the Golden Globes and the Oscars, considering the strength of the lead performances, the writing, and direction. Rating: B+ Spoiler Alert is now streaming exclusively on Peacock. Gregg Shapiro is the author of eight books including the poetry chapbook Fear of Muses (Souvenir Spoon Books, 2022). An entertainment journalist, whose interviews and reviews run in a variety of regional LGBTQ+ and mainstream publications and websites, Shapiro lives in Fort Lauderdale with his husband Rick and their dog Coco. Five cities in South Florida received perfect scores on the 2022 Human Rights Campaigns Municipal Equality Index report, including Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, Wilton Manors, Oakland Park and Wellington. As LGBTQ people continue facing an all-out assault from [Gov. Ron] DeSantis and his right-wing allies in the legislature, we applaud the local leaders, like those in Fort Lauderdale, Wilton Manors, Wellington, and others across the state who guided their cities to a perfect score on HRCs 2022 Municipal Equality Index, working hard to resist that anti-LGBTQ bigotry and create inclusive municipalities, said Brandon Wolf, press secretary of Equality Florida. Our fight against DeSantis agenda of government censorship, book banning, and hysteria built on the backs of LGBTQ Floridians is grounded in the work of building power and safeguarding progress on a local level. Cities receive points based on their laws, policies, benefits and services. Some areas scored include Law Enforcement and Municipal Services, and Leadership on LGBTQ Equality. Last year, seven cities received perfect scores in South Florida. Those other cities included Miami Beach and West Palm Beach. Miami Beach was left off this years list while West Palm Beachs perfect score from 2021 was included. Those cities have to self-submit each year. Local activists have complained for years about the process of how cities are selected for inclusion. This is the eleventh annual municipal equality list HRC has compiled. Across the U.S. over 500 cities were scored with 120 earning perfect scores up from 110 in 2021. This year also includes the highest average city score, while only eight cities received a zero. Fort Lauderdale tops the list for the fourth year in a row. Fort Lauderdale continues its string of perfect 100% ratings; we are a city that respects and values all its citizens and visitors, said Fort Lauderdale City Commissioner Steve Glassman. Hate, bigotry, and discrimination are not tolerated here. Four years ago Fort Lauderdale enacted a human rights ordinance that banned discrimination against the LGBT community in the areas employment, housing, and public accommodation. According to a press release, City initiatives that contribute to a perfect score include anti-bullying policies, proclaiming June 2022 as LGBTQ+ Pride Month, reporting hate crime statistics to the Federal Bureau of Investigation annually, continued appointments of LGBTQ+ community and police liaisons and much more. Wilton Manors, known as South Floridas gayborhood, came out on top for the ninth consecutive year. Here in Wilton Manors, we are humbled and grateful to have achieved a perfect score on HRC's Municipal Equality Index, said City Commissioner Chris Caputo. It is a true testament to our supportive community that stands behind the LGBTQ+ individuals who live and work here going beyond standards set by State and Federal law ensures everyone feels at home. We thank HRC for their commitment as an advocate of LGBTQ rights issues across America. Other cities in South Florida topping the list this year include Oakland Park, Hollywood, and Wellington. The cities outside of South Florida to receive a 100 include Orlando, St. Petersburg, and Tampa. Meanwhile, Tallahassee is the only city who lost its perfect score this year, dropping to 94. Hialeah was at the bottom of the list for South Florida cities with a score of 56. But they have steadily increased their score each year since 2019 when they were at 39. Read the full report on hrc.org. Bunny, a Naperville Chihuahua, was in the running to be this year's Cadbury "spokesbunny" but online voters chose a one-eyed cat named Crash for the honor. (Cadbury / HANDOUT) Bunny the dog was beaten by a one-eyed cat named Crash. Cadbury announced Tuesday that the count was complete on its online nationwide vote for this years Easter candy spokesbunny, and the contest won by a cat from Idaho. Advertisement Bunny, a Naperville chihuahua, was one of 10 rescue animals in the running but it appears Crash tugged at the heartstrings of voters with his sad tale. According to Crashs bio on the Cadbury website, the feline not only broke his leg and jaw but also lost an eye after being hit by a car. He was rescued by Simply Cats of Boise, and he charmed his way into becoming our resident shelter cat, the bio said. Advertisement Crash performs tricks and he reminds our community that every cat is worth saving, the shelter said. Bunny is a rescue dog owned by Napervilles Jeff and Emily Meader, who adopted her from the Tails Humane Society in DeKalb. Bunnys bio entry read: My name is Bunny and Im as sweet as a Cadbury Creme Egg. My tongue likes to hang out giving me the cutest expressions. I was rescued in 2017 and am living my best life with lots of heated blankets, cute sweaters and a family that loves me. Cadbury received thousands of entries from across the country, and the finalists were narrowed down from a menagerie that included dogs, cats, beavers, horses, rats, geese and, of course, rabbits. Jeff Meader said the important part of the contest was that all of the animals were rescues. It would be fun to win, but were not going to bank our life on that, Meader said when interviewed as votes were coming in. Were just glad they are bringing attention to the rescues especially the Chihuahuas. They are the most euthanized breed in shelters. Crash will receive a cash prize of $5,000 for himself and another $5,000 for the animal shelter of his owners choice. Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun. At a recent faculty Senate meeting at Florida Atlantic University, the interim provost assured staff the school was not collecting data on whether they were having sex with animals. The reference to bestiality was made by regarding concerns by the faculty the university was sharing information with the state on its Black and LGBT employees. We did not know what color if they were purple, if they had sex with animals, Michele Hawkins said. It was a joke that fell flat. According to Inside Higher Ed the quip was met with groans and chuckles. SFGN contacted FAUs media relations department for a comment twice via email with no response. But FAU sent a statement to Inside Higher Ed. In a comment that was intended to emphasize her acceptance of all individuals, she inadvertently invoked language that did not convey her beliefs, a university spokesperson told Inside Higher Ed. Upon further reflection following the meetings conclusion, she better understood how her comment was received, and that she had mis-spoken. She deeply regrets her choice of words. The faculty member who challenged Hawkins during the meeting, Allan Barsky, told Inside Higher Ed, I thought it was a teachable moment. Barsky continued: Sodomy was criminalized, suggesting that people are evil, against God, against the law. And [in] the DSM, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, homosexuality was for a long time listed as a mental health disorder. So, there was kind of equation of same-sex relations with bestiality and other sexual crimes, so it just kind of harkens back to that. Gov. Ron DeSantis has been recently targeting the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion departments at Florida's universities and state colleges. Theyve asked them to complete a "comprehensive list of all staff, programs, and campus activities related to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and critical race theory." Barsky also commended Hawkins for her quick apology. Dr. Hawkinss choice of words was unfortunate, but she did not intend to say something negative about LGBTQ people, Barsky told Higher Ed. She is a strong proponent of respect, social justice and DEI. Her apology was a brave response. A Texas proposed bill will ban almost all gender-affirming care, and the shooter of a gay club in Colorado is set to stand trial. Proposed Bill Seeks To Ban Almost All Gender-Affirming Care Texas Republican State Sen. Bob Hall filed Senate Bill 1029 on Feb. 17, according to CBS News. The bill aims to ban public funding for gender-affirming care as well as restrict the ability of health insurance companies to cover it. It would also increase legal liability for providers. CBS News spoke with Texas Health Action CEO Christopher Hamilton, which is a LGBT health nonprofit. "This bill would have a chilling effect, halting all best practice medical care for all trans people in this state, regardless of age," Hamilton said. "If this bill passes, insurers will no longer cover gender-affirming care, malpractice insurers will not provide malpractice insurance to providers, and physicians will not assume a personal financial lifetime liability for providing gender affirming care, affecting nearly 100,000 trans people in the state." Gay Club Shooter To Stand Trial Courtesy of Colorado Springs Police Department. According to AP News, the gunman who killed five and injured 17 at Club Q, a gay nightclub in Colorado Springs, will see a courtroom due to a judge approving prosecutor evidence for the charges. The charges include murder and hate crimes, with prosecutors arguing over the validity of the latter. Anderson Lee Adlrich, the shooter, is nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns. Witnesses testified that they were a patron of Club Q at least six times. We presented evidence regarding the defendants aversion to the LGBTQ community, evidence related to the defendants mother forcing him to go to a club against his will and sort of forced that culture on him, District Attorney Michael Allen. AP News stated that Allen consistently used male pronouns in referring to Adlrich. After entering the competition with her sister Sugar, Spice was able to step out on her own (following Sugars elimination) and at that point, we got to see what this social media-born performer was made of. After embracing her individuality (and coming under the tutelage of some of her new Drag Race sisters), Spice made great strides in the competition. While Spice has now said goodbye to Season 15 of "RuPauls Drag Race," she is only getting started in terms of her own career. I sat down to chat with Spice and we chatted about her Drag Race run, newfound sisterhood and what it was like continuing the competition without Sugar. Michael Cook: Congratulations on a truly one of a kind run on "RuPauls Drag Race." You and your sister Sugar most definitely defied expectations from the moment you walked into the workroom. Spice: Thank you so much; that means a lot to hear for sure. MC: How do you now look back on your "RuPauls Drag Race" run as a whole? S: I look back at it with fondness honestly. As an artist, it is easy to look back on it and say I dont like this or I would change that, but it was so long ago and as a drag artist especially, your drag is constantly evolving. I feel like I am a completely different person now, not only with my drag, but as a person. It's hard to watch in that aspect, but that is where I was at that moment in my life and I wouldnt change a thing. I look back and I love it; I love all of the shenanigans and the spiciness that went down if you will. MC: You mentioned that both you and your drag have changed drastically since you returned from filming "RuPauls Drag Race" and you are one of several people to tell me that this season. What do you think has changed the most about you as a person and a performer? S: I think the thing that has changed about me the most is that dont give an F even less, if that makes sense. I always tell & remind myself, especially through the competition, that I was not trying to get people to like me. I just always would tell myself that because it is always easy as humans, we have that innate thing to always be liked by other people. Even if people say they dont care what people think, deep down inside its this human instinctual thing to want to be liked by others to some extent. I try to remind myself of that, because its really not important what other people say about your art, its really important what you say as an artist. For me, leaving that show, I am going to just lean into even more of what I love and do what I want; its kind of freeing in a way. MC: There was a distinct shift in the competition when Sugar left the show, and while you were initially heartbroken, you slowly found your own footing and ultimately your own voice in the competition, do you think that is fair to say? S: Yes, I do think that is fair to say for sure. Me and Sugar, I was always the co-dependent twin and would lean on her for sure. I always knew that if one of us has to stay and it is going to be me, it might be a little bit hard but hey, all the other girls are here by themselves. I mean, we had an advantage having family there. It was also almost harder in a sense though, because I had that advantage and then it was taken away so it was almost like oh shit. It was never a bad thing at all though, if I was out and Sugar was there, I would want her to slay and eat these girlies up so I try to keep that in mind. MC: Do you think that it is easier entering the competition where you can discuss the challenges and even possibly lip syncing against each other prior to meeting the other girls? Do you think that may have given you a bit of an advantage? S: Maybe, I think that there are pros and cons to everything. I think that there was definitely an advantage, we had each other, we could talk about everything. Also the disadvantage though, was that we had to prepare for the show at the same time. If it was 20 looks that we needed, then we needed forty. We make all of our own wigs, every look you saw on the show, Sugar and I styled ourselves so we were the little wig workshop. While were having outfits made, were at home styling these wigs and going a mile a minute. There are pros and cons for sure. An audible gasp of shock and surprise could be heard through the audience at Tuesdays city commission meeting in Wilton Manors. It happened when Vice Mayor Mike Bracchi announced that a proposed bill in Tallahassee would ban the flying of Pride flags on any government property, but that Confederate flags would be allowed. The city is drafting a resolution opposing House Bill 1011 (HB 1011). The bill doesnt specifically ban Pride flags, but issues a very limited list of flags that may be flown. Included in the original bill was the U.S. flag, Florida Flag, the POW-MIA flag. In the state Senate, Sen. Jay Collins (R-Tampa) introduced Senate Bill 668 (SB 668) which calls for a certain protocol ... with specified requirements. Collins also filed an amendment to his own bill that expanded the list of flags that could be flown. Some were practical, like including beach warning flags. But it was the inclusion of the Confederate flags that sparked outrage. The public condemnation was swift with Collins already withdrawing his amendment. But the two original bills are still making their way through the legislative process. Neither bill would allow the rainbow, or Pride, flags. Clearly our community, as are others, is under attack, Commissioner Paul Rolli said. I would like to make the resolution language stronger. His suggestions included giving priority to First Amendment rights and home rule arguments, and were adopted. I think these are strong points to make at the outset. We need to make sure that were heard, Commissioner Chris Caputo told SFGN after the meeting. Cities are supposed to have some ability to govern themselves. Were going to send this to other cities and look for them to sign on shows were taking leadership as a city. Well Die First Brandon Wolf of Equality Florida quickly denounced the move to resurrect and give government imprimatur to the disgraced symbol of hate. The amendment to exempt Confederate flags, the symbol of those who tried to tear the United States apart in defense of slavery, sends a clear message that right-wing politicians would sooner prop up racist relics of traitors past than allow LGBTQ Floridians and other communities to see themselves publicly celebrated in their communities by way of flags, he said. Former Senate Minority Leader Arthenia Joyner (D-Tampa) thought this battle had been won. She worked to remove the confederate flag from the state Senates seal in 2015 and told FloridaBulldog.org she thought this was finished. The confederate flag is a relic of the past. It represents and is a symbol of the worst of this countrys racism and hate and evokes anger and fear and trauma in Black people for sure. Back then we had a different kind of Republican Party, people who respected where America was and where it ought to be. It is abhorrent that he would allow this symbol of slavery and hatred to be flown after all that has been done in America. It just appears now that there is a move afoot to take us back to slavery. But were not going. Well die first. Moves to remove confederate flags and monuments have been going on for years, and gained steam in the last decade. States removed the confederate iconography from flags and statues to traitors were dramatically defaced and removed across many cities. These bills may find other opponents as well besides the LGBT community. Scott Herman, a veteran and a former president of the Dolphin Democrats, was irked that the initial bill did not include military flags either. Republicans are for freedom except if you are LGBTQ, or served in the military, he said. Then your military branch flag, Pride flag, Christian flag, or other flag is wrong. Also if you're from another country, or any other state then, your respective flags are also not allowed under this bill. In addition to the confederate flag and beach warnings, the withdrawn amendment also included the flags of foreign nations, the flags of the U.S. Armed Forces and the Florida National Guard, city and county flags, college and university flags, the United Nations flag, and the Olympics flag. A senate staff review of SB 668 said the proposed law may limit free speech. Even though Collins amendment was withdrawn it could be re-inserted into the final bill if SB 668 and HB 1011 pass and go to a joint committee. This law is just a continuation of the right-wing assault on free expression in classrooms. The law appears to apply to university level classrooms, so it not only impacts the rights of children, but adults as well. It raises serious constitutional concerns about the first amendment rights of both students and teachers, said Russell Cormican, a first amendment rights attorney in Fort Lauderdale. By prohibiting the display of certain flags, the law not only allows lawmakers to prevent flags that honor certain groups, like the Pride flag, but also flags that tell the story of our states history, like the Spanish, French and British flags. Flags are an important way of conveying ideas and learning about history and therefore they should be afforded protection as a form of expression. Jason Parsley contributed to this report. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230321/grand-jury-to-reportedly-vote-wednesday-on-possible-trump-indictment-1108664791.html Grand Jury to Reportedly Vote Wednesday on Possible Trump Indictment Grand Jury to Reportedly Vote Wednesday on Possible Trump Indictment The Manhattan grand jury will most probably vote on Wednesday about whether to indict Trump for hush-money payments during his 2016 presidential campaign, NewsNation said on Tuesday, citing a source. 2023-03-21T22:25+0000 2023-03-21T22:25+0000 2023-03-21T22:23+0000 americas donald trump stormy daniels hush payments michael cohen new york indictment /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/03/15/1108664645_0:160:3073:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_3e22d594d4ab3bb66e4040c1b5203154.jpg Earlier Tuesday, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said authorities have been monitoring social media regarding the Trump case, and that the New York Police Department was on the lookout for any illegal actions. New York City has increased its police presence in all five of its boroughs. Insider reports have speculated Trump is likely to be indicted Wednesday but that he may not appear before a US judge in Manhattan until the following week, allowing the Trump camp to make arrangements for the former president's anticipated arraignment.Although much about how the legal process will play out remains unknown, reports have indicated the grand jury reviewing evidence presented by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office will first need to undertake a vote on charges. A majority must first be established before investigators can proceed with any officials charges.Tensions have at an all-time high since the weekend, when Trump took to his Truth Social platform on Saturday to allege he would be arrested on Tuesday. He also called for his supporters to: "PROTEST, TAKE OUR NATION BACK!"Officials with the NYPD have told Sputnik that police officers in Big Apple remain on standby in light of the former president's call for action posted on social media. Trump's possible arrest is connected to 2016 hush payments made out to adult film star Stormy Daniels in a bid to prevent her from disclosing their alleged 2006 sexual affair. Trump has dismissed his connection to Daniels, as well as any other felony accusations on his part. He also refused to testify before the jury.The potential indictment - unprecedented if it comes to fruition - has been blasted as a "politically-motivated persecution" against Trump; in fact, it's largely been seen as a move by Democrats to create hurdles for the former president amid his bid in the 2024 US election. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230321/trump-24-7-ny-bid-to-charge-ex-president-will-only-raise-his-media-profile-1108635212.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20230321/looming-indictment-part-of-dems-politically-motivated-persecution-that-may-help-trump---analyst-1108624440.html americas new york Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International donald trump, indictment, manhattan district attorney, hush payments, stormy daniels, 2016 us election, https://sputnikglobe.com/20230321/us-admits-china-russia-grew-ties-over-time-but-does-not-consider-their-relations-alliance-1108664022.html US Admits China, Russia Grew Ties Over Time But Does Not Consider Their Relations Alliance US Admits China, Russia Grew Ties Over Time But Does Not Consider Their Relations Alliance National Security Council Strategic Communications Coordinator John Kirby on Tuesday admitted that China and Russia have been developing ever closer relations over the past several years now, but stopped short of calling the relationship an alliance. 2023-03-21T20:56+0000 2023-03-21T20:56+0000 2023-03-21T20:55+0000 world john kirby us russia vladimir putin xi jinping china partnership alliance putin-xi moscow summit /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/03/15/1108663867_0:183:2991:1865_1920x0_80_0_0_05363a9ee0b303d95545a1edfcd9d678.jpg "I think you've seen over the years how these two kinds of countries go on growing close together," Kirby said during a press briefing. However, Kirby said he does not consider the closer ties between Russia and China an alliance, referring to the growing partnership as a "marriage of convenience" instead. Russia and China are interested in serving as a counterweight to US and NATO influence, Kirby added. The Biden administration official further stated that the White House does not see anything resulting from the Xi-Putin summit to suggest a timely ending of Russia's special military operation in Ukraine.The Tuesday briefing also saw the official refute past remarks that suggested arms would be given to Russia by China amid its ongoing special operation."We don't think that China's taking it off the table but they haven't moved in that direction," Kirby said. "We've seen no indication that they're about to or fixing to provide lethal weapons."Kirby did also remark that ties between Russia and Iran appear to be strengthening.Western countries significantly increased their economic and military support for Ukraine after Russia launched a special military operation there on February 24, 2022. The support well exceeds $100 billion and includes air defense and multiple rocket launching systems, tanks, self-propelled artillery, anti-aircraft guns, armored vehicles and various types of ammunition. Russia has warned against further arms supplies that could mean direct involvement of the United States and NATO in the conflict.Kirby's latest comments came amid Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Moscow this week on the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin, marking Xi's first trip abroad after his reelection for a third term in office earlier in March. On Monday evening, Putin and Xi met informally for four-and-a-half-hours in the Kremlin. However, official talks began on Tuesday and Putin described them as highly productive to strengthening bilateral ties. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230321/experts-xi-putin-talks-on-expanded-economic-cooperation-part-of-multipolarity-building-process-1108662814.html russia china Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International national security council strategic communications coordinator john kirby, russia, china, xi-putin summit, https://sputnikglobe.com/20230322/trump-blasts-fake-report-that-he-knowingly-misled-lawyers-over-classified-docs-kept-at-mar-a-lago-1108667584.html Trump Blasts 'Fake' Report That He Knowingly Misled Lawyers Over Classified Docs Kept at Mar-a-Lago Trump Blasts 'Fake' Report That He Knowingly Misled Lawyers Over Classified Docs Kept at Mar-a-Lago Citing undisclosed sources, ABC News is exclusively reporting that controversial US Judge Beryl Howell wrote last week that prosecutors in the special counsels office made a "prima facie showing that the former president had committed criminal violations." 2023-03-22T03:05+0000 2023-03-22T03:05+0000 2023-03-22T03:03+0000 americas donald trump indictment mar-a-lago fbi raid classified documents /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e6/08/0c/1099517731_0:208:2000:1333_1920x0_80_0_0_4fdd122d7d1009f066f41ff7dc92dcca.jpg Citing undisclosed sources, ABC News is exclusively reporting that controversial US Judge Beryl Howell wrote last week that prosecutors in the special counsels office made a "prima facie showing that the former president had committed criminal violations."According to the outlet, the determination into claims that former President Donald Trump knowingly misled his legal representatives about mishandled sensitive documents at his Florida residence would mean that "attorney-client privileges invoked by two of [Trumps] lawyers could therefore be pierced."Howell reportedly ordered Trumps lawyer to comply with a grand jury subpoena for testimony on multiple lines of inquiry which were considered to be protected by attorney-client privilege in a sealed filing."In reaching the so-called prima facie standard to pierce Corcoran's privilege," the outlet wrote, the judge who previously oversaw the Mueller investigation into Trump claimed "prosecutors made a sufficient showing that on its face would appear to show Trump committed crimes."But that opinion is far from an actual determination. Indeed, according to US outlet, the judge "made it clear that prosecutors would still need to meet a higher standard of evidence in order to seek charges against Trump, and more still to prove his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt."Immediately following publication, the Trump campaign slammed the release of information pertaining to the ongoing legal case against him, writing in a statement that "these leaks are happening because there is no factual or legal basis or substance to any case against President Trump.""Shame on Fake News ABC for broadcasting ILLEGALLY LEAKED false allegations from a Never Trump, now former chief judge, against the Trump legal team," the campaign wrote."The deranged Democrats and their comrades in the mainstream media are corrupting the legal process and weaponizing the justice system in order to manipulate public opinion, because they are clearly losing the political battle," the statement continued."The real story here, that Fake News ABC SHOULD be reporting on, is that prosecutors only attack lawyers when they have no case whatsoever," they wrote, concluding: "President Trump is the only leader fighting for the Constitution in order to protect the American people from being abused by a crooked system."The latest development comes as reports have kicked into high gear about the looming arrest of the former president in connection to 2016 hush payments made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels over their alleged 2006 affair. Blasted as a political attack by Democrats against Trump, the possible indictment is reported to be issued sometime over the next few days; however, the former president earlier stated he anticipated being arrested on Tuesday. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230301/doj-fbi-clashed-over-august-2022-plans-to-raid-mar-a-lago-for-suspected-classified-files---report-1107917337.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20230321/looming-indictment-part-of-dems-politically-motivated-persecution-that-may-help-trump---analyst-1108624440.html americas mar-a-lago Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Wyatt Reed Wyatt Reed News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Wyatt Reed donald trump, prima facie, us judge beryl howell, criminal violations, knowingly misled, mar-a-lago, classified documents https://sputnikglobe.com/20230322/western-governments-must-prepare-for-long-term-conflict-amid-ukraine-crisis-scholz-warns-1108666325.html Western Governments Must Prepare for Long-Term Conflict Amid Ukraine Crisis, Scholz Warns Western Governments Must Prepare for Long-Term Conflict Amid Ukraine Crisis, Scholz Warns Germanys Scholz claimed in a recent interview that despite marching in lockstep with the Biden administration on the conflict in Ukraine, he continues to seek... 22.03.2023, Sputnik International 2023-03-22T00:43+0000 2023-03-22T00:43+0000 2023-03-22T00:42+0000 world olaf scholz germany western sanctions ukraine crisis russia us conflict /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e6/09/12/1100922695_0:160:3073:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_4fca8bb25cdf7c8178c859e26ebfa67c.jpg German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has said Western governments should ready themselves for a long-term conflict amid Russia's special military operation, in comments which seemed to confirm the worst fears of advocates in favor of a peaceful settlement to the Ukraine conflict.In spite of his hawkish rhetoric, the chancellor went on to insist that Berlin should seek to mediate in hypothetical talks between Moscow and the US-backed regime in Kiev.As the economic backlash caused by anti-Russia sanctions continues to reduce support for further arms shipment to the Kiev regime, Scholz insisted he was not acting recklessly - comments interpreted by media as a rejection of too far-reaching arms deliveries to Ukraine.The chancellor claimed he regularly communicates with Russian President Vladimir Putin via telephone, and that the discussions frequently last over an hour. While Scholz explained Putin is always polite, German media reports there are fundamental disagreements between the two heads of states.But Scholz noted that relations with the United States, on the other hand, are flourishing. Indeed, the chancellor shares a common political concept with US President Joe Biden, according to the outlet.Scholz had similar words for the European Union, which he insisted was stronger than it appears to outside observers. But he continued to demand the bloc change its rules nonetheless."It has to be that one country cannot stop everything," Scholz said, in comments which sought to establish a reversal of the so-called unanimity principle which has traditionally united the EU.Seeking universal agreement, like the Holy Spirit who comes over us might work in the Catholic Church, but not here, Scholz lectured his opposition, because we lack divine support there.We cannot simply leave all institutional structures as they are, Scholz reportedly insisted, citing foreign policy issues as a good step to begin with. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230303/very-important-year-biden-scholz-recommit-to-ukraine-aid-despite-growing-public-concern-1107998135.html germany russia Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Wyatt Reed Wyatt Reed News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Wyatt Reed olaf scholz, germany, western sanctions, ukraine crisis, russia, us, conflict Students in Koko Musgroves classroom clapped their hands together and repeated their teachers daily mantra during a regular school day Wednesday at Butler Acres Elementary School. Musgrove doesnt just use chants and affirmations for her fourth-grade class. Signs around her classroom encourage students independence: Its better to fail at something than to succeed at nothing and Musgroves main motto, Figure it out for yourself. We want them to be advocates for themselves, Musgrove said. Its a growth mindset. Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to The Daily News. Her students engage in classroom debates topics like whether they would rather have a pet dinosaur or dragon, whether they would rather sit on the bench of a winning team or be the star on a losing team. They can explain their thinking, and theres no wrong answer, said Lacey DeWeert, the Kelso School District associate director of teaching and learning. They also write original thoughts on assignments and draw charts in their interactive notebooks, Musgrove said. Her fourth graders have independent time to read a book of their choosing and analyze its characters and vocabulary also using the notebooks. Musgrove said she wants students to feel they have agency over their education, which is partially attributed to a curriculum guide called Advancement Via Individual Determination. The school district had several teachers adopt the strategies even before the COVID-19 pandemic. Its not that Ive changed my teaching, but we now have specific terms that describe which strategies are being used, Musgrove said. Its really invigorated me. AVID is not a new program by any means it began in the 1980s at a California high school but the program became more enticing to several Kelso School District schools, especially after the pandemic. As a nonprofit organization, AVID says on its website the goal is for students to think creatively, collaborate with their peers, use research-backed note-taking strategies and engage in civil discourse at an early age. The program is optional for schools, but the schools that have adopted it are seeing major strides with their students, DeWeert said. Interactive notebooks have also helped students engage with what theyre learning on a more abstract level, she said. District leaders across Southwest Washington have said the pandemic threw a wrench into regular in-person learning. Students in remote and hybrid environments had a hard time connecting with their teachers and classmates, Musgrove said. Students in Kelso and Longview have also reportedly recently tested at lower levels on standardized tests compared with pre-pandemic scores. The AVID program helps address some of this stagnation in academic growth. DeWeert said the district ultimately wants students to earn their diploma and see what they can do after school, including trades and higher education. That starts at an early age, she said. We want them to see their other options, and we dont just tell them they have to go to college, she said. We want them to be both college and career ready. Cowlitz County commissioners Tuesday approved an $81,000 one-year agreement with a company for federal lobbying services to help with matters pertaining to Mount St. Helens; assistance with Washington, D.C., visits by county officials; and federal grant support. The county is working with CFM Strategic Communications to ask for help paying for a permanent replacement for the Tower Road bridge, a new water reservoir for Ryderwood, and an all-inclusive play area and accessibility upgrades to paths at Riverside Park. The commissioners Tuesday approved letters to U.S. Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell and Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez proposing the three projects for congressionally directed spending, or earmarks, which allow federal lawmakers to request funding for projects at home, for the next fiscal year. The county is prepared to provide the local match if required, letters state. The county has contracted with Vancouver-based CFM since October 2019. The commissioners approved an increase to the contract amount last year to include pursuing federal infrastructure grants. Commissioner Arne Mortensen said he was interested in going after the grants for decent infrastructure solutions with a high up-front cost and a long-term payoff, such as improving the water supply in Ryderwood. CFM worked on getting a yearly appropriation for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to monitor sediment from the Mount St. Helens eruption in the Cowlitz and Toutle rivers, Commissioner Rick Dahl said. Mortensen and Dahl spoke in favor of continuing the contract and agreed that CFMs lobbyists for the county are honest people. Commissioner Dennis Weber was absent. FILE - Protesters stand outside of the Senate chamber at the Indiana Statehouse, Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2023, in Indianapolis. Indiana Republican state Senators voted Tuesday, Feb. 28, to advance a ban on all gender-affirming care for those under 18, the latest in this year's conservative movement by states aiming to limit the rights of transgender youth. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings, File) (Darron Cummings/AP) A bill banning gender-affirming care of any kind for minors is headed to the full Senate after the Committee on Public Health passed the measure along party lines following about four hours of testimony the vast majority of which was against the measure. Senate Bill 480 would prevent gender-affirming care including hormone replacement therapy and sex reassignment surgery for minors. The bill also criminalizes discussion of gender-affirming care potentially available in other states with a minor and their family by physicians and therapists. If approved, it will force Indiana youth on hormone replacement therapy to end that care by Dec. 31. Advertisement Parent after parent walked up to the podium to share the story of how gender-affirming care saved their childs life. They shared their fears for their childs physical and mental health when they are forced to discontinue hormone therapy at the end of this year if the legislation is approved. Katie Blair, director of advocacy and public policy for the ACLU of Indiana, testified before the committee the bill strips parents of their rights to make appropriate medical decisions for their families. She said it is ironic the bill has been filed by others who would defend parents rights in other cases. Advertisement She said the measure is part of a slate of hate that includes an historic number of bills that single out LBGTQ+ Hoosiers. Its discrimination plain and simple, Blair said. The bill impacts First Amendment rights gagging doctors ability to discuss and provide a care plan with their patients and their families, she said. Families have a right to make important medical decisions like this that may simply save their childs life, Blair said. One parent testified that she watched her son slip into a deep depression full of isolation and confusion for three years. He came out as pansexual in 2020 and began to question their gender identity. She said the family worked with a licensed clinical social worker, which helped until the care reached a plateau. Through recommendations and referrals from their therapist they began to explore services at the Gender Health Clinic at Indianapolis Riley Hospital for Children, she said. I finally got my son back and seen the joy on his face. The kind of laughs that come from the belly. The genuine smiles not the once forced, she said. She now fears what will happen to her son and her family if his ability to continue with gender-affirming care ends. Please vote no so I can use my parental right to choose the best medical practice and care for my son. Please vote no; so I dont have to plan my sons funeral, she said through tears. Advertisement Representatives from the clinic testified last month that they do not perform gender-affirming surgery on anyone under the age of 18. Transgender children can be prescribed puberty blockers and hormone therapy, in consultation with their families, mental health care providers and other physicians, but those treatments would be banned under the the bill if a minor is diagnosed with gender dysphoria. But the treatments would remain available for other medical diagnoses, such as for intersex individuals. Testimony from parents and trans individuals continued in the same vein throughout the hearing. Jillian Schranz of Dyer watched the testimony from her office. Schranz has been outspoken locally about the measure and its companion legislation in the house, contacting and sending information to State Sen. Dan Dernulc, R-Highland, and State Rep. Hal Slager, R-Schererville, and appearing before the Lake Central School Board. Schranz plans to testify in person Thursday against the House Bill 1608. Im angry, as usual. Its hard to watch something happening in real time knowing Ive sent so many emails and so much evidence, Schranz said. A handful of doctors wearing white coats testified in support of the bill including an infectious disease specialist and a geriatric physician. It was so striking how being a doctor and being transphobic arent mutually exclusive, Schranz said, adding she saw a lot of personal belief and bias presented as fact. Advertisement I can say with near certainty that the legislators dont have a trans kid in their life that they love. If they did, theyd feel very differently, Schranz said. They are not listening to stories of gender-affirming care benefitting kids, Schranz said. Our legislators are putting in place laws that state sanction bullying just because they dont like it, she said. Those in support of the measure blamed social pressures for an increase in the number of youth seeking gender-affirming care with some saying gender dysphoria would go away if a youth is allowed to go through puberty in the gender in which they were born. Corrina Cone, who testified in support of the bill, said she was diagnosed with gender dysphoria at 15 in 1994 and began to transition with hormone replacement therapy at 18. She went through surgery at 19. Today, Cone said she regrets the decision and was too young at the time to know the impact of her actions. She said safeguards covering the procedure have been unlocked over the last 10 years and none are being applied to young people now. She cited nothing to substantiate the claim. Advertisement Linda Strickland, a neonatal nurse practitioner and retired Indiana University professor of medicine, said she supported the bill. Strickland said the brain is not fully developed until about the age of 25, so young people are basing their decisions on emotion and not evidence. She said there are no studies showing what hormone replacement therapy does to a bodys hormone milieu in the long term. She cited a study prepared for Floridas Medicaid program against the care. We need a pause in what we are doing, Strickland said. Alisha Hunter said the youngest of her three children is transgender and since then the family has been on a journey of doctors, therapists, psychologists and other experts to help her child live a life where they can feel normal. Not one time (has) this journey prompted me to reach out to an elected official nor should it, Hunter said to audible cheers from people in the halls outside the Senate chambers. You cant legislate away transgender people. This bill is cruel. It stems from a place of fear and hate and an inability or unwillingness to educate yourself, she said. When a first responder or firefighter dies in the line of duty, 100 Club Executive Director William Skeen makes his way to meet the family of the fallen hero. Within 24 hours of me being notified of a line of duty death, I will present a $20,000 gift to the dependent family of the peace officer or firefighter that is killed in the line of duty, Skeen said during the annual Honoring Our Heroes luncheon, hosted by the College Station Noon Lions Club at the Hilton College Station. When the family is ready, I will sit down with them and do a full needs assessment by looking at [their] mortgages, car payments, credit cards, educational needs of those kids. And I can tell you now that number is north of $300,000 on average, he said. Our goal is to sit down with the family and pay off that debt. They are going to be able to focus on getting the family back together and healing and not worrying about how to pay the [bills]. The least we can do is take that financial burden out of that family. The event recognized local first responders and also served as a fundraiser, benefitting The 100 Club, a nonprofit which helps families of first responders killed in the line of duty in Harris County and 32 other counties, and the various Lions Club charities. The event also recognized the two recipients of a $1,200 Sheriff Chris Kirk Scholarship. Skeen, a former Major game warden for 27 years in the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, served as keynote speaker and explained the history of The 100 Club and how it came to be. He recalled growing up and seeing The 100 Club stickers, but didnt know what the organization was all about. I proudly served the state for 27 years, but I enjoy what I am doing now a little more; which is helping the families of our police officers and firefighters and first responders and helping them in their time of need, he said. The theme of this event, honoring our heroes, that is what The 100 Club has done for 70 years. We started in 1953 honoring and taking care of those folks and we have been doing it now for 70 years since then. Since 2003, The 100 Club has been supporting heroes in Brazos County in their time of need, Skeen said. Unfortunately, in those 20 years, you all have lost four local heroes. The 100 club provided over $1 million to those families to assist them in their time of need, he said. And unfortunately the club, in our coverage area, we lost seven heroes last year. It was a tragic year for law enforcement last year, and we have already provided about $1.5 million to those families. Skeen recalled the fallen heroes of Brazos County who died in the line of duty since 2003: volunteer firefighter William Danes of Brazos County Precinct 3; Constable Brian Bachman of Brazos County Precinct 1; and Lt. Greg Pickard and Lt. Eric Wallace of the Bryan Fire Department. The 100 Club not only helps the families of the fallen first responders with financials, but also their children as they grow up and attend school and are supported financially to graduate college, Skeen said. The club also helps with serious injury assistance and provides life-protecting equipment to keep officers safe, and gives heroes awards for outstanding service and law enforcement scholarships, he said. Deputy Tony Piccolo, Brazos County Precinct 2 Constable, said the 100 Club and the Lions Club are very important to law enforcement. I say that because for agencies that dont have the funding to get equipment or if there is a line of duty death, the 100 Club picks up and they really do help out because the family may be struggling and may not have the money to move on from there, but they step in and help, Piccolo said after the luncheon. For agencies that are needing equipment, they have even helped us out in Precinct 2. They helped us with three ballistic shields and those shields are for the protection of this community. We are going to use those shields in the school districts, for any type of major assault or anything that were to happen in the streets. College Station Noon Lions Club president Dean Schneider said this event has raised $58,000 for The 100 Club, and another $58,000 is going to their Lions Clubs charities. There are now 31,000 members of the 100 Club in the 32 counties in South Central Texas, he told guests in attendance. More than $22 million has been given in direct aid to the families of first responders that have been killed in the line of duty. The honoring of those heroes is a special event to the Lions Club, Schneider said, as it gives the community time to be face to face with the first responders and express personal appreciation of everything that they do. Because you dont see them the only time you see them is when there is an emergency or they come out to help somebody and being able to express our thanks to them face to face is a wonderful thing, Schneider said after the luncheon. I want them to know that we have got their backs, we are there for them, because they are there for us. It is the same with members of the military, you cant say thank you enough. Area fourth graders received a valuable lesson on how the food they eat gets to their tables Tuesday at Fonner Park. Nearly 800 students from 36 classrooms at 19 different schools from the Grand Island area gathered at Fonner Park in the Sheep Barn and the Five Point Livestock Arena for Ag Day. The event was sponsored by the Hall County Agricultural Committee. This was the 21st year that the Ag Day event has been held at Fonner Park. Ag Day provides students the opportunity to observe and interact with different aspects of agriculture, said Annette Schimmer, Ag Day chair. Representatives from the Nebraska Cattle Women, Grand Island Northwest High School FFA, Nebraska Pork Producers, Central Platte Natural Resources District, 4-H/UNL Extension Hall County, Embryology, Midwest Dairy Association, UNL Department of Entomology and Nebraska Corn Board were there to educate the fourth graders. During the event, Schimmer said students had hands-on experience at the education booths and demonstrations. Also, area farmers brought some of their livestock to the event. There were live demonstrations from a horse trainer, horse farrier, and a sheep shearer. Schimmer said agriculture is one of the most significant economic drivers in the community. Some of Grand Islands largest employers are ag-related businesses, such as JBS, Case IH and McCain Foods. Mary McDowell from Star Elementary School brought her fourth grade students to the event. I think it's neat for them to see where all of our resources actually come from, McDowell said. We spend a lot of our social studies talking about the history and the pioneers and how they were able to create everything on their own. Since Grand Island's early days, prior to the American Civil War, agriculture was an important industry to the area. McDowell said Ag Day links todays agriculture to the early pioneers who settled the area. She said food production is as important today as it was more than nearly a century-and-a-half to the first settlers. But, she said, many of todays urbanized youth have lost touch with the communitys agricultural roots. I think a lot of them probably take for granted where things come from, because everything is so accessible, McDowell said. This (Ag Day) opens their eyes up to how they can get and where their food actually comes from. Another valuable lesson the students are exposed to, according to McDowell, is the many career opportunities in agriculture available to them. Helping out at the event were FFA students from Northwest High School. Many of those FFA students attended Ag Day as fourth graders. FFA is an important stepping stone to future careers in agriculture for young people. One of the education booths at Ag Day was sponsored by the Nebraska Cattlemen. Representing the Nebraska Cattlemen at Ag Day was Bonita Lederer of Pierce. She is director of Producer Education for the Nebraska Cattlemen. The Nebraska Cattlemen have been participating in Ag Day since the event started more than 20 years ago. The states cattle industry is one of the largest segments of Nebraskas economy. Nebraska is not only one of the largest cow/calf states, but the state is also among the leaders in red meat production. Lederer said the Nebraska Cattlemen appreciate the event as it not only allows them to tell their story, but also gives the students to see other areas of the states ag industry. Agriculture is really important in Nebraska and I think that they (the students) need to know where their food comes from, she said. Like McDowell, Lederer said many of the students have lost touch with their agricultural roots and lack the knowledge not only on how their food gets to their tables, but also the people who produce their food. I don't think they realize where their food comes from, and also how we take care of our cows, she said. Lederer said cattle are their livelihood and many times, the cattle are better cared for than many humans. When they are sick, we take care of them, Lederer said. We don't want them to die. We want them to grow up strong. Schimmer said it is important for students to learn that their food doesn't just pop up in the grocery store. We are trying to create that big picture so they can realize that theres ag all around us, she said, from the pastures and crop fields to the implement dealers and manufacturers and food processors in the community. That's a very important thing for them to realize because I feel like more and more families are coming off the farm and they don't realize where all those things come from, Schimmer said. Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves has assured the Garfiuna and all of SVG that his government has not ruled out considering acquiring the island. The acquisition of Balliceaux is something to which the Government of St Vincent and the Grenadines will give serious consideration. Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves advanced this position during his address at the Annual Wreath-Laying Ceremony, National Heroes Day March 14 - at the obelisk at Dorsetshire Hill. He was, in fact, responding a proposition for acquisition put forward earlier by Zoila Ellis-Browne, Director of The Garifuna Heritage Foundation (TGHF), and that recognition be accorded Balliceaux as sacred ground for the Garifuna people. In detailing the proposition, Ellis-Browne said, "We (TGHF) propose that the island be developed by relevant governmental and non-governmental entities as a national park to be used as a sacred heritage site. Whatever, the government intends to do its own valuation of the island. "And if in the case of all the priorities and availability of resources, that we cannot come to a private agreement, well the law gives provision to acquire at a particular price, and if the acquisition is done and you are not satisfied about the price, well there is a juridical process where that can be done, Dr. Gonsalves explained in a tone that emphasized governments interest in the matter. And that if it was sold to a developer, there would be certain conditions under which the alien landowners would be subjected to especially given the national importance of Balliceaux, the Prime Minister stressed. And in response to Ellis-Brownes subsidiary proposal that March 9 be researched and declared a day of remembrance of the exile, Dr. Gonsalves said that he had "no difficulty with the request. He referenced that there were days of recognition for the Spiritual Baptists and one that commemorates the arrival of East Indians to these shores. "So, days of remembrance or recognition are not alien to this government because we want to have and embrace a collective ownership, Dr. Gonsalves assured, adding that there was already a developmental plan for the indigenous people of SVG, in line with CARICOMs Reparations Commission 10-point plan, Balliceaux was recently advertised for sale with an asking price of US$30 million. The betrayal of trust, responsibility and authority were among aggravating factors in the case involving Staff Nurse Lucresha Nanton, 35, of Owia, who was sentenced to two years and ten months on Friday February 3, for possession of 59.939 grams (132-143 pounds) of cocaine with intent to supply. In outlining the aggravating factors of the offence during the sentencing hearing at the Serious Offences Court on February 3, Chief Magistrate Rechanne Browne said that as Staff Nurse for the area, Nanton was placed in a position of trust, responsibility and authority. She also stressed the very large amount of cocaine in question, and the way in which it was concealed. She noted that the drug was found in a barrel, containing medical supplies during a police search of the room at the Nurses quarters of the Owia Health Clinic, where Nanton was attached. Additionally, she said, the police had to use force to gain entry into that room, as she had denied having the key. Browne also noted that in Nantons caution statement to the police, she attempted to shift blame, resulting in others being taken into custody for questioning in connection with the matter. Browne took into consideration the mitigating factors raised by Nantons attorney Ronald Marks, including that she was manipulated by a close and trusted family member. The Magistrate started at 3.5 years which is 50 percent of the maximum penalty. She went up by six months, after concluding that the aggravating factors outweighed the mitigating ones. She found no aggravating factors in relation to the offender, and deducted four months, after taking into account that Nanton had no previous convictions, and showed remorse. A further nine months was deducted for the guilty plea. After doing the calculations, the Court arrived at a sentence of two years and ten months. In the Magistrates Court, the maximum penalty for the offence is seven years and $500,000, while in the High Court, the maximum penalty is 25 years and $5 million. Cocaine and marijuana are by law classified as Class A drugs, and therefore carry the same penalties. In his mitigation plea, Marks asked the court to impose a suspended sentence on the basis of the lesser role, and because Nanton suffers from a tumor of the brain that affects her pituitary gland. A medical report was presented to the court in this regard. However, Prosecutor Renrick Cato submitted that the cocaine in question valued $1.8 million, but the Magistrates sentencing power is only $500,000, and if the defendant had no means to pay, then the court had no other choice but to impose a custodial sentence. He asked the court to send a strong message to offenders and would-be offenders. The cocaine was discovered during a joint operations between the Narcotics Unit and the Rapid Response Unit (RRU), on January 22, 2022. Nanton was also charged with possession of the drug for the purpose of trafficking, and had initially pleaded not-guilty to both charges. She subsequently changed her plea to guilty on the possession with intent to supply charge, while maintaining her innocence on the drug trafficking charge. The prosecution withdrew that case. Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada, told CARICOM Heads that his government will consider ways of making it easier for Caribbean people to travel to his country. (Source: CTV News) It was perhaps encouraging news for the region when Canadas Prime Minister Justine Trudeau shared with CARICOM Heads of Government that his government wanted to make it easier for "trusted travellers from the Caribbean Community and other countries to get into the country. Of course, the Heads, even as they might have showed some varied expressions of acceptance, would have noted PM Trudeaus operative words like "wanted and "trusted travellers. PM Trudeaus announcement came during his meeting with the Heads during their 44th Regular Summit in The Bahamas, held from Feb. 15 17. The Canadian leader said the proposed action comes as a response to the current situation which speaks to worldwide travel getting better after the COVID-19 pandemic. And as though pointing to the reciprocal benefits involved, PM Trudeau referenced the hundreds of thousands of Canadians who say they are from the Caribbean, the fact that Canada welcomes people from the Caribbean to study, build a life, share their culture, or just visit, and that people like to visit the Caribbean, Canadians included, contributing to tourism which is a big part of the regions economies. As it stands, nationals of St. Vincent and the Grenadines have to get a visa to enter Canada. This requirement was enforced following a wave of applications for refugee status being made by Vincentians, and the surfacing of unauthorized travel documents. Air Canada suspends flights All of this would have been met with by Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves with a pinch of salt, as he returned home to the news that Air Canada was temporarily suspending its scheduled twice a week service (Tuesday and Fridays), between Canadas Pearson International Airport and SVGs Argyle International Airport. The airline confirmed that its temporary suspension was in keeping with what it had done in the past, given that its service operated on a seasonal basis. The understanding was that the service was being suspended for the summer and will resume in the fall. It is clear that this could affect the service for those Vincentian nationals residing in Canada who would have anticipated flying home non-stop for Vincy Mas 2023. Canadas commitment to the region In addition to what it promises in terms of assistance to Haiti, Prime Minister Trudeau also announced a number of packages of assistance that his government will make available to the region. The following obtains: * $10 million in new funding to protect Haitian women and children along the Haiti-Dominican Republic border. * $12.3 million to: address the food and nutrition needs of vulnerable populations; help meet the safety and emergency sexual and reproductive health needs of vulnerable women and girls; prevent and respond to gender-based violence, and provide water, sanitation and hygiene to address and prevent cholera. * $44.8 million in new initiatives to help support CARICOM in addressing the climate crisis by protecting more biodiversity, and improving climate resilience and disaster preparedness. * $1.8 million in new initiatives to help tackle escalating regional security challenges, including by targeting illicit drugs, the opioid crisis, irregular migration, and strengthening border and maritime security. * $11.48 million in new initiatives, including $2.5 million in Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) services for Indigenous people and other communities residing in the remote hinterland lacking access to quality health care, and $8.98 million to the Empowering the Next Generation: Agency and Gender Equality for Youth (ENGAGE) project to support the foundation of a more empowered and equal generation of young people in Guyana. The chairmanship of the Caribbean Development Banks (CDB) Board of Governors will be handed to Canada from Saint Lucia at this years meeting in June 2023. There is indication that fishers and those desirous of becoming fishers are making advances to the loan facility available under the Fleet Expansion Programme. Of a total of 118 applications, 20 loans have been approved, with two pirogues and 12 engines already being purchased, under the Fleet Expansion Programme launched in June 2022. Agriculture and Fisheries Minister Saboto Caesar disclosed the figures during his response to a question in Parliament on February 23. Leader of the Opposition, Dr. Godwin Friday, had requested that the Minister provide an update on the programme, which is being done in collaboration with the Kingstown Cooperative Credit Union (KCCU) and is a revolving facility of EC$1.5 million dollars. Loans will be available to existing and new entrants to the fisheries sector. According to Caesar, there were 65 applications for pirogues, 54 for engines, 6 for tuna boats and 3 for repair work. Sixty-three (63) of the 118 applications had already been processed, and the vetting process was ongoing. The agriculture minister told members of Parliament that he is expected to make a Ministerial statement on the issue soon. There were some issues hindering the process however. One, according to Caesar, was the sourcing of boats and engines, occasioned by disruptions in the supply chain. Then there was the issue of the licensing of the vessels. There was also an off-take agreement that applicants were expected to sign on to, that being that successful applicants were required to undergo training through the Credit Union. Under the financing arrangement, some applicants are required to make an input of from 1.5 percent to 5 percent of the cost of the items. This will be matched by a 20 percent input by the government. Elevators at the Financial Complex now out of order since a traumatic ordeal during which five persons were trapped in one of them. Five persons got the scare of their lives when they were stuck in the elevator at the Financial Complex for close to two hours. According to reports, a few minutes after 11am on Friday, 3rd March, five persons - three adult females, one adult male and his 10-year-old daughter - boarded the elevator. When they descended to the ground floor a few seconds later, the huge metallic door would not open. After some five minutes of punching the buttons, banging and screaming for help they realized that the security person on the other side was unable to hear them, so one female decided to call emergency via her cellphone. Contact was made with the police and the caller informed them that they were stuck in the elevator at the Financial Complex and they were scared. By this time, the inside the elevator began to get warm and it was becoming difficult to breathe, according to accounts post the incident. Panic soon set in among the occupants as they accepted that the oxygen was limited and their chests were becoming tight. There was additional concern about one of the female - a diabetic and the child who was crying in fright and had to be consoled by her father. Having to await the key When the police and rescuers arrived at the scene some 15 minutes after the call, nothing, admittedly, could be done. Contact had, first of all, to be made with the person who had what appeared to be the only key to the elevator. That persons arrived some 45 minutes after he was contacted. When the elevator was unlocked, the rescuers could not open the door to any meaningful degree. They resorted to prying it open but managed only a small crack at first, so much so, the occupants were observed rushing to the slut to take in some fresh air. After some tugging and pulling of the door, the rescuers were finally able to get the door open enough for the occupants to squeeze themselves out one by one. This was at about 12:30pm, approximately one and half hours after the five had entered the elevator. The aftermath Reports are that the occupants had expressed fear that the door would returned to its closed position while the rescuers were trying to open it. Overall, those caught in the elevator and others who had arrived on the scene, thanked the rescuers who didnt give up. There was concerned expressed that, from all accounts, there was only one person with a key, and it was not located on the compound or lodged at the Central Police Station, a stones throw away from the Complex. Concern was also expressed about the maintenance person residing in Trinidad and that locals might not be trained to deal with the malfunctioning of the elevator. It was also suggested that a small emergency kit, including a small oxygen tank, be located in the elevator. One can never be over-prepared for an emergency. Eldon Charles (right) sitting with Altavea Billingy (left), her son Joshua and Sylvern Richards, as they watched the home at New Montrose go up in flames. Altavea Billingy, a 28-year old caretaker from Chester Cottage, spent her last day on this earth having a wonderful day on the beach. Billingy died at the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital around 11pm on Saturday February 4, about two hours after being stabbed in the abdomen. According to friend Sylven Richards, she joined Billingy and her 6-year old son Joshua Billingy to spend "the entire day "of Saturday 4th February frolicking at Canash Beach. Richards who a few months ago had given Billingy and her young son a lodging at her (rented) home at New Montrose, had decided to try to relax last Saturday after she and Billingy could do nothing more than to endure the pain of watching the wooden/brick dwelling house they occupied, destroyed by fire on Friday 20th January. Billingy is stabbed In an interview with THE VINCENTIAN since her friends death, Richards said around 9:45pm last Saturday, the trio were on their way home when they decided to get fried chicken at Yankie. They were surprised to catch a glimpse of Billingys ex-boyfriend, Eldon Charles, lurking around Middle Street seemingly following them. Richards said she was inside the food outlet awaiting her batch of fried chicken when her attention was drawn to noise associated with when people were moving in a rush. When she exited the shop she went towards Grenville Street where she had left her friend standing, only to encounter her friend lying on the ground next to a garbage bin. Police who coincidently were patrolling the area, were seen to be detaining a man, who turned out to be Charles, while others tended to Billingy who seemingly laid unconscious on the ground. Her son, according to Richards, could be heard to ask, "What happen to my mommy? Billingy was rushed to the hospital where medical professionals reportedly worked frantically to save her life but to no avail. A tumultuous relationship Describing the relationship between Billingy and Charles as tumultuous, Richards said the couple were together for about 2 years. During that time there were many arguments and he put her things out but on more than one occasion but she always returned when thing cooled down between them. Richards said, though, that on the last occasion of a heated disagreement, Billingy decided to leave for good and that is when she offered her lodging. Not long after, the fire occurred. Richards said she found it suspicious when Charles made it his business to come to the scene of the fire to offer comfort, since she knew Billingy and he had not spoken since she left him. Now, two weeks later her friend was dead. Billingy, Richard said, was the mother of two boys one ten and the other (Joshua) six. The older was living with his maternal grandmother in Trinidad, and the younger, it was hoped, would have gone to meet him "once things worked out. As it stands, the six year old has refused to "stay with any other relative here and prefers to stay Richards, who is his godmother. She said she is concerned about the youngster who is not fully aware of what has happened. Richards confessed that she is still trying to come to terms with the loss of her home in the fire and that Billngys death has really devastated her. He last fond memory of Billingy was of her splashing water on her. They had noticed a man scrubbing a pot by the seas side in a similar way that Billingy would, and she jokingly teased that that was Billingy whenever they had river side cookouts. "She and I were laughing so hard as she splashed the water on me and I told her not to wet my hair. We really had fun, she recalled. Richards advised women who wanted to get out of abusive relationship to leave and get help, especially if they were in fear for their life. She concluded, "She (Billingy) tried to leave and when she did, look what happened. But she knew it was the right thing to do. She was really a loving, hard-working mother who tried her best. I am just glad that her last day on earth was being happy with us. Eldon Charles, a 35-year old tradesman of Cedars was arrested and charged with the murder of Billingy. He appeared before the Serious Offences Court on Tuesday for arraignment and was remanded in custody. The matter was adjourned to 17 April, 2023. Junior Jarvis is confident that his conviction and sentences will be overturned at the Court of Appeal. (Photo Source: Loop News) Junior Jarvis, the former journalist and Public Relations consultant who was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder at the Criminal Assizes on Friday, March 9, is confident that he would be vindicated. Jarvis voiced his feelings while speaking to THE VINCENTIAN at the High Court shortly after Justice Brian Cottle sentenced him to life imprisonment for the February 14, 2017 murder of former Bank of St. Vincent and the Grenadines employee, Randy Lawrence. A 12-member jury found Jarvis guilty of Lawrences murder and seven other related offenses on November 28, 2022. Jarvis calm and unshaken Jarvis was visibly calm and unshaken when and after the sentences were handed down. He spoke to his lawyer Kay Bacchus-Baptiste, following which he gave a brief interview to THE VINCENTIAN, with permission from the police, before being escorted to His Majestys Prisons. When asked how he felt, Jarvis replied, "I am ok. He confirmed that he will be appealing his convictions and sentences, and expressed confidence that he would be successful. Jarvis said he intends to retain Bacchus-Baptiste for the appeal, as she had knowledge of the case, having represented him at the trial and the sentencing hearing. "If we need other help, I will try to get help, because I know this is a large case, and I am confident that I will get a different result from the Court of Appeal, he added. Jarvis called on media to investigative more "I maintain my innocence, Jarvis declared and called on the media to be more investigative in their reporting on the matter. "They must ask questions such as who threatened to kill who? What did I tell Lawrence on the night before the incident to get him upset? Was there evidence of any argument over a woman? Jarvis said. He added that he told the police there were eyewitnesses but they (police) never interviewed any of them who remained on the scene even after the police had left. Jarvis said he will use his time in prison to write about the case among other things. "I have already done some poetry and I hope to have something published by year-end, Jarvis assured. He will also be involved in activities to help prisoners and others, "so that what happened to me would not happen to them. When asked how he is coping with prison life, Jarvis said, "The conditions could be better physically and psychologically, and expressed concern for the inmates. When contacted for comment later that day, Bacchus-Baptiste said, "There were a lot of inconsistencies and irregularities at the trial that will cause concern to the Court of Appeal, so for this reason I think that it is prudent for him to appeal his convictions and sentences. She also disagreed with Justice Cottle that the killing was pre-mediated. Kevin Bynoe, an employee with VINLEC for the past 16 years and a father of two is the latest winner of the National Lotteries Authority (NLA) Lotto Jackpot. The Mount Pleasant resident matched the five numbers (3, 8, 22, 35, and 36) on a quick pick ticket to take the jackpot totaling EC$ 220,000. Bynoe collected the winning cheque during a handing over ceremony at the NLA headquarters in Pauls Avenue, Kingstown, on Tuesday 14. At the handing over, Manager of NLA, McGregor Sealey, congratulated Bynoe and encouraged him not to be one of those individuals who have won larger jackpots and wasted the money. "I want to encourage you please to use this money wisely I hope you will spend a lot of money towards the childrens education, McGregor said to Bynoe. Bynoe in his response, explained he shared that he indulges moreso in playing the Play Four Game, and not so much in the Lotto and Super 6 games. "Over the past years my (Play 4) numbers dont call, only time my number called was in 2020. Quick pick like it has more luck than yo own numbers Bynoe reasoned. As for how he will use his winnings, Bynoe said with a chuckle, "Well, funds will really go to a loan at the bank, so thanks for the ease-up still, and added that his children will not be left out. The Mount Pleasant man told THE VINCENTIAN that he does not watch the live draws of the NLA games. Instead he relies on an app on his phone that gives him notifications half an hour after the live draws. He said that when he realized that he had won the Jackpot, he called his Mom and other immediate family members to share the good news. The winning ticket was purchased at Cannice Dicksons shop in Stubbs. As the agent who sold the winning ticket, the establishment will received a 1.5 percent commission from the jackpot, which amounted to just over $3000. Wyomings sweeping abortion ban has taken effect, shuttering the states only abortion provider and forcing doctors to adapt while they await an emergency hearing on a lawsuit filed in Teton County last week. At the same time, the implementation of the new ban is driving abortion advocates to review their work as Wyoming lawmakers continue to make strides in targeting abortion in the state. Staff at the Womens Health and Family Care clinic in Jackson, the only abortion provider in Wyoming, began calling patients and cancelling appointments on Monday morning, said Dr. Giovannina Anthony, a medical provider at the clinic. In all, the clinic called six women on Monday. Most of the patients were crying when they were informed that their appointments would have to be canceled in light of Wyomings new restrictions, Anthony said. Of the six women contacted today, only one was very calm about the issue because she said she had resources to travel and would travel as needed, she said Monday. The other patients all did not have that or thats a major hurdle. The immediate impacts of the ban have not been isolated to patients. The emotions of patients and the inability to provide care have also affected providers, Anthony said. My practice manager was just in tears this morning as she made these calls because the patients are devastated, she said. Legal uncertainty Wyomings broad ban on abortion took effect on midnight Saturday after Gov. Mark Gordon let the Life is a Human Right Act become law without his signature. It prohibits abortion except in cases of rape and incest and under narrow medical circumstances, such as if the fetus is likely to die shortly after birth. The intent of the bill sponsored by Rep. Rachel Rodriguez-Williams, R-Cody, and number of other conservative lawmakers was to strengthen and expedite Wyomings abortion restrictions by addressing the constitutional questions raised by a legal challenge to last years trigger ban. Anthony and other providers, Wyoming residents and Chelseas Fund, an abortion fund based in Lander, challenged the trigger ban, arguing in their lawsuit that the restrictions violated the Wyoming Constitution, which guarantees the right of each person to make their own health care decisions. Ninth District Court Judge Melissa Owens temporarily blocked the trigger ban in July hours after it went into effect, and abortion up until fetal viability has remained legal in Wyoming as the lawsuit has made its way through the courts. The Life is a Human Right Act states that abortion is not health care and repeals last years trigger ban. Ahead of Gordons decision Friday, Anthony, other Wyoming health care providers and women, and Chelseas Fund again sued the state, this time to stop the Life is a Human Right Act ban from being implemented. Owens, who will again oversee court proceedings, scheduled an emergency hearing for 1 p.m. Wednesday in Teton County to hear their request to pause the enforcement of the latest abortion ban. As they await the hearing, Anthony and Womens Health and Family Care have been directing the patients they turn away to Chelseas Fund and other resources if theyre seeking immediate help, she said. However, some patients have kept their appointments after Wednesday and Anthony is also keeping an open schedule in case Owens does issue a restraining order blocking the ban. We want to be able to help these patients as soon as possible, she said. While providers and patients maintain some optimism, the legal limbo they face can be difficult to handle amid the uncertain future of abortion in Wyoming. If a woman is pregnant and doesnt want to be pregnant, its a panicky, scary, extremely vulnerable situation that theyre in, Anthony said. Waiting around to see if the courts are going to make a decision that could completely change the most personal aspect of your life, that is really difficult to swallow. And its really hard for us. Across the border While Wyoming waits, abortion providers in Colorado and Montana are preparing to aid women from the state. Even before this decision, we were already seeing a substantial number of out-of-state patients from Wyoming coming to our Colorado health centers, Fawn Bolak, a spokesperson for Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, said in an email. Since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade last year, Colorados Planned Parenthood clinics have seen more than 800 women from Wyoming who have traveled to access abortion, Bolak said. Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains will continue to be here providing safe, compassionate reproductive and sexual health care to anyone who walks through our doors, regardless of where they are from, Bolak said. In a statement, Martha Fuller, the president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Montana, shared the same support for Wyoming women who cross state lines for abortion care. At Planned Parenthood of Montana, we stand with our patients and providers against cruel attempts to ban abortion care and will continue to provide comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services to the people of Wyoming forced to travel across state lines, Fuller said. Resilience and review Wellspring Health Access is preparing to open a womens health care and abortion center in Casper in April. The new ban and coming legal battle have not changed those plans, said Lauren Rankin, a spokesperson for Wellspring Health Access. The organization still plans to open its doors and provide both medication and surgical abortions for Wyoming women, Rankin said. We at Wellspring believe in fighting for legal abortion in every state, in every community because every community deserves this care, she said. We have no intention of backing down from this fight now. But while Wellspring Health Access and other providers remain headstrong, the same is less true for Pro-Choice Wyoming, an abortion-rights advocacy group. The Life is a Human Right Act is just one of the anti-abortion bills that Wyoming lawmakers have passed in recent years. On Friday, Gordon also signed into law a ban on medication abortion, which accounted for all 98 abortions in the state in 2021, according to the Wyoming Department of Health. With the wave of anti-abortion legislation, Sharon Breitweiser, the executive director of Pro-Choice Wyoming, said it was time that organization review its efforts. Its never been easy. Weve had a lot of close calls. But this is the worst its been in recent memory, she said. With the groups advocacy gaining little traction in the Legislature, Breitweiser said the organization would look to reassess its strategy and tailor its efforts to better support abortion access in Wyoming. We want to take advantage of these coming months where we dont have elections to really beef up our outreach and our educational work with people so they know whats going on, she said. PHOTOS: Abortion in Wyoming Pro-choice protest Abortions rights protest Abortion-rights protesters The Women's Health Center and Family Care Clinic of Jackson Pro-life Protest Pro-life Protest Abortion-rights protest Abortion-rights protest Abortion-rights protest Abortion clinic fire Abortion-rights protest Abortion-rights protest Pro-life Protest Pro-life Protest Pro-life Protest Pro-life Protest Pro-life Protest The second leg of the 2023 Tucson Desert Song Festival kicks off this weekend with True Concord Voices & Orchestra mounting Rachmaninoffs Vespers, also known as The All-Night Vigil. Next weekend, Tucson Symphony Orchestra chimes in with Mahlers behemoth musical journey Resurrection Symphony, featuring soprano Kelley Nassief and contralto Emily Marvosh soloing with the TSO Chorus. This is the second time the song festival has spilled into the spring; COVID was the culprit when the festival had to postpone the world premiere of Jake Heggies What I Miss the Most with mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton to May in 2021. The festival usually runs about six weeks from late January through February, but when rising opera star and Grammy winner Angel Blue couldnt work that timeframe into her schedule, song festival organizers added a spring leg. True Concord is giving its chamber orchestra the weekend off when it performs Vespers, a 60-minute a cappella concert piece that will close out the ensembles 2022-23 season. This is the first time True Concord has done the work since 2012, and founder and Music Director Eric Holtan said, there is nothing quite like it. It is purely unaccompanied so it is in this Orthodox Slavonic language, rich, dark, sophisticated, spiritual in tone, he explained. The piece calls for low basses where you get this sonorous, just really deep sound that you literally feel, especially when they are singing those low notes, Holtan said. Your chest rattles. You feel this music, he said. Rachmaninoff includes several chants in Ukrainian in a nod to his time spent in Kiev. True Concord will open the concert with the Ukrainian national anthem or another work from Ukraine, Holtan said, in recognition of that countrys war with Russia as it enters its second year. Performances are at 7 p.m. Friday, March 24, at Green Valleys St. Francis in the Valley Episcopal Church, 600 S. La Canada Drive; and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 25, and 3 p.m. Sunday, March 26, at Catalina Foothills High School, 4300 E. Sunrise Drive. For tickets, visit trueconcord.org. Audience members are required to wear facemasks. True Concord also will host a recital with baritone Edward Vogel, featuring accompanist Mark Laseter on piano, at 6 p.m. Monday, March 27, in the courtyard at Hacienda del Sol, 5501 N. Hacienda del Sol Road. Going out with a bang TSO is also ending its 2022-23 classics series season with the song festival, performing Mahlers Resurrection Symphony. It is, at its heart, a symphony, with instruments doing the heavy lifting the first three movements and voices coming in for the final two. In that respect, it is often compared to Beethovens Ninth Symphony Choral, which the orchestra performed to open the 2023 Tucson Desert Song Festival in January. Resurrection is moody, with glimpses of terror that transcends to poetic melancholy when the music depicts the end of life. The piece is not religious, per se, but more of a journey from birth to death, with a big, loud cinematic ending where voices and instruments wonderfully collide, likely no doubt leaving TSO Conductor Jose Luis Gomez red-faced and breathless. The orchestra performs the work at 7:30 p.m. March 31 and 2 p.m. April 2 at the Linda Ronstadt Music Hall, 260 S. Church Ave. For tickets, visit Make way for the Grammy winner Arizona Opera is hosting a recital by soprano Angel Blue, who won a Grammy in 2021 for best opera recording for her performance of Metropolitan Operas production of Porgy and Bess. Blue, who earlier this month sang the role of Violetta in Verdis La Traviata at the Met, was in Baltimore last week, singing Barbers Knoxville Summer of 1915 with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra before coming to Tucson this weekend. Hence the reason the song festival added a second half to the 2023 festival. She performs at 7 p.m. April 1 at Holsclaw Hall, 1017 N. Olive Road in the University of Arizona Fred Fox School of Music. Visit azopera.org for tickets. Putting poetry to music Tucson Guitar Society will close out the 2023 song festival with the Guitar Society Orchestra performing a new work commissioned by Grammy-nominated composer Olga Amelkina-Vera that sets the work of Tohono Oodham poet Ofelia Zepeda to music. Mezzo-soprano Michaela (Mack) Wolz will premiere the work with the orchestra and electric guitarist David Sewell and percussionist Corey Denham at 7 p.m. April 2 at Holsclaw Hall. Admission is free. PHOENIX Saying he was doing what the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. would have wanted, a Queen Creek senator got Republican colleagues to vote to outlaw diversity, equity and inclusion programs in state and local governments and Arizonas university system. SB 1694, crafted by Jake Hoffman, bans the use of government money for any such program. It also forbids a public agency from requiring workers to engage in those programs, allowing those employees to file lawsuits. But Hoffman told colleagues that hes not against the ideas. What he opposes, Hoffman said, is what these programs include, ideas he contends actually work against the concepts of inclusion and equality. Thats a problem, Hoffman said. The bill says we dont want public entities influencing the composition of their workforce based on race. Hoffman then quoted a line from King about children living in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. This bill seeks to do what MLK Jr. advocated for, Hoffman said. But Sen. Juan Mendez, D-Tempe, noted that proponents of the measure fail to understand that not everyone is coming from the same starting point nor are they born with equal advantages. For those of us who did not win the cultural lottery, much of ones life outcome can still be predicted by the biases towards race, class, ability and identity, Mendez said. Diversity, equity and inclusion programs are only set out to help us understand and prepare our citizens for what it means to live in a diverse and inclusive society, he said. Its through these diversity, equity and inclusion programs that institutions are beginning to investigate and correct structural roadblocks that limit the access to the resources and opportunities that improve lives and communities for everyone. As approved, SB 1694 has a laundry list of what would be off limits. For example, programs could not describe or expose systems, relations of power, privilege or subordination on the basis of race, sex, color, gender, ethnicity, gender identity or sexual orientation. Nor could they describe methods to dismantle or oppose those systems. Also off limits would be advancing any theories of a host of theories ranging from unconscious or implicit bias and systemic oppression to inclusive language and neopronouns. That last category includes words that go beyond the traditional he and she which, by their nature, identify the gender of the person to whom it refers. Instead it includes pronouns that do not express gender like ze and zir. Also outlawed would be concepts of anti-racism. Hoffman describes that as the idea that the only answer to past racial discrimination is present discrimination. All of that, Hoffman said, goes to what he said is the goal of SB 1694, to treat people as equals. Mendez, however, said all that ignores what he believes are the real intent of these programs. That, he said, seeks to educate people that there are individuals in society who have not necessarily been treated equitably and that something should be done about that. But this proposal attempts to broaden the cultural wars, claiming that equity and inclusion and diversity is racist because it doesnt put white, male, heterosexual, conservative views on a pedestal to remain unquestioned, Mendez said. It should not be our job taking apart programs that are helping our citizens work together and work toward progress. A March 8 incident encapsulated Sen. Justine Wadsacks short, eventful time in the Legislature so far. Wadsack, a Republican, told the state House Judiciary Committee that day she knew of hundreds if not over a thousand people that tried to sue doctors, state officials, county officials, city officials over vaccine and mask mandates. These attorneys came to me telling me they were restricted from taking any of those cases, Wadsack went on. If they did, the Arizona State Bar would immediately disbar them. When state Rep. Analise Ortiz, a Democrat from the Phoenix area, pressed her for evidence, Wadsack snapped, I dont owe you anything in the way of proof. She told a big story, she got pushback from opponents, she flashed disdain at them, and she went on to win. For that day at least. Shes tried to ban charter cities, to force cities to destroy homeless camps, and, in the March 8 case, to end the requirement that attorneys belong to the State Bar. As shes energetically engaged in the culture wars at the Capitol, shes also continued to embrace conspiracy theories online and do social-media battle with her opponents. #J6 is a lie she proclaimed on Twitter March 7. She was responding to Fox News host Tucker Carlsons attempt at showing that the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol was not how it has been portrayed an act by Trump supporters to stop the transfer of power. Noting that three hazardous materials spills occurred in one week nationwide, including one in Tucson, she proclaimed THIS FEELS ORGANIZED and used the hashtag #BiohazardAttacks. Criticized for her focus on trans issues, Wadsack told one Twitter critic: Shame on you for your stalking comments on a sitting senators Twitter. She called another critic soy boy. Wadsack declined to answer 10 questions I emailed her last week about her political approach, her experience in the Legislature and some of her specific battles. Shes asked me not to contact her by cell phone. Her combative engagement wins her fans among conservative Republicans. Dave Smith, the chair of the Pima County GOP told me, I think shes done an outstanding job. Ive appreciated her ability to generate legislation about issues were concerned about, said Smith, a resident of the Wadsacks legislative district. I understand why the Democrats would be upset because shes not the supine Republican theyre used to. Wadsack and the two House members from her district benefited from a redistricting process that created a gerrymandered district wrapped around the Tucson area, from Marana, across the Santa Catalina Mountains, south over the Tanque Verde area and all the way to Vail. It resulted from a deliberate effort by the chair of the redistricting commission, Erika Neuberg, to get more representation for right of center folks in the Tucson area. The Southern Arizona Leadership Council supported the effort, as did then-Sen. Vince Leach, who fought for his residence to be included in this new district. He succeeded in helping create the district with a Republican advantage of 5 percentage points only to lose the primary to Wadsack. While Wadsacks aggressiveness may please her supporters, shes also making enemies. Leach has already filed to run against her for the seat in 2024. He told me many of Wadsacks bills are just window dressing submitted but never even assigned to committees. Sometimes people get the horse in front of the cart, and dont think about the long term ramifications, he said. You need to think before you just drop bills. In particular, he noted, legislators need to think about what the Democratic governor, Katie Hobbs, will sign. In February, Wadsack stood and turned her back to Hobbs when she delivered her state of the state speech, which wont help her get bills signed. Democrats, of course, dont appreciate the disdain that Wadsack sometimes treats them with. The episode with Ortiz certainly rankled. In the exchange, Ortiz was composed, but Wadsack lashed out at being questioned. We are elected to make evidence-based decisions, and we owe that to the people we represent, Ortiz told me Tuesday. For Ms. Wadsack to say she doesnt owe me evidence it wasnt about me. One of Wadsacks constituents, John Higgins, shared with me email exchanges hes had with her. On Jan. 19, he wrote to her: Dear Sen. Wadsack, I have been looking at the bills you have sponsored or co-sponsored to deal with current housing crisis in Arizona, especially in Pinal and Pima Counites. I see you co-sponsored HB2377 which forbids cities from forcing motels, motels and landlords to accept housing vouchers for poor homeless people. Do you have any other ideas or plans (government, private, voluntary) to deal with the lack of affordable housing for families, and for homeless veterans, youth on their own and mentally ill persons? Wadsacks Jan. 23 response: Do not contact me. You are a opinion journalist who write hit pieces, but you dont disclose your intent. Your past communications have been out of line. Please stop. What was that all about? Higgins has written letters to the editor of the Star criticizing Wadsack. Wadsacks contempt toward Democrats and critics is likely to be her Achilles heel. Already, Democrats in LD 17 are preparing a recall campaign against her. Christina Rodriguez, who is organizing the recall campaign, said they plan to drum up support in April, then formally launch the 120-day signature-gathering in May. This has been kind of a deluge of bad policy, she said of Wadsacks performance. Its a clear division between district and legislator. So, Wadsack may get bills passed in the closely divided Senate, and she may even get some through the House, though her bill about the State Bar is stuck there now. TUESDAY, March 21, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- A digital rectal exam (DRE) conducted in men at age 45 years seems not to be useful for detecting early-stage prostate cancer, according to a study presented at the annual congress of the European Association of Urology, held from March 10 to 13 in Milan. Noting that the German statutory early detection program recommends DRE as a standalone screening test starting annually at age 45 years, Agne Krilaviciute, Ph.D., from DKFZ in Heidelberg, Germany, and colleagues examined the diagnostic performance of DRE in young men. The researchers found that 57 of the 6,537 men who accepted a DRE at age 45 years were suspicious for cancer; 37 underwent immediate biopsy detecting two prostate cancers. In the remaining 55 participants, one additional cancer was detected by DRE repeated two years later in an individual who refused initial biopsy. At age 45 years, biopsy showed prostatitis, benign prostate hyperplasia, high-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia, and atypical small acinar proliferation in 16, 14, one, and one men, respectively; findings were unclear in three men. Of the 54 men without prostate cancer detected before re-invitation to the study, 28 underwent prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing five years later, and in one individual, PSA was >3 ng/mL. That individual had benign prostate hyperplasia on biopsy at age 50 years. "We speculate in our paper that not only is the DRE not useful for detecting cancer, but it may also be one reason why people don't come to screening visits -- the examination probably puts a lot of men off," a coauthor said in a statement. The Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that the state constitution grants women the inherent right to terminate a pregnancy to preserve their life. The court said the ruling was based on provisions of the state constitution that address due process rights and inherent rights. We hold that the Oklahoma Constitution creates an inherent right of a pregnant woman to terminate a pregnancy when necessary to preserve her life, the court ruled in a 5-4 decision. The court did not rule on whether the state constitution provided a right to an elective termination of a pregnancy. Challenges remain pending to two citizen-enforced anti-abortion laws that resulted in the procedure becoming unavailable in Oklahoma after May 25. Opponents of the laws expressed disappointment that the rulings did not go further. Peoples lives have been endangered by Oklahomas cruel abortion bans, and now doctors will be able to help pregnant people whose lives they believe are at risk, said Nancy Northup, President and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights. We are disappointed that the Court declined to rule whether the state Constitution also protects the right to abortion outside of these circumstances. The Oklahoma Supreme Courts own precedent and the plain language of the Oklahoma Constitution guarantee the right to liberty and assure that a broad right to reproductive autonomy exists. Yet Oklahomans are still being denied the right to make decisions about their own bodies, families and futures. Gov. Kevin Stitt issued a statement condemning the ruling. "I wholeheartedly disagree with this activist majority's opinion creating a right to an abortion in Oklahoma, the statement said. Alarmingly, this activist majority acted out of hand by making a policy decision that belongs to the people. Chief Justice Kane said it best in his well-written dissent: 'This Court should adhere to the Constitution given to us, not craft what we believe to be a "better" Constitution. The power lies with the people.' "Furthermore, in their 20-page opinion, not once was there any mention of the unborn. From the moment life begins at conception, we have a responsibility to do everything we can to protect that baby's life and the life of the mother. That is what I believe and that is what the majority of Oklahomans believe which is why the Legislature has passed, and I have signed, numerous laws banning abortion in Oklahoma." The lawsuit targeted Senate Bill 612, signed by Stitt in 2022, as well as another law on the books since 1910, claiming both were unconstitutional under the Oklahoma constitution. Both laws criminalized abortion. In its ruling, the court tossed the more recent state law governing abortion but left intact the 1910-era law because it granted the right to the procedure in cases where it was necessary to preserve the life of a woman. Abortion providers and their supporters had asked the state Supreme Court in July to rule on the constitutionality of the two state laws. The 1910 law, found in section 861 of Chapter 32 in Title 21, made administering an abortion a felony punishable by a prison term of two to five years unless the procedure was necessary to preserve a woman's life. While the 2022 law provided for an abortion in cases of a medical emergency, the Oklahoma Supreme Court said the law was void and unenforceable because it was much more invasive to a womans right to terminate a pregnancy in order to preserve a life. The more recent law bans abortions except to save the life of a pregnant woman in a medical emergency. The state Supreme Court faulted the 2022 law because it restricts "the performance of an abortion to only a pregnant woman who is 'in a medical emergency,' which includes that her life 'is endangered.'" We read this section of law to require a woman to be in actual and present danger in order for her to obtain a medically necessary abortion, the ruling said. We know of no other law that requires one to wait until there is an actual medical emergency in order to receive treatment when the harmful condition is known or probable to occur in the future, the ruling said. Requiring one to wait until there is a medical emergency would further endanger the life of the pregnant woman and does not serve a compelling state interest, the ruling continued. The law declared void by the state Supreme Court made abortion a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and/or a $100,000 fine. The lawsuit was brought by Planned Parenthood Great Plains, the Center for Reproductive Rights, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Blake Patton on behalf of the Oklahoma Call for Reproductive Justice, Tulsa Womens Reproductive Clinic and its owner Dr. Alan Braid, Planned Parenthood of Arkansas and Eastern Oklahoma, and Dechert LLP. The request followed the U.S. Supreme Courts June 24 ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization, which held that the federal constitution does not grant women the right to an abortion. The two sections of the state constitution cited are Article II, section 7 and Article II, section 2. The first section provides: No person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law. Section 2 of Article II provides: All persons have the inherent right to life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, and the enjoyment of the gains of their own industry. The majority opinion was authored by Supreme Court Justice Yvonne Kauger and backed by fellow Justices James Winchester, James Edmondson, Douglas Combs and Noma Gurich. Opposing the ruling were Justices Richard Darby, Dana Kuehn, Vice-Chief Justice Dustin Rowe and Chief Justice M. John Kane IV. Kane, writing one of four separate dissents, wrote that the state constitution does not provide for the right to an abortion. There is no expressed or implied right to abortion enshrined in the Oklahoma Constitution, Kane wrote. In interpreting our Constitution, this Court must guard against the innate human temptation to confuse what is provided in the Oklahoma Constitution with what one wishes were provided. Attorney General Gentner Drummond's office said, We respect the Courts ruling and are pleased the justices acknowledged the exception for cases in which the life of the mother is at risk. Another opponent of the law expressed disappointment in the ruling. Alexis McGill Johnson, president and chief executive officer of Planned Parenthood Federation of America said; For nearly a year, Oklahomans have been deprived of abortion access while this court waited to act and now, the court has robbed them of the right to decide what is best for their own bodies, lives, and futures. While we are relieved Oklahomans facing life-threatening situations have a right to care, the decision to maintain the states pre-Roe ban is unconscionable. This decision guarantees that thousands of people will continue to suffer through forced pregnancies and the health risks that come with it or need to make extraordinary sacrifices to receive abortion care outside of their communities. Still others will be subject to scrutiny, and even judicial involvement, for their pregnancy decisions. Planned Parenthood will do everything in our power to fight this crisis, even as the courts abandon Oklahomans. OKLAHOMA CITY An advisory opinion from the Attorney Generals Office indicates State Superintendent Ryan Walters may not have the authority to pursue controversial new state agency rules on school library books and sexual education materials. Attorney General Gentner Drummonds office on Monday issued an advisory opinion that says the State Board of Education, which Walters chairs, can only adopt new agency rules when directed to do so by the Oklahoma Legislature. Drummonds office issued the nonbinding legal opinion in response to a Feb. 22 request from Rep. Mark McBride, R-Moore, who has been critical of Walters. The chairman of the House Appropriations and Budget Committee on Education asked whether the state law Walters cited in making new rules for the State Department of Education is constitutional. The law says the State Board of Education shall have the power to adopt policies and make rules for the states system of public schools. The advisory opinion from Drummonds office says that part of the law is an overly broad unconstitutional delegation of power to the Board. Any agency rule promulgated under that section of law is invalid and may not be enforced by the State Department of Education or the Board, the opinion states. The opinion appears unlikely to deter Walters from asking for the rule changes that drew criticism at a recent public hearing. In a statement, Walters spokesman Matt Langston appeared to downplay the legal opinion because its not binding like a formal attorney generals opinion. He also questioned McBrides conservative credentials, although he did not mention the lawmaker by name. While we did not originally receive any official opinion from the Attorney Generals Office on this matter, it is strange and odd that such a specific letter was delivered to a state representative who is having an identity crisis as a so-called Republican, Langston said. Superintendent Walters is disappointed, however, in the fact that pornography and parental rights are being kicked around the political landscape by players in Oklahoma who claim to be conservatives upholding traditional values. The opinion comes as Walters is poised to ask the State Board of Education to approve a rule that would allow the governing body to downgrade the accreditation status of schools whose libraries contain pornographic materials or sexualized content. Hes also seeking approval of a second rule that would allow parents to review and object to sexual education materials. That rule would also require school employees to notify parents of any information about their childs health, social or psychological development, including gender identity information such as the pronouns the child uses at school. In light of the opinion, State Board of Education members should reject these proposed rules, McBride said. He also said Walters needs to stay in his lane and leave policymaking to state lawmakers. Its obvious theres only three branches of government, not four, McBride said. The Department of Education is not a branch of government. Earlier this legislative session, McBride filed a bill to block the State Board of Education from approving new agency rules. McBride said he will abandon the bill because the attorney generals opinion carries more weight. The rules Walters proposed are redundant because local school districts already have policies in place related to inspecting library materials and notifying parents of sexual education instruction, McBride said. He also urged Walters to abandon his campaign rhetoric and focus on the basics of improving education. We need to get back to the ABCs of education, McBride said. McBride said he will request a formal attorney generals opinion on the Board of Educations rulemaking authority. The Attorney Generals Office said it issued the advisory opinion because it does not issue formal opinions on questions related to pending legislation. If the State Board of Education approves the proposed agency rules, they go to the Legislature and governor for final approval. I cannot tell you how much time I spent agonizing over the title of this post. This post that I promised to publish last week Monday but failed to do, and it was not for lack of trying. This post that I do not want to write and cannot believe that Im writing. In my head, if I write it, I will make it true. Yet, its been one month since I last spoke to my mom, and I have never gone this long without speaking to my mom. I have never even gone for up to a week without talking to her. So, it must be true. She must really be gone. How do I tell people that I lost my mom? On Friday, April 22nd, 2022, I woke up before my alarm, turned the ringer on my phone back on, and remained in bed. Then I got a frantic phone call from my cousin who was calling to tell me that my mom was ill, that she was having severe chest pain and difficulty breathing and she was being taken to the hospital. I jumped out of bed immediately and my heart was beating so fast. I hate long-distance relationships of any kind, and this is one of the reasons. Being thousands of miles away from my mom has been a personal torture of mine. If I call her and she does not pick up or call back within a short while, I panic. Being told over the phone that my mom was not feeling well, and being able to do nothing but ask questions made me feel helpless and useless. My day was ruined from the moment I received that call. Still, I remained hopeful. Sometimes, Im overly pragmatic and practical. So, that day, I was practical again in my reasoning. My mind did all the calculations: Mom is only 65. Shes healthy. She has survived so much more than whatever this is. This woman is an ijele nwanyi (strong woman in all aspects). My mommy, she will beat whatever this is, and soon, we will laugh about the time she scared me, and I would warn her to not try that nonsense again. That was how I reasoned it. She will be fine. In fact, shes fine already. How can she not be fine? Shes Nwakaego. I was on pins and needles, calling my cousin every few minutes to ask how she was doing and damning Nigeria for being so far away and he gave me all the updates to keep me relatively calm. They had reached the hospital. The doctors had taken her in. She was receiving treatment. She was doing okay. I asked to talk to her and was told that she couldnt talk yet. Nsogbu adiro (no problem), I will wait. During one of the calls with my cousin, we finished talking but he did not hang up. I heard the conversation between him and another relative. That one was asking if I was crying, and my cousin said yes. That one told my cousin to stop telling me too much. My cousin said he didnt tell me too much. Then the phone cut off. I figured the relative didnt want to scare me with something that was already half-resolved. I called another cousin, Onyi. Hes like my moms son. In fact, some people dont know that hes not her son. So I asked about my mom. He was on his way to the hospital. Everything is fine, Verastic, he assured me. Are you sure? I asked him. He reassured me that all was well. I was not convinced, so I called the other cousin (Nachi), the one who took her to the hospital. I demanded to speak to my mom. He said he would call me once he got back to the hospital, that he just left to get some food. I asked him how she was doing, and he said she was receiving treatment. I asked him if he was sure, and he laughed, said of course. I was not convinced, but long distance is a bitch. There was nothing I could do. But then, I called my Uncle in New York, moms younger brother, and he asked if Aunty Chinelo was at my house. My heart fell out of my body then. Why would Aunty Chinelo be at my house? I asked. It was the middle of a workday, so why would she be at my house unless something was wrong? I dont think I was breathing at this point. My uncle said, She said shes coming with Funmie. Now I was really not breathing. Coming with Funmie for what? Where is my mom? He told me to calm down, that everything was fine. I did not believe him. I was screaming on the phone while my uncle tried [and failed] to convince me that all was well. Just then, Onyi called back. I quickly picked up the phone. All he said was, Verastic. And that was the moment my world crashed. There was a lot of screaming and a lot of crying, but none of it was enough. I just wanted my mom to call me. I just wanted to hear her voice. I just wanted her. At some point, Funmie and Aunt Chinelo came, and there was more weeping. I was inconsolable. Its been a month, and I am still inconsolable. Nothing that anyone has said or done has made me feel better about this loss. I have so many questions for God, and I have asked Him all of them, but He has not answered one single question. Was this His plan all along? Is this like the case of Job where the devil sought permission to torment Job and God consented? What about the long life He promised to satisfy those who love Him with? And did I not beg Him? Did I not beg Him several times, almost every day even, to keep this woman? Was this happening because of something I did? Or something I did not do? Was this a punishment? Last week Sunday (May 15th) was my first Sunday back since the loss. I did not want to go to church, but Ada Verastic had begged and begged to go to church. It was not her desire to be in the house of the Lord that compelled her, but her excitement to wear her new blue dress. During one of the songs, it was sung that God turns what the enemy meant for bad into good, and I wondered, what good could possibly come out of my mom transitioning? She was only 65, and we had so many plans. So, so many plans. I am gutted. Not a single day has passed that I have not wept. Sometimes, I cry silently. Sometimes, I wail out loud. Sometimes, I sit and stare aimlessly. My grief knows no bounds. Sometimes, I wake up in the middle of the night crying. I dont know what causes this. I dont know if I am crying in my dream and waking myself up with the crying or if my heart is aching so much while I sleep that my body needs to wake up and release that pain. Most times, I go to bed crying. I have taken more painkillers in the last month than Id typically take in a year. At this point, I am no longer relying on sleeping pills to sleep or stay asleep, thankfully. Death is ugly. My mom owed me nothing. She gave me everything. I could not have asked for a better mom. I just needed more time to take care of her. I was blessed to have taken care of her, and I know she was proud of me because she told everyone that cared to listen about her daughter, her only child who was like twenty children. It was the promise I made to my mom. I told her that I, her only child, would be to her like twenty children, and I am happy that I was able to do that, but I am not consoled because I had so much more to do. I feel completely upended and violently uprooted. Some days now, I think of her and smile, and other days, I weep. Most times, I weep. I have spoken to many people who have lost their moms, and every single one of them has told me that this is not a pain that will ever go away, that I will only learn to live with it. I cry for many reasons when I think about my mom. She was really my best friend. We could talk for hours about nothing. Sometimes, wed be done talking and wed just be on the phone doing our own thing. She would be watching a Nigerian movie or listening to Nnamdi Kanu or Biafra Radio or Nation or whatever its called. I would be tapping away at my computer. She would say something funny about how fast I type. Kpaka kpaka kpaka, she would say, and wed laugh. We spoke several times a week, but Sunday was our special talking day. Wed talk about church and she and Ada Verastic would talk. Every time Ada Verastic gets her hair done, she would ask me to send it to her grandma. My mom would change her WhatsApp profile picture to Ada Verastics new hair. Ada Verastic would love it. When I retwist my hair, I would send her a picture, too. She never uses my hair on WhatsApp though . She would tell me she was jealous of my locs, and I would tell her to get hers done. She would promise to do it, but we would have this conversation all over again whenever I get my hair retwisted again. I retwisted my locs on Saturday, and there was no mommy to send the pictures to. Ada Verastic will be getting her hair done this evening. There will be no grandma to send the pictures to either. Im thinking about the way she would listen to gospel music early in the morning and disturb everyones sleep. Im thinking about what Onyi told me, about how the market people in Awka used to call her Nwanyi India (Indian woman) because she was so light in complexion and always had a scarf on her head to shield her from the scorching sun. Im thinking about how Id always give her a list of foods to send me, like crayfish, egusi, ogbono, etc, and Im thinking about the love and care that would go into procuring these items for me, how she would meticulously clean everything. My mom was anal about a lot of things. And just like her, I am anal about a lot of things. It pleases me that there are parts of her in me, even if theyre not particularly complimentary. Im thinking about how hands-off I would be with Ada Verastic every time we went to Nigeria because my mommy was in charge now. Nigeria will never be the same for me. And now Im asking myself, who will ever love me like my mommy? I already know the answer: NO ONE. I have read bible verses. I have listened to all types of music. I have listened to people encourage me. I have watched people love on me and show up for me. Nothing has dented this pain and gaping hole my mom has left. I have checked WhatsApp every single day, and it continues to say that she was last online on April 22nd, 2022 at 7:03 AM. I keep wishing it would change. I want so badly to hear her call me Nne again. I want to hear her sing for me again. I dont understand a world without my mommy in it. I dont understand how I am supposed to forge ahead. I dont know what happens to all the plans we made. Who do I do these things with now? Her chat is pinned to the top of my WhatsApp. I cannot decide if seeing this chat every day is helping or hurting me. It hurts to see it, knowing she will never respond to my messages again, but I am scared that if I unpin it, it will disappear. So, for now, Ill take the daily heartbreaks from seeing her chat. Ada Verastic is aware that her Grandma is no more, but she is processing it the way a six-year-old would. Sometimes, I wish I could be six years old, and I wish that my worry in life was what cupcake flavor to pick the next time my mommy takes me to the cupcake shop. I wish that, like Ada Verastic, my fondest memory of her was that she let me eat cookies for breakfast in Nigeria, and I quite enjoyed it. I try not to cry as much in front of Ada Verastic these days. Shes quick to bring me a box of tissue once she notices Im crying. The other day, I was in the shower, crying. I thought I was being quiet, but apparently, I wasnt because the next thing I knew, my baby rushed into the bathroom with a box of tissue. I faked a smile while I told her that I couldnt use tissue while I was under the showerhead. People have told me how happy they are to see how strong I am, considering this loss. I dont feel strong at all. But if theres something I have learned to do so well, its how to break down on my own, behind the curtains, away from concerned hearts and curious minds not because I am trying to be fake but because I dont want people worrying too much about me. So, if you ask me how Im doing, I will always give you the same answers. Im okay. Im hanging in there. Im taking it one moment at a time. Honestly, the last part is true. I am indeed taking it one moment at a time. Not one day at a time because a day is too long. In twenty-four hours, I go through the valley and up the mountain and through the seas. A part of me wants to cut God off, tell Him Im no longer His friend, but a deeper part of me knows that this isnt true. I love Him, but I am very angry at Him. If He would just say to me that Hes aware of whats going on, that He let it happen on purpose, that I would be okay, and that Hes still in control, Id feel better. Yes, I know these words are in the bible, but I want to hear Him say them to me. He does not have to let me see Him, but can He whisper the words in my ears? Can He whisper these words loudly? Can He tell them to me in a dream, clearly? Can He speak to me in a personal, convincing, and private way? The bible isnt private. Its for everyone, and anyone can interpret it as they see fit. Killers, rapists, and slave owners, they all convincingly support their evil with the bible. I have read that God speaks to us, but sometimes, we are not still enough to hear him. I have tried meditating, drowning out the noise, and listening for His voice, but even in my meditation, all I think about is my mom. How was she feeling in her last moments? Was she afraid? Did she cry? Did she think of me? How is she doing now, lying in that cold morgue, all by herself? I know its just her body and her soul isnt there, but the problem is that her soul cant call me on the phone, and her soul cant hug me and laugh with me. Maybe shes around me, but I cannot physically see her or touch her. I remember when I went through divorce and thought that was the most painful thing in life. Well, second most painful. Ill tell you about the first most painful another day. I even said on the first episode of my podcast that divorce felt like the death of dreams. Now I laugh at my naivete. No, divorce doesnt feel like death of any kind. Death of any kind is what feels like death of any kind. Id rather do a thousand divorces and pay for them in cash than lose my mommy. Please forgive me for comparing divorce to death. Na small pikin dey worry me. I have dreaded writing this post because so much tears! Even as I write it now, my top is drenched, but theres a tiny fraction of catharsis from writing. A day after my mommy transitioned, I wrote my raw emotions in my journal. Speaking of transitioning, that seems to be the only word I can comfortably use when describing what has happened to my mom. Saying the D-word has proven abortive. Saying she has joined her ancesters is almost comical, like Im in a Nollywood movie. But saying she has transitioned, seems appropriate, albeit still very agonizing. Every time I go see my grandma, I pretend to be okay, and I pretend that my heart isnt broken into many pieces. I feel like shes watching me and going off of my energy. If I show any sign of worry or sadness, my grandma will follow suit. So, I pretend to be okay, so that she can hopefully be comforted, even if a little bit, by my okay-ness. My family and friends have been unbelievable. And thats putting it mildly. I cannot start mentioning them individually because where do I begin? They have gone above and beyond. Friends have been trooping in and out of my home, from Maryland and from out of Maryland, just to come and stay with me. Ada Verastic has never experienced having so many people in our home, and shes quite excited about it. Like I said, its nice to be six years old. My moms transition has caused me to reconnect with people I have not had contact with in such a long time, even people I grew up with in Nigeria. While the reconnection has been heartwarming, I wish we were reconnecting because of a happy event. I wish these people coming to my home were coming to give me celebratory hugs and kisses. I wish they were coming to join me in singing Alleluia over a great thing that He has done. I wish they did not wear long faces and tell me to jisike and be strong. And you, Sweet Potatoes, you have been nothing short of amazing. I first sent an email to my subscribers, and the responses have not stopped coming in. I apologize that I have not responded to the emails. I simply cannot. I dont have it in me to do so. I have read them all, however, and I have shed a few a lot of tears while reading them. And what about the Sweet Potatoes on social media? Hian. I even tried to like your comments on my personal Facebook over 500 of them and on my professional Facebook page, but I could not keep up. I managed to like the comments on Instagram, but that was as far as I could go. Thank you for the comments, texts, calls, DMs, and emails. I cannot thank you enough. I could write on and on about my mom forever. She was little in size but mighty in her impact. She was so beautiful and so kind and so funny. She never left me wondering if she loved me or how much I meant to her. She was consistent in her affection and dedication. I was free to talk to her about anything, even my salary. She was not the mom that I had to hide financial information from. She knew when I got paid and how much I got paid. She was a mom indeed. She was excited about everything I did and even more excited about Ada Verastic. She was just everything, and I hate that I am writing about her in the past tense. Now Im thinking about how to memorialize my mom. Im told that she has already been memorialized through me and through Ada Verastic. And while I know that thats true, I still want more. Frankly, I know that nothing will be good enough, except just having my mommy back. I keep imagining receiving a phone call saying that its all been a mistake, that she has not really transitioned, that she went into a coma and her body went into some weird aggressive/hibernation life-saving mode, and shes actually now awake and totally okay, and shes on WhatsApp again, and life as I knew it is back to normal. I mean, it wouldnt be the first time that God has raised someone from the dead. Right? And if its true that He is the same today as He was yesterday, then this shouldnt be too difficult for Him. Right? Im having a Service of Songs for my mom on Saturday, June 4th, 2022 at 3:30 PM. If you are in the area or can get to the area Baltimore, Maryland Id love for you to come. Im taking all the in-person hugs that are available to me. I dont want to post the address so publicly because this is the internet, but if youd like to come, email Funmie for the address. Shes easier to reach because Im currently committed to crying daily, and crying daily takes a lot of time. Its okay if youre laughing. Im actually laughing, too. Speaking of Funmie, she is championing a fundraising campaign for me to give my mom a befitting burial. I hate the idea of giving my mom a befitting burial. I dont want to give her a burial at all, and if I must, then let it be at least 30 years from now. Anyway, if you feel led to give, the donations are coming in through several means. Please dont feel pressured to give. One of my moms favorite things to say is that closed mouths dont get fed. If for some reason, youre still able to keep your head above water during this volatile economy and you have enough to share, and your body is doing you sugarcane, sugarcane at the thought of giving Vera, then heres the information on how to give my mom a befitting burial. Thank you very kindly. Zelle: vera@verastic.com | CashApp: $Verastic | GoFundMe: HERE | Zenith Bank (Nigeria): 2288135270 (Account name: N. Vera Ezimora) Please keep me and my family in your thoughts and prayers. This is harder than I have the words to describe. P.S. I am not suicidal. Someone has shown concern and fear over me being suicidal. I assure you that I am not suicidal. I am simply grieving a loss of unfathomable, unbearable, inestimable magnitude. This Privacy Policy explains VICE's information collection practices at the Sites, such as the types of Personal Information VICE collects regarding visitors to the Sites and how we may use that information. Please review this Privacy Policy carefully. 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With a young and digital-savvy population, Viet Nam is a potential market for digital technology development across all fields. A large number of polled Vietnamese enterprises have allocated specific budgets for digital transformation activities, according to the business digital transformation report released on 16 February 2023. This is an annual publication implemented by the Ministry of Planning and Investments Enterprise Development Agency as part of a programme supporting businesses in digital transformation for 2021-2025. Last year, Viet Nam recorded its best-ever performance in digital economic development. The contribution of the digital economy to national GDP in 2022 accounted for about 14.26 per cent of the total, with 7.18 per cent contributed by information and communication technology. According to the "e-Conomy SEA 2022" report released by Google, Temasek and Bain & Company in October 2022, Viet Nam has also set a target to post 31 per cent growth in gross merchandise value (GMV) from US$23 billion in 2022 to US$49 billion in 2025, the highest growth in the Southeast Asia region. With the enormous potential of Viet Nam to develop a digital government, digital economy, and digital society; and form strong digital technology enterprises as well, the organisers of the World Congress on Engineering Asset Management have chosen HCM City, the largest financial and economic centre of the country, for the 2023 event. The World Congress on Engineering Asset Management (WCEAM) is a flagship project of the International Society of Engineering Asset Management (ISEAM). The event will be focused on Industry 4.0, digital transformation, and engineering asset management. Congress Chair Professor Brett Kirk, Dean of School of Science, Engineering & Technology, RMIT Vietnam said: Engineering Asset Management is a field that enables business decisions to be based on engineering data through the use of technology. Industry 4.0 (4IR), SMART systems and digital transformation emerged from the global field of Engineering Asset Management. The World Congress on Engineering Asset Management will bring together academic, policy and industry expertise from diverse economies, geographies, public and private industry sectors to proffer discourse on how to exploit 4IR technologies to sustainably manage engineered assets in a manner consistent with Society 5.0 ideals. This is a combined industry and academic event to exchange knowledge and expertise with an aim to bringing impact to our community and supporting the massive growth of Viet Nams industrial economy, he added. The activities, annual meetings, and events of WCEAM provide opportunities for educators, policymakers, practitioners, researchers, and trainers to engage in intellectual discourse on the development and advancement of the body of knowledge and practice of managing engineered assets. It is expected to welcome over 250 participants from all around the world to meet and share state-of-the-art knowledge in research and application of advanced management frameworks, analytical tools, and technologies for engineering asset management in sectors that include energy, oil and gas, water, transport, construction, manufacturing, agriculture, defence, health and community infrastructure across every industry sector. Selected top quality Research and Industrial-case papers that are peer-reviewed, accepted, and presented at 17th WCEAM 2023, will be published in the Springer e-book Proceedings of the 17th World Congress on Engineering Asset Management. The Springer e-book series is indexed by Scopus and is also currently being assessed for inclusion in EI Compendex. Past proceedings are also available on the Springerlink website. The abstract submission deadline is 7 April 2023. Submit your work soon to have a chance to submit the full paper by 24 May 2023. For more information, visit the events website here. HA NOI Viet Nam will adjust investment policies to adapt to the global minimum tax rate and remain an attractive destination for investment. The move comes amid concerns that this measure might undermine the competitive advantage of developing countries in attracting foreign investment through offering tax incentives. The global minimum tax was Pillar Two of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation Development (OECD)s base erosion and profit-shifting (BEPS) framework. To date, the solution drew the participation of over 140 countries and jurisdictions, including Viet Nam, which aimed to reform international taxation rules and ensure that multinational enterprises pay a fair share of tax wherever they operate through the establishment of a global minimum effective corporate tax rate of 15 per cent for those with annual revenue of 750 million euros, starting from 2024. o Van Su, Deputy Director of the Ministry of Planning and Investments Foreign Investment Agency, said the global situation was changing rapidly with unpredictable and complicated developments, negatively affecting the economic prospects and budget revenues of most countries. In addition, the rapid development of information and technology and the emergence of new economic models allowed multinational companies to take advantage of policy loopholes to avoid tax obligations through transferring profits from countries with a high tax rate to counties with lower rates, or transfer pricing. In addition, the competition in attracting investment among capital-importing countries was in a race to the bottom, he said. In Viet Nam, tax incentives were being used as a financial leverage tool to influence investment trends. Viet Nams corporate income tax incentives were considered attractive compared to other countries in the region. Specifically, the common corporate income tax was 20 per cent, higher than the global minimum tax rate. The preferential rates of 10 per cent, 15 per cent and 17 per cent were applied depending on the industries, sizes and locations of the investment. Notably, some investors were given special rates of just 5 per cent, 7 per cent and 9 per cent. Other incentives included tax exemption and a 50 per cent reduction. When the global minimum tax came into force, tax incentives would no longer give Viet Nam a competitive advantage in attracting investment, Su said. This rule, moreover, affected the management of existing foreign-invested enterprises. This fact required Viet Nam to raise solutions to adapt to the global minimum tax and develop new investment promotion policies. According to Takeo Nakajima, Chief Representative of the Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO) Ha Noi, when investing in a country, an investor would consider a number of factors, especially tax incentives. The implementation of the global minimum tax rate would have a direct impact on the business operation, thus, it was important for Viet Nam to early raise policies to maintain the attractiveness and adapt to the global minimum tax. Besides, the investment environment and market growth potential were among other factors. He cited findings of a survey by JETRO that 24 per cent of participant enterprises found Viet Nams investment environment attractive in terms of tax but around 60 per cent said, like some countries in ASEAN, the implementation of tax policies in Viet Nam was not really effective. Predicting that the capital flow from small and medium-sized enterprises would increase, he said Viet Nam should maintain the tax incentives for those who were not subject to the global minimum tax. While corporate income tax incentives were no longer an advantage, Viet Nam could not delay the formulation of other policies to attract foreign investment. Yasuhisa Taninaka, from the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Viet Nam, said that enterprises would see the total cost when investing in Viet Nam, not only corporate income tax. He proposed reductions in personal income tax rates would be put into consideration as the rates remained high in Viet Nam. A representative from the European Chamber of Commerce in Viet Nam (Eurocham) said that enterprises were aware that the global minimum tax was a global game, but enterprises wanted to know how countries, including Viet Nam, changed their policies so that they could distribute their tax payable. He cited Eurochams 2022-23 Whitebook that 70 per cent said Viet Nam could increase foreign investment by reducing roadblocks in terms of administrative procedures, 53 per cent suggested improving infrastructure, 35 per cent suggested improving human resources and 47 per cent suggested easing visa barriers for foreign experts. Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc said that Viet Nam would amend the investment attraction policies to ensure the compatibility to the global minimum tax and minimise the impacts on enterprises, pledging a harmonisation of benefits and a favourable environment to encourage investment in Viet Nam in line with the countrys socio-economic development. At the Viet Nam Business Forum on Sunday, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said that the Vietnamese Government was consulting other countries to develop an appropriate policy on the global minimum tax and striving to issue it this year to create opportunities for foreign companies to operate and contribute more in Viet Nam without affecting interests of investors. Previously, the Government asked relevant ministries to submit a comprehensive report about the global minimum tax within March. A working group in charge of studying the tax was established in August 2022. VNS HCM CITY The HCM City Ballet Symphony Orchestra and Opera (HBSO) will host a concert celebrating the 150th birthday of Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninov (April 1) at the city's Opera House on March 26. Rachmaninov is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a composer, one of the last great representatives of Romanticism in Russian classical music. The concert will feature Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, a composition for piano and orchestra that premiered in 1934. The work will be performed by pianist Nguyen Viet Trung and HBSOs symphony orchestra. Ha Noi-born Trung has lived in Poland since childhood. He was trained at the Academy of Music in Bydgoszcz. He also participated in a master class by Viet Nams well-known pianist ang Thai Son. Trung achieved remarkable awards at international piano competitions such as the National Piano Festival Chopin Interpretations of the Young in Konin-Zychlin, the Polish National Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw, and the Karlovac International Piano Competition in Croatia. The concerts second part will present Symphony No 2 in E Minor, op 27, one of Rachmaninovs most popular compositions, which will be played by HBSOs symphony orchestra. The four-movement composition was composed between 1906 and 1907, and premiered in 1908. The work appeared in the trailer of the 2015 Oscar best movie winner, Birdman, by Oscar-winning director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu. The concert will be conducted by Meritorious Artist Tran Vuong Thach, former director of the HBSO. Thach studied at leading music schools and conservatories in Belgium and the Netherlands. He has performed in many countries, such as Germany, Italy, Scotland, Spain, France, Japan, and South Korea. In 2020, he was granted the title "Knight of Arts and Letters" (Chevaliers des Lettres et des Arts) from the French government for his efforts to promote arts exchange between Viet Nam and France. The concert will begin at 8pm at 7 Lam Son Square in District 1. Tickets are available at the venue. VNS Weber Historical Society Lectures Series: Dr. Erin Bush Monday, Feb. 27 | 7 - 8:30 p.m. | Lindquist Hall RM 101 | Virtual via Zoom Objectionable Girls: Criminalizing Female Behavior In The Early 20th Century Erin Bush, an Assistant Professor at the University of North Georgia, will focus her presentation on policing girls and Juvenile detention homes in the early 20th century. In the early twentieth-century child savers reclaimed wayward girls in Virginia through two juvenile reformatory programsthe whites only Home and Industrial School for Girls and the Industrial Home School for Colored Girlsbetween 1910 and 1942. Virginias progressive reformers constructedand managed their girl problem within their southern racial caste system by applying overt eugenic tactics. The eugenic thinking and racism shaped state-wide reform policies in ways not previously understood. Progressive reformers policed African American in the cities and white girls in rural and mountain areas of the Commonwealth. The presence of segregated, state-supported reformatories makes Virginia an important case study to examine the crossroads of juvenile justice, racial politics, and the use of science in southern progressive reform. Zoom Meeting ID: 937 9825 2566 Passcode: 655056 More Information International Womens Day Luncheon Wednesday, March 15 | Noon - 2 p.m. | Shepherd Union Ballroom A The Womens Herstory month theme this year is Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories. The Womens Center and the International Student and Scholar Center jointly invite faculty, staff, and students to join our international students for lunch during this years Womens Herstory Month. The purpose of this luncheon is for students to share their experiences and culture as domestic or international women, learn from one another, and build a stronger sense of belonging and community with one another over lunch in an informal environment. If you are woman-identified and a faculty or staff member and are willing to share experiences and facilitate table conversations, please RSVP for this luncheon, space is limited. Register Sister Circle: Womanism and Womanist Icons Tuesday, March 21 | 2-3:30 p.m. | Shepherd Union Room 320 Join the Women's Center for our February Sister Circle: Womanism and Womanist Icons. This is a presentation on the history and importance of womanism, learning about womanist founders and icons, and why womanism is important. We will also be doing an activity/craft centered around womanism/Women's Herstory Month. WSUSA Speaker Series: Kara Robinson Chamberlain Wednesday, March 22 | 12:30-1:30 p.m. | Shepherd Union Ballroom C Join the Women's Center at the WSUSA Speaker Series with keynote Kara Robinson Chamberlain. Kara will focus her keynote on telling her experiences, encouraging people to overcome adversity, and motivating attendees to make the most of their lives regardless of past experiences. Who is Kara Robinson Chamberlain? In June 2002, when Kara was just 15 years old, her life changed dramatically. Kara was abducted and held captive for 18 hours until she escaped. While her captor was asleep, Kara escaped the restraints and his apartment. Kara went to law enforcement and was able to give them information that led them back to her captor's apartment and identified him as the man responsible for at least three other unsolved homicides. Now, Kara is involved in several organizations, outreach, and advocacy groups and projects as a means of supporting her community. She is also active on social media where she creates content that shares her story, answers questions, shares advice on healing trauma, empowers victims to become survivors, and helps loved ones support survivors. Her goal is to inspire other survivors to just keep going because they are not defined by their past. More information on Kara Womens Herstory Month Keynote Speaker: Devon Isaacs Thursday, March 30 | 6:30 p.m. via Zoom Keynote: (re)imagining Selu: Healing Our Communities Through Healing Ourselves Devon Isaacs, M.S., is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. She received her undergraduate degree from Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, where she was awarded the American Indian Merit Award for contributions to Indigenous communities. She completed a postbaccalaureate research fellowship at the University of North Dakota's Seven Generations Center for Excellence before continuing on to a doctoral program at Utah State University. During her doctoral training Devon served as a Presidential Doctoral Research Fellow, Ford Foundation Predoctoral Research Fellow, and was the recipient of the K. Patricia Cross Future Leader's Award and APA Division 35's Keepers of the Fire Award among others. Her research focuses on elevating the voices of Indigenous communities, recentering Indigenous knowledge, and clinical application of cultural competence and best practices for healing in Native American communities. She is currently completing her psychological Internship at the University of Missouri Counseling Center where she provides therapy services with a focus on underrepresented students and trauma. In her Keynote address she will mention the Cherokee Corn Mother tradition. Selu shook herself to pieces to right the wrongs of man in an ultimate act of self-sacrifice. Women have historically sacrificed themselves mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually for the greater good. Today, we must reimagine Selu's sacrifice by considering sustainable self-wellness practices as nourishing our communities also means nourishing ourselves. Register 2nd Annual Utah Southwest Regional Conference on Student Research in Gender and Women's Studies March 30 & 31 | Weber State University The Women & Gender Studies program at Weber State University and the Global Women's Studies program at BYU is pleased to announce the 2nd Annual Utah Southwest Regional Conference on Student Research in Gender and Womens Studies to be held on the Weber State University Campus. Day of Conference Itinerary for Friday, March 31 8 -9 a.m. | Check In 3rd floor Shepherd Union by central elevator 9 a.m. - Noon | Presentation Sessions Sessions will take place in various rooms on the 3rd floor of the Shepherd Union 2 - 4 p.m. | Herstory Walking Tour: Ogdens Untamed Women guided by Dr. Katie Nelson This event is free and open to the public. Registration to the conference is required. Meet at Ogden Union Station located at 2501 Wall Ave, Ogden, UT 84401 More Information Browning Presents! Nikole Hannah-Jones Friday, March 31 | 7:30 - 9:30 p.m. | Austaud Auditorium, Val A. Browning Center The Lindquist College of Arts & Humanities' Browning Presents! is proud to announce "An Evening with Nikole Hannah-Jones." Hannah-Jones will visit campus for a public discussion with KUER radio host Doug Fabrizio. Nikole Hannah-Jones has spent her career investigating racial inequality and injustice. Her reporting has earned her the MacArthur Fellowship, known as the Genius grant, a Peabody Award, two George Polk Awards, and three National Magazine Awards. Nikole Hannah-Jones is the Pulitzer Prize-winning creator of the 1619 Project and a staff writer at The New York Times Magazine. The book version of 1619 Project was an instant #1 New York Times bestseller, and a docuseries by the same title will premiere on Hulu on January 26. In 2016, Nikole Hannah-Jones co-founded the Ida B. Wells Society for Investigative Reporting. She currently serves as the Knight Chair of Race Reporting at Howard University. More information Weather Alert ...WINTER MAKES A BRIEF RETURN THIS WEEK... Another cold storm moves into the region Monday into Tuesday bringing gusty winds, significantly cooler temperatures, and chances for rain and snow showers. * WIND: Gusty southwest winds this afternoon and evening will be even stronger on Monday and Monday night. Please see the Wind Advisories for additional details. Gusty west winds to continue Tuesday and Wednesday as well. * SNOW: The word most of us don't want to hear at this point. Yes, snow will move into the region Monday night into Tuesday morning, mainly in the Sierra from Tioga Pass north, northeast California, and far northern Nevada near the Oregon border. Totals along the northern Sierra crest may reach 5 to 10 inches, with 1 to 4 inches possible in northeast CA west of US-395 and the Tahoe Basin. The question remains how much will stick to roadways given the recent warmth and mid-April sun angle. Expect slowdowns in the Sierra Monday night during the period of heaviest snowfall. Spotty light rain and snow showers are possible into western Nevada. * COLD: Temperatures will drop about 20 degrees by Tuesday, with the winds making it feel that much colder. There is a 50-80% chance of sub-freezing overnight lows Tuesday night and Wednesday night even in lower valley locations. You may want to turn off irrigation and protect exposed pipes, along with any new sensitive vegetation. ...WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 1 PM MONDAY TO 8 AM PDT TUESDAY... * CHANGES...None. * WHAT...For Monday afternoon through Tuesday morning, southwest to west winds 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 50 mph expected. Wind prone locations may see gusts to 65 mph. * WHERE...Lassen-Eastern Plumas-Eastern Sierra Counties and Greater Reno-Carson City-Minden Area. * WHEN...From 1 PM Monday to 8 AM PDT Tuesday. * IMPACTS...Gusty winds could blow around unsecured objects. Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Travel will be difficult for high profile vehicles Monday afternoon and evening along I-80, I-580, and US-395. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Now is the time to secure loose outdoor items such as patio furniture and trash cans before winds increase which could blow these items away. The best thing to do is prepare ahead of time by making sure you have extra food and water on hand, flashlights with spare batteries and/or candles in the event of a power outage. && FitReserve, the multi-studio fitness membership, has finally landed in San Francisco. The studio network makes it easy to mix and match in-person, live-stream, and on-demand workouts with classes ranging from yoga and pilates to HIIT and boot camp. Tons of independent studios in SF have joined the club, including Barrys, Mighty Pilates, Love Story Yoga, Ritual Hot Yoga, WheelHouse, Transform, and Rae Studios. Since FitReserve is now available in Seattle, San Diego, Denver, and a dozen other cities, you can even attend classes when youre traveling for work or play. If you dont have time to travel to an in-person class, you can squeeze in a quick workout using the app. The FitReserve membership comes with access to an unlimited selection of pre-recorded workouts from top brands such as Aaptiv, Sweat Factor, Forte, and more, that can be taken at anytime, anywhere, for you to spring-clean your fitness routine. (Courtesy of FitReserve) Undeniably, the pandemic has forever changed the where, when, and how of working out, revealing an unprecedented demand for making your workout routine more flexible, convenient, and affordable, says FitReserve founder Megan Smyth. But with FitReserve, you can do more than just mix and match the style and location of your workout. Youll also get access to peak class times, discounts on your favorite fitness brands, and unlimited access to a library of hundreds of on-demand workouts. Since there are multiple membership plans at different prices, theres something for just about everyone, from the fitness curious to hardcore gym rats. Kick up your workouts and get ready for warmer weather (and finally an end to the rain!) with a one-week free trial. Well see you at the studio! // Get a one-week free trial at fitreserve.com/trial. The offer expires at midnight on March 31. Bay Area writers have new books springing up all over. Pick up new works of science fiction by visionary Annalee Newitz, a cultural deep dive about time from bestselling author Jenny Odell, and a cookbook from Hog Island Oyster Co. so we can get our fix at home. Here are our picks for recent and upcoming books by Bay Area authors. The Chinese Groove by Kathryn Ma (Courtesy of @ktlee.writes) San Francisco author Kathryn Mas latest tells the story of 18-year-old Shelley who, born into a much-despised branch of the Zheng family in Yunnan Province and living in the shadow of his widowed fathers grief, dreams of bigger things. Buoyed by an exuberant heart and his cousin Dengs tall tales about the United States, Shelley heads to SF to claim his destiny, confident that any hurdles will be easily overcome by the awesome powers of the Chinese groove, a belief in the unspoken bonds between countrymen that transcend time and borders. Kirkus Reviews says, Ma knows how to twist a plot in unexpected, deeply satisfying directions by writing with compassion, humor, and insight." Ma is the author of the widely praised novel The Year She Left Us, which was named a New York Times Editors Choice and an NPR Great Read of the year. // $27; counterpointpress.com The Terraformers by Annalee Newitz (Courtesy of @thespineofmotherhood) From Bay Area science fiction visionary Annalee Newitz comes The Terraformers, a sweeping, uplifting, and illuminating exploration of the future. The Washington Post says, "The reader...will surely walk away stunned and bedazzled... [Newitz] has gifted us a vibrant, quirky vision of endless potential earned by heroism, love and wit." Destry's life is dedicated to terraforming Sask-E. As part of the Environmental Rescue Team, she cares for the planet and its burgeoning eco-systems as her parents and their parents did before her. But the bright, clean future they're building comes under threat when Destry discovers a city full of people that shouldnt exist, hidden inside a massive volcano. As she uncovers more about their past, Destry begins to question the mission she's devoted her life to, and must make a choice that will reverberate through Sask-E's future for generations to come. In addition to writing novels, Newitz is a co-host of the Hugo Awardwinning podcast "Our Opinions Are Correct", freelance science journalist, contributing opinion writer at The New York Times, and a columnist at New Scientist. // $29; us.macmillan.com Sorry Bro by Taleen Voskuni (Courtesy of @booksbookseverywhere) San Francisco writer Taleen Voskunis debut novel is a heartfelt queer rom-com about an Armenian-American woman rediscovering her roots and embracing who she really is. When Nareh Bedrossians non-Armenian boyfriend gets down on one knee and proposes to her in front of a room full of drunk San Francisco tech boys, she realizes its time to find someone who shares her idea of romance. Enter her mother: armed with plenty of mom-guilt and a spreadsheet of Facebook-stalked Armenian men, she convinces Nar to attend Explore Armenia, a month-long series of events in the city. But its not the mom-approved playboy doctor or the wealthy engineer who catch Nars eyeits Erebuni, a woman as immersed in the witchy arts as she is in preserving Armenian identity. Suddenly, with Erebuni as her wingwoman, the events feel like far less of a chore, and much more of an adventure. Who knew cooking up kuftes together could be so sexy? Bookriot says, "With what has to be one of the best book titles this year, Sorry, Bro is equal parts funny, serious, and full of Armenian culture. Nar is charming and witty, and youll be rooting for her and Erebunis romance to flourish." // $17; penguinrandomhouse.com Saving Time: Discovering a Life Beyond the Clock by Jenny Odell (Courtesy of @jennitaur) Oakland artist and author Jenny Odell, the New York Times bestselling author of How to Do Nothing, believes we are living on the wrong clock, and it is destroying us. Her new book offers us different ways to experience time in this dazzling, subversive, and deeply hopeful book. In her first book, Odell wrote about the importance of disconnecting from the attention economy to spend time in quiet contemplation. But what if you dont have time to spend? In order to answer this seemingly simple question, Odell took a deep dive into the fundamental structure of our society and found that the clock we live by was built for profit, not people. This is why our lives, even in leisure, have come to seem like a series of moments to be bought, sold, and processed ever more efficiently. Odell shows us how our painful relationship to time is inextricably connected not only to persisting social inequities but to the climate crisis, existential dread, and a lethal fatalism. Rebecca Solnit says, This fiercely generous new book invites us to exit the superhighways and explore the scenic detours, byways, rebel camps, the other visions of who we can be while reminding us that slowness can yield more than speed. // $29, drops March 2023; penguinrandomhouse.com The Hog Island Book of Fish and Seafood by John Ash and Ashley Lima (Courtesy of @hogislandoysterco) Its always the right time for oysters. Featuring favorites from the kitchens of Hog Island Oyster bars and other talented chefs who have embraced the companys sustainability ethos, this cookbook showcases more than 250 dishes from cuisines around the world, including regional favorites like SF cioppino, Southern craysh etouee, and New England clam chowder. Presenting a wide variety of cooking methodssuch as steaming, roasting, grilling, pan-frying, curingalong with illustrated techniques like shucking oysters, opening clams, and lleting sh, this authoritative cookbook will guide you through the basics of seafood preparation. And the extensive list of sauces, butters, and seasonings will help you turn your choice of seafood into a stellar dish. The Hog Island Book of Fish & Seafood is a master class from award-winning chef John Ash, who shows home and professional cooks how to bring culinary gifts from the water to the table at their peak of perfection. // $40, drops May 2023; abramsbooks.com Eddie Mullers Noir Bar: Cocktails Inspired by the World of Film Noir by Eddie Muller (Courtesy of Running Press) Eddie Muller, second generation San Franciscan and host of TCM's Noir Alley, is one of the world's leading authorities on film noir as well as a cocktail connoisseur. In his new book, film buffs and drinks enthusiasts alike will enjoy a spirited tour through the "dark city" of film noir. Noir Bar pairs carefully curated classic cocktails and modern noir-inspired libations with behind-the-scenes anecdotes and insights on 50 film noir favorites. Some of the cocktails are drawn directly from the films: If you've seen In a Lonely Place and wondered whats in a Horses Neck, now youll know. If youre watching Pickup on South Street youll find out what its director, Sam Fuller, actually drank off-screen. Didnt know that Nightmare Alleys Joan Blondell inspired a cocktail? It may become a new favorite. Featuring dozens of movie stills, poster art, behind-the-scenes imagery, and stunning cocktail photography, Noir Bar is both a stylish and exciting excursion through classic cinemas most popular genre. // $26, drops May 2023; runningpress.com For more than two decades, Mudvayne has been making heavy metal music its own way. The Psychotherapy Sessions 2023 tour will stop at Isleta Amphitheater on Aug. 15. An Event. On the Horizon. Over 25 years in the making. Brave travelersYou, and the alien seed MuDvAyNe. A journey begun. Reaching Zenith. Now for the Eschatology, said Matt McDonough, Mudvayne drummer. Previously, the group made waves in 2022 when they embarked on the Freaks on Parade Tour co-headlined with Rob Zombie. The 2023 tour marks Mudvaynes first headlining endeavor since 2009. The band will be joined by a number of supporting acts including Coal Chamber, performing for the first time in 8 years, along with GWAR, Nonpoint and, Butcher Babies. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday, March 24, at ticketmaster.com. The tour is produced by Live Nation and will consist of 26 dates. A former city of Albuquerque employee alleges in a lawsuit that she was wrongly fired because a health condition required her to telecommute, leading to a dispute with her supervisor. Mara Burstein, a former city administrator, alleges she was fired despite statements from a doctor attesting that her medical conditions required her to telecommute up to five days a week. Albuquerque spokeswoman Ava Montoya said the city would not comment on pending litigation and personnel issues, but we take these cases very seriously and aim for a fair resolution. Burstein was hired as deputy director of the citys Environmental Health Department in June 2020, several months into the COVID-19 pandemic. She was fired from the $107,000-a-year job in April 2022. For most of her employment, Burstein was allowed to work from home due to medical conditions that make her immunocompromised, the suit said. The 2nd Judicial District Court lawsuit also identifies as a defendant Angel Martinez, the citys director of Environmental Health, who was hired in March 2022, becoming Bursteins direct supervisor. Martinez told Burstein and others that he did not support telework and subsequently terminated her employment, the suit alleges. Burstein repeatedly told Martinez that she faced serious medical procedures related to her medical conditions shortly before she was fired on April 7, 2022, the suit alleged. The lawsuit, filed Friday against the city, alleges that the city discriminated against her based on her medical conditions. Editors note: In the nine months since Roe v. Wade was overturned, New Mexico has emerged as a safe haven for those seeking abortion. The Journal published a series about abortion access in the state. The first can be found here and the second can be found here and the third can be found here. The local ordinances pertaining to abortion access that passed in five jurisdictions across eastern New Mexico are rooted in a 150-year-old law called the Comstock Act that prohibits the sending of obscene material through the mail. That specifically includes anything designed, adapted, or intended for producing abortion. Because of that, Clovis City Commissioner David Bryant stressed that the ordinance he and his fellow commissioners passed was not an anti-abortion ordinance, but instead merely mandates that any business applying for a license would have to adhere to the federal law as laid out in the act. He added that no one has yet applied to open an abortion clinic in Clovis. Rep. Linda Serrato, D-Santa Fe, who sponsored state HB 7 prohibiting jurisdictions from restricting access to reproductive health care, said abortion opponents basing their legal arguments on the Comstock Act were reaching. Providing health care is outside of the realm of the Comstock Law and I think weve seen that a lot of times in case law, she said. Im very confident in what weve crafted that they would not have a real legal leg to stand on. The 1873 law is named for Anthony Comstock, who the U.S. Department of Justice called a prominent anti-vice crusader who believed that anything remotely touching upon sex was obscene. In December, the Department of Justice issued an opinion for the U.S. Postal Service that said the law does not prohibit the mailing of medication intended to induce an abortion as long as the sender is not intending that the medication will be used unlawfully. There are manifold ways in which recipients in every state may use these drugs, including to produce an abortion, without violating state law, the opinion states. Therefore, the mere mailing of such drugs to a particular jurisdiction is an insufficient basis for concluding that the sender intends them to be used unlawfully. Instagram Movie The 'Guardians of the Galaxy' actor feels 'seriously cheated' by Hollywood as he talks about Oscars snub and struggle to get decent salary despite multiple accolades. Mar 22, 2023 AceShowbiz - Djimon Hounsou claims he was "cheated" by Hollywood. The 58-year-old actor, famous for his role as Cinque in the Steven Spielberg film "Amistad" as well as his multiple appearances in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, lost out twice on an Academy Award and claimed that he is still struggling to make money. "I felt seriously cheated. Today, we talk so much about the Oscars being so white, but I remember there was a time where I had no support at all' no support from my own people, no support from the media, from the industry itself," he told The Guardian. "It felt like, 'You should be happy that you've got nominated,' and that's that. Maybe I was early. If my movies had come out today I definitely would have gotten an Oscar already. I'm still struggling to try to make a dollar!" The "Shazam! Fury of the Gods" star has managed to garner various accolades throughout his career, including two Black Reel Awards and an NAACP Image Award but went on to insist there are others who are better off than him despite having not won any awards as he gave a nod to fellow star Viola Davis. He added, "I've come up in the business with some people who are absolutely well off and have very little of my accolades. So I feel cheated, tremendously cheated, in terms of finances and in terms of the workload as well." "Viola Davis said it beautifully' she's won an Oscar, she's won an Emmy, she's won a Tony [and, as of Feb. 5, a GRAMMY] and she still can't get paid. Film after film, it's a struggle. I have yet to meet the film that paid me fairly. Out of them all, the DC universe has a level of respect. There wasn't much to the role at first and I did it and it was fun. But the second time around it was a little more respectful!" You can share this post! Is your Comcast email not working? It could be due to a multitude of reasons, from internet issues to Comcast server problems. Its important to identify the root cause of the problem and eliminate it. But how? Heres a quick guide to fix issues with Comcast email. What Is Comcast? Comcast, known as American Cable Systems till 1969, is an American MNC telecommunications company. Its the second-largest telecommunications company in the world, second only to AT&T. Its also the largest cable TV, home internet, and pay-TV provider in the country. Visit Here Comcast does its cable communications business under the brand name Xfinity. It provides cable TV, landline telephone, broadband internet, and other telecommunication services. Some other companies and subsidiaries of Comcast are NBCUniversal, Sky Group, professional sports, and venture capital. Reasons for Comcast Email Not Working Xfinity users can access their dashboard by logging into their Comcast account. However, you may sometimes face issues while logging into your account. Some common issues you may face are: Issues in logging in and opening your account Problems in sending and receiving emails Unexplained slow connection and performance Account not working on a specific device, like Android, iPhone, or Mac Comcast email not working with Outlook Having learned about the common issues, lets also look at some possible reasons for Comcast email not working. Comcast server is down. Your internet connection is poor. Your browser is corrupted or outdated Third-party software is causing the issue. Your account is hacked or compromised. Your device has issues. If you have problems with Outlook, it could be because you didnt enter the correct email settings. Easy Solutions to Fix Comcast Email Not Working Now that we have discussed the problems you can face and the possible reasons behind them, its time for the solutions. Here are five easy steps you can take to overcome the issue of Comcast email not working. Fix the Internet The most common reason for email issues is a weak internet connection. You can confirm this issue by opening other websites. If they are also not working properly, the problem is with your internet connection. Once you establish that your internet is causing the issue, the next step is to fix it. There are a lot of things you can do to improve your internet. These include turning on/off the airplane mode, turning on/off the router, restarting the device, etc. If the problem persists, contact your internet provider and escalate the issue further. Check the Comcast Server If your internet is working just fine, the issue is likely with the Comcast server. The simple trick to confirm this is by using the Comcast homepage and other websites together. If other websites open seamlessly, but the Comcast website doesnt, its a clear indication that the Comcast server is down. Theres not much you can do in the case of Comcast server issues instead of reaching out to the Comcast team and bringing the matter to their notice. Once you do that, wait for them to respond to you. Change the Browser There have been a few instances of browser issues in Comcast. Though rare, you may find Comcast not working well on a particular browser. Comcast isnt known to have an affinity for specific browsers, and the problem can occur with any browser. To check if a browser is causing the issue, open Comcast in another browser and see if the problem persists. If yes, then the browser isnt causing the issue. But if Comcast works without any problems on another browser, the problem is with the browser. Now, how to fix the browser issue. The easiest fix is to restart the browser and see if the problem goes away. You can also clear the cache and cookies of the browser. Also, update the browser if any updates are available. If not, uninstall and install the browser again to see if the problem goes away. If it persists, try changing your device. If the problem still doesnt go away, theres not much you can do except waiting. Fix the Email Settings Now, what if you can open and access your Comcast account but cant send and receive emails? It could be due to issues with email settings. If youre facing this issue, try these fixes: Check your email sending limit and ensure you havent exceeded it. Check the spam and trash folders to make sure your emails arent going there. Ask the receiver if your emails are ending up in their spam folder. Ensure you havent blocked the sender and/or the sender hasnt blocked you. Ensure youre entering the correct email address of the receiver Check Third-Party Apps and Extensions Last, see if any third-party apps or extensions are causing the issue. Lets talk about extensions first. The easiest way to check if extensions are the culprit is by opening Comcast in an incognito mode. If it opens perfectly in an incognito mode, it means some extensions are causing the trouble. You can overcome this issue by uninstalling all your extensions and then installing them one by one. After installing each extension, open Comcast to check if its working. If it stops working after installing an extension, youve found your culprit. The same applies to all the third-party apps on your PC. What if the Problem Persists? If the problem persists even after taking all these steps, the issue is probably bigger than what we discussed in this article. Your best bet will be to contact Comcast customer support and escalate the issue. However, Comcast has a reputation for offering unsatisfactory customer support, so be prepared for some late responses. Conclusion: Comcast Email Not Working If you are facing issues with your Comcast email, dont worry. In most cases, the problems are minor and can be easily resolved in a few simple steps. Its crucial to find the underlying cause behind the issue and then fix it. If you cant fix the problem after trying all the solutions mentioned above, contact Comcast support. So, were you able to solve the problem, or did you have to escalate the issue? In a year when experts predicted the worst for European economies, something strange happened. Things were, well, fine. Thanks in part to a mild winter, the expected contraction in store for the European Unions biggest economies didnt occur. The lessons policymakers can take from this extend far beyond the continent, according to NJ Ayuk, chairman of the Africa Energy Chamber and founder of the international firm Centurion Law Group. Europe may have averted a recession in the short term, but its rescue didnt come from well-planned policies. The people of Europe saved money because an icy winter which would have driven up energy costs failed to materialize. At a time when geopolitical skirmishes have raised energy prices to all-time highs and economies continue to grapple with supply chain issues and a shortage of available workers, a warm winter proved to be a savior sent at the right time. But policymakers shouldnt rely on Mother Natures interventions to be so beneficial in the future, said international energy lawyer NJ Ayuk. In fact, it may be better to believe the opposite. Environmental consequences are not going away anytime soon, and as we have seen over the last several years, more often than not they are going to bring with them new challenges for many people across the globe, he said. The cost of climate change is going to be quite high, and indeed it already is for so many. The solution to this is to consider all the ways we can use the energy we have today and plan for a future that ensures all people have access to reliable energy. While Europeans may be breathing a sigh of relief, many Africans are not as lucky. Although Africa sits atop vast quantities of natural resources like oil, hydrogen, and natural gas, many who call the continent home live without electricity, NJ Ayuk said. In Africa, there are 600 million people with no access to [electricity] of any kind. Right now is the time for action, he explained. We have options moving forward. We can eliminate energy poverty across the continent of Africa while, at the same time, making the global supply of energy more secure. But we have to do it the right way. According to Ayuk, the right way means creating a plan that helps Africa end its energy deserts and enjoy the fruits of its natural resources while baking in development strategies that fast-track efforts to move toward a transition into renewables. There is no reason to think that we cannot end Africas energy poverty by 2030, NJ Ayuk stated. But we cannot do this alone. We are one world and we are all connected by the environment. This is not a case where only the people and nations who continue to rely on fossil fuels will reap the consequences. Already, many across the globe are suffering because of climate change. Even in Africa, in places where people do not have the luxury of energy on demand, there are droughts, floods, and other natural phenomena that are making life more challenging because of man-made climate change. Currently, African nations contribute far below the average amount of greenhouse gases. The continent is responsible for less than 4% of the worlds carbon footprint, despite having a population that is closer to 16.7% of all humans on Earth. NJ Ayuk believes theres a way to help the people of Africa and Europe at the same time. The same investments that can provide residents of Africa with access to energy can, at the same time, be used to ship much-needed energy to Europe. This will allow the EU access to more reliable sources of energy, making the transition away from Russian-controlled fossil fuels easier to bear in the coming years. Secondly, as more African people and nations have access to energy, their lives will improve. When people have reliable access to energy, their educational and health outcomes advance. A richer, more educated, and healthier Africa can help lead the way toward an energy transition to renewable resources, like solar and wind power. Creating a brighter future for Africa and the rest of the world will come from both the private and public sectors, NJ Ayuk said. Governments can set energy-related goals, such as reducing carbon emissions and switching to sustainable sources of energy by certain dates, but private capital is needed to invest in African outcomes. We need people who believe in free enterprise to support the future of Africa, Ayuk explained. Investing in Africa today will pay global dividends for generations to come. We have a chance right now to put in place measures that will lift Africans out of poverty while simultaneously providing crucial energy to other nations across the globe. Now is the time for investors to make moves that will echo for years. The financial markets nowadays feature hundreds, if not thousands, of forex brokers who are trying to attract more beginner traders by providing outrageous offers and benefits. Traders who have been trading for a while already have it ingrained into them that they should never deal with unregulated brokers. The reason for this is extremely simple; unregulated brokers are not bound by law to ensure client fund security. In addition to this, these brokers are not overseen to ensure that they fulfil their financial obligations or provide a transparent, fair, and safe trading environment. The new over-the counter (OTC) regulation has been implemented by the local regulator, the FSCA, to combat bad players in the industry. Khwezi Trade, a division of Khwezi Financial Services (Pty) Ltd, is the first South African owned forex platform to be authorised and approved by the FSCA, receiving the OTC licence. There are lists of blacklisted brokers that got away with client funds because of the false front that they put up, drawing in unsuspecting investors and traders of all experience levels. Unfortunately, these brokers have given deposit and trading bonuses a bad name, and because of this most traders associate the presence of bonuses with the signs that they may be dealing with a scam broker. Visit Here However, this is not always true and there are still brokers that can offer bonuses while ensuring that client funds are kept safe in segregated accounts which are separate from the brokers funds. Reviewed: FSCA Forex Brokers What is client segregation of funds? A segregated account is a separate account for each trader. Funding your trading account with a forex broker that offers segregated bank accounts has several advantages. Primarily, the separate account provides traders with a measure of protection if their brokerage goes out of business. Neither the brokerage nor the trader is left in the dark as to where their money is going or how it is being utilized. A segregated account is required by many countries to guarantee that customer money are not utilized for operational reasons by brokerages. Confusion is avoided, and both parties are protected by using a separate account. Only brokers with a category 2 Financial Advisory and Intermediary Services (FAIS) licence can offer segregated third-party funds administration accounts (TPFA) to their clients. These TPFA accounts are held with a top-tier South African bank. What are Deposit bonuses and what purpose do they serve? When it comes to enticing new clients, the deposit bonus is one of the most popular promotional incentives. Traders get a set sum of money or a percentage of their original investment in return for funding their trading accounts. This is the basic principle. Most of the time, new customers are only eligible for this sort of promotion. Some Forex deposit bonus brokers, however, give this advantage to their consumers whenever they deposit to their trading account. How the Khwezi Trade offer makes it stand out from the rest Khwezi Trade is a proudly South African Forex commodity and indices broker that offers traders the best of both worlds; a guarantee that their funds are safeguarded and kept in segregated accounts, and the reward that they will receive a 30% deposit bonus on their first deposit. Khwezi Trade is regulated and overseen by the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) in South Africa, with the registration number FSP 44816. The FSCA is one of the strictest market regulators in the world and to keep their license, Khwezi Trade is required to ensure that all funds are kept in accounts with top-tier banks in South Africa. Window tinting is a popular modification among car owners in Florida. The Sunshine State, known for its sunny weather and high temperatures, is a prime location where window tinting is necessary. In this blog post, we will discuss why window tint is necessary in Florida compared to other states. Firstly, lets talk about the climate in Florida. Floridas climate is characterized by hot, humid summers and mild winters. The state receives an average of 2,800 hours of sunlight per year, which is higher than the national average. The suns rays can be intense, and prolonged exposure to sunlight can cause damage to the skin, eyes, and the cars interior. Window tinting can provide protection from harmful UV rays, which can cause skin cancer and premature aging. In addition to health concerns, the intense heat in Florida can also cause damage to the cars interior. The suns rays can fade and discolor upholstery and leather seats, crack the dashboard and other plastic surfaces, and cause the cars interior to age prematurely. Window tinting can help prevent these damages by blocking up to 99% of harmful UV rays and reducing the heat inside the car. This can help to preserve the cars interior and extend its lifespan. Another reason why window tint is necessary in Florida is privacy. Driving in Florida, especially in densely populated areas, can be a challenge. In addition to the heat, bright sunlight, and glare, Florida drivers have to deal with the constant flow of traffic and prying eyes. Window tinting can provide privacy and protection from unwanted attention, making it easier to focus on driving and reducing the risk of accidents. Furthermore, window tinting can also improve the overall appearance of the car. Tinted windows can give the car a sleek and stylish look, and also enhance its value. Many car enthusiasts in Florida choose to install window tinting to customize their vehicles and make them stand out from the crowd. While window tinting is popular in Florida, it is also legal in most states in the US. However, the degree of tint allowed may vary from state to state. In Florida, the law permits drivers to tint their cars front side windows up to 28%, and rear side and back windows up to 15%. The windshield can also be tinted but only with a non-reflective tint on the top 6 inches. It is important to note that the rules and regulations regarding window tinting can change over time, so it is always best to check with your local authorities before installing window tinting. In contrast to Florida, there are several states where window tinting is not allowed or has strict regulations. For example, in Alaska, the front windshield and front side windows cannot be tinted, while the back side and rear windows can have up to 70% tint. In Connecticut, tinting is allowed but only up to 35% for the front side and back side windows, and 21% for the rear window. It is important to check the regulations for your state before deciding on window tinting. In conclusion, window tinting is a necessary modification for car owners in Florida due to the states climate, privacy concerns, and aesthetic preferences. The intense heat and sunlight can cause damage to the cars interior, and also pose health risks to drivers and passengers. Window tinting can provide protection from harmful UV rays, reduce the heat inside the car, and improve privacy. Additionally, window tinting can enhance the cars appearance and value. While window tinting is legal in most states, it is important to check your states regulations before installing it on your vehicle. Rodney Scotts Whole Hog BBQ made the switch from fast casual counter service to full table service on Monday at its Homewood location. Scott, the famed pitmaster and chef, was on scene to mark the occasion -- greeting customers, signing cookbooks and preparing mouth-watering barbecue. Copies of Scotts cookbook, Rodney Scotts World of BBQ: Every Day Is a Good Day: A Cookbook, also were on sale at the restaurant, 2701 18th St. South, Unit 100. The location is open daily, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. The Homewood restaurant, which opened in 2021, is one of three Rodney Scotts locations in the Birmingham area, along with eateries in Avondale and Trussville. The menu at all three locations features slow-smoked whole hog barbecue, ribs and chicken served with Scotts vinegar-based sauce, and sides such as collard greens, hush puppies, coleslaw, baked beans, potato salad and banana pudding. Scott, from South Carolina, opened his first restaurant in Charleston in 2017, in a partnership with Birmingham restaurateur Nick Pihakis. Scott opened the Birmingham location in 2019, at 3719 Third Ave. South in Avondale, in the former location of Saigon Noodle House and Bottletree Cafe. Two more locations in the Birmingham area followed, all in a partnership with Pihakis. READ MORE: The story of Rodney and Nick, brothers in barbecue What made me think about Birmingham is, that city is growing fast, Scott said in a 2019 interview with AL.com. It is a beautiful city. The barbecue scene there has always been mentioned to me by people from Birmingham who would come eat here (in Charleston) and tell me, Have you ever thought about Birmingham? Barbecue pitmaster Rodney Scott, at his restaurant in Charleston, South Carolina. Rodney Scott's Whole Hog BBQ has three locations in the Birmingham area, in Avondale, Homewood and Trussville. (Courtesy photo/Angie Mosier) Although Scott lives in Charleston, he has called Birmingham his second home. From the first few times we cooked here, the reception in Birmingham has been welcoming, Scott told Bob Carlton of AL.com in 2020. Its been warm. It feels good. I dont go anywhere I dont feel good, and Birmingham feels good. Scott won a James Beard Award for Best Chef in the Southeast in 2018, for his work at Rodney Scotts BBQ in Charleston. He was the first Black chef to win the Southeast chef award and only the second barbecue pitmaster to win any chef award from the Beard foundation. Scott, whos in his early 50s, grew up in his parents Roosevelt and Ella Scotts barbecue joint, Scotts Bar-B-Que, in Hemingway, S.C., and started working there full-time when he was a teenager. In his cookbook, Scott offers anecdotes about his family, his early work experiences and his rise to fame as a barbecue pitmaster. Preceding the recipes for smoked whole hog and fried catfish, there are essays that chronicle Scotts experiences with everything from his first car a 1985 Nissan 300ZX to his first onslaught of media coverage, all sprinkled with anecdotes about his father, who was clearly a large influence on his life, Ben Mims said in the Los Angeles Times. The book reads like an oral history of barbecue, but one told through a true legendary practitioner whos experienced his fair share of life, in and out of the smokehouse. ISLAMABAD, March 22 (Xinhua) -- A senior officer of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency was killed in a clash with terrorists in the northwestern tribal district of South Waziristan, the Pakistan Army has said. The intense fire was exchanged between the two sides in the Angoor Adda area of the district bordering Afghanistan, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of the army, said in a statement on Tuesday evening. Seven soldiers were also injured during the fight, the ISPR said, adding that the death toll might further rise as two of the injured are in critical condition. Earlier in the day, the ISPR said that three soldiers and three terrorists were killed during a terrorist attack at a check post in the Dera Ismail Khan district of the country's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Monday night. Players of the mega-popular video game Fortnite may be eligible for refunds as part of a massive settlement with maker Epic Games. The Federal Trade Commission has finalized the order requiring Epic to pay $245 million to consumers to settle charges the company used deceptive to trick players into making unwanted purchases and let children rack up unauthorized charges without parental knowledge. Fortnites counterintuitive, inconsistent, and confusing button configuration led players to incur unwanted charges based on the press of a single button. The company also made it easy for children to make purchases while playing Fortnite without requiring any parental consent, the FTC said in a statement. Who is eligible for a refund? The FTC said refunds are available to: Parents whose children made an unauthorized credit card purchase in the Epic Games Store between January 2017 and November 2018. Fortnite players who were charged in-game currency (V-Bucks) for unwanted in-game items (such as cosmetics, llamas, or battle passes) between January 2017 and September 2022. Fortnite players whose accounts were locked between January 2017and September 2022 after disputing unauthorized charges with their credit card companies.. What do I do to get a refund? Theres nothing you have to do now. For refund information, check back with FTC/gov/Fortnite or sign up here to get email updates. As Alabama lawmakers return to this years regular legislative session, advocates gathered Tuesday on the steps of the state house to encourage lawmakers to expand and make Medicaid coverage available to more people. Alabama is one of 11 states that has not expanded Medicaid healthcare coverage. Last year, the state did extend coverage for patients who recently gave birth from 60 days to one year. Dr. Marsha Raulerson, an 81-year-old pediatrician from Brewton who spoke at the event, said she sees how access to health insurance impacts people in her community firsthand. She still sees some adult patients who she took care of as children because they cant afford to go to a doctor, so she charges them less. She described a former patient who lives in Opelika, Alabama, now in her late 20s, saying she called Raulerson to tell her she needed medication, but couldnt pay her doctor $70 for her prescriptions. Raulerson charged her $15. I believe everybody deserves to have health care, Raulerson said after the event. I think its a God given right to be cared for, and our country is rich enough that we can provide health care for everyone. So to me, its if you dont pay today, youre going to pay a lot more in the future. And its unethical not to take care of people. Cover Alabama, who sponsored the event, is a nonpartisan coalition of advocacy groups, businesses, health care providers, religious groups and others who advocate for change in Alabamas health care system. Great turnout at our advocacy day for #medicaidexpansion pic.twitter.com/UvL8S9z9qW Cover Alabama (@CoverAlabama) March 21, 2023 Raulerson said she doesnt believe Medicaid should be a partisan issue. I think if they called it Trump care, it would probably pass in a minute, and I really hate that. And they think its part of the Affordable Care Act, which they call Obamacare. To me my husbands a Republican, Im a Democrat we both agree that we need to expand Medicaid, Raulerson said. Its healthcare for heavens sakes. What is political about getting health care? The Rev. Carolyn Foster of Greater Birmingham Ministries said Alabamians come to her for help with food, clothing and financial assistance, and that she listens to their struggles. Many of them work. Many of them have jobs. Were not talking about someone whos just looking for a handout, were talking about people who need a hand up, Foster said after the event. And that is what I think these legislators ought to be able to do. They have power here to represent all of us, but they dont. They represent corporate interests, they put corporations in place of people. Rev. Carolyn Foster stands in front of the Alabama state house after speaking in favor of Medicaid expansion on March 21, 2023. Sarah Swetlik/AL.com Raulerson said many of the young adults she works with dont want disability coverage they want to be working, but theyre on multiple medications that they know they cant afford, and working would cause them to lose access to Medicaid. I think some people think its a form of welfare, but Medicaid does not pay your rent, it doesnt buy your groceries, it doesnt put gas in your car or buy your car, Raulerson said when asked about those who oppose expansion. Medicaid is health care. Foster said she is confused by the fact that a state in the Bible Belt wont expand Medicaid access. Its very clear to me, the scriptures, particularly if youre a Christian and most Christians or people who call themselves Christians will know the scripture that says When I was naked, you clothed me. When I was hungry, you fed me. When I was sick, you cared for me, Foster said, adding that she sees a disconnect when it comes to putting that scripture into action. This state claims to be so religious, and I think maybe thats the problem. Its so religious, but its not really faithful to the religion. Raulerson, who still sees about 100 patients, added that she is very discouraged by what she has seen from public officials in regard to health care, but that she has also seen change in Alabama since she began practicing here in the 1980s, and thats what keeps her hopeful. I think there are some people in our legislature who really do have a conscience, she said. I trust them to push for the right thing. A 25-year-old man accused of shooting and killing his parents inside their Spanish Fort home on Saturday will remain held inside the Baldwin County Jail without bond until at least he is scheduled to return to court next month. Trinell Brown, 25, spoke little during an initial court appearance before Baldwin County Circuit Court Judge Joseph Norton Tuesday in Bay Minette ahead of the judge ordering that he be held without bond. The order came after a prosecutor warned that Brown poses a public safety risk if hes released from jail. He could be a danger to himself and others as well, Norton said. A preliminary hearing is set for 11 a.m. on April 11. Based on the facts of this case, someone like that is absolutely a danger to the community, said Patrick Doggett, a prosecutor on the case representing the Baldwin County District Attorneys Office. Brown faces two counts of capital murder, which can be punishable by death. He is accused of shooting and killing his parents 52-year-old Clemmie Brown and 42-year-old Syretta Brown following a confrontation Saturday inside the familys home on McFarland Road in Spanish Fort. The exterior of the house of Clemmie and Syretta Brown in Spanish Fort, Ala. The couple were allegedly murdered by their son, 25-year-old Trinell Brown, on Saturday, March 18, 2023. A 4-year-old child was present inside the home at the time of the killings. (John Sharp/jsharp@al.com). Brown allegedly shot and killed his parents with an assault rifle, though authorities do not have additional details on whether he owned the gun. Browns 4-year-old daughter was also inside the house at the time of the shooting, according to authorities. That is another egregious fact about what happened is that a child was present, Doggett said. The child, to my knowledge, is in custody with a family member at this point in time. I would urge anyone out there to pray for the well being of that child. None of Browns family was at the court hearing. We are trying to determine what happened, said Doggett, unsure of motive. Its hard to tell at this point. Sometimes you dont have a good reason why things happen. No act like this is rational. In recent days, family members have told local TV news outlets that Brown had previously been diagnosed with schizophrenia. His attorneys Gulf Shores attorney Tyler Goodwin and Kyle Henderson of Robertsdale did not ask for a plea of not guilty by reasons of mental defect. In an unrelated capital murder case last month, the attorneys representing 21-year-old Jared Smith-Bracy who is accused of killing his grandparents, a brother and a family friend inside their Daphne home on February 22 entered a plea of not guilty based on mental defect or disorder. Doggett said he was not surprised that had not been requested yet for Brown. The evidence Ive seen gathered up to this point does not appear to be the reason why this happened, he said. They are in the process of gathering facts and circumstances about why it happened. The Sheriffs Department is working tirelessly for that. Could (mental health issues) be a contributing factor? We dont know yet. Thats being investigated along with everything else. Goodwin and Henderson released a statement that read, Our prayers with those grieving the loss of the Browns. We have not had a chance to thoroughly investigate the allegations, but Trinell is presumed innocent and we intend to vigorously defend this young man against the charges the government has brought against him. Doggett said confessions from Brown admitting to shooting and killing his parents, which were allegedly caught on a 911 call, will be admissible evidence during future court proceedings. Anything that is gathered in this case will be used and hopefully (will) hold him fully accountable for what he did. The cases involving Brown and Smith-Bracy are unrelated, authorities have said in recent days. But their close timing has authorities perplexed and having a hard time recalling past similarities in Baldwin County history. Obviously, not in my careers as a prosecutor have we had that in Baldwin County, but they are not related to each other as far as the evidence that has been obtained at this point in time, Doggett said. A 44-year-old science teacher at Faith Academy confessed to a sexual relationship with one of his students, according to a police affidavit included in court documents. Jonathan Sauers was arrested last week after the 16-year-old girl told police and her parents about the relationship, which she said was consensual. According to the affidavit, Semmes police were notified on March 13 of a possible runaway. The mother advised her 16-year-old daughter had gone to a local Walmart for school supplies, but when she did not return after an hour, the parents drove to the Walmart and found the girls car with her cell phone still inside. Semmes police located the girl walking on Moffett Road. The affidavit states she told them she had been having sexual relations with Sauers, her science teacher at Faith Academy, a private school in Mobile. According to the affidavit, the girl told police Sauers had picked her up from the Walmart parking lot and drove her to the parking lot of an adjacent Subway restaurant, where she said the sexual encounter took place in the backseat of Sauers 2012 Nissan Armada. Surveillance video from the Walmart parking lot confirmed the girl got into a black Nissan Armada which then left the parking lot, police said. The girl was taken to USA Childrens & Womens Hospital for a sexual assault exam. The following day, she told investigators she and Sauers had engaged in sexual intercourse at Sauers residence weeks prior to the March 13 incident. Mobile County deputies detained Sauers last Tuesday at the school and his Nissan Armada was impounded. Sauers agreed to be interrogated without a lawyer present and, according to the affidavit, confessed to having sexual intercourse and sexual contact with the 16-year-old student. He was arrested and charged, later released after posting $40,000 bond. Sauers is facing a prison sentence of 10 to 20 years. Sen. Vivian Davis Figures, the Democrat from Mobile who has sponsored two bills this session expanding access to abortion in Alabama, said Tuesday she does not expect the bills to pass, but filed them for awareness. I dont expect these bills to go anywhere. Not in this legislature as it is made up today, Figures said, referring to the Republican dominated group of lawmakers in a news conference. But in light of the fact that Roe vs. Wade was struck down by the United States Supreme Court on June 24, 2022, giving the states the right to enact laws in regards to a womans right to choose, I thought it was apropos to let this legislature know that women are still crying out loudly to have the right to choose what they want to do with their bodies. Her two bills are: SB34, which would repeal the Human Life Protection Act - the strictest anti-abortion law in the United States when it was enacted in 2019. The act prohibits abortion in Alabama, except in cases where a patients life is at risk though the definition of at risk is still not clearly defined by the legislature or the attorney general. SB35, which would allow pregnancies that are the result of rape or incest to be terminated. Should it pass, Figures said she and her colleagues would have to revisit how those cases would be proven. We need to deal with it very delicately, because as you know, those are two subject areas that many times women dont even report because of how theyre treated and nobody would ever believe them, Figures said in response to the potential exceptions. Sen. Merika Coleman, a Democrat from Birmingham, spoke in favor of the bills and said she attempted to add exceptions for rape and incest in 2019, but a House colleague told her they could only vote for her amendment if it solely addressed rape. One of my colleagues came to me after the amendment failed and said If rape would have been in the amendment alone, I could have supported your amendment. But who am I to say anything about kissing cousins? Coleman said. So that lets you know we have some education to do in the Alabama legislature. That was a sitting House member then and a current House member now. Sen. Merika Coleman (D-Birmingham) speaks about allowing rape and incest exceptions to abortion bans in Montgomery, Alabama on March 21. Sarah Swetlik/AL.com Figures and Coleman were joined by Sen. Linda Coleman-Madison (D-Birmingham), Sen. Kirk Hatcher (D-Montgomery) and Sen. Robert Stewart (D-Selma), all of whom were co-sponsors of SB34. I have three sisters of my own, but they are not just my sisters or someones sister. They are somebody, and its time for this state to put their money where their mouth is, Stewart said. Coleman described a trip she took to El Salvador with legislators from other states in 2019, where she said they visited women who were in prison for having abortions. Many had miscarriages, she said, and one in particular was abused and her child died as a result; she was placed in prison. Coleman said it served as a warning for the direction the state could go in. For my colleagues who say that they are pro-life: If you are pro-life, that means you are pro-social services for those children once they get here, adequately educating them once they get here, in addition to making sure that their parents are gainfully employed once they get here, and if youre not for that, then that just means youre pro-birth, Coleman said. Youre not pro-life. The Senate will convene again for the second meeting following the 2023 special session on March 22, 2023 at 3:00 P.M. As spring break 2023 begins to peak, authorities in the Panama City Beach area are capitalizing on a new state law that allows them to double fines and impound vehicles for minor traffic offences. According to an administrative order issued Monday by Panama City Beachs city manager, Drew Whitman, Special Event Zone designations for two areas in that city will go into effect at 8 a.m. Friday, March 24, and remain in effect until 4 a.m. Monday, March 27. One of these areas includes the stretch of Front Beach Road between West Pier Park Drive and Hills Road, extending all the way inland to include Pier Park North. The other area, farther to the east, includes the area where Front Beach Road bends away from the beach. Its borders include portions of Richard Jackson Boulevard, U.S. 98 and Moylan Road. A Panama City Beach spokeswoman said Bay County, Panama City and Panama City Beach were working together. Panama City is to the east of Panama City Beach, with a stretch of unincorporated county territory in between. Zones will be set up in each city and in the area between them. The Bay County Sheriffs Office said via social media that Sheriff Tommy Ford had announced his intention to establish a Special Event Zone pursuant to Florida State Statute 316.1891 to begin this Friday, March 24, at 8 am until 4:00 am Monday, March 27. The Zone will include the four-lane of Front Beach Road west to the Panama City Beach city limits, all of Laurie Avenue, the west end of North Lagoon, and the west end of Thomas Drive from Utes Street to the Panama City Beach city limits. Warning signs will be posted Thursday, March 23 along each point of entry and exit of the Special Event Zone. The sheriffs office said that in addition to allowing for doubled fines and towing, there are other potential penalties in the new law. If law enforcement and other first responders have to manage unpermitted special events, the promoters of the events can be billed for any reasonable costs. On the weekend of March 25-27, 2022, Panama City Beach and Panama City were hit by a wave of disorderly gatherings that officials said were often on the brink of violence. Roads and businesses had to be closed, one person was shot and more than 70 firearms were confiscated. More than 160 people were arrested, nearly 80 of them from Alabama. Local officials attributed the mayhem to social media influencers whod promoted chaotic, unsanctioned flash mob events called Panamaniac or PCB Takeover. The new Special Event Zone includes a stretch of beachfront hotels as well as at least one site that figured prominently in the 2022 disruptions: A Walmart supercenter that temporarily shut down after being overrun by people who ran through the aisles, pulling down and throwing merchandise. In the aftermath, communities passed a variety of measures intended to help prevent or combat out-of-control gatherings. Going into the 2023 season, Panama City Beach Police Chief J.R. Talamantez told AL.com that a new state law allowing cities to set special event zones would be a helpful tool. You commit an offence, a traffic infraction in this specific zone, that seat belt ticket thats typically a hundred and thirty bucks, well now its $260, he said. All right. Historically we dont tow peoples vehicles for traffic infractions. This specific law, now allows us, if you are driving down the roadway and youve got one of your idiot friends hanging out the window trying to yell at girls, or if youre impeding the flow of traffic, well, youre going to get pulled over, youre going to be cited, double fine, and were going to tow your car, and it will be held for a couple of days. It helps us increase enforcement, Talamantez said. It comes with a set of regulations, rules that we have to follow in regard to the advertisement of the special event zone and the signs weve got to post. But all of that has been taken into consideration. Its time to check that coin jar. A specific state quarter from 2004 could be worth thousands of dollars, Fox Business reported. Wisconsin state quarters from the 50 State Quarters Program have a limited-edition design that is worth more if there are noticeable variations in the design. The front of the coin shows a cow, a peeled husk of corn and slices wheel of cheese along with the year Wisconsin joined the union 1848 and the state motto, Forward. Some of the coins have what Fox Business describes as a small design anomaly, that features an extra leaf, pointing up or down on the corn husk. We couldn't let #NationalCheddarDay go by and not share the #Wisconsin 50 States Quarter. This isn't just any quarter though, it is the highly sought after Extra Leaf High Variety. To learn more about this variety click here https://t.co/tKAT1Qht1K#Coins #Numismatics #PCGS pic.twitter.com/FRd85wG8Rw PCGS (@PCGScoin) February 14, 2019 Its unclear if the difference was intentional. One of the 2004 Wisconsin quarters with an additional low leaf was auctioned for a record $6,000 I January 2020. The coin was released on Oct. 25, 2004 and was the 30th in the 50th State Quarters Program and the fourth released that year. Launched in 1999, the State Quarters Program was a 10-year initiative that honored each of the 50 states. The U.S. Mint issued five new quarters each year in the order that the states ratified the Constitution or were admitted into the Union. You can read more here. A man died early Tuesday following a shooting in western Birmingham. The Jefferson County Coroners Office identified the victim as Kenneth Earl Harris Jr. He was 42. Authorities said Harris was shot at 9:15 p.m. Monday in the 500 block of Buffalo Street. He was taken to UAB Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 1:54 a.m. Officer Truman Fitzgerald said the preliminary investigation suggests the victim was struck by gunfire after shots were fired into the residence. There is no one in custody. Harris is one of three people fatally shot on Monday in Birmingham. Two other men were killed in separate shootings, one on the eastside and the other on First Avenue North. Harris is Birminghams 20th homicide so far this year. Of those, one has been ruled justifiable and therefore is not deemed criminal. In all of Jefferson County, there have been 24 homicides including the 20 in Birmingham. This story will be updated if more information becomes available. Authorities have released the names of two men shot to death Monday in separate incidents in Birmingham. Devarta Dedre Thomas, 30, was killed in Mondays predawn hours in the 300 block of 74th Street North, and James Lee Washington, 29, was killed later in the day in the 300 block of First Avenue North, according to the Jefferson County Coroners Office. East Precinct officers were dispatched at 12:30 a.m. Monday to a report of a person down, said Officer Truman Fitzgerald. When police arrived at 74th Street North, they found Thomas unresponsive. He had been shot and was pronounced dead on the scene at 12:40 a.m. by Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service. Few details were released, and no arrests have been announced. In Washingtons slaying, the citys North Precinct officers were dispatched at 11:30 a.m. to the small apartment building in the 300 block of First Avenue North. That location is just several apartment units in the middle of multiple businesses. When officers arrived, they found Washington suffering from gunshot wounds inside the unit where he lived, said Officer Truman Fitzgerald. CPR was performed on the victim, and he was taken to UAB Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 12:13 p.m. Fitzgerald said the preliminary investigation shows Washington and his male roommate got into a physical altercation which led to the gunfire. The citys gunfire detection system Shot Spotter detected multiple rounds fired. The suspect fled the scene before police arrived. Patrol officers took the suspect into custody at a hospital where he sought treatment for injuries he sustained. He will remain in police custody while receiving treatment and then be transported to the Birmingham City Jail. Also Monday, a 42-year-old man Kenneth Earl Harris Jr. - was shot on Buffalo Street in Wylam. He was pronounced dead early Tuesday at UAB Hospital. Mondays fatal shootings brought the citys homicide total so far this year to 20. Of those, one has been ruled justifiable and therefore is not deemed criminal. In all of Jefferson County, there have been 24 homicides including the 20 in Birmingham. Anyone with information in any of the homicides is asked to call Birmingham detectives at 205-254-1764 or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777. Birmingham Water Works (BWWB) will be handing out free toilet flapper repair kits the week of Mar. 20 as part of the Environmental Protection Agencys (EPA) annual Fix a Leak Week. BWWB spokesman Rick Jackson said these kits could help customers save money on their bill. The kits will be available at the BWWB payment center at 3600 1st Avenue North in Birmingham. Fix a Leak Week is an annual initiative the EPA hosts every March to encourage Americans to identify and repair household leaks inside and outside their homes, reads a press release from BWWB. These leaks contribute to over 1 trillion gallons of wasted water nationwide each year. Addressing these common issues can save consumers up to ten percent on their monthly water bills. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 22) A committee at the House of Representatives unanimously approved on Tuesday a bill seeking to reinstitute absolute divorce for married couples who are in a dysfunctional or abusive relationship. Albay Representative Edcel Lagman said the House Committee on Population and Family Relations passed the substitute bill, which he explained offers an expeditious, reasonable, and inexpensive alternative for legally ending a marriage. The approval of the substitute bill on absolute divorce for eventual plenary debates assures that the country is now at the threshold of joining the universality of absolute divorce in the community of nations, he wrote in a statement. The lawmaker said the template of the measure is his House Bill No. 78, which is almost a replica of the one that hurdled the lower chamber during the 17th Congress, or the first three years of the Duterte administration. He said the COVID-19 pandemic stalled the same bill during the 18th Congress. According to Lagman, 70 lawmakers have signed as co-authors, and there are many more members of the House who favor the bill. He also stressed that the proposed legislation is only for exceptional circumstances where a couple or a spouse suffers the torment of irreversibly dead marriages. Divorce is not the worst thing that can happen to a family, he said. Enduring years of physical violence, suffering emotional abuse, tolerating infidelity, allowing children to live in a hostile home and witness daily discord and constant conflict these are far worse than divorce. In applying for the legal remedy, the bill provides that proof of the cause for divorce must be established, and that the marriage has completely collapsed without any possibility of reconciliation. Quickie, notarial, email, and other speedy drive-thru divorces are prohibited, Lagman said. After the filing of the divorce petition, there is a cooling-off period of 60 days wherein the judge shall exert efforts to reconcile the parties. If the couple agrees to reconcile any time during the proceedings, the petition would be dismissed, the lawmaker explained. Even after the issuance of an absolute divorce decree, when the parties decide to reconcile, the divorce degree shall be nullified, the congressman added. The measure also provides for penalties for those who collude to secure a divorce or coerce the other to end their marriage. According to Lagman, absolute divorce is constitutional and does not go against the Catholic faith. There was unanimity in the Constitutional Commission of 1987 where the Commissioners, led by Fr. Joaquin Bernas, said that the Congress has the power to enact a divorce law, he said. Even the Bible cites instances when Jesus Christ allowed divorces," he added. "All Catholic countries, except the Philippines, have legalized divorce which the Papacy has not condemned. Even the Catholic hierarchy has its own matrimonial tribunal which dissolves marriages similar to a divorce." A man who was sentenced as a teenager to more than five decades in prison after police shot his friend was resentenced today to 30 years behind bars. LaKeith Smith was just 15 when he and his friends burglarized several homes in Millbrook. During the crimes, police responded and fatally shot Smiths friend, 16-year-old ADonte Washington. Under Alabamas accomplice liability law, Smith was charged with Washingtons murder. In 2018, at the age of 19, he was sentenced to a total of 65 years in prison by Elmore County Circuit Judge Sibley Reynolds. He was convicted of felony murder, two counts of theft, and one count of burglary. An appeals court later ruled Smiths two theft sentences should be run concurrently, changing the sentence to a total of 55 years. That particular Alabama felony murder statute allows a person to be charged with murder if they are participating in a felony crime that results in death, whether or not that person actually pulled the trigger. Smiths lawyer, Leroy Maxwell Jr., said the outcome of Tuesdays resentencing hearing wasnt what he wanted. Today doesnt feel like justice, he said. He posted a video on an Instagram page dedicated to his client, confirming that Reynolds handed down the new sentence of 30 years. Smiths charges stem from crimes committed in February 2015. Prosecutors said at the time that Millbrook police responded to a call at a home on Clearview Lane on Feb. 25, 2015 and that, when officers arrived, they found one suspect with a firearm sitting inside a vehicle. Two officers approached the home noted in the call, one going inside and the other to the side of the house near a privacy fence. The officer on the outside of the home heard shots fired inside, and then saw several suspects fleeing the residence. One of the suspects was running toward the officer with a firearm, prosecutors said, and the officer fired. Washington was shot and killed; four suspects, including Smith, were taken into custody. This isnt the sentence we wanted. This isnt reflective of what actually happened, Maxwell said Tuesday. The State Bureau of Investigation worked the case of the officers shooting and eventually presented the case to an Elmore County grand jury. In July 2016, the grand jury deemed the officers actions justifiable. Maxwell filed a Rule 32, or type of appeal, of Smiths sentence in 2021. His legal team argued Washington was found without a gun in his hands and fatally shot in the back of the neck at the base of the brain in addition to the back of the shoulder and underarm. At the time he was shot and killed, he was attempting to flee from police, one of whom whose body cam was dead, Smiths attorneys said in the filing. Washingtons mother, Vernice Washington, said in an affidavit filed in court records that she never held Smith culpable for her sons death. I was willing and available to testify to my preference as ADontes mother that LaKeith Smith should not serve any time for the death of my son, she said. Washingtons father echoed the statement. Smiths legal team argued, among other things, that Smith had ineffective lawyers during his trial, saying the original lawyers didnt inform the then-teenager about the risks of going to trial instead of entering a guilty plea. That information was especially important given (Smiths) young age and deficits, the appeal states. The filing also notes Smiths comments during his original sentencing hearing. He told the judge, according to trial transcripts: Im sorry for my actions and for my home boy and for the victims family. Thats all . . . I learned a lesson. Ive been incarcerated for three years and a couple of months. Im just sorry. Aint too much to be sorry about, about my home boy. After the judge questioned Smiths statement, he said, Thats why I dont like to talk. I mess myself up when I talk. Thats why I prefer to be quiet. Smiths new legal team said the interaction showed a appearance of a lack of impartiality, from the judge. At the time of sentencing, (Smith) had an eighth-grade education and was nineteen years old. He did not possess the educational, intellectual, or emotional maturity necessary to be able to effectively express himself at the hearing, which upset the judge, his appeal states. While in prison, according to the appeal documents, Smith has not had any serious rule violations or engaged in physical violence. His family said hes matured while behind bars, and has been enrolled in GED classes and plans to pursue welding. Supporters flocked to the resentencing hearing on Tuesday afternoon at the Elmore County Courthouse and appeared on a Justice4LaKeithSmith Instagram page showing their support. Maxwell addressed the crowd following the hearing. I hate this outcome for yall, he said, commenting that he believes the felony murder statute disproportionately effects young, Black men like Smith. He said he will appeal the ruling. Its time to take the gloves off at this point, Maxwell said. This time around, we need to challenge this conviction. The felony murder rule has got to go We are going to get justice for LaKeith Smith Ive got no doubt about that. Privacy Policy Last updated: Jun 14, 2020 Introduction Welcome to Almontasaf Net privacy notice and cookie policy. Almontasaf Net cares about your privacy and the security of your information. We want you to be familiar with how we collect, use and disclose information, including personal information. This Privacy Policy describes our practices in conjunction with your access to our digital products and services. We are committed to your privacy and other than as provided herein or after receiving your specific consent, we will not share any personal information with any third party at any time, unless required by law. This Policy is produced in accordance with applicable data protection laws including European General Data Protection Regulation ("GDPR"). 1. 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However, we invite you to raise your concerns with us first, so that we can try to resolve them. 16. How to contact us If you have any questions regarding our privacy statement, please feel free to contact us by e-mail at [email protected] . We read every message submitted and try to reply promptly to everyone. Almontasaf Net Almontasaf Net building, Haddah Street Sana'a, Yemen Email: [email protected] Last Updated: Jun 14, 2020 Ahead of the congress hearing, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew has taken to the platform to share updates on the issues his company faces. This is in light of the USs threats to ban the video-sharing platform in its region. These are really hard times for TikTok as they fight to clear their name of the mud and save their business in the US. Recently, the video-sharing platform has come under various accusations from members of the US parliament. They accuse the platform of having ties with the Chinese government, labelling them a security threat. Already, the app has been banned on government-issued devices in various states around the country. The US government is now moving to ban the video-sharing platform in the country. TikToks parent company ByteDance is under pressure to sell the company and evade the US ban. A court hearing on this case will take place on the 23rd of March and the TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew seems to be ready. TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew beckons on US citizens using the video-sharing platform ahead of the hearing As the hearing date draws closer, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew has proceeded to appeal to users in the US. To do this, TikTok posted a video on its official channel that highlights certain facts. This video aims to gather support from US citizens in the fight against the ban. Advertisement In the one-minute-long video, Shou highlights how TikTok is put to use by millions of US citizens. He also points out that he is in Washington, D.C. ahead of the hearing, where he will defend his company. Prepping up for the hearing, he now beckons to US citizens using TikTok, highlighting how this platform helps them. In the video, Shou points out that over 150 million people use TikTok monthly. Making up this huge number are over 5 million businesses that use the platform to promote their products and services. Shou goes on to point out that the majority of these are small and medium businesses. Additionally, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew points out that his company has over 7000 employees in the US alone. By highlighting these facts, Shou aims to bring to mind all that is at stake to not only his business but also millions of users around the country. If the usage of this video-sharing platform gets forbidden by law in the US, lots of businesses will fall apart. Over 5 million small and medium businesses will lose a core publicity tool for their products and services. Additionally, over 7000 people will also lose their jobs in an uncertain economy. Lastly, a whopping 150 million US citizens will also lose a platform that brings smiles to their faces. Advertisement These might be points that TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew will highlight during the hearing. This will bring to light what millions of US citizens will lose if the platform is banned. More details on the hearing will roll out in the coming days. Police and Crime Commissioners outside of London have pledged to enact reforms and hold their own forces accountable in light of the Casey report. Several PCCs acknowledged in statements on Tuesday that Baroness Louise Caseys review into the institutionally racist, misogynistic and homophobic Metropolitan Police force will impact public confidence in policing outside of the capital. Sussex PCC Katy Bourne said: When the Met sneezes, all other forces catch a cold because of its scale and impact in national headlines and public perception. Katy Bourne with Chief Constable of Sussex Police Jo Shiner (Sussex Police/PA) Ms Bourne called the Casey report a pivotal moment for the Met and for all British Police forces whose foundations have been rocked and undermined. Public confidence is already plumbing the depths and todays publication of the Casey report could sink it for years to come, she continued. Ms Bourne pledged to make the necessary changes to investment to widen diversity, and to vet and re-vet officers and staff. We cant afford not to, she added. You cant catch criminals with crooked cops. West Midlands PCC Simon Foster announced he will convene a Public Accountability Forum following the deeply and profoundly damning report. In response I will convene a West Midlands Police Public Accountability Forum at which West Midlands Police can explain to the public, key stakeholders and the media, in an open and transparent way, the work that is taking place within West Midlands Police to prevent and tackle any and all racism, misogyny, homophobia and corruption, and how we can do more in the light of Baroness Caseys findings, Mr Foster said. He added that he is holding West Midlands Police accountable to ensure they comply with vetting procedures and performance, and that officers and staff deal with complaints and misconduct. Mr Foster said he is committed to constant and unremitting action to hold the corresponding force to account including preventing unsuitable people from joining and ensuring any misconduct is identified and officers and staff are dismissed if they are not fit to serve the public. He labelled the crisis facing the Met Police as existential, adding that the force has missed repeated opportunities to reform over the decades. Meanwhile West Mercia PCC John Campion said the damning issues in the Met may also be present in West Mercia Police. Im not reassured that the examples of misogyny, homophobia and other abhorrent behaviour, highlighted in the Casey Report, isnt also happening within West Mercia Police, he said. Mr Campion added that he will continue holding the forces Chief Constable to account, being in no doubt that the concerns raised in the Casey report will impact public trust and confidence on policing as a whole. Hampshire and Isle of Wight PCC, Donna Jones, called for the Met Police to be divided into three or four smaller forces to ensure reforms can be made faster. Labelling the Casey report shocking, Ms Jones continued: Discrimination and the abuse of power in the Met seem worse than ever. She highlighted the need to overhaul Police Standard Departments across forces to remove criminals should they be hiding in a police uniform, saying recent cases like that of serial rapist David Carrick would have been prevented by quicker handling of complaints. Ms Jones claimed the lax attitude of allowing officers and staff to remain at their posts after receiving allegations of wrongdoing has left some men in the Met thinking they are untouchable, fuelling a rotten culture at (the forces) core. Sir Keir Starmer has come under fire for seeking to block the Government plans to relax the tax rules on pensions for the wealthy, despite benefiting from a generous pension arrangement from his time as director of public prosecutions (DPP). Labour is opposing Chancellor Jeremy Hunts Budget announcement to scrap the 1.07 million lifetime tax-free allowance on pensions savings as a tax break for the very wealthy. However, The Daily Telegraph reported that the Labour leader enjoyed a special tax-unregistered pension scheme which mean the lifetime allowance does not apply to his contributions from his time as DPP between 2008 and 2013. Labour leader Keir Starmer reportedly enjoyed a special tax-unregistered pension scheme which means the lifetime allowance does not apply to his contributions from his time as DPP (Jordan Pettitt/PA) The paper said he was the only member of the scheme, which broadly matched the tax benefits for judges. When he stood down, the Government passed secondary legislation ensuring his pension was uprated annually to keep pace with rising prices. The paper said it understood Sir Keirs civil service pension was not large enough to incur a tax charge under the pension cap system on its own, and he has not paid into it since 2013. Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith said it made a mockery of the Labours position on the lifetime allowance. Politicians who take policy positions should recognise that complaining that others benefit, while they themselves have also benefited, is as close to hypocrisy as it is possible to get, he told the Telegraph. A Labour spokesman said: The terms of the pension for the director of public prosecutions are set by the government of the day not the DPP themselves. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, shown in December, unveiled tight new proposed restrictions on semiconductor manufacturers doing business in China. (Patrick Semansky / Associated Press) The Biden administration unveiled tight restrictions on new operations in China by semiconductor manufacturers that get federal funds to build in the U.S. The $50-billion CHIPS and Science Act will bar firms that win grants from expanding output in China by more than 5% for advanced chips and 10% for older technology, according to officials at the Commerce Department, which will disburse the funds. The department on Tuesday outlined the new restrictions, which will include a $100,000 spending cap on investments in advanced capacity in China, as well as other measures. Those so-called guardrails are part of Washingtons efforts to thwart Beijings ambitions while securing supply of the components that underpin revolutionary technologies, including artificial intelligence and supercomputers, as well as everyday electronics. In past years, the U.S. has blacklisted Chinese technology champions, sought to cut off the flow of sophisticated processors and banned its citizens from providing certain help to Chinas chip industry. The new restrictions tied to the CHIPS Act aim to impose more onerous limitations on companies expected to secure incentives, including industry leaders Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Samsung Electronics Co. and Intel Corp., which all operate in China. The restrictions could hamper longer-term efforts to chase growth in the worlds largest semiconductor market, while also making it hard for Beijing to build up cutting-edge capabilities at home. Intel shares fell as much as 4.1% on Tuesday, but the stock recovered somewhat to close at $28.46, down 2.4%. CHIPS for America is fundamentally a national security initiative and these guardrails will help ensure malign actors do not have access to the cutting-edge technology that can be used against America and our allies, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said in a statement. We will also continue coordinating with our allies and partners to ensure this program advances our shared goals, strengthens global supply chains, and enhances our collective security. To ensure federal funding beneficiaries cannot meaningfully expand advanced production capacity in what the law terms countries of concern, including China and Russia, the new rules will ban those firms from spending more than $100,000 when adding capacity for logic chips more sophisticated than 28 nanometers. They also cannot add more than 5% to the existing capacity of any single plant making these semiconductors in China. Although the proposed rule limits manufacturing expansion, grant recipients can still make technology upgrades to existing facilities to produce more-advanced semiconductors, if the companies receive any necessary export control licenses from the Commerce Department for doing so, an official familiar with the rule said. For example, a recipient upgrading the technological capability of a facility can include making logic chips at a smaller node size or memory chips with more layers. Typically, a smaller number in nanometers indicates a more advanced generation for logic chips, which process information or handle tasks. Limits on the advanced capacity investments will be in place for 10 years. A single advanced chipmaking machine from a supplier such as ASML Holding, Applied Materials Inc. or Tokyo Electron Ltd. can cost tens of millions of dollars. Grant recipients also arent allowed to increase capacity by more than 10% at their existing facilities in countries of concern for logic chips that are 28 nanometers or less-advanced, which the law defines as legacy semiconductors. If they want to build new factories for this type of chip, at least 85% of the output must be consumed by the host country and the companies must notify the Commerce Department. Although 28-nanometer chips are several generations behind the most cutting-edge semiconductors available, theyre used in a wide range of products including cars and smartphones. The U.S. can claw back the full amount of federal grants if a recipient violates the rules, Commerce has said. The federal government can also claw back tax credits completely if companies materially increase semiconductor production capacity in a foreign country of concern within 10 years of winning the incentives, according to a separate statement from Treasury. The credit is generally equal to 25% of qualified investments in a facility for making semiconductors or producing chip production machines in the U.S. The new restrictions will make it even more challenging for Taiwan Semiconductor to expand its most-advanced Chinese plant in the eastern city of Nanjing, where its manufacturing 28-nanometer and more-advanced 16-nanometer chips. In October, Chief Executive C. C. Wei said the company was granted a one-year license from the U.S. government to expand production in China, temporarily exempting it from sweeping export control measures rolled out that month. Taiwan Semiconductor spokeswoman Nina Kao declined to comment on the new restrictions. Samsung said it has been in close discussions with the U.S. and South Korean governments, and it plans to determine its next step after reviewing the changes. South Koreas SK hynix Inc., which makes memory chips in China, also said it will closely review the announcement. Intel didnt immediately respond to a request seeking comment. Memory chip producers such as Samsung will see tighter restrictions on their expansions in China as Commerce will align the new guardrails with prohibited technology thresholds released in October. The South Korean company runs a major site in the central city of Xian making Nand flash memory. Intel has an assemble and test chip facility in the central city of Chengdu, a modest operation compared with the others. The U.S. also classified a list of semiconductors as crucial to national security, making them subject to stricter controls than other legacy chips. Those include compound semiconductors an area of focus for the Chinese government in past years. These are chips designed for quantum information systems, specialized military capabilities and radiation-intensive environments. Federal grant recipients will also be prohibited from engaging in joint research with, or licensing technology to, a foreign entity of concern. That will cover any research and development done by two or more people. Licensing will be defined as an agreement to make patents, trade secrets or know-how available to another party. The list of foreign entities of concern will be broadened to include names on the Commerce Departments entity list, the Treasury Departments list of Chinese military companies, and the Federal Communications Commissions list of equipment and services posing national security risks. That encompasses a host of Chinas largest tech companies including Huawei Technologies Co., AI giant SenseTime and chip leaders such as Yangtze Memory Technologies Co. The proposed rules will be subject to 60 days of public comment before finalized regulations are published later this year. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. remaining of Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. Express your opinion! Fill out this form to submit a Letter to the Editor. Submit UK retail investors focusing on carbon footprint reduction, Kana Earth study finds UK Reporter Lucy Carter 65 per cent of UK retail investors are more likely to invest in funds that provide more information about their carbon footprint and are transparent in their plans to reduce it Luxembourg The small country of Luxembourg is nestled between Belgium, Germany and France. It is just 2586 square kilometres in size, has a population of less than 650,000 and yet is one of the most significant financial services centres in the world. Lucy Carter reports on international relations and whats next for UCITS London Conference 19 October 2023 London Number of days: 1 The 19th edition of the ALFI London Conference provides its traditional forum for the UK and Luxembourg fund industries to share, analyse and debate their most topical challenges and opportunities. Find out more A question of space and time The year for the US and Canada to move their settlement compression time is almost certain to be 2024. With the countdown on, should the industry boost in-house technologies or look to outsource particularly when T+1 is not far, far away? 16 March 2023 09:59 (UTC+04:00) Qabil Ashirov Read more Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is playing with fire, Azerbaijani political analyst Fikrat Sadigov said in an interview with Azernews when commenting on the prime ministers statement on Azerbaijani territories. The Armenian prime minister, who supports the occupation of Azerbaijani lands, should not speak like this and make such statements. Actually, we have not occupied Armenian lands. They are still keeping under occupation a number of Azerbaijani villages in Nakhchivan and Gazax District. Its purpose is simply to blame Azerbaijan, and to portray our country as an aggressor state and ask Europe and the world community for help, the pundit opined. Moreover, Sadigov touched on the press conference of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin and said that Azerbaijan's purposeful and decisive foreign policy is bearing fruit. However, during the visit of the Azerbaijani president to Germany, many issues were clarified. The German chancellor declared that Germany has never recognized the so-called `Karabakh republic' and has no intention of doing so. This is a very strong statement and we appreciate it. I think that many European countries show such positions. If France's position on this issue is different, it is their own business, and we have given France quite curt answers. I think no new answers are needed and they heard us in Paris, he stressed. The expert also mentioned that the European Parliament should not be confused with European Union with which Azerbaijan has very good relations. It is also a reality that the European Parliament is not the European Union. Azerbaijan cooperates with the European Union. We have signed bilateral agreements with nine European Union member states, and the current geopolitical reality shows that Europe needs Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan supplies Europe with gas and other natural resources. The EU understands this fact quite well. Even in the joint press conference in Berlin, the German chancellor stated it openly and clearly in his answers, Sadiqov emphasized. The pundit thinks that Armenia is emboldened by some European countries, including France, adding that such kind of policy will cost Armenia dearly. Of course, Armenia wants to win time with such actions. By prolonging the matter, it is trying to evade the signing of a peace agreement. It seems that some European countries, for example, France, are close to Armenia, and it encourages her. Pashinyan gets the impression that the whole of Europe strokes his head; observers are deployed, and he is a politician, who relies on the presence of observers in the region. He thinks that he is already a close friend and partner of the European Union. But all this is nonsense. It is an absurd position. Finally, Pashinyan should give up this position if it wants to create a robust environment here in the region, and of course, if it wants to maintain its security. As before, Azerbaijan is ready to take an adequate step both at the diplomatic and military levels. Pashinyan should not forget this, the pundit concluded. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 17 March 2023 10:48 (UTC+04:00) Sabina Mammadli Read more The discrimination of a group of people on their differences is when humanity hits its lowest point. The coexistence of various ethnic groups in multicultural, diverse societies could prevent hatred, which dominates in monoethnic Armenia. As Baku hosts International Conference dedicated to International Day to Combat Islamophobia, the attention of the country is particularly drawn to the rising wave of religion-based hatred in Europe. However, religious hatred is not novel to Azerbaijanis as Armenias anti-Azerbaijani policy was not lacking in religious hatred on top of racial one. During its nearly 30 years of bloody occupation, Armenia destroyed not only hundreds of Azerbaijani cities and villages but also Azerbaijani religious sites and cemeteries. Armenia destroyed 65 out of 67 mosques in Karabakh and East Zangazur, and the remaining two were used as pig and cow cowsheds throughout the occupation. The complete erasure and destruction of Azerbaijani Muslim sites is a clear manifestation of deeply-rooted Islamophobia in Armenia. Such aggressions did not end there either; Armenia has also destroyed Azerbaijani cultural heritage, mosques, and historical sites in present-day Armenia. 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 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, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said at Extraordinary Summit of the Heads of State of the Organization of Turkic States in Ankara on March 16. However, to this day Armenia refuses to admit the forcible displacement of Azerbaijanis from the territory of current-day Armenia in the continuation of its crimes. No words are needed when the facts lay bare in front of us: there left no single Azerbaijanis in modern-day Armenia where thousands of them lived before. Today Islamophobia is on the rise in Europe, especially in countries like Sweden and France. Such cases as the burning of the Koran outside the Turkish embassy in Sweden and the verbal and physical violence against the Muslim population of France are particularly of great concern. In a comment to Azernews, Israeli-based pundit, journalist Rachel Abraham remarked that such actions are not new as Europe has traditionally been prejudiced against others going back hundreds of years. And it doesnt only include the hatred of Muslims but it also includes hatred of Jews, hatred of gypsies, anyone else who is different. I think that the hatred of the other is deeply rooted within the European culture and that explains the actions such as what happened in France or in Sweden, Abraham stressed. Although the pundit disagreed that Islamophobia in France could be connected to pro-Armenian policy, she stated that behind this lies deep-seated hatred against others and not just of Azerbaijanis and Turks. Talking about the ways to combat the rising Islamophobia in the West, Abraham referenced education and exposure to multiculturalism. I think the best way to combat this is through education. I think European children should be exposed to people of different ethnic groups from a very early age and be raised on a policy similar to Azerbaijans multiculturalism policy. I dont think these people have hatred in their hearts but people tend to hate what they do not know. So, I think ignorance is the root of this, the expert finalized. --- Sabina Mammadli is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @SabinaMmdl Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 19 March 2023 09:59 (UTC+04:00) Elnur Enveroglu Read more The question of why Karabakh has long been an apple of discord in relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia does not need extra explanation apart from the latter's thirst for the seizure of the neighbors historical lands. For over a century, Armenians have been plotting unthinkable ways of seizing Karabakh though each of their attempts has always backfired and cost dearly to Azerbaijan both in terms of human lives and materially. Notwithstanding Azerbaijans numerous efforts to have regional peace restored before the second Karabakh war of 2020, Armenias obstructionism left no other means than a military solution to the conflict. Although Armenia suffered a crushing defeat, and Azerbaijans victory has altered the geopolitical picture in the South Caucasus, no lasting peace has been established in the region. Armenia is countering a peace deal despite Bakus goodwill and is refusing to accept a five-point packet. A peace treaty at this point seems unimaginable and the reasons behind might be numerous though we are far away from listing them all and this is impossible. However, some most important ones for Armenias reluctance to give up territorial claims on Karabakh seem to be the backing of pro-Armenian forces behind Yerevans uncompromising and destructive position. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan though repeatedly and publicly renounced claims on Azerbaijani lands, his verbal statements do not go beyond that and each time Azerbaijan submits peace proposals, they drag the process out or resort to unfounded pretexts to torpedo the overall process. Azerbaijan upholds maintaining an elusive yet important peace, which is key for activating the process of integration of the Armenian population in Karabakh. In view of new realities on the ground, regardless of how Armenia will react in the next two years, it should be borne in mind that a shrinking, albeit pre-existing, space for discussing people-to-people reconciliation must be restored at all costs. Armenia is actually struggling against accepting the defeat and is blinded by arrogance to digest and see the bare truth that has been shaped by the post-2020 realities. If Armenia does not recognize our territorial integrity, we will not recognize their territorial integrity either. Armenia and the hypocritical countries behind it should know what the result will be. They should know that no dirty plan against us will work, the Azerbaijani president said on March 18 in Karabakh. President Ilham Aliyevs remark on Armenias misbehavior is a sharp message to those who are pushing and instigating political unrest in the region. Unfortunately, Armenia is relying on its so-called patrons, realizing that and is absolutely aware of the fact that it is an instrument in the hands of big powers. Malign neighborhood The curiosity behind what is the reason that chums Iran and Armenia in the region can be explained through Azerbaijan's de-occupied territories, which were used for illegalities for 30 years by both malign neighbors. By resisting the adoption of a resolution by the OSCE condemning the terror attack on Azerbaijans embassy in Tehran on January 27, 2023, Armenia once again showed that the policy of Iran and Armenia is based on a dangerous neighborhood, and Yerevan manipulates OSCE principles for its own favor. Under Irans patronage, Armenia is ready to act insanely which contradicts the diplomatic rules. By doing so, Armenia demonstrates its belligerent stance and inability to realize that such trivial manoeuvres will change nothing for Azerbaijan. Armenia refuses to observe its obligation Armenia's chameleon-like political will can change according to any situation. If Armenia cannot find a patron, it means that the leadership of Armenia will have to buy time and come to terms with the current situation temporarily. Of course, this is a tradition that comes from Armenian morality. President Ilham Aliyevs statement at the Ankara Summit indicates the apostasy of the Armenian government. 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 Zangazur corridor. Therefore, Armenia flagrantly violates the statement signed on November 10, 2020, and should be held accountable. Aliyev underscored. Inability to discern right from wrong Armenia could have supported Azerbaijan in the reconstruction of ruined cities and villages rather than wasting time with its malicious political course. However, demanding territory without achieving anything by keeping Karabakh in ruins for 30 years is an example of insolence on the part of Armenia. Unfortunately, international organizations and their representatives, who call Agdam Azerbaijans Hiroshima, are yet unable to clearly distinguish who is right and who is wrong. After the occupation, Azerbaijan is building 300 villages and 9 new cities from scratch as President Ilham Aliyev said at the Ankara summit. 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. To recap, Karabakh is being rebuilt and IDPs are returning back to their homes, and the March 18 festivities in Talish village in Karabakh, now fully rebuilt to say welcome to former inhabitants, are proof of the determination of the Azerbaijani government to put the whole of Karabakh irrespective of the ethnicities under solid control once and for all. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 8 March 2023 11:36 (UTC+04:00) On the initiative of Azerbaijan Embassy to Poland, a masterclass of Honored Artist of Azerbaijan Sahib Pashazade was held at the Frederic Chopin University of Music in Poland. The student and teaching staff of the university participated at the event, Azernews reports. According to the information received from Azerbaijan Embassy to Poland, Sahib Pashazade gave the participants detailed information about the tar, the national musical instrument and one of the examples of the national heritage of Azerbaijan. Sahib Pashazade spoke about changes in the structure of the tar by Mirza Sadg Asad oglu in the second half of the 19th century, increasing the number of its strings from 5 to 11, as well as changing the way of holding the tar and lifting it from the knee to the chest. Sahib Pashazade, who drew attention to modern tar performance, which entered a stronger stage of development in the 20th century, noted the further increase of the technical and artistic capabilities of tar in the music performance school founded by Uzeyir Hajibeyov. Sahib Pashazade also informed the participants of the event in detail about Azerbaijani mughams, which are included in UNESCO's Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage. He gave an interesting lecture about mugham genres, mugham schools, and mugham tables. At the same time, the master class was conducted with the accompaniment of Saida Taghizade, a well-known pianist of Azerbaijan, and continued with the playing of pieces from the classical and folk music of Azerbaijan. In conclusion, the questions of the participants of the seminar were answered. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 17 March 2023 17:46 (UTC+04:00) Laman Ismayilova Read more Mexico is a dream for any photographer, who enjoys traveling. The country is filled with incredible backgrounds that are rich in color and history. For Azerbaijani photographer Aydin Sadigov, Mexico is one of his all-time favorite photography destinations. The photographer has recently presented a series of photos taken in this wonderful place, which boasts a rich architectural heritage and awe-inspiring natural wonders. The exhibition is the fourth event organized within the photo project "Architectural masterpieces of the World". "As part of the exhibition, I have demonstrated around 20 magnificent photographs that provide insight into the historical and architectural masterpieces of Mexico. I would like to note that Baku has previously hosted photo exhibitions dedicated to Mexico's remarkable sights. However, all of them highlighted the Mexican architecture of the later period. Unlike previous ones, this exhibition is the first photo project in Azerbaijan that demonstrates Mexico's ancient architecture," Aydin Sadigov told Azernews. Recall that the "Architectural masterpieces of the world" was launched last November by Italy-Azerbaijan Design Center and acclaimed photographer, art-curator Aydin Sadigov at the Azerbaijan University of Architecture and Construction. The project features separate events including photo exhibitions and presentations on the architectural masterpieces of different countries. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 8 March 2023 12:49 (UTC+04:00) First Vice-President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Mehriban Aliyeva has shared a post on her official Instagram page on the occasion of 8 March International Women's Day. The post says: I wish every women robust health, endless love, joyful days and happiness. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 15 March 2023 09:59 (UTC+04:00) Elnur Enveroglu Read more Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's 2-day working visit to Germany comprises many important nuances, especially having the character of a strategic dialogue with top officials and heads of leading German companies. Having met with his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Chancellor Olaf Scholz, president Aliyev once again directed all attentions to the peaceful settlement of the conflict in the South Caucasus. Besides, Azerbaijani Presidents meeting with Germanys company CEOs was of great importance in terms of further development of cooperation and economic relations between two countries. In this regard, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's early visit to Germany in the first week of March could also be considered an interesting nuance. However, the interesting part is not the meetings within the trip, but just the dullness of the trip. It should be noted that Pashinyan made a statement to the Armenian media during his stay in Germany and noted that during the visit he met with a number of partners, that is, the South Caucasus Friendship Group, which Armenia tries to seek in assistance, and, of course, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier as well as Chancellor Olaf Scholz. The most interesting moment is the lack of results. And, of course, Pashinyan saying as The main purpose of the visit is to try to better understand the view and perception of our German partners towards the Republic of Armenia, to try to make our positions on a number of issues more understandable - once again shows that Armenia's hasty visit to Germany in such a premeditated manner was neither heart-warming for Pashinyan nor memorable for the Armenian society. Armenia was able to console itself with just one trivial point here; this is an abnormal resolution put forward by 5 pro-Armenian political groups sitting in the European Parliament. In fact, even such a small consolation can be seen as a success for Armenia. As regards the results, of course, it would be a more foolish decision than the resolution of the EU Parliament to put Yerevans such attempts on a scale next to the success of Baku. Anyway... Losing in every field is the fate that Armenia has come to terms with. Regarding the visit of the President of Azerbaijan to Germany, as well as the attitude of German leadership and diplomacy towards Azerbaijan, the following points can be considered very important: As one of the leading countries of Europe and the world, Germany is revising its South Caucasus and Central Asia policy and considers Azerbaijan as a serious and important partner. As of the current period, Germany has not been active in the South Caucasus region and has implemented its policy related to this region through Russia. Currently, Germany is showing its determination to expand its policy in the region, where it sees Azerbaijan as a key partner. And most importantly, German Chancellor Olaf Scholzs response to the questions of media representatives saying - Germany expressed its opinion at the international level back then by not recognizing Nagorno-Karabakh as a republic. In other words, we have expressed our position. --- Elnur Enveroglu is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on @ElnurMammadli1 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 17 March 2023 17:59 (UTC+04:00) Elnur Enveroglu Read more Initiated by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Ankara played host to the March 16 Extraordinary Summit of the Heads of State of the Organization of Turkic States designed to rally international support for Turkiye's post-quake rebuilding efforts. Addressing the event, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan thanked President Ilham Aliyev for his initiative to hold the Extraordinary Summit, entitled Disaster-Emergency Management and Humanitarian Assistance. Speaking at the summit, the Azerbaijani president blamed Armenia for the 30-year-long occupation and deliberate destruction of hundreds of cities and villages, historical and religious sites, and cemeteries. "Foreign experts describe the destroyed city of Agdam as a `Hiroshima of the Caucasus'," the president said, elaborating that Armenians destroyed 65 out of 67 mosques in Karabakh and East Zangezur, and the remaining two were used as pig and cow sheds. The president added that because of the Armenian occupation, Azerbaijan is now among the countries most contaminated with landmines and after the second Karabakh war, i.e., since November 2020, nearly 300 Azerbaijanis have been killed or seriously injured by 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 Zangazur corridor," the president added. In remarks about the summit, Turkish political analyst, a professor at Turkiyes Dumlupinar University Husamettin Inac, emphasized once again that the solution to the Karabakh problem does not lie with Russia or Europe - the only decisive factor here can be the joint effort of the Turkic-speaking nations. On why the summit is crucial, Inac opined that the unity of the Turkic nations can be conducive to restoring peace in Karabakh and in the region amid Armenia's obstruction of the processes. The extraordinary Summit of the Heads of State of the Organization of Turkic States held at the initiative of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev is of great importance. As you know, the successive earthquakes that hit Turkiye in February and the massive floods that occurred in Turkey's Adiyaman and Sanl Urfa provinces a few days ago caused serious economic, political, and humanitarian damages to Turkiye. All this was an extremely crushing blow for Turkiye. However, I must note that against the background of what happened, the Turkic-speaking nations did not remain indifferent. On the contrary, holding such an event to support Turkiye paves the way for closer relations between Turkic-speaking nations, the expert said. Inac added that the summit once again proved that the Turkic-speaking countries as a joint body not only play the role of undertaking political commitment but also have the function of a beating heart within that whole body. Speaking to Azernews on Karabakh and Pashinyans abortive maneuvers in the political arena, Husamettin Inac said that Armenia was ready to snatch at a chance and divert the processes for its own favor when it comes to Karabakhs future. Currently facing a desperate situation, the Pashinyan government is delaying the peace process. In a way, this meeting took a very big step towards rendering harmless the so-called authority of the separatist regime in Karabakh, which is the eternal territory of Azerbaijan. The fact that Pashinyan completely closed his ears to Russia, came under the umbrella of Europe, as well as brought pro-France and pro-Armenian representatives to the border region clearly reveals Armenias belligerent stance. Although Armenia's game regarding Karabakh is not for the benefit of either side, it aims at least to display it to international organizations in the form of a so-called state. The summit emphasized once again that the solution to the Karabakh problem does not lie with Russia or Europe - the only decisive factor here can be the joint effort of the Turkic-speaking nations. The resolution of the Karabakh issue is interrelated to the Zangazur road, which will connect the entire Turkic world, and this was the main topic of the summit. Tukiye and our entire partners know that many works related to Zangazur have been completed as a result of the efforts of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. Putting this road into operation is already considered the next main step, the expert added In addition to his comment, the professor added that Turkiye is actively engaged in the upcoming presidential elections, drawing attention to difficulties triggered by the devastating quakes. The presidential elections in Turkiye are about in two months' time. As for candidates, the rating of the ruling AKP was quite high in the period before the earthquake. You know, after the earthquake, being under western dictate, the alliance of 6 opposition parties formed against Erdogans AKP is trying to discredit the current government by spreading a lot of misinformation about the government. However, over the last few days, such propaganda has been overcome, and the rapid start of restoration activities in Turkiye and the reconstruction of cities managed to expose the slanders of the opposition once again. We hope that in the next two months, things will speed up and people's well-being will be brought back to normal also thanks to the consistent aids to Turkiye. The political analyst, who prioritizes the interests of the West, noted that the elections in Turkiye are very important for the West. He noted that "certain forces, especially those waiting for Erdogan's defeat in the elections, are assuring the main opposition in Turkiye of all financial support". As regards the scheduled presidential elections, it is not an ordinary event. Here, especially, the West has great interests, and of course, these interests are the interests of those who want to get rid of Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and here the opposition alliance that serves the west cannot be overlooked. As for the final result, it is very difficult to predict how the current elections will end. In elections, every single day counts and can be crucial for changes in results. However, in my opinion, I can say that today the society in Turkiye trusts and sympathizes with Erdogan, who is currently in power. --- Elnur Enveroglu is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on @ElnurMammadli1 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 18 March 2023 17:25 (UTC+04:00) Today, Armenia, which used to say that Karabakh is Armenia, full stop and threatened us with a new war, is going out of its way to find itself a new patron. All this is to no avail, said President Ilham Aliyev as he addressed the people of Azerbaijan on the occasion of the Novruz holiday in the Talish village of the Tartar district. There is one condition for them to live comfortably on an area of 29,000 square kilometers Armenia must accept our conditions, officially recognize Karabakh as the territory of Azerbaijan, sign a peace treaty with us and carry out delimitation work according to our conditions. Only under these circumstances can they live comfortably on an area of 29,000 square kilometers, which is all they want now, said the head of state. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 18 March 2023 17:35 (UTC+04:00) If Armenia does not recognize our territorial integrity, we will not recognize their territorial integrity either. Armenia and the hypocritical countries behind it should know what the result will be. They should know that no dirty plan against us will work, said President Ilham Aliyev as he addressed the people of Azerbaijan on the occasion of the Novruz holiday in the Talish village of the Tartar district. We have power, we have friends, we have a strong position in the world and we have a strong determination. We demonstrated this during the war and in the post-war period, the head of state noted. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 18 March 2023 17:40 (UTC+04:00) A week after the start of the Second Karabakh War, we already liberated the village of Talish by shedding blood. At the same time, we liberated the settlement of Sugovushan. During the Second Karabakh War, that military operation was of great importance, said President Ilham Aliyev as he addressed the people of Azerbaijan on the occasion of the Novruz holiday in the Talish village of the Tartar district. Therefore, the successes achieved in this direction were of great importance for the future course of the war. At the same time, it also raised the morale of our Army and our people. Because the strategic importance of Talish village was obvious to everyone, the head of state emphasized. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 19 March 2023 11:52 (UTC+04:00) A memorial monument to Azerbaijani martyrs was erected in Canakkale, Azernews reports, citing a tweet by Azerbaijani Ambassador to Turkiye Rashad Mammadov. On the 108th anniversary of the Canakkale Victory, the monument built in memory of the Azerbaijani martyrs who sacrificed their lives in this holy land together with our Turkish brothers in Canakkale Martyrdom was opened to visitors, the Ambassador tweeted. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 18 March 2023 19:55 (UTC+04:00) On March 18, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva and their daughter Arzu Aliyeva got acquainted with the overhaul of the Sugovushan water reservoir and the main water canal coming out of it, as well as the construction of tourism infrastructure facilities created along the reservoir. Special Representative of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the liberated territories of the Karabakh Economic Region (except Shusha district) Emin Huseynov informed the head of state and the First Lady of the works done. Within the framework of the First State Program, major overhaul of the Sugovushan water reservoir and the main water canal coming out of it had been started as part of the projects on renovation and reconstruction of the main infrastructure facilities. At present, the walls of the reservoir are covered with concrete, major repairs of all equipment are being carried out, and necessary work is being done on the main canal. At the same time, the creation of primary tourism infrastructure facilities along the Sugovushan reservoir has been started. A Tourist Information Bureau is being built, a coastal park is under construction, along with a parking lot. The parallel restoration, major repairs and reconstruction work of "Khachinchay", "Kondalanchay-1", "Kondalanchay-2", and "Kondalanchay-3" water reservoirs was to be completed in the Karabakh economic region by the end of this year. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 19 March 2023 13:17 (UTC+04:00) The Azerbaijani ecologists and young volunteers' peaceful protest on the Lachin-Khankendi road over the illegal exploitation of mineral deposits, especially the Gizilbulag and Damirli ones located in the Azerbaijani territories, where the Russian peacekeeping contingent is temporarily deployed, is underway. On the 98th day back-to-back, the protesters performed the national anthem of Azerbaijan early in the morning. They continue to chant various slogans in English and Russian, calling for an end to ecocide against Azerbaijan, as well as demanding monitoring of Azerbaijans mineral deposits in the areas where the Russian peacekeeping contingent has been temporarily deployed. As regards the passage of vehicles for humanitarian purposes, the movement of various types of vehicles, including ambulances and humanitarian convoys are being ensured with no hindrance. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 19 March 2023 12:35 (UTC+04:00) Commemorate Event on the occasion of the 108th anniversary of Canakkale Victory was held in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic on March 18, Azernews reports. A number of Azerbaijani state officials, military personnel, as well as the Consul General of the Republic of Turkiye in Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, officers of the Turkish army, representatives of the public and media, and Turkish students took part at the commemoration ceremony held in the Alley of Martyrs in the Nakhchivan AR. At the ceremony, prayers were read for the souls of the martyrs, and their dear memory was commemorated with a minute of silence. Then the participants of the event laid wreaths and bunches of flowers in front of the monument erected in memory of Turkish martyrs and visited the Alley of Martyrs. In the end, the participants laid flowers on the graves of our heroic sons who sacrificed their lives for the freedom of our land, and in front of the "Mother" statue, which stands majestically in the center of the Alley of Martyrs. Then the event continued in the Turkish consulate. National anthems of both countries were performed at the event at the consulate. A video was shown about the victory of Canakkale and the relief actions of the Nakhchivan community after the earthquake in Turkiye. Speaking at the commemoration event, Consul General of Turkiye in Nakhchivan Asip Kaya said that the unwavering love of our martyrs, the unity and equality of our people, including the two brotherly countries, is our greatest pride, wealth and strength. Our nation, which is full of historical heroics, wrote a great history in Canakkale 108 years ago and demonstrated to the world that it will never agree to the occupation of our lands. Besides, the battle of Dardanelles (Gelibolu) was also the glorious beginning of the future liberation war, Asip Kaya said. The consulate noted that Canakkale battle, which involved naval and land forces and became one of the glorious pages of Turkish military history despite all the difficulties, raised a genius like Ataturk and laid the foundation for his leadership in the future liberation war. When we look at the number of people lost in the battles, each of which is considered an example of heroism, and the social origin, there is no doubt that the struggle was a national struggle. In his speech, the Consul General noted that Azerbaijan's rightful victory in the Patriotic War was greeted with great enthusiasm in the Republic of Turkiye. From the first day of the war, Turkiye showed its moral support to brother Azerbaijan with all its capabilities, and in the natural disaster that occurred in our homeland in early February, the people of Azerbaijan once again introduced the historical brotherhood, unity and solidarity to the world by providing all the help they could. Then poems dedicated to the great victory were recited by Turkish students studying at Nakhchivan State University. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 19 March 2023 13:59 (UTC+04:00) In accordance with the Joint Action Plan between the Ministry of Defense and the Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman) of the Republic of Azerbaijan, office representatives visited one of the military units, Azernews reports, citing Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry. The delegation got acquainted with the provision of military personnel and living conditions and talked with servicemen. In the meeting, an exchange of views on the protection of the rights of military personnel, the study of the state of human rights protection, and other issues were held. The office representatives positively evaluated the conditions created, the measures implemented in the field of patriotism, and the training of the servicemen. In the end, with the participation of the guests, various types of trees were planted in the territory of the military unit, and a photo was taken. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz China launches tourism promotion activities in Beijing Xinhua) 08:20, March 22, 2023 BEIJING, March 21 (Xinhua) -- China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism launched a program to promote tourism in the country in Beijing on Tuesday, with 10 themed travel routes announced. Minister of Culture and Tourism Hu Heping and 73 diplomats from 49 countries attended the launch of the activities, which are set to promote tours to China in innovative ways, and present China's lavish cultural and tourism resources to an international audience. When addressing the launch ceremony, Hu said the ministry hopes to deepen international cooperation in the culture and tourism fields to create more opportunities for opening-up, make common progress in the pursuit of mutual benefits, and promote mutual learning between civilizations. Since the first such series of promotional activities in 2021, more than 140 diplomats from 68 countries have attended related events. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) Vladimir Putin touts plans for new gas pipeline in Siberia Xi Jinping meets with Russian counterpart for peace discussions John Kirby urges China to pressure Russia to withdraw troops from Ukraine Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart, President Vladimir Putin, met in Moscow and signed an agreement to expand their countries' economic ties. The Asian nation's leader came to the Russian capital for a multiday series of meetings with Putin focusing on showcasing their countries' new "friendship without limits." The two world leaders also emphasized the importance of jointly safeguarding their regions' energy security. Xi Jinping Meets With Vladimir Putin The Russian president also touted plans for a gas pipeline from Siberia to China before the meeting, adding that it was all but finalized. In a statement, Putin told his Chinese counterpart that they were discussing a good project: the new Power of Siberia 2 pipeline via Mongolia. Putin noted that almost all of the parameters of that particular deal have already been finalized and are ready to begin. As per Fox News, China has steadily grown friendly with the Russian Federation in the last year since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, which has harbored international scrutiny. The Chinese leader's visit to Russia comes only days after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Putin over war crimes in Ukraine. Despite the decision, Moscow did not recognize the court's authority and said the warrant was null and void. On Monday, Putin alleged that the Western world was trying to conspire and stifle Beijing and Moscow by "persistently working on splitting the common Eurasian space into a network of 'exclusive clubs' and military blocs that would serve to contain our countries' development." The Russian president on Tuesday supported Xi's proposal for a "peace settlement" in Ukraine that shows the unity between the two countries. The situation raises the possibility of a more powerful anti-Western bulwark internationally. Read Also: Emmanuel Macron Survives No-Confidence Votes Amid Pension Reform Opposition Peace Proposal for Russia-Ukraine War However, their plans were roundly ignored as a severe framework for peace because while China called for ceasefire and peace talks, it had no provisions that Moscow would withdraw its military troops from Ukrainian territory. Furthermore, the plans for peace efforts were made without any involvement of Kyiv, according to CNN. Furthermore, on Monday, the United States government warned that Xi's visit to Moscow provided "diplomatic cover" for Russia's war. There was also little indication that the two leaders' closeness at the Kremlin had affected the state of the Russia-Ukraine war. Putin also claimed that China's proposal could be considered the basis for a peaceful settlement in Ukraine whenever the West and Ukraine are ready for it. He said all of his discussions with Xi were successful and had a friendly atmosphere. On the other hand, US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that if China wanted peace between Russia and Ukraine, it would urge Moscow to withdraw its troops from Kyiv's territories. The remarks came after Xi's proposal to end the war and Putin's reply to the particular plans said the Washington Post. Related Article: Russia-Ukraine War Update @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. 19 March 2023 17:44 (UTC+04:00) Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesperson Aykhan Hajizade has made a commentary on the anti-Azerbaijani statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia dated March 18. The document reads: We strongly condemn and reject the statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia dated March 18, which demonstrates the continuation of groundless territorial claims against the Republic of Azerbaijan, aims at undermining the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan, and grossly interferes in its internal affairs. We once again urge Armenia, which is unable to digest the start of returning of former IDPs, victims of Armenia's ethnic cleansing policy, to their homelands, to accept the reality that came to be as a result of the 44-Day Patriotic War in the region, and to refrain from aggressive steps and revanchist policies. To label the return of Azerbaijani IDPs to their homes as a violation of the Trilateral Statement and illegal settlement is yet another clear manifestation of hypocrisy by Armenia, which, in violation of international law and four UN Security Council resolutions, kept the territories of Azerbaijan under occupation for 30 years, forcibly expelled about 1 million Azerbaijanis from their homelands, and brutally destroyed all Azerbaijani historical and religious monuments in the region. This statement demonstrates Armenia's features of racial discrimination and hatred. At the same time, this statement demonstrates that Armenia, a monoethnic state that has pursued a large-scale policy of ethnic cleansing against Azerbaijanis for decades, has not refrained from the abhorrent goal pursued by ilthe legal settlement of Armenians not only from its own territory, but also from the countries of the Middle East in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, as well as Armeniazation of Azerbaijani territories, and the goal of hindering the return of Azerbaijanis in every possible way. It should be noted that the reference to the settlements of the Republic of Azerbaijan by fictitious names is another manifestation of Armenia's territorial claims against Azerbaijan. It seems that Armenia, which has just become familiar with international law and the principle of respect for territorial integrity, should continue its enlightenment in this area. The Prague and Sochi Statements demand Armenia to end its territorial claims against Azerbaijan, and to recognize and respect the latters sovereignty and territorial integrity. Nevertheless, the recently escalating rhetoric of the political leadership of Armenia, including the aforementioned statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, aggressive statements, especially the actions aimed directly at the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan, demonstrate that Armenia yet another time does not intend to utilize the historical opportunity for peace. The claim by Armenia that Azerbaijan, who initiated the signing of a peace treaty after the war of 2020, presented the 5 basic principles for building relations and the text of the peace agreement, is not interested in the peace agreement, is another obvious example of deception. It is well known that Armenia, which did not respond to Azerbaijan's proposal to sign a peace agreement for more than a year, and then conditioned the signing of a peace agreement to the delimitation process that usually takes a long time, and to other destructive proposals, obstructs the peace treaty under various pretexts, exaggerating certain elements and creating confusion about its essence. With such statements, Armenia is trying to cover up its artificial delaying of the peace treaty negotiation process, as well as its recent blow to the process by refusing to attend the next round of negotiations in December 2022. As it is known, even before the 2020 war, from the first day Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan came to power, the chain of provocations committed by Armenia, both verbally and in action, undermined the negotiation process on the settlement of the former Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict and led to a serious increase in tension in the region. It is also well known that under the leadership of N.Pashinyan, Armenia adopted a military doctrine and a national security strategy that envisages the concept of a new war for new territories and defines the countrys strategic goal in the negotiation process as preserving the results of the war and that after the July 2020 clashes, following the impunity syndrome, Armenia put forward 7 unjustified conditions against Azerbaijan. Armenia, not forgetting its pattern of putting forward conditions, now interferes with the process of reintegration of the Armenian residents of Azerbaijan. In order to prevent Azerbaijan's determined activity in the direction of conducting a dialogue with the Armenian residents, the Armenian side does provocations that induce the representatives of the Armenian residents to oppose the proposal of holding the next dialogue in Baku, while putting forward 3 conditions for the process. It seems that the Armenian side has not adapted to Azerbaijan's successful dialogue with the Armenian residents in the last two years on the construction of the new Lachin road, the Sarsang reservoir, and in a number of other directions. The fact that the Armenian side does not hide its hostile attitude towards the term reintegration and describes this concept as a challenge to dialogue and peace, indicates its intention to continue its groundless territorial claims under new forms and new names. If the Armenian side is interested in peace in the region, it should stop the attempts to interfere with and hinder resolute reintegration contacts of the central authorities of Azerbaijan with the Armenian residents. The attempts of the Armenian Foreign Ministry to convince the international community that this country is not a monoethnic state can be considered Armenias first steps towards understanding that mono-ethnicity is actually an anomaly in the multi-ethnic Caucasus region. Regarding the claims of Armenia against the success of Azerbaijan as a multinational state, let us note that it is well known that many ethnic peoples live in conditions of unity and stability in the territory of Azerbaijan, and contribute to the success of the state, and hold a number of high positions, including the membership at the Milli Majlis (Parliament). The Armenian side should understand that the citizenship of the Republic of Azerbaijan is a commitment along with the right. Necessary conditions to live in Azerbaijan will be created for Armenian residents, who accept this. Armenia should give up its intention to use the ethnic minorities in the territory of Azerbaijan in its unsuccessful and insidious policy, and instead of trampling on the rights of hundreds of thousands of Western Azerbaijan Community forcibly evicted from their native lands in the current territory of Armenia, and preventing dialogue with them at all costs, should respond to calls of this community for dialogue with Armenia for the purpose of peaceful, dignified and safe return. Thus, the practical indicator that Armenia has given up the concept of ethnic incompatibility and the title of a mono-ethnic state based on ethnic cleansing, and has chosen peaceful coexistence and multiculturalism can only be by creating conditions for the members of the Western Azerbaijan Community to return to their historical lands. Armenia, which ignored the calls and decisions of international organizations to end the occupation during the 30-year-long occupation period, should also stop its efforts to use the international organizations in its revanchist policy in violation of territorial integrity, and immediately stop attempts to interfere in the cooperation and relations of the Republic of Azerbaijan with international organizations. Despite all illegal intervention attempts, blackmail and threats by Armenia, Azerbaijan continues its cooperation with the international community, including UN specialized organizations, in direction of carrying out large-scale restoration and reconstruction work after ending the occupation of its territories, and in order to ensure the safe and dignified return of internally displaced persons. We remind Armenia that the delegation of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees witnessed the large-scale destruction caused by Armenia in the territories of Azerbaijan liberated from occupation in October 2021, including in the settlement of Sugovushan. Unlike Armenia's vandalism, Azerbaijan, with its restoration and reconstruction work, proves that the true owners of the region have returned, and further aggression attempts in these areas will be prevented. The activity of international organizations in the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan will continue within the framework of the national legislation of Azerbaijan, and interference in the internal affairs of Azerbaijan will never be allowed. Regarding the false and misleading claims of the Armenian MFA regarding the implementation of the Trilateral Statement, we would like to remind that Armenia, which refuses to fulfill the 4th, 6th and 9th paragraphs of the statement in particular and in general never complies with international agreements, has illegally intruded its military servicemen into the territory of Azerbaijan and committed military provocation against Azerbaijan only two weeks after the signing of the Trilateral Statement. Despite the attempts by Armenia to present these detainees as prisoners of war, these people were not recognized as prisoners of war, and the International Court of Justice as well as the European Court of Human Rights rejected this claim and the demand for their release. Furthermore, Armenian side, contrary to the Trilateral Statement, has set to fire a number of houses, destroyed forests, planted landmines and booby traps in the areas it was withdrawing from, despite having been given an additional timeline by Azerbaijan for the withdrawal of the armed forces of Armenia from Aghdam, Kalbajar and Lachin. Contrary to the Trilateral Statement, Armenia has not yet fully withdrawn its armed forces from the sovereign territories of Azerbaijan, and despite its assurances while signing the Trilateral Statement, it continues to occupy a number of settlements and territories, including 7 villages of Gazakh district and 1 village of Sadarak district. The fact that Armenia proposes to organize the delimitation process on the basis of Soviet maps and does not accept these villages as settlements of Azerbaijan is a violation and an indication of Armenias false intentions. Besides, Armenia carries out the deployment of landmines and other terror activities in the territories of Azerbaijan by transferring newly produced landmines to the territories of Azerbaijan. The initial denial by Armenia of the existence of landmine maps for 8 months, and it presenting unreliable landmine maps later as a result of international pressure are well known. It is also known that more than 55% of the mine explosions in the territory of Azerbaijan happened in areas outside the maps handed over by Armenia. As a result of these provocations of Armenia, after the 2020 Patriotic War, 286 people became victims of landmines, of which 49 people, including 3 journalists, were killed. At the same time, it is clear that Armenia, with all its efforts, has grossly violated the Trilateral Statement and prevented the opening of a communication line that would ensure unhindered movement from the western regions of Azerbaijan to Nakhchivan. It is crystal clear that Armenia, which has resorted to so-called "ethnic cleansing" and "genocide" tales to divert attention from these peace-threatening steps, is looking for further provocations to convince the international community of its false claims. The cruelty with which Armenia committed mass killings against Azerbaijanis, killed 613 civilians in one night in Khojaly and committed acts of genocide are also well known. The facts that about 4,000 Azerbaijanis have gone missing as a result of the policy of aggression against Azerbaijan, that Armenia has refused to provide information on the missing persons, and that a number of mass graves have been discovered in the territories of Azerbaijan liberated from the occupation are impossible to deny. Despite such an aggressive policy of Armenia, Azerbaijan released many detainees, conducted searches after the 2020 war, and handed over more than 1,700 Armenian bodies to Armenia, as well as nearly 200 bodies as a result of Armenian provocation in September 2022. It seems that Armenia has forgotten these measures taken by Azerbaijan for humanitarian purposes in goodwill and on a unilateral basis. Once again, we call on the political leadership of Armenia to act responsibly, to refrain from provocations, statements, and false rhetoric that undermine the opportunities for peace created in the region after the 44-day war. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 19 March 2023 17:59 (UTC+04:00) Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesperson Aykhan Hajizade has made a commentary on the anti-Azerbaijani statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia dated March 18. Having strognly condemned and rejected the baseless Armenian claims of Azerbaijan's territorial integrity, Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry said in the document that Armenia interferes with the process of Azerbaijan's efforts to have a dialogue with the Armenian nationals in Karabakh. "Armenia, not forgetting its pattern of putting forward conditions, now interferes with the process of reintegration of the Armenian residents of Azerbaijan. In order to prevent Azerbaijan's determined activity in the direction of conducting a dialogue with the Armenian residents, the Armenian side does provocations that induce the representatives of the Armenian residents to oppose the proposal on holding the next dialogue in Baku, while putting forward 3 conditions for the process. It seems that the Armenian side has not adapted to Azerbaijan's successful dialogue with the Armenian residents in the last two years on the construction of the new Lachin road, the Sarsang reservoir and a in number of other directions. The fact that the Armenian side does not hide its hostile attitude towards the term reintegration and describes this concept as a challenge to dialogue and peace, indicates its intention to continue its groundless territorial claims under new forms and new names. If the Armenian side is interested in peace in the region, it should stop the attempts to interfere with and hinder resolute reintegration contacts of the central authorities of Azerbaijan with the Armenian residents. The attempts of the Armenian Foreign Ministry to convince the international community that this country is not a monoethnic state can be considered as Armenias first steps towards understanding that monoethnicity is actually an anomaly in the multi-ethnic Caucasus region. Regarding the claims of Armenia against the success of Azerbaijan as a multinational state, let us note that it is well known that many ethnic peoples live in conditions of unity and stability in the territory of Azerbaijan, and contribute to the success of the state, and hold a number of high positions, including the membership at the Milli Majlis (Parliament). The Armenian side should understand that the citizenship of the Republic of Azerbaijan is a commitment along with the right. Necessary conditions to live in Azerbaijan will be created for Armenian residents, who accept this. Armenia should give up its intention to use the ethnic minorities in the territory of Azerbaijan in its unsuccessful and insidious policy, and instead of trampling on the rights of hundreds of thousands of Western Azerbaijan Community forcibly evicted from their native lands in the current territory of Armenia, and preventing dialogue with them at all costs, should respond to calls of this community for dialogue with Armenia for the purpose of peaceful, dignified and safe return. Thus, the practical indicator that Armenia has given up the concept of ethnic incompatibility and the title of a mono-ethnic state based on ethnic cleansing, and has chosen peaceful coexistence and multiculturalism can only be by creating conditions for the members of the Western Azerbaijan Community to return to their historical lands. Armenia, which ignored the calls and decisions of international organizations to end the occupation during the 30-year-long occupation period, should also stop its efforts to use the international organizations in its revanchist policy in violation of territorial integrity, and immediately stop attempts to interfere in the cooperation and relations of the Republic of Azerbaijan with international organizations. Despite all illegal intervention attempts, blackmail and threats by Armenia, Azerbaijan continues its cooperation with the international community, including UN specialized organizations, in direction of carrying out large-scale restoration and reconstruction work after ending the occupation of its territories, and in order to ensure the safe and dignified return of internally displaced persons. We remind Armenia that the delegation of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees witnessed the large-scale destruction caused by Armenia in the territories of Azerbaijan liberated from occupation in October 2021, including in the settlement of Sugovushan. Unlike Armenia's vandalism, Azerbaijan, with its restoration and reconstruction work, proves that the true owners of the region have returned, and further aggression attempts in these areas will be prevented. The activity of international organizations in the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan will continue within the framework of the national legislation of Azerbaijan, and interference in the internal affairs of Azerbaijan will never be allowed. Regarding the false and misleading claims of the Armenian MFA regarding the implementation of the Trilateral Statement, we would like to remind that Armenia, which refuses to fulfill the 4th, 6th and 9th paragraphs of the statement in particular and in general never complies with international agreements, has illegally intruded its military servicemen into the territory of Azerbaijan and committed military provocation against Azerbaijan only two weeks after the signing of the Trilateral Statement. Despite the attempts by Armenia to present these detainees as prisoners of war, these people were not recognized as prisoners of war, and the International Court of Justice as well as the European Court of Human Rights rejected this claim and the demand for their release. Furthermore, Armenian side, contrary to the Trilateral Statement, has set to fire a number of houses, destroyed forests, planted landmines and booby traps in the areas it was withdrawing from, despite having been given an additional timeline by Azerbaijan for the withdrawal of the armed forces of Armenia from Aghdam, Kalbajar and Lachin. Contrary to the Trilateral Statement, Armenia has not yet fully withdrawn its armed forces from the sovereign territories of Azerbaijan, and despite its assurances while signing the Trilateral Statement, it continues to occupy a number of settlements and territories, including 7 villages of Gazakh district and 1 village of Sadarak district. The fact that Armenia proposes to organize the delimitation process on the basis of Soviet maps and does not accept these villages as settlements of Azerbaijan is a violation and an indication of Armenias false intentions. Besides, Armenia carries out deployment of landmines and other terror activities in the territories of Azerbaijan by transferring newly produced landmines to the territories of Azerbaijan. The initial denial by Armenia of the existence of landmine maps for 8 months, and it presenting unreliable landmine maps later as a result of international pressure are well known. It is also known that more than 55% of the mine explosions in the territory of Azerbaijan happened in areas outside the maps handed over by Armenia. As a result of these provocations of Armenia, after the 2020 Patriotic War 286 people became victims of landmines, of which 49 people, including 3 journalists, were killed. At the same time, it is clear that Armenia, with all its efforts, has grossly violated the Trilateral Statement and prevented the opening of a communication line that would ensure unhindered movement from the western regions of Azerbaijan to Nakhchivan. It is crystal clear that Armenia, which has resorted to so-called "ethnic cleansing" and "genocide" tales to divert attention from these peace threatening steps, is looking for further provocations to convince the international community of its false claims. The cruelty with which Armenia committed mass killings against Azerbaijanis, killed 613 civilians in one night in Khojaly and committed acts of genocide are also well known. The facts that about 4,000 Azerbaijanis have gone missing as a result of the policy of aggression against Azerbaijan, that Armenia has refused to provide information on the missing persons, and that a number of mass graves have been discovered in the territories of Azerbaijan liberated from occupation are impossible to deny. Despite such an aggressive policy of Armenia, Azerbaijan released many detainees, conducted searches after the 2020 war, and handed over more than 1,700 Armenian bodies to Armenia, as well as nearly 200 bodies as a result of Armenian provocation in September 2022. It seems that Armenia has forgotten these measures taken by Azerbaijan for humanitarian purposes in good will and on a unilateral basis. Once again, we call on the political leadership of Armenia to act responsibly, to refrain from provocations, statements, and false rhetoric that undermine the opportunities for peace created in the region after the 44-day war." --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 20 March 2023 10:47 (UTC+04:00) The peaceful protests of Azerbaijani eco-activists and volunteers on the Lachin-Khankandi road under Shusha over the illegal exploitation of mineral deposits, especially Gizilbulag gold and Damirli copper-molybdenum deposits in Karabakh under the temporary control of the Russian peacekeepers mark the 99th straight day on March 20. At dawn, the eco-activists and young people on the scene performed Azerbaijan's national anthem and chanted various slogans in English and Russian calling for an end to ecocide against Azerbaijan, as well as demanding monitoring of Azerbaijans mineral deposits in the areas where the Russian peacekeeping contingent has been temporarily deployed. As for the previous 98 days, the unimpeded passage of various types of vehicles, including ambulances and humanitarian convoys are ensured, and the road is open for humanitarian purposes. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 20 March 2023 16:12 (UTC+04:00) We strongly condemn this military provocation of Armenia and demand that it abandons its increasingly aggressive rhetoric and stops taking steps that increase tension in the region, the press service of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said in response to Armenias military provocation on the Azerbaijani district bordering this country. Armenia should stop abusing the presence of the European Union civilian monitoring mission in its territories to increase tensions in the region and cover up its military provocations, the ministry reported. According to the information of the State Border Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan, on March 20, one of the servicemen was injured from the fire of units of the armed forces of Armenia located near the Nerkin-And settlement of Gafan region toward the positions of Border Troops of the State Border Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan located on the Aghbashyurd heights of Zangilan region. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 20 March 2023 19:46 (UTC+04:00) We strongly condemn and reject false and slanderous opinions expressed against Azerbaijan by Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan at his meeting and press briefing with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Azernews reports per Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Ayxan Hajizada. Hajizada said that, contrary to the provisions of the November 10, 2020, trilateral statement, those who did not completely withdraw their armed forces from the sovereign territories of Azerbaijan, were not satisfied with this and illegally transferred their military personnel to the Azerbaijani territory, committed continuous military provocations against the country. It is the ultimate level of hypocrisy that Armenia, which uses the Lachin road, intended only for humanitarian purposes, to transport Azerbaijans natural resources and mine Azerbaijans territories, often refers to the document in question and unjustifiably accuses Azerbaijan of violating the trilateral statement, including the peace process, he added. Hajizada noted that Armenias accusation, which has carried out a policy of mass ethnic cleansing against Azerbaijanis and committed acts of genocide, for allegedly blocking the road to Lachin, and allegedly committing ethnic cleansing and genocide against citizens of Armenian origin living in the Karabakh region, is nothing but another lie calculated to mislead the international community. Despite that Azerbaijan is committed to the efforts to advance the peace agenda in the region, Armenia is deceiving the international community by trying to overshadow the legitimate protest rally of representatives of Azerbaijani civil society on the Lachin road, in order to undermine this process and evade its commitments. As we witnessed on March 20, it is unacceptable for Armenia to engage in further provocations during the presence of the EU mission in the country, he added. In general, during the press briefing, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyans repetition of the baseless statement of the Armenian Foreign Ministry dated March 18, which shows baseless territorial claims against Azerbaijan, targets the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan, and rudely interferes in its internal affairs, shows that Armenia has not learned from history and the statement issued by the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry against these allegations on March 19." We call on Armenia to refrain from provocative actions and statements, dangerous rhetoric that undermines the provision of peace and security in the region, to fulfill its commitments instead of unjustly accusing Azerbaijan and misleading the international community, Hajizada stressed. 21 March 2023 09:59 (UTC+04:00) Sabina Mammadli Read more Azerbaijan will carry out the construction of residential buildings, social facilities and an educational institution in the amount of $100 million as part of its contribution to reconstruction work in quake-hit areas of Turkiye, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov said. The minister made the remarks at the International Donor Conference "Together for the peoples of Turkiye and Syria" held in Brussels. Speaking at the conference, Bayramov hailed the organization of the conference, which aimed at mobilizing the efforts of the international community to eliminate the consequences of a terrible catastrophe. He also expressed Azerbaijan's solidarity with Turkiye, as well as with Syria, which suffered great loss of life and destruction as a result of devastating earthquakes. Further, the official stressed that in a demonstration of its support, Azerbaijan immediately sent search and rescue teams, medical personnel, volunteers, as well as humanitarian aid to quake-hit Turkiye. Notably, he emphasized that Azerbaijan sent 940 rescuers, medical workers and volunteer teams to the region, more than 5,300 tons of humanitarian supplies, as well as more than $45 million were provided through the relevant organizations working in the earthquake. Besides, Bayramov added that Azerbaijan will continue to provide result-oriented logistical support in the reconstruction and construction work after the quake. The conference was held with the participation of members of the EU, neighboring countries and partner countries, the G20, countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council, the UN, and other international organizations, including international and European financial institutions. The conference was aimed to support the elimination of the consequences of the earthquakes that occurred in Turkiye and Syria. At the end of the conference, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, whose country holds the EU Council Presidency, made closing statements. On Feb. 6, magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 quakes struck 11 provinces Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Elazig, Hatay, Gaziantep, Kahramanmaras, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye, and Sanliurfa in southern Turkiye, claiming the lives of over 49,500 people. More than 13.5 million people in Turkiye have been affected by the quakes, as well as many others in northern Syria. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 21 March 2023 10:32 (UTC+04:00) U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken made a congratulatory post on the occasion of Novruz, Azernews reports. "Happy Nowruz to everyone celebrating around the world. I send my best wishes on this holiday that celebrates a new year and a time of renewal," the official tweeted. Similarly, US President also congratulated the people celebrating the holiday. "Nowruz is a celebration thats been a millennium in the making, observed by millions of people around the world today. Its a start of a new year that reminds us of the hope that lies ahead even in the darkest of times. Happy Nowruz to all who celebrate," Biden tweeted. The US President also shared that the first Novruz reception of this scale was held at the White House. Furthermore, EU Council President Charles Michel also sent his warmest congratulations to everyone celebrating the Novruz holiday on his Twitter page. "Warmest congratulations to all who celebrate Nowruz including in Central Asia, the Caucasus and the Middle East. The beginning of spring brings renewed hope - all the more needed at these challenging times. Best wishes for happiness, prosperity and above all - peace," Michel tweeted. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 21 March 2023 12:38 (UTC+04:00) Turkish Ambassador to Azerbaijan Cahit Bagci expressed his gratitude to the country, Azernews reports. "We thank Azerbaijan, which, as part of the International Donors' Conference organized by the EU Commission after the strong earthquakes in our country and Syria, donated $100 million for the construction of residential buildings, social facilities, and an educational institution, as well as we thank all other countries," the tweet said. The participants of the International Donors' Conference in Brussels collected 7 billion euros for the victims of the earthquake that hit Turkiye and Syria on February 6. At the conference, it was announced that Azerbaijan, as part of its contribution to restoration and construction work in the region, will build residential buildings, social facilities and an educational institution worth $100 million. The powerful earthquake hit southeastern Turkiye on Feb. 6, 2023. The quake occurred at a depth of seven kilometers in the Pazarcik region of Kahramanmaras Province. The provinces of Hatay, Gaziantep, Kilis, Osmaniye, Malatya, Adiyaman, Sanliurfa, Diyarbakir, Adana and Kahramanmaras were subjected to severe destruction. The quakes epicenter was located 26 km away from the city of Gaziantep with a population of about 1.06 million. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 21 March 2023 13:40 (UTC+04:00) Azerbaijan urges Armenia to get back to the negotiation table, not to engage in manipulation of international public opinion, Assistant to the First Vice-President of Azerbaijan Elchin Amirbayov said in an interview with France 24. He pointed out that Azerbaijan has proposed a peace agreement to be signed with Armenia on the basis of the fundamental norms and principles of international law. Of course, respect for each others territorial integrity, sovereignty, and inviolability of internationally recognized borders is one of these principles. We appreciate any assistance we can get or facilitation to overcome the existing remaining difficulties between us and Armenia in order to be able to sign the peace treaty, the draft of which has been submitted to Armenia almost a year ago. US efforts are very much welcome, because thanks to these efforts, Secretary Blinken invited and gathered President Ilham Aliyev and Prime Minister Pashinyan in Munich in February in order to reiterate US commitment to help the two countries to find peace finally. There is also another player, which is the EU led by President of the European Council Charles Michel who had initiated the trilateral Brussels platform of peace. During a short period of time four times President Ilham Aliyev and Prime Minister Pashinyan met in Brussels and produced certain positive results, said Elchin Amirbayov. He pointed out that unfortunately, since last November, Armenia has been blocking all attempts to gather again to discuss. Instead of getting together with the Azerbaijani negotiators to talk about the details of the peace agreement, they have been engaging in this diplomacy by correspondence when they send their comments on our draft by post. I think that all diplomats would agree that the best way to sort out differences is around the table in a physical presence. So, we do hope and we urge Armenia to get back to the negotiation table, and not to engage in the manipulation of international public opinion. What is happening on the Lachin road is the result of the violation by Armenia of the provisions of the Trilateral statement on ceasefire signed by President Ilham Aliyev, President Vladimir Putin, and Prime Minister Pashinyan in November 2020, he said. Below is the full interview with the Assistant to the First Vice-President of Azerbaijan: --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 21 March 2023 15:02 (UTC+04:00) For 100 consecutive days Azerbaijani eco-activists and volunteers on the Lachin-Khankandi road under Shusha have been protesting over the illegal exploitation of mineral deposits, especially Gizilbulag gold and Damirli copper-molybdenum deposits in Karabakh under the temporary control of the Russian peacekeepers. The vigorous vigil dates back to December 12, 2022, and to this day, the picketers have not altered their motive in compelling the Russian peacekeepers to provide access to the Qizilbulag and Damirli deposits in Karabakh for Azerbaijani experts to assess their current state and possible impact on the region's environment. After the Russian peacekeepers' failure to provide the necessary conditions for the Azerbaijani agency representatives to carry out their duties in the area, a group of eco-activists, NGOs, and public representatives have taken to the street in protest at the peacekeepers' repugnance to live up to their obligations in line with the November 10, 2020, peace deal to maintain peace and order in the region, and oust the Armenian troops from the region and prevent illegalities. However, time proved that the Russian peacekeepers are driven by the interests of Russia rather than the idea coming from the essence of the notion of peacekeeping as universally understood. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 21 March 2023 17:02 (UTC+04:00) The next graduation ceremony of the Commando Initial Course was held in order to further increase the level of training of servicemen serving in the Azerbaijan Army, Azernews reports. First, the memory of the National Leader of the Azerbaijani people Heydar Aliyev, and martyrs, who sacrificed their lives for the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, was honored with observing a minute of silence. The National Anthem of the Republic of Azerbaijan was performed. Speakers at the event conveyed congratulations on the Defense Ministrys leadership to the graduates and emphasized the importance of such courses in increasing the level of professionalism and combat capability of servicemen, as well ad wished commandos success in their future military service. Then the graduates were presented certificates and the course leader attached an emblem to the symbolic stump. In the end, the military personnel solemnly marched in front of the podium, and a photo was taken. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 18 March 2023 19:50 (UTC+04:00) US President Joe Biden expressed confidence that the US banking crisis has subsided. He was talking to reporters on the South Lawn of the White House before flying to Delaware, Azernews reports citing TASS. "Yes" he said responding to a question if he thinks that the banking crisis has calmed down. The President's words are quoted by the White House press corps. Earlier on Friday, Biden asked the US Congress to give regulators more authority to claw back pay and penalize executives at distressed banks "whose mismanagement contributed to their institutions failing." In particular, he asked Congress to authorize the US Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation to claw back compensation, including from the sale of stocks, from executives at failed banks such as Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and Signature Bank. Biden also called on Congress to expand the FDICs authority to bar executives of failed banks from working in the banking sector. On March 10, the California Department of Financial Protection announced the bankruptcy of SVB, one of the largest banks in the United States. This became the largest bankruptcy of a US bank since times of the 2008 financial crisis. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation was appointed as the receiver for Silicon Valley Bank. On March 12, the New York state regulator decided to close Signature Bank in order to eliminate systemic risks. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 18 March 2023 21:55 (UTC+04:00) Four Islamic State (IS) militants were killed on Friday in an operation in Iraq's western province of Anbar, the Iraqi military said in a statement, Azernews reports citing Al Arabiya. Acted on intelligence reports, a paramilitary force from the Sunni Arab tribes, affiliated with the government-backed Hashid Shaabi forces, carried out an operation in the desert area and clashed with the extremist militants, leaving four IS militants killed, according to the statement issued by the Security Media Cell, a media outlet affiliated with the Iraqi Joint Operations Command. The force destroyed a vehicle used by IS militants and seized another, the statement said. IS militants are still active in the vast Anbar desert that stretches to the Iraqi borders with neighboring countries of Syria, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia. They are infiltrating Iraq from Syria across the nearly 600 km border in an attempt to regroup again. Over the past months, Iraqi security forces have carried out operations to crack down on extremist militants' intensified activities. The security situation in Iraq has improved since the defeat of the IS in 2017. However, IS remnants have since sneaked into urban centers, deserts, and rugged areas, carrying out frequent guerilla attacks against security forces and civilians. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 18 March 2023 22:50 (UTC+04:00) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkiye responded to the statement of the European Parliament on the so-called "Armenian genocide", Azernews reports citing Turkish MFA. "It seems that the European Parliament insists on including baseless allegations about our country and the 1915 events in its ordinary report titled EU-Armenia relations dated March 15, 2023. These views, which are incompatible with historical facts and international legal norms, have no validity for us. Turkiye invites the European Parliament to act in accordance with political morality and international law, rather than repeating such unilateral and baseless claims," the Ministry emphasized. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 19 March 2023 08:12 (UTC+04:00) Tunisian President Kais Saied appointed the governor of Tunis, Kamal Feki, as the new interior minister, hours after Taoufik Charafeddine announced his resignation from the post, Azernews reports citing Reuters. This month, Feki refused to grant a protest permit to the opposition Salvation Front coalition, saying that its leaders were involved in plotting against state security, but the Interior Ministry allowed them to protest. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 19 March 2023 18:50 (UTC+04:00) Mehmet Yldrm, a senior figure of the PKK terrorist group's Syrian wing YPG, was killed in Syria in an operation run by the National Intelligence Organization (MIT). Yldrm, known by his code name Hamza Kobani, was serving as the finance official of the terrorist group in Aleppo and Tal Rifaat, security sources said Sunday, Azernews reports citing Daily Sabah. The sources told Turkish media outlets that Yldrm was eliminated in the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood of Aleppo on Feb. 24. Yldrm joined the terrorist group in 1986 and was engaged in its activities in Turkiye and Iraq before relocating to Syria in 2015. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 19 March 2023 19:15 (UTC+04:00) North Korea launched what is presumed to be a ballistic missile on Sunday, Japanese coast guards said, Azernews reports citing TASS. Vessels in the region were advised to stay away from potential debris and immediately contact the authorities if they come across any of them. Later in the day, the government of Japan expressed its protest in connection with the launch. "Such actions by North Korea threaten the peace and security of Japan and the entire international community. They are absolutely unacceptable," Japans Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Defense Toshiro Ino said. "In this regard, we expressed protest via the embassy in Beijing." The official said the missile covered a distance of around 800 kilometers, reaching a maximum altitude of 50 kilometers, and fell outside Japans exclusive economic zone. "There is a possibility that the missile changed the flight trajectory as it flew," he added. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 20 March 2023 09:20 (UTC+04:00) At least two people have been killed after torrential rains triggered flash floods in Buea, the chief town of Cameroon's Southwest region, local authorities said Sunday, Azernews reports citing Xinhua. According to David Mafani Namange, mayor of Buea council, the flood was triggered by several hours of heavy rain Saturday which carried away cars and debris and inundated the basement and ground floors of some buildings, turning roads into rivers. "Two corpses were recovered on Saturday. The material damage is quite huge. The women in the market have lost all their goods," Namange told Xinhua over the phone early Sunday while evaluating the damage caused by "the unprecedented" flood. At least 10 people were receiving treatment in hospitals in the town after sustaining injuries from the disaster. "The flood caused my store to collapse on me. I was covered in the mud and water and it's only through a miracle that I struggled to come out of there alive," Esther Doru who was receiving treatment in hospital told Xinhua. Namange said the council will take appropriate measures to avoid future flood which is mostly caused by poor construction of houses. "The natural waterway is too small because of haphazard construction. People just build houses on the waterway and this is one of the major causes of the tragedy," Namange said. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 20 March 2023 11:15 (UTC+04:00) Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov is paying a working visit to Brussels to partake in the International Donors' Conference, entitled Together for the people in Turkiye and Syria, the ministry said in a press release. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 20 March 2023 21:33 (UTC+04:00) Chinas President Xi Jinping on Monday said that Beijing will work with Russia to promote a multi-polar world. On his ninth trip to Russia since being first elected as president in 2013, Xi said: China will work with Russia to uphold true multilateralism, promote a multi-polar world and greater democracy in international relations, and help make global governance more just and equitable. Xi, 69, landed at Moscows Vnukovo Airport for a three-day official trip to Russia, his first since Russia launched a war on Ukraine last year. He has, however, spoken to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin several times last year. The growth of China-Russia relations has not only brought tangible benefits to the two peoples, but also made important contributions to the development and progress of the world, the Chinese president said, according to Chinese daily Global Times, just as the bilateral trade between China and Russia rose to around $190 billion last year. I am confident that the visit will produce fruitful results, and inject fresh impetus into the sound and steady growth of China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for the new era, said Xi. Calling Russia, a friendly neighbor, Xi said: It gives me great pleasure to once again set foot on the soil of Russia (to) pay a state visit to the Russian Federation at the invitation of President Vladimir Putin. All eyes are on Xis meetings with Putin as Moscows war on Kyiv has stretched beyond a year. Last month, the Chinese Foreign Ministry released a statement listing Beijings position on a political settlement to the war in Ukraine, where 12 points were listed, including respecting the sovereignty of all countries, ceasing hostilities, resuming peace talks, and resolving the humanitarian crisis in the region. The plan also calls for keeping nuclear power plants safe, facilitating grain exports, and stopping unilateral sanctions, noting that dialogue and negotiation are the only viable solution to the Ukraine crisis. Ahead of his trip, Xi described his Moscow visit "a journey of friendship, cooperation and peace." "I look forward to working with President Putin to jointly adopt a new vision, a new blueprint and new measures for the growth of China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination," he said in an article published in Russian media. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 21 March 2023 18:11 (UTC+04:00) European ministers agreed on Monday to add eight Iranians and one of the Tehran government's most powerful bodies to EU sanctions lists. The individuals - including clerics, judges and a broadcaster - are accused of playing leading roles in Iran's brutal crackdown on anti-government protests. The EU said it was in particular sanctioning members of the judiciary responsible for handing down death sentences in unfair trials and for the torturing of convicts. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 21 March 2023 20:31 (UTC+04:00) Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's candidacy has been re-nominated for the presidency of Turkiye toda. The Justice and Development Party and the Nationalist Movement Party of Turkiye have appealed to the Supreme Election Council regarding the nomination of Recep Tayyip Erdogan for the presidency. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 21 March 2023 22:45 (UTC+04:00) Hungarys top diplomat Peter Szijjarto has assured his Finnish counterpart Pekka Haavisto that his countrys parliament will approve the Nordic countrys accession to NATO in a vote on March 27. "Today, I assured Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto that the National Assembly will vote next Monday to ratify Finlands accession to NATO," Szijjarto wrote on his Facebook page (owned by the US-based corporation Meta, outlawed as an extremist organization in Russia) following a meeting of the EU foreign ministers in Brussels on Monday. The Hungarian foreign minister did not mention Sweden which applied to join the North Atlantic Alliance at the same time with Finland. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The United States' largest refinery expansion in a decade has officially opened. ExxonMobil's Beaumont Light Atmospheric Distillation Expansion, more commonly known as BLADE, went online Thursday, after being under construction since 2019. The expansion added a third crude unit and distillate hydrotreating at the company's refinery complex -- increasing production of diesel fuel. Refinery Manager Rozena Dendy said the expansion was completed on time and met its goal of starting up by the end of first quarter of 2023. The expansion added 50 new full-time positions to the refinery. "(During construction), we definitely peaked at 1,700 contractors, on average probably 1,000 contractors" Dendy said. "What's key is, we put in almost 3 million local man hours into the project and we supplied about $500 million in local labor, whether it's contractors, subcontractors, suppliers. We put that in the actual local community with $500 million actually spent here for the project, which is I think phenomenal." Overall, the expansion stuck with its $2 billion budget. RELATED: ExxonMobil's BLADE expansion on schedule, set to open early 2023 "We're excited to be able to add 250,000 barrels a day of crude oil capacity that's bringing on more transportation fuels of diesel and gasoline," Dendy said. Before the expansion, the site's typical capacity was at least 366,000 barrels a day. "This expansion is going to make it 65% more," Dendy said. "We're going to be well over 600,000 barrels a day and one of the largest (refineries) in the U.S." The project will also be increase ExxonMobil's U.S. Gulf Coast refining capacity by close to 17%. Dendy said they intend to reach that level by the end of March. "We're almost there," Dendy said. "It's pretty exciting." When construction for the BLADE expansion began in 2019, the high demand for diesel fuel was a part of the investment in the project. Although diesel demand shrunk during the COVID-19 pandemic from what it was when the construction began, Dendy said the industry has seen a resurgence in demand. RELATED: ExxonMobil moves expansion project equipment through Port of Beaumont "The great part is we're here we're doing our part we're providing transportation fuels, primarily diesel but also gasoline, and it will allow us to be able to make sure kids can go to school on the school buses because (of the) diesel going to the school buses," Dendy said. "It makes sure that our Amazon packages arrive at our home because diesel goes into those vehicles, as well as the food to the grocery store. So when you say that, how has demand change? It's actually recovered and we continue to see increased demand for our products, and ones that society is actually asking for as well." Dendy said the project was designed to reduce environmental impact. In the build, the company used selective catalytic reduction type catalysts inside its heaters. The catalysts reduce the amount of nitrogen oxide emissions released into the atmosphere. "(Nitrogen oxide emissions are) basically one of the emission sources that can go into the atmosphere, but we're reducing it to the lowest level possible with the best available technology," Dendy said. In addition to the catalysts, Dendy said the company has maximized heat integration and recovery. "Whatever it takes that we need to cool down a stream, instead of wasting that energy, we actually use that energy to warm up the front end of the of the actual unit," Dendy said. "Everything that is heat generated, we actually recover that heat and just maximize that integration." March is known as Irish-American Heritage Month and if you have Irish ancestors, you want to celebrate the wee bit of the Irish you may have discovered as a result of your DNA test. Maybe you already knew of your Irish roots but often wondered how to better discover those who come before you. Many resources are provided online to help with Irish ancestry research, but reaching out across to the Emerald Isle can be a memorable experience. Theres a famous Irish Proverb that reads, Having somewhere to go is home, having someone to love is family, having both is a blessing. As we continue our genealogy and discover our Irish heritage, our hearts will always pull us home to Ireland and the family who braved the unknown to emigrate to America. Many early Irish immigrants to America were pushed out of Ireland by religious and/or political conflicts. Dire economic conditions brought on by the potato famine also pushed emigrants to leave their homeland, and they began their journey to America. The path of the Irish found them settling in middle American colonies, where the city of Philadelphia was a major port of debarkation. Over the decades, the migration south followed the Great Philadelphia Road, the main route used for settling the interior southern colonies. Traveling down Virginias Shenandoah Valley, then south into the North Carolina Piedmont region, where they reached South Carolina by the 1760s. While Ellis Island is open to visitors as part of the National Park Service, The Gateway to America processed its last immigrants in 1954. Ive always known of my Irish heritage -- the thick strawberry blond hair that covered my head was a big clue to my DNA makeup. The DNA test that I took a few years ago confirmed the family tree and stories that had been passed down through generations. And while I had continued to hit brick walls, I decided a few years ago to explore my origins with a trip to Ireland. It did not disappoint! Flying into Shannon allowed me to view the beautiful coast line and upon landing, the sweet melodic sound of the Irish accent greeted us at customs. My husband and I picked up our rental car, and laughed out loud at our first experience of driving differently than what we were used to in the states. A priest welcomed me at our hotel entrance (hubby was parking the car), and after a brief conversation, he covered me with an Irish Blessing. I was giddy with excitement and after checking into our room, we ventured across the street to the pub. The locals had already settled in and music was being played among the tables accompanied by vocals of Irish folk songs. Our Irish luck was just beginning! Throughout our trip, we experienced beautiful weather and drove many miles. While we had several favorites, the Dingle Coastline brought about the greatest blessing of all. The narrow road took us to an area with a pullout where we discovered a flutist. The overlook was the ocean and the backdrop was hay fields separated by stone fences. Stunning! I asked if the flutist would mind playing the song Danny Boy, and he delighted me by replying yes. Another blessing! With the notes of Danny Boy floating across the wind, I soaked in not only the beauty of Ireland, but the soul. I thanked and tippied the dear man, and he then said to me, Do you know, that is the first time I have ever played this song? I printed off the music last night and reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a piece of sheet music. The greatest Irish Blessing of all. The trip only stirred up more curiosity, so I focused on the FamilySearch and Ancestry catalogs to gain access to Irish records. Through these resources, one can access church history, census records, court documents, and Emigration records. While Ive named only a few, it gives one an idea of the wealth of information available online. Irish Genealogy is a free website aimed to aide anyone with Irish ancestors and is very user friendly. Whether your DNA is 100% or 1% Irish, we all have a gift to appreciate the roots of those who braved the seas to seek refuge on the coast of the other side of the Atlantic. Seek out and discover more about your heritage, either through the Folk Music, a trip of a lifetime, or as the Irish Proverb states: building castles as hard work and planning will reap rewards eventually. The Donut Legion, by Joe R. Lansdale (Mulholland) Charlie Garner, a former private detective turned novelist, was staring through his telescope at the rural East Texas sky late one night when he received an unexpected visit from his ex-wife, Meg. Or did he? A storm had left the ground soft, perfect for leaving footprints and tire tracks, but in the morning there was no sign that she had ever been there. Had it been a dream? A hallucination? An apparition? Charlie was still in love with Meg, whod left him to marry another man, and what shed come to tell him if he hadnt imagined it was disturbing. She thought her husband had been murdered, and she wanted him to look into it. As the plot of Joe R. Lansdales The Donut Legion gets rolling, Charlie is shaken but uncertain that there is anything to it at first. But soon, he learns that both Meg and her husband have disappeared, leaving all of their possessions behind. Charlies suspicions turn to The Saucer People, a cult that had persuaded hundreds of gullible Texans to surrender their worldly goods and wait for flying saucers to carry them to paradise. The group was also known as The Donut Legion because it was laundering money through a string of local donut shops. Meg, it turns out, had been working in one of those shops, and her husband had been seduced by the cult. As Charlie, assisted by his private-eye brother and the brothers formidable lawyer girlfriend, investigate, they uncover damning secrets about the cult leaders and about the horrors they have planned. Before long, Charlie and his friends are in danger as the bodies start to pile up. As usual, Lansdales prose is tight, he has laced his highly entertaining story with sly humor, and he has populated it with a cast of quirky characters. This time, they include a brutish, 7-foot-tall arsonist, a cantankerous sheriff, a loveable police dog named Tag, and a cowboy-hat-wearing chimpanzee who rips peoples arms off. ___ Bruce DeSilva, winner of the Mystery Writers of Americas Edgar Award, is the author of the Mulligan crime novels including The Dread Line. Waterbury, Conn.-based physician Philip Mongelluzzo Jr., MD, was fined $10,000 for inappropriately prescribing high narcotics doses to patients, the Hartford Courant reported Nov. 15. The Connecticut Medical Examining Board ruled that from 2014 and 2018, Dr. Mongelluzzo did not appropriately treat a patient's chronic pain and prescribed narcotics without documenting the therapeutic reasons for the drugs. Dr. Mongelluzzo, owner of Waterbury-based practice Care Beyond Medicine, also allegedly prescribed sedatives to the patient without limits. Dr. Mongelluzzo chose to not contest the allegations, and his medical license has also been placed on probation for two years. Dr. Mongelluzzo must hire a physician to monitor his practice during the probation. Tarpon Springs, Fla.-based pain clinic Phoenix Medical Management Care Centers was issued a restraining order blocking it from administering, dispensing or distributing controlled substances, the Justice Department said Oct. 17. Pediatrician Vivian Herrero, MD, and Christopher and Patricia Ferguson allegedly used the clinic to illegally dispense opioids and other drugs, the department said. Two patients allegedly died soon after receiving opioid prescriptions Dr. Herrero issued. Drugs were often prescribed without a legitimate medical reason and despite signs of abuse or diversion, the department said. Tampa, Fla.-based physician Sean Patrick O'Rourke, MD, has pleaded guilty to soliciting and receiving kickbacks and bribes, the U.S. Justice Department said Nov. 18. According to court documents, in 2018, Dr. O'Rourke entered an illegal agreement with a company where the company completed physicians' orders for Medicare via an internet-based platform. Dr. O'Rourke would then access the platform and sign the orders in exchange for a payment of $25 per patient without ever interacting with the patients. In May 2019, for example, Dr. O'Rourke received $5,500 for electronically signing and ordering cancer genomic tests and durable medical equipment. The Medicare program paid approximately $2,702,150 to Medicare providers for the tests and equipment ordered by Dr. O'Rourke. Hartford (Conn.) HealthCare is aiming to expand its ASC presence throughout the state but is facing setbacks from competitors and regulators, according to a March 20 report from the Hartford Business Journal. Hartford is looking to establish an ASC in Plainfield, acquire the majority stake in ASCs in Torrington and Wilton, and take over governance control of an ASC in Trumbull; however, all four deals have been stuck in the state's regulatory process for years, according to the report. Several local ASCs have raised concerns about competitiveness in the area, and one of Hartford's deals faces a court challenge. Rebecca Stewart, Hartford's vice president of content strategy, told the Business Journal that Hartford is shifting its non-emergency focus to ASCs, lower-cost urgent care and home-based community services. Nearly 40 percent of Hartford's surgeries are now performed outside of hospitals, and its non-emergent emergency department visits are down 10 percent since 2016. Hartford has proposed a 13,000-square-foot ASC in Plainfield adjacent to the outpatient center it constructed in 2018. It plans a $5.5 million expenditure for the project, with 49 percent of the facility owned by physician-investors and Constitution Surgery Alliance, a surgery center developer. The proposed facility would focus on orthopedics, pain management, urology and gastroenterology. The ASC was originally approved in 2021 but faced a lawsuit from Putnam, Conn.-based Day Kimball Healthcare claiming that the Office of Health Strategy did not follow the proper statutory requirements when approving the ASC. Day Kimball expressed that a new ASC would cause a 30 percent to 40 percent decrease in its surgery volume. Hartford filed a motion to dismiss the case, which was denied. OHS is holding a public hearing on the ASC construction in April. Hartford is also seeking a 51 percent stake in Litchfield Hills Surgery Center in Torrington, Conn., part of Litchfield Hills Orthopedic Associates. The plans, submitted in 2021, are awaiting city approval but have not received any public comment. In 2020 it applied for 51 percent ownership of Southwest Connecticut Surgery Center in Wilton, Conn. Hartford is also seeking governance control over the Surgery Center of Fairfield County in Trumbull, Conn., which it filed for in 2021. It is still awaiting regulatory approval. Lawmakers in Oklahoma are pushing for a bill that would allow nurse practitioners to prescribe certain medications without a supervising physician, KXII reported March 15. The bill, which has passed the state's Senate, could save nurse practitioners money because in some cases, they pay for a collaborating physician. The bill would also expand access to care. "I've heard numbers like $500 to $2,500 a month," Sen. Brenda Stanley told the news outlet. "One nurse told me she paid her physician $30,000 one year. And sometimes they never even have a conversation with these physicians. I'm sure there are physicians that really do it right, that go in and check charts and check their prescriptions, but by and large, we're finding that's not the case. This is to relieve them of that financial burden." In order to apply to prescribe medications without supervision, nurse practitioners will have to have 6,240 hours of supervised practice first. They will only be allowed to prescribe schedule III, IV and V drugs. Former pain management physician John Keun Sang Lee, MD, pleaded guilty to healthcare fraud associated with his Venetia, Pa.-based pain management practice, the U.S. Justice Department said Nov. 4. From around May 2016 to October 2020, Dr. Lee knowingly submitted claims for steroid injections to Medicare and Medicaid that were neither reasonable nor necessary, according to the report. Dr. Lee allegedly required patients to submit to steroid injections, even when patients reported that the injections were causing more pain, and would instruct his staff to withhold patients' medications if they objected, according to former patients and employees. Dr. Lee also directed staff to use templates that said patients received 80 percent relief from injections to justify the billing. Dr. Lee will pay $264,730 in restitution to the United States Department of Health & Human Services and $153,230 to the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services and voluntarily surrender his medical license. He will be sentenced March 7, 2023, with a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, a fine of $250,000 or both. Medicare's physician fee schedule final rule will reduce the conversion factor by 4.48 percent to $33.06 four physician leaders joined Becker's to discuss how these pay cuts will affect healthcare. Jack Resneck Jr., MD. President of the American Medical Association: The Medicare payment schedule released today puts Congress on notice that a nearly 4.5 percent across-the-board reduction in payment rates is an ominous reality unless lawmakers act before Jan. 1. The rate cuts would create immediate financial instability in the Medicare physician payment system and threaten patient access to Medicare-participating physicians. The AMA will continue working with Congress to prevent this harmful outcome. Sandy Berreth, RN. Medicare Surveyor at the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care: Declining physicians' pay may lead to more physician/hospital employment. However, the key for our industry to succeed is the ASC industry itself. Payers are starting to realize and promote ASC services. Therefore, healthcare organizations big and small are going to need to develop relationships or partnerships with existing ASCs or build their own. Maxim Sheinman. Director of Business Development Hospital Corp. of America: Declining reimbursement will lead to additional physician employment by larger health systems. Will also cause declining quality and availability of physician services. More physicians will become employed and will perform less cases in an ASC setting. We will continue to see the consolidation and corporatization of medical practices. More physicians will seek employment in private equity-backed corporations for stable income. Finally, the standard of medicine in this country will continue to decline. Shamsideen Musa, MD. Pain Management Physician (Anchorage, Alaska): If physician payments continue to decline, we will continue to see the consolidation and corporatization of medical practices. As a result, patients will likely continue to experience the depersonalization and corporate feel of medical treatment offered by large groups. Physicians will increasingly seek employment at hospitals and private equity-backed corporations for stable income while the number of solo practitioners declines. Artificial intelligence-assisted colonoscopies may not result in improved adenoma detection, according to a study published March 9 in the American Journal of Gastroenterology. The randomized clinical trial analyzed the use of AI-enabled medical imaging platform EndoVigilant across four community-based endoscopy centers in the U.S. from September 2020 to September 2021. The 769 participants were randomly assigned to one of two colonoscopy procedures one with computer-aided detection devices and one without. Three hundred eighty-seven patients underwent AI-assisted colonoscopies. The study found there was no significant difference in detection of adenomas per colonoscopy between the two procedures, and both the adenoma and serrated polyp detection rates were similar between both groups. However, the study did find the use of computer aided detection devices led to increased detection of non-adenomatous, non-serrated polyps. This study precedes a similar study on artificial intelligence in colonoscopy published in Gastroenterology March 15, which found that using artificial intelligence during colonoscopies may help decrease adenoma miss rates. The Justice Department has withdrawn its appeal to block UnitedHealth Group's $7.8 billion acquisition of Change Healthcare, Reuters reported March 21. This comes after the Justice Department sued to halt the deal earlier this year, calling it anticompetitive because Change Healthcare, which would be merged with UnitedHealth Group's data and consulting business OptumInsight, has access to data from insurer customers. UnitedHealth Group argued that Optum is separate from its insurance arm, UnitedHealthcare, and the deal should continue as there are policies in place to protect sensitive data. The Justice Department did not respond to Reuters about why it dropped its appeal. Following the dismissal, UnitedHealth Group's shares went up 0.2 percent to $478.09, according to the report. Many big health problems begin as much smaller health problems. A recent study showed that 38% of new heart failure patients, for instance, are first diagnosed in acute care facilities, but nearly half of them were showing symptoms up to six months before they eventually landed in the hospital.[1] Heart failure is a leading cause of death nationwide,[2] often called the silent killer by doctors because symptoms are easily ignored until it is too late. What if there was a way to do a quick cardiac checkup, in a general practitioners office or even at home, and stop those small problems before they grow into much bigger, less manageable ones? Thats the direction in which healthcare is moving, and GE HealthCare aims to be at the front of the pack. It has already collaborated with companies like AliveCor, a manufacturer of pocket-size ECG devices, so that patients can monitor their heart at home and send the information to their doctors. Now GE HealthCare has signed an agreement to acquire Caption Health, a San Mateo, Californiabased tech company that builds AI-driven software to guide cardiac ultrasound exams. This is a first-of-its-kind technology, says Karley Yoder, ultrasound chief digital officer at GE HealthCare. Its an undeniable innovation in this space. The combination of the incredible ultrasound equipment from GE HealthCare with the AI-guided imaging technology from Caption Health creates the best possible impact for the customer. Ultrasound is a powerful tool for imaging the heart, as it is noninvasive, relatively fast, and accessible and can be done at the bedside. But conducting a cardiac ultrasound exam requires a skilled clinician with extensive training. You have to know what youre looking for and how to move the ultrasound probe to get there. The Caption Health AI tries to solve for this by providing real-time guidance, which can be especially helpful for novice ultrasound users. Caption Health has trained the AI to recognize a diagnostic-quality cardiac image, and the software tells the user, via instructions on the screen, how to move or rotate the probe so they can acquire that optimal image. Its like youre with an expert user who has been doing ultrasound their whole life, says Yoder. Its intuitive. It also makes conducting an ultrasound exam easier for people who arent experts. GE HealthCare plans to integrate the Caption Health software with its existing ultrasound systems, including the handheld and more affordable Vscan Air. In some instances, clinicians who do not conduct ultrasound scans every day may need additional support to perform efficient, accurate scans, says Yoder. For any healthcare provider who isnt doing an ultrasound multiple times a day, it needs to be easy to use. Initially, the software will only be for echocardiogram exams, but GE HealthCare plans to expand the system to create a road map of the entire human body. For now, though, GE HealthCare and Caption Health are concentrating on getting the system into as many hands as possible, especially GPs and internists. The intention is for them to use it during a routine exam, check their patients for early signs of heart disease, and plan ways to intervene before the problem warrants a trip to the emergency room, or worse. We are incredibly proud of the technology we have built and together with GE HealthCare and look forward to bringing this technology to more patients across the globe, says Caption Health CEO Steve Cashman. Combining our software with GE HealthCares ultrasound devices will help accelerate our mission to detect disease earlier, when there is the highest potential for impact. REFERENCES [1] Alexander T. Sandhu et al., Disparity in the Setting of Incident Heart Failure Diagnosis, Circulation: Heart Failure 14, no. 8 (August 2021), https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/circheartfailure.121.008538. [2] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Heart Disease Facts, https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/facts.htm. Several hospitals and health systems are trimming their workforces or jobs due to financial and operational challenges. Below are workforce reduction efforts or job eliminations that were announced within the past two months and/or take effect over the next month. 1. West Reading, Pa.-based Tower Health on Nov. 16 laid off 52 corporate employees as the health system shrinks from six hospitals to four. The layoffs, which are expected to save $15 million a year, account for 13 percent of Tower Health's corporate management staff. 2. New York City-based Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center will lay off 3 percent of its workforce by mid-January 2023. 3. Fayetteville, N.C.-based Cape Fear Valley Health is eliminating 200 positions. The decision affects 42 employees in non-direct patient care positions. The other 158 positions were unfilled positions. Employees were informed of the changes Oct. 27. 4. Sioux Falls, S.D.-based Sanford Health announced layoffs affecting an undisclosed number of staff on Oct. 19, a decision its CEO said was made "to streamline leadership structure and simplify operations" in certain areas. The layoffs primarily affect nonclinical areas. 5. University Hospitals announced efforts to reduce system expenses by $100 million Oct. 12, including the elimination of 326 vacant jobs and layoffs affecting 117 administrative employees. None of the employees affected by job cuts or layoffs provide direct patient care. The workforce reduction comes as the 21-hospital system faces a net operating loss of $184.6 million from the first eight months of 2022. 6. Ascension is closing Ascension St. Vincent Dunn, a critical access hospital in Bedford, Ind., and nine medical practices in December, a move that will affect 133 employees. Affected employees who do not secure another position within the health system will be offered severance and outplacement services. 7. Quincy, Ill.-based Blessing Health System closed its hospital in Keokuk, Iowa, Sept. 30. The closure affected 151 workers. The layoffs take effect Nov. 4. The employees will do on-site work or be placed on administrative leave until the layoff date, Blessing Health said. 8. St. Vincent Charity Medical Center in Cleveland will lay off 978 workers when it ends many services in November. The hospital, part of Sisters of Charity Health System, is ending inpatient care and most other services in November. After the transition, the facility will offer outpatient behavioral health, urgent care and primary care. 9. Commonwealth Health, part of Franklin, Tenn.-based Community Health Systems, will lay off 245 employees when it closes facilities at the end of October. The health system is closing First Hospital, a psychiatric hospital in Kingston, Pa., and its various outpatient centers on Oct. 30. Affected workers are encouraged to apply for open positions they're qualified for at other Commonwealth Health facilities, a system spokesperson told Becker's. 10. Yale New Haven (Conn.) Health eliminated 155 management positions from its nearly 30,000-person workforce. The health system laid off 72 employees and eliminated 83 vacant positions, a spokesperson told Becker's Hospital Review in September. The cuts were attributed to financial pressures. 11. Citing financial pressures, BHSH System now named Corewell Health cut about 400 positions from its 64,000-member workforce in September. The 22-hospital organization was formed by the February merger of Grand Rapids, Mich.-based Spectrum Health with Southfield, Mich.-based Beaumont Health. 12. Bakersfield (Calif.) Heart Hospital is laying off 114 employees. Affected employees were told in September that they no longer had to report to work, but they will continue to receive full pay and benefits through Nov. 5. The layoffs are an effort to optimize operations and to free up resources for patient care and specialized surgery, the hospital said. Ascension is closing an Indiana hospital and nine medical practices, a move that will affect 133 employees, according to notices the St. Louis-based health system filed with state regulators. The health system is closing Ascension St. Vincent Dunn, a critical access hospital in Bedford, Ind., Dec. 16. Seventy-seven employees will be laid off as a result of the closure. The health system said affected employees who do not secure another position within Ascension will be offered severance and outplacement services. Ascension said in September that it was unable to secure a buyer for the hospital. "We are committed to supporting our Ascension St. Vincent Dunn community through this transition," Ascension said in a statement shared with Becker's Hospital Review. Ascension Medical Group St. Vincent is closing nine practice locations in Bedford and Mitchell, Ind., on Dec. 16. The closures will impact 56 workers, Ascension said. Workers who do not move into another position within the health system will be offered severance and outplacement services. Kidada Hawkins, who took over as president of Winter Haven (Fla.) Hospital earlier this year, has resigned amid allegations that he solicited for prostitution, The Ledger reported Nov. 23. Clearwater, Fla.-based BayCare Health System named Mr. Hawkins president of its Winter Haven and Winter Haven Women's hospitals in early 2022. BayCare announced Nov. 23 that Susan Croushore will reprise her role as interim president of the hospitals, effective Nov. 28. Meanwhile, BayCare regional market leader Lou Galdieri will fill the leadership role, the health system said in a news release. BayCare said the change is in response to the resignation of Mr. Hawkins, "who left the organization due to unforeseen personal circumstances." Mr. Hawkins was arrested Nov. 17 on a charge of soliciting for prostitution, according to The Ledger. The arrest report alleges that while Mr. Hawkins was in Orlando, Fla., he offered to pay for a sexual act, the newspaper reported. Before joining BayCare, Mr. Hawkins served as CEO of Shoals Hospital in Muscle Shoals, Ala., and COO of rural hospital operations for St. Vincent's Health System in Birmingham, Ala. Ms. Croushore previously became interim president of Winter Haven and Winter Haven Women's hospitals following the departure of Steve Nierman. Kimberly Boynton has stepped down as president and CEO of Syracuse, N.Y.-based Crouse Health. Seth Kronenberg, MD, who joined Crouse in 2014 and has served as chief medical officer and COO, took the helm March 17, according to a statement shared with Becker's. Ms. Boynton joined Crouse in 1998 in finance. She became CEO of Crouse in 2014 after serving as its CFO since 2003. Patrick Mannion, chair of the Crouse board of directors, said in a statement: "Kimberly's accomplishments and achievements during her tenure at Crouse are numerous. Under her leadership and strategic direction, major capital investments were completed, including the Pomeroy Emergency Services Department; Witting Surgical Center; and Pomeroy Addiction Treatment Services. Kimberly leaves Crouse financially positioned to continue our mission." Ms. Boynton had planned to leave Crouse once a proposed merger with State University of New York Upstate Medical University was completed, according to syracuse.com. The organizations abandoned the proposed deal in February. Workforce problems in U.S. hospitals are troublesome enough for the American College of Healthcare Executives to devote a new category to them in its annual survey on hospital CEOs' concerns. In the latest survey, executives identified "workforce challenges" as the No. 1 concern for the second year in a row. Financial challenges, which consistently held the top spot for 16 years in a row until 2021, were listed the second-most pressing concern in the American College of Healthcare Executives' annual survey. Although workforce challenges were not seen as the most pressing concern for 16 years, they rocketed to the top quickly and rather universally for healthcare organizations in the past two years. Most CEOs (90 percent) ranked shortages of registered nurses as the most pressing within the category of workforce challenges, followed by shortages of technicians (83 percent) and burnout among non-physician staff (80 percent). Here are the most concerning issues hospital CEOs ranked in 2022, along with the score of how pressing CEOs find each issue. 1. Workforce challenges (includes personnel shortages and staff burnout, among other issues) 1.8 2. Financial challenges 2.8 3. Behavioral health and addiction issues 5.2 4. Patient safety and quality 5.9 5. Governmental mandates 5.9 6. Access to care 6.0 7. Patient satisfaction 6.6 8. Physician-hospital relations 7.6 9. Technology 7.7 10. Population health management 8.6 11. Reorganization (mergers and acquisitions, partnerships and restructuring) 8.7 Within financial challenges, most CEOs (89 percent) ranked increasing costs for staff and supplies as the most pressing, followed by operating costs (66 percent) and Medicaid reimbursement (63 percent). CEOs are less concerned about price transparency and moving away from fee-for-service. Seventy-eight percent of CEOs ranked lack of appropriate facilities/programs as most pressing within the category of behavioral health and addiction issues. That was followed by lack of funding for addressing behavioral health and addiction issues (77 percent). The results are based on a survey administered to CEOs of community hospitals (non-federal, short-term, non-specialty hospitals). ACHE asked respondents to rank 11 issues affecting their hospitals in order of how pressing they are. Results are based on responses from 281 executives. Strike at Kaiser-affiliated hospitals ends after nearly 2 months Members of United Public Workers have ended their nearly two-month strike at Maui Health hospitals by approving a new contract. Developing a Strategic, Data-Driven Approach to Contingent Labor Click here to learn more Physician and nurse shortages: a multi-dimensional approach for recruitment and retention According to a 2022 report from the U.S. Surgeon General, the United States will face a shortage of 3.2 million healthcare workers by 2026 and a shortage of 139,000 physicians by 2033. In addition, nearly two-thirds of physicians today (63 percent) report being burned out. Some workers organize while others go on strike: Recent hospital-union actions The following hospital-union events have been reported by Becker's in March and April. How Ascension St. Vincent is combatting nurse understaffing 54% of nurse leaders cite capacity issues as the most frustrating part of their job. Ascension is helping nurse managers respond to capacity and throughput issues with these tools. Nurse practitioners at Maine hospital to hold union vote Nurse practitioners employed by Northern Light Acadia Hospital in Bangor, Maine, will vote on whether to join the American Federation of Teachers, an affiliate of the AFL-CIO. Workers to rally at HCA headquarters over staffing Service Employees International Union members plan to rally April 19 at HCA Healthcare's headquarters in Nashville, Tenn., over what they allege is a staffing crisis at the for-profit hospital operator, according to a news release shared with Becker's. Workers to air concerns over alleged understaffing at California hospitals Members of Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West will hold events this week to speak against alleged chronic understaffing at their hospitals, according to a news release shared with Becker's. PeaceHealth nurses to rally over staffing Members of the Oregon Nurses Association planned a rally April 10 outside PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center over what they say is a staffing crisis at the facility, according to a news release shared with Becker's. California hospital nurses to receive raises of up to 30% Members of the California Nurses Association have approved a new contract with Southern California Hospital at Culver City. Strike set at UCSF hospital Members of the National Union of Healthcare Workers are set to strike April 19 at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland (Calif.). Confronting Workplace Violence Head-On: How to Make Healthcare Safer for Everyone Workplace violence is a recognized hazard in healthcare, and the industry has faced a significant uptick in incidents in recent years. In fact, a 2018 study indicated that healthcare staff are five times as likely to suffer a workplace violence injury than workers overall. Ascension nurses in Texas protest staffing levels Nurses at Ascension Seton Medical Center in Austin, Texas, are holding an informational picket April 6 to protest current staffing levels amid contract negotiations. Mass General Brigham residents and fellows move forward with union push A push by medical residents and fellows at Somerville, Mass.-based Mass General Brigham to organize a housestaff union is moving forward, according to WGBH. Stanford hospital workers vote to unionize Social workers and interpreters employed by Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford in Palo Alto, Calif., voted to join Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West. UnityPoint hospital removed tech from surgery because of race, lawsuit claims A certified surgical technologist is suing West Des Moines, Iowa-based UnityPoint Health, alleging discrimination based on race and color, according to court documents shared with Becker's. Geography matters: Tailoring recruitment strategies to hire and retain the ideal provider Recruiting and retaining providers is more challenging than ever. Nurse wins contested unemployment benefits claim after assault from patient A hospital nurse who was fired after a violent assault from a patient has won her case to gain unemployment benefits following a court ruling in Iowa. Northwestern hospital workers allege staffing crisis Amid contract negotiations with Chicago-based Northwestern Memorial Hospital, members of Service Employees International Union Healthcare Illinois are publicizing their concerns about staffing and pay. Oregon hospital workers resolve nearly year-long labor dispute Members of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 555 have approved a three-year contract with Bay Area Hospital in Coos Bay, Ore., after nearly a full year of negotiations, the hospital said March 29. Centura hospital illegally withheld pay from nurses: Judge Longmont (Colo.) United Hospital, part of Centennial, Colo.-based Centura Health, illegally held back pay and benefit increases to unionized nurses amid their representation election appeal, a National Labor Relations Board judge found, according to Bloomberg Law and Law360. Several nurses who have raised concerns about staffing in the facility's emergency department were escorted out of Ascension Saint Joseph-Joliet (Ill.) on Oct. 21, according to hospital and union statements shared with Becker's. The Illinois Nurses Association, which represents the workers, contends in an Oct. 22 news release that nurses were escorted out of the hospital because of their staffing concerns. The hospital disputes the union's claims and said nurses were escorted out because they refused to work their shift. "Ascension Saint Joseph-Joliet is committed to having appropriate levels of staffing to care for patients in our community," the hospital's statement reads. "While the hospital is dealing with nursing shortage issues that all hospitals are currently facing, the Illinois Nurses Association has decided to promote and encourage nurses at the hospital to not work their scheduled shifts." According to the union, four nurses were available to treat 46 patients at the time, despite hospital guidelines that recommend the unit be staffed with 10 nurses. Union representatives said nurses notified hospital management of the issue and urged that the hospital go on bypass. Hospital management did not address the nurses' pleas, and security personnel escorted the nurses out of the hospital, the Illinois Nurses Association news release reads. On Oct. 21, nurses also reported threats of retaliation and termination, according to the union. The Illinois Nurses Association said nurses in the hospital's intensive care unit experienced a similar staffing situation Oct. 17.. "Instead of working with the nurses to help make sure the patient population was adequately cared for, on-site management seems to have decided on an approach to exacerbate, rather than resolve, the problem," Julia Bartmes, Illinois Nurses Association executive director, said in correspondence to the hospital, according to the union news release. The hospital's statement says the union's actions "are regrettable and violate the terms of its collective bargaining agreement with the hospital. More importantly, such actions forget the basic reason we are in this community to serve and care for patients. The hospital has requested the Illinois Nurses Association to stop these illegal work stoppages and has further requested a meeting so that we can, together, deliver on our mission to provide compassionate and quality care." Nurses and the hospital reached a three-year contract in 2020. The agreement followed a strike that took place amid nurses' staffing concerns. This story was updated on Oct. 25. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear signed into law a measure that will boost Medicaid payment rates for outpatient procedures, legislation designed to protect rural hospitals in the state. The new law requires the state's Department of Medicaid Services to analyze outpatient services and provide additional payment to hospitals. Additionally, the law allows Medicaid to create a hospital rate increase program for patients enrolled in its fee-for-service program to pay up to the upper Medicaid payment limit. The Kentucky Hospital Association supports the law, according to a March news release from the governor's office. "Through and by the adoption of HB 75 into law, this is truly a lifesaving action. This will not only save hospital jobs and services but also imagine what would happen to businesses, especially in rural communities, that depend on local hospital purchases and wages to support their businesses," Pikeville (Ky.) Medical Center CEO Donovan Blackburn said in the release. "This is a significant piece of legislation at a time of our state's greatest need in order to preserve the quality of care for all Kentuckians." Two lawmakers are seeking information from the CEO of an HCA Florida hospital about its care quality and working conditions after a news report with troubling allegations. In February, NBC News reported physicians' allegations of unsanitary and unsafe conditions at 320-bed HCA Florida Bayonet Point Hospital in Hudson, Fla. Four physicians told the news outlet that care quality worsened since 2021, when HCA allegedly reduced staff and hired contract workers at the hospital. The report contained allegations of unsanitary instruments, inadequate monitoring of ICU patients, a crowded emergency department and anesthesiology errors that resulted in patients waking up while in surgery. On March 20, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and U.S. Rep. Gus M. Bilirakis, R-Fla., submitted a letter with eight questions to Regina Temple, PhD, CEO of HCA Florida Bayonet Point Hospital. The lawakers refer to the NBC News report, as well as deficiencies identified by Florida's Agency for Health Care Administration. "In its overall star rating systems for hospital quality, [CMS] designated Bayonet Point as one star out of five," Mr. Rubio and Mr. Bilirakis wrote. "Notably, your staff expressed that the quality of care at HCA has declined and a number of sentinel events have occurred since 2021, which is when the hospital began cutting staff and hiring contract workers. While Bayonet Point recently celebrated its investment in 102 new beds, photos of existing facilities show leaks from the ceiling, cockroaches in operating rooms, oxygen equipment bound by scotch tape and backed up sinks filled with blood." Dr. Temple was asked to address the following eight questions with a "prompt response": How does HCA currently ensure health and safety standards are met for patients and staff? What aspects of the hospital's operations are prioritized when budgeting for a fiscal year? How much of your hospital's budget is devoted to patient safety? What is the hospital's current process for addressing concerns from staff? What is the average time that it takes for concerns to be addressed? What is being done to address the allegations of poor working conditions mentioned in the NBC report from February 15? What corrective actions have been taken to address AHCA's previously identified deficiencies with patient safety? How does HCA ensure that all personnel, including those who are hired by contractors, are meeting the hospital's health and safety standards? How does HCA ensure that an appropriate provider to patient ratio is maintained? What actions do you plan to take to increase the CMS Overall Star Ratings score of one star? HCA Healthcare shared the following statement with Becker's about the lawmakers' inquiry: "We are aware of the letter and will be providing a detailed response to Senator Rubio and Congressman Bilirakis. "We are glad these Members have asked us about this because the allegations made in the NBC News report are misleading and they paint a false picture of Bayonet Point. We are proud of the quality care provided there and welcome the chance to share information with Senator Rubio and Congressman Bilirakis. "Last month, NBC News published a story that portrays patient care at Bayonet Point Hospital in an unflattering light. We were asked to respond to a long list of mostly broad claims attributed to a physician who the Hospital Board decided not to reinstate as Chief of Staff because of repeated instances of inappropriate and unprofessional behavior. Our hospital provided NBC News details and background information, including that our hospital was in good standing with all regulatory and accrediting bodies, including Florida's Agency for Healthcare Administration. "Recently, The Joint Commission, the primary accrediting agency for U.S. hospitals, and AHCA conducted surveys at our hospital, and each resulted in no adverse findings. If the claims made in the NBC report were accurate, the agencies would have made similar findings. They did not. "We appreciate the review and guidance from the regulatory agencies, and we take quality issues very seriously no matter who raises them. Even though the claims made by the physician interviewed for the story are unfounded, we are continuously looking for ways to improve. We rely on feedback from our physicians, and when issues are validated we take necessary action. "Our commitment to safety is reflected in the recognition we have received from third party organizations including a Leapfrog A Safety Grade in the most recent release and being a Healthgrades Patient Safety Award winner in 2022. In the Spring 2022 Physician Engagement Survey at HCA Florida Bayonet Point Hospital, nearly 80 percent of physicians rated the hospital an excellent or very good place to practice." Dr. Temple was named CEO of the hospital in October 2019. She previously served as president of Mission Trail Baptist Hospital in San Antonio, which is now owned by Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare. A suspect was charged after the Oct. 22 shooting deaths of two employees at Methodist Dallas Medical Center. Nestor Hernandez, who is on parole for aggravated robbery and had an active ankle monitor, was charged with capital murder, according to a statement from the Dallas Police Department. Methodist Health System Police, the Dallas Police Department and the Dallas Fire-Rescue Department responded to an active shooter call about 11 a.m. Oct. 22 at Methodist Dallas Medical Center, a hospital news release stated. Authorities said they investigated and determined that Mr. Hernandez shot and killed two hospital employees. "A Methodist Health System police officer arrived on the scene, confronted the suspect and fired his weapon at the suspect, injuring him. The suspect was detained, stabilized and taken to another local hospital," according to the hospital news release. Mr. Hernandez has been charged as a suspect in the shooting deaths. The 30-year-old was released from prison in October 2021 after serving time for aggravated robbery and was at the hospital to visit his girlfriend, who had given birth to their child, The Dallas Morning News reported Oct. 23, citing court records and a prison official. The newspaper reported that police have not provided a potential motive or said whether the hospital workers were targeted. Authorities and Methodist Health System, based in Dallas, have not said what the workers' roles were. The Dallas County Medical Examiner's Office has identified one of the victims as Jacqueline Ama Pokuaa, 45, but oficials said the identity of the second victim is being withheld pending notification of their next-of-kin, The Dallas Morning News reported Oct. 24. A statement from Methodist Health System leadership said, "The Methodist Health System Family is heartbroken at the loss of two of our beloved team members. Our entire organization is grieving this unimaginable tragedy. During this devastating time, we want to ensure our patients, physicians, employees and community that Methodist Dallas Medical Center is safe, and there is no ongoing threat. Our prayers are with our lost co-workers and their families, as well as our entire Methodist family. We appreciate the community's support during this difficult time." Following the shooting, Methodist Dallas Medical Center is increasing police presence on campus, KDFW reported Oct. 23. Methodist Health System said it also scheduled additional meetings for its Methodist Dallas Medical Center Safety and Security Steering committee, according to the news station. A hospital statement provided to KDFW said, "Safety on each of our campuses is of paramount concern and is evaluated on an ongoing basis and anytime an issue occurs." Beckers Hospital Review is pleased to release its ACOs to know list in 2023. Many of the featured ACOs are early adopters of the Medicare Shared Savings Program and deliver quality care at lower costs. ACOs are physician- and health system-led groups that focus on finding savings in healthcare delivery. Many work within Medicare programs but also serve patients with private insurance. The list features many organizations that save patients and health systems millions of dollars per year. They are committed to meeting and surpassing ACO standards. We accepted nominations for this list. Click here to find the 2023 nomination forms. Note: This list is not an endorsement of included hospitals or healthcare providers, and organizations cannot pay for inclusion on this list. Entries are presented in alphabetical order. Contact Brendan Talian at btalian@beckershealthcare.com with questions or comments on this list. Advocate Physician Partners Accountable Care (Rolling Meadows, Ill.). A fully transparent and patient-centered program, Advocate Physician Partners Accountable Care has saved millions of dollars for patients over the years. During the 2021 reporting period, Advocate recorded a $27.8 million payout from the Medicare Shared Savings Program. It features multiple committees to ensure it is conforming with and surpassing ACO standards. Atlantic Accountable Care Organization (Morristown, N.J.). As one of the first ACOs established from the inception of the Medicare Shared Savings Program, the Atlantic ACO has consistently saved Medicare money each year. In the most recently recorded year, it saved nearly $10 million by achieving its saving targets in ACO contracts. Going forward, AHS ACO is determined to expand programs for behavioral health. Banner Health Network (Phoenix). Beneficiaries in the Medicare Pioneer ACO served by Banner Health Network receive quality care and preventive medicine that results in less cost to Medicare. Led by Chuck Lehn, it has saved millions of dollars since its inception. Recently, Banner Health Network developed an incentive plan for ophthalmology practices that encouraged the practices to use equally effective but lower-cost vascular endothelial growth factor-modulating medications. The ACO reported a $25.6 million performance payment during the 2021 reporting period for the Medicare Shared Savings Program. Baylor Scott & White Quality Alliance (Dallas). Baylor Scott & White Quality Alliance is an ACO affiliated with Baylor Scott & White Health. It is committed to delivering its patients the highest quality, cost-effective care possible. Baylor Scott & White Quality Alliance has over 6,000 physicians, 50 hospitals and 95+ post-acute care facilities dedicated to improving quality, patient experience and reducing costs. For the 2021 reporting year, the ACO earned $61 million, a $14 million increase in performance payment year over year. Boston Accountable Care Organization (Boston). Boston Accountable Care Organization is a 180,000-plus member organization that strives to improve the healthcare of the populations it serves. The organization recently improved its behavioral health and substance use disorder care and enhanced data, reporting and health information technology to enable better performance improvement. It is forming a Health Equity Committee to improve its services for all which includes additional training and population needs assessments. Community Care of Brooklyn IPA, Inc. (Brooklyn, N.Y.). Community Care of Brooklyn IPA is in the top 25 percent of New York ACOs on the basis of savings per beneficiary. It achieved a quality score of 98.3 percent and saved Medicare nearly $12M with a network that serves a disproportionate number of dual-eligible individuals. CCB IPA's network serves 10,500 Medicare fee for service beneficiaries or 28 percent of all Brooklyn-based Medicare beneficiaries attributed to ACOs. HMH ACO (Edison, N.J.) HMH ACO is Hackensack Meridian Healths newly combined ACO, consolidating the HackensackAlliance ACO, JFK Health ACO and Meridian Health ACO. Under the leadership of William Oser, M.D. as ACO executive, this new ACO has more than 1,300 providers serving nearly 60,000 beneficiaries. JFK Health ACO (Edison, N.J.). JFK Health ACO is one of Hackensack Meridian Health's three ACOs, and under the leadership of William Oser as ACO executive. JFK Health ACO participates in the Medicare Shared Savings Program and recorded savings of $2.4 million in the 2020 performance year. Keystone ACO (Danville, Pa.). Keystone ACO brings doctors, hospitals and healthcare providers together as part of one strong team. It has saved millions of dollars and consistently provides services at a below-ACO average cost. Keystone employs more than 4,500 physicians and earned $26.5 million for the Medicare Shared Savings Program 2021 reporting year. Mayo Clinic Community Accountable Care Organization, LLC (Rochester, Minn.). Even throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the Mayo Clinic ACO provided great access to its members. It increased the use of remote care options and used an internally developed registry to review the charts of patients and proactively schedule appropriate visits. In addition to ongoing efforts, Mayo Clinic ACO initiated a program to expand the delivery of Medicare Annual Wellness Visits to its patients at ACO participant locations. Mercy Health Select (Cincinnati). Mercy Health Select is the ACO of Mercy Health that works to save patients money with efficient care. It earned a $25.3 million payment through the Medicare Shared Savings Program for the 2021 reporting year. For Mercy Health Select, connecting partners and patients for effective and efficient care is a top priority. Optimus Healthcare Partners, LLC (Summit, N.J.). Optimus Healthcare was one of the first ACOs established from the inception of the Medicare Shared Savings Program and is led by Scott Maron, MD, president and CEO. It has saved more than $10 million by achieving high quality and cost savings targets in ACO contracts. Optimus also developed a cloud-based, analytic reporting platform that allowed for the aggregation of patient data sources, data master capabilities and the ability to better care for the patients it serves. Orlando Health Collaborative (Orlando, Fla.) Orlando Health Network's ACO recently achieved savings of nearly $20 million in healthcare costs through meeting quality and cost goals. It also earned high marks across four major quality domains, with an overall score of 96.87 percent. The network expanded its value-based care partnerships with commercial payers including Aetna, Cigna, Florida Blue, and UnitedHealthcare, and boasts more than 5,700 multispecialty providers, a robust and expanding ambulatory footprint, and 16 wholly-owned hospitals and emergency departments. Palm Beach Accountable Care Organization (Palm Springs, Fla.). PBACO is an ACO that strives to improve patient experience, population health and decrease per capita healthcare costs. The organization features more than 275 PCPs and 175 specialist physician members. It also looks after 79,000 Medicare beneficiaries. PBACO was the top earner for the Medicare Shared Savings Program for the last two years, reporting $61.9 million in earned savings in 2021. Physician Partners of Western Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh). Physician Partners is led by Bill Johnjulio, MD, chief medical director of Physician Partners of Western PA and chief population health officer of Allegheny Health Network. Physician Partners recently agreed to two new value-based contracts with Aetna and Gateway Health / Highmark Wholecare which impacts about 80,000 covered lives. Over the past few years, the group has driven nearly $18 million in shared savings among its 3,500 partners. Privia Quality Network (Arlington, Va.). Privia Quality Network is an ACO that is focused on reducing inefficiencies in the healthcare delivery system with leading physicians. It has generated more than $740 million in savings for its total 846,000 attributed lives. Privia works with providers to improve the efficiency and quality of care for their patient populations. For the 2021 reporting year, Privia collected $41.6 million in performance payments as part of the Medicare Shared Savings Program. Rainier Health Network, Franciscan Northwest Physicians Health Network (Tacoma, Wash.). Rainier Health Network is an ACO with the goal of delivering high-quality healthcare and driving down costs with an innovative approach to care. The network is transforming healthcare delivery with physician-led and patient-centered care. It is part of a large nonprofit health system and operates in 21 states with more than 1,000 care sites and serves 20 million patients annually in the U.S. Signify Health Collaborative ACO (Dallas, Texas). Signify Health Collaborative connects hospitals and physicians to deliver more efficient care by leveraging data-driven insights and processes. The ACO, which is part of Signify Health, features more than 26,000 clinicians and over 500,000 attributed Medicare lives. Through its efforts, the ACO has delivered $478 million in total savings to medicare. Steward National Care Network (Westwood, Mass.). The Steward National Care Network, a subsidiary of Steward Health Care, serves nine states and works to provide the most efficient and effective care to patients. The network also provides a full range of primary care physicians and specialists. The Steward Promise ACO is dedicated to connecting healthcare providers to give the best care for each individual. For the 2021 reporting year, Steward reported a $34.5 million performance payout as part of the Medicare Shared Savings Program. The Queens Health System Medicare Shared Savings Program Accountable Care Organization (Honolulu). Queen's entered the Medicare Shared Savings Program with its ACO in 2017, placing Whitney Limm, MD, executive vice president of clinical integration and chief physician executive, at the helm. It covers nearly 16,000 Medicare beneficiaries with annual spending of more than $150 million. The ACO also realized more than $5 million in cost reductions and earned a savings bonus of more than $2 million, which was shared between the health system and its participating providers. University Hospitals Coordinated Care Organization (Cleveland). Led by Mark Schario, University Hospital Coordinated Care Organizations ACO reduced Medicare expenditures by 21 percent and improved quality to 100 percent, up from 73 percent over two years. It implemented a framework to eliminate defects and employed a management system that includes: declaring goals, roles, and resources; creating enabling infrastructure; creating peer learning communities; and reporting transparently and creating shared accountability systems. USMM Accountable Care Partners (Troy, Mich.). USMM Accountable Care Partners provides a wide array of services for over 30,000 patients across 11 states. It is an award-winning network of home-based primary care providers. Clinicians within the ACO work to provide high-quality, compassionate and cost-effective care to the elderly population of the United States. USMM earned a $27.9 million payment as part of the Medicare Shared Savings Program for the 2021 reporting period. The treatment cancer survivors are missing Most oncologists were trained to focus on simply keeping people alive, but with cancer survivors making up 5.4 percent of the U.S. population, new issues in life post cancer are rising, AJMC reported April 15. How UC San Diego's Moores Cancer Center reduced patient no-show rates and unlocked new capacity UC San Diego said 'enough' to high rates of patient no-shows see how their clinic + 500 others are halving no-shows and growing volume, despite staff shortages. MetroHealth first safety net hospital to produce in-house immunotherapies Cleveland-based MetroHealth recently completed construction of its vector and cellular Good Manufacturing Practice facility and became the first safety net hospital to offer in-house viral vector and cellular therapies. 6 systems seeking oncology leaders Here are six health systems seeking oncology leaders: Novant Health Cancer Institute announces 1st endowed chair Charlotte, N.C.-based Novant Health established its first endowed chair at the Novant Health Cancer Institute and announced its inaugural physician. 17 oncology grants over $1.4M Here are 17 oncology grants over $1,4 million: 761 exceptional women in oncology, per Castle Connolly The number of female physicians in oncology is increasing, thus enhancing the patient journey for those who feel most comfortable receiving treatment from a female provider. The value of in-house genomic testing. Lessons learned and operational + patient 'wins' from HNL Lab Medicine and Lehigh Valley Health Network As healthcare organizations face greater demand for streamlined services and delivering value-based care, effective partnerships between care entities have become essential. Childhood cancer survivors' late mortality risk 4 times higher: Study A study by researchers at Memphis, Tenn.-based St. Jude Children's Research Hospital found adult survivors of childhood cancer have four times higher risk of late mortality, even 40 years after their cancer diagnosis. ChristianaCare research may result in 'more precise' advanced colorectal cancer treatment Advanced colorectal cancer is difficult to treat, but a discovery at ChristianaCare's Cawley Center for Translational Cancer Research could lead to a "more precise" treatment. 23 cancer centers opening, expanding, affiliating Here are 23 cancer centers opening, expanding or affiliating: Surgery could cure testicular cancer for some, study finds A recent study found surgery may be an effective alternative to radiation and chemotherapy for patients with early metastatic testicular cancer. Mount Sinai's esophagectomy program earns 3-star rating from Society of Thoracic Surgeons New York City-based Mount Sinai Health System's esophagectomy program received the Society of Thoracic Surgeons' highest rating, according to an April 4 hospital release. FDA stops cancer drug trial after 2 patient deaths The FDA handed Gossamer Bio, a biotech company, a partial clinical hold after two patients died in its BTK inhibitor trial, EndPoints News reported April 3. HHS debuts plan to achieve Cancer Moonshot goals HHS has released a national cancer plan, developed by the National Institutes of Health's National Cancer Institute, that aims to "reduce the cancer death rate by at least half within 25 years," which is the goal of President Joe Biden's Cancer Moonshot initiative. 'How do I maintain my lifestyle?': Cancer patients choosing less treatment despite higher risks More cancer patients are choosing less treatment in order to maintain their lifestyle, The Wall Street Journal reported April 2. Wellstar opens $12M cancer center Roswell, Ga.-based Wellstar North Fulton Hospital opened its $12 million comprehensive cancer center March 23, Appen Media reported. Johns Hopkins study may upend theory of chromosome instability's link to cancer According to Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers, their recent study may upend a long-held theory of chromosome instability contributing to cancer risk for people with short telomeres. Georgia system among 1st to offer Y90 liver cancer treatment to pediatric patients Children's Healthcare of Atlanta is one of the first pediatric centers to offer Y90 Radioembolization treatment to pediatric patients with liver cancer. New endometrial cancer treatment can reduce recurring tumors by 70% A combination of immunotherapy and chemotherapy could help women with advanced endometrial cancer live longer, NBC News reported March 27. California, Washington and Oregon plan to end healthcare worker COVID-19 requirements, effective April 3. State officials in California announced the changes, which include an end to its healthcare worker vaccination and masking requirements, March 3 as the state ends its state of emergency declaration; they will take effect April 3. In Oregon and Washington, officials have also announced they plan to lift masking requirements in healthcare facilities, according to ABC affiliate KATU. "Our communities did a lot of the hard work by getting vaccinated and boosted, staying home and testing when sick, requesting treatments when positive and masking to slow the spread," California Department of Public Health Director and State Public Health Officer Tomas Aragon, MD, DrPH, said in a news release. "With these critical actions and a lot of patience and persistence, we have now reached a point where we can update some of the COVID-19 guidance to continue to balance prevention and adapting to living with COVID-19." Among the changes in California is the end of the state's masking requirement in indoor high-risk and healthcare settings, including healthcare, long-term care and correctional facilities as well as homeless, emergency and warming and cooling centers. Also beginning April 3, California will end its vaccination requirement for healthcare workers, including those in adult care, direct care, correctional facilities and detention centers, state officials said. The monthlong delay is meant to "allow local health departments and facilities to develop and implement plans customized to their needs and local conditions to continue to protect Californians through the end of the winter virus season," according to the public health department. The California Nurses Association is condemning the state's plans to lift masking and vaccine requirements in healthcare settings. Bonnie Castillo, RN, executive director of the union, said in a March 3 news release that the move "is a counterproductive and unscientific approach to curbing the spread and evolution of COVID-19. This decision endangers the health and safety of nurses and other healthcare workers, hurts their ability to access personal protective equipment from employers, and ultimately exacerbates the healthcare staffing crisis that political leaders have vowed to tackle." The union said it will alert California hospitals and clinics where their members work to management's continued responsibilities to protect nurses and healthcare workers. In addition to lifting the masking and vaccination requirements, California also plans to rescind an order that required hospitals to accept transfer patients from facilities with limited intensive care unit capacity as needed, effective April 3. Oregon Health Officer Dean Sidelinger, MD, said moving forward, he expects hospitals in the state to recommend mask use as needed. The state's rescission of its mask mandate extends to workers, patients and visitors in hospitals, mobile clinics, ambulances, outpatient facilities, dental offices, urgent care centers and school-based health centers. Read more about California's updated COVID-19 guidance here. MPs are set to have their say in the Commons tomorrow (Wednesday), with the DUPs MPs to vote against while SDLP leader Colum Eastwood said his party would either vote for it or abstain. North Down MP Mr Farry said: Alliance didn't support Brexit, but thanks to the hard Brexit pursued by the UK Government and DUP, we need to address the particular challenges posed to our region. "We do have some reservations regarding the Stormont Brake, especially concerning the stability of the Assembly and uncertainty for businesses regarding the applicability of updated or new EU law. However, we recognise there are significant safeguards in place and the circumstances where something can be blocked should be very limited." Meanwhile, hardline Brexiteer Tory MPs have labelled the Stormont Brake practically useless. The European Research Group (ERG) revealed its scathing verdict about the compromise agreement on the protocol struck last month following analysis by its lawyers. But ERG chair Mark Francois refused to say how members will vote on the so-called Stormont Brake when MPs get their say in the Commons later today. Mr Francois claimed EU law will still be supreme in Northern Ireland, and said the so-called green lane to ease checks on goods from Britain is not really a green lane at all. He said the ERG lawyers thought the Stormont Brake is practically useless, and Mr Sunaks agreement with Brussels has no exit other than through a highly complex legal process. The Stormont Brake would allow a minority of politicians at the Assembly to flag concerns about new EU laws here, a move that could see the Government veto their introduction. The DUP has already said it will vote against Mr Sunaks Windsor Framework today. Leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson claimed the Stormont Brake does not deal with fundamental problems at the heart of the protocol. The DUP is currently blocking power-sharing at Stormont in protest over the Irish Sea border, and Sammy Wilson said yesterday his party will continue the fight against Brexit trade barriers. The East Antrim MP welcomed the ERG analysis, saying it exposes the hollowness of the Governments rhetoric on the Windsor Framework. He said the report confirmed the view of Mr Donaldson, adding: By handing over control of border checks, the Government has ensured in future the continuation of any EU concessions on trade restrictions can be withdrawn at the whim of the EU. Any backbench Tory rebellion is unlikely to put the fate of the UK-EU agreement in jeopardy, but a revolt of 35-40 Conservative MPs could see Mr Sunak forced to rely on the support of Labour in getting his deal passed. The ERGs report is highly critical of parts of the deal, saying it makes only limited legal changes to the Northern Ireland Protocol and does not permit any changes to essential elements. Mr Francois said the Governments claim this amounts to a new framework or structure for the protocol is not correct. But, noting secondary legislation on the Stormont Brake was only published on Monday, he said the ERG will not be hoisted by our own petard, and would meet again before PMQs. Because we need to allow people time to digest this, the ERG will be meeting again tomorrow... once people have had an opportunity to digest all this documentation, he said. We as a group will discuss what attitude, if any, to take. Other Tory MPs have dismissed the ERG as a much-diminished force. Brexiteer Martin Vickers said he thought no more than 20 hardliners in the ERG might vote against the deal. The vast majority want to support it. Its time to move on, he said. Yesterday, EU member states gave their approval to key changes to the protocol agreed in the Windsor Framework by Mr Sunak and EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen last month. Foreign Secretary James Cleverly will meet the EU Commissions Maros Sefcovic in London on Friday to formally adopt the pact. Downing Street warned Tory rebels and the DUP yesterday the Windsor Framework is the only avenue to change the current default in Northern Ireland, which is automatic alignment with the EU. The PMs official spokesperson said: Any change to EU rules on goods would automatically apply in Northern Ireland without any say for Stormont. A vote against the brake, in factual terms, would lead to automatic alignment with the EU with no say at all. The Independent Former president Donald Trump could be indicted by a Manhattan grand jury as soon as this week, potentially charged with falsifying business records connected to hush money payments during his 2016 campaign to women who accused him of sexual encounters (Sue Ogrocki/AP) Sue Ogrocki Former president Donald Trump could be indicted by a Manhattan grand jury as soon as this week, potentially charged with falsifying business records connected to hush money payments during his 2016 campaign to women who accused him of sexual encounters. It is one of several investigations that have intensified as Mr Trump mounts his third presidential run. He has denied any allegations of wrongdoing and accuses prosecutors of engaging in a politically motivated witch hunt to damage his campaign. An indictment in New York would mark an extraordinary turn in American history, making Mr Trump the first former president to face a criminal charge. And it would carry tremendous weight for Mr Trump himself, threatening his long-established ability to avoid consequences despite entanglement in a dizzying number of cases. For 40 years, the former president has navigated countless legal investigations without ever facing criminal charges. That record may soon come to an end. Mr Trump first faced legal scrutiny in the 1970s when the Department of Justice brought a racial discrimination case against his familys real estate business. A woman performs with a mask of Donald Trump as a small group of people protest near the District Attorney office in New York on Tuesday in anticipation of his possible indictment (Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/AP) Eduardo Munoz Alvarez Mr Trump and his father fiercely fought the suit, which accused them of refusing to rent apartments to black tenants in predominantly white buildings. Testimony showed that applications filed by prospective black tenants were marked with a C for coloured. Mr Trump counter-sued, accusing the government of defamation. The case ended with a settlement that opened the way for some black tenants but did not force the Trumps to explicitly acknowledge they had failed and neglected to comply with the Fair Housing Act. Since then, Mr Trump and his businesses have been the subject of thousands of civil lawsuits and numerous investigations. Jeffrey Shinko in front of Trump Tower after travelling to New York from Pennsylvania to show his support for the former president (Bryan Woolston/AP) Bryan Woolston There have been probes into his casino and real estate dealings, allegations of bribery and improper lobbying, fraud allegations against the now-defunct Trump University and charitable Trump Foundation and a probe by the Manhattan district attorney into sales at the Trump SoHo hotel-condominium in Lower Manhattan. According to the government watchdog group, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, as of November 2022, Mr Trump had been accused of committing at least 56 criminal offences since he launched his campaign in 2015, not including allegations of fraudulent business dealings. But he has never been formally indicted. As president, Mr Trump continued to face legal scrutiny. For two years, the Justice Department investigated his 2016 campaigns ties to Russia. A supporter of Mr Trump takes part in a protest near the Manhattan District Attorneys office on Tuesday (Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/AP) Eduardo Munoz Alvarez While special counsel Robert Mueller never found direct evidence of collusion, his final report did lay out evidence for obstruction. He noted that, because of a department opinion that bars indicting a sitting president, he could not recommend Mr Trump be criminally charged, even in secret. Since Mr Trump left office, the investigations have circled ever closer. In January, his namesake company was fined 1.6 million dollars for tax crimes, including conspiracy and falsifying business records. The companys long-time executive, Allen Weisselberg, is currently serving jail time as punishment for dodging taxes on job perks. Additional cases are still being pursued. In Georgia, Fulton County district attorney Fani Willis has been investigating whether Mr Trump and his allies illegally meddled in the 2020 election. The trial of Donald Trump in a rape claim brought by magazine columnist E Jean Carroll is scheduled to start on April 25 (Seth Wenig/AP) Seth Wenig The foreperson of a special grand jury, which heard from dozens of witnesses, said last month that the panel had recommended that numerous people be indicted, and hinted Mr Trump could be among them. It is ultimately up to Ms Willis to decide whether to move forward. In Washington, Mr Trump is under scrutiny from special counsel Jack Smith for his handling allegations say mishandling of classified documents after leaving office, as well as for his much-publicised efforts to stay in power, despite his 2020 election loss. Justice Department lawyers in the documents probe have said they have amassed evidence of potential crimes involving Mr Trumps retention of national defence information as well as potential efforts to obstruct their work. Some legal experts have questioned the wisdom of having the Manhattan case be the first brought against Mr Trump, when more serious charges could be looming. People protest in front of the District Attorney office ahead of former president Donald Trumps anticipated indictment (Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/AP) Eduardo Munoz Alvarez Mr Trump is expected to be charged with falsifying business records, a misdemeanour unless prosecutors can prove it was done to conceal another crime. And the case dates back years. The New York case involves payments made by Mr Trumps former lawyer, Michael Cohen, who served prison time after pleading guilty in 2018 to federal charges, to porn actor Stormy Daniels and model Karen McDougal. Mr Cohen was reimbursed by Mr Trump, whose company logged the reimbursements as legal expenses. An indictment would not stop Mr Trump from continuing his campaign. There is no prohibition against running while facing criminal charges or even following conviction. Indeed, convicted felons have run for president before, including from behind bars. It was reported by the Associated Press that the Manhattan grand jury investigating Mr Trump will not meet on Wednesday despite that being one of the days each week when the panel ordinarily convenes. The grand jurors were told to be on standby for Thursday, another day when the panel has been meeting, according to three people familiar with the matter. The reason for the postponement was not immediately clear, but it would indicate that a vote on whether or not to indict Mr Trump will be at least temporarily pushed back. Mikheil Saakashvili (55), the former President of Georgia, wrote a letter to BILD from prison Von: Nino Lopes, Micheil Khachidze and Carl-Victor Wachs The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskiy (45), has already called for his release: Mikheil Saakashvili (55) was the president who brought Georgia closer to Europe, tying the future of his country to the West. He was in office from 2004 to 2013. The man who represented a beacon of democracy in the Caucasus, as well as Putins biggest enemy, is now in prison. Saakashvili sees himself as a personal prisoner of Kremlin tyrant Vladimir Putin (70) on whose order he was imprisoned. BILD was able to talk exclusively to Mikheil Saakashvili and his mother Giuli Alasania (76). The exchange happened via letter, since this is the only possible way of communication. BILD was only able to communicate with Georgias former President by mail, because he was imprisoned on order of Kremlin tyrant Vladimir Putin (70) BILD: Mr. Saakashvili, you strongly criticized Putin. Do you think you are a prisoner of the Georgian government by his order? If so, is there any evidence? Mikheil Saakashvili: Im absolutely sure. Putin said that he would hang me by the balls. He and Dmitry Medvedev (57, former President of Russia, ed.) said several times that I should be put on trial. They gave Bidzina Ivanishvili my successor who ran against me two billion dollars for his election campaign. The first charges were brought against me when I was governor of Odessa and stopped the Russians expansion there. Today, Georgia is owned by a Russian oligarch and is governed by a medieval feudal lord. Ukrainian President Zelenskiy said that the Georgian government is about to publicly murder you. What will be the consequences for the future of Georgia? Saakashvili: For Zelenskiy who I think of as a modern Churchill this is an important issue. First, I am the chair of his current reform council. My office in the Ukrainian Presidents administration is next to his. By my imprisonment, Putin is sending a signal to Zelenskiy: this is what will await him, too, one day if he doesnt obey. At a joint conference in Kyiv with the President of Austria, Alexander van der Bellen (79), Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called for Saakashvilis release. He also showed pictures illustrating Saakashvilis poor condition What my murder will mean Saakashvili continues: For Georgia, my murder will mean the end of Georgian democracy and sovereignty (). Sometimes I think that the current government wants to start a civil war. They think they could maintain their power through this. Your supporters say that you are the private prisoner of your successor Ivanishvili, at Russias behest. How would he benefit from your imprisonment? Saakashvili: Ivanishvili is tied to Russia by an umbilical cord. He likes the Russian political system. At the same time, he and his puppets accuse the West of having sent me in order to topple them which is complete nonsense. Ivanishvili is not pleased about the great sympathy I enjoy in the West. He is also handing Georgia over to Putin, quietly and without a sound. But the attention surrounding me had foiled this plan. Saakashvili continues: They dont want me to return to Ukraine and help Zelenskiy. Putin said that he would have me tortured and poisoned. As a reaction to Bidens visit to Kyiv, Maria Zakharova (47, spokeswoman of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ed.) herself said that my imprisonment and difficult situation is a victory for Russia. My death will plunge Georgia into chaos If Saakashvili dies in prison, Georgias European perspective will also die, wrote Polish EU politician Radoslaw Sikorski. Does Georgias Euro-Atlantic future depend on what will happen to you? Saakashvili: The European perspective wont die, but my death will indeed cause great chaos in Georgia. Better times: Georgias former President Saakashvili (55) in 2020 How far will the Georgian government go? Can they risk letting you die? Saakashvili: When I left Kyiv, I weighed 120 kilos. Today, I weigh 65 kilos. I have terrible pain in my entire body. I am completely bedridden and often lose consciousness. Many people are wondering whether Im still alive. According to MRI examinations, my brain is damaged. Most of my symptoms are due to metal poisoning. No lab in Georgia can treat this. The Polish government has prepared a clinic for my treatment, but I could also imagine being treated in the Charite in Berlin, where Navalny was also treated. Spannendes Interview bei BILD im TV Dieser General steht auf Putins Todesliste 05:23 For me, Germany is linked with justice What is your message to Germany? Saakashvili: For me, Germany is linked with justice. I spent my last evening in Europe in the restaurant of the Frankfurt opera with friends who are members of the German parliament. I hope that Chancellor Scholz and Minister Baerbock wont tolerate me dying from medieval torture for all the world to see. Auch interessant Anzeige In general, I would like to ask Chancellor Scholz: do you think its normal that there is a country in Europe that is unofficially controlled by an oligarch? Saakashvili comments. Georgias security apparatus is entirely controlled by oligarchs, even the prosecution and the courts and everything is tied to Russia. What do you think is the reason why the current President of Georgia wont pardon you? Saakashvili: She could at least postpone the execution of the judgement. Her argument that, in some cases, no judgement has yet been passed and hence she cannot pardon me, is untenable. BILD also exclusively spoke to Saakashvilis mother, Giuli Alasania (76). The former Presidents mother, Giuli Alasania (76), is worried about her sons life Ms Alasania, how is your son? Are you concerned about this health and life? Alasania: My sons condition is very serious. According to several doctors, some German, he is suffering from brain damage and reduced white blood cells, because he was poisoned in prison and heavy metals such as quicksilver and arsenic are in his body. He is very weak. For months now, he has had high fever and muscle atrophy. He also has severe pain in his fibres and joints. If he is not immediately detoxified, a fatal end is inevitable. Mikheil Saakashvili shows his tortured and emaciated body in a clinic How often are you allowed to see your son and what do you bring him? Alasania: I am permitted to see him twice a day, but only because I have been bringing him food after it was found out that he was poisoned in prison. I am the only one who is allowed to bring him food, allegedly for security reasons. What are these meetings between mother and son like? What do you talk about? Alasania: We mostly talk about Ukraine, the war that is continuing there, and perspectives. Unfortunately, it is not possible to talk about every topic, because we are constantly surveilled and listened to. They can publish what we are talking about, whenever they want. This has already happened many times. Do you think that your son is unjustly imprisoned? Alasania: It is acknowledged that my son is Putins prisoner. He was accused of made-up allegations and then imprisoned which is unacceptable. My son was moving freely across the entire word except for Russia and Georgia. My priority is to save my sons life Are you also being surveilled or harassed? Alasania: Of course I am being controlled and observed. My family and I are spied upon. But that is less of my concern at the moment. My priority is to save my sons life. What might your sons future be like, if he were released? Alasania: I think that his future life would be related to Ukraine and its reconstruction. Paul Ronzheimer in the frontline hell of Bakhmut Von: PAUL RONZHEIMER, VADIM MOISSENKO UND GIORGOS MOUTAFIS (IN BACHMUT) As we approach Bakhmut, two kilometres down the hill, we have to accelerate. Everything here is within the sightlines of the Russian soldiers. Every second, the bombardment could continue. Here is the frontline. This is the last street that leads into, and out of, this heavily embattled place in eastern Ukraine that is not yet completely under Russian control. Now were in Gods hands, says the Ukrainian soldier taking us into the city, while we speed down the hill at 160 km/h, over a road ruined by the shelling. In the sky, we can see Russian planes. Its scary. I usually drink a shot of cognac when I take this road, the solider says. Valeri (56, right) talking to BILD reporter Paul Ronzheimer in front of his house in Bakhmut Bakhmut has become a symbol of Russias war of aggression against Ukraine, which started almost a year ago. Ukraines President, Volodymyr Zelenskiy (45), has ordered his soldiers to hold the city which used to be home to one hundred thousand people at any cost. The next week, maybe even the next days, might decide the fate of Bakhmut. It doesnt look good. The absurd, even crazy, thing about the situation in Bakhmut when one enters the city is: while people might be shot and killed anywhere at any time, thousands are still here. Most of them are hiding in basements. Others, like Elena (40), are still coming outside: Because there are people who want to do their shopping. There is a demand for liquid gas, batteries, torches. The day before yesterday, her shop was destroyed by a grenade. But she doesnt want to flee. Besides the dogs, we have very old neighbours. If we go away, who will bring them water? Who will cook for them? As we continue on our way, past destroyed buildings, we become witnesses to the Russian attacks. Russian soldiers are shooting with mortars at the neighbourhood where we have just been interviewing residents. New attack on Bakhmut: residents and BILD reporters must run to the bunker in order to seek shelter from Russian shelling The explosion is extreme and not even 200 metres away. We run away while there are more explosions in our direct vicinity. It is sometimes only seconds that decide whether somebody is hit, or will continue to live. I fight for the life of every child, for every soul In one of the basements, we meet Marina (30). She is taking care of the children. Up to 300 are allegedly still in the city. Marina recounts: There is a girl here, she is 19 and has a child that is two and a half years old. She is sticking with her husband, who doesnt want to leave, and the child has become a hostage in this situation. Children are dying from heart attacks, like in Adviivka. There was an explosion, and a little girl died of a heart attack. Marina (30, right) talking to BILD reporter Paul Ronzheimer. She tries to take care of as many children as possible In the bunker in Bakhmut, stuffed animals are piled up there are still up to 300 children in the city Marina wants to stay in Bakhmut, even though the Russian army is controlling more and more areas, and even though there is only this one road left that leads out of the city, that is also fired at. Isnt she afraid that the Russian soldiers will shoot her? She says: I have three heavy contusions, two injuries due to shrapnel and a bullet wound in the shoulder. Im not afraid of anything. I come here because of the children, thats the most important thing for me. I fight for the life of every child, for every soul. Im not afraid of the Russians coming nearer. You cant get into the city anymore, we took the damn shortcuts over the fields. After three hours in Bakhmut which has become hell in this war we leave the city, back over the dangerous road, the hill, again at full throttle. Residents and helpers under constant fire These three hours alone were very dangerous for us. Over the past weeks and months, helpers have been killed here again and again. The last victim was the American paramedic Pete Reed (33) who was killed by Russian fire while helping civilians out of the city. We ask ourselves: how can the people who stay in Bakhmut deal with this every day? Some of them seem like they have lost contact with reality after all those months of war. As if shelling were something completely normal. As if it were a normal day when you dont know whether youll survive. As if it were normal that you could die anywhere, anytime. You know the famous quote attributed to Maya Angelou, "When a person shows you who they are, believe them." Turns out, it applies to politics and politicians, too. This week, two California lawmakers got into a Twitter spat over gender identity legislation and the role of parentsthose pesky people in charge of their childrenand what one of them said really demonstrated his character and beliefs. On Monday, state Senator Scott Wiener (CA-11), a Democrat representing San Francisco, A DeSantis-style bill was just introduced in CA to require teachers/counselors to inform parents if a kid id's as a gender not on birth certificate. Even if the kid isn't ready to come out to their parents. Even if ratting the kid out risks violence at home. Nope, not in CA. The relationship between parent and child is important; trust is vital. This politician apparently has no problem helping schools keep secrets from parents and using the law to do it. Unfortunately, Wiener had become outraged and gotten his facts wrong. The author of the bill he was referring to tweeted later in the thread and explained the legislation for all on Twitter to see. Bill Essayli, (CA-63), a Republican representative representing the Sacramento area explained his legislation. I just introduced a bill #AB1314 which will require schools to notify parents when a student is actively identifying by a different gender. Unfortunately, this bill is necessary because schools are instructing teachers to conceal this information from parents. Children are the domain of their parents, not the government. Schools cannot decide what information should or shouldn't be shared with parents. Trans minors are higher risk for depression and suicide. More than 50% of trans minors have considered suicide. Essayli even clarified that this would only apply if a child had already publicly begun to identify as a different gender so there was no "outing," a child. The idea that one can change one's gender is a new contagion that has caught on among a small but growing sliver of today's youth. California has already made the determination that child sex change is valid, as does Essaylis bill. But the bill wants parents to be informed. For Wiener, parental involvement is not acceptable. Essayli's bill aims at landing where the issue has already manifested most and that is in schools. The goal of the bill is to encourage communication between kids, families, and school systems, so that schools are not used as a wedge between parents and kids on an issue that is already fraught with controversy, emotion, and frustration. What kind of person would not want to encourage such a discussion? It's unfortunate that any lawmaker would oppose such a bill. When San Francisco journalist Erica Sandberg asked Senator Wiener via Twitter if he was a parent, Wiener shot back defensively: And the are you a parent line is pretty dismissive, Erica. I understand very well the ramifications of a teacher being forced to tell parents about a kid's sexual orientation or gender identity before the kid is ready. It's harmful, which is why it's being pushed by the right. As this wasn't exactly what the bill was about, it's clear Wiener's outrage was over blown but it was revealing: Schools do sometimes become a wedge between parents and their kids. Parents and lawmakers are right to be concerned about it. In 2020, several parents sued the Madison Metropolitan School District in Wisconsin over the district's secretive transgender policy which let teachers hide children's gender identity issues from their parents and encouraged teachers to affirm the children's chosen identities at school. The case is still in litigation. Some teachers willingly participate in the charade between school and child on their own. In Pennsylvania last year, three parents filed a federal lawsuit against the Mount Lebanon School District alleging that their children's first grade teacher and school administrators violated their rights and state law, by teaching their children about "gender dysphoria and transgender transitioning" without listing it as classroom curriculum online as required. Essayli's bill to protect communication between parents, families, and schools is not without cause. It's well-intentioned and sound. The fact that Wiener vehemently opposes it demonstrates that he does not believe parents should have ultimate authority over their kids but that, in some cases, the state should intervene. This is wrong and harmful to families and society. Democrats don't really want to protect kids. If they did, they'd involve their own families. Democrats want to use divisive issues like gender fluidity in school systems to separate children and their families, to divide them, and thus make children more vulnerable to their influence. The relationship between parent and child must remain intact. It's good for children and good for society. THE YOUNG WOMAN with long pink hair claimed to be from Washington state. One day during the summer of 2020, she walked into the Chinook Center, a community space for left-wing activists in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and offered to volunteer. She dressed in a way that was sort of noticeable, said Samantha Christiansen, a co-founder of the Chinook Center. But no one among the activists found that unusual or alarming; everyone has their own style. They accepted her into the community. The pink-haired woman said her name was Chelsie. She also dropped regular hints about her chosen profession. She implied over the course of getting to know her that she was a sex worker, said Jon Christiansen, Samanthas husband and another co-founder of the Chinook Center. I think somebody else had told me that, and I just was like, Oh, OK. That makes sense, said Autum Carter-Wallace, an activist in Colorado Springs. I never questioned it. But Chelsies identity was as fake as her long pink hair. The young woman, whose real name is April Rogers, is a detective at the Colorado Springs Police Department. The FBI enlisted her to infiltrate and spy on racial justice groups during the summer of 2020. Photo courtesy of Chinook Center. The work of Rogers, or Chelsie, is a direct offshoot of the FBIs summer of 2020 investigation in Denver , where Mickey Windecker, a paid FBI informant, drove a silver hearse, rose to a leadership role in the racial justice movement, and encouraged activists to become violent. Windecker provided information to the FBI about an activist who attended demonstrations in both Denver and Colorado Springs, prompting federal agents to launch a new investigation in the smaller Colorado city. I tell the story of Windecker and his FBI work, as well as the investigation in Colorado Springs, in Alphabet Boys , a 10-episode documentary podcast from Western Sound and iHeartPodcasts. As the FBIs Colorado Springs investigation reveals, Denver wasnt the only city where federal agents infiltrated racial justice groups that summer. Working through the Joint Terrorism Task Force, a partnership with local police, the FBI assembled files on local activists using information secretly gathered by Rogers. Once Rogers gained trust among the activists, she tried to set up at least two young men in gun-running conspiracies. Her tactics mirrored those of Windecker, who tried to entrap two Denver racial justice activists in crimes, including an FBI-engineered plot to assassinate Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser that went nowhere. To reveal what happened in Colorado Springs, I obtained search warrant applications, body-camera video from local police assisting the FBI investigation, and recordings of conversations involving federal agents; reviewed hundreds of pages of internal FBI records about Social Media Exploitation, a program federal agents used to monitor racial justice activists nationwide; and interviewed about a dozen activists who were targeted in the federal probe. The FBI declined to be interviewed about the Colorado Springs investigation and refused to respond in writing to a list of questions. The Colorado Springs Police Department also declined to comment, referring all questions to the FBI. Keanu Reeves has paid tribute to his late John Wick co-star Lance Reddick as an artist with grace, dignity and a passion for life at the premiere of the franchises fourth instalment. The US actor said that every day was special while working with Reddick, who was also known for roles in popular US shows The Wire and Lost. Reddick died on Friday at the age of 60 from natural causes, according to his publicist. The US actor said that every day was special while working with Reddick, who was also known for roles in popular US shows The Wire and Lost (Chris Pizzello/AP) The actors death came just days before the release of John Wick 4, in which he reprised his role of impassive hotel concierge Charon. Reeves wore a blue ribbon and became emotional while discussing his late co-star at the films Los Angeles premiere on Monday. Every time you were in his presence, he was such a special person, special artist, and he had a grace and dignity, and a passion for life and his craft, the star told the Hollywood Reporter. Advertisement Just to be in his light and to be in his presence and get a chance to work with him every day was special. Reddick died on Friday at the age of 60 (Alamy/PA) Ahead of the screening of the film, which is now dedicated in Reddicks honour, director Chad Stahelski and Joe Drake, the boss of film company Lionsgate, reportedly led a standing ovation for the actor. Reddick began his screen career in the mid-1990s, with guest roles on TV series including The Nanny and New York Undercover, going on to big-screen roles in Great Expectations and The Siege. Entertainment Keanu Reeves on expanding the John Wick universe i... Read More He played Cedric Daniels in the popular HBO drama The Wire from 2002, appearing in all 60 episodes alongside Dominic West, Idris Elba, Michael K Williams and Wendell Pierce. He also lent his voice to animated shows including Adult Swims Rick And Morty. Reddick is survived by his wife, Stephanie Reddick, and children, Yvonne Nicole Reddick and Christopher Reddick. Miriam O'Callaghan will not be the next host of RTE's Late Late Show, the Prime Time presenter said on Tuesday. Last week, Ryan Tubridy said that he was stepping away from the programme after 14 years of hosting. In a Twitter post, Ms O'Callaghan described the long-running talk show as "the jewel in the crown of Irish broadcasting", but said that she enjoys her current gig on Prime Time "too much" to leave it. A little news - just to stop all the questions, including from my wonderful Mum pic.twitter.com/9nTp5A5baW Miriam O'Callaghan (@MiriamOCal) March 21, 2023 She said that speculation about her taking the Late Late Show hotseat was "very flattering". Claire Byrne is now the clear favourite to replace Tubridy as Late Late Show host after early favourite, Miriam OCallaghan, ruled herself out of the running today. Advertisement OCallaghan had started as the 4/6 favourite in the betting but slid down the order over the last couple of days as punters continued to back Byrne and Sarah McInerney for the role. Laois native Byrne, kicked off a 6/1 shot in the betting before becoming the 6/4 favourite yesterday on the foot of strong support. OCallaghans withdrawal has seen her odds cut once again with her now a 6/5 shot to land the biggest role in Irish showbiz. Meanwhile, Sarah McInerneys odds have continued to tumble with the Drivetime host now available at 10/3 having been a 20/1 shot initially Elsewhere, outsider Piers Morgan has seen his odds cut today from 250/1 to 100/1 after attracting a string of small bets while Roy Keane has gone from 500/1 to 250/1. Two women have been jailed after they were caught with cannabis totalling just over 65,000 in their car and their apartment. Holly McNevin (28) of Walkinstown Park, Walkinstown, Dublin 12 and Sarah Redmond (27) of Whitehall Square, Perrystown, also Dublin 12, each pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to having drugs in their possession for sale or supply on September 20th, 2021. Garda Daniel Redmond told David Staunton BL, prosecuting, that gardai stopped a Fiat Brava just after 2pm that afternoon on the Drimnagh Road in Dublin. Officers immediately noticed a strong smell of cannabis coming from the vehicle. McNevin was the driver and Redmond was the front seat passenger. Gda Redmond said two large vacuum packed bags containing 39,680 worth of cannabis herb was found in the car, while 14,390 in cash was found concealed around the drivers area. Advertisement McNevin immediately made admissions and said she had collected green referring to the drugs- and admitted that the cash seized was going with the weed. A follow-up search of various properties connected to the women led to the discovery of a similar vacuum-packed bag of cannabis, worth just under 20,000, in Redmonds apartment along with 10 bars of cannabis resin worth an estimated 5,710. McNevin took responsibility for the drugs found in the car but said she knew nothing about the drugs found in Redmonds apartment. While Redmond ultimately took responsibility for the drugs found in her home, she said she couldnt give gardai further information as she was in fear for the safety of herself, her son and her home. McNevin has two previous convictions for road traffic offences, while Redmond has no convictions. Co-operation Gda Redmond agreed with Seamus Clarke SC, defending McNevin, that she was extremely nervous when gardai stopped the car, and she fully co-operated with the investigation. She told gardai that her brother owed a debt that he and she had collectively ran up because of their use of drugs. She said she had agreed to get involved so that nothing would happen her brother. Mr Clarke said his client got involved in the drug world through a former boyfriend. She had no job at the time, but she has since attended for residential treatment and has been working since November 2021. Advertisement Counsel said a probation report before the court put his client at a low risk of re-offending, she has not come to garda attention since her arrest, and she has strong family support. Gda Redmond agreed with Dominic McGinn SC, defending Redmond, that his client had been in fear at the time but he confirmed that although Redmond, may not have been the owner of the drugs, she was allowing her home to be used to store drugs. Redmond has a five-year-old son and is expecting another baby in July. She also had not come to garda attention since her arrest and has strong family support. Ireland Kerry man who smeared excrement in Garda cell is j... Read More Mr McGinn told the court that his client sees her arrest as a positive influence as it came at a time when her life was spiralling out of her control and it made her re-address matters. Judge Martin Nolan said McNevin was transporting the drugs, while Redmond was allowing her apartment to be used to store drugs. He accepted that both women were on the lower level of drug dealing enterprise but said they are essential cogs. They committed misjudgements to involve themselves and they are no doubt both very sorry and unlikely to re-offend, Judge Nolan said. He acknowledged that they both had successfully dealt with their addictions but added I am afraid both must go to prison before he jailed them for two years. Proceeds from windfall profits of energy companies may not be enough to fund another 200 energy credit, Minister for the Environment Eamon Ryan has said. The Government is to decide in the Budget how it will use up to 600 million from such windfall profits to lower prices for consumers. It has approved the general scheme of legislation to implement a temporary solidarity contribution and a cap on market revenues to address windfall gains in the energy sector. The Government expects to raise between 280 and 600 million euro through these mechanisms, following a Council of the European Union regulation on an emergency intervention to address high energy prices which came into effect on October 6th. It will be recycled as part of helping households in their electricity bills, Mr Ryan said. Today we approved the introduction of a windfall tax which is estimated to collect 280- 600 million. This is in response to our recognition that some fossil fuel companies & electricity generators have made additional profits on the back of the war of Ukraine. Advertisement Eamon Ryan (@EamonRyan) March 21, 2023 The temporary solidarity contribution is based on taxable profits from 2022 and 2023 in the fossil fuel production and refining sectors, while the cap on market revenues applies from December 2022 to June 2023. The contribution is based on 75 per cent of taxable profits which are more than 20 per cent above the baseline for the period of 2018-2021. Proceeds from these measures will be collected in September of this year and next year. The proceeds from the cap on market revenues must be used to lower prices for electricity consumers, while proceeds from the solidarity contribution can be used in a variety of ways as determined by Government. These include financially supporting energy consumers, reducing energy consumption or promoting investments in renewable energy. Mr Ryan said this provided flexibility in terms of an energy transition for businesses. Portions of the proceeds must be used to lower energy prices for consumers (PA) He said the full amount gained will not be known until the autumn and a use for the proceeds will be decided in the next Budget. So it will be a part of the Budget process. It will give us more flexibility and capability to consider in the Budget what further measures we need to make, he said. Mr Ryan said energy credits would also be reviewed. Advertisement He cautioned that each of the previous 200 energy credits to consumers cost approximately 400 million euro. He said the revenue from the market cap in itself may not be able to fund that sort of response. Asked if it was legally sound to backdate taxes through these measures, Mr Ryan said it was unusual but the measure was extraordinary. The whole measure is an extraordinary measure in response to an extraordinary energy crisis. It comes from the European Union policy decision. That decision has been challenged in the courts by the likes of Exxon Mobil so that will be played out or worked out with the European Court of Justice. Ireland Government outlines 'safety net' for renters ahead... Read More But we believe the legislation weve introduced is strong, is appropriate, is balanced and delivers on the objectives. Its not attacking any one company or looking to unfairly take revenues from them. Its looking to take some of the excess profits, which was not because of any of their activities, but because of what (Russian President) Vladimir Putin is doing and I think thats an appropriate and legal response. Ukraines president Volodymyr Zelenskiy has thanked Ireland for its support for his country. Mr Zelenskiy spoke to Taoiseach Leo Varadkar by telephone on Monday. A Government spokesman said Mr Varadkar pledged continued support and solidarity with Ukraine. Mr Varadkar told Mr Zelenskiy that Ireland is backing Ukraines application for European Union membership, and is examining how additional help can be provided to help Ukraine rebuild its civilian and energy infrastructure. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar pictured in his office during a phone call with Ukrainian president Volodoymyr Zelenskiy on Monday. Photo: Government Information Service He also briefed Mr Zelenskiy about discussions he held with US president Joe Biden and others regarding Russias invasion of Ukraine during his recent visit to the US, where he thanked them for their steadfast support and encouraged them to continue it for as long as it takes. Mr Zelenskiy extended happy wishes to Ireland for St Patricks Day, and wished peace and good luck to Irish people. Advertisement Ukraine said on Monday the eastern town of Avdiivka could soon become a "second Bakhmut", a small city where its forces have held out against Russian invaders for eight months but risk being fully encircled. The battle for Bakhmut in the industrial Donbas has been one of the fiercest of the nearly 13-month-old war in Ukraine, drawing comparisons with World War One trench warfare. The commander of Ukraine's ground forces said last week Moscow's forces were now trying to fully encircle Bakhmut in an offensive that has made no major breakthroughs. On Monday, the spokesperson for Ukraine's Tavria military command said he agreed with an assessment by British Defence Intelligence that Russia was mounting pressure on supply lines to Avdiivka, as it has done around Bakhmut. "The enemy is constantly trying to encircle the town of Avdiivka. I very much agree with my colleagues from the UK that Avdiivka may soon become the second Bakhmut," spokesman Oleksiy Dmytrashkivskyi said. Advertisement "However, I would like to say that all is not well with the Russian units attacking in this direction," he added in televised comments. Ukraine has said Russian forces are taking heavy losses in their offensive in eastern Ukraine. Avdiivka had a peacetime population of more than 30,000. Unlike Bakhmut, it has been a frontline town for many years. Ukrainian forces were dug in there long before Russia's full-scale invasion last year, holding the line against Russian-backed militants who took control of swathes of territory in east Ukraine in 2014 after Russian forces seized Crimea. Avdiivka lies just to the north of the Russian-held city of Donetsk, of which Ukraine lost control in 2014. British Defence Intelligence tweeted on Monday that Russian forces had made "creeping gains" around Avdiivka and said the sprawling Avdiivka Coke Plant was "likely to be seen as particularly defendable key terrain as the battle progresses". A Chinese peace plan could provide a basis for a settlement of the fighting in Ukraine, when the West is ready for it, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said. Speaking after talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Mr Putin said Ukraines western allies so far have shown no interest in that. He also said Britain plans to provide Ukraine with ammunition for battle tanks containing depleted uranium, saying it heralds the West switching to supplying Kyiv with weapons containing nuclear components. Mr Putin said: It looks like the West indeed intends to fight Russia until the last Ukrainian, pointing out a British plan to provide Ukraine with tank rounds containing depleted uranium. If that happens, Russia will respond accordingly, given that the collective West is starting to use weapons with a nuclear component. Advertisement Mr Putin was speaking after Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida made a surprise visit on Tuesday to Kyiv, stealing some of the global attention from Mr Xi, who was in Moscow to show support for Russia against the West over the Kremlins invasion of Ukraine. The two visits, about 500 miles apart, highlighted the nearly 13-month-old wars repercussions for international diplomacy as countries line up behind Moscow or Kyiv. They follow a week in which China and Japan both enjoyed diplomatic successes that have emboldened their foreign policy. Mr Kishida, who is to chair the G7 summit in May, met President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Ukrainian capital, and paid tribute to those killed in Bucha, a town outside Kyiv that became a symbol of Russian atrocities against civilians. Mr Kishidas visit was to show respect to the courage and patience of the Ukrainian people who are standing up to defend their homeland under President Zelenskys leadership, and show solidarity and unwavering support for Ukraine as head of Japan and chairman of G7, the Japanese foreign ministry said in announcing his trip to Kyiv. Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida lays flowers at a church in Bucha (Iori Sagisawa/Kyodo News/AP) Advertisement Mr Kishida laid flowers at a church in Bucha for the towns victims and said: I would like to represent the people in Japan, and express my deepest condolences to those who lost their loved ones, were injured as a result of this cruel act. Washington is accelerating its delivery of Abrams tanks to Ukraine, choosing to send a refurbished older version that can be ready faster, US officials told The Associated Press on Tuesday. The aim is to get the 70-ton behemoths to the war zone in eight to 10 months, the officials said. The US has led efforts among Kyivs western allies to augment Ukraines military might. Mr Putin warmly welcomed Mr Xi on Monday for a three-day visit the two major powers described as an opportunity to deepen their no-limits friendship. Mr Putin is keen to show he has a heavyweight ally and also find a market for Russian energy products under western sanctions. Matryoshka dolls with portraits of Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin for sale at a souvenir shop in Moscow (Dmitry Serebryakov/AP) Russias deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov accused Nato of wanting to become the worlds dominant military force and said Moscow is trying to prevent it. Advertisement That is why we are expanding our cooperation with China, including in the security sphere, he said. Western officials have seen some signs that Mr Putin also wants lethal weapons from China, though there is no evidence Beijing has granted his request, Nato secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg said in Brussels on Tuesday. China should not provide lethal aid to Russia, Mr Stoltenberg said. That would be to support an illegal war and only prolong the war. Mr Kishida was the only G7 leader who had not visited Ukraine and was under domestic pressure to do so. Mr Kishida, Japans first postwar leader to enter a war zone, was invited by Mr Zelensky in January to visit Kyiv. Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida and Emine Dzhaparova, first deputy foreign minister of Ukraine at the railway station in Kyiv (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office/AP) Due to its pacifist principles, Japans support for Ukraine has been limited to equipment such as helmets, bulletproof vests and drones, and humanitarian supplies including generators. Japan has contributed more than 5.7 billion to Ukraine, and accepted more than 2,000 displaced Ukrainians and helped them with housing assistance and support for jobs and education, a rare move in a country that is known for its strict immigration policy. Advertisement In Beijing, foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said Beijings contacts with Russia will help to bring about peace. President Putin said that Russia appreciates Chinas consistent position of upholding fairness, objectivity and balance on major international issues, he said. Russia has carefully studied Chinas position paper on the political settlement of the Ukrainian issue, and is open to peace talks. Asked about Mr Kishidas trip to Kyiv, he added, We hope Japan could do more things to de-escalate the situation instead of the opposite. Donald Trump could be charged in New York as soon as this week for allegedly covering up hush money payments to a porn star during his 2016 presidential campaign, nearly seven years after the money changed hands. But any trial of the former US president would still be more than a year away, legal experts said, and could coincide with the final months of the 2024 presidential campaign as Mr Trump seeks a return to the White House. In a social media post on Saturday, Mr Trump said he expected to be arrested on Tuesday and called on his followers to protest, though a spokesperson later said Mr Trump has not been notified of any pending arrest. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has presented evidence to a New York grand jury about a $130,000 (120,000) payment to porn star Stormy Daniels in the waning days of the 2016 presidential campaign in exchange for her silence about an alleged affair, according to sources. Advertisement Mr Trump has denied the affair, and his lawyer has accused Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, of extortion. Were he charged, Mr Trump would become the first former US president to face criminal prosecution. Polls show him leading other potential rivals for the Republican nomination, including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who is widely expected to mount a White House bid. The average criminal case in New York takes more than a year to move from indictment to trial, said Karen Friedman Agnifilo, former Manhattan chief assistant district attorney, and Mr Trump's case is far from typical. That raises the possibility of Mr Trump having to stand trial in the middle of the 2024 presidential campaign, or even after Election Day, though putting a president-elect or president on trial for state charges would enter uncharted legal waters. If elected, he would not hold the power to pardon himself of state charges. "This is so unprecedented that it's hard for me to say," Ms Agnifilo said when asked whether a judge would put Mr Trump on trial close to the election. "I think it's tricky." The New York case is one of several focused on Mr Trump, including a Georgia election interference probe and a pair of federal investigations into his role in the January 6yj, 2021, assault on the US Capitol by his supporters trying to overturn his defeat and into his retention of classified documents after leaving the White House. Challenging the case Advertisement In his early career in real estate, as a television celebrity and then in politics, the famously litigious Mr Trump has employed aggressive counter-attacks and delay tactics when confronted with legal challenges. Mr Trump has accused Mr Bragg, an elected Democrat, of targeting him for political gain and could try to seek dismissal of the charges on those grounds. Mr Trump would likely pursue other avenues as well, some of which could present thorny legal issues that take time to resolve. While serving as president, Mr Trump reimbursed Mr Cohen for the Daniels payments, and federal prosecutors who charged Mr Cohen said in court papers that the payments were falsely recorded as for legal services. The New York Times, citing sources, has reported the most likely charges against Mr Trump would be for falsifying business records, typically a misdemeanour. To elevate that charge to a felony, prosecutors must prove that Mr Trump falsified records to cover up a second crime. One possibility, according to the Times, is that prosecutors could assert the payment itself violated state campaign finance law, since it was effectively an illegal secret donation to boost his campaign. Using state election law to elevate a false business record charge is an untested legal theory, experts said, and Mr Trump's lawyers would be sure to challenge it. Advertisement Mr Trump could also challenge whether the statute of limitations - five years in this instance - should have run out. Under New York law, the statute of limitations can be extended if the defendant has been out of state, but Mr Trump may argue that serving as US president should not apply. "There's a whole host of possibilities," said David Shapiro, a former FBI agent and prosecutor and a lecturer at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York. "This is a dream case for defense attorneys." Finderprints and mugshot In the near term, any indictment would require Mr Trump to travel to the district attorney's office in downtown New York to surrender. In white-collar cases, the defendant's lawyers and prosecutors typically agree on a date and time, rather than arresting the person at home. Mr Trump would have his fingerprints and mugshot taken and would appear for arraignment in court. He would likely be released on his own recognisance and allowed to head home, experts said. Mr Trump's lawyer, Joe Tacopina, told CNBC on Friday that Mr Trump would surrender if charged. If Mr Trump refused to come in voluntarily, prosecutors could seek to have him extradited from Florida, where he currently resides. In an ironic twist, Mr DeSantis would typically have to give formal approval for an extradition demand in his capacity as governor, though Florida legal experts said his role would be strictly administrative. Google has suspended the Chinese shopping platform Pinduoduo on its app store after malware was discovered in versions of the app from other sources. Google said it suspended the Pinduoduo app on the Google Play store out of security concerns and that it was investigating. The suspension of the app mainly used in China comes amid heightened tensions over Chinese-owned apps such as TikTok, which some US legislators say could be a national security threat. They allege that such apps could be used to spy on American users. Pinduoduo is a popular e-commerce app in China which often offers discounts if users team up to buy multiples of an item. Many Chinese online shopping platforms offer downloads of the app. Google warned users on Tuesday to uninstall any Pinduoduo app not downloaded from its own Play store. Advertisement Google Play Protect enforcement has been set to block installation attempts of these identified malicious apps, the tech giant said in a statement. Users that have malicious versions of the app downloaded to their devices are warned and prompted to uninstall the app. It is unclear if there are similar security concerns around the Pinduoduo app for Apple users, and it was still available to download from Apples iOS store on Tuesday. In a statement, Pinduoduo said that Google had not shared more details with the company beyond informing it that the current version of its app was not compliant with Googles policy. We strongly reject the speculation and accusation that Pinduoduo app is malicious just from a generic and non-conclusive response from Google, Pinduoduo said. Russia and China showcased their no-limit friendship on Tuesday during a pomp-laden Kremlin ceremony intended to further cement ties amid the fighting in Ukraine. After hosting Chinese leader Xi Jinping over a seven-course private dinner for four and a half hours the previous night, Russian President Vladimir Putin greeted him in the old imperial palace for talks involving top officials from both countries. Mr Xi walked slowly up the opulent red-carpeted staircase of the Grand Kremlin Palace as guards in 19th century-style parade uniforms snapped to attention. Mr Putin was waiting to greet the Chinese leader in St Georges hall, where walls are covered by white-marble plaques with gold engravings of the names of military units and soldiers awarded the order of St George, established by Catherine the Great. Advertisement Vladimir Putin, background right, and Xi Jinping at an official welcome ceremony at The Grand Kremlin Palace (Pavel Byrkin, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool/AP) In a tightly choreographed ceremony filled with imperial grandeur, the two leaders entered the huge chandeliered room from opposite sides and shook hands in the middle to the tune of the Russian and Chinese national anthems. They walked past a line of Russian and Chinese officials to sit down for talks. Mr Putin and Mr Xi both wore black suits and dark red ties. The pageantry reflected the importance of Mr Xis three-day visit to Russia that gave a strong political boost to Mr Putin just days after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for the Russian leader on charges of alleged involvement in the abduction of thousands of children from Ukraine. Moscow, which does not recognise the courts jurisdiction, dismissed the move as legally null and void, but it further ramped up the pressure on the Russian leader as the fighting in Ukraine has dragged into a second year. Speaking at the start of their meeting on Monday, Mr Putin welcomed Chinas proposals for a political settlement and a ceasefire in Ukraine. Advertisement Matryoshka dolls with portraits of Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin for sale at a souvenir shop in Moscow (Dmitry Serebryakov/AP) Before the Kremlin talks, Mr Xi met Russian prime minister Milkhail Mishustin. Unlike them, Russian and Chinese officials who attended the talks wore medical masks a reminder of the Covid-19 pandemic. Mr Xi briefly referred to it, telling Mr Mishustin he was happy to be back in Moscow after a long break because of the pandemic. He said that he invited Mr Putin over Mondays dinner to visit China later this year to attend a top-level meeting of Chinas Belt and Road regional initiative. Mr Xi stayed at a new Chinese-owned Soluxe Hotel set in a lavish riverside park in central Moscow that features trees and plants from all over China. He used a Chinese-made Hongqi vehicle to drive around Moscow. Russian president Vladimir Putin welcomed Chinese leader Xi Jinping to the Kremlin on Monday, in a visit that sent a powerful message to Western leaders allied with Ukraine that their efforts to isolate Moscow have fallen short. As he greeted Mr Xi, Mr Putin also said he welcomed his plan for settlement of the acute crisis in Ukraine. Mr Xis visit showed off Beijings new diplomatic swagger and gave a political lift to Mr Putin just days after an international arrest warrant was issued for the Kremlin leader on war crimes charges related to Ukraine. The two major powers have described Mr Xis three-day trip as an opportunity to deepen their no-limits friendship. China looks to Russia as a source of oil and gas for its energy-hungry economy, and as a partner in standing up to what both see as US domination of global affairs. Advertisement The two countries, which are among the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, have also held joint military drills. US officials have also picked up indications China is considering supplying Russia with weapons for its war in Ukraine but have seen no evidence they have actually done so. They shook hands before sitting down and making brief statements at the start of their meeting, calling each other dear friend and exchanging compliments. Mr Putin congratulated Mr Xi on his re-election and voiced hope for building even stronger ties. Chinese president Xi Jinping and Russian president Vladimir Putin (Sergei Karpukhin, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool/AP) China has made a colossal leap ahead in its development in recent years, Mr Putin said, adding that its causing genuine interest all around the world, and we even feel a bit envious, as Mr Xi smiled. He welcomed Chinas proposals for a political settlement in Ukraine and noted Russia is open for talks. We will discuss all those issues, including your initiative that we highly respect, Mr Putin said. Our co-operation in the international arena undoubtedly helps strengthen the basic principles of the global order and multipolarity. Mr Xi said: We hope that the strategic partnership between China and Russia will on the one hand uphold international fairness and justice, and on the other hand promote the common prosperity and development of our countries. Advertisement Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that, over dinner on Monday, the two leaders discussions are likely to include a detailed explanation of Moscows actions in Ukraine. The presidents of Russia and China met at the Kremlin (Russian Presidential Press Office/AP) Broader talks involving officials from both countries on a range of subjects are scheduled for Tuesday, Mr Peskov said. For Mr Putin, Mr Xis presence is a prestigious, diplomatic triumph amid Western efforts to isolate Russia after its invasion of Ukraine. In an article published in the Chinese Peoples Daily newspaper, the Russian president described the Chinese leaders visit as a landmark event that reaffirms the special nature of the Russia-China partnership. Mr Putin also specifically said the meeting sends a message to Washington that the two countries are not prepared to accept attempts to weaken them. The US policy of simultaneously deterring Russia and China, as well as all those who do not bend to the American diktat, is getting ever fiercer and more aggressive, he wrote. Mr Xis trip comes after the International Criminal Court in The Hague announced on Friday that it wants to put Mr Putin on trial for the abductions of thousands of children from Ukraine. China portrays Mr Xis visit as part of normal diplomatic exchanges and has offered little detail about what the trip aims to accomplish, though the nearly 13 months of war in Ukraine casts a long shadow over the talks. Advertisement Chinese president Xi Jinpings motorcade leaves Vnukovo airport outside Moscow (AP) At a daily briefing in Beijing on Monday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said Mr Xis trip is a journey of friendship, co-operation and peace. On the war, he said: China will uphold its objective and fair position on the Ukrainian crisis and play a constructive role in promoting peace talks. Beijings leap into Ukraine issues follows its recent success in brokering talks between Iran and its chief Middle Eastern rival, Saudi Arabia, which agreed to restore their diplomatic ties after years of tensions. Following that success, Mr Xi called for China to play a bigger role in managing global affairs. President Xi will have an in-depth exchange of views with President Putin on bilateral relations and major international and regional issues of common concern, Mr Wang said. He added that Chinas leader aims to promote strategic co-ordination and practical co-operation between the two countries and inject new impetus into the development of bilateral relations. Although they boast of a no-limits partnership, Beijing has conducted a China First policy. Xi Jinpings motorcade drives toward The Kremlin in Moscow (AP) It has shrunk from supplying Russias war machine a move that could worsen relations with Washington and turn important European trade partners against Beijing. On the other hand, it has refused to condemn Moscows aggression and has censured Western sanctions against Moscow, while accusing Nato and the United States of provoking Mr Putins military action. Advertisement Last month, China called for a ceasefire and peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy cautiously welcomed Beijings involvement, but the overture fizzled out. The Kremlin has welcomed Chinas peace plan and said Mr Putin and Mr Xi will discuss it. Washington strongly rejected Beijings call for a ceasefire as the effective ratification of the Kremlins battlefield gains. Kyiv officials have said they will not bend on their terms for a peace accord. visit. The formula for the successful implementation of Chinas Peace Plan. The first and major point is the capitulation or withdrawal of the russian occupation troops from territory in accordance with the norms of international law and the UN Charter. Oleksiy Danilov (@OleksiyDanilov) March 20, 2023 Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of Ukraines National Security and Defence Council, tweeted on Monday: The first and main point is the capitulation or withdrawal of the Russian occupation troops from the territory of Ukraine in accordance with the norms of international law and the UN Charter. That means restoring sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, he wrote. The Kremlin does not recognise the authority of the International Criminal Court and has rejected its move against Mr Putin as legally null and void. Advertisement China, the US and Ukraine also do not recognise the ICC, but the courts announcement tarnished Mr Putins international standing. Chinas Foreign Ministry called on the ICC to respect the jurisdictional immunity of a head of state and avoid politicisation and double standards. Dmitry Medvedev, deputy head of Russias Security Council, said the ICCs move will have monstrous consequences for international law. A gloomy sunset of the entire system of international relations is coming, trust is exhausted, he wrote on his messaging app channel. He argued that, in the past, the ICC has destroyed its credibility by failing to prosecute what he called US war crimes in Afghanistan and Iraq. He also warned that the court in The Hague could be a target for a Russian missile strike. Mr Medvedev has made bombastic statements and claims in the past. Russias Investigative Committee said on Monday that it is opening a criminal case against a prosecutor and three judges of the ICC over the arrest warrants they issued for Mr Putin and his commissioner for childrens rights, Maria Lvova-Belova. The committee called the ICCs prosecution unlawful because it is, among other things, a criminal prosecution of a knowingly innocent person. TikTok has rolled out updated rules and standards for content and users as it faces increasing pressure from western authorities over concerns that material on the Chinese-owned video-sharing app could be used to push false information. The company released a reorganised set of community guidelines that include eight principles to guide content moderation decisions. These principles are based on our commitment to uphold human rights and aligned with international legal frameworks, said Julie de Bailliencourt, TikToks global head of product policy. She said TikTok strives to be fair, to protect human dignity and to balance freedom of expression with preventing harm. The Chinese-owned app has come under fire in the US, Europe and Asia-Pacific, where a growing number of governments have banned TikTok from devices used for official business over worries it poses risks to cybersecurity and data privacy or could be used to push pro-Beijing narratives and misinformation. Advertisement There is no evidence to suggest this has happened or that TikTok has handed user data to the Chinese government, as some of its critics have argued it would do. Chief executive Shou Zi Chew is scheduled to appear on Thursday before the US Congress, where he will be grilled about the companys privacy and data-security practices and relationship with the Chinese government. The guidelines, which take effect on April 21, were repackaged from TikToks existing rules with extra details and explanations. Among the more significant changes are additional details about its restrictions on deepfakes, also known as synthetic media created by artificial intelligence technology. TikTok more clearly spells out its policy, saying all deepfakes or manipulated content that show realistic scenes must be labelled to indicate they are fake or altered in some way. The app had previously banned deepfakes that mislead viewers about real-world events and cause harm. Its updated guidelines say deepfakes of private figures and young people are also not allowed. Deepfakes of public figures are OK in certain contexts, such as for artistic or educational content, but not for political or commercial endorsements. Domestic violence victims overwhelmingly say coercive control should be criminalised, despite some advocates warning new laws may not make women safer. The first in-depth study into Australian victims experiences of coercive control and views on criminalisation found 87.5 per cent of 1261 participants believed it should be a criminal offence. The murders of Hannah Clarke and her three children put a national spotlight on coercive control. NSW and Queensland have committed to creating a standalone offence for coercive control, a pattern of abusive behaviour aimed at controlling another person, which can include isolating them from their friends and family, restricting their movements, monitoring their phone and controlling their finances. South Australia has also said it will criminalise coercive control. However, Victoria has no plans to introduce a standalone criminal offence. Stranded and abandoned at sea for six months, their ship swinging at anchor through storms in Portland Bay, baking beneath a summer sun and often rolling on vicious swells, the little crew had no more than a single pleasure each day. The Portland Missions to Seafarers regularly sent supplies of phone cards out to the ship so the men could contact their families in the Philippines. The remaining 16 crew members of the Yangtze Fortune finally left the ship by charter boat on Wednesday morning. Credit: Joe OConnor/Game On Charters Boredom had us, but we could call our families, said Captain Roger Molinos as he stepped ashore at Portland in south-west Victoria, after a saga lasting more than six months. Every night I could talk to my wife and my three children. They could see me and I could see them by picture-phone. The Mission gave us this blessing. Greens founder Bob Brown has handed back his life membership of the Australian Conservation Foundation, accusing the premier environment lobby of undermining the planets future by calling on the minor party to back the Albanese governments signature climate reform. In a move reminiscent of the highly charged 2009 debate over the carbon pollution reduction scheme the so-called father of the Greens on Wednesday attacked the organisation as a Labor-backed lobby that had vilified the partys honourable position of demanding a ban on new coal and gas projects. Greens founder Bob Brown has handed back his membership of the Australian Conversation Foundation. Credit: Peter Mathew. Greens leader Adam Bandt has demanded the federal government veto any new coal or gas projects in return for his partys Senate support for the safeguard mechanism, which will impose pollution limits on the nations 215 biggest carbon emitters. But Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen rounded on the Greens on Tuesday, seizing on a new report by the International Panel on Climate Change to accuse the party of causing Australias carbon footprint to blow out by 20 per cent if it blocked the bill. The Ministry of Ayush signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC), the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India to work together for the promotion of Medical Value Travel in Ayurveda and other traditional systems of medicine, informed Minister of Ayush Sarbananda Sonowal in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today. Heal in India is an Initiative of the Government to promote the Medical Tourism in the country. Under this Initiative, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the Government of India and Ministry of Ayush has been working with the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing and Services Export Promotion Council for developing a One Step Heal in India portal for the Promotion of Medical Value Travel. The Ministry of Tourism has formulated a National strategy and roadmap for Medical and Wellness Tourism by involving Ministry of Ayush, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Civil Aviation etc. Ministry of Ayush developed a Central Sector Scheme namely Champion Service Sector Scheme for Medical Value Travel. Under this scheme, financial assistance in the form of Interest Subsidy is provided to private investors for the establishment of Super Specialty Hospitals/ Day Care Centers of the systems recognized under The National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (NCISM) Act, 2020 or The National Commission for Homeopathy (NCH) Act, 2020 in FY 2021-22. Couples of Chintan Shivir were organized by the Ministry of Health and Family welfare to promote Heal in India and Heal by India. Ministry of Ayush has also participated in these Chintan Shivir. Certain action points were identified in this Shivir to promote traditional medicine through Tourism in India. A Round Table and Plenary Session on Heal in India- Medical Value Travel were also organized during Global Ayush Investment and Innovation summit at Gandhinagar, Gujrat to promote India as the No. 1 destination for Medical Value Travel. Also Read AYUSH has potential to make India a hub of health tourism: CM Adityanath UP govt suggests CBI probe into admission irregularities to AYUSH colleges ITDC signs pact with Ministry of Ayush for promoting medical tourism To promote tourism, Uttarakhand CM to stay at a homestay in with locals Rural tourism to be based on culture, economic characteristics in Rajasthan Police gets Satish Kaushik's postmortem report, probe into death continues Government must declare health emergency in Kochi: Oppn on Brahmapuram fire Delhi's Ashram Flyover reopens today after closure, traffic advisory issued NGT stays construction of varsity buildings within UP bird sanctuary Transactions of Rs 2,000 cr done to get Shiv Sena name, symbol: Sanjay Raut Observing International Day of Yoga, Ayurveda Day, Unani Day, and Siddha Day to promote traditional systems of medicine in India and to create awareness about these systems to the public. Ministry of Ayush is organizing various Arogya melas/exhibitions to promote traditional systems of medicine, stated the release. Monday, March 20, 2023 at 6:57PM Photo: Samsung Samsung now has more than one OLED TV. The tech giant expands its Quantum Dot OLED to introduce the more affordable S90C. This gets a scaled-back version of Samsung's object-tracking sound, and it won't get the S95C's near-flush wall mounting or external connection box. It still offers the punchy QD-OLED image, AI-based HDR mapping, Dolby Atmos audio, and syncing with Samsung soundbars. The Samsung S90C starts at USD 1,899 (around CAD 2,595) for a 55-inch model and goes up to USD 3,599 (~CAD 4,918) for the 77-inch variant. Samsung plans to release a 65-inch set soon. Samsung also adds a 55-inch and 65-inch model for the more premium S95C. That's available at USD 2,499 (~CAD 3,415) and 3,299 (~CAD 4,508), respectively. It gets a slightly brighter 2,000-nit output and a 144Hz refresh rate for compatible PC games. Source Labuan With captive insurance to have a primary focus in Labuan IBFCs five-year strategic roadmap, Annie Undikai, managing director of Brighton Management and deputy chairman of LIIA, talks to Rebecca Delaney about Labuan IBFCs position as one of the fastest-growing risk and reinsurance intermediation centres in Asia The evolution of the captive landscape CIT spoke to Generali Employee Benefits (US) about how the captive landscape for employee benefits has evolved over the years, and the ways in which captive control and flexibility are being utilised to benefit multinationals Mike Johns WTW Marking one hundred years since Guernsey first incorporated a captive vehicle, WTWs Mike Johns talks to Rebecca Delaney about how the captive industry has evolved on the island over time, and how it stands today Well, it took Geely Philippines long enough. About two years after we said they needed a sub-compact crossover to penetrate the local market... (Atlanta) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) are preparing for the next phase of the Assessment of Chemical Exposure (ACE) investigation to assess the health impacts of the February 3 train derailment that occurred in East Palestine, Ohio. Starting this week, CDC and ATSDR will shift staff from the field to complete data analysis of the ACE investigation. CDC and ATSDR will continue to support the health departments in Ohio and Pennsylvania to address the public health needs of the region. CDC and ATSDR have been providing technical assistance to local, state and federal partners from the beginning of the emergency event. On February 17, CDC and ATSDR staff began arriving in East Palestine and surrounding communities to assess the public health impact of the train derailment, among other activities. CDC and ATSDR collaborated with local, state and federal partners to conduct an ACE investigation of impacted communities in both Ohio and Pennsylvania. CDC, ATSDR, and our local, state and federal partners also launched a responder component of the ACE survey to collect information about the health of people who responded to the train derailment incident. This component allows responders to provide information about their unique exposures, experiences, and concerns. ACE investigations are rapid epidemiological assessments used to assess the impact of a chemical release on individuals as well as the community. While CDC and ATSDR staff will be returning from the field, the ACE survey will remain online and data collection will continue until March 31. Over the next couple of months, CDC and ATSDR will work with the health departments to analyze data and share results. These results can be used by the states to help inform public health recommendations and lessons learned. CDC and ATSDR will continue to respond to requests for remote technical assistance for as long as needed. For more information about CDCs and ATSDRs response to the East Palestine Train Derailment, visit: https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/sites/east-palestine-train-derailment/index.html. Leaders call for Ukraine peace talks By XU WEI and REN QI in Moscow (China Daily) 08:38, March 22, 2023 Joint statement says principles of UN Charter must be observed China and Russia on Tuesday highlighted their commitment to the settlement of the Ukraine crisis through peace talks, as the two heads of state signed a key political document to further the bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era. In the joint statement signed by President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, the two nations made it clear that the purposes and principles of the UN Charter must be observed and international law must be respected. Moscow expressed appreciation to Beijing for consistently upholding an objective and impartial position on the Ukraine issue, and both sides oppose any country or bloc harming the legitimate security interests of other nations in pursuit of advantages in military, political and other areas. Russia reiterated its commitment to restarting peace talks as early as possible, and China expressed its appreciation for that, according to the joint statement. Russia also welcomed China playing a positive role in the political and diplomatic settlement of the crisis. Both sides pointed out that a settlement of the Ukraine crisis must accommodate the legitimate security concerns of all countries and prevent bloc confrontation. The two countries also stressed that responsible dialogue is the best way to solve problems, and the international community must make constructive efforts toward that. The two sides call for stopping all moves that lead to tensions and the prolonging of fighting, in order to prevent the crisis from getting worse or even out of control, and they oppose any unilateral sanctions not authorized by the UN Security Council. The joint statement was signed by Xi and Putin after their second day of meetings at the Kremlin. The two leaders also signed another joint statement on the plan for key directions of bilateral economic cooperation through 2030. Xi stressed during talks on Tuesday the need for closer communication and coordination between China and Russia to work for greater outcomes in bilateral cooperation. The president underscored that China-Russia relations have maintained a momentum of robust, healthy and stable growth with joint efforts from both sides, and the two countries have continued to deepen political mutual trust, seen an increasing convergence of interests and enhanced people-to-people understanding. Both nations have kept moving forward with their cooperation on the economy, trade, investment, energy and at local levels, he noted. He told Putin that China is now accelerating efforts to foster a new pattern of development, promoting high-quality growth and moving forward with the Chinese path to modernization across the board, while Russia is also working toward its national development goals for the period until 2030. He expressed readiness to work with Putin to plan the development of bilateral relations and pragmatic cooperation and contribute to the development and rejuvenation of both nations. Putin rolled out the red carpet for Xi, who arrived in Moscow on Monday, at a welcoming ceremony at St George's Hall on Tuesday, before holding talks in restricted and formal sessions. The three-day trip, described by Xi as one of friendship, cooperation and peace, marked his ninth visit to Russia since he first became Chinese president in March 2013. The relationship between the two nations is built upon robust economic and trade cooperation, with bilateral trade hitting a record high of $190.27 billion in 2022, up 29.3 percent year-on-year. China has been Russia's largest trading partner for 13 consecutive years. During a one-on-one meeting with Putin on Monday upon his arrival, Xi said it is a strategic choice China has made to consolidate and develop China-Russia relations well on the basis of its own fundamental interests and prevailing global trends. Beijing remains steadfast in keeping to the general direction of strengthening strategic cooperation with Russia, he said. (Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun) Pixabay/Jess Bailey February is the month that celebrates hearts' day, widely and popularly known as Valentine's Day. February 14 is when people rush to flower shops and supermarkets to buy chocolates and go out on fancy restaurant dates to celebrate the day of love. Valentine's Day has a long and complex history tied to Christianity, but it needs to be clarified how this connection was formed. There are many stories and myths surrounding the origins of Valentine's Day, making it difficult to separate fact from fiction. Despite this uncertainty, there is no doubt that the holiday has become an essential part of popular culture worldwide. Many people associate Valentine's Day with the exchange of romantic gifts and gestures, such as flowers, chocolates, and cards. Others view it as a time to celebrate love in all forms, including the love between friends and family members. While its origins may be unclear, the enduring popularity of Valentine's Day is a testament to its enduring appeal. Origins of Valentine's Day, How Did it Started? Although there are different versions of the story behind Valentine's Day, the holiday inevitably has a connection to Christianity. It is believed that the day was established to honor the memory of one or more saints named Valentine or Valentinus, who were martyred on February 14. According to Christianity, despite the various stories, it is generally accepted that one of the Valentines was a temple priest who was imprisoned and executed for ministering to Christians during the Roman Empire's persecution of Christians. Before his execution, he allegedly fell in love with a young woman and sent her a farewell note, "Your Valentine." Another Valentine was supposedly beheaded for secretly performing weddings when Emperor Claudius had outlawed them for young soldiers. The stories of Valentine's martyrdom and his supposed healing of a young woman are part of the reason for the celebration of Valentine's Day today. Valentine's Day has an intriguing history that dates back to the fifth century. It all started when Pope Gelasius I declared the Feast of St. Valentine an official holiday in 496 AD. According to Woman's Day, the pope was hoping to replace the pagan practices of Lupercalia with the Christian holiday. Later, the holiday was removed from the Roman calendar of saints by Pope Paul VI due to the limited information that could be verified about St. Valentine. However, it is still observed religiously by some denominations. Interestingly, the first official celebration of Valentine's Day took place in Paris in 1400, when King Charles VI established the High Court of Love, which was entirely run by women. The court dealt with marital disputes, including divorce, infidelity, and domestic violence. It's fascinating to learn how Valentine's Day has evolved over time and has become a beloved holiday that celebrates love and romance around the world. Who is Cupid? Cupid is a fascinating character with a rich Greek and Roman mythology history. The Roman god Cupid is often depicted on Valentine's Day cards as a chubby, naked cherub who shoots arrows of love at people. However, his origins can be traced back to Greek mythology as Eros, the god of love. According to History, the details of his birth are somewhat unclear, with different accounts suggesting different parents. According to Archaic Greek poets, Eros was a handsome and immortal god who used golden arrows to inspire love and leaden ones to create aversion. Over time, Cupid's image transformed from a naughty, playful child to the cherubic figure we know and love today. It's interesting to learn about the evolution of Cupid's character and the role he has played in the mythology of love and desire. Valentine's Day is like Christmas, gifts are exchanged, and people arrange parties. Also, restaurants and public facilities are fully booked because of Valentine's dates. Also Read: 'Jesus Was Single': Pastor Comforts Unmarried People During Valentine's Day Popular Gifts Given During Valentine's Day Valentine's Day is a special occasion when people express their love and affection for each other by exchanging gifts. While there are countless Valentine's Day gift options to choose from, sure, some gifts are more popular than others. According to SmartWills, cards are a timeless and classic way to show your affection, and more than half of consumers choose to gift them. Another growing trend is personalized gifts, as they can help you make a more significant impact on your partner. Chocolates and flowers remain one of the most famous Valentine's gifts, but dinner for two, clothing, and gift vouchers are also popular options. House plants are becoming more popular as a gift since they last longer than flowers, and perfume and jewelry are also popular gifts to give on this special day. Whatever you choose, the most important thing is to provide a gift that comes from the heart and conveys your feelings for your loved one. Related Article: Here's What Valentine's Day Really Is About Pixabay/congerdesign As Holy week approaches, people in the faith need to understand the story and norms behind this celebration. The Holy Week will begin April 2 this year, and multiple celebrations, sacrifices, and offerings will be held leading to Easter Sunday, which falls on April 9. Holy Week is the most sacred week of the year in the Christian liturgical calendar. According to the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, the holiday starts on Palm Sunday and lasts until Easter Sunday. This week is a time to reflect on and celebrate the Paschal Mystery, which includes Jesus' suffering, death, resurrection, and ultimate triumph over sin and death. The Holy Week observance is a time to remember Jesus's sacrifice for humanity and the ultimate victory of his resurrection, glorifying his father. When is Good Friday in 2023? Good Friday, which falls on April 7 this year, is a significant holy day for Christians, commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus. It is also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, or Black Friday. According to a story shared in USA Today, Good Friday marks the end of the 40-day Lenten season, a period of prayer, fasting, and self-discipline for Christians that culminates in Holy Week. Important dates during the Lenten season and Holy Week include Ash Wednesday (February 22, 2023), Palm Sunday (April 2, 2023), Holy Thursday (April 6, 2023), Good Friday (April 7, 2023), Easter Sunday (April 9, 2023), and Easter Monday (April 10, 2023). While the name "Good Friday" may seem paradoxical given the day's focus on death and suffering, it is thought to have originated from the older term "God's Friday," or because the tragedy of the day ultimately led to the goodness of Easter, when Christians celebrate Jesus' resurrection from the dead. Understanding Good Friday Good Friday is an important day for Christians, as it commemorates the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ at Calvary Hill. According to Christianity, it is also known by several names, such as Holy Friday, Great Friday, Great and Holy Friday, and Black Friday. Christians believe that Jesus' death and resurrection are the most pivotal events in human history. The apostle Paul considered it "of first importance" that Jesus died for our sins, was buried and was raised on the third day, according to the Scriptures. On Good Friday, Christians remember the day when Jesus willingly died by crucifixion as the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. Easter follows it, celebrating Jesus' resurrection and his victory over sin and death, pointing towards the future resurrection for all those who believe in him. Why is it Called 'Good' Despite The Suffering and Death of Jesus Christ The term "Good" Friday may have originated from the idea that Jesus' death and resurrection led to the victory over sin and death and the celebration of Easter, the most important Christian celebration. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, some believe that the word "good" may have come from "God's Friday" or "God be with you," similar to how the word "goodbye" comes from "God be with ye." However, not all Christians refer to this day as "Good Friday." For instance, the Greek Church calls it "the Holy and Great Friday," while it's referred to as "Sorrowful Friday" in German. The day is also commemorated with a prolonged fast and was referred to as "Long Friday" by the Anglo-Saxons. According to an article in Slate, the most widely accepted theory about the origin of the name "Good Friday," supported by the Oxford English Dictionary and language experts, is that it comes from an old meaning of the word "good" as "holy." Experts such as Jesse Sheidlower, the president of the American Dialect Society, and Anatoly Liberman agree that this explanation makes sense, especially when considering other names for Good Friday, such as "Sacred Friday" in Romance languages and "Passion Friday" in Russian. Additionally, the OED mentions that there was once a "Good Wednesday," which is now commonly known as Holy Wednesday. Also Read: Observing Ash Wednesday: A Guide to Lent for Catholics and Christians What do We do On Good Fridays Catholics observe Ash Wednesday and Good Friday as required and mandatory days of fasting and abstinence. According to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Catholics are required to abstain from meat on all Fridays during Lent. For members of the Latin Catholic Church, fasting is compulsory from age 18 to 59. During fasting, one can eat one full meal and two smaller meals that do not add up to a full meal. Members of the Eastern Catholic Churches follow the specific law of their sui iuris Church. If possible, the fast on Good Friday should continue until the Easter Vigil as the "paschal fast" to honor the suffering and death of Jesus and prepare themselves for his resurrection. More details on fasting and abstinence can be found below. Related Article: Exploring the Different Types of Prayer: Petition, Intercession, Thanksgiving, and Worship Pexels/cottonbro studio Throughout religious institutions, there have been numerous instances of abuse and cover-ups, and the majority of those responsible hold positions of authority. In response to charges of abuse and cover-ups, Bloomington-Normal's Eastview Christian Church is due to face an integrity assessment for the health and safety of its employees and workplace culture. These allegations stem from accusations that Caleb Baker, a former pastor at Eastview and the son of longtime lead pastor Rev. Mike Baker, engaged in inappropriate sexual relationships with congregation members while working at the church in 2016. Road to Recovery of Eastview Christain Church Will be Hard The allegations surfaced after Caleb Baker was fired from his job as lead student pastor and associate preaching pastor at a church in Arizona as a result of an extramarital relationship, according to the report in Pantagraph. Former Eastview employees stated on social media that the church had suppressed efforts to expose Caleb Baker's behavior and covered up his actions. Eastview church elders have acknowledged that trust has been questioned, eroded, and pledged to investigate the allegations thoroughly. Rev. Mike Baker has denied the accusations, and Caleb Baker has not commented on the situation. The audit will evaluate the church's staff and workplace culture to ensure the safety and well-being of all members. According to WGLT, a former staffer who initiated the investigation has expressed doubts about the investigation's independence, given the elders' involvement. The former worker also noted that the church's insurance company would likely require such an investigation. Transparency is critical to recovery, according to Unitarian Universalist Minister Gail Seavey, who has helped two congregations recover from misconduct scandals. However, there is a tension between transparency, protecting employees from unjustified reputational damage, and safeguarding the privacy and safety of victims. Seavey suggested that the congregation must know enough information to feel safe in their community without knowing the case details. She added that institutional change is complicated, but transparent institutions are healthier. Also Read: How to Spot, Prevent, and Handle Sex Abuse in Religious Institutions, Public Places, and Homes Father of the Accused Pastor Denied the Allegations of Cover-ups The Senior Pastor of Eastview Christian Church in Illinois, Mike Baker, has resigned after it was revealed that his son, Caleb, was fired from the church in 2016 for sexual misconduct. According to a story in the Christian Post, the church's elder board claimed they were unaware of the situation and are conducting an external review. However, Baker has denied accusations that he covered up his son's behavior, stating that he did not know about the allegations until after his son had left the church. He claims to have taken action when he discovered his son's behavior, telling him to resign from his new job after another allegation of sexual misconduct. He also said he did not know about his son's affair until two weeks ago. Baker has faced criticism for his sermon on sex that asserted homosexuality is a choice. He suggested non-traditional families are less influential than those with a father and mother. Related Article: Portuguese Bishops Unveil Measures to End Church Sexual Abuse as Pope Urges Prayers for Victims Unsplash/Maxim Hopman Philipp F., a former member of Jehovah's Witness, opened fire on several individuals inside their three-story kingdom hall. The man killed approximately six people, wounded eight individuals, and killed himself after the shooting. Shooting in Jehovah's Witness Kingdom Hall On Friday, Mar. 10, police officers stated that a man who had previously been involved with Jehovah's Witnesses carried out a shooting rampage at their congregation in Hamburg, Germany, killing at least six people before turning the gun on himself when authorities arrived. According to WCVB5, an unborn child also died, but it was unclear whether the child's mother was one of the fatalities. Eight individuals were injured, four of whom were in critical condition. Officials have stated that the shooter was a German national who is 35 years old and has been only recognized as Philipp F. This is due to the strict privacy laws in Germany. During the assault, he discharged more than a hundred rounds of ammunition. Ralf Martin Meyer, the chief of police in Hamburg, confirmed that the man lawfully owned a semi-automatic pistol and possessed a weapons license. He stated that the alleged shooter had been investigated in the past after authorities received a tip that he might not be suitable to carry firearms. However, it was found that he had not violated any rules during that investigation. As per The Economic Times News, no information has been released regarding a potential motivation for the shooting on Thursday, Mar. 9, evening in Germany's second-largest city. The shooting was referred to as "a brutal act of violence" by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who had previously served as mayor of Hamburg. Also Read:Milwaukee Man Pleaded Guilty In Court Following the Car Crash Accident that Killed Grace Lutheran Church's Pastor, Wisconsin Pastor Aaron Strong Brief History of Jehovah's Witness According to Study.com, in the 19th century, a Baptist preacher named William Miller prophesied the second coming of Jesus Christ in 1843. It began the Adventist movement, which later evolved into Jehovah's Witness. Because of the accuracy of his forecast, he attracted a following of more than 50,000 individuals. However, as the time of the anticipated return came nearer, Miller was compelled to recalculate and make significant adjustments to the schedule. The original return date of March 1843 was moved to March 1844 and then to October 1844. Following the unremarkable passage of these dates, most of the movement's adherents disbanded. What remained of the action comprised a small number of people who divided into groups, each explaining why the prediction date had been incorrect. Based on an article from the New World Encyclopedia, Jehovah's Witnesses are a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination that adheres to nontrinitarian beliefs, which differ from the opinions of conventional Christianity and a worldwide religious organization. The religion was conceived as a reaction to what was thought to be "compromise and corruption in mainstream Christianity," and it came into existence in that context. In addition, it interprets common Christian doctrines like the immortality of the soul, Trinity, hellfire, and clergy-laity divisions as illegitimate extensions to the teachings of the first church. The term "Jehovah's Witnesses" comes from several biblical passages in which the followers of YHWH (pronounced "Jehovah" by the group). It is considered the personal name of God and is referred to as "Witnesses." In 1931, the congregation chose to refer to themselves as "Jehovah's Witnesses." Related Article:Auxiliary Bishop David O'Connell of Los Angeles Died at 69 Due to Gunshot Wound Inflicted on The Torso Unsplash/Edwin Andrade The purpose of a Christian blog is to communicate the gospel's message. Bloggers usually do this by discussing their spiritual path, offering interpretations of biblical scriptures, or giving online content for Bible studies. Believers can use these blogs to help reach individuals who aren't religious and let them see how God wants them to live their lives. In this article, you will see the top 15 Christian blogs in 2023 that should be followed in order to help you grow spiritually. 1. The Gospel Coalition (TGC) The mission of The Gospel Coalition is to educate people so that they might know the word of God with their minds, love God entirely with their hearts, and engage the world with grace and the truth. It is an organization of pastors and churches that adhere to the reformed faith and emphasize the centrality of the gospel of Jesus Christ in all of their endeavors. 2. The Faithlife Blog Logos Bible Software is developed by Faithlife, the industry leader in multilingual electronic publication and the most significant software producer specializing in Bible study software. Customers in every region of the world have access to more than 120,000 different Bible study resources due to Faithlife's partnership with more than 500 other publishers. Faithlife also provides a variety of tools for churches to use in the areas of ministry, communication, and management. 3. Christianity Today Christianity Today is a magazine published by evangelicals with an international perspective that offers prayerful, biblical insights on topics such as current events and popular concepts. They are committed to employing all types of journalism to assist evangelicals in better comprehending the gospel of Jesus Christ and the world in which people live. 4. Redeeming God The meaning of "Redeeming God" is intentionally left up to interpretation. The study of the Bible and theology are notorious for leaving a lot of room for performance. Still, the underlying reason for this is that the phrase "Redeeming God" can be interpreted as God is a Redeemer and God is Redeemed. 5. Resounding His Love Resounding His Love is a blog on Christian living centered on sharing the hope we have in Christ with one another so that we may discover joy, peace, and the strength to choose faith in times of difficulty. 6. The Christian Century The Christian Century is a journal published in Chicago that is considered progressive and ecumenical. As a publication dedicated to critical thinking and living with integrity, the Century investigates what it means to believe in and live out the Christian faith in the modern era. 7. Bible Gateway Blog The Bible Gateway Blog is a platform for searching and sharing the Bible that includes more than 200 translations and more than 70 languages. This blog provides up-to-date information regarding the Bible, interviews with authors who have written books with a biblical theme, and the most recent announcements by Bible Gateway. It is also the finest place to keep up with the most recent advancements in Bible-related topics. 8. Crossway Crossway is a Christian ministry that is not for profit and operates purely to spread the gospel through publishing and other methods in order, by the grace of God, to bring salvation to as many people as possible. They help people realize the enormous significance of the gospel and God's word for life, eternity, and God's glory. Also Read: Catholic Food Blogger Shares How She Finds God In Cooking, Ordinary House Chores 9. Cold Case Christianity The book "Cold-Case Christianity" by J. Warner Wallace offers readers ten principles of cold case investigations. These concepts are then utilized to assess the reliability of the eyewitness narratives found in the gospels. 10. Church Answers You'll discover helpful resources, knowledgeable professionals, and a supportive community here at Church Answers to guide you through the highs and lows of ministry and the well-being of your church. The most prevalent issues we get asked about church development, revitalization, and leading more effectively are what guided the organization of our extensive library of free materials and our individualized solutions. 11. Deep Spirituality The direct, immediate, intense, and personal encounter with God comes from having a Deep Spirituality which enables us to go beyond the bounds of our humanity. When we reach and maintain this level of spirituality, we transcend what is known as "the elemental spiritual forces of this world." It is another way of expressing the idea that we no longer confine ourselves to what is attainable by humans. 12. iBelieve iBelieve was created to assist women in working through the more complex problems that arise in the context of their religious beliefs about the wider world. They recognize, as Christian women, that people are up against a set of obstacles that are specific to their generation. iBelieve team of authors and bloggers hopes that by emphasizing human experiences, they will be able to elevate, challenge, and inspire an individual as they seek to live out their faith. 13. Bart Ehrman Blog The Bart Ehrman Blog: The History & Literature of Early Christianity aims to educate readers who are not experts on some of the most fascinating and significant aspects of the New Testament and early Christianity. It is optional to have any specific educational or theological background to participate in the blog; anyone interested may do so. 14. Femelle Soul The purpose of Femelle Soul is to spread the gospel, with the particular goal of directing our efforts on women in the expectation that they will accept Christ as their savior and devote their lives to following him. 15. Christian Heart The Christian Heart is a ministry that does not make a profit and demonstrates how ordinary Christians live out their faith in everyday life. Everyone can't be Mother Teresa or Billy Graham. However, each individual can show their love for Jesus in how they go about their daily lives. Related Article:Christian Blogger Provides Good Reasons To Not Take The COVID Vaccine Pixabay/Jorg Upahl In an interview with the Argentine publication Infobae, Pope Francis stated that celibacy in the Catholic Church is a temporary rule and that there is no contradiction for a priest to marry. He clarified that while priestly ordination is forever, celibacy is a discipline that can be changed. The practice of celibacy began in the 11th century as the church wanted clergy with no children who would leave their wealth to the church. While Francis' remarks do not signal an imminent change in Church practice, they represent a significant shift from the longstanding tradition of requiring celibacy for priests. A Possible Change in the Tradition of Celibacy The Vatican prohibits priests from sexual activity, but there have been calls to lift this ban. According to Fox News, the Catholic Church in Germany has voted in favor of a resolution urging Pope Francis to end the celibacy requirement for priests. When asked about this issue, the Pope commented that in the Eastern Church, priests could be married or celibate before ordination. He mentioned meeting with an Eastern Catholic priest who works in the Roman Curia and has a wife and son. There is an ongoing debate surrounding celibacy among Catholic priests, with some arguing that lifting the ban would help address issues such as the shortage of priests in some areas. However, others argue that celibacy is a longstanding tradition in the Catholic Church and an important part of religious practice. In the report in ABP Live, the source explains that celibacy was only made a requirement for clergy in the 11th century, primarily for financial reasons. The church believed that clergy without children were more likely to leave their financial heir to the church. The Pope responded that priests could be married or celibate before ordination in the Eastern Church, and he seemed open to reviewing the requirement. This was a shift from his previous position in 2019 when he had stated that he believed celibacy was a gift to the church and did not support optional celibacy. The source also noted that the German Synod has voted in favor of a resolution requesting that the Pope end the requirement for priests to be celibate, adding to the ongoing debate surrounding the issue within the Catholic Church. Also Read: Presbyterian Church In America Changes Rule To Disqualify Gay Men From Leadership In Ministry Pope Francis on The Increasing Number of Divorce Rates Worldwide Pope Francis gave an interview to mark the tenth anniversary of his election as Pope. According to the article in Daily Mail, in the interview, he talked about the increasing divorce rates and expressed concern that young people may be getting married too early. He also suggested that some weddings may be more like social events than religious sacraments. He questioned whether young people truly understand the meaning of "forever" when they make marriage vows. He exclaims that people should understand the meaning of marriage in some ways so that they may hold this promise as everlasting and consider every wedding sacred and holy. Related Article: Politics, Not Religion: Church's Gay Marriage Ban Sparks Controversy Among Members Pexels/Anete Lusina An independent commission started investigating the sexual abuses of clergy members in Spain. After a year, around 445 victims stepped up and gave their testimonies. Sexual Abuse Victims A report from Click Orlando stated that on Monday, Mar. 13, Spain's ombudsman announced that a committee set up a year ago to investigate historic sex abuse by the Catholic church had collected testimony from 445 victims. Spain is addressing an issue that other European nations have addressed for decades. According to a statement released by the office of Ombudsman Angel Gabilondo, who opened the first official investigation, the gathering of testimonies was still in progress, and it was expected that an update would be provided in parliament before the term of the current government expired this year. They are reportedly satisfied with the number of victims who felt they could come forward. "What really matters is to listen to the victims.with respect, seriousness, discretion, and confidentiality," Gabilondo's office added. A law firm based in Madrid is currently undertaking a parallel investigation authorized by the Spanish Episcopal Conference. For years, the Spanish Episcopal Conference has opposed the idea of taking a holistic approach to addressing sex abuse. After a year of receiving his mandate, the Spanish ombudsman stated that they were making a formal request for the participation of various levels of the Catholic Church and were hopeful that they would be able to count on their assistance soon. The statement is interpreted as a possible indication that the bishops have not yet fully cooperated with the investigation ordered by the government. Moreover, their respective governments or parliamentary bodies have undertaken abuse investigations like Spain's in very few other nations. AP News reported that Australia's most extensive study concluded that in 2017, 7% of Catholic priests abused minors between 1980 and 2010. From 2005, judge-led investigations in Ireland weakened the Catholic Church's political and social dominance. In 2021, independent research was conducted in France. It estimated that between 1950 and 2020, the Catholic clergy and other individuals working for the Catholic Church were responsible for the sexual abuse of approximately 330,000 children. Additionally, a panel of experts in the neighboring country of Portugal concluded that there is a possibility that more than 4,800 people were abused sexually as children within the Catholic Church. On the other hand, on Mar. 10, 2022, Spain's parliament approved ombudsman Angel Gabilondo's first official investigation into clergy sexual abuse. The government had to act as El Pais publicized abuse claims involving over 1,200 victims. Also Read:Archdiocese of Detroit Priest Sentenced With 3 to 15 Years of Imprisonment Following Sexual Abuse to A Second-Grader First Official Investigation on Clergy Member's Sexual Abuse Spanish legislators have voted to establish the nation's first formal investigation into sexual abuse within the Catholic Church, Euro News reported. According to the bill, there would be an investigation into whoever was responsible for these crimes and those who either covered them up or shielded the perpetrators by an utterly impartial commission. In contrast to most other European nations, Spain has not conducted a comprehensive investigation into the allegations of child abuse and sexual violence committed by church members. The extraordinary investigation was given the green light by a substantial majority of 286 legislators, with only 51 voting against it and two opting to abstain. Both the Socialist Party, which is currently in power, and the PNV, which is a Basque party, were the ones who came up with the idea for the investigation. Also, the only lawmakers who opposed the text were far-right Vox members. The impartial commission would be led by an Ombudsman, including government, victim, and church representatives. Related Article: Diocese of San Diego Rejects Lawsuit's Allegations of Hiding Assets from Sexual Abuse Victims Pexels/Wendelin Jacober Many cases of vandalism were made by those people who hate the church. Recently, Sacred Heart Church's door and some walls were vandalized with anarchist symbols and demonic graffiti. They also started a trash fire in the church's esplanade. Luckily, firefighters were able to put out the blaze. Sacred Heart Church's Vandalism On Monday, Mar. 13, Archdiocese of Bordeaux's head of communications, Constance Pluviaud, confirmed that the Church of the Sacred Heart had anarchist symbols, communist and satanic graffiti spray-painted on the entryway, and on some of the walls that make up the facade of the building. The vandalism was reportedly made from Sunday, Mar. 12 to Monday, Mar. 13. Images shared on social media platforms include captions with phrases like "Devil, take me with you," "Thank you, Satan," "Lucifer is right," and "The neighbors hate the Church." As per the Catholic News Agency, the firefighters who were called to the location could put out a trash fire in front of the church. This fire was unable to cause any damage to the church. Pluviaud said that a claim for damage to parish property had been submitted to the appropriate authorities by the parish. Moreover, on Twitter, the prefect of the New Aquitaine and Gironde Department, Etienne Guyot, expressed his dismay at hateful epithets and acts of destruction directed toward the Sacred Heart Church. Guyot condemned what he called these horrible deeds as well. An inquiry has been launched to identify those responsible for the crime and bring them to justice. According to Communities and Justice, graffiti vandalism is a crime. It is leaving a mark or defacing a building or other property without the owner's permission. On the other hand, Symbols.com stated that the letter A surrounded by a circle is almost certainly the most well-known sign of anarchy today. The letter "A" in capital letters is encircled by the letter "O" in capital letters; this is a monogram. In the majority of European languages, the letter "A" comes from the first letter of the word "anarchy" or "anarchism." Britannica explained that anarchism, anarchist, and anarchy are all terms that can be used to convey acceptance and condemnation. These terms are derived from the Greek word anarchos, which means "without authority." Also Read:Arson And Vandalism Against Catholic Churches In Canada Still Continuing Vandalism in Different Churches Based on an article from the Building Conversation, at some time in 2007, almost one out of every three Anglican churches was the target of vandalism. Stealing, arson, and other forms of destruction have historically been issues for places of worship. They have the potential to turn into hotspots for antisocial behavior due to their prominence in the neighborhood. Unfortunately, crimes of opportunity, senseless vandalism, and minor property damage are too common. However, since churches have dealt with this issue for centuries, most have experienced all that may happen, know how to protect themselves, and are always one step ahead of thieves and vandals. The number of malicious damage has reportedly decreased over the past several years. In 2002, Ecclesiastical paid up for more than 2,500 acts of vandalism, but by 2007, that number had reduced to 2,000 incidents. Despite this, the total cost of claims for the previous year was 1.8 million, a significant amount for petty crime. The expense associated with these claims was approximately 900 on average. These numbers, of course, do not consider the more minor attacks, which churches don't disclose to their insurers because the damage isn't significant enough to warrant a claim. As a result, thousands of churches may be vandalized yearly. Related Article:Community Outraged as Pittsburgh Church Vandalized: Calls for Justice Amplify Amidst Pressing Issue of Religious Institution Vandalism Unsplash/Kyle Head Church leaders in Kerala, a state in southern India, have expressed their displeasure with a stage play that "incorrectly portrays the convents as sites where nuns are coerced to labor as slaves and tormented." Depicting Convents as Slave-Like Centers According to the Crux, Fr. Paul Thelakat, a former spokesman for the Syro-Malabar synod, stated there might not be anything offensive in the short story. Still, some seem to be offended by the dramatization. "It is alleged that there may be some Marxist infiltrations in the play," he stated. As mentioned, Kakkukali is the name of the play produced by Neythal Nataka Sangham, located in Alapuzha. K.B. Ajayakumar wrote the play, and Job Madathil directed it. It tells the story of a young woman from a coastal region who, against her father's desires, decides to become a nun, although she hails from a Catholic family. The short tale that inspired the play was written by Francis Noronha and published in the book Thottappan. The short story won an award from the local bishops' council. A recent event called the International Theatre Festival of Kerala, which the Marxist-led government of Kerala hosted, featured a performance of the play. Also Read:Hinduism's Holiest Rites Now Include Robots Making Some Worshippers Unhappy Group Leaders to Ban Stage Play The Hindu reported that the Kerala Catholic Bishops' Council had a conference to review the theatrical rendition of the well-known story "Kakkukali." They concluded that the production stained the State's cultural environment. According to the director, the play, about a poor young woman who enters a convent but subsequently leaves it, was performed in 14 different places in one year, and there have been no controversies up to this point. The bishops decried "attempts, under cover of these successes, to celebrate productions that disrespect and present history inaccurately." However, they acknowledged the social value of plays and other creative works in bringing about societal reform and progress. The bishops noted in a statement that religious groups under the Church had provided shelter and care to the abandoned. The statement was issued by Fr. Jacob Palakkappilly, the deputy secretary general and the official spokesperson for the KCBC. In addition, according to the New Indian Express, the Joint Church Protection Committee took offense to the drama "Kakkukali," which portrayed Christianity and the monastic community of the Church in a negative light. As a result, they petitioned for the play's presentation to be prohibited. The space is an insult to the Christian religion and the monastic community, both of which have provided significant contributions to the expansion of civilization. According to Mathai Muthirenthi, the general convenor, "as a result, the government ought to take action to prohibit it." The committee stated that the sole purpose of the play was to disrespect the nuns and the Church. The general population is misled from beginning to end during this entire process. Under the pretense of protecting people's right to free expression, a covert plan to destroy the Church and the monastic community is being carried out by staging the play with the assistance of government apparatus. Related Article:Rainn Wilson Criticized Anti-Christian Bias in Hollywood After HBO series 'The Last of Us' Pexels/damian Ruitenga Devastating fire eats up the historic church in Burlington County as the community mourns for the loss of their place of worship. Recently, several reports of church fires have risen in the headlines; some are suspected arson, and others are merely accidents. In Burlington, New Jersey, the Fountain of Life Center experienced an eight-alarm fire on Monday night. At after 6 o'clock in the evening, personnel were called to the church on Columbus Road. Devastating Fire Burns up Church in Burlington County According to CBS News, over 100 emergency teams from five counties in New Jersey tried to put out the flames and heavy smoke that consumed the church. Russell Hodgins, senior pastor at the Fountain of Life Center, has expressed his sadness, saying it was a "devastating loss" for their community. The flames overwhelmed the entire front part of the church, and the roof eventually collapsed. Robert Tharp, the Florence Township Fire District administrator, has commended the firefighters for their efforts to stop the fire to spread interiorly. But with the size of the building and the amount of fire present, the firefighter still had to switch to a defensive operation. The cause of the fire is still unknown and is still being investigated. There are no injuries reported as of now. The center has canceled classes for about 300 students until further notice. Firefighters are working to prevent the flames from spreading to a nearby K-12 school building. The student ministries pastor, Matthew Boudwin, expressed hope that the fire wouldn't affect the link between the church building auditorium and the school. According to another source, as of around 9 p.m., firefighters attempted to prevent the fire by spraying water on a hallway connecting the two buildings. According to Burlington County Times, the flames had consumed most of the interior, and the roof had already collapsed, leaving behind the twisted metal. Portable ponds were set up near the parking lot to provide firefighters with more water to put out the fire. The scene was surrounded by a lot of emergency vehicles with flashing lights, and around 100 residents and passersby had gathered to observe the situation. Lisa DeLucia from Florence, who had wanted to get married at the church last fall but couldn't due to prior bookings, expressed her sadness and disappointment at the destruction. Also Read: Fayetteville Pastor Leads Efforts to Rebuild Christian Academy After New Year's Fire at New Life Bible Church Community Church Members Deeply Affected by the Tragic Incident The Fountain of Life Center fire has deeply affected the church community. According to NBC10 Philadelphia, William Jackson, a church member, expressed his sadness as he called it "heartbreaking" and "heavy." The intensity of the flames caused the roof of the church to collapse, along with the iconic cross on top of it. James Brown, another church member, described the cross as a symbol known in the area for decades and always assumed to be a permanent fixture. The Fountain of Life Center is a large church that can accommodate up to 3,000 people and has another location in Trenton, New Jersey. Related Article: Northside Community Church, Saved from Fire with Only Minimal Damage by Paterson Firefighters Pexels/RODNAE Productions As controversy arises with the issue of changing the tradition of priestly celibacy that Pope Francis plans to change, some critics and pastors have commented on this move. Some say this move will help increase the number of people wanting to be a priest. An Ex-Catholic priest who left the church to start a family has agreed with Pope Francis' recent comments about celibacy not being an essential element of the Catholic priesthood. Former Priest Agrees to the Change in Priestly Celibacy Ruling This week, the Pope stunned some by calling the 2,000-year-old custom in the western church a "temporary prescription" and asserting that it is "not contradictory" for a priest to wed. Fox News contributor Jonathan Morris, who is still a committed Catholic, believes that allowing married men to become priests could help address the current crisis of leadership in the Catholic Church in the United States. Morris acknowledges that this might be a partial solution, but he believes it would help to alleviate the current situation. According to Morris, allowing married men to become priests could result in more candidates for leadership roles in the Catholic Church. He believes that good leaders are needed and that there would be more of them if married men were allowed to become priests. While Pope Francis has spoken out on this issue, whether the idea will be implemented remains to be seen. Morris notes that Catholic priests are already married in the Eastern rites. Despite his talk about controversial issues, Pope Francis has yet to make significant changes on this or other issues. Morris points out that the Pope can make changes if he chooses. Also Read: Pope Francis Challenges Centuries-Old Tradition with Talks of Revising Priestly Celibacy in Candid Interview The Recent Issue on Pope's Remarks on Priestly Celibacy According to the story shared in Catholic News Agency, Pope Francis has reiterated his stance on priestly celibacy, stating that he believes it is a gift to the church and does not agree with optional celibacy. However, he suggested that there could be exceptions for married clergy in the Latin rite in remote locations with a pastoral need due to a shortage of priests. In an interview with Infobae, he also discussed various social and political issues, such as Daniel Ortega's dictatorship in Nicaragua, drug trafficking in Latin America, and the war in Ukraine. On marriage annulments, Pope Francis advised people to look at what his predecessor Benedict XVI had said and commented that many church marriages are invalid due to a lack of faith. He also questioned the meaning of "forever" when young people use it concerning marriage. Germany's Catholic Church recently voted to formally request that the Pope end the requirement of priestly celibacy, and it seems that Pope Francis may be open to the idea. According to New York Post, he cited the Eastern Rite Catholic Church, where priests are allowed to choose whether to marry or remain celibate before ordination. He also mentioned a married priest with a wife and son in the papal court, demonstrating no contradiction in a priest being married. This suggests that Pope Francis may be willing to consider exceptions to the requirement of priestly celibacy in the Latin rite, in line with his previous comments on the subject. Related Article: Pope Francis Hints End to Catholic Church Celibacy Rule: Calls Ban on Priest's Sexual Activity 'Temporary' MART PRODUCTION The Vatican recently opened a shopping mall called the "Caput Mundi" Mall on March 16, next to St. Peter's Square. The establishment of the mall, which takes its name from a saying referring to Rome as the "capital of the world," has generated controversy because it is perceived as a contrast to the most illustrious church in all of Christendom and a symbol of Western materialism. Shopping Mall Opens at St. Peter's Square in the Vatican According to Crux Now, the Caput Mundi Mall is in a space linked to the last great jubilee. It is situatued in the fifth and the top floor of a large parking garage on Rome's Janiculum Hill, constructed for the Jubilee Year of 2000. It has been under development since 2020, and previously the area was dedicated to a coffee bar and cafeteria to serve the busloads of tourists and pilgrims who arrived at the parking structure. The Vatican's decision to open a shopping mall, especially under the current Pope, who is a vocal critic of the excesses of capitalism, may seem contradictory. However, the mall will have a unique "Pope Francis" touch, emphasizing sustainability and solidarity. A spokesperson for Gasak, the company managing the mall, believes that the shopping center will become one of the most crucial points of reference for shopping in the center of Rome, offering a boutique experience that makes customers feel like they are at the capital of the world. Various Roman civic leaders and Vatican officials attended the Caput Mundi Mall. Some nearby shop owners have criticized the project, concerned that it will take away their customers. Some media outlets in Rome have also expressed discontent, stating that the Vatican seems to be taking advantage of a structure built with public funds twenty-five years ago to ease traffic and parking in the area, not to host a commercial space. Also Read: Vatican Library Appoints Salesian Priest as New Prefect, Bringing Fresh Leadership to Its Historical Collections 2025 as The Jubilee Year Celebration A jubilee is a special Holy Year of grace and pilgrimage in the Catholic Church, typically occurring every 25 years. The 2025 Jubilee has the motto "Pilgrims of Hope" or "Peregrinantes in Spem" in Latin. According to Catholic News Agency, Archbishop Fisichella announced that 294 entries from 48 countries were submitted for the Jubilee logo competition, with participants ranging in age from six to 83 years old. Many of the entries were hand-made drawings by children worldwide, which he found touching. A panel selected three finalists, and Pope Francis ultimately chose the winning logo design created by Italian artist Giacomo Travisani. The Catholic Church has declared that 2025 will be the 27th ordinary jubilee year, also known as the Holy Year. In the story in Angelus News, Pope Francis has urged Christians to prepare for the Holy Year by embracing universal fraternity and addressing poverty, including the plight of migrants and refugees who are forced to flee their homes. He emphasized that the pastoral richness of the Holy Year can only be experienced if the Christian people can promote a sense of brotherhood and not ignore the tragedy of poverty that deprives millions of people of their human dignity. As the first 25 years of the new century come to a close, Pope Francis calls for preparation to ensure that the Holy Year will be a spiritually enriching experience for all. Related Article: Pope Francis Launches New Vatican Reform, Nationalizes Assets and Property to Promote Transparency and Accountability Pexels/Maria Lindsey Content Creator Former pastor Terry Johnston, and current pastor, Rev. Lucio Berumen of Indian Lake Baptist Church, together with two other members, joined the 19th mission trip to Culiacan, Mexico, called 'Sharing God's Word and Apples.' 'Sharing God's Word and Apple's Mission The Indian Lake Baptist Church distributed the first 70 bags of apples to anyone who showed up on Saturday, Mar. 4, in Culiacan, Mexico, and then the remaining 20 bags were given out after church on Sunday, Mar. 5, The Globe reported The CEO of Chelan Fresh Marketing, which markets the SugarBee apple, Church Nystrom, participated in the 'Sharing God's Word and Apples' mission by Rev. Lucio Berumen, a native of Culiacan who currently serves as pastor of Indian Lake Baptist Church, as well as its previous pastor, Terry Johnston and two members of the congregation, Gary Haspels of Sanborn, Iowa, and Spencer Klassen of rural Worthington. As mentioned, SugarBee apples were produced by Nystrom, the proprietor of Ocheda Orchard, located south of Worthington. These apples were grown in the state of Washington and were presented as a special treat to the citizens of the impoverished city. Nystrom has been a part of all 19 journeys the church has taken. The CEO quickly offered a pallet of apples to be dropped off while they delivered goods to other locations in Mexico. A pallet contains 49-bushel boxes of apples, which is a far larger quantity than what Nystrom had anticipated they would be able to distribute in the community surrounding Roca de la Eternidad "Eternity Rock," which has been Indian Lake Baptist's sister church in Culiacan since 2009. In addition, they did not have any means of cooling for such a significant donation. Therefore, 55 two-thirds bushel cartons containing around 45 apples were sent out from Chelan. They had considerably more apples than that to offer with individuals at a migrant work factory and five drug rehabilitation facilities in Culiacan. Yet, the 70 bags of apples they were able to give away represented the opportunity to spread the message of God to 70 families living in the surrounding area. During their trip of one week, they were able to convey the message of Christianity to around 465 individuals. At one rehabilitation center, there were 150 patients; at another, there were 80. Moreover, one of the institutions was exclusively for female residents, and approximately 45 to 50 young women learned about Jesus. The other two facilities each had about 20 residents. Another 75 families, the majority of whom are members of indigenous communities in southern Mexico and speak a range of Spanish dialects, were given apples and a message as they arrived at the migrant work plant. On the other hand, the Indian Lake Baptist Church's congregation comprises people from various cultural backgrounds who deeply love Jesus, the Bible, and one another. Besides getting together on Wednesdays for Family Night, the church has weekly gatherings on Sundays for teaching and worship. They have been reportedly ministering to the people of Southwest Minnesota and sending missionaries for about 150 years. The Indian Lake Baptist Church is also part of Converge North Central's network of churches. Also Read:Holy Family Mission Provides Opportunity To Young People to Live in Intentional Catholic Community in Ireland SugarBee Apples in Washington According to Speciality Produce, SugarBee apples, also known as Malus, are a bi-colored American variety member of the Rosaceae family domestic based on their botanical classification. The modern apple cultivar was discovered in the latter part of the 20th century as a fortuitous seedling in an orchard in Minnesota. It was picked for its sweet flavor, crisp quality, and brilliantly colored skin. SugarBee apples were given their name in recognition of their open cross-pollinated history, which is why they are pollinated by bees and their distinctively sweet flavor reminiscent of their Honeycrisp parent variety. Related Article:United Church of Christ's Annual Mission, 'One Great Hour of Sharing' Aims to Help More Than 25 Million Global Refugees Pexels/Pixabay The Portuguese Catholic Church has restated its new safeguarding obligations following the findings of an independent commission on sexual abuse by clergy. In contrast, most of its dioceses have observed anomalies in the commission's conclusions. New Safeguarding Commitments According to the National Catholic Reporter, the Portuguese bishops' permanent council reaffirmed its gratitude for the work that made it possible to cross-reference information between victim testimonials and data from their archives on March 14. "We value public scrutiny and stand ready to assist society in eradicating the drama of child abuse by providing lasting support to victims and judging perpetrators. Given the subject's intricacy, we apologize that we have not always stated our aims clearly," it said. The council released the statement after debating comments to a list of suspected abusers presented to the church at the Marian site of Fatima. It was stated that an independent group of trusted persons would be established to collaborate with existing diocesan protection committees. The bishops' conference standards on abuse would be updated, and action taken against identified abusers. However, according to a church expert, there were issues with the names submitted by the independent panel and their dependence on anonymous testimony. Octavio Carmo, head editor of the Ecclesia information agency of the Portuguese Church, on March 16 stated that some members of the Catholic community believe that unspecified charges should not be acted upon, and it appears that the victims will have to present themselves at some time. As mentioned, the bishops of Portugal began taking concrete steps to respond to a damning investigative report published a month ago. The Portuguese Episcopal Conference held a plenary assembly in Fatima. They announced the establishment of all-lay diocesan commissions and a memorial to victims unveiled during World Youth Day, which will take place in Lisbon from August 1 to 6. These are just two of the many measures taken, the Catholic News Agency reported. Establishing a memorial for people who have been abused was yet another project that was announced. Following the conclusion of World Youth Day, the memorial will be relocated to a location away from the main conference building. Also Read:John MacArthur Covered Up Pastor's Sexual Abuse, Witness Claims Sexual Abused in Portugal Northwest Catholic reported that more than 4,800 children were sexually abused by clergy in Portugal between the years 1950 and 2022, according to the concluding report of the Independent Commission for the Investigation of Sexual Abuse of Children in the Catholic Church in Portugal. In response to the findings, the President of the Portuguese Bishops' Conference, Bishop Jose Ornelas Carvalho of Leiria-Fatima, apologized to the victims and commended the church-sponsored committee for bringing attention to the abuse committed by Catholic clergy. In addition to this, he guaranteed that any surviving perpetrators would be removed from office. Another commission member, Alvaro Laborinho Lucio, stated that just 25 cases of pedophilia had been reported to prosecutors up to this point. It was because many cases fell outside Portugal's statute of limitations. Also, he did mention that by the end of February, a list of those still alive offenders would be presented to the legal authorities and the Catholic church. Related Article: French Catholic Church Uncovers Clerical Sexual Abuse Cases of 11 Bishops American missionary pilot, 2 others released from Mozambique prison (CP) An American missionary pilot and two other men who were jailed in Mozambique for more than four months on suspicion of supporting insurgents in the war-torn nation have been released from prison. Ryan Koher and two South Africans, W.J. du Plessis and Eric Dry, left prison late Tuesday afternoon, according to the U.S.-based ministry Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF). Koher is said to be "doing well" following his release and has spoken multiple times with his wife, Annabel, and his two sons since his release, a spokesperson told The Christian Post. All three men are required to remain in Mozambique and the case is still ongoing. Saying the organization is "grateful to the courts in Mozambique for this decision," MAF is "continuing to learn more about next steps in the case from our legal counsel," the spokesperson added. "The executive leadership team of MAF-US expresses its thanks for all those who have been praying for Ryan and his family," the statement added. "We ask for continued prayer that the final outcome will be a full release of Ryan from any charges and trial." Koher's release appeared to be an answer to prayer after his wife Annabel told CP last week that while she was unsure how the legal process would play out, she has been praying for God to use Koher's time in prison for His glory and bring him safely back to his family. "Obviously, overall, we would pray that he would be released and that the prosecutor would realize ... that Ryan didn't do anything wrong, and that he should be free and he would dismiss the case, that Ryan would be released and be home with us soon," she told CP. Koher and the two other MAF volunteers were arrested in November 2022 while preparing to help load vitamins and other supplies on a plane bound for an orphanage in Cabo Delgado, the northernmost province in Mozambique. To date, no charges have been filed in what is still an ongoing investigation, the family told CP. Since 2017, a rebel group believed to have links to the Islamic State has seized villages, churches and mosques in the northern region of the African nation, leaving hundreds dead. Over the last five years, about 1 million people have fled their villages in Cabo Delgado as war rages between security forces and insurgents. Through its local partner Ambassador Aviation, MAF says it has flown supplies to various orphanages yearly since 2014. The Christian Post Christian theology lecturer sacked by Bible college over tweet on human sexuality A Christian theology lecturer is considering legal action following his dismissal by a Methodist Bible college after tweeting an evangelical perspective of human sexuality. Dr Aaron Edwards was sacked for misconduct by Cliff College, in Derbyshire, over a series of tweets shared on 19 February, in which he stated: "Homosexuality is invading the Church. Evangelicals no longer see the severity of this b/c they're busy apologising for their apparently barbaric homophobia, whether or not it's true. "This *is* a 'Gospel issue', by the way. If sin is no longer sin, we no longer need a Saviour." In another post, he said, "That *is* the conservative view. The acceptance of homosexuality as 'not sinful' *is* an invasion upon the Church, doctrinally. This is not controversial. The acceptance is controversial. Most of the global Church would agree. It is not homophobic to declare homosexuality sinful." After some backlash over his comments, he wrote in another post that his tweets were "addressed to evangelicals" and not intended as an attack on individuals. "I expressed the conservative view as a doctrinal issue, re. the implications for sin/the Gospel ... It seems that holding the view that homosexuality is sinful is only welcome if it remains 'unexpressed'," he said. Dr Edwards' tweets were a response to the Church of England's vote in General Synod last month to move forward with introducing same-sex blessings. At the time, the college asked him to remove the posts over concerns they breached its social media policy, and issued a statement saying that the language used by Dr Edwards "is inappropriate and unacceptable and does not represent either the views or the ethos of Cliff College". Dr Edwards refused the college's request to remove the posts on grounds of conscience and was suspended while an investigation was carried out. Following a disciplinary hearing, he was sacked last week for allegedly "bringing the college into disrepute". According to the Christian Legal Centre (CLC), which is assisting Dr Edwards, the college threatened to report him to Prevent, the government's anti-terrorism scheme. He is appealing against his dismissal and weighing up his legal options. Dr Edwards called his dismissal "unjust". "What has happened to me demonstrates that conservative biblical views on human sexuality are no longer 'tolerated' in the Methodist Church in the UK. Rather it is clear that those beliefs are to be silenced and stamped out," he said. "My expressed view has not been received respectfully, tolerantly, or charitably. It has rather been met with harassment and personal defamation by many. "It seems the college is a safe place for those who are pro LGBTQ+, but not for conservative evangelicals. What has happened exposes that living with contradictory convictions is not possible for an evangelical Christian." He added, "Anyone concerned about academic freedom, Christian freedoms and free speech should be deeply concerned by what has happened to me." Andrea Williams, CLC chief executive, said: "A Christian theologian working for a Christian Bible college tweeting about the biblical Christian teaching on human sexuality, has been sacked and labelled as a potential 'terrorist'. "It is saddening and very concerning to see the Methodist Church, and a once renowned bible college, lose its way by no longer upholding marriage as God defines it, or supporting those who express it." She added, "This story sets a dark precedent for the Methodist Church going forward and also serves as a warning to the Church of England." Toby Young, General Secretary of the Free Speech Union, said: "Expressing orthodox Christian beliefs should not be grounds for dismissal from a purportedly Christian organisation. I look forward to Alastair Campbell defending Aaron Edwards' right to free speech, just as he did Gary Lineker's. "Defending free speech means defending the right of people to express views you do not agree with, not just those you agree with." Cliff College has been contacted for comment. Following in the footsteps of my trailblazing medical missionary grandmother Around 100 years ago, Rachel Buckingham's grandmother became a doctor at a time when some universities in the UK still barred women from qualifying as physicians. Little did Dr Alice Muriel Griffiths from Cardiff, Wales, know that she would inspire her descendants to combine medicine and faith as she headed off to India as a missionary to treat patients with leprosy in the 1920s. Muriel, as she preferred to be called, belonged to a remarkable family in the history of the Baptist movement in Wales. The Griffiths family has generations of ministers who went on to work in Wales, England and even the USA. Today, her granddaughter Rachel, also a devout Christian, is the lead orthopaedic surgeon volunteering for Christian charity Mercy Ships onboard the world's first purpose-built civilian hospital ship the Global Mercy. Earlier this month, she performed the first-ever surgery in one of the brand-new state-of-the-art operating theatres on the ship docked in Senegal, West Africa, for the next five months. Rachel, who has been Consultant Paediatric Orthopaedic Surgeon at the Oxford University Hospitals Trust since 2007, said: "My grandmother was a doctor and a trailblazer. In the 1920s she went off as an unmarried woman to India as a medical missionary. "It was she who inspired me. My father, another inspiration, was also a surgeon. But hearing what she did, including her work with leprosy patients, made me decide, aged 10, that I wanted to study medicine. And I did not want to do anything else from then on!" Muriel was one of the first women to graduate in medicine at the Royal Free Medical School in London, before heading to India where she cared for those who were sick and met another Baptist, the Rev Frank Fellows, who had been there since 1915. The pair married and spent much of the next 20-plus years there where Muriel travelled to the homes of those who needed medical help as well as holding daily surgeries outside their home. They moved in 1931 to Cuttack, in the east of India, where Rev Fellows became the Principal of the Theological College and Muriel cared for lepers at the nearby lepers' hospital. Through her efforts, a chapel was built at the hospital and it became a centre for Christian social work and outreach. She was known for electrifying the Welsh Baptist Union with her talks. Sadly, Rachel's grandmother died in 1977 when Rachel was still young, but her formidable spirt left a mark on her. First surgery Fast forward to 2023, and Rachel is part of an historic moment herself, as she performs the first surgery onboard a ship which is expected to transform more than 150,000 lives through surgery alone during its 50-year lifespan. In addition, thousands of African medical professionals will receive training and mentoring with the goal of multiplying impact within their communities. While mother-of-three Rachel performs her surgeries, she will be training an African orthopaedic surgeon alongside her, who (despite being from Morocco originally,) is committed to staying in Senegal to treat the Senegalese people. Rachel, 55, said: "Senegal has not got a paediatric orthopaedic surgeon. I am hopeful he will be their first." Rachel and her husband Rob, a professor and robotics engineer, were determined to volunteer for Mercy Ships since first visiting one of its ships while it was docked at Bristol. Rachel said: "We visited and had a tour of the Anastasis. We were running a church youth group at that time and we took some of the kids to show them. Mercy Ships had been on my mind but we were both busy with work. Once the children were growing up and leaving, I decided to apply." They first got the opportunity in 2019. Rob volunteered in the dining room while Rachel went into paediatric orthopaedic surgical care. Stark differences Rachel said: "Coming out here you notice some stark differences. The lack of surgical care people have here. We treat children with such severe deformities because they would never be able to get to that point at home - we would have treated them in early life. People are just so grateful for the chance to get surgery. "We are incredibly lucky to have the NHS. Whatever problems our NHS has it's amazing. People can walk in and get free medical care and we should never take that for granted. And we have so many doctors." In sub-Saharan Africa, nine out of 10 people have no access to safe surgery and Rachel said the need is critically obvious. "What keeps me coming back is the need. It's the ability to train local healthcare workers and make a difference. "Mercy Ships really wants to do itself out of a job. You go into medicine to have an impact, so here we have a massive impact. "Mercy Ships is a breath of fresh air. It is so professional. People come from all over the world who are properly trained and vetted, and you see an incredible can-do attitude to work together to change lives." Trailblazing Just as Rachel's grandmother combined her faith and medicine in a male-dominated background, Rachel still encounters some similarities. Rachel said the lack of females in senior positions during her medical training never held her back if anything it made her more determined. "As a junior doctor I never worked for a woman so I never had a role model in surgery. Orthopaedics is very male-dominated, and I found that some men felt they had to be a very stereotypical surgeon. But for me it was liberating being a woman as I found my own way. I am me." Just as her grandmother did, Rachel's determination and courage is seeing her change the lives of those in urgent need. If you are interested in transforming lives like Rachel, visit here for more information. Girlguiding should retain references to God in campfire songs, says Christian group Girlguiding is being urged to remember its Christian roots after suggesting that references to God be removed from traditional campfire songs sung by Brownies. Brownies is the branch of Girlguiding for younger girls aged seven to 10. In a since deleted blog post, the organisation suggested that song lyrics be rewritten to make "references that have been hurtful to people ... inclusive for everyone". In one example cited in the article, the original lyrics of Brownie Bells read as, "Oh Lord, our God; Thy children call; Grant us thy peace; And bless us all; Goodnight." These were changed by one Brownie group to say, "Time for the end, our meeting's past, Brownies is great, time flies so fast, goodnight. I'm a Brownie, you're a Brownie, Brownies all around the world. Goodnight Brownies everywhere." A spokeswoman for Girlguiding said it was "important we consider elements of our heritage that may not illustrate our values and ethos of today, and how they may be excluding girls or volunteers from taking part fully or feeling truly welcome". The Christian Institute suggested the changes would not promote inclusion but leave Christian members feeling less welcome. The Christian Institute's Deputy Director Ciaran Kelly called on Girlguiding leaders to respect the roots of the organisation, which was founded in 1910 by Robert Baden-Powell on Christian principles. "The Girl Guides and Scouts should remember that their founders, Robert Baden-Powell and his sister Agnes, were motivated by their faith," said Mr Kelly. "Erasing their past and our traditions do not promote greater inclusion, or diversity. Quite the opposite. "The many Christian members of the Girl Guides will certainly question how welcome they really are. I hope they reconsider this decision." In 2013, Girlguiding changed the Brownies and Guides pledge to remove the promise to serve God. Instead, members pledge to be "true to myself and develop my beliefs", and serve their "community" instead of their country. In interview, Pope Francis calls priestly celibacy 'not eternal' In an interview published Friday (March 10), Pope Francis called celibacy in the priesthood a gift from God but also a "provisional" discipline observed mostly in the Western Church that is not essential to ordination. The pope's comment came as an interviewer with the Argentine news agency Infobae asked the pontiff whether lifting the celibacy obligation in the Catholic Church would increase the number of candidates to the priesthood. "I don't think so," the pope said, adding that there already are married priests among the Eastern-rite Catholics. "Here in the (Roman) Curia we have one just today I met him who has his wife and his son" with him. "Nevertheless, there is no contradiction for a priest to marry," Francis said. "Celibacy in the Western Church is a temporal prescription." Contrasting it with the status of priestly ordination, "which is forever, whether you like it or not," he called celibacy "not eternal." "Whether you leave or not is another matter," he added. "On the other hand, celibacy is a discipline." "So it could be revised?" asked Argentine journalist Daniel Hadad. "Yes, yes," Francis replied. "In fact, everyone in the Eastern Church is married, or those who want to. There they make a choice. Before ordination, (they have) the choice to marry or to be celibate." Francis has challenged the practice of priestly celibacy before, most recently in a major address he gave at the Vatican a year ago in which he again discussed priestly celibacy as "a gift" but warned that "without friends and without prayer, celibacy can become an unbearable burden and a counter-witness to the very beauty of the priesthood." But in his 2020 papal exhortation "Querida Amazonia" that followed the Synod of Bishops on the Pan-Amazon Region, held in October 2019, Francis dismissed allowing married priests as a solution to clergy shortages in remote areas of South America. More recently, Vatican officials have cautioned Catholic Church reformers in Germany who have called for an end to celibacy as a requirement for ordination. During the wide-ranging interview with Infobae, Francis also spoke on the need for the church to follow Jesus' example and be welcoming to all, especially homosexual persons. "The big answer was given by Jesus: Everybody! Everyone inside," he said. Using the example of Jesus' parable of the great banquet, the pope said that when "the fancy ones did not want to go," the master of the house tells his servant to invite everyone, "good, bad, old, young, children; everyone!" "This is a church of sinners. I don't know where the church of saints is, here we are all sinners. And who am I to judge a person if he or she has good will? Today there is a lot of focus on this problem," he said. "I think we have to go to the essence of the Gospel: Jesus calls everyone," Francis said. Religion News Service Methodist College principal denies Prevent threat against sacked theology lecturer The Principal of the Methodist Bible College embroiled in a row over the sacking of a theology lecturer has denied reports that he was threatened with a counter-terrorism referral after he tweeted "homosexuality is invading the Church". The Sunday Telegraph reported on Dr Aaron Edwards's dismissal last week by Cliff College in Derbyshire after he refused to back down over his evangelical views. The paper said: "He was told by the college that he could be reported to Prevent, the Government's anti-extremism programme and asked how he would pray for same-sex attracted students who approached him, according to college disciplinary hearing minutes." Responding to the claims, Cliff's Principal, Rev Ashley Cooper, told Christian Today: "We have not threatened him with Prevent." Mr Cooper added that the college "will make a statement in due course and challenge appropriately". The Christian Legal Centre is assisting Dr Edwards in his appeal against his dismissal for allegedly "bringing the college into disrepute" over a series of tweets on February 19 after the Church of England's General Synod voted to back same-sex blessings. Dr Edwards, aged 37 and a married father of five, posted: "Homosexuality is invading the Church. Evangelicals no longer see the severity of this [because] they're busy apologising for their apparently barbaric homophobia, whether or not it's true. This is a Gospel issue, by the way. If sin is no longer sin, we no longer need a Saviour." Branding his sacking "unjust", he said: "What has happened to me demonstrates that conservative biblical views on human sexuality are no longer 'tolerated' in the Methodist Church in the UK. Rather it is clear that those beliefs are to be silenced and stamped out." Cliff's media statement on the row says: "As internal processes remain ongoing, we are unable to respond to specific issues. As a Methodist institution, Cliff College is committed to being a safe and hospitable place where those with differing convictions are welcomed and encouraged to live and learn together as faithful disciples of Christ." Julian Mann is a former Church of England vicar, now an evangelical journalist based in Lancashire. MP's motion to force same-sex weddings on CofE 'must be decisively rejected' The Christian Institute has condemned a motion by Ben Bradshaw MP "to enable clergy of the Church of England to conduct same sex marriages on Church of England premises in certain circumstances". The organisation has called the Labour MP's motion a "brazen attack on religious liberty". The Christian Institute is calling on MPs to reject the motion when it is expected to come up for debate in Parliament next week. Protections in the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 means that at present, churches cannot be compelled to conduct same-sex wedding ceremonies. The Bill proposing to undo those protections is being introduced under the Ten Minute Rule, and has the support of Dame Margaret Beckett, Harriet Harman and Sir Peter Bottomley. Few Ten Minute Rule Bills become law but are used to draw attention to certain issues and test the opinion of the House. Mr Bradshaw said he hoped his motion would be "a precursor to actual legislation". A spokesperson for the Church of England has told The Times that members of the Church of England's parliament, the General Synod, will "no doubt listen carefully to views expressed in Parliament". The Christian Institute's Director Colin Hart said that the motion "flagrantly interferes with Church doctrine and must be decisively rejected". "If successful, this brazen attack on religious liberty undermines, and could ultimately wreck, the whole package of protections for churches." Anglican theologian Dr Ian Paul raised similar concerns in comments to The Times: "Just think which countries in the world allow the secular state to dictate religious belief. It's not a pretty list." Nigeria: Militants wielding axes, machetes kill 27 Christians ahead of gubernatorial election (CP) In a recent wave of violence, militants targeted Christian communities in Nigeria's Kaduna state resulting in at least 27 deaths, according to a U.S.-based persecution watchdog whose sources suspect the attacks were aimed at preventing Christians from voting in the gubernatorial election. The assailants, who had previously attacked the Agwan Wakili area in Kaduna, killing at least 17 people, returned this week and struck the Mubushi and Langson communities, which left at least 10 dead a few miles from Agwan Wakili, the watchdog International Christian Concern reported. At least 10 people have been reported killed in this week's attack on Langson, the Nigerian newspaper The Guardian reported. According to ICC, 14 others were injured. Security forces had been deployed to the sites after the attacks, the group added, noting that its representative visited the scene to document the aftermath and gather photographic evidence, but military officials confiscated his phone. During the night-time attack, most villagers were sleeping outdoors due to the intense heat, while others kept watch as they had received a prior warning, ICC said, adding that witnesses suggested the attack was carried out to prevent Christians from voting in the election. A local leader was quoted as saying that the assault was a "political massacre of Christians" in areas where the ruling All Progressives Congress party was likely going to lose Saturday's gubernatorial election. An area leader from the Labour Party was also running for governor of Kaduna, and the people of the attacked communities were expected to vote for him. The source added that Christian farmers in Nigeria often face heightened violence during election periods. Another ICC source said some militants are members of the Nigeria army. An ICC staffer received a message from a contact indicating that a helicopter had flown over the community shortly before the attack, potentially to survey populated areas, analyze security measures and facilitate the militants' infiltration. Earlier this month, gunmen suspected to be bandits killed the son of a village pastor and abducted his wife, along with three others, in an attack in Karimbu-Kahugu community in Lere Local Government Area of Kaduna. Christian rights groups have warned for years about the deteriorating religious freedom conditions in Nigeria amid the rise of terror groups like Boko Haram and the Islamic State in the northeast. Advocates have also warned about an increase in deadly violence against predominantly Christian communities committed by radical herders in the farming-rich Middle Belt states as the country deals with desertification and erosion of natural resources. Critics of the Muhammadu Buhari government contend it is not doing enough to thwart the violence. However, the U.S. State Department under President Joe Biden reaffirmed its decision to remove Nigeria from its list of countries of particular concern for religious freedom violations after conducting what it described as a "careful review." Nigerian Christians, human rights groups and members of Congress objected to the Biden administration's decision to lift the CPC designation from Nigeria. The CPC designation carries with it the possibility for sanctions and other deterrence actions to influence those countries to improve religious freedom conditions. A 2021 religious freedom report released by the State Department in June 2022 noted, "There was pervasive violence involving predominantly Muslim herders and mostly Christian, but also Muslim, farmers, particularly in the North Central, but also in the North West (where most farmers were Muslim) and South West regions." The report added, "According to the Nigeria security tracker maintained by the Council on Foreign Relations, there were an estimated 10,399 deaths from violent conflict during the year, compared with 9,694 in 2020." According to the watchdog group Open Doors, Nigeria ranks No. 6 on the organization's 2023 World Watch List, which lists the top 50 worst countries for Christian persecution. The watchdog group reported that in 2022, 5,014 Christians were killed for their faith, and 4,726 were abducted. The Christian Post Only half of US pastors are 'very satisfied' with their vocations: study (CP) Only half of U.S. pastors are "very satisfied" with their vocation, marking a steep decline in pastoral satisfaction over the past decade, according to a study released by Barna Group. The research released Wednesday is based on a survey of 584 Protestant pastors conducted from Sept. 6-16, 2022, as part of Barna's new Resilient Pastor Initiative examining the phenomenon of church leaders feeling "burnt out, lonely or unwell." The results reveal that just 52% of respondents described themselves as "very satisfied with their vocation as a pastor." The share of pastors with a high level of satisfaction regarding their vocation has dropped 20 points since 2015 when 72% of pastors characterized themselves as "very satisfied." Barna's research attributes the growing discontent among pastors to the coronavirus pandemic and ongoing lockdowns that led to societal upheaval and restrictions on religious worship. "Our research shows that today's pastors are deeply struggling with their sense of calling in the wake of COVID." In 2020, two-thirds (67%) of pastors surveyed considered themselves "very satisfied." The percentage of pastors who "feel very satisfied with their ministry at their current church" also declined in the same period, from 53% in 2015 to 47% in 2020 and 38% in 2022. While two-thirds of pastors maintained they felt "more confident about their calling compared to when they first entered ministry" in 2015, that number dropped to 35% in 2020 and remains unchanged in 2022. When breaking down the results by demographic subgroup, the research shows that a drop in the number of senior Protestant pastors calling themselves "very satisfied" is driven by young pastors. Only 35% of pastors younger than 45 said they were "very satisfied" with their vocation in 2022, while a majority (52%) said they were just "somewhat satisfied." Eleven percent told pollsters they were "not too satisfied" with their vocation, and the remaining 2% were "not at all satisfied." By contrast, 58% of respondents aged 45 and older reported feeling "very satisfied" with their vocations, while 37% were "somewhat satisfied." The share of older pastors who were "not too satisfied" (13%) and "not at all satisfied" (2%) were nearly identical to the percentages of younger pastors who said the same. Two-thirds of pastors (66%) younger than 45 have gone through a period where they "significantly doubted" their calling, while 31% indicated they had not had such an experience. Among older pastors, just over half (51%) had felt self-doubt about their calling, while 45% had not. The overwhelming majority of pastors who have considered quitting (72%) experienced self-doubt about their ministry, while 25% have not. A narrow majority (52%) of pastors who have not contemplated quitting have not had self-doubts, while 44% said they have. The research also noted differences in satisfaction between female and male pastors. A majority of male pastors (52%) said they felt "just as confident" about their calling compared to when they first entered ministry, along with a plurality of female pastors (42%). A higher share of female pastors (25%) saw themselves as "less confident" about their calling than their male counterparts (12%). Roughly equal shares of male (35%) and female pastors (33%) maintained that their level of confidence in their calling has risen over the years. Roughly half of the pastors who have considered quitting (48%) have maintained the same level of confidence in their calling over the years, while 29% have seen their confidence diminish. On the other hand, just 5% of pastors who have not contemplated a career change have witnessed a decline in their confidence in their calling, while a majority (52%) have seen their level of confidence remain steady. Substantial shares of pastors who have considered quitting (22%) and those who have not (43%) have seen their confidence increase. Even 57% of pastors who have considered quitting were "somewhat satisfied" with their jobs, while 26% of those who have contemplated a career change were "not at all satisfied." The overwhelming majority of respondents who have not considered quitting (69%) were "very satisfied" with their vocations, as 30% were "somewhat satisfied." An additional 1% who were "not too satisfied" with their vocations have not considered quitting, while none of those who are "not at all satisfied" reported that they had not considered abandoning their position. Previously released data also collected by Barna Group in September measured the share of pastors who had given "serious consideration to quitting being in full-time ministry in the past year" at 42%. The Christian Post Panellist in Christian school worker's appeal asked to recuse himself over 'bias' concerns Lawyers for a Christian school worker have asked a member of the panel at her appeal hearing to recuse himself because of concerns about "bias". A two-day hearing is underway in London in the appeal of Kristie Higgs against a previous judgment which ruled that the school she worked at previously was justified in sacking her for gross misconduct over two Facebook posts. The Facebook posts, shared on her private account in 2019, expressed opposition to the introduction of Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and raised concerns about transgenderism being prompted in her son's Church of England primary school. The previous judgment ruled that her posts could have been perceived as "transphobic" or "homophobic", even if they were not actually so. Her lawyers have submitted an urgent application to the court after discovering that the panel includes Andrew Morris, former Assistant General Secretary of the National Education Union (NEU). The Christian Legal Centre (CLC), which is representing Mrs Higgs, has raised concerns about Mr Morris' presence on the panel because of the NEU's support for RSE and the teaching of same-sex relationships and transgenderism at primary schools during his tenure at the organisation from 2017 to 2022. The application submitted by Mrs Higgs' lawyers asks Mr Morris to recuse himself from the hearing. Mrs Higgs said: "How can we expect access to justice when this is what we keep confronting at every stage?" The hearing continues. Reconciliation - the place between the chairs Reconcilers sit between two stools My esteemed doctoral advisor David J. Bosch (1929-1992) was in every sense the most important mission theologian of the 20th century. His opus magnum, "Transforming Mission", has been translated into many of the world's languages and, more than almost any other book, has influenced mission thinking in the global church. Whether evangelicals, ecumenicists, Catholics or Orthodox - they all refer to Bosch and know how to skillfully appropriate him as one of their own. He himself refused to be appropriated. I remember asking him one day where he would prefer to place himself, with the ecumenicists or the evangelicals. Smiling, my teacher answered: "With none of them. I prefer to sit between the chairs. That's the only way I can reconcile them. But be careful, no one wants to sit between the chairs, but if someone does, then you usually get nothing but criticism. But if no one does, then there is no unity." David Bosch died tragically in a car accident in 1992 on his way to the funeral of a black friend. He bled to death next to his sermon about reconciliation between whites and blacks in a township. Because the emergency call came from a black settlement, the police and ambulance did not arrive at the scene until hours later. The people on the scene did try to free him from the car, but unfortunately without success. When the police finally arrived, the world-famous professor was dead. The disregard of a person between chairs could not be expressed more clearly. Since my calling in 2015 through the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) to build a network for peace and reconciliation, I can't stop thinking about my teacher and his attitude. As a network, we work for people's peace with God, with themselves, with fellow human beings and with creation. Soon after beginning practical peace and reconciliation work, it became clear to me that hardly any other topic is as important and theologically as central to the spread of the Gospel as reconciliation. Together with other missiologists, I understood that reconciliation is the very paradigm of God's mission in the world. People long for harmony and peace. However, the realization of reconciliation usually requires reconcilers, mediators who stand between the disputants and ask for ways to resolve the conflict. As soon as they are suspected of being biased, the reconciliation process will come to an abrupt end. Staying neutral - is that possible? Mediators are expected to be neutral. They are critically courted by the disputing parties and not infrequently also advertised for their own position by all means. Especially in conflicts in which victims and perpetrators are easily identifiable from the outside. This is the case, for example, in armed conflicts. Often the attacker and the attacked are clear from the beginning. How can reconcilers remain neutral? If they do, they are seen as traitors, especially by the victims, their neutrality is questioned and the service of reconciliation is rejected. In the current war between the Russians and Ukrainians it is like this. As soon as someone sets out to understand why President Putin started the war against Ukraine, he or she is attacked head-on, his or her integrity is questioned, and he or she is denounced as a friend of Putin. "Whoever claims to be my friend must also become the enemy of my enemy, otherwise he is a false friend," a good acquaintance from Ukraine told me the other day. In my conversation with him, I had only gently hinted that no war situation can be interpreted only in black and white. My remark was enough to confirm the suspicion of my interlocutor that I am also a so-called Putin-sympathizer and that it would be rather pointless to continue the conversation with me. "You can only help us, Johannes, if you put yourself completely on our side," he said. But how can people be reconciled if they only accept the mediators as representatives of their own opinion? How can peace be created if only one side is heard and only one side is believed? As a rule, this is the position of the victims. In this way, one can express solidarity with one suffering party, but still not inspire peace. Admittedly, one cannot be neutral in the face of brutal human rights violations, murder and rape. Especially not as Christians. We are sent into the world as our Master Jesus was sent (Jn 20:21). Called "to seek and to heal that which is lost" (Lk 19:10). Like him, we are on the side of the abused, the imprisoned and the poor (Lk 4:18). We can never be neutral about injustice. Does this exclude us Christians as mediators and reconcilers? And how can this be, since we are sent as ambassadors in Christ's place to speak the word of reconciliation to the world (2Cor. 5:18-20)? What must distinguish us so that the parties at odds with each other accept us as mediators, even if we do not always represent their opinion and even often, rightly so, stand in opposition to their opinion? How do we break through the expectation of being a true friend of the victim only when we declare ourselves the enemy of the perpetrator? How do we become reconcilers when remaining neutral is out of the question? The answer is: we, reconcilers, should be a friend of God in the first place - like Jesus. He refused to join in the hatred of the Jews towards their Roman occupiers and become a Zealot, a fighter for an independent Israel. But he also refused to agree to any compromise with Rome. Instead, he offered both Jews and Romans God's kingdom and the possibilities of His rule. He responded to the request of a Roman centurion to heal his servant and even praised his faith (Lk 7:1-10). On the other hand, he called a well-known Zealot, Judas Iscariot, into the inner circle of his 12 apostles (Mark 3:19), knowing that he would betray him to the Romans. Jesus did not let any party of his time press him into their own scheme. He resisted every temptation to side with those who took up the sword. Reconcilers - what characterizes them? Christian reconcilers are reconcilers "in Christ's stead" (2 Cor. 5:18-20). They work for peace and reconciliation as Jesus did. And like Jesus, they are sustained by values that are clearly external to themselves and even more so to the people they seek to reconcile. They know themselves committed first and foremost to God. By Him they are sent, to Him and to Him alone they are accountable. Apostle Paul brings it to the point when he writes of himself and his co-workers to the quarrelling believers in Corinth: "This is what everyone thinks of us: as servants of Christ and stewards of God's mysteries. Now no more is required of stewards than that they be found faithful. But it is of little consequence to me that I should be judged by you, or by any human tribunal; neither do I judge myself. Though I am conscious of no guilt, yet in this I am not justified; but it is the Lord who judges me." (1 Cor. 4:1-4). Paul is accountable to no one but God alone. He is His servant and His steward of the mysteries of God. He has to be faithful to Him. What men say is unimportant. And in his service he wants to be like Christ. For him, "Christ in us is the hope of glory" (Col. 1:27). What character traits distinguished Jesus as a reconciler? Three stand out in particular. 1. Jesus loved all people long before they proved to be lovable. Apostle Paul can write to the Romans that Christ loved us "while we were still sinners" (Rom. 5:8). Did that include the bad criminals? Sure! Enemies? Sure. Jesus taught His disciples to love even their enemies and to pray for people who persecute us unjustly (Mt 5:44). Followers of Jesus in the ministry of reconciliation refuse to acknowledge that there are people on this earth whom they should not love. Their struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against powers and forces of evil (Eph 6:12). They understand the pain of the victims, but they do not share their anger and even hatred. They suffer with the suffering, condemn injustice, but they leave the vengeance to God and God alone. 2. Jesus showed his love for us, human beings, by being gracious to us. How did Jesus reconcile us sinful people who lived in anger against each other to God and to each other? Apostle Paul writes to the Ephesians: "God, who is rich in mercy, in his great love with which he loved us, made us also, who were dead in sins, alive with Christ - by grace you have been saved; and he raised us up with him and seated us in heaven in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come he might show the abundant riches of his grace by his kindness toward us in Christ Jesus" (Eph. 2:4-7). It is the mercy of God, his grace, that overcomes the limits of hatred and anger, resentment and rage. And nothing less than this is what Jesus teaches his disciples. When Peter asked him one day how often he should forgive his brother who had done wrong against him, Jesus responded with a phrase that describes a culture of permanent forgiveness. In Mt. 18, 21-22 we read: Then Peter came and said to him, "Lord, how often must I forgive my brother who sins against me? Is it enough seven times? Jesus said to him, I tell you, not seven times, but seventy times seven." Seven times seventy times, that stood in the language of the time for always. In fact, it is people who can always forgive, indeed who live a culture of forgiveness and are thus able to reconcile with their enemies and forgive each other. 3. Jesus showed His grace to us human beings by taking our guilt upon Himself. Jesus does not leave sinners with their guilt. He takes it from them. He takes responsibility for the offence of the offender and pays for it with his life. He bore our guilt on the cross. Apostle Peter writes: "For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring you to God; having been put to death according to the flesh, but made alive according to the Spirit. (1 Peter 2:21). No, we Christians, do not have to take the punishment for the sins of the criminals whom we try to reconcile on us, but we can help them to unload their guilt at the cross of Jesus. We know the place because we have taken our own guilt there. And we can stand by the offenders as they face the just consequences for their actions. It is the freedom of God's children from guilt and sin that enables them to be reconcilers. In Christ, they are a new creature. "The old has passed away - new things have come" (2 Cor 5:17). Apostle Paul beautifully summarizes what has been said when he writes to the Ephesians about who they now are by the grace of God. In Eph. 1:3-8 we read: "Praise be to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in heaven through Christ. For in him he chose us before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him in love; he predestined us to be his children through Jesus Christ according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has graced us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace, which he has lavished on us in all wisdom and prudence." Christians are made perfect in love by Christ through His grace in that they have been forgiven their sins and now become rich in wisdom and prudence. So are reconcilers who can sit between the chairs. They come without prejudice, bringing God's perspective, and strive first and foremost for the conflicting parties to know God's truth and to experience the loving, gracious and forgiving God who has a solution in every situation. Reconciliation under the guidance of the Holy Spirit Of course, we Christians are also human and are not immune to losing the overview in difficult situations. That is why Jesus gave us His Holy Spirit, who guides us into all truth (Joh. 16,13) and is Lord of our mission (2 Cor. 4,17). To the church in Ephesus, Apostle Paul writes effusively: "Therefore, having also heard of faith among you in the Lord Jesus and of your love for all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, and remember you in my prayer, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation to know him. And he gives you enlightened eyes of the heart, that you may know to what hope you have been called by him, how rich is the glory of his inheritance for the saints, and how abundantly great is his power toward us who believe through the working of his mighty strength." (Eph. 1:15-19). It is the Holy Spirit who helps us Christians to overcome our shortcomings. He works among us His fruits that overcome every strife, contention, division, hatred and strife (Gal. 5:16-25). Yes, we Christians are called to act as reconcilers in an unreconciled world, in the midst of the entangled positions of the enemies, between the chairs, so to speak. But we are not alone here, we are held by God, the Holy Spirit himself. Through him we can love, be merciful and free to give hope where there is no more hope. Dr Johannes Reimer is Professor of World Mission and Intercultural Theology and Director of the Department of Public Engagement of the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA), which includes the Peace and Reconciliation Network. The case for Christian civil disobedience The sixth annual Australian Church & State Summit took place in Brisbane last weekend, where over 500 Christian gathered in person and thousands more via livestream to hear from 20-plus speakers how they can engage with current cultural and political issues. The conference featured a number of prominent speakers including former Deputy Prime Minister John Anderson, Liberal-National Party (LNP) Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, academics, church leaders and activists. Topics included the changing role of government, the clash of values in education, the implications of Western civilization's decline, and the parallels of modern technocratic-globalism to history. A common theme of the event was the moral and legal case for civil disobedience and resisting bad laws. Political commentator Topher Field gave a talk titled 'Government or God: who will you serve?', in which he framed the mentality of relying on government to solve all of society's problems as a kind of idolatry or "looking to government to do God's job". He argued that the recent authoritarian tendencies of government were a sign that it has been allowed to usurp God as the source of truth and moral authority, resulting in a 'God complex' seen in the abuse of power and interference in everyday life. "Rejecting God's design for government is idolatry, and lots of what we accept from government today was regarded by God and warned about in 1 Samuel as a consequence of our idolatry," he said. The theme continued in a presentation by Gabriel A Moens, Emeritus Professor at the University of Queensland, on the right to civil disobedience and the legal requirements for resisting bad laws. Moens argued that as all law derives authority from moral principles given by God, when a government creates laws contrary to those moral principles, these laws should be resisted. Highlighting the historical precedent for civil disobedience, he quoted Augustine who argued that unjust laws were not laws at all, and Thomas Aquinas, who similarly said that people were not bound to obey unjust laws. Defining the grounds for civil obedience, Moens argued that laws can be justifiably resisted when they are "incompatible with higher principles" like "moral or religious dictates", and when they aim to bring about "desirable social change". Civil disobedience should also be non-violent "because the law breaker does not aim at destroying society, but to right a societal wrong", he argued, adding, "The public nature of the act demonstrates that the law is not breached for reasons of self-interest." As an example, he pointed to widespread protests against Australia's strict Covid regulations. "Protesters deliberately violated the often draconian emergency regulations, which were cruelly inflicted on Australians," he said. "The protesters regarded emergency laws as incompatible with paramount rights." During a Q&A panel in the afternoon, Senator Price suggested Christians become "part of the machinery" of the major political parties in order to reinstate traditional conservative values "from the inside". Summit organizer, Dave Pellowe, said the annual event was about "arming Christians to influence culture". "By observing politics instead of excellently stewarding the God-given gifts of self-government, Christians have foolishly left the most important decisions about public policy to people of lesser moral values who are hell-bent on destroying the peace, liberty and justice of our neighbours," he said. US Congress members sound alarm over treatment of UK Christians Eight members of the US House of Representatives have written of their concerns about the treatment of Christians in the UK and "existential threats" to their freedoms, "even freedom of thought." The letter was led by Representative Chip Roy and sent to Rashad Hussain, the US ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom. It says that the UK is "on an unsettling path" with the spread of buffer zones around abortion clinics across the country. These buffer zones are imposed by 'Public Spaces Protection Orders' enacted by local city councils, and criminalise peaceful pro-life activity in the areas surrounding abortion clinics. Banned activities include prayer and offers of support and information to women about alternatives to abortion. They also ban any perceived disapproval of abortion. Recently, two pro-life volunteers, Isabel Vaughan-Spruce and Catholic priest, Fr Sean Gough, were charged with intimidating users of a closed abortion clinic after praying silently inside a buffer zone parameter. They were both cleared of all charges by a UK court in February. The letter from Roy and the other Representatives called their arrests a "gross" and "aggressive" assault on individual freedoms. "The UK is now on an unsettling path that could potentially result in existential threats to freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and even freedom of thought," they said. They express concerns that legislation is being considered to make buffer zones nationwide. "Even more disturbing, Parliament is considering legislation that would implement these antireligious-freedom censorship zones around abortion facilities across all of England and Wales, and recently rejected amendments to this legislation that would have clarified that silent prayer and consensual conversations cannot be construed as crimes," they said. "Arresting individuals for silent prayer is a gross, aggressive, and needlessly escalatory assault on one's fundamental freedoms." Houstonians are intimately familiar with the power of water. It's transformative but also destructive, relaxing but strong, cleansing but unstable. So who would be better equipped to handle the challenges of performing a play on a stage made entirely of water? Said play, Metamorphoses, opens March 24 at Houston's Art Factory. Based loosely on the myths documented by the Roman poet Ovid, the show (written by Tony-winning theater and opera director Mary Zimmerman) unfolds as a series of 10 vignettes, all of which take place in two pools that cover the entirety of the stage. Nearly all of the nine actors in Metamorphoses are either fully submerged or fully drenched at some point during the performance, says Art Factory artistic director Colton Berry. And then there's the puppetry, the music, and other special effects involved in the production, he says. For the stage, Art Factory is building two separate pools. One is about 40 by 20 feet, and a few inches deep. The other is 15 by 7 feet, and about three feet deep. The set will allow the actors to interact with the water, and for the water itself to become a character in the performance. "We're bringing in tens of thousands of gallons of water," says Berry, who also plays the role of Midas in the show. Logistically, producing the play requires careful planning, and some behind-the-scenes magic. Think of all the electronics that go along with production, including lights and mics. Think of the costumes, the makeup, the hair. Given that Metamorphoses tells 10 separate stories, sometimes the actors need to be dry immediately after performing wet. To make that work, Art Factory has created "dry stations" backstage, with duplicates of each performer's costumes, plus hair dryers, towels, and more. The play has also been blocked in such a way that the performers have some flexibility. "There are moments where we're letting the water determine what happens next," says Berry. Art Factory The play's themes include cleansing and rebirth, and also the inevitability of change. In some ways, water, which takes on the shape of whatever container it's in, can be a model for people resistant to transformation. For this reason and others, Berry refers to the play as "meta." "As humans, we're made up mostly of water, but water itself is volatile," he says. Although the stories are ancient, they still address modern problems, including the pandemic. "We made it so the audience can project themselves onto the characters. We wanted to connect to the humanity in these stories. One of the themes is how we have adapted as a society in all of this." Art Factory There's another meta aspect to the play. The Greeks originally developed the myths as a way to explain the chaotic and sometimes frightening world around them. Modern humans have science to help them answer some questions, but we still use art, and religion, to understand the mysteries of the world. Though the source material for Metamorphoses is thousands of years old, the stories are still relevant. "We're all just trying to figure out why we're here," says Berry. Metamorphoses runs Friday, March 24 through Sunday, April 2 at Art Factory, 1125 Providence Street, Houston, TX. 77002. For tickets and more information, visit Art Factory's website. Every other Thursday, Chron taco columnist Marco Torres tells the story of Houston through Mexican food in "Tacos y Mas." A couple of weekends ago, I joined a group of chefs and taco lovers on a food crawl through Houston's Spring Branch neighborhood. One of the stops served a delicious tlayuda, a specialty from the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca. The dish is an extra large tortilla made crispy on the grill, then topped with frijoles negros, lettuce or cabbage, avocado, quesillo, and your choice of meat or veggies on top. That meal piqued my curiosity to search for more comida Oaxaquena here in H-Town. That's when I found El Alebrije parked at Astral Brewing in Independence Heights, which claims to be the only Oaxacan street food truck in Houston, serving traditional food such as molotes, picaditas, tetelas, tlayudas y mas. Marco Torres When I visited El Alebrije for dinner last week, chef-owner Guillermo "Memo" Quintero was supremely kind and welcoming, and was a bit surprised yet non-judgmental when I ordered a tlayuda and four tacos for myself. As the sunset covered the Houston sky in hues of orange, pink and blue, he delivered the food to my picnic table, salsas and napkins in hand. The tlayuda was perfectly toasted, with two big pieces of beef cecina laying on top of the cabbage, cheese and black beans. It was the size of a medium pizza, and each bite was tastier than the last. As for the four tacostodos sin cebolla, por favorthe two pastor and one barbacoa I ordered were really good, but my favorite was definitely the pollo con mole. It was rich in flavor and spice, with hints of sweetness. When I asked chef Memo if they made the mole, he affirmed with a proud "Si, aqui hacemos el mole!" Marco Torres Marco Torres Marco Torres Marco Torres Guillermo "Memo" Quintero finally found El Alebrije a home outside Astral Brewing. (Photos by Marco Torres) Quintero is from a small town called Venta de Uribe de Juarez, which is in the far northwest corner of Oaxaca. The nearest city is La Heroica Ciudad de Huajuapan de Leon, which itself is almost 3 hours from Oaxaca City. He visited his family that lived in Houston for the first time in 2007, then moved here permanently in 2011. Quintero worked in several restaurants and kitchens, making his way up from a dishwasher to a cook. He lost his last food industry job during the pandemic, which is when the idea for El Alebrije was born. Quintero dreamed of having his own food truck that specialized in serving dishes from his native Oaxaca, and after his sister provided him with a loan, he was finally able to make that dream a reality. He first opened in April 2021 near the Fiesta Mart on Airline Drive and 45 North, then relocated to Almeda Road and 59 South, but neither were an ideal fit for El Alebrije, he said. One of his regulars suggested he search for a local brewery that was in need of a food truck. After bouncing around the city, Quintero found a home at Astral Brewing in March 2022. He was certain he could win over his new customers with food that was different from offerings at other food trucks. Marco Torres Marco Torres The pollo tacos con housemade mole are a highlight of El Alebrije's menu. (Photos by Marco Torres) Besides the mole, El Alebrije also makes each tortilla by hand, which really adds to their delicious, distinct flavor. I also noticed that the frijoles tasted extra good, with an almost nutty, earthy, somewhat minty taste. Quintero says they make the frijoles refritos with a couple of hojas de aguacate (avocado leaves). He imports the tlayudas, the quesillo and the chapulines directly from Oaxaca. Yes, you can order your tlayuda or your tacos with dried and toasted grasshoppers, if you dare. Before I left, chef Memo asked me to taste the tetelas, which are triangular masa pockets filled with frijoles negros and topped with queso fresco and crema. I loved the combination of flavors, and am excited to come back soon to try the rest of the menu. El Alebrije Oaxacan Streetfood Find it: 4816 North Shepherd Drive (at Astral Brewing), Houston, TX 77018; (832) 530-3421 Hours: Tuesday-Friday 4 p.m.-9 p.m.; Saturday 1 p.m.-9 p.m.; Sunday 1 p.m.-7 p.m. Flamin' Hot Cheetos have been inescapable for years now, becoming such a cultural mainstay that seemingly every food in the world has once been topped with crushed neon-red corn chip pieces. This year, they've infiltrated South by Southwest's Film Festival in Austin, where actress and Tejana Eva Longoria walked a Cheeto-red carpet before introducing her feature directorial debut. Flamin' Hot premiered at SXSW on March 11 as an underdog story chronicling the creation of Flamin' Hot Cheetos and other iconic snacks. The film follows Richard Montanez (played by Jesse Garcia), a janitor at a Frito-Lay factory in California trying to provide for his wife and two children. With some help from his wife, Judy (Annie Gonzalez), Montanez creates the bright red spice blend that has stained fingers for decades. Anda Chu/Bay Area News Group via Getty Images The movie was adapted from the real-life Richard Montanez's memoirs, A Boy, a Burrito, and a Cookie and Flamin' Hot: The Incredible True Story of One Man's Rise from Janitor to Top Executive, which recount how he worked his way to the top with his idea for Flamin' Hot snacks that would appeal to Hispanic customers. Montanez spent more than 40 years with Frito-Lay before retiring in 2019 and has also made a side career as a motivational speaker. But there's a caveat: His rags-to-riches story might not actually be true. A 2021 investigation by the Los Angeles Times found that Flamin' Hot Cheetos were actually created by a team at the Frito-Lay headquarters in Plano, Texas, to compete with other spicy snacks in the Midwest. Using corroborating testimonies from former Frito-Lay employees, the company's own internal investigation conducted in 2018, and a timeline of events, the report ultimately concludes Montanez worked on different products in the Flamin' Hot line, but didn't truly create Flamin' Hot Cheetos as he has claimed. Michael Loccisano/Getty Images "None of our records show that Richard was involved in any capacity in the Flamin' Hot test market," Frito-Lay wrote in a statement to the L.A. Times. "We have interviewed multiple personnel who were involved in the test market, and all of them indicate that Richard was not involved in any capacity in the test market." Montanez did not respond to the Times when they requested an interview, but the story did inspire statements from Frito-Lay parent company PepsiCo defending Montanez (though they notably didn't affirm his claims, either), and Montanez told Variety that a lack of documentation is to blame for the discrepancies. "All I have is my history, what I did in my kitchen," he said. Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images for Searchlight Pic According to the L.A. Times, despite learning of the dispute in 2019, Longoria, producer DeVon Franklin and production company Searchlight Pictures continued with the film, which will land on Hulu on June 9. At its premiere at SXSW, an enthusiastic crowd clapped and cheered for the on-screen Montanez as he produced and pitched his idea to the suits at Frito-Lay. It's the definition of a crowd-pleaser, and the on-screen Richard and Judy are easy to root for. Yes, it's cheesy at times, but that's to be expected from a movie about spicy cheesy snacks and their (potential) origin. There was perhaps a missed opportunity for a signature SXSW branded stunt, such as a scratch and sniff experience while the film shows mesmerizing shots of Hot Cheetos tumbling around a big metal drum. Gary Miller/WireImage While the film makes no overt statement acknowledging the possible discrepancies, it does show lab-coated food scientists creating some test-tubed liquid spice blend chock full of artificials at the same time Richard and Judy are making their own mix at home, recruiting their children and neighbors as testers. Many SXSW-goers didn't seem to know there was any controversy around the film's story. I mentioned the L.A. Times investigation to someone while waiting in line for the next film, and it felt like breaking someone's heart. But no one else was going to burst that bubble at the premiere. The preshow introduction by Longoria and its Q&A after with writers, producers and actors involved in the film had no mention of it, either. Longoria often emphasized they wanted to focus on Montanez and the love story with his wife. "We didn't want to do the history of the Cheeto," she said after the film's showing. "We wanted to do Richard's story. It's an amazing story. It's compelling. It's inspiring. It's complex. It was easy to honor that." She took a firmer stance with the Los Angeles Times in a story published the same day the film premiered: "That story never affected us. Feels like L.A. Times would have better resources dedicated to more important things," she said. "We never set out to tell the story of the Cheeto. We are telling Richard Montanez's story and we are telling his truth." Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images for Searchlight Pic Montanez and his wife were in the crowd on Saturday, and gave the film a glowing review from their seats. "I'll tell you, I'm just crying," Montanez said. "There's been a lot of pain in our lives, but this movie showed us the purpose for our pain." After the screening, everyone was handed a bag of Flamin' Hot Cheetos or Hot Fries they could have used during the movie as they left the Paramount Theatre. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Republican activists and voters in Montgomery County were carefully weighing the stakes Monday ahead of a potential indictment and arrest of former President Donald Trump on allegations he paid hush-money to a former porn star to keep their romantic affair secret. In a social media post Saturday, Trump said that he expects to be arrested as early as Tuesday as the Manhattan District Attorney's Office eyes charges in a case examining the alleged hush money. Trump also urged his supporters to protest if he is arrested, which drew mixed reaction locally. If they go after him on that small thing and they march him through the courts in handcuffs, you could have another January 6th very easily because those people are still here, said Patrick Beckett, in The Woodlands. He said he believes that Trump committed a crime but worries that an arrest might might rupture the already tense political divide in the country. Montgomery County remains one of the former president's biggest strongholds in Texas, a county where voters supported him over his Democratic rivals by some of the largest margins in the state. If Trump can survive this latest legal challenge and mount a successful re-election bid, he will need voters in places like Montgomery Country, where once-loyal Trump backers are starting to consider rivals, like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Trumps social media post came as he is set to host the first official rally of his 2024 presidential campaign Saturday in Waco. Doors will open at noon, according to Trump's campaign. The 45th U.S. president is scheduled to deliver remarks at 5 p.m. On HoustonChronicle.com: Ted Cruz and Texas Republicans decry potential Trump arrest, call it a gift to his 2024 campaign As Trump mounts his political comeback, he faces allegations that he paid up to $130,000 in hush money to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. In 2018, Michael Cohen, Trump's former personal attorney, pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations tied to arranging payments to Daniels and another woman. He has said that Trump directed him to make the payments. Trump has repeatedly denied having an affair with Daniels and called the legal probe a politically-motivated witch hunt. Several local political activists were staying mum as the high-stake political and legal drama unfolded. Raquel Lewis, vice chair of the Montgomery County Republican Party, said Monday the local GOP would likely issue a statement later this week but declined to comment further. Some Montgomery County Tea Party members said they were following the lead of DeSantis, who issued a statement Monday that he had no interest in getting involved in some type of manufactured circus" DeSantis is widely seen as a likely candidate for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. Montgomery County has a strong conservative streak that stretches back decades. During the 2016 presidential election, Trump won 150,314 votes compared to 45,835 for Hillary Clinton. Trump secured even more votes in 2020, winning 193,382 votes, compared to 74,377 votes for President Joe Biden. On HoustonChronicle.com: What to know about the rally Trump has planned in Waco amid indictment rumors, cult siege anniversary In The Woodlands, a more politically moderate corner of Montgomery County, many residents still support Trump, but question his decision to call on his supporters to protest. Several declined to share their name, but they shared the view that more protests could further tarnish his image ahead of a presidential battle with DeSantis. Others said the indictment and protests could bring new energy and support to his campaign. Market Street shopper Diane Eagan said she supports protesting any indictment, which she thinks is unfounded. But she also said she doesnt think many people will hit the streets due to the arrests after the Jan. 6 Capitol protest. Whos going to protest anymore? Eagan said. Theyre going to throw us in jail and nobodys going to come save you. An unusually laid out world map sprawled across the floor of Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport since 1999 has the Internet confused. On Saturday, Twitter user @BigTucsonDad posted a photo of the map, writing: "This floor map in the Houston airport has South America connected to North America on the completely wrong side." Soon after, the post garnered over 120,000 likes, over 4,400 retweets, and long series of jokes at the expense of the Lone Star State. "Finished the map boss!" joked Jeremy M. Edwards. Another posted a popular Spongebob Squarepants meme in which characters Spongebob and Patrick take turns badmouthing Texas. "Speaks volumes about America's education system," added @logansaysstuff. "Too busy banning CRT and picking on trans kids to teach geography," commented @RobbieSherwood. What most did not realize was that the continents on the map were intentionally oriented this way in order to depict Houston at the center of the world. Dubbed "Countree Music," the 24-year-old artwork located at Bush Airport's Terminal A near gate 17 also features a bronze cast of an actual 25-foot oak treea species prevalent in the Houston area and plays an original 18-song country music soundtrack as passengers walk across the terazzo floor. Legendary Lubbock, Texas visual artist and musician Terry Allen is the mastermind behind the head-turning multi-media artwork. Houston Chronicle Archives In 2021, Alton DuLaney, director of cultural arts at Houston Airports, provided some further background about the installation in a video, explaining that Allen created the music compositions with Joe Ely and David Byrne of the Talking Heads. "This piece is especially important to the collection because it was one of the first pieces commissioned in 1999 when the new city ordinance went into place funding our public art collection," DuLaney said in the short clip. On Twitter, several people came to the Allen's defense regarding the artwork. Twitter user @smithaayyyyy wrote: "They basically have it as Houston being the center of the Earth. It's a silly little joke." Even with the explanation, others were still not impressed by the installation. "I think it's telling that so many people in this thread are like 'they just put Houston in the middle' and completely miss the fact that even still, North and South America just simply do not fit together that way," commented @VforVoinis. In an emailed statement, Allen weighed in on the discussion about the map, confirming that, yes, all continents are reconfigured to point to Houston making it the center of the world. "Very confusing... even though half the population now seems to think Canada is somewhere in South America or maybe Brazil is part of Europe," Allen wrote. "Confusing indeed." Allen added that all the music featured in the artwork has an "airport theme" and is made with samples of indigenous instruments from each part of the world it plays over when people walk over the map. "The main reaction to the piece in the past has been by the TSA officers at nearby security checkpoints," Allen wrote. "They wanted it turned off." What are your thoughts about "Countree Music?" Michael Murney On the final weekend of the Houston Livestock and Rodeo Show, hundreds of bidders gathered at NRG Arena's sales pavilion to throw down millions of dollars on cows raised by young farmers. The Junior Market Steer Auction's top prize went to a 1,339-pound steer named King, raised by Stiles Patin, 17. Patin raised the Grand Champion steer in Thorndale, Texas, a town of about 1,300 located west of College Station, and sold him at auction for a cool $550,000. Lawmakers in Texas will consider prohibiting race-based hair discrimination under a proposal that was inspired by the experiences of two Black high schoolers who were told to cut their locks or face discipline. House Bill 567, from state Rep. Rhetta Bowers, D-Garland, would prohibit schools and workplaces from discriminating based on certain hairstyles including braids, dreadlocks and twists. The bill is scheduled to have a public hearing Wednesday before the lower chambers State Affairs Committee. The bill does not refer to dreadlocks specifically, but mentions locks, a term some people use to describe long hairstyles similar to what are commonly known as dreadlocks. Such laws, often called the Crown Act, have been passed in state legislatures throughout the country since 2019 when two young men in Mont Belvieu, east of Houston, made international headlines with their situation. A companion measure has been filed in the upper chamber by state Sen. Borris Miles, D-Houston. Administrators at Barbers Hill Independent School District told DeAndre Arnold and his cousin to cut their locks or be disciplined. Both refused and sued the school district over its dress code policy in a matter that is not yet resolved. A federal judge in 2020, once Arnold had graduated, found the policy discriminatory and stopped the school district from enforcing it. Before the ruling, Arnold had transferred schools to walk at graduation, which Barbers Hill officials had told him he would not do or attend prom without a hair change. Hes currently a junior at LSU with plans of becoming a veterinarian. We have to show that theres no room in society for people that are unaccepting of others and demonize others for the way they tend to live their lives, he said. Legislation like this kind of tells people, Its OK to be how you are; be happy who you are; be proud. The same bill was unanimously voted out of a House committee during the 2021 legislative session, but the full chamber never voted on it before the session ended. Harris County, the states most populous, and the city of Austin have already passed similar local legislation. Bowers said the Crown Act Coalition, a national group that champions the legislation, reached out to her in 2019 to ask if she was willing to propose the legislation. At the time, Bowers recounted, California had recently passed the law there. Also at the time, Arnold and his cousin, Kaden Bradford, had drawn wide attention to race-based hair discrimination with their situation. Bradford had also been threatened with discipline indefinite suspension if he did not cut his locks. The two young men refused to comply and sued Barbers Hill ISD to challenge the school systems dress code. The suit is poised to go to trial, according to court records. The school district has maintained it permits students to wear locks, but that does not preclude hair length restrictions in the dress code. Twenty states have passed the Crown Act since the national coalition was created in 2019, including in Virginia, according to the coalitions tracking. Other proposals have been filed in other conservative states like Oklahoma and Florida In pushing for the law, Bowers said she has gone through transformational change herself. She had put relaxers chemicals that help straighten curly hair on her hair since she was 8 years old. In April 2022, she decided to get a big chop: a haircut down to her natural pattern to take out the straight pieces. She almost cried when she looked at hair. It was hers but unrecognizable after so many years in a straight style. She has only straightened it once since then, she said. When she wore her hair naturally to the Legislatures opening day this year, she recounted, her daughter told her it sent a message that it was OK to do so for such a special day. Bowers hope is that Texas can become the 21st state to enact the law. This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at https://www.texastribune.org/2023/03/21/texas-crown-act-legislature-2023/. The Texas Tribune is a member-supported, nonpartisan newsroom informing and engaging Texans on state politics and policy. Learn more at texastribune.org. After announcing that the Texas Education Agency will take control of the Houston Independent School District after June 1, state officials will host the first community meeting on Tuesday, March 21, at the Westbury High School starting at 6:30 p.m. TEA will provide a video recording of the meeting for community members who can't physically attend the meeting, according to its website. Westbury High School is located at 11911 Chimney Rock Rd in southwest Houston. According to TEA's website, state officials will inform the Houston community about the state board of managers' appointment process. The state-appointed committee of managers is set to replace the current HISD Board of Trustees. The meetings follow a state takeover announcement last week that elicited widespread concern from HISD parents, educators, and students for the district's future. Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath said the takeover was triggered by a state bill that allows the state to take control if one school campus in a school district struggles with poor accountability ratings for five consecutive years. Wheatley High School, the campus whose failing accountability rating triggered the beginning of takeover process in 2019, has since improved its scores to become a C-rated campus. HISD overall is a B-rated school district. People interested in being a part of TEA's new appointed board of managers are required to submit their applications by April 6. TEA states that qualified applicants for board manager positions would be those with chidren enrolled in HISD and have a successful history in public education, preferably in Houston. Other qualifications include a background in community leadership, social work, psychology, counseling, or experience in business, finance, or law. Ideally candidates would also live in the nine existing trustees' districts. Moreover, TEA said applicants would be eliminated if they have business involvement or a conflict of interest in the school district, involvement in a closed charter school, or are interested in running for another elected office besides a board of trustees position. Applications must also pass an FBI background check and attend a two-day governance training covering the board members' roles and responsibilities. The next community meeting with TEA is planned for Wednesday, March 22, from 6:30 to 7:30 at Cesar Chavez High School. Cesar Chavez High School is located at 8501 Howard Drive. WASHINGTON (AP) President Joe Biden issued the first veto of his presidency Monday in an early sign of shifting White House relations with the new Congress since Republicans took control of the House in January a move that serves as a prelude to bigger battles with GOP lawmakers on government spending and the nation's debt limit. Biden sought to kill a Republican-authored measure that would ban the government from considering environmental impacts or potential lawsuits when making investment decisions for people's retirement plans. In a video released by the White House, Biden said he vetoed the measure because it put at risk the retirement savings of individuals across the country. His first veto represents a more confrontational approach at the midway of Biden's term in office, as he faces a GOP-controlled House that is eager to undo parts of his policy legacy and investigate his administration and his family. Complicating matters for Biden, several Democratic senators are up for re-election next year in conservative states, giving them political incentive to put some distance between them and the White House. The measure vetoed by Biden would have effectively reinstated a Trump-era ban on federal managers of retirement plans considering factors such as climate change, social impacts or pending lawsuits when making investment choices. The veto could also help calm some anger from environmentalists who have been upset with the Biden administration for its recent decision to greenlight the Willow oil project, a massive and contentious drilling project in Alaska. The president vetoed the bill because it jeopardizes the hard-earned life savings of cops, firefighters, teachers, and other workers," White House spokesperson Robyn Patterson said. But critics say so-called environmental, social and governance investments allocate money based on political agendas, such as a drive against climate change, rather than on earning the best returns for savers. Republicans in Congress who pushed the measure said environmental or social considerations in investments by the government are just another example of being woke. In his first veto, Biden just sided with woke Wall Street over workers," House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., tweeted on Monday. Tells you exactly where his priorities lie. He said "its clear Biden wants Wall Street to use your retirement savings to fund his far-left political causes. Biden's veto is likely to prevail. Just three Democrats in Congress one in the House, and two in the Senate supported Republicans in the matter, making it unlikely a two-thirds majority in both chambers could be assembled to overcome Biden's veto. Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, was the sole Democrat to back the resolution in the House, while Sens. Jon Tester, D-Mont., and Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., supported it in the Senate. Golden is a perennial target of Republicans seeking to oust him from his conservative district, while Tester and Manchin are both up for re-election next year. This administration continues to prioritize their radical policy agenda over the economic, energy and national security needs of our country, and it is absolutely infuriating," Manchin said in a statement. Though Biden swiftly vetoed the investment resolution, other measures coming from Capitol Hill in the weeks and months ahead could be a tougher call for the White House. The administration initially signaled that Biden would reject a Republican-authored measure that would override a crime measure passed by the District of Columbia Council, but the president later said he would sign it and did so Monday. He also signed a bill directing the federal government to declassify intelligence related to the origins of COVID-19. Biden's immediate predecessor, Donald Trump, vetoed 10 bills during his term in office, while Barack Obama vetoed 12, according to the the American Presidency Project at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Both had one of their vetoes overridden by Congress. The president with the most vetoes was Franklin Delano Roosevelt who was elected to four terms before a constitutional amendment limited all presidents to two with 635 vetoes. Six U.S. presidents never vetoed any legislation in office. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate QUITO, Ecuador (AP) A strong earthquake shook southern Ecuador and northern Peru on Saturday, killing at least 15 people, trapping others under rubble, and sending rescue teams out into streets littered with debris and fallen power lines. The U.S. Geological Survey reported an earthquake with a magnitude of about 6.8 that was centered just off the Pacific Coast, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Guayaquil, Ecuador's second-largest city. One of the victims died in Peru, while 14 others died in Ecuador, where authorities also reported that at least 126 people were injured. Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso told reporters the earthquake had without a doubt ... generated alarm in the population." Lasso's office in a statement said 12 of the victims died in the coastal state of El Oro and two in the highlands state of Azuay. In Peru, the earthquake was felt from its northern border with Ecuador to the central Pacific coast. Peruvian Prime Minister Alberto Otarola said a 4-year-old girl died from head trauma she suffered in the collapse of her home in the Tumbes region, on the border with Ecuador. One of the victims in Azuay was a passenger in a vehicle crushed by rubble from a house in the Andean community of Cuenca, according to the Risk Management Secretariat, Ecuador's emergency response agency. In El Oro, the agency also reported that several people were trapped under rubble. In the community of Machala, a two-story home collapsed before people could evacuate, a pier gave way and a building's walls cracked, trapping an unknown number of people. The agency said firefighters worked to rescue people while the National Police assessed damage, their work made more difficult by downed lines that interrupted telephone and electricity service. Machala resident Fabricio Cruz said he was in his third-floor apartment when he felt a strong tremor and saw his television hit the ground. He immediately headed out. I heard how my neighbors were shouting and there was a lot of noise, said Cruz, a 34-year-old photographer. He added that when he looked around, he noticed the collapsed roofs of nearby houses. Ecuador's government also reported damages to health care centers and schools. Lasso said he would travel on Saturday to El Oro. In Guayaquil, about 170 miles (270 kilometers) southwest of the capital, Quito, authorities reported cracks in buildings and homes, as well as some collapsed walls. Authorities ordered the closure of three vehicular tunnels in Guayaquil, which anchors a metro area of over 3 million people. Videos shared on social media show people gathered on the streets of Guayaquil and nearby communities. People reported objects falling inside their homes. One video posted online showed three anchors of a show dart from their studio desk as the set shook. They initially tried to shake it off as a minor quake but soon fled off camera. One anchor indicated the show would go on a commercial break, while another repeated, My God, my God. Luis Tomala was fishing with others when the earthquake struck. He said their boat began moving like a racehorse, we got scared, and when we turned on the radio, we heard about the earthquake. Thats when his group, Tomala said, decided to stay at sea fearing a tsunami could develop. A report from Ecuador's Adverse Events Monitoring Directorate ruled out a tsunami threat. Peruvian authorities said the old walls of an Army barracks collapsed in Tumbes. Ecuador is particularly prone to earthquakes. In 2016, a quake centered farther north on the Pacific Coast in a more sparsely populated area of the country killed more than 600 people. Machala student Katherine Cruz said her home shook so badly that she could not even get up to leave her room and flee to the street. It was horrible. I had never felt anything like this in my life, she said. ___ Associated Press writers Regina Garcia Cano in Caracas, Venezuela, and Franklin Briceno in Lima, Peru, contributed to this report. MEXICO CITY (AP) A U.S. company said Monday that Mexican police and soldiers have illegally entered and seized a cargo port it operates on land it owns on Mexicos Caribbean coast. Alabama-based Vulcan Materials said police forced their way into the Caribbean coast dock at Punta Venado, near Playa del Carmen, last week. It should be clear that the rule of law is no longer assured for foreign companies in Mexico, the company said in a statement. This invasion, unsupported by legal warrants, violates Vulcan's commercial and property rights. Police and marines first occupied the property last Tuesday night, and they were still there as of Monday, according to the company. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has been in a dispute with Vulcan for several years. Lopez Obrador needs the dock to get cement, crushed stone and other materials into the area to finish his pet project, a tourist train known as the Train Maya. The president shut down Vulcans stone quarries last May, arguing the company had extracted or exported stone without approval. Video from the incident showed a long line of police and military patrol trucks open a locked gate and enter the property. Vulcan said they did not present any legal paperwork to justify their actions. The company said the police officers then oversaw the unloading of cement at the port facility. The cement was apparently destined for the Maya Train project, which the president has vowed to open by December, despite the fact it is well behind schedule. U.S. Sen. Katie Britt, a Republican from Alabama, released a statement saying that this forcible seizure of private property is unlawful and unacceptable." It is shameful that this Mexican presidential administration would rather confiscate American assets than the fentanyl killing hundreds of Americans per day, Britt wrote. Mexico should be more focused on going after the cartels than law-abiding businesses and hardworking people. While the cement company in question, Mexico's Cemex, had once had an agreement with Vulcan to use the port, Vulcan said that agreement had ended. Cemex said in a press statement that it had a long had a contract with a Vulcan subsidiary to use the port and that it had held months of negotiations with the subsidiary but failed to reach an agreement. Cemex said it filed a criminal complaint and was granted injunctive relief and a legal warrant to access the property and continue operating by the state prosecutor's office. The wording is odd, since such injunctions are normally issued by Mexico's federal courts rather than prosecutors, and such disputes are seldom resolved through criminal complaints. Cemex did not specify what crime it alleged had been committed. Lopez Obrador's office did not immediately responded to requests for comment on the situation. Because there aren't any local supplies of crushed stone needed to stabilize the train's tracks, Lopez Obrador has been forced to import the stone, known as ballast, from Cuba. Even so, ships carrying the Cuban ballast have to land at the port of Sisal, on the other side of the Yucatan peninsula, and be trucked about 180 miles (300 kms) to some train construction sites. The only private Caribbean coast freight dock that could handle the Cuban shipments and other shipments of cement and steel is owned and operated by Vulcan. Lopez Obrador has offered to buy the property, but talks have apparently not gone well. That (port) would be ideal, it is deep enough, but relations are not good with the company, Lopez Obrador said in November. In May, the Environment Department closed Vulcan's limestone quarry and forbade the company from exporting stone that has long been used in U.S. and Mexican building projects. Lopez Obrador wants the water-filled quarry to be used as a theme park to rival the nearby XCaret park. He also wants Vulcan to build a cruise ship dock at the freight terminal. He has pressured the Alabama-based aggregates company to sell the property to the government, or open a water park itself. The water park idea has complications. The water-filled sections of the quarry, while they might look inviting, are populated by crocodiles. The 950-mile (1,500-kilometer) Maya Train line is meant to run in a rough loop around the Yucatan Peninsula, connecting beach resorts and archaeological sites. Lopez Obrador touts the train as a way to bring some of Cancuns massive tourism income to inland communities that havent shared in the wealth. But there are no credible feasibility studies yet showing tourists will want to use the train. Moreover, with no prior environmental studies, the president decided to cut down a swath of low jungle between the resorts of Cancun and Tulum. Texas lawmakers are facing a choice: approve $3.3 million in state funds to end a lawsuit accusing Attorney General Ken Paxton of improperly firing four whistleblowers or reject an out-of-court settlement potentially adding millions of dollars in costs while leaving the outcome of the lawsuit to fate in a long-shot attempt to make Paxton pay. The multimillion-dollar settlement announced in February would resolve a 2-year-old lawsuit that alleges Paxton fired former high-ranking deputies in retaliation for accusing him of using his office to benefit a friend and political donor. The settlement would give the former employees back pay and several other concessions while ridding Paxton of one of several ongoing legal problems. But in a blow to the former agency executives, lawmakers have shown little appetite to use state funds to help Paxton settle the case. Plano Rep. Jeff Leach, a Republican who heads the House Judiciary and Civil Jurisprudence Committee, has said he was troubled that taxpayers would be on the hook for the settlement. House Speaker Dade Phelan, a Beaumont Republican, said he does not support the use of taxpayer money to settle the lawsuit. Neither legislative chamber included money for the settlement in the first drafts of the miscellaneous claims bill that includes state payments for legal cases. [Attorney General Ken Paxton agrees to apologize and pay $3.3 million to whistleblowers in settlement] Richard R. Carlson, a law professor at South Texas College of Law in Houston, said the case is politically charged like I havent seen in a whistleblower case in a long time. Paxton, a Republican who won a third four-year term in November, is seen as a vulnerability by many in the Texas GOP because of his multiple legal entanglements. Hes been under indictment for felony securities fraud for seven years, has been sued by the State Bar of Texas for alleged professional misconduct and is being investigated by the U.S. Justice Department for corruption related to the whistleblowers allegations. Paxton has denied wrongdoing. Hes also a target for Democrats who vehemently oppose his socially conservative politics. Its not just lawmakers who oppose using state funds to pay the settlement. Public Citizen Texas, a consumer advocacy group, has set up an online petition urging lawmakers to reject it. Adrian Shelley, the groups Texas director, said public dollars should not go toward bailing Paxton out of legal trouble. Paxton, he said, should be held accountable and pay the settlement out of his own funds, not the states. If there were a settlement that the parties agreed to, particularly one paid for by Paxton, then we would agree theres a separate resolution, he said. But lawyers for both Paxton and the former employees who accused him of crimes say thats impossible. Under the Texas Whistleblower Act, employees can sue a government agency, not an individual person, for firing them after reporting a crime. That means any fees Paxton would pay must come from state funds, not his own pocket, they argue. There is no legal mechanism by which the whistleblowers in this case could hold Ken Paxton personally liable, or recover damages directly from him, said TJ Turner, an attorney for David Maxwell, who ran the attorney generals law enforcement division before being fired. Like it or not, this is how the law works. Chris Hilton, a lawyer for the attorney generals office, told lawmakers the same thing during a committee hearing in February, when Paxton was asked if hed be willing to pay the settlement out of his campaign fund. There is no whistleblower case where an individual has paid anything because the individual is not liable under the terms of the statute, Hilton said. That argument has not swayed lawmakers. State Rep. Jarvis Johnson, D-Houston, who asked about the use of campaign funds to pay the settlement, said the former employees should seek other means by which to be compensated and that taxpayers should not have to pay for Paxtons actions. The apparent impasse at the Legislature has affected the course of the whistleblower lawsuit. Last month, lawyers for the fired executives asked the Texas Supreme Court to pause the case after both sides worked out a potential settlement, subject to legislative approval. On Wednesday, they asked the court to resume the case, saying Paxton refused to agree to a May deadline and was trying to perpetually stall the case amid the Legislatures reluctance to fund the settlement. Lawyers for the former employees said an impasse at the Legislature was troubling and could erode whistleblower protections. Turner said the 1983 whistleblower law was intended to prevent retaliation against public employees who reported corruption. Refusing to approve the agreement amounted to the Legislature breaking its promise and turning its back on whistleblowers, he said. The Act encourages public employees to report criminal activity by providing a safety net if their employer retaliates against them, Turner said in a statement. If the legislature refuses to approve the settlement, it will be sending a strong message to future public employees who consider reporting public corruption: dont bother. Youre on your own. Carlson said he agrees that future whistleblowers may be deterred from speaking out if the settlement is not approved. Even so, he said he understands the hesitation from lawmakers. I am very sympathetic to the whistleblowers, and I think they need to be compensated, Carlson said. But I also understand the people in the Legislature who are saying we shouldnt let this go away without some accounting. The whistleblower lawsuit started after eight of Paxtons former top deputies accused him of corruption in October 2020, alleging that the attorney general had used his position to improperly benefit his friend, real estate investor Nate Paul, who had donated $25,000 to Paxtons campaign in 2018. All eight of the employees were fired or resigned from the attorney generals office. In November 2020, four of those employees Maxwell, Blake Brickman, Mark Penley and Ryan Vassar filed a whistleblower lawsuit arguing they had been fired for reporting the alleged crimes. The whistleblowers alleged that Paxton had done favors for Paul, including helping the Austin businessman gain access to investigative documents related to 2019 searches of Pauls home and businesses by state and federal authorities. They also claimed that Paxton rushed through a written opinion that said foreclosure sales had to be suspended under pandemic safety rules, allowing Paul to delay a foreclosure sale for one of his properties two days later. In filings in the case, the whistleblowers alleged that in return, Paul had helped Paxton remodel his home and had given a job to a woman with whom Paxton was allegedly in a relationship. Paxton is married to state Sen. Angela Paxton, R-McKinney. Paxton and Paul have denied wrongdoing. Under state law, any legal fees by state agencies that exceed $250,000 must be approved by the Legislature. The $3.3 million price tag for Paxtons settlement isnt unusual. In 2021, lawmakers approved $2.6 million after losing a case about a state abortion law, and more than $10 million for payments in a lawsuit against the states foster care system. This year, the Legislature is considering paying more than $6 million for its defense of the voter ID law, which lawmakers initially approved in 2011 and courts later found to be unconstitutional, leading to revisions in the law. Joe Knight, an attorney for Vassar, said the voter ID payment was no different than the settlement his client was seeking. Not one member of the Legislature has contended that those who voted for the unconstitutional law should pay the States debt out of their own pockets, Knight said in a statement. Our case shouldnt be treated differently, Knight said. The States liability for [the Office of the Attorney General] wrongfully firing our clients should come from the same funds the Legislature is using to pay for its own members conduct in wrongfully enacting an unconstitutional law. Turner also criticized lawmakers for opposing the settlement. They say they want to save taxpayer money, but they gave the office of the Attorney General a $1.3 billion budget which includes $43 million for outside lawyers to handle an antitrust lawsuit against Google, Turner said. Prior to the departure of top agency staff, staff lawyers were handling that case. The state has spent $600,000 defending Paxton in the whistleblower case. Hilton said the $3.3 million settlement, which would cover back pay and lawyer fees, is in the states financial interest. If the Legislature rejected the agreement, the case would continue and the state could potentially end up paying more than $3.3 million, even if Paxton were to win, he said. That could lead to a scenario in which lawmakers would be asked to approve another legal resolution in the future, only with a higher price tag. Financially speaking, there is no upside for the state to this case, Hilton added. Even total vindication at trial results in a significant expenditure. In 2013, state lawmakers approved a $1 million payment in a whistleblower case against the Texas Youth Commission that involved only one plaintiff. Paxtons lawsuit has four plaintiffs. Disclosure: Google and the State Bar of Texas have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here. We cant wait to welcome you Sept. 21-23 to the 2023 Texas Tribune Festival, our multiday celebration of big, bold ideas about politics, public policy and the days news all taking place just steps away from the Texas Capitol. When tickets go on sale in May, Tribune members will save big. Donate to join or renew today. This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at https://www.texastribune.org/2023/03/13/legislature-ken-paxton-whistleblower-settlement/. The Texas Tribune is a member-supported, nonpartisan newsroom informing and engaging Texans on state politics and policy. Learn more at texastribune.org. If it's connected, it's protected. Join us in San Francisco, April 2427, to simplify your security operations with Cisco's approach to XDR and learn the latest in Zero Trust. A licensed insurance agent, and the insurer she represents, owe a duty of care to a customer to explain coverages but neither the agent nor the insurer has a fiduciary duty to an insured under Connecticut law. U.S. District Judge Kari Dooley in Bridgeport cited prior rulings in siding with Jeffery Perry in his negligence claim against Government Employees Insurance Co. (GEICO) and its employee/agent for what he alleges was a failure to properly advise and provide him with adequate insurance coverages. However, the judge denied Perrys claim of breach of fiduciary duty against the insurer, also citing Connecticut court history. Perry, a long-time GEICO policyholder, was changing his car registration from New York to Connecticut and asked to consult with an agent on his coverages and policies. He sought advice on auto, uninsured/underinsured motorist, and umbrella/excess coverages. The GEICO employee/agent, who was licensed in both New York and Connecticut, assured Perry that she had properly advised him concerning the suitably and adequacy of appropriate coverage, and in reliance on this discussion with the agent, Perry purchased the coverages she recommended. However, Perry alleges that the insurance policies were inadequate because they provided limited uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage given his personal circumstances. He maintains that the agent failed to explain, identify, offer, or recommend adequate umbrella/excess insurance coverage that would provide him with additional uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage. On June 7, 2020, Perry was in a car accident with an underinsured motorist and suffered serious injuries. As a result of the crash, Perry needs medical and hospital care, surgery, testing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, medication, daily assistance by an aide, and other treatment. According to Perrys complaint, all of his available insurance, including the uninsured/underinsured coverage, has been exhausted and has been inadequate to compensate him for his injuries. Perry brought a negligence and breach of fiduciary duty action against GEICO over the insurance advice he received from the GEICO employee/agent. GEICO argued that the negligence claim should be dismissed because GEICO did not owe, and therefore could not breach, a duty to advise him as to the adequacy of his insurance coverage. But the court sided with Perry that his negligence claim was viable, noting that Connecticut courts have recognized that an insurance agent does owe a client of duty of care to explain coverage (Byrd v. Ortiz, 136 Conn.App. 246 (2012). Where an agent undertakes to procure a policy affording protection against a designated risk, the law imposes upon her an obligation to perform with reasonable care the duty she has assumed, the Byrd court noted. In Byrd the appellate court held that the plaintiff had alleged viable negligence claims against the agent as well as the insurer as being vicariously liable for the acts of its agent. Judge Dooley observed that Perrys allegations are remarkably similar to those in Byrd. Perry requested advice on his insurance coverage from GEICO and the employee/agent. Perry alleged that the agent failed to offer or recommend increased or excess coverage and that in reliance on her representations, he purchased coverage that was inadequate to compensate him for his injuries and losses after a serious car accident. Under the holding of Byrd, GEICO owed Perry a duty to explain his insurance coverage to him, to recommend the proper amount given his individual circumstances, and to offer that amount to him, Judge Dooley wrote in denying GEICOs motion to dismiss the negligence claim. GEICO next argued that Perry was unable to establish he had a fiduciary relationship with GEICO because Connecticut law treats the insurer/insured relationship as contractual and none of the allegations transform that contractual relationship into a fiduciary one. Perry contended that Connecticut courts do recognize a fiduciary relationship between an insurance agent and a client. Historically, Connecticut courts have held as a matter of law that the relationship between an insurer and an insured is commercial in nature, the Judge Dooley wrote, again citing prior opinions. The judge noted that Perry cited no contrary authority suggesting that his relationship with GEICO was anything more than a commercial transaction and made no allegations of a unique degree of trust and confidence between the plaintiff and the defendant akin to a fiduciary or special relationship. The court agreed with GEICO that the insurer did not owe Perry a fiduciary duty to recommend adequate insurance coverage. The allegation that the GEICO agent assured Perry that she had properly advised him on the suitability and adequacy of his coverages supports a claim of negligence, but it is not enough to transform Perrys commercial relationship with GEICO into a fiduciary one, the court concluded. In a footnote the court acknowledged that the Connecticut Supreme Court once signaled a potential departure from this precedent, suggesting that an insurer generally has a fiduciary relationship with its insured but the high court has never spoken on the precise nature of the duty. Perry had asked the court to allow him to amend his complaint to add the agent as an additional defendant on both the negligence and fiduciary claims. The court said the joinder of the agent as a defendant as to the negligence claim is proper. However, because the court dismissed the breach of fiduciary duty claim against GEICO, the court denied as futile Perrys bid to join the agent as an additional defendant to this claim. BLANTYRE, Malawi (AP) Cyclone Freddy has dissipated after killing hundreds of people and displacing thousands in Mozambique and Malawi since late last week, although flooding remains a threat in both countries, a regional monitoring center said late Wednesday. The cyclone has killed at least 225 people in Malawis southern region including Blantyre, the countrys financial hub, according to local authorities. Another 88,000 people are displaced. In neighboring Mozambique, officials say at least 20 people have died since the storm made landfall in the port town of Quelimane on Saturday night. Over 45,000 people are still holed up in shelters, with about 1,300 square kilometers (800 square miles) still under water, according to the EUs Copernicus satellite system. There are many casualties either wounded, missing, or dead and the numbers will only increase in the coming days, said Guilherme Botelho, the emergency project coordinator in Blantyre for Doctors Without Borders. Malawi, which has been battling a cholera outbreak, is at risk of a resurgence of the disease, Botelho said, especially since the vaccine coverage in Blantyre is very poor. The aid organization suspended outreach programs to protect its staff against flash floods and landslides but is supporting cyclone relief efforts at a local hospital. Freddy was initially projected to exit back to the sea on Wednesday but has since waned and is no longer classed as a tropical cyclone, the United Nations weather monitoring center in Reunion said. But even with the cyclone having dissipated, the emergency will not be over for many communities as rain from upland areas continues to flood downstream areas over the coming days, said Lucy Mwangi, the country director for Malawi at the aid organization Concern Worldwide. Even rich countries that are advanced democracies would have been no match for the level of destruction this cyclone has brought, said Kim Yi Dionne, a political scientist at the University of California Riverside. Freddy accumulated more energy over its journey across the Indian Ocean than an entire U.S. hurricane season. Yi Dionne said that the scale of damage is despite Malawis disaster agency having prepared and planned for the challenges that come with our contemporary climate crisis. Scientists say climate change caused by mostly industrialized nations pumping greenhouse gases into the air has worsened cyclone activity, making them more intense and more frequent. The recently ended La Nina that impacts weather worldwide also increased cyclone activity in the region. African nations, who only contribute about 4% of planet-warming emissions, are once again paying the steepest price to climate change, including their own lives, said Lynn Chiripamberi, who leads Oxfams southern Africa humanitarian program. Cyclone Freddy has caused destruction in southern Africa since late February, pummeling Mozambique as well as the islands of Madagascar and Reunion last month. Freddy is quite an exceptional weather phenomenon, Anne-Claire Fontan, a tropical cyclone scientific officer at the World Meteorological Organization told The Associated Press. Its longevity, distance covered, the number of times it has intensified and the amount of energy it accumulated over time has been extraordinary, she said. She added that its second landfall in Mozambique is explained by the presence of two competing steering influences. It is not rare. Freddy first developed near Australia in early February. The U.N.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. Alexandre Nhampossa and Tom Gould contributed to this report from Maputo, Mozambique. Kabukuru reported from Mombasa, Kenya. Top photo: Men salvage parts from their destroyed home, following heavy rains caused by Cyclone Freddy in Blantyre, southern Malawi, Wednesday, March 15, 2023. 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. (AP Photo/Thoko Chikondi) Copyright 2023 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. MADRID (AP) Spain has officially entered a period of long-term drought, owing to high temperatures and low rainfall over the past three years, and likely faces another year of heatwaves and forest fires. The countrys Aemet weather agency said Friday that statistics showed Spain entered a long-duration drought at the end of 2022 and the first three months of 2023 show no major signs of change. The first available predictions for the summer of 2023 point to a likely situation of temperatures once again above normal, said Aemet spokesman Ruben del Campo, adding that the coming summer the risk of fires could be very high given the high temperatures. But Del Campo pointed out that the country has experienced severe droughts before in 2017, 2005 and at the end of the 1990s and 1980s. To put it in context, were in a drought but there have been worse droughts, which is not to say this will not be important, he told a press conference. Aemet says Spain is geographically prone to high temperatures and drought, but climate change is key factor. Del Campo said Spain has warmed 1.3 degrees Celsius (34 F) since the 1960s, a warming that is noticeable all year round but especially in summer when average temperatures have risen by 1.6 degrees. He said such an increase may not appear too big but pointed out that when we talk about a scenario as large as the Iberian Peninsula, half a million square kilometers, annual data, this trend translates into many more hours of heat, which he said have doubled in the last 10 to 12 years, compared to the number of heat hours of previous years. Last year was Spains 6th driest year and the hottest one since 1961, when records began. Rainfall was 16% below average and daily temperatures averaged above 15 degrees Celsius (59 degrees Fahrenheit) for the first time. However, December was among the wettest in recent years, improving the situation considerably. The recent rains have boosted water reserves in reservoirs to 51% of capacity, way above the dangerously low of under 35% in late 2022. But at least two areas, most noticeably Spains northeastern Catalonia around Barcelona, are suffering severe shortages. Spains Ecological Transition Ministry says that while the situation is worrying there are no current drinking water restrictions in any part and none are envisaged this year. Localized agricultural and industrial water restrictions may occur, as in the case in Catalonia which since November 2022 has had to restrict water use in agriculture and industry. Potable water is forbidden for use in washing cars or filling swimming pools. Land heat waves have become commonplace in many countries around the Mediterranean, with dramatic side effects like wildfires, droughts, crop losses and uncomfortably high temperatures. Top photo: A forest burns during a wildfire near Altura, eastern Spain, on Aug. 19, 2022. Spain has officially entered a period of a long-term drought owing to high temperatures and low rainfall over the past three years and likely faces another year of heatwaves and forest fires, the countrys weather agency Aemet said Friday March 17, 2023. (AP Photo/Alberto Saiz, File) Copyright 2023 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The poorly executed handoff of a claims file from a retiring claims adjuster to his replacement may have made USAA liable for a $5.2 million excess judgment. A panel of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday reversed a trial court judgment, ruling that a jury should have been allowed to decide whether USAAs failure to quickly settle a claim filed by a seriously injured motorist for the $10,000 policy limit amounted to bad faith. The appellate panel noted a 2018 Florida Supreme Court decision that stated an insurers obligations to avoid an excess judgment against its insured are not a mere checklist. Rather, Floridas highest court has emphasized, the critical inquiry in a bad faith [action] is whether the insurer diligently, and with the same haste and precision as if it were in the insureds shoes, worked on the insureds behalf to avoid an excess judgment,' the opinion says. In July 2017, Daniel Ilias suffered catastrophic injuries in a spectacular motor vehicle crash on County Road 1 in Pasco County, Florida. Scott Dunbar lost control of the van he was driving, struck a vehicle driving in the same direction, veered across a center divider, launched toward oncoming traffic and landed on top of Ilias Honda Pilot. Ilias had to be airlifted from the scene. Doctors placed him in a medically-induced coma when he arrived at the hospital. He suffered a torn aorta and several broken bones. He spent three weeks at the hospital and a rehabilitation center. Dunbar was insured by USAA General Indemnity Co. His auto policy paid up to $10,000 per person for bodily injuries. An attorney hired by Ilias wife told a USAA adjuster that Ilias had suffered a torn aorta, several broken bones and had an extended stay in an intensive care unit. Because of the seriousness of the crash, the insurer assigned the claim to an experienced adjuster, John Raymond. On Aug. 10, 2017, Illias fired the attorney hired by his wife and hired Maryanne Furman to represent him. She asked USAA to provide information about Dunbars insurance policy and any other known insurance. Raymond learned from a police report on Aug. 14 that Dunbar was driving 70 mph in a 45-mph speed zone just before the accident. Police said he had driven in a negligent and careless manner and was responsible for the crash. Raymond concluded that USAA should accept liability, but he didnt tell Furman. He also failed to tender the $10,000 policy limit. He spoke with Furman on Aug. 22, but only about the extent of property damage. He didnt mention that USAA had accepted liability for Ilias claim. He said nothing about other insurance coverage. Raymond retired on Aug. 30 and USAA assigned Don Johnson to handle the claim. Johnson misread the claim file and initially thought Ilias suffered only a cervical strain. Johnson did not learn that Ilias has several broken bones until he spoke with Furman on Sept. 15. He told Furman immediately that USAA would pay the $10,000 limit and mailed a check soon after. But it was too late. Furman filed a personal injury lawsuit against Dunbar on Oct. 12. She told Johnson that she could not accept the policy-limit offer to settle the lawsuit because she needed to depose Dunbar and the other motorist involved in the crash to find out if there was any other coverage available. Johnson told Dunbar that Ilias has filed suit, but there is no evidence in the record indicating that Johnson ever asked Dunbar whether he had any other coverage, the opinion say. A senior litigation manager for USAA told Dunbar that the suit seeks damages that may, but are not expected to, exceed the limit of his policy. The case proceeded to trial and Ilias obtained a $5,230,559.44 judgment against Dunbar. Ilias then filed suit against USAA alleging a single count of bad faith. The US District Court for the Middle District of Florida granted USAAs motion for summary judgment, finding that no reasonable jury could find the insurers actions exhibited bad faith. The 11th Circuit panel disagreed. The opinion says a jury may find that USAA unduly delayed settlement negotiations. Raymond learned that Ilias suffered a torn aorta on Aug. 8, but USAA did not offer to pay the policy limit until Sept. 15, the court said. Whats more, Johnson concluded that Ilias suffered only a cervical strain despite the fact that the case had been assigned to a senior adjuster precisely because of the extent of Ilias injuries. The evidence shows that, in this case, Furman informed USAA that she could not accept the policy limit until she could confirm that Dunbar lacked additional insurance coverage, yet USAA did nothing in its capacity as the go-between to facilitate the exchange of that information or to seriously apprise its insured of the risk posed by an excess judgment, the opinion says. The 11th Circuit remanded the case to the Middle District of Florida to proceed toward trial. TOPOCK, Ariz. (AP) A freight train carrying corn syrup not hazardous materials derailed in western Arizona, near the states border with California and Nevada, BNSF Railway said. BNSF Railway can confirm that a train carrying corn syrup derailed near Topock in western Arizona, close to the California border on Wednesday evening, railway spokesperson Lena Kent said in a statement. There were no injuries as a result of the derailment and preliminarily reports indicate there are no hazardous materials involved, Kent said. A spokeswoman for the Mohave County Sheriffs Office, Anita Mortensen, said that she was not aware of any spills or leaks. The cause of the derailment of approximately eight cars is under investigation, according to Kent. The main track is blocked and Kent said it is not known when it will be reopened. The derailment comes amid heightened attention to rail safety nationwide following a fiery derailment last month in Ohio and a string of derailments since then that have been grabbing headlines, including ones in Michigan, Alabama and other states. In Arizona, Mortensen had earlier said the train was carrying hazardous materials. The derailment occurred near milepost 9 of Interstate 40, Mortensen said, which is a rural, nonresidential area about 20 miles (32 kilometers) north of Lake Havasu City. The sheriffs office had notified the National Transportation Safety Board and BNSF, the two entities that she said would be responding to the accident. The NTSB also did not respond to requests for comment. Last month, a freight train carrying hazardous chemicals derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, near the Pennsylvania border, igniting a fire and causing hundreds of people to be evacuated. Officials seeking to avoid an uncontrolled blast intentionally released and burned toxic vinyl chloride from five rail cars, sending flames and black smoke high into the sky. That left people questioning the potential health impacts even as authorities maintained they were doing their best to protect people. Copyright 2023 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. As river water gushed through a broken levee, thousands of people in a California farming town were forced to evacuate as their homes were flooded and businesses destroyed. Yet another potential casualty of the powerful rainstorms that drenched coastal California: hundreds of acres of fresh strawberries slated for Americas supermarket shelves this summer. Industry experts estimate about a fifth of strawberry farms in the Watsonville and Salinas areas have been flooded since the levee ruptured late Friday about 70 miles (110 kilometers) south of San Francisco and another river overflowed. Its too soon to know whether the berry plants can be recovered, but the longer they remain underwater the more challenging it can get, said Jeff Cardinale, a spokesperson for the California Strawberry Commission. When the water recedes, what does the field look like if it is even a field anymore? Cardinale said. It could just be a muddy mess where there is nothing left. For years, Californias farmers have been plagued by drought and battles over water as key sources have run dry. But so far this winter, the nations most populous state and a key source of food for the nation has been battered by 11 atmospheric rivers as well as powerful storms fueled by arctic air that produced blizzard conditions in the mountains. Many communities have been coping with intense rainstorms and flooding, including the unincorporated community of Pajaro, known for its strawberry crop. The nearby Pajaro River swelled with runoff from last weeks rains and the levee built in the 1940s to provide flood protection and a known risk for decades ruptured, forcing the evacuation of more than 8,000 people from the largely Latino farmworker community. Farmworkers have seen their hours reduced or slashed entirely due to the storms, said Antonio De Loera-Brust, a spokesperson for United Farm Workers. The most critical issue, he said, is helping those in the community of Pajaro rebuild. The overwhelming majority of U.S.-grown strawberries come from California, with farms in different regions of the state harvesting the berries at distinct times of the year. About a third of the states strawberry acreage is in the Watsonville and Salinas areas, according to the commission. Peter Navarro grows strawberries, raspberries and blackberries on a farm by the Pajaro River. He said he was fortunate his fields werent flooded by the levee rupture, but still expects his crop to be delayed several weeks due to the rainy, cold weather. After planting berries last year, Navarro said he and other farmers were concerned about water sources drying up due to prolonged drought. When it started raining, we were elated, happy, saying, This is what we need, a rainy season,' Navarro said. We certainly were not expecting all these atmospheric rivers. It just overwhelmed us and overwhelmed the river. Other crops are also affected by the deluge in the Pajaro Valley, such as lettuce and other greens. Some vegetables had already been planted, but many hadnt, and might see delays in planting due to the storms, said Norm Groot, executive director of the Monterey County Farm Bureau. Right now, I think everyones out trying to save the farm, so to speak, Groot said, adding more rain was forecast for the weekend. Monterey County is home to Pajaro and the crop-rich Salinas Valley, and has more than 360,000 farmed acres, said Juan Hidalgo, the countys agricultural commissioner. The county estimates the farm sector was hit by $324 million in losses from January storms, and strawberries, raspberries and greens will likely be affected by this one, he said. But, he added, many acres of farmland wont be, and consumers may not feel the impact of the storms. Were still going to have a lot of production, he said. A challenge for strawberry growers is the plants are already in the ground. Soren Bjorn, president of Driscolls of the Americas, said the company works with a network of independent growers to package, ship and sell strawberries. In the Pajaro Valley, farmers did their planting last fall so the berries would hit stores during the summertime when its too hot to grow the fruits further south, he said. Right now, farmers cant even access the fields, because roads are covered in water. But with about 900 acres (364 hectares) under water in the Pajaro Valley and another 600 acres (243 hectares) flooded in nearby Salinas, Bjorn said the potential impact is significant, especially as farmers not only face the challenge of mud-soaked plants but also damaged equipment. In the peak of the summer, Bjorn said most of the strawberries in the country come from this region. Its too soon to know the full impact of this, he said. There is no way we are going to get what we had planned for. Top photo: This photo provided by the California Strawberry Commission shows a flooded Pajaro River in Pajaro, Calif. on Tuesday, March 14, 2023. Californias strawberry farms have been hit hard by this years winter storms. Industry experts estimate about a fifth of strawberry farms in the Watsonville and Salinas areas have been flooded since a levee ruptured last week and another river overflowed. (California Strawberry Commission via AP) Copyright 2023 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. You might be surprised to learn that the place with the most polluted air in the U.S. isn't a big city, but a small town in California. This month, The Guardian released an analysis in conjunction with a group of researchers from several institutions, including the University of Washington, to rank the neighborhoods across the contiguous U.S. that have the worst air pollution. Julian Marshall, professor of environmental engineering at the University of Washington, told The Guardian that the analysis shows that neighborhoods with the worst air quality were predominantly Black and Hispanic. "What we're seeing here is segregation," Marshall said. "You have segregation of people and segregation of pollution." The data in this analysis was recorded between 2011 and 2015 and even though that was eight years ago, researchers say pollution patterns tend to remain steady over several years. Boeing said Tuesday it has reached a deal to sell 78 of its 787 Dreamliner planes to two Saudi airlines, the latest large order for the wide-body jets in the past few months. The jetliners will go to Saudi Arabian Airlines, or Saudia, and a new airline, called Riyadh Air, which Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman announced over the weekend. Saudia ordered 39 of the planes, with options for 10 more, and Riyadh Air will get 39 of the two largest models of the planes, with options for 33 more. Boeing did not disclose a timeline for deliveries of the planes. The White House said the order is worth almost $37 billion, although that figure does not take discounts that airlines usually receive, especially for large orders, into account. "This will support the country's goal of serving 330 million passengers and attracting 100 million visits by 2030," Riyadh Air said in a news release. People wait outside the Silicon Valley Bank headquarters in Santa Clara, California, to withdraw funds after the federal government intervened upon the bank's collapse, on March 13, 2023. Nikolas Liepins | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images The collapse of U.S.-based Silicon Valley Bank is unlikely to hit fundraising for tech startups in Southeast Asia, venture capitalists and an analyst told CNBC. The bank served many venture capital firms and venture capital-backed startups. But last week, depositors rushed to withdraw their funds as panic over the bank's financial situation spread, causing it to collapse. "I think [the impact on fundraising is] a watch out, but I don't think that contagion spreads," said David Gowdey, managing partner at Southeast Asian venture capital firm Jungle Ventures, on CNBC's "Squawk Box Asia" on Tuesday. "I think Secretary Yellen and the government did a fantastic job of stepping in and taking away a lot of that risk, creating a lot of stability in the markets," he said. On Sunday, U.S. officials including Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen announced plans to backstop depositors of the bank. watch now Gowdey said SVB was the firm's primary bank, but added, "We pull a lot of that money into Southeast Asia, into Singapore banks. And so for us, the exposure to SVB was not large." Golden Gate Ventures, which also invests in Southeast Asian startups, said the SVB fallout is an opportunity for the region. "This has actually been helpful to Southeast Asia. It now looks like a golden child to U.S. investors. Investors are starting to say: I want to diversify to different bank accounts, different geographies, different currencies," Vinnie Lauria, managing partner at Golden Gate Ventures, told CNBC's "Street Signs Asia" on Tuesday. watch now "And this is where Southeast Asia has the time to shine, in light of the situation," added Lauria. When asked if the situation makes fundraising more difficult, Gowdey said funds in Southeast Asia are well capitalized. "I think it's being selective because of the macro environment. [Accessing] the capital will get harder, but the capital is there and it's getting deployed," said Gowdey. Chinese tourists are raring to travel again. But this time, the usual suspects Venice, Paris and Madrid, for example aren't their top picks. As China's reopening gains momentum after three years of Covid-19 restrictions, the country's travel-hungry citizens are emerging much changed, according to the Chinese Outbound Tourism Research Institute, an independent consulting company based in Germany. "The Chinese tourists we will welcome this year and in the coming years are very different from those who came before," Wolfgang Georg Arlt, founder and chief executive of COTRI, said at ITB Berlin, the world's largest tourism trade fair. In China as elsewhere, years of pandemic-induced lockdowns sparked a shift away from major tourist attractions toward "more nature-orientated, more outdoor-orientated tourism," Arlt said. He highlighted the emergence of trends like camping and glamping, as well as family-focused trips. Perhaps more significantly, many Chinese holidaymakers are still exploring the treasure trove of travel opportunities in their own country, he said. It used to be that if you were an important person in China, you had to travel internationally. Wolfgang Georg Arlt founder and CEO of the Chinese Outbound Tourism Research Institute "In the three years of the closure of the country, everybody had to travel domestically including the rich people which gave a boost to the domestic tourism industry," Arlt said. That could mark a significant change in the international travel market, to which Chinese tourists are outsized contributors. "It used to be that if you were an important person in China, you had to travel internationally. If you were traveling domestically, either you were too poor or you were too stupid to travel internationally," Arlt added. "This has changed now," he said. Plus "there has been an improvement in the quality and variety of the offers of domestic travel. So, for us, we have to compete not only with other international destinations, we also have to compete with the domestic market," said Arlt, who is also director of the Meaningful Tourism Center, a Hamburg-based sustainable travel consultancy. Gradual resumption of travel Chinese tourists made nearly 170 million outbound trips in 2019, according to China's National Bureau of Statistics. In the first half of that year alone, their outbound travel spend surpassed $127.5 billion, a study from Chinese travel booking site Ctrip.com found. This year, Chinese outbound travel is forecast to recover around two-thirds of those 2019 highs, with around 110 million border crossings from China, according to COTRI. However the hotel group Accor estimates around three in four Chinese travelers will remain within the country. "We anticipate that 70% to 80% of the travelers will still stay within China. Flight capacity is not yet at the levels of 2019," Karelle Lamouche, Accor's global chief commercial officer, told CNBC Travel. watch now Since the country reopened its borders in early January, a lack of flight capacity has left many would-be travelers stuck at home. In the week from Feb. 6 to Feb. 12, international flights out of China recovered only 9% of their 2019 levels, with 63% of those flights operated by Chinese carriers, according to data from Alibaba-owned travel booking site Fliggy. In the meantime, many Chinese citizens have been beleaguered by delays in passport renewals and visa applications, as well as some short-lived travel bans from countries such as Japan and South Korea. "Unless we have the passports, unless we have the visas," we can't be China-ready, said Ralf Ostendorf, director of market management at tourism site visitBerlin. Chinese outbound travel is forecast to recover around two-thirds of its pre-pandemic levels in 2023. Leopatrizi | E+ | Getty Images Because of those shortcomings, countries that can accommodate Chinese travelers' shifting needs have emerged as clear winners. Thailand, for instance, offers visas-on-arrival to fully vaccinated Chinese tourists who have travel insurance. "Thailand becomes the top destination for Chinese customers," said Simeon Shi, chief strategy officer and head of corporate development at Fliggy, noting that Thailand welcomed 180,000 Chinese tourists from January to mid-February. The country's Deputy Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said last month that he expects up to 15 million Chinese tourists to visit the country this year around half of all inbound arrivals. Tour groups and tailored trips Still, other traveler preferences may be stickier. Prior to the pandemic, the majority (55%) of Chinese tourists opted to book their overseas travel through group tour operators, even as acceptance of independent travel has grown. That trend is unlikely to go away anytime soon, said Shi even if the types of services they're looking for have slightly shifted. When they choose to go abroad, I think group tours will still be their first choice. Simeon Shi chief strategy officer and head of corporate development at Fliggy In this article 2330-TW .FKRX300 Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNT Samsung said it will make a 300 trillion Korean won investment in a new semiconductor facility in South Korea over the next two decades. It is part of a broader tech investment plan by the South Korean government. SeongJoon Cho | Bloomberg | Getty Images Samsung Electronics said Wednesday it plans to invest 300 trillion Korean won ($228 billion) in a new semiconductor complex in South Korea, which the government says will be the world's largest, as part of an aggressive push by the country to take a lead in critical technologies. The investment will happen over the years to 2042, a Samsung spokesperson told CNBC. The South Korean government is looking to join together its biggest technology companies to spur development in key areas. The government said Wednesday that 550 trillion won will be invested by the private sector by 2026 in areas including chips, displays, batteries and electric vehicles. But the big focus is on semiconductors critical components that go into everything from smartphones to cars and that have increasingly become a geopolitical focal point. South Korea's expansive move is seen as a way to catch up with the U.S.'s own aggressive chip investments. "President Yoon Suk-yeol said, while it's important for a high-tech industry such as semiconductors to grow through a mid-to-longer term plan, we must swiftly push ahead with these plans as if it's a matter of life and death, given the current situation of global competition," Yoon's spokesperson Lee Do-woon said in a briefing. The new 300 trillion won chip complex Samsung is building will be just outside of the South Korean capital of Seoul. South Korea's government aims to connect chip facilities in the area from Samsung to other companies to create a "semiconductor mega cluster." The idea is to link up various parts of the semiconductor supply chain from chip design to manufacturing. "In selecting the new locations, we've taken into consideration the synergy effect that could be seen from existing semiconductor clusters," Lee Chang-yang, South Korea's trade, industry and energy minister, said. The South Korean government said that companies will build five chip manufacturing facilities in the cluster. Samsung is the world's biggest memory chip maker. These are semiconductors that go into devices such as laptops and servers. South Korea is also home to SK Hynix , the second-biggest memory chip maker. Semiconductor rivalries heat up Semiconductors have become a highly politicized technology and have created a complex dynamic between allied countries, driven by the U.S.'s twofold strategy. On the one hand, Washington has pushed to bring chip manufacturing back to U.S. shores and has got commitments from companies including Samsung and Taiwan's TSMC, the biggest contract chipmaker, to build factories. On the other hand, the U.S. has sought to hold back China's semiconductor development. Last year, Washington introduced sweeping rules aimed at cutting China off from obtaining or manufacturing key chips and components and the tools required to make them. In its tech battle with China, the U.S. has looked to strike alliances with South Korea, Japan, Taiwan and the Netherlands to help cut China off from key technology. But at the same time, the U.S. signed the Chips and Science Act which includes $52 billion in support for companies producing chips in a bid to attract investment into America and boost the country's standing in the semiconductor industry. That has created a competitive landscape between allied nations even as they seek partnerships. "As of now, every country is trying to build its own competitive strengths. There is a flood of tax breaks and capital commitments from governments seeking to onshore semiconductor production," Pranay Kotasthane, chairperson of the high tech geopolitics program at the Takshashila Institution, told CNBC. "The impulse for competition is stronger than the impulse for cooperation. Incentives might change if the planned incentives don't work or when the semiconductor industry sees a downward trend in the investment cycle." watch now Samsung manufacturing push Men interact with a Baidu AI robot near the company logo at its headquarters in Beijing, China April 23, 2021. Florence Lo | Reuters BEIJING Chinese tech company Baidu on Thursday gave the public a peek at what its Chinese-language ChatGPT alternative can do, while warning of its imperfections. During a livestreamed release event, Baidu CEO Robin Li emphasized the company's product called Ernie bot is not perfect. Shares fell nearly 6.4% in Hong Kong , amid a wider fall for Asian stocks, and posted their lowest close since Jan. 19. Li emphasized how the product would improve through users' ability to give it feedback. Baidu is prioritizing initial Ernie bot access for what it calls 650 ecosystem business partners, which include some media companies, banks and car firms. Baidu has a large enterprise cloud business and said that users of its AI cloud could apply for access to Ernie bot's application programming interface. Within an hour of the Ernie bot announcement, Baidu said 30,000 corporate clients had joined the waitlist for access to the chatbot. CNBC, other media and the mass public did not immediately receive access. watch now Microsoft-backed OpenAI this week announced GPT-4, the latest version of the artificial intelligence tech behind its highly popular ChatGPT chatbot. The bot was initially released to the public for free in November, and individuals wanting to access GPT-4 capabilities need to pay $20 a month. ChatGPT is able to converse in a human-like way and generate everything from content summaries to business proposals. While ChatGPT is free to anyone who can set up an account, people had to join a waitlist to try Microsoft's Bing AI chatbot which uses OpenAI tech that launched last month. Some users reported a creepy experience. Baidu's Li said Ernie bot had similar issues if used enough, and that it wasn't perfect. But he noted the model is trained on a set of 550 billion facts. watch now The AI isn't meant to highlight rivalry between the U.S. and China, but the result of Baidu's efforts to "change the world with technology," Li said in Mandarin, translated by CNBC. Baidu's Hong Kong-traded shares are still up 12% for the year so far. Microsoft shares are up by about 11% for the year so far, while Google parent Alphabet's Class A shares are up nearly 9%. Stock Chart Icon Stock chart icon Major ChatGPT-related tech companies stocks "As trust in the Court hovers near all-time lows, shining a light into the SCOTUS chamber would help strengthen our democracy," Durbin wrote in a Twitter post as he and Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, floated the bill again Thursday. A related bill, which was also reintroduced Thursday, would permit televised coverage of all publicly open federal court proceedings. The Judiciary Committee approved the bill in 2021 by a bipartisan vote of 15-7. But it did not advance much further in Congress. The proposed legislation would mandate televised Supreme Court sessions unless a majority of the court's nine justices ruled that such coverage would violate the due process rights of a party appearing before the court. In pushing for the bill's approval, Judiciary Chair Sen. Dick Durbin , D-Ill., cited the Supreme Court's plummeting credibility with the public after recent controversial rulings on abortion and gun control . The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and a leading Republican senator on Thursday reintroduced a bill that seeks to compel the Supreme Court to televise its open court sessions live. A Supreme Court spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Supreme Court long has refused to allow cameras TV or still into oral arguments for cases or other proceedings. Because of that, and because of the relatively few seats allotted to the public in the court's chamber, few people ever get to see a Supreme Court argument. The Supreme Court in 2020 began allowing audio livestreaming of oral arguments in light of the Covid-19 pandemic, which closed public access to the court's building for more than two years. Many federal district courts, which also do not permit televised access, allowed livestreaming audio or dial-in access for the first time because of the pandemic. During those two years, the portion of Americans who said they had a great deal or fair amount of trust in the judicial branch of the government headed by the Supreme Court fell from 67% to 47%, according to the Gallup public opinion firm. That was a record low, by 6 percentage points, since Gallup began polling trust levels in the high court in 1972. The new low was reached months after the Supreme Court finished a term considered one of the most controversial and consequential, marked by two rulings in particular. On June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court revoked a half-century-old ruling in Roe v. Wade that had established the constitutional right to abortion. The new ruling, in a case called Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, said there was no such federal right, triggering the prohibition of abortion in more than half of the United States. A day earlier, in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc. v. Bruen, the court overturned a New York gun control law, ruling that people have a constitutional right to carry guns in public for their own protection. Durbin cited both cases in a statement Thursday calling for televised Supreme Court sessions. "Rulings made by Justices in our nation's highest court impact the lives of every American, regardless of zip code," Durbin said. "We see an ever-apparent interest for the American people to be able to witness the highest court's proceedings, from seemingly routine sessions to oral arguments in high-profile cases like Dobbs and Bruen, for example." Grassley, in his own statement, said, "The judicial branch has a massive impact on our daily lives and the lives of generations to come, yet few Americans ever get the chance to see inside the legal process." "Allowing cameras access to Supreme Court would be a victory for transparency and would help the American people grow in confidence and understanding of the judiciary," Grassley said. Greg Becker, President and CEO of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), speaks during the Milken Institute Global Conference on May 3, 2022 in Beverly Hills, California. Senate Banking Committee member Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., sent a letter to the banking executive asking him to "describe the full scope of your efforts to roll back Dodd-Frank regulations in Congress." Warren and other lawmakers are now pointing to the bank's failure as justification to tighten safeguards around the financial industry, including by rolling back a 2018 law that loosened Dodd-Frank rules. The lobbying by trade groups linked to Becker and SVB adds to a string of efforts to influence policy that has drawn lawmakers' attention since the bank failed. Some members of Congress have sought more information on the practices that left the bank vulnerable and its push to chip away at regulations, along with Becker's sale of more than $3 million in stock in late February. SVB collapsed under pressure after customers withdrew a staggering $42 billion last week. Days after the bank was forced to close on Friday, regulators backstopped SVB customer deposits as part of multiple moves to contain the damage from its failure. Regulators later appointed Tim Mayopoulos to run SVB. Both trade organizations included Silicon Valley Bank as a member before its failure, according to archived versions of their websites. Current members of both organizations include tech giants Google, Amazon, Meta and Apple. In the buildup to the bank's collapse, Becker chaired a group called TechNet and was a board member of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, two trade organizations that have lobbied government officials on a range of issues tied to the firm. Becker stepped down as chairman of TechNet at the start of the year but remained on the group's executive council until Monday, when he resigned. Before Silicon Valley Bank's failure, its former CEO Greg Becker backed two tech industry lobbying groups that tried to influence the Dodd-Frank financial reform law and pushed to cut corporate taxes, according to records reviewed by CNBC. When Becker led TechNet, the group piled cash into shaping federal policy including pieces of Dodd-Frank. The organization has spent more than $2 million since the start of 2020 on lobbying Congress, according to its lobbying disclosure reports. TechNet spent $1.84 million last year on 20 in-house and external lobbyists, the most it invested in lobbying since 2005, according to data from the nonpartisan watchdog OpenSecrets. The trade group had vast coffers to draw from: it brought in more than $4.2 million in membership dues in 2020, according to its most recent financial disclosure form filed with the IRS. TechNet focused its lobbying, in part, on "Section 1033 of the Dodd-Frank Consumer Protection Act," according to its disclosure reports. The group engaged with House and Senate lawmakers, as well as Consumer Financial Protection Bureau officials, on the provision related to consumer disclosures, records show. Steve Kidera, a spokesman for TechNet, told CNBC that the group's "disclosed lobbying on Section 1033 was a consumer data privacy issue related to the announced notice of proposed rulemaking at the CFPB on data privacy, one of our industry's top policy issues." Section 1033 was established under the sweeping financial reform legislation, which former President Barack Obama signed into law after the 2008 financial crisis. The CFPB says it is "in the process of writing regulations to implement" section 1033 which would require financial institutions such as Silicon Valley Bank to "make available to consumers, upon request, transaction data and other information concerning a consumer financial product or service that the consumer obtains from the covered entity." Though the lobbying disclosures do not explain whether TechNet supports or opposes section 1033 as written, the organization clearly wants to have a say in how the rule is implemented. The group's 2023 policy principles say it wants to establish a "robust consumer data right through a Section 1033 rulemaking that promotes the free flow of consumer authorized data across the financial ecosystem." TechNet added that it supports "a flexible, consent-based framework for notifying consumers of how their information will be shared, transmitted, stored, and utilized." The other trade organization for which Becker held a board seat has reached into its own deep pockets to influence policy. The Silicon Valley Leadership Group in 2020 raised $1.3 million in contributions and brought in an additional $2.9 million through membership dues, according to the records filed with the IRS. Its 2021 records, which were provided to CNBC by the organization after an inquiry, shows they brought in almost the same amount in membership dues that year. The group raised more than $940,000 through contributions in 2021, according to the records. The organization boasts on its website that it "supported comprehensive corporate tax reform, including lowering the corporate income tax rate and moving toward a hybrid/territorial international tax system." The corporate tax rate most recently dropped in 2017. Former President Donald Trump signed GOP tax cuts into law, lowering the rate to 21% from 35%. Laura Wilkinson, a spokeswoman for the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, told CNBC that Silicon Valley Bank executives were part of the group's coalition of dozens of member companies that met with House and Senate lawmakers in 2017 on Capitol Hill to advocate for cutting the corporate tax rate. "We're focused on strengthening competitiveness by fighting for a fair business tax system at the local, state, and federal levels," Wilkinson said. "In 2017, this included joining the broad coalition of main street businesses and innovation leaders that advocated for a simpler and fairer tax system as part of comprehensive tax reform to support economic growth and American jobs." Federal records show that the Silicon Valley Leadership Group has not filed lobbying disclosure reports since 2009. Becker was chairman of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group from 2014 through 2017, according to an archived version of his SVB bio page. Becker could not be reached for comment. The U.K. plans to ban TikTok on government phones following similar moves in the U.S. and European Union. LONDON The United Kingdom on Thursday announced plans to ban the use of Chinese-owned video app TikTok on government corporate devices. Cabinet office minister Oliver Dowden said that, following a review by Britain's cybersecurity experts, it is "clear that there could be a risk around how sensitive government data is accessed and used by certain platforms." Dowden added that apps collect huge amounts of data on users, including contacts and location. On government devices, that "data can be sensitive," he said. "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," the minister said in a press statement. The TikTok ban begins with immediate effect, according to Dowden, who noted that the move was "precautionary." He confirmed the ban would not extend to personal devices for government employees. "This is a proportionate move based on a specific risk with government devices." Exemptions for the use of TikTok on government devices are being implemented where necessary for work purposes, but "will only be granted by security teams on a case-by-case basis, with ministerial clearance as appropriate, and with security mitigations put in place," the government said. The minister also said that government devices will only be able to access third-party apps that are on a pre-approved list. A TikTok spokesperson said that the company was disappointed with the U.K. government's decision. "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. We remain committed to working with the government to address any concerns but should be judged on facts and treated equally to our competitors," the spokesperson said in an emailed statement. "We have begun implementing a comprehensive plan to further protect our European user data, which includes storing UK user data in our European data centres and tightening data access controls, including third-party independent oversight of our approach." U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk of Texas. Senate Judiciary Committee | YouTube A Texas judge will soon issue a pivotal ruling in a closely watched case challenging the Food and Drug Administration's approval of the abortion pill mifepristone. The lawsuit filed by a group of doctors who oppose abortion, called the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, is an unprecedented case, and Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk of the U.S. Northern District of Texas could rule in a number of different ways. He could order the FDA to pull mifepristone from the U.S. market entirely. It's also possible that Kacsmaryk could order the agency to impose tighter restrictions on access to mifepristone but stop short of completely halting sales. The judge could also rule in the FDA's favor, but the anti-abortion groups would appeal. Kacsmaryk told the attorneys involved in the case during oral arguments in Amarillo on Wednesday that he will issue his decision "as soon as possible." Abortion rights groups and legal experts expect the judge will rule against the FDA in some form. Kacsmaryk joined the court in 2019 after he was appointed by former President Donald Trump. His nomination was unanimously opposed by Senate Democrats as well Republican Susan Collins of Maine over concerns about his views on abortion and LGBTQ rights. Wendy Davis, senior advisor at Planned Parenthood Texas Votes, told reporters at a news conference Wednesday that abortion rights activists are preparing for the worst. A court order that blocks sales of mifepristone would have the greatest impact in states where abortion remains legal, said Carrie Flaxman, who heads litigation at the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. Rachel Rebouche, an expert on reproductive health law at Temple University, said an order blocking sales would create confusion because there will be further litigation over whether such an order is legal. Possible injunction If Kacsmaryk issues an order to withdraw mifepristone from the market, there are several ways such a ruling could be drafted. The impact of his decision will depend on the language of the order and how the FDA chooses to respond. "There are a lot of ways the court could effectuate a decision in our favor," said Erik Baptist, who is representing the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine in the case and is the senior counsel at the Alliance Defending Freedom, another anti-abortion group. Baptist told reporters during a news conference Thursday the judge could overturn the FDA's approval immediately or he could order the agency to initiate a process to pull mifepristone from the U.S. market. Join CNBC's Healthy Returns on March 29th, where we'll convene a virtual gathering of CEOs, scientists, investors and innovators in the health care space to reflect on the progress made today to reinvent the future of medicine. Plus, we'll have an exclusive rundown of the best investment opportunities in biopharma, health-tech and managed care. Learn more and register today: http://bit.ly/3DUNbRo "But how the court effectuates in terms of timing does it go into effect immediately, does it go into effect in 30 days, again that's within the court's discretion," Baptist said. Rebouche said it's possible the judge issues a ruling that orders the FDA to start the process of withdrawing mifepristone while at the same time suspending the drug from the market as the agency conducts that process. Swift appeal If Kacsmaryk issues an order to withdraw mifepristone immediately, the Biden administration would ask him to pause the decision pending its appeal, said Glenn Cohen, an expert on health law at Harvard. If Kacsmaryk refuses, the administration will take the case to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. "My guess is stay papers are already drafted. Someone will put them before the court within hours of the decision," said Cohen, who previously served as a lawyer in the Justice Department's civil division. Cohen, Rebouche and 17 other drug law experts, in a filing submitted to the court in support of the FDA, told Kacsmaryk that ordering an immediate withdrawal of mifepristone would conflict with federal law. The authority to withdraw a drug resides with the FDA commissioner who makes that decision based on scientific evidence on the drug's safety and efficacy, they said. The manufacturer, in this case Danco Laboratories, is also supposed to get a hearing during the process. "The FDA would argue the court cannot withdraw the drug the FDA has to withdraw the drug and the court is preempted by federal statue from withdrawing the drug," said Rebouche. FDA could drag out the process If Kacsmaryk decides against an immediate withdraw of mifepristone and instead orders the FDA to initiate its formal process to pull the drug from the market, the agency can use the process to stonewall assuming he doesn't suspend the approval during that time, "The withdrawal of a drug from the market when the FDA follows those procedures takes months if not years, so the FDA could try to draw out the process a little bit longer to keep the drug on the market in the meantime," said Allison Whelan, an expert on FDA law at Georgia State University. "The FDA does not like its scientific expertise and legitimacy to be called into question," said Whelan, who also signed the filing to the court in support of the FDA. Mifepristone off-label The agency also has enforcement discretion under which it can choose to not go after companies that sell unapproved drugs, Whelan said. Mifepristone is also approved to treat a condition called Cushing's syndrome. Some clinics could decide to prescribe the pill off-label for abortions, she said. And mifepristone is used in a two-drug regimen with another medication called misoprostol. Baptist with the Alliance Defending Freedom told reporters during the Thursday news conference that the lawsuit is only targeting the approval of mifepristone. Misoprostol is recommended as a stand-alone method to terminate a pregnancy by the World Health Organization. Although the FDA has not approved misoprostol as an abortion medication on its own, clinics are planning on using the that pill as an alternative to mifepristone. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends misoprostol as an alternative for early abortions if mifepristone is not available, though it's not as effective as the two-drug regimen, according to the organization. Tougher restrictions The World Health Organization on Friday called on China to release new data linking the Covid pandemic's origins to animal samples at Wuhan Market after the country recently took down the research. The agency said China's Center for Disease Control and Prevention uploaded data to the public virus tracking database GISAID in late January relating to samples taken at the Huanan market in Wuhan in 2020. Researchers from several countries downloaded and analyzed the data before it was removed, and presented their findings to the WHO last weekend. The researchers found molecular evidence that raccoon dogs and other animals susceptible to Covid were sold at the market, which is consistent with hypotheses about the virus spilling into humans from a wild animal. The new data doesn't provide a conclusive answer to how the pandemic began, "but it does provide more clues" about a potential host of the virus that spread it to humans, said Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO's Covid-19 technical lead. She called on China to publicly release the data so the WHO and other researchers can further analyze it and inch closer to understanding the origins of a pandemic that has killed millions of people worldwide. "The big issue right now is that this data exists and that it is not readily available to the international community," said Van Kerkhove. "This is first and foremost absolutely critical, not to mention that it should have been made available years earlier, but that data needs to be made accessible to individuals who can access it, who can analyze it and who can discuss it with each other." The WHO's call comes as the debate over the origin of Covid intensifies. Researchers are clashing over competing theories and governments are staking out positions on what to do next. The New York Times earlier reported on the new data on Thursday. Researchers told the Times that the molecular data was collected from swabs of walls, floors, metal cages and carts in and around the market starting in January 2020. At the time, the Chinese government had already shut down the market over suspicions that it was linked to the Covid outbreak. Researchers added that large amounts of the data were a match for raccoon dogs. Van Kerkhove emphasized that the data doesn't necessarily prove that a raccoon dog or another animal was infected with the virus and spread it to people. But she said it does establish that animals who can carry Covid were sold at the market, which is "new information." It is unknown where the animals came from and whether they were wild or domestic, she added. The WHO is pushing for studies to be conducted in other markets in Wuhan and across China, according to Van Kerkhove. It is also seeking serology tests, which measure antibodies, for people who worked at the markets. Van Kerkhove also noted that "all hypotheses" on how Covid entered the human population are still on the table. She said more research is needed on potential breaches in biosecurity from a lab or whether the virus originated in a bat before jumping to humans. "We don't have all of the information in front of us, and we need to be able to look at all of these different hypotheses. We need to look at all of the data that are needed to assess each one of these so that we can say this may have happened, this may not have happened," she said. She added that the WHO "won't be able to remove different hypotheses" until China reuploads its data. FBI Director Christopher Wray said earlier this month that the bureau believes Covid most likely originated in a Chinese government-controlled lab. In February, the Department of Energy assessed "with low confidence" that Covid leaked from a lab. Roughly 44% of U.S. adults believe the virus spilled from a virology lab in Wuhan, China, while 26% say it moved naturally from animals to humans, according to a Morning Consult poll released last month. Former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes (C) arrives at federal court with her mother Noel Holmes (L) and father Christian Holmes on September 01, 2022 in San Jose, California. Elizabeth Holmes hasn't paid back over $25 million to creditors of her former Theranos company as she tries to delay her 11-year prison sentence, according to a lawsuit. Theranos ABC, a company set up on behalf of its creditors, alleges in a lawsuit filed in the Superior Court of California in Santa Clara County that "Holmes has not made any payments on account of any of the Promissory Notes." The suit was filed in December 2022, but didn't come to light until Friday, when Holmes appeared in court. According to the breach of contract suit, Holmes executed three promissory notes while she was CEO of the failed blood-testing company. The promissory notes were as follows, according to the lawsuit: August 2011 in the amount of $9,159,333.65. December 2011 in the amount of $7,578,575.52. December 2013 in the amount of $9,129,991.10. According to the complaint, "Theranos ABC has demanded payment of Promissory Note #1 and Promissory Note #2 from Holmes, but Holmes has failed to pay any amounts on account of Promissory Note." Attorneys for Theranos ABC did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Two of the promissory note payments were first due in 2016 and the third due in 2018. In July 2016, Theranos' board of directors which at the time included Holmes, former Secretary of Defense James Mattis, attorney David Boies, former Bechtel Group CEO Riley Bechtel and former Wells Fargo CEO Richard Kovacevich, modified the terms to extend the notes by five years. The first two notes are overdue and third is due in December, the suit said. Holmes returned to federal court in San Jose, Calif. on Friday asking to delay her report date to prison next month while she appeals her conviction. A man holding the lawsuit approached Holmes at her attorneys' table inside the courtroom. The man, who increasingly grew agitated, was removed by marshals. It could not be immediately confirmed if he was a process server trying to serve the suit on Holmes. In January 2022, a jury found Holmes guilty on four counts of wire fraud and conspiracy. Holmes was ordered to turn herself in to begin her prison sentence on April 27, 2023. Her attorneys have signaled that they intend to appeal Holmes' case to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Following her guilty verdict last year, Holmes became pregnant and gave birth to a second child. A lawyer for Holmes cited several reasons explaining why she's not a flight risk which included her young children and that she's been free on bail for more than a year without fleeing. However, the government pointed to a one-way ticket Holmes and her partner, Billy Evans, had booked to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico days after her conviction. Holmes is also fighting with prosecutors over how much restitution she should pay. Prosecutors want her to pay nearly $900 million while Holmes argues the government failed to prove investors relied on her representations. U.S. District Court Judge Edward Davila plans to make a ruling on both motions in early April. Holmes founded Theranos in 2003 after dropping out of Stanford, with the promise of revolutionizing the healthcare industry. The company shutdown in 2016 following a series of failed regulatory inspections and articles by then-Wall Street Journal reporter John Carreyrou. Television news microphones outside the Thurgood Marshall federal courthouse in New York, U.S., on Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021. More than 1,000 federal judges have asked the U.S. Courts system for help removing personally identifiable information from the internet under a program implemented after a New Jersey judge's son was murdered at their house. That is nearly one-third of the active and retired federal judges eligible for the program, a spokesman for the U.S. Courts system told CNBC on Friday. The response to the online scrubbing program was detailed in the agency's annual report, released Thursday. The report also details what it called "a dramatic rise in threats and inappropriate communications against federal judges and other court personnel" in recent years. Those incidents numbered 4,511 in 2021, a more than four-fold increase from 926 in 2015, according to the report. It cited the U.S. Marshals Service, the agency responsible for protecting federal judges and courthouses. "Some cases have involved litigants angered by judges' decisions in cases," the report said. "And the home addresses of judges handling controversial cases have been circulated on social media." The Justice Department's internal watchdog in a 2021 report found that the Marshals Service lacked enough resources to adequately protect federal judges and prosecutors. Last June, a California man armed with a handgun, a knife and pepper spray was arrested outside the home of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Federal authorities said the man, Nicholas John Roske, planned to kill Kavanaugh in part because of his expectation that the Supreme Court would overturn the federal right to abortion. The court did so less than two weeks later. In this article GOOG GOOGL Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNT People walk near the Google offices on July 04, 2022 in New York City. John Smith | View Press | Getty Images Google's parent company, Alphabet , has stacked its legal team with former Department of Justice employees as it fights two separate antitrust lawsuits from the agency, public profiles show. Former DOJ employees make up both its in-house team and members of outside counsel firms it employs. The company has hired three former DOJ officials into regulatory roles since May 2022, and one before that in 2021, according to public information including social media profiles. Google also uses four different outside counsel firms loaded with nearly 20 former DOJ officials, many of whom worked in the antitrust division at various times. Such hiring for its internal regulatory team is a reflection of the intense scrutiny Google is facing from governments around the world. It can be a signal that a company anticipates dealing with regulatory challenges in years to come, even if it doesn't know exactly what form it'll take yet, according to two former government officials. "When companies find themselves under intense scrutiny from regulatory authorities, antitrust law or otherwise, they make moves like this," said Bill Kovacic, a former Federal Trade Commission chair who now teaches antitrust law at George Washington University. Google now faces two antitrust challenges from the DOJ, both to its search and ad tech businesses, and additional challenges from a slew of state attorneys general. Regulators around the world, including in Europe and Australia, have also presented policy and enforcement hurdles. Google's hiring is not surprising for a company under such a microscope, according to Doug Melamed, a former acting assistant attorney general at the DOJ antitrust division who's now a scholar-in-residence at Stanford Law School. The company had already been fighting one complex antitrust case that would likely require a team of 10 to 15 lawyers alone, according to Melamed, when the department brought its second antitrust challenge against the company earlier this year. "They don't have the capacity to handle a case like that just sitting idle," Melamed said. "They've got to now think about well, what outside lawyers are available that have to have the time and expertise to handle this case? And then, do I have the in-house capability to support it and supervise it?" The added threat of new legislation targeting Google's business, and that of other tech firms, looms. In the near term, it appears that a massive lobbying campaign by the industry has successfully delayed the most disruptive reforms. But the possibility of renewed energy around that legislation still hangs over the industry, and a company like Google "can take nothing for granted now," Kovacic said, adding that's likely a reason for the company to build out its regulatory forces. "New entrants and new innovations are driving competition and delivering value for America's consumers, publishers, and merchants," a Google spokesperson said in a statement for this story. "We're proud of our services and we look forward to making our case in court." Revolving-door hiring Alphabet now has at least five former DOJ staffers on its legal team, including Google's director of competition, Kevin Yingling, who's been with the company for more than a decade and worked as a trial attorney at the Department of Justice from 2000 to 2005, according to his LinkedIn. The company hired Kate Smith as counsel for Alphabet's regulatory response, investigations and strategy unit in February 2021, according to LinkedIn. Smith was a trial attorney in the DOJ's civil frauds division from September 2015 until January 2021. In May 2022, according to LinkedIn, Alphabet hired Mike Kass, a former trial attorney in the DOJ's civil fraud section, as its regulatory and litigation counsel for products. A month later, the company hired Seema Mittal Roper as counsel on its regulatory response team. Mittal Roper worked as an assistant U.S. attorney for the DOJ in Maryland from 2013 to 2018, according to LinkedIn. Most recently, the company hired Jack Mellyn as strategy counsel on its regulatory team. Mellyn was previously an attorney advisor and then acting assistant chief in the DOJ's competition policy and advocacy section, according to a previously available social media profile. It's not clear which employees are working on the specific matters before the DOJ and Kass' role appears focused outside of antitrust. It's likely these employees never worked on Google-related matters they're dealing with now during their time in government, given their dates and areas of previous employment, as well as federal ethics rules that bar certain conflicts. But experts say this kind of hiring, which is common among businesses faced with regulatory scrutiny, can still be beneficial to a company because of the unique insight, touch or credibility that an ex-government attorney might hold when it comes to their former colleagues. "There are lots of lawyers out there. But only alumni of an office really understand how that office works," said Jeff Hauser, executive director of the Revolving Door Project, which tracks the business ties of executive branch officials. "That means its strengths and weaknesses, that means the tendencies of people in that office. And they can therefore give much more concrete intelligence and better-informed advice to their client." Hauser said this may mean the lawyers could advise a client or employer to flood the agency with information rather than comply with a certain document request, knowing that the enforcers don't have the capacity to deal with it. Or, they might suggest strategies to approach a deposition, knowing the government staffer conducting it. "A lawyer who's had experience in the government doesn't bring information about the specific matters of the companies involved, but rather brings a general perspective about how the agency is approaching these kinds of problems," Melamed said. Enforcement agencies also often have to trust whether they believe the target of an investigation has complied with its requests. Hauser said the agencies may be more inclined to take the word of their former colleagues, compared with a more removed attorney. A recent event shows what can happen when that trust is broken. The DOJ last month accused Google of destroying chat messages it should have kept under a litigation hold related to the investigation. The DOJ made the accusation in a legal filing after Epic Games raised the concern in its own antitrust litigation against Google. A Google spokesperson said in a statement at the time of the DOJ's filing that they "strongly refute the DOJ's claims." Google also works with outside counsel firms on its antitrust cases, including Axinn, Freshfields, Ropes & Gray and Wilson Sonsini, based on reports, statements and legal filings. Those firms collectively have around 20 former DOJ employees on their staff, many of them working in antitrust. Though these attorneys may not all work on Google matters, the firms themselves often tout the benefit of former government officials in bringing a helpful perspective to clients. For example, Freshfields says on its website that its "deep bench of former DOJ and FTC trial attorneys gives us unique insight into how the enforcement agencies approach enforcement in general and litigation in particular." Kovacic said agency experience is something companies look for in hiring outside firms. "In deciding who to retain, what law firm to retain or what economic consultancy to retain, they would place a lot of weight on how many former government officials are in those firms," Kovacic said. Freshfields attorneys Julie Elmer and Eric Mahr have led Google's defense against an advertising technology monopolization case brought by a group of states led by Texas, The New York Times reported in 2021. And Bloomberg Law reported this year that Mahr will also lead its defense in the ad tech case brought by the DOJ. Mahr was director of litigation for the DOJ antitrust division from 2015 to 2017, according to the Freshfields site, and Elmer worked as a trial attorney in the antitrust division from 2015 to 2020, according to her LinkedIn profile. Revolving-door hiring goes both ways between the public and private sectors, with government officials often working for previous employers or clients who become relevant in their work. For example, DOJ antitrust chief Jonathan Kanter previously worked for clients including Microsoft and Yelp which have complained of Google's allegedly anticompetitive behavior. Ultimately, however, Kanter was cleared to work on cases and investigations involving Google, despite the company's suggestion that his past work should cast doubt on his ability to be fair in such matters. The DOJ and Wilson Sonsini declined to comment. The three other firms mentioned did not immediately provide a comment for this story. Limits for former government employees There are limits on what former government officials can work on under federal ethics and Bar rules. For example, the DOJ's website says that former employees can't represent someone before the government on an issue involving parties they "personally and substantially" worked on during their time in government. For two years after leaving the department, a former employee also cannot represent anyone before the government in a matter involving parties they know "was pending under his official responsibility for the last year of government service and in which the U.S. is a party or has a substantial interest." And for one year after leaving the agency, former senior employees cannot represent someone before the agency "with the intent to influence" the DOJ on a pending matter or one in which it has an interest. Personal and substantial work on a matter within government doesn't depend on the length of time devoted to it, but the role a person played in potentially influencing the outcome or direction, according to Virginia Canter, the chief ethics counsel at Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) who previously advised government officials on ethics at agencies including the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Treasury Department. But even if a former government official can't work on a specific matter they were privy to during their earlier employment, their insight might still be useful to a company. "You can read about it, but when you're actually part of dealing with these cases, you know that there are certain factors that are going to either act as mitigating or ... that are going to more favorably incline you to bring a case," Canter said. "It's just your general knowledge and experience." When companies hire former government officials, they may also have the idea that those employees will be viewed more favorably by the current regime. "Maybe there's just this general impression that they're trying to surround themselves with what will be perceived by their former colleagues as the good guys," Canter hypothesized. Some might argue that experience could be beneficial to the government in some cases, Canter noted. A former government employee might have a deeper understanding of the importance of compliance or providing certain information to officials, for example, having seen up close what could be at stake if they don't. Hauser said it's unlikely DOJ leadership, especially Kanter, who has made a point to bring more aggressive cases in the tech space and overall, would be overly swayed to view things Google's way in ongoing matters. But, he said, the impact of former DOJ staff employed by Google could be more influential in an emerging issue, where there's an opportunity to leave a first impression on senior leadership about it. The degree of this kind of influence may be relatively small on the level of an individual case, Hauser said, but for a company under such a high degree of regulatory scrutiny, it could add up. "You're talking about billions and billions of dollars of potential implications for Google's net worth," Hauser said. "Relatively small changes in the scope of the investigation, the timeframe of the investigation, can be very big, even if they don't go to the overall question of will there be any lawsuits by the Justice Department against Google." Subscribe to CNBC on YouTube. WATCH: How US antitrust law works, and what it means for Big Tech Vladimir Putin arrest warrant seen in press release from the International Criminal Court in The Hague. On 17 March 2023 in Brussels, Belgium. Jonathan Raa | Nurphoto | Getty Images WASHINGTON The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant on Friday for Russian President Vladimir Putin over alleged war crimes committed during his invasion of Ukraine. The court also put out a warrant for Maria Lvova-Belova, Russia's commissioner for children's rights. Putin and Lvova-Belova are "allegedly responsible for the war crime of unlawful deportation" of children from occupied areas of Ukraine to Russia, the court wrote in a statement. "There are reasonable grounds to believe that Mr. Putin bears individual criminal responsibility" for the forced deportation of Ukrainian children, the ICC said. The court alleged that he committed the offenses either directly or in cooperation with others, or failed to stop subordinates under his authority. The warrants are the first the ICC has issued in response to the war in Ukraine, as officials within the country and around the world ramp up probes into the horrors of Russia's nearly 13-month assault. Investigators have uncovered allegations of forced deportations, torture, sexual violence and deliberate targeting of civilian infrastructure, outlined in reports backed by the United Nations and other organizations. The arrest warrant for Putin did not mention alleged crimes beyond the deportations. Russian Presidential Commissioner for Children's Rights Maria Lvova-Belova meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow, Russia February 16, 2023. Mikhail Metzel | Sputnik | Reuters The ICC's prosecutor, Karim Khan, opened an investigation into possible Russian war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide in Ukraine after Moscow launched its full-scale invasion in February of last year. Khan, who has met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy several times, has made at least three separate trips to visit sites across Ukraine to investigate alleged war crimes. "Incidents identified by my office include the deportation of at least hundreds of children taken from orphanages and children's care homes," Khan wrote in a statement. "Many of these children, we allege, have since been given for adoption in the Russian Federation. The law was changed in the Russian Federation, through Presidential decrees issued by President Putin, to expedite the conferral of Russian citizenship, making it easier for them to be adopted by Russian families," he added. The Kremlin reiterated on Friday that it does not recognize the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands. "We consider the very posing of the question outrageous and unacceptable. Russia, like a number of states, does not recognize the jurisdiction of this court and accordingly, any decisions of this kind are null and void for the Russian Federation from the point of view of law," Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said, according to an NBC News translation. Russia in 2000 signed the Rome Statute, which established the ICC and its jurisdiction but did not ratify the agreement to become a member. Piotr Hofmanski, president of the ICC, said international authorities will have to enforce the warrants as the court does not have a police force. The move is the first time the court has issued a warrant against a leader whose country is a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council. Russia will take the rotating presidency of the Security Council in April. U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told NBC News that there is "no doubt" that Russia is committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in Ukraine. "President Biden has been very clear, since the beginning of this war, that we're going to look for ways to make sure that Russia is held accountable for the war crimes for the atrocities that they are perpetrating against the Ukrainian people," Kirby said. The Kremlin has previously denied that its forces commit war crimes or deliberately target civilians. The Russian Embassy in Washington, D.C., did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment. "Wheels of justice are turning," wrote Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on Twitter. "International criminals will be held accountable for stealing children and other international crimes." Ukraine's prosecutor general, Andriy Kostin, separately said "this is a historic decision for Ukraine and the entire system of international law." "But this is only the beginning of a long road to the restoration of justice," Kostin wrote on his official Telegram channel. War crime prosecutor of Kharkiv Oblast stands with forensic technician and policeman at the site of a mass burial in a forest during exhumation on September 16, 2022 in Izium, Ukraine. Yevhenii Zavhorodnii | Global Images Ukraine | Getty Images News | Getty Images Kostin, who is leading Ukraine's prosecution of Russian war crimes, told journalists in Washington, D.C., last month that regional Ukrainian authorities have registered more than 65,000 offenses since Moscow's conflict began. "We have all witnessed with horror the evidence of atrocities committed in Bucha, Irpin, Mariupol, Izium, Kherson, Kharkiv regions and other liberated cities and towns," Kostin said at the time. He said that Ukrainian authorities have discovered mass burial sites in areas occupied by Russian troops. Read more: UN report details horrifying Ukrainian accounts of rape, torture and executions by Russian troops Kostin added that the crimes "are not incidental or accidental." At the time, he said that more than 75,000 buildings, including homes, schools and hospitals, have been reduced to rubble. 'Consider this a giant Amber alert' A teddy bear is seen on the playground next to a destroyed apartment building on April 21, 2022 in Borodianka, Ukraine. Alexey Furman | Getty Images Last month, the Conflict Observatory, a program supported by the U.S. State Department, said that Russian forces have moved at least 6,000 Ukrainian children to camps and facilities across Russia for forced adoptions and military training. The allegations detailed in the 35-page report, entitled "Russia's systematic program for the re-education and adoption of Ukraine's children," took more than a year to produce. It outlines what it calls the Kremlin's systematic efforts to abduct children, prevent their return to Ukraine and "re-educate" them to become pro-Russia. "Consider this report a gigantic Amber Alert," Nathaniel Raymond, executive director of Yale University's Humanitarian Research Lab, said on a call with reporters at the time of its release. He added that this is the most "consequential and comprehensive report" yet published on the matter. Raymond said that Conflict Observatory researchers, in partnership with Yale's Humanitarian Research Lab, discovered a network of at least 43 camps and facilities where Russian authorities hold Ukrainian children. The sites span Russia's extensive territory, as some are located in Siberia, near Ukraine's border or approximately 13,000 miles from Alaska, according to the report. At the time, the Russian Embassy in Washington called the allegations detailed in the report "absurd." "We do our best to keep minors in families, and in case of absence or death of parents and relatives - to transfer orphans under guardianship. We ensure the protection of their lives and well-being," Russian spokesman Igor Girenko wrote in a statement to CNBC last month. Ready-to-cook Chinese cuisine big hit in Canada 08:45, March 22, 2023 By ZHU WENQIAN ( China Daily Employees present frozen premade meals in Foshan, Guangdong province, in January. [PHOTO/ CHINA DAILY] Guangdong firm aims for dishes to be as common overseas as pizza Quick-frozen, semicooked Chinese food has been gaining momentum domestically since the COVID-19 pandemic, and is expected to appear more often overseas as supermarkets and restaurants in Canada cater to a growing demand for authentic Chinese food. Guangdong province held a ready-to-cook meal development forum in Toronto in early February, and a large number of dignitaries and celebrities attended the forum, organizers said. During the event, the Guangdong Prepared Cuisine Industry Development Center of North America was established. Representatives from major Canadian Asian supermarkets and Chinese food takeout and delivery companies attended the forum. Speaking at the forum, they expressed a willingness to introduce more ready-to-cook meals from China as they look to further expand sales, organizers said. Frozen dishes require only simple reheating and thanks to advanced cold-chain transportation, they can be delivered with extended quality guarantee times. Sales of such meals, including meats, seafood, vegetables and hot pot, have been growing rapidly. "Amidst a range of global challenges, having conversations about food industries, products and supplies is more important than ever before," Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wrote in a letter to the forum. "The occasion was an opportunity to recognize the immense contributions that Asian Canadians have made and continue to make every day to our shared nation." Guangdong Evergreen Group, a private company involved in businesses such as feed production, aquaculture, aquatic products processing and foreign trade, attended the Toronto forum. The company said the Canadian government's support for Guangdong ready-to-cook meals has further boosted its confidence in developing such products. The company has already sold some frozen meals at Canadian supermarkets. They include fish and fotiaoqiang, a traditional thick soup made of a variety of seafood, as well as meat and braised sea cucumber. Such ready-to-cook meals are produced in centralized kitchens and quick-frozen. Evergreen said it is developing more types of quick-frozen foods, and it hopes to provide more options to Chinese who live overseas as well as non-Chinese consumers. The company hopes that these consumers will begin to turn to pre-prepared dishes as easily as they do to frozen pizza. During the event, some ready-to-cook dishes were prepared for the guests. They included roast fish, sauerkraut fish, crayfish, shrimp slip, pomfret, bass, shrimp dumplings and steamed pork dumplings. "Prepared dishes satisfy the demand of the times, and it has been an emerging sector with significant growth potential. I hope Guangdong's ready-to-cook meal sector will expand in Canada and more overseas Chinese residents and Canadians will have a chance to taste delicious Chinese food," said Li Tong, Chinese commercial consul in Toronto. "The ready-to-cook meal business segment is also expected to drive the upstream and downstream development of local industrial chains, and further promote economic and trade exchanges and practical cooperation between China and Canada," Li said. Workers prepare ready-to-cook products at a food company's factory in Foshan in January. [PHOTO/CHINA DAILY] Marc Kealey, a former aide to late Canadian prime minister John Turner, has visited China multiple times and has a good understanding of Cantonese culture. He likes Guangdong's idea to further develop frozen meals in Canada, and said he hopes that more high-quality Chinese products such as ready-to-cook meals will become familiar to Canadians, news website Zaker reported. Industry officials said at the forum that Cantonese culture has a significant influence in Canada. Toronto has some of the best Cantonese cuisine in North America, and many people from that culture live in Toronto. Investments are being made in upstream products of the ready-to-cook meal sector, and investors said they think more chain stores and supermarkets in Canada will purchase quick-frozen meals prepared in Guangdong. In China, ready-to-cook meals, including cooked food and pre-prepared ingredients, have become increasingly popular since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, given that only minimum preparation is involved. They are convenient for stay-at-home consumers, and especially appeal to young people. On Feb 13, the State Council, China's Cabinet, released a guideline about promoting rural revitalization, and called for thorough implementation of digitalization and commercialization of agriculture. The document encouraged direct e-commerce procurement of agricultural products and the establishment of more livestreaming centers for agricultural products and by-products. The guideline also called for the raising of standards and specifications for prepackaged vegetables and central kitchens, and further cultivation of the ready-to-cook meal sector. As an emerging industry, ready-to-cook meals were mentioned in an official government document for the first time. "With the support of favorable policies, more companies are expected to join the ready-to-cook meal sector. Chain catering enterprises are likely to establish more central kitchens and centralized procurement distribution centers," said Liu Rui, a food and nutrition researcher at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. "Some ready-to-cook meal processing enterprises that make certain products have advantages in raw materials, quality control and production techniques. They are expected to achieve better growth," Liu said. Since last year, Guangdong, Sichuan, Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces and Shanghai have issued policy guidance and standards regarding the sector. Those guidelines involve raw materials, processing, distribution, packaging and technical terms, helping to fill the gaps in a number of industry norms. The quick-frozen meal business in China is still at an early stage of development and has a lot of room for long-term expansion. By 2031, annual sales of China's ready-to-cook meal market are forecasted to exceed 1 trillion yuan ($145.5 billion), growing some 60 percent from 634.1 billion yuan in 2026, according to a CITIC Securities research report. There are some 64,000 companies involved in the quick-frozen meal business in China, and major companies have participated in multiple rounds of financing. The top three provinces in terms of related enterprises are Shandong with 7,700, Henan with 5,900 and Jiangsu with 5,500 enterprises, according to Qichacha, a company that tracks business registrations. "The buying mindset and behavior of young consumers show that convenient, ready-to-cook meals are expected to become a more prominent trend in the future and fuel more types of businesses," said Zhu Danpeng, a food and beverage analyst based in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong. While experiencing rapid growth, the distribution of the ready-to-cook meals sector is still highly scattered in China, and the quality of different products varies. The business looks to have significant room for growth, Zhu added. (Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun) Protesters participate in a demonstration against French government's plan to raise the legal retirement age in Paris, on March 16, 2023. A coalition of French lawmakers on Friday filed a no confidence motion against President Emmanuel Macron following chaotic scenes in the country's lower house of parliament the day before. Despite frantic last-minute negotiations and number-crunching, Macron calculated he did not have enough votes in the National Assembly to pass his controversial and long-standing plan to raise the retirement age. So he resorted to the back-up plan that many including within his party opposed; using a special constitutional power to force it through without a parliamentary majority. The measure, which means the national retirement age will go from 62 to 64 for most workers, was announced by Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, who was met with chants, jeers and boos from lawmakers. The reaction was fierce. Union CFDT called it a "true denial of democracy" and called on local unions to rally over the weekend, and for a big day of strikes and protest action on March 23. Around 7,000 people gathered to protest on the Place de la Concorde in Paris on Thursday evening, Reuters reported, where police used tear gas and charged at protesters. A coalition of left-wing lawmakers filed one no confidence motion, which is being backed by leftist leader Jean-Luc Melenchon. Another has been filed by the far-right National Rally party of Marine Le Pen, now led by Jordan Bardella, which has said it will vote in favor of any no-confidence motion. Davenport, Iowa - March 13 : Former President Donald Trump speaks to reporters as he lands at Quad City International Airport in route to Iowa on Monday, March 13, 2023, in Moline, IL. Many legal observers expect him to be indicted , based on the fact that a grand jury was impaneled in the first place and because prosecutors recently offered Trump the opportunity to testify. If he is indicted, Trump, a 2024 Republican presidential candidate , would become the first former president ever to face criminal charges. Discussions between the agencies included potential security arrangements around the state Criminal Court in lower Manhattan, where a grand jury has been hearing testimony related to the 2016 payoff to Stormy Daniels, according to the report, which cited five senior officials. Federal, state and local law enforcement agencies in New York are preparing for the possibility that ex-President Donald Trump will be criminally charged as early as next week in connection with a hush-money payment to a porn star, WNBC reported Friday. The law enforcement agencies involved in security talks about that possibility include the New York Police Department, the U.S. Secret Service, the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force, and New York State Court Officers, WNBC reported. The Manhattan District Attorney's Office, which is conducting the criminal investigation into Trump, also is involved in the preparations, the report said. The report on the discussions came two days after Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen wrapped up two days of testimony to the grand jury. Daniels also spoke to prosecutors via Zoom. Cohen previously has admitted paying Daniels $130,000 at Trump's behest on the eve of the 2016 presidential election to buy her silence about her claim that she had sex with Trump on one occasion years earlier. Trump has denied having sex with Daniels, but his company reimbursed Cohen for the payoff. In recent days, Trump has lashed out at Cohen, Daniels and prosecutors. "President Donald J. Trump is completely innocent, he did nothing wrong, and even the biggest, most Radical Left Democrats are making that clear," Trump's campaign said in a statement Thursday night. The criminal probe is focused on the Trump Organization's classification of the payment to Cohen as a legal expense. Such an alleged misstatement of a business expense normally is considered to be a misdemeanor under New York law, but it can be elevated to a felony if it is done to hide an underlying crime. Cohen pleaded guilty in 2018 to a federal campaign finance charge related to the payment to Daniels. He also admitted guilt to several other felonies. He was sentenced to three years in prison, but was released two years early due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The Trump Organization was convicted in December in an unrelated criminal tax fraud case brought by the Manhattan DA's office. Trump personally faces three other criminal probes beyond the one related to Daniels. A federal special counsel is overseeing the Department of Justice's investigation of Trump for his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, which he lost to President Joe Biden. The special counsel, Jack Smith, also is investigating Trump for the removal of hundreds of government documents, many of them marked classified, from the White House when he left office. He is also probing possible obstruction of justice related to efforts by federal officials to recover them. A state prosecutor in Georgia separately is investigating Trump for his attempt to get state officials to undo his 2020 election loss to Biden in that state. A grand jury impaneled in that case recommended that a number of people be charged with a range of crimes. But the identities of those individuals and the nature of those charges have not been made public. Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday approved Finland's accession to NATO after months of talks, but added that discussions with Sweden will continue. "We have decided to initiate the ratification of Finland's accession process to NATO in our parliament," Erdogan said in Ankara, according to a Reuters translation, as he met his Finnish counterpart Sauli Niinisto. Erdogan added that he hoped the Turkish parliament would endorse Finland's bid before the country's May 14 elections. In May, Finland and Sweden sent applications to join the military alliance. They decided to put an end to their policies of neutrality and military non-alignment in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. But the process to join NATO has not been as smooth as some had expected, particularly with Ankara demanding more security reassurances from Sweden. Rolls-Royce has been working on a Micro-Reactor program "to develop technology that will provide power needed for humans to live and work on the Moon." "All space missions depend on a power source, to support systems for communications, life-support and science experiments," it said. "Nuclear power has the potential to dramatically increase the duration of future Lunar missions and their scientific value." The new money builds upon 249,000 provided by the UKSA to fund a study in 2022. The UKSA will now provide 2.9 million (around $3.52 million) of funding for the project, which it said would "deliver an initial demonstration of a UK lunar modular nuclear reactor." In a statement, the government agency said researchers from Rolls-Royce had been working on a Micro-Reactor program "to develop technology that will provide power needed for humans to live and work on the Moon." LONDON The UK Space Agency said Friday it would back research by Rolls-Royce looking at the use of nuclear power on the moon. Rolls-Royce is set to work with a range of organizations on the project, including the University of Sheffield's Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre and Nuclear AMRC, and the University of Oxford. "Developing space nuclear power offers a unique chance to support innovative technologies and grow our nuclear, science and space engineering skills base," Paul Bate, chief executive of the UK Space Agency, said. Bate added that Rolls-Royce's research "could lay the groundwork for powering continuous human presence on the Moon, while enhancing the wider UK space sector, creating jobs and generating further investment." According to the UKSA, Rolls-Royce not to be confused with Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, which is owned by BMW is aiming "to have a reactor ready to send to the Moon by 2029." Dhara Patel, space expert at the National Space Centre in Leicester, England, told CNBC that humans returning to the moon would need "a reliable power source" so astronauts could "live and work on our lunar neighbour for long-term missions." "Solar power would seem an obvious choice but the Moon's rotation results in a two-week day followed by a fortnight of darkness or night time not ideal," Patel went on to explain. "With little air and no liquid water on the surface, other renewable sources of energy aren't possible," she said. "Nuclear power could enable a continuous source of power regardless of the physical environment and conditions on the lunar surface." Using nuclear power on the moon, Patel noted, could boost the lifetime of lunar missions. "What will require careful consideration is the nuclear fuel that will be used to generate heat, how it will be responsibly sourced along with how efficiently the new technology will generate electricity from the process and manage the radioactive waste." "The extra funding from UKSA will hopefully allow Rolls-Royce to explore these areas and develop the best systems possible." The news out of the U.K. comes at a time when NASA is pushing ahead with its Artemis program, which is focused on creating what it calls a "sustainable presence on the Moon to prepare for missions to Mars." NASA is working with international and commercial partners on Artemis. In July 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first person to set foot on the moon. In this photo illustration the social media application logo for TikTok is displayed on the screen of an iPhone in front of a US flag and Chinese flag background in Washington, DC, on March 16, 2023. A star-studded array of Silicon Valley venture investors have joined forces with a bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers as part of a working group that has one aim: Combatting China's influence in the U.S. technology industry, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday. The consortium is named the Hill & Valley Forum, the Journal reported, a nod to the group's bicoastal origins. The Forum will host a dinner ahead of TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew's Congressional testimony next week, with speakers including prominent venture capitalists Peter Thiel and Vinod Khosla, the Journal reported. Representatives for Thiel and Khosla weren't immediately available for comment. TikTok's possible influence over the American zeitgeist, particularly among younger or under-age citizens, has increasingly concerned lawmakers and regulators, who fear that the app's Chinese ownership exposes American users susceptible to China's intelligence-gathering efforts. Former Google global policy advisor Jacob Helberg, who is leading the alliance, told the Journal that TikTok represents "the most potent espionage operation that China has ever carried out against the U.S." TikTok's popularity exploded during covid lockdowns. By 2021, TikTok's Chinese parent company Bytedance said the app had reached one billion monthly active users, showing sharp growth from Dec. 2019, when it reported 507 million monthly users. Now, lawmakers, venture investors, and lobbyists are pushing for the government to ban or curtail the app's influence, citing a potent threat from the Chinese government. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, or CFIUS, told ByteDance that unless the company's Chinese owners divested from their stakes, CFIUS would move to ban the app, the company told CNBC on Thursday. The ultimatum came weeks after lawmakers urged the Committee to complete its yearslong probe into TikTok. "There is no truth" to Helberg's assertions, a TikTok spokesperson told CNBC. The spokesperson added that TikTok had stored "all" new U.S. user data "exclusively" with Oracle since Oct. 2022. Read more at The Wall Street Journal. BlackRock headquarters in New York, US, on Friday, Jan. 13, 2023. via Getty Images BlackRock has denied a report that it is preparing a takeover bid for embattled Swiss lender Credit Suisse . "BlackRock is not participating in any plans to acquire all or any part of Credit Suisse, and has no interest in doing so," a company spokesperson told CNBC Saturday morning. It comes after the Financial Times reported that the U.S. asset manager was working on a bid to acquire the bank, citing people familiar with the situation. UBS has also been suggested as a potential buyer, with the FT reporting Friday that it is in talks to take over all or part of Credit Suisse. UBS hasn't commented on the report. Credit Suisse's future looks to be hanging in the balance after a multibillion-dollar lifeline offered by the Swiss central bank last week failed to calm investors. Credit Suisse's shares registered their worst weekly decline since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic last week, and are down almost 35% over the month to date. The latest slide in stock price came after the Saudi National Bank revealed it would not provide the bank with any more cash, and follows a delay of its annual results over financial reporting concerns. The failure of Silicon Valley Bank the largest U.S. banking failure since Lehman Brothers and the shuttering of New York-based Signature Bank compounded nervousness around the global banking sector. Credit Suisse was already in the midst of a massive strategic overhaul aimed at restoring stability and profitability. It has faced various scandals and controversies over recent years, including the fallout from its involvement with the collapsed supply chain finance firm, Greensill Capital, which led to $1.7 billion in losses. The default at hedge fund Archegos Capital not long after led to another $5.5 billion loss for the Swiss investment bank. These and other controversies hit investor and customer confidence hard, with the bank losing billions of dollars in deposits as a result. CNBC's Ganesh Rao and Elliot Smith contributed to this report. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg sent an email to his staff Saturday assuring them that their safety is "top priority" after former President Donald Trump called on his supporters to protest over his supposedly imminent indictment. "We do not tolerate attempts to intimidate our office or threaten the rule of law in New York," Bragg said in the memo, which was obtained by NBC News from a senior official at the Manhattan DA's office. Bragg's office has been investigating Trump's connection with a hush money payment made to porn star Stormy Daniels during his first run for president in 2016. In a social media post on Saturday, Trump said that he expects to be arrested Tuesday, citing leaks from the "corrupt" DA's office. He urged his supporters to protest on his behalf. "THE FAR & AWAY LEADING REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE & FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, WILL BE ARRESTED ON TUESDAY OF NEXT WEEK," Trump wrote on his social media site Truth Social early Saturday morning. "PROTEST, TAKE OUR NATION BACK!" U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during the annual Friends of Ireland luncheon in honor of Ireland's Prime Minister (Taoiseach) Leo Varadkar at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., March 17, 2023. President Joe Biden on Monday issued his first veto since taking office, rejecting a bipartisan measure that would nullify a new administration rule for retirement plans. "I just signed this veto because the legislation passed by the Congress would put at risk the retirement savings of individuals across the country," Biden said in a video posted on his Twitter account. "They couldn't take into consideration investments that would be impacted by climate, impacted by overpaying executives and that's why I decided to veto it." The veto comes after the Senate voted 50-46 on March 1 to pass a resolution blocking a Labor Department rule allowing for certain retirement plans to weigh environmental, social and corporate governance factors when selecting investments, instead of making decisions based solely on the best rate of return. In the Senate vote, Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Jon Tester of Montana joined Republicans to pass the measure. The House passed it on Feb. 28 in a 216-204 vote, with Rep. Jared Golden of Maine bucking his party to vote with Republicans. A two-thirds majority is needed in each chamber to override a veto. Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., introduced the measure in February, about two months after the Labor Department issued the investment rule. Following the Senate vote, Barr tweeted: "President Biden should abandon the radical climate activists and join us in putting middle-class savers ahead of politics." In a statement of administration policy before Congress voted, the White House warned that Biden would veto the resolution if it were to reach his desk. "The 2022 Biden-Harris Administration rule makes clear that...fiduciaries can consider factors such as corporate accountability and transparency, climate, and liability risks if they find them relevant to the analysis of an investment's risk and return, in the same way that they would prudently consider other relevant factors," the White House said. Biden's veto comes under a newly divided Congress, after two years of unified Democratic control. Former President Donald Trump's first veto came in March 2019, following two years of Republican majorities in Congress. By the end of his presidency, Trump had issued 10 vetoes. A local reacts to watching a wildfire advancing in Orjais, Covilha council in central Portugal, on August 16, 2022. Patricia De Melo Moreira | Afp | Getty Images A landmark U.N. report published Monday urged governments across the globe to embark on an urgent course correction to tackle the climate emergency, warning current plans were insufficient to prevent the worst of what the crisis has in store. The U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said the unprecedented challenge of keeping global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels had become even greater in recent years due to the relentless increase in global greenhouse gas emissions. This has resulted in more frequent and more intense extreme weather events that have caused increasingly dangerous impacts on nature and people in every region of the world, the report said. Deep, rapid and sustained greenhouse gas emission reductions across all sectors will be necessary if warming is to be limited by 1.5 degrees Celsius, the report says, noting that global emissions should already be decreasing and will need to be slashed almost in half by 2030. The 1.5 degrees Celsius temperature threshold is widely recognized as crucial because so-called tipping points become more likely beyond this level. Tipping points are thresholds at which small changes can lead to dramatic shifts in Earth's entire life support system. "Mainstreaming effective and equitable climate action will not only reduce losses and damages for nature and people, it will also provide wider benefits," IPCC Chair Hoesung Lee said in a statement. "This Synthesis Report underscores the urgency of taking more ambitious action and shows that, if we act now, we can still secure a liveable sustainable future for all." In short, our world needs climate action on all fronts everything, everywhere, all at once. Antonio Guterres U.N. Secretary-General The IPCC's Synthesis Report, approved during a week-long session in Interlaken, Switzerland, provides world leaders with a gold-standard summation of modern climate science. It is the first comprehensive report from the U.N. climate panel since the 2015 Paris Agreement and marks the closing chapter of the group's sixth assessment cycle. The findings, distilled from over 10,000 pages of research from six assessment reports, are expected to serve as a manual for tackling the climate emergency. watch now "The climate time bomb is ticking. But today's IPCC report is a how-to guide to defuse the climate time bomb. It is a survival guide for humanity," U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Monday. "As it shows, the 1.5-degree limit is achievable. But it will take a quantum leap in climate action." Guterres described the report as a "clarion call to massively fast-track climate efforts by every country and every sector and on every timeframe." He added, "In short, our world needs climate action on all fronts everything, everywhere, all at once." Speaking at a news conference, the U.N. chief announced a plan to "super-charge" climate efforts through an "all-hands-on-deck Acceleration Agenda." This initiative must see governments "hitting the fast-forward button" on their net zero deadlines, Guterres said, with rich countries urged to commit to reaching net zero as close as possible to 2040 and emerging economies called on to reach net zero by 2050. COP28 climate summit The IPCC said Monday that there is more than enough global capital to rapidly reduce greenhouse gas emissions if existing barriers are removed. The role of policymakers across the globe, the report's authors say, is crucial in reducing these barriers, while investors, central banks and financial regulators can also "play their part." "Today's message from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) synthesis report is abundantly clear: we are making progress, but not enough," U.S. climate envoy John Kerry said in a statement. "We have the tools to stave off and reduce the risks of the worst impacts of the climate crisis, but we must take advantage of this moment to act now," Kerry said. The report's findings also highlight the losses and damages the world is already experiencing and will likely continue to face in the absence of effective climate action. "Climate justice is crucial because those who have contributed least to climate change are being disproportionately affected," said Aditi Mukherji, one of the 93 authors of this Synthesis Report. "Almost half of the world's population lives in regions that are highly vulnerable to climate change. In the last decade, deaths from floods, droughts and storms were 15 times higher in highly vulnerable regions," she added. A vehicle drives past a dry, cracked lake bed on its way to Boulder Harbour in drought-stricken Lake Mead on September 15, 2022 in Boulder City, Nevada. Frederic J. Brown | Afp | Getty Images The IPCC's latest report comes ahead of the COP28 climate summit in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in November. Each year, ministers representing countries across the globe gather at COP to discuss how to achieve the aspirational goal of the Paris Agreement curbing global heating to just 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2050. The world has already warmed by around 1.1 degrees Celsius, scientists say, after over a century of burning fossil fuels as well as unequal and unsustainable energy and land use. The Dubai climate summit will see the U.N. publish a "global stocktake," the result of a two-year process that started at COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland. The purpose of which will be to assess how governments are doing with their efforts to tackle the climate crisis. Speaking in France's capital earlier this month, COP President-Designate Sultan al-Jaber said the conclusions of this assessment were already clear. "We are way off track," al-Jaber said. "The bottom line is this: the world needs to cut emissions by 43% in the next seven years to keep 1.5 alive." Al-Jaber, who serves as the chief executive of one of the world's biggest oil companies, was seen as a controversial choice to lead the COP28 climate talks in Dubai. He has since called on the energy industry to "up its game" to reduce emissions. 'Now or never' territory In this article DB JPM .BBKA Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNT People inside the offices of JP Morgan Chase in New York City. Getty Images A New York federal judge on Monday ruled that the U.S. Virgin Islands and women who accuse the late investor Jeffrey Epstein of sexual abuse can proceed with lawsuits claiming that JPMorgan Chase knowingly benefited from participating in Epstein's sex-trafficking scheme. In addition, the judge allowed parts of a separate, similar lawsuit by Epstein's accusers against Deutsche Bank , including the claim that that bank also knowingly benefited. The four-page ruling by Manhattan District Judge Jed Rakoff came in response to motions from JPMorgan and Deutsche Bank to dismiss the three lawsuits. watch now While Rakoff agreed to dismiss multiple counts of each of the cases, he allowed the other explosive counts to remain and to head toward trial. The judge wrote that he would issue an opinion explaining the reasons for his decisions "in due course." Epstein, who killed himself in a Manhattan jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal criminal child sex-trafficking charges, was a JPMorgan client from 1998 through 2013. The last five years of that relationship came after he pleaded guilty in Florida to soliciting an underage prostitute. At a court hearing on Thursday before Rakoff, a lawyer for the Virgin Islands said JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon "knew in 2008 that his billionaire client was a sex trafficker," a claim disputed by an attorney for the bank. Deutsche Bank accepted Epstein as a client in 2013 and kept him as one even after employees reported 40 underage girls making sexual-assault claims against him. The bank paid New York banking regulators a $150 million fine for its dealings with him. Brad Edwards, the Edwards Pottinger attorney who is representing Epstein abuse accusers, called the rulings Monday "a monumental victory for the hundreds of survivors of Jeffrey Epstein's sex-trafficking scheme and survivors of sexual abuse in general, all of whom can rest easier knowing no individual or institution is above accountability." "Epstein's sex-trafficking operation was impossible without the assistance of JPMorgan Chase, and later Deutsche Bank," Edwards said. "And we assure the public that we will leave no stone unturned in our quest for justice for the many victims who deserved better from one of America's largest financial institutions." watch now Starbucks on Monday said Laxman Narasimhan has officially become CEO, nearly two weeks earlier than expected. He'll lead the coffee giant's annual shareholder meeting Thursday, marking his first public address as its chief executive. After being named incoming CEO in September, Narasimhan has spent months learning about Starbucks' business, including training as a barista. The official transition was expected to happen April 1. Before his appointment, he was chief executive of Reckitt, which owns brands like Lysol, Durex and Mucinex. He also previously worked at PepsiCo and McKinsey. Narasimhan takes the reins from Howard Schultz, who is ending his third stint in the top job. "Today, I am entrusting you all with Starbucks something that holds a place in my heart second only to that of my beloved family," Schultz wrote in a letter to company leadership that was viewed by CNBC. Schultz returned nearly a year ago after former CEO Kevin Johnson surprised investors by announcing his retirement. This time around, Schultz suspended the company's buyback program for months, pushed back against baristas' union plans and announced a new strategy to keep up with how the company's business has transformed. Since Schultz returned April 4, Starbucks stock has risen nearly 8%, bringing its market value to $113 billion. The S&P 500, meanwhile, has fallen more than 13% over that time. Despite stepping down earlier than anticipated, Schultz is still expected to testify in front of a Senate panel on March 29 about the company's alleged union-busting activity. In September, Schultz told CNBC that he's never planning on coming back as Starbucks' chief executive again. Investors have been putting pressure on the company to make sure that never happens. On Thursday, shareholders will vote on a proposal from SOC Investment Group, which represents pension funds sponsored by unions, that would require the Starbucks board to start succession planning at least three years in advance. Former U.S. President Donald Trump greets fans as he arrives before the finals during the sixth session of the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S. March 18, 2023. Former President Donald Trump in a new court filing Monday sought to block potential prosecution of him and various allies for crimes related to his efforts to reverse his loss to President Joe Biden in Georgia's 2020 election. Trump asked a judge to quash the report of a special grand jury in Atlanta and to bar any evidence from that panel from being used to prosecute individuals. His court filing also sought to disqualify the Fulton County District Attorney's Office, which has been conducting the criminal probe, from being involved in the case. The Georgia investigation for two years has been considered a leading threat to end with criminal charges against Trump, the top contender for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, who faces three other major pending criminal probes. The Atlanta grand jury earlier this year finished hearing testimony and reviewing evidence submitted by prosecutors. The panel then recommended the filing of criminal charges against a number of people, who have not been publicly identified. The probe is focused on Trump's aggressive bid after Election Day 2020 to get Georgia election officials to toss out enough ballots cast for Biden to erase Biden's victory in the state. Georgia was one of several swing states won by Biden in the popular vote, which gave him his margin of victory over Trump in the Electoral College, the entity that actually selects U.S. presidents. The grand jury focused particularly on a Jan. 2, 2021, phone call, during which Trump asked Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to "find 11,780 votes" for Trump. Trump's 483-page court filing argues that the grand jury "was conducted under an unconstitutional statute, through an illegal and unconstitutional process." The filing also notes recent comments to media outlets by the grand jury's forewoman, and later statements by other members of the panel, calling those statements evidence that "this grand jury was improperly supervised or, worse, improperly instructed from the outset." And the filing claims that Fulton County DA Fani Willis "violated prosecutorial standards and acted with disregard for the gravity of the circumstances and the constitutional rights of those involved." A spokesman for Willis declined to comment. The attorneys who submitted Monday's filing for Trump did not immediately respond to separate requests for comment. Trump's filing asks that the motion be ruled on by Chief Judge Ural Glanville of Fulton County Superior Court and not Judge Robert McBurney, who has been supervising the grand jury. The filing argues, "The Supervising Judge's improper conduct tainted the proceeding and similarly violated notions of fundamental fairness and due process." The filing claims that McBurney "made inappropriate and prejudicial comments relating to the conduct under investigation as well as potential witnesses' invocation of the Fifth Amendment," the constitutional right against being compelled to give testimony that could incriminate the person testifying. The filing comes as Trump is expected to be indicted by another grand jury in New York City in connection with a $130,000 hush-money payment his former lawyer Michael Cohen made to porn star Stormy Daniels shortly before the 2016 presidential election. In addition to the Georgia and Manhattan investigations, Trump is the target of two other criminal probes by the U.S. Department of Justice. One of those inquiries relates to Trump's attempt to reverse his loss nationally in the 2020 election, and to interfere in the Jan. 6, 2021, certification of the Electoral College results by a joint session of Congress. That proceeding was interrupted for hours by an invasion of the U.S. Capitol by hundreds of Trump supporters after Trump held a rally in which he called on backers to "fight" against the certification. The DOJ also is investigating Trump for the removal of hundreds of government documents, many of them highly classified, from the White House, when he left office in January 2021. That probe also is examining whether Trump and others, including his lawyers, obstructed justice when federal authorities were seeking the return of those documents from his residence at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida. Photographer: Samuel Corum/Bloomberg via Getty Images Biden veto preserves Labor Department's ESG rule Biden's veto on Monday preserves his administration's stance. It doesn't appear there are enough congressional votes to override the veto. Doing so would require a two-thirds vote in both the House and Senate. ESG investing has grown more popular in recent years, occurring against the backdrop of growing political backlash, largely from Republican lawmakers who deride it as "woke" investing. Investors poured about $69 billion into the funds in 2021, an annual record and about triple the amount in 2019, according to Morningstar. However, inflows fell significantly in 2022 to $3.1 billion in a year when stocks and bonds got pummeled and the broad U.S. fund universe saw the largest investor exodus on record, Morningstar reported. watch now Few 401(k) plans about 5% offer an ESG fund, according to PSCA survey data. Employers cited lack of regulatory clarity as one of the top reasons they haven't offered one to workers. The Trump-era Labor Department rule doesn't explicitly call out or forbid ESG funds in 401(k) plans. But experts say the rule stymied uptake due to a general requirement that employers only use "pecuniary factors" when choosing 401(k) funds for workers. Those factors restrict fund analysis to purely financial measures, such as fund fees, return and risk, experts said. Environmental, social and governance factors are generally "nonpecuniary," however. "The Trump rule made it so harsh, so difficult, that it put a cold blanket over E, S and G factors," said Philip Chao, founder and chief investment officer of Experiential Wealth, based in Cabin John, Maryland. "Whereas this one doesn't really talk about ESG factors being right or wrong. "It returns power back to the fiduciary," he added. The [Biden] rule doesn't force you to consider ESG. It says 'you may' do that. Philip Chao chief investment officer of Experiential Wealth Employers serve as a fiduciary to their company 401(k) plans under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974. Broadly, that fiduciary duty means they must operate the plan including investment choice solely in workers' best interests. Under the Biden rule, employers must still consider ESG factors within the context of what is in investors' best interests. The Labor Department in November clarified that employers wouldn't breach their legal duties by considering workers' nonfinancial preferences in their final fund choice. Accommodating those preferences might encourage more plan participation and boost retirement security, for example, the agency said. "The [Biden] rule doesn't force you to consider ESG," Chao said. "It says 'you may' do that." The veto may not change behavior much The Republican-controlled House of Representatives voted to kill the rule on Feb. 28. It did so using the Congressional Review Act, a mechanism that gives lawmakers a chance to overturn any regulations issued near the end of a congressional session. The Biden administration issued the final text of its investment rule in November, shortly before Republicans assumed control of the House. The Senate voted to undo the Biden-era rule on March 1. Two Democrats Jon Tester of Montana and Joe Manchin of West Virginia joined the Republican opposition. A sign of Credit Suisse bank is seen at their headquarters in Zurich on March 20, 2023. A number of Credit Suisse bondholders said Tuesday that they were considering legal action after $17 billion of the bank's additional tier-one (AT1) bonds were wiped out as part of its emergency sale to UBS . Swiss regulator FINMA announced Sunday that the AT1s, widely regarded as relatively risky investments, will be written down to zero, while stock investors will receive payouts as part of the takeover, angering bondholders. David Benamou, chief investment officer at Axiom Alternative Investments and a holder of Credit Suisse AT1 bonds, told CNBC on Tuesday that he would be joining the lawsuit along with, he imagined, "probably most bondholders." California-based law firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan said Monday that it had put together a "multi-jurisdictional team of lawyers from Switzerland, the U.S. and the U.K." following the rescue deal. "That team are already in discussions with a number of holders of Credit Suisse's AT1 capital instruments, representing a significant percentage of the total notional value of AT1 instruments issued by Credit Suisse, about the possible legal actions that may be available to them in light of the announcement of the merger between UBS and Credit Suisse," the firm said. The firm previously represented bondholders following Spanish bank Banco Popular's sale to Banco Santander for 1 euro in 2017, which also saw AT1s written down to zero. The firm said it was planning to convene a call for bondholders on Wednesday to talk through "potential avenues of redress." Was Credit Suisse failing? Ordinarily in the event of a bank failure, AT1s also known as contingent convertibles or "CoCos" would be prioritized above equity holders. The bonds were created after the Global Financial Crisis as a means of diverting crisis risk away from taxpayers. The Credit Suisse write-down represents the largest loss ever inflicted on AT1 investors since their inception. The decision by Swiss authorities to upend the long-established norms and hit AT1 bondholders over equity investors has been criticized for damaging confidence in the asset class, potentially creating a spillover effect in global markets The ECB Banking Supervision authority, Single Resolution Board (SRB) and European Banking Authority (EBA) issued a joint statement Monday seeking to reassure investors that the Credit Suisse deal is a one-off. Switzerland is not part of the European Union and so is not subject to the bloc's regulations. "In particular, common equity instruments are the first ones to absorb losses, and only after their full use would Additional Tier 1 be required to be written down," the EU authorities insisted. These sales counts are based on closings, so the contracts were likely signed at the end of December and throughout January, when mortgage rates had fallen sharply. The average rate on the popular 30-year fixed loan hovered in the low 6% range throughout January after reaching a high of 7% last fall. It was the first monthly gain in 12 months and the largest increase since July 2020, just after the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. Sales were, however, 22.6% lower than they were in February of last year. Sales of previously owned homes rose 14.5% in February compared with January, according to a seasonally adjusted count by the National Association of Realtors . That put sales at an annualized rate of 4.58 million units. The relative drop caused a jump in sales of newly built homes, before rates jumped back toward 7% in February. They now stand at 6.67%, according to Mortgage News Daily. "Conscious of changing mortgage rates, home buyers are taking advantage of any rate declines," said Lawrence Yun, chief economist for the Realtors, in a release. "Moreover, we're seeing stronger sales gains in areas where home prices are decreasing and the local economies are adding jobs." Higher mortgage rates have been cooling home prices since last summer, and for the first time in a record 131 consecutive months nearly 11 years prices were lower on a year-over-year comparison. The median price of an existing home sold in February was $363,000, a 0.2% decline from February 2022. That lower median price could be a sign that homes on the more affordable end of the market are selling. Sales might have been even higher were it not for what is still very low supply. There were just 980,000 homes for sale at the end of February, according to the Realtors, flat compared with January. At the current sales pace, that represents a 2.6-month supply. A balanced market between buyer and seller is considered a 4- to 6-month supply. "Inventory levels are still at historic lows," Yun added. "Consequently, multiple offers are returning on a good number of properties." This could start to heat prices again, but with mortgage rates now higher than they were in January it will be harder for some buyers to compete. At a recent open house in Cleveland, Ohio, home shopper Katie Berardi said higher mortgage rates have had an impact on what she and her husband can afford. "The mortgage percentage has lowered our original range that we were looking in. Originally it was like $440,000. Now we're looking more at like the $300,000 range," said Berardi. The home she was touring was originally listed at $450,000, but no one showed up at the first open, according to the listing agent, who subsequently slashed the price. "This is a bigger house; you cannot build this house for $450,000 right now," said Michelle Santoro, an agent with Russell Realty Services. "But unfortunately, the market just didn't like my thoughts, so we went down to $350,000, and now I've created a market frenzy." All-cash sales accounted for 28% of transactions in February, down from 29% in January but up from 25% in February 2022. Individual investors returned, making up 18% of buyers, up from 16% in January but down from 19% in February 2022. When looking at sales at different price points, they were all down in the range of 20% from February last year, with sales down the most in the top, million-dollar-plus segment. Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai gestures during a session at the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, on January 22, 2020. Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai told employees that the success of its newly launched Bard A.I. program now hinges on public testing. As more people start to use Bard and test its capabilities, they'll surprise us. Things will go wrong," Pichai wrote in an internal email to employees Tuesday viewed by CNBC. "But the user feedback is critical to improving the product and the underlying technology." The message to employees comes as Google launched Bard as "an experiment" Tuesday morning, after months of anticipation. The product, which is built on Google's LaMDA, or Language Model for Dialogue Applications, can offer chatty responses to complicated or open-ended questions, such as "give me ideas on how to introduce my daughter to fly fishing." Alphabet shares were up almost 4% in mid-day trading following the announcement. In many disclaimers in the product, the company warns that Bard may make mistakes or give inaccurate or inappropriate responses. The latest internal messaging comes as the company tries to keep apace with the quickly evolving advancements in generative AI technology over the last several months especially Microsoft-backed OpenAI and its ChatGPT technology. After months of public chatter about emerging chatbots powered by artificial intelligence, Google is opening its Bard AI platform to a limited number of users. The company is officially allowing people in the U.S. and U.K. to sign up for its generative AI product at bard.google.com. Google said in a blog post Tuesday that it will be expanding availability over time to more countries and languages. The post, titled "Try Bard and share your feedback," was authored by Sissie Hsiao, product vice president, and Eli Collins, research vice president. "You can use Bard to boost your productivity, accelerate your ideas and fuel your curiosity," they wrote. "You might ask Bard to give you tips to reach your goal of reading more books this year, explain quantum physics in simple terms or spark your creativity by outlining a blog post. We've learned a lot so far by testing Bard, and the next critical step in improving it is to get feedback from more people." Testers will need to sign in with a Google account. Google is putting in place some guardrails to try and ensure that conversations between users and the AI don't spin out of control. The company said it would cap the number of exchanges in a dialogue "to try to keep interactions helpful and on topic." However, it won't limit the number of daily chats, a spokesperson said. Bard will display three different drafts to each response, the company said in a briefing, confirming CNBCs reporting from earlier this month. Google expects the testing phase to help it understand how often people engage with Bard. Fees on concert tickets, airfares, hotels and other so-called junk fees cost Americans tens of billions of dollars every year, often obscuring the full price of purchases from consumers, top economic experts said at the White House on Tuesday. "They take real money out of the pockets of families, and they can distort competition in many markets," Lael Brainard, director of the National Economic Council, said in comments prepared for delivery at a panel discussion spotlighting President Joe Biden's call on industries and regulators to cut junk fees. Biden is pushing Congress to enact the Junk Fees Prevention Act a first step in cracking down on extraneous surcharges attached to purchases like concert tickets, vehicle rentals and hotel reservations. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which is leading the charge in the drive against the fees, released an updated list of potentially illegal fees earlier this month. Biden also called on state legislators to address junk fees at a March 8 virtual meeting with the White House. Representatives from 16 federal agencies, including the Department of Transportation, the CFPB and the Federal Trade Commission, attended the panel. The eradication of junk fees is also a bipartisan issue with positive benefits for the economy, Brainard will say. She says recent surveys show 75% of consumers support cutting junk fees, "with strong support across party lines." "As an economist, I know that regulating junk fees has a strong foundation in decades of scholarship. Junk fees weaken the forces of market competition, penalize honest businesses, and hit the most vulnerable Americans the hardest," Brainard said in prepared remarks released ahead of the panel discussion. Panelist Vicki Morowitz, a professor at Columbia Business School, says "partitioned practicing" and "drip pricing" are industry tools that conceal fees associated with a purchase until later in the transaction. Morowitz and colleagues coined the phrase "drip pricing," the practice of dividing the cost of a product into a base price and mandatory surcharges rather than charging a single, all-inclusive price. "In general, what research has shown is that when firms separate out mandatory surcharges vs. assessing one all-inclusive price, consumers tend to underestimate the total price they will have to pay, and are often more likely to complete the purchase," Morowitz says. "This happens even when the surcharges are fully disclosed. And these effects are larger when the surcharges are made difficult to process such as when they are framed as a percent of the base price vs. a flat dollar amount, or when they are hidden in the small print." Drip pricing is commonly used in the ticketing industry, according to Morowitz. A firm will outline the cost of an item upfront and only reveal additional fees later in the purchasing process. "What research has shown is that when surcharges are dripped, consumers end up being more likely to buy a product that appears cheaper upfront based only on the base price, but that is more expensive in total given the dripped mandatory fees and fees for the selected optional add-ons," Morowitz says. "These are examples of pricing schemes that are innovatively tricking consumers instead of innovatively serving them," David Laibson, professor of economics at Harvard University, says of these and other pricing strategies. "These tricks-and-traps pricing schemes are anti-competitive, because they shroud the true cost of goods and services and undermine the competitive forces that would normally raise societal well-being." Laibson also says the so-called traps have "a disproportionate adverse impact on households with relatively low levels of financial sophistication and a disproportionate advantageous impact on households with relatively high levels of financial sophistication." Laura Dooley, a top lobbyist for online ticketing retailer StubHub, said federal regulations that require "all-in pricing" is "a positive step forward for all consumers, not just in live events ticketing, but across all of commerce." She asked that the administration, regulators and Congress apply the rules with "consistency, clarity, and strong enforcement" across commerce. William Kovacic, director of the Competition Law Center at George Washington Law School and a former chair of the FTC under President George W. Bush, also appeared on the panel. Correction: Vicki Morowitz is a professor at Columbia Business School. An earlier version misstated her name. OpenAI displayed on screen with Microsoft Bing double photo exposure on mobile, seen in this photo illustration. Microsoft on Tuesday added a new artificial intelligence-powered capability to its search slate: AI-generated visuals. The new tool, powered by OpenAI's DALL-E, will allow users to generate images using their own words, such as asking for a picture of "an astronaut walking through a galaxy of sunflowers," the company explained in a press release. The feature, called "Bing Image Creator," will be available to Bing and Microsoft Edge users in preview. It will first roll out in the search engine's "Creative Mode." Eventually, it'll become fully integrated into the Bing chat experience, the company added. On Microsoft Edge, the image generator will become available in the browser's search bar. Microsoft has bolstered its AI-assisted search functions in recent months, first announcing AI-powered updates to Bing and Edge in early February. Last week, the tech giant also announced it would add its generative AI technology to some of its most popular business apps, including Word, PowerPoint and Excel. Excitement around the promise of generative AI has been driven in large part by the runaway success of ChatGPT, which was released by Microsoft-backed OpenAI in November. As Microsoft's new capabilities became available to users, some beta testers identified issues, including threats, unhelpful advice and other glitches. Microsoft says it's taken steps to curb the misuse of Bing Image Creator by working with OpenAI to develop safety measures for the public. These safety measures include controls "that aim to limit the generation of harmful or unsafe images," plus a modified Bing icon that will be added to the bottom left corner of images, with the goal of clarifying the images were created using AI, Microsoft said. Microsoft's tiered approach to Bing Image Creator's rollout is also inspired by the iterative approach the company attempted with past releases. "People used it in some ways we expected and others we didn't," Microsoft said of Bing's new capabilities. "In this spirit of learning and continuing to build new capabilities responsibly, we're rolling out Bing Image Creator in a phased approach by flighting with a set of preview users before expanding more broadly." When evaluating stocks for the Club, we're guided by our long-term mantra: Own companies that make stuff and do things at a profit. We hold the stocks of companies that showcase room for future cash-flow growth, are industry leaders with durable moats, and have strong balance sheets. In a research note Tuesday, Morgan Stanley identified its "best long-term picks" for 2025, in line with our approach for assessing companies. Analysts at the bank outlined the highest-quality companies within their sector of coverage, "based on the sustainability and quality of the business model, and opportunity to widen their competitive advantage." Six names on Morgan Stanley's list were Club holdings, all of which the firm rated a buy. Alphabet (GOOGL): Morgan Stanley analysts think artificial intelligence (AI) will create a new growth opportunities at Google parent Alphabet in its core products, including its search engine, YouTube and cloud offerings. The analysts predict "incremental Search revenue and share price potential" from "AI-driven search." While developing its AI capabilities will require new investments, Alphabet is focused on getting more efficient at AI computing costs, the analysts said. This "builds confidence that margins won't compress over the long-term." Morgan Stanley has price target of of $135 per share on the stock. GOOGL 1Y mountain Alphabet (GOOGL) one-year performance. Costco Wholesale (COST): The wholesale retailer is "one of the best companies in all of retail," according to Morgan Stanley a view with which we strongly concur. Costco's membership model is a point of strength for the company given its strong membership-renewal rates. Moreover, Costco's private label brand, Kirkland Signature, "protects its position as a retailer with products found nowhere else," the analysts wrote. The firm has a price target of $520 per share on Costco stock. Eli Lilly (LLY): The pharmaceuticals giant is well-positioned within the U.S. due to its strong pipeline of drugs and "robust new product cycles," Morgan Stanley analysts argued. Lilly's type-2 diabetes treatment, Mounjaro, is expected to "drive top-line growth and margin expansion through the next decade," they added. At the same time, Mounjaro's potential as an obesity treatment can make it a market-share gainer in the expanding GLP-1 injectable class, in which Lilly is effectively in a duopoly with Novo Nordisk (NVO). Morgan Stanley has a price target of $444 per share on Eli Lilly stock. Estee Lauder (EL): The high-end cosmetics company is well-positioned within its sector for "geographic growth trends" and "opportunities for meaningful margin expansion," according to Morgan Stanley. Analysts at the bank are "confident in the sustainability of the post-Covid beauty rebound," which should be boosted by China's economic reopening and travel retail. Morgan Stanley has a price target of $281 per share on the stock. Linde (LIN): The industrial gas giant is an "underappreciated self-help story" that's expected to deliver higher earnings-per-share growth, helped by its pricing power and under-levered balance sheet. The company is poised to continue to improve margins, which are already expanding in the Americas. Analysts at Morgan Stanley said Linde is also an attractive opportunity in the environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) space, given its work on hydrogen-based clean energy projects. The firm has a price target of $365 per share on Linde stock. Microsoft (MSFT): The technology giant benefits from recurring revenue, 70% of which comes from its commercial businesses. And the company stands to gain from its significant investments in AI. "The accelerating pace of innovation around adding AI-powered capabilities into the portfolio with announcements including Microsoft 365 Copilot, Github Copilot, New Bing, and more, support momentum across the business and buttress durable growth," the analysts wrote. Morgan Stanley has a price target of $307 per share on the stock. MSFT 1Y mountain Microsoft (MSFT) one-year performance. The Club's take Morgan Stanley's analysis reinforces the fact that many of our Club stocks are leaders in their fields and possess attractive long-term growth drivers. When we talk about 'buying quality,' this list of companies is the poster child of what it means. And, at the right price, each of these firms would continue to offer us a solid investment opportunity for the long haul. Morgan Stanley's list offers important arguments for sticking with these high-quality names, and we'll continue to look for buying opportunities in this volatile and uncertain market. (Jim Cramer's Charitable Trust is long GOOGL,COST, EL, LLY, LIN, MSFT. See here for a full list of the stocks.) As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust's portfolio. If Jim has talked about a stock on CNBC TV, he waits 72 hours after issuing the trade alert before executing the trade. THE ABOVE INVESTING CLUB INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY , TOGETHER WITH OUR DISCLAIMER . NO FIDUCIARY OBLIGATION OR DUTY EXISTS, OR IS CREATED, BY VIRTUE OF YOUR RECEIPT OF ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH THE INVESTING CLUB. NO SPECIFIC OUTCOME OR PROFIT IS GUARANTEED. Jakub Porzycki | Nurphoto | Getty Images Market Movers rounds up the best trade ideas from investors and analysts throughout the day. The major indexes closed in positive territory for a second straight day Tuesday. Several regional banks rebounded as well after Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the government could backstop more deposits if the banking crisis worsens. The pros discussed several financial institutions including First Republic Bank whose stock skyrocketed about 30%. Cathie Wood of Ark Invest discussed why she thinks Tesla is one of the biggest artificial intelligence beneficiaries. The electric car company's stock popped nearly 8% after Moody's upgraded its credit rating to Baa3, an improvement from its junk rating. Other names mentioned included Meta and Nvidia . Both are currently held in Jim Cramer 's Charitable Trust portfolio. Chinese President Xi Jinping speaks with Russian President Vladimir Putin as leaders gather for a family photo during the Belt and Road Forum on Yanqi Lake, outside Beijing, China, May 15, 2017. Damir Sagolj | Reuters China and Russia are taking center stage this week as both countries look to deepen ties just as a chasm with the West, on a geopolitical and economic as well as military front, appears to be getting deeper, according to analysts. A three-day state visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to Moscow this week, which began Monday, was hailed by China and Russia's presidents as the result of solid and cooperative relations between the two leaders and their respective nations, and comes after a determined drive over the last decade to strengthen diplomatic, defense and trade ties. Ahead of the visit, President Vladimir Putin said in an article that "unlike some countries claiming hegemony and bringing discord to the global harmony, Russia and China are literally and figuratively building bridges" while his Chinese counterpart returned the favor, telling AFP he is "confident the visit will be fruitful and give new momentum to the healthy and stable development of Chinese-Russian relations." Xi's visit to Moscow is something of a political coup for Russia given that it comes at a time when Russia has few high-powered friends left on the international stage, and little to show for its invasion of Ukraine. Russian forces have made little tangible progress despite a year of fighting, and a largely isolated Moscow continues to labor under the weight of international sanctions. To add insult to injury, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Putin on Friday, alleging that he is responsible for war crimes committed in Ukraine during the war. Nonetheless, China and Russia have long shared similar geopolitical aims, such as a desire to see what they call a "multi-polar world" and the curbing of NATO's military might, that unite them. And perhaps the most significant shared viewpoint of all is their mutual, long-standing distrust of the West. A confluence of recent events from the war in Ukraine to Western restrictions on semiconductor tech exports to China and, lately, a nuclear submarines deal between the U.S., U.K. and Australia that irked Beijing has only served to bring the countries even closer together, according to analysts. "If you look at the trajectory of China-Russia relations within the last decade, bilateral ties between the two countries have really developed tremendously," Alicja Bachulska, policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) told CNBC, saying that the process of developing ties had begun back in the 1990s. "It's basically about certain strategic interests, that are very close to both Beijing and Moscow at this point," she added. "For both Russia and China, the main interest is to weaken the U.S.-led international order, that's their primary goal, long term and short term." The Ukraine factor For both China and Russia, the war in Ukraine is both a challenge to that U.S.-led world order and a way to undermine it, analysts note. China has held back from openly supporting Russia's war in Ukraine but it has also refused to condemn the invasion. Instead, it has echoed Moscow in criticizing the U.S. and NATO for what it sees as "fueling the fire" over Ukraine. It has also sought to carve out a niche for itself as peacemaker, calling on both sides to agree a cease-fire and come to the negotiating table for talks. Behind the scenes, the West is concerned that Beijing could provide lethal weaponry to Russia to enable it to gain the upper hand in Ukraine, as U.S. intelligence suggested last month. Ukraine's Western allies have signaled that any move to do so would be a red line and that, should Beijing cross it, there would be "consequences" in the form of sanctions placed on China. Beijing has vehemently denied it is planning on supplying Russia with any military hardware. China's foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said Monday, reiterating previous comments, that the West was supplying weapons to Ukraine, not China, telling reporters that "the U.S. side should stop fueling the fires and fanning the flames ... and play a constructive role for a political solution to the crisis in Ukraine, not the other way around." China's President Xi Jinping waves as he disembarks off his aircraft upon arrival at Moscow's Vnukovo airport on March 20, 2023. Anatoliy Zhdanov | Afp | Getty Images China has denied it is planning to help Moscow militarily but analysts say Beijing is concerned over the war in Ukraine, noting that China views a Russian failure in Ukraine as a threat, given that it carries the risk of a potentially seismic political fallout back in Russia that in turn could harm Beijing. "The worst case scenario for Beijing now is Russia's complete failure in this war," the ECFR's Bachulska said. "If they begin to think that Russia might fail and that in the really worst-case nightmare scenario that there [could be then] a pro-democratic government in Moscow for China, this would be a very threatening scenario," she noted, seen as both a "direct threat to Beijing, and the stability of the CCP [Chinese Communist Party]." This fear, she said, could sway China when it considers whether to offer Putin help in Ukraine. "They will probably be able to provide more support if they realize that the balance of power on the battlefield is against Russia," Bachulska noted. watch now It's highly likely that, should China help Russia in terms of weaponry or military technology, however, it will look to do it in a very covert way, analysts including Bachulska and those at the Institute for the Study of War have noted, such as using Belarus or other countries. "Xi likely plans to discuss sanctions evasion schemes with Putin and Russian officials to support the sale and provision of Chinese equipment to Russia," the ISW said in analysis ahead of the Xi-Putin summit, noting that it had previously assessed that during a recent meeting between the presidents of Belarus and China, agreements may have been signed that "facilitate Russian sanctions evasion by channeling Chinese products through Belarus." The ISW said Xi and Putin are "likely to discuss sanctions evasion schemes and Chinese interest in mediating a negotiated settlement to the war in Ukraine." CNBC contacted China's Foreign Ministry for a response to the comments and is yet to receive a response. Tech and trade wars While possible military aid for China is something the West needs to watch closely, the depth and breadth of China's loyalty toward Moscow is seen to be finite, with Beijing likely reluctant to risk major sanctions on its own economy just to help Russia. On the other hand, analysts note that China, like Russia, has a vested interested in seeing the U.S. and wider West weakened, both geopolitically and diplomatically for instance, if China can step in as a mediator in the conflict in Ukraine and on an economic level, if the two nations can forge closer trade ties. This would come as the U.S. and Europe challenge China's economic power, most recently with the introduction of sweeping export control rules aimed at restricting China's ability to access advanced computing chips. "Export controls on Chinese high tech which reflect a policy of targeted containment brings Xi closer to Putin in worldview and orientation," Ian Bremmer, founder and president of the Eurasia Group, told CNBC, adding: "I think that's likely to be reflected in Xi's statements when he ... visits Putin in Moscow, and that's going to be a big deal geopolitically," Bremmer noted. watch now TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew appealed directly to the app's users ahead of what's expected to be a heated grilling in the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee this week, in a video posted to the platform Tuesday. Filming from Washington, D.C., Chew emphasized the large scale of TikTok users, small and medium-sized businesses and its own employees based in the U.S. that rely on the company. The message may preview his appeal to lawmakers Thursday, where he will be faced with questions about the ability of its Chinese parent company ByteDance, and the Chinese government, to access U.S. user information collected by the app. TikTok says it has worked to create a risk mitigation plan to ensure that U.S. data doesn't get into the hands of a foreign adversary through its app. The company has said U.S. user data is already stored outside of China. But many lawmakers and intelligence officials seem to remain unconvinced that the information can be safe while TikTok is owned by a Chinese company. TikTok said last week that the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S., which is reviewing risks related to the app, is pushing for ByteDance to sell its stake or face a ban. Adult film actress Stormy Daniels arrives for the opening of the adult entertainment fair Venus in Berlin, on Oct. 11, 2018. Daniels' lawyer said she met Wednesday, March 15, 2023, with prosecutors who are investigating hush money paid to her on behalf of former President Donald Trump. Porn star Stormy Daniels said Tuesday that she will "dance down the street" if former President Donald Trump goes to jail over a 2016 hush money payment that his ex-personal lawyer made to her. Daniels, who has a history of sharp Twitter posts about Trump, made that promise in response to a fan of the real-estate mogul who tweeted an abusive message at her. The exchange came on the same day that Trump has predicted he will be criminally charged in the case by a New York City grand jury. "A disgusting degenerate prostitute accepts money to Frame an innocent man!," wrote Twitter user Intergalactic Gurl. "Good luck walking down the streets after this! @realDonaldTrump is our #POTUS and will be selected by a landslide in 2024!" Daniels shot back: "Sooo ... tiny paid me to frame himself?" "You sound even dumber than he does during his illiterate ramblings," Daniels added. "And I won't walk, I'll dance down the street when he is 'selected' to go to jail," she wrote. Daniels has already seen Trump's former attorney and fixer Michael Cohen go to federal prison for crimes that included a campaign finance violation related to his $130,000 payment to her shortly before Election Day 2016. It's the second day of Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to Moscow on Tuesday. Xi and his host, Russian President Vladimir Putin, reportedly held talks for at least four hours on Monday, with more discussions scheduled Tuesday. The two leaders are focusing talks on deepening their strategic cooperation as well as on the war in Ukraine. Putin said Monday that he would discuss Chinese proposals for a cease-fire with Xi. On Tuesday, the presidents are also expected to agree to a joint statement on their partnership as well as potential agreements on "different areas of cooperation," one of Putin's assistants said. Analysts will be watching closely to gauge the degree of cooperation and closeness that the leaders have forged during this meeting. In other news, Russian Wagner Group mercenaries fighting in Ukraine say their forces control nearly 70% of Bakhmut in east Ukraine and will continue to fight until all of the city is captured. The Russian mercenary group also said that Ukrainian forces were preparing to launch a "large-scale offensive" in the coming days. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is on his way to Ukraine for summit talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Kishida's trip makes him the second Asian leader to visit Ukraine since Russia invaded, after Indonesian President Joko Widodo went there last June. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping leave after a reception in honor of the Chinese leader's visit to Moscow, at the Kremlin, on March 21, 2023. Grigory Sysoev | Sputnik | via Reuters One of the big questions to emerge from the visit by China's president, Xi Jinping, to Moscow this week is the degree to which it could help a geopolitically isolated Russia both on the battlefield, and off it and what price it could extract for doing so. It's no secret that Russia would like China to help it out while it flounders in an economic and military quagmire brought about by its invasion of Ukraine a year ago. International sanctions have restricted or cut off Moscow's access to numerous Western markets, while the ongoing war in Ukraine shows all the signs of turning into a bloody stalemate that could, if it loses, cause seismic political change in Moscow. Against that backdrop, the current meeting between Xi and President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, into its second day on Tuesday, will see the leaders discuss the war in Ukraine and China's peace plan, the Russian leader said as he welcomed his Chinese counterpart Monday. Unofficially, however, analysts say the presidents are also likely to discuss ways for China to assist Russia without it risking being hit with Western sanctions itself. Russia reportedly asked Beijing for military and economic assistance early on in its invasion to help it wage its war against Ukraine, although both governments publicly denied it. The eye of suspicion is still being cast on Beijing, despite its continuing denials that it could help Moscow with lethal weapons. For many close watchers of Russia and China's deepening relationship over the past decade, the big question then is this: What could China want in return for helping Moscow? What does China want? When geopolitical analysts discuss China, one aspect of Beijing's foreign policy is agreed on fully: China never acts purely out of altruism and there is always a price (or perceived prize for Beijing) for its support or intervention. watch now On Tuesday, Xi and Putin are expected to issue a joint statement as well as to sign, potentially, other deals relating to energy with analysts saying Beijing could well be looking to access Russian commodities and resources at a discount. "Putin is weak, coming into these negotiations from real vulnerability," Timothy Ash, emerging markets strategist at BlueBay Asset Management, said in emailed comments Monday, adding that he wondered "what price Xi will extract for saving Putin ... he has to get something out of it." "Xi knows Putin is desperate, and increasingly dependent on China. If Putin is willing to offer China cut price long term commodity deals, all the better. China will take whatever it can from a weakened Putin." China could also look to Russia for support were it to enter an armed conflict with Taiwan, a democratic, self-ruled island off the coast of China whose sovereignty it does not recognize. Analysts were quick to say China was likely to watch Russia's invasion of Ukraine to see how it proceeded, and how the world reacted, and to factor that into its own calculations over whether it might launch a form of armed aggression against Taiwan. "One day, if we face a crisis over the Taiwan Strait, I guess it [China] would also need different kinds of support from Russia if such a conflict takes place, so that's one thing [we could see]," Alicja Bachulska, policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, told CNBC. "But the other thing in the short-term perspective is that it will probably mean an even more asymmetric economic relationship between Russia and China, and this is something that has been happening for many years now, with Russia becoming a very cheap source of energy to China," she added. China was diversifying its energy sources and turning to Russia, Bachulska noted, as well as looking to its neighbor for raw materials. She noted that there were some dynamics in the relationship in which Russia still had the edge, noting that, "in the military industry ... Russia still has an upper hand in, for example, jet technologies like those for fighter jets, or in nuclear technologies." "But still, in overall bigger-picture terms, China has an upper hand economically and if China supports Russia in a more substantial way this will continue even more," she added. CNBC contacted China's Foreign Ministry for a response to the comments and is yet to receive a reply. China wants weaker West, but is wary While China is undoubtedly the senior partner in the relationship between Beijing and Moscow, the two nations have much in common and are aligned on an ideological level; both nations have long had an adversarial relationship with the West and disdain for an expansionist NATO, and both share a desire to see a "multi-polar world" in which the U.S.' dominance is challenged and, ideally, diminished. Still, China has got to walk a tightrope of standing by its strategic partners and aims while not alienating the West and potentially losing access to its markets that are crucial for its exports and growth. Energy stocks dropped last week as oil prices fell to a 15-year low , with the banking crisis roiling markets. The energy sub-sector in the S & P 500 dropped 7% last week, although it has since regained some ground, rising around 5% this week so far. Oil prices also rose over 1% on Monday. Amid the volatility, Goldman Sachs named the energy stocks it likes in a March 16 note. Exxon vs. Chevron For investors looking for a defensive play, Goldman analysts recommend Exxon as a top pick, adding that they prefer it over rival Chevron . "While the Exxon-Chevron debate is less clear than one year ago given a 34% spread between these stocks in the last 12 months, we continue to favor XOM for the depth of organic Upstream projects (LNG, Guyana) and Downstream growth initiatives (Beaumont, Chemicals)," they wrote. Upstream refers to crude oil and natural gas production, and downstream refers to oil refining. However, the analysts noted that some investors were turning more positive on Chevron. "There is a perception that a lower oil price/equity environment can create an opportunity for the company to bolster its portfolio through M & A and given the strength of the balance sheet," they added. Midstream sector Stocks in the midstream energy sector comprising companies involved in the processing and storing of oil and gas held up better than other areas during the recent pullback, Goldman said. That's because it has lower direct exposure to the commodity, and longer-duration cash flows, the bank explained. "This has always been the hope for investors, but has often not been the case historically given significant outspend and challenged balance sheets," the bank said. "This time, we have higher conviction that this relative outperformance can continue following three years of better capex discipline and material deleveraging." Targa vs. Oneok Within midstream stocks, Goldman said it was "more positive" on U.S.-based companies Targa Resources and Cheniere Energy following the pullback. But it noted that within this group, Targa Resources as well as Oneok underperformed the more defensive names. "Of these two, despite seeing modestly worse performance vs. the other, we see a more compelling risk-reward on TRGP," the bank's analysts wrote, comparing Targa and Oneok. That's because lower oil prices would not hit Targa's operations as much as Oneok's, they added. Investors wanting a more defensive stock within this corner of energy should consider Enterprise Products Partners , said Goldman. "We would expect EPD's diversified footprint and ability to drive volume share gains via incentive rates / its large marketing business should also leave it fairly better positioned vs. peers," the bank wrote. CNBC's Michael Bloom contributed to this report. Are you a current print subscriber to Columbia Gorge News? If so, you qualify for free access to all content on columbiagorgenews.com. Simply verify with your subscriber id to receive free access. Your subscriber id may be found on your bill or mailing label. Offer a personal message of sympathy... By sharing a fond memory or writing a kind tribute, you will be providing a comforting keepsake to those in mourning. If you have an existing account with this site, you may log in with that below. Otherwise, you can create an account by clicking on the Log in button below, and then register to create your account. Not that you were necessarily looking for Chris Rocks opinion on the matter, but hes not so sure Donald Trumps supposed impending arrest is a good idea. Noting that several lawmakers were attending the Adam Sandler gala last night for the Mark Twain Prize, Rock asked the audience, Are you guys really going to arrest Trump? The comic advised government officials to think twice: Do you know this is only going to make him more popular? Its like arresting Tupac. Hes just gonna sell more records. Are you stupid?" Rock actually finds the whole Stormy Daniels situation romantic (please read romantic in bold sarcasm font). The former president f***ed a porn star and paid off someone so his wife couldnt find out. Thats romantic, Rock joked. Weve all been cheated on. Dont you wish that the person that cheated on you paid off somebody so you wouldnt find out? Rock made sure to spread the bipartisan love last night, bopping both Trump and President Biden: Trump was so bad as a president that Joe Biden had to burst off a monument. Biden was dead for 16 years. Nancy Pelosi was also in attendance, checking out the Kennedy Center festivities with her husband Paul. Rock gave him a shout-out as a fellow battered celebrity, noting that Paul was the only one who knew how I felt. Just you and me, Paul. Just you and me, babe. Its unclear if Rock was actually advocating for Trump not to be arrested solely based on whether or not it would allow him to sell more records. Sure, controversial headlines get people whipped up, but you wouldnt advise a guy not to tell headline-making jokes so Selective Outrage gets more views on Netflix, would you? While the total number of recorded Microsoft vulnerabilities was higher in 2022 than ever before, the number of critical vulnerabilities declined to its lowest point, according to the latest Microsoft Vulnerability Report by BeyondTrust, released Tuesday. In 2022, only 6.9% of Microsofts vulnerabilities were rated as critical less than half the number of critical vulnerabilities recorded in 2020. In 2013, 44% of all Microsoft vulnerabilities were classified as critical. Vulnerabilities categorized as critical are those with characteristics that make their exploitation a potentially high-impact security event. This trend indicates that, while overall vulnerabilities have increased in number, the risks and worst-case scenarios associated with these individual vulnerabilities have decreased from previous years, BeyondTrust said. It also shows that while the overall Microsoft attack surface is expanding along with the expansion of Microsofts business, the organization is doing a better job at minimizing the most dangerous types of development errors. Attackers may chain multiple, less severe attacks As critical vulnerabilities decline, attackers may need to chain less severe exploits together to achieve code execution, elevate their system privileges, and move around victim networks, BeyondTrust said in the 10th edition of its report. The chaining technique, however, provides security teams with more potential points through which they can detect, intercept, and mitigate a breach. If an attacker needs to chain three or more vulnerabilities together to reach their objective, then you just need to have mitigated or patched one of them to break the chain, BeyondTrust said. Successful exploits against Microsoft systems will also require a higher level of attacker skill, which could reduce the number of possible adversaries. In 2022, Microsoft identified 715 elevation-of-privilege vulnerabilities, a 22% increase over 2021, and a 689% increase from 2017. It's a crucial data point: The objective of an attacker is to get their code to run, and they want it to be able to run with enough privileges to allow a successful attack. To achieve this objective, attackers need to have remote code execution, the ability to launch their code on a target system, and elevation of privilege to make sure this code runs with enough privilege, BeyondTrust said. Office vulnerabilities decline The Microsoft Office products category experienced a 45% drop in vulnerabilities in 2022, though critical vulnerabilities in the software suite increased from a low of one in 2021 to two instances in 2022. While there is an overarching downward trend in the number of Microsoft Office vulnerabilities, Office applications have remained a successful target for threat actors. This is largely due to the lag times between discovery and patching, BeyondTrust said. The downward trend in vulnerability can also be attributed to Microsofts efforts to cut off common attack vectors, such as VBA macros in documents, that have been delivered from the internet. This is a common attack vector, but previous mitigation attempts have merely been soft blocks that are easily circumvented by socially engineering the end user into enabling macros. In 2022, Microsoft blocked internet macros by default in Office applications. ChatGPT could bring new vulnerabilities Microsoft has been investing heavily in ChatGPT developer OpenAI since 2019 and has plans to integrate AI into several of its products. ChatGPT is already being incorporated into the Microsoft search engine, Bing, with the hope of finally making it a stronger search competitor to Google. However, the extensive use of AI could introduce new kinds of vulnerabilities as well, BeyondTrust warns. AI learns from often vast data sets and fundamentally expands the entities that can be used to exploit a system, BeyondTrust said. Al systems can be vulnerable to manipulation and exploitation by malicious actors, who could use Al to carry out cyberattacks or gain unauthorized access to sensitive information. As the technology landscape continues its next phase of evolution, vulnerability numbers should continue to climb, new threats will continue to crawl out from the cyber-ether, BeyondTrust said. Against the uncertain outcome of a protest awarding a major contract to rival Bell, Sikorsky reportedly has begun layoffs in Stratford and Maryland, with those workers hitting a continuing strong job market for those with strong technical skills or business experience. Sikorsky has begun job cuts among salaried employees not covered under union agreements, as reported by New Haven Biz. Sikorsky parent Lockheed Martin announced plans in January to eliminate 800 jobs in its rotary and mission systems division, without stating how many Sikorsky jobs could be cut. The company employed 8,000 people in Connecticut at last report and 13,000 in all, with its workforce expanding and ebbing over the years depending on military orders. In Maryland, the company is laying off about 175 people next month, which the Washington Business Journal reported is the result of testing having been concluded on Sikorsky's new CH-53K King Stallion helicopter for the U.S. Marine Corps. The Marines aim to field a fleet of 200 King Stallions now being built in Stratford. A Lockheed Martin spokesperson forwarded a corporate statement to CT Insider saying the action addresses lower production volumes. We intend to retain as many as possible who can fill our open business-critical positions in our Rotary and Mission Systems business segment and across Lockheed Martin and will continue to hire for roles that are required to support our customers urgent national security missions," the Lockheed Martin statement reads. Sikorsky currently has more than 40 openings in Connecticut for varying positions. The cuts come as Sikorsky awaits an April decision by the Government Accountability Office on a U.S. Army decision to replace the Black Hawk helicopter in the long term with a tilt-rotor aircraft proposed by Bell and its Providence, R.I.-based parent Textron, under the Pentagon's Future Long Range Assault Aircraft program, or FLRAA. Bell has already begun laying the plans for a new facility in Grand Prairie, Texas, to further develop systems for its V-280 Valor utility tilt-rotor picked by the Army, according to the Dallas Morning News. In boilerplate language in its annual report and an investor document last week, Lockheed Martin raised the possibility of an impaired value for Sikorsky, a development that could impact profits if any such impairment were to be recorded in future quarterly results. Bell and Sikorsky both remain in the running for another potential Army contract, to build a new fleet of armed scout helicopters. A planned "fly off" has been pushed back to 2024, after GE Aviation hit delays in a new engine planned for whichever company's aircraft is selected, according to Breaking Defense. The White House is expected to unveil this year a new fleet of Marine One helicopters that are being built by Sikorsky in Stratford. Last year, the Connecticut General Assembly signed off on incentives should Sikorsky win the Black Hawk replacement contract, the scout helicopter or both. In the interim, Sikorsky has continuing work producing Black Hawk helicopters for the Army and international militaries, King Stallion helicopters for the Marines, and a new rescue helicopter for the U.S. Air Force. Under a prior incentive deal for King Stallion production, Lockheed Martin is getting $220 million in grants and tax exemptions over 15 years through 2033, promising to maintain a workforce of more than 8,500 people in Connecticut during the full production phase of the King Stallion. Through last June, Lockheed Martin had collected about $50 million in those incentives, according to the state's most recent estimates. "When you look at where we are with CH-53K, between now and 2027 the revenues will double, so that'll be a big driver," said Jay Malave, chief financial officer of Lockheed Martin, speaking last week during an investment conference sponsored by JPMorgan Chase. "The upside from there would be if we are successful with FLRAA." Luther Turmelle contributed to this report. Several women's history events are scheduled in Fairfield. First Selectwoman Brenda Kupchick, the second woman to hold the office in the town's history, will host a coffee and conversation at 10:30 a.m. on March 21 at the Bigelow Center for Senior Activities. Registration is free. The center is also offering Celebrating 300 Years of CTs Remarkable Women on March 22, an interactive multimedia program by the Connecticut Woman's Hall of Fame. People can register for both events on MyActiveCenter, or call 203-256-3166 for assistance. On March 23, "Women Rock: Flower Power Music from the Generation of Love," will take place at the Fairfield Theatre Company's StageOne to benefit the Center for Family Justice. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased online at fairfieldtheatre.org. The Fairfield Museum and History Center is hosting a talk from noon to 1 p.m. on March 23 at 370 Beach Road in Fairfield. Elizabeth Hohl, an assistant professor at Fairfield University and co-curator of the special exhibition Womens Rights are Human Rights at the Fairfield University Art Museum, will discuss posters created worldwide that celebrate and acknowledge the vital role that all citizens play in promoting human rights while challenging gender inequality and stereotypes. There's a $5 suggested donation. People can bring their own lunch. Snacks and refreshments will be provided. Best-selling women authors Lauren Willig, Heather Webb, Sarah Penner and Robin Kall will discuss historical fiction from 7 to 9 p.m. on March 21 at Pequot Library. VIP tickets cost $75 and general admission costs $20. Tickets can be purchased on the library's website, pequotlibrary.org. The event benefits Operation Hope. Building official named Patrick Mahoney has officially been named Fairfield's new building official after serving as the interim for the last several months. Conservation photo contest winners The town's conservation department recently announced the winners of its photo contest to decorate its new office. The contest received 173 photo submissions, 18 of which were selected to be printed on canvas and displayed in the office and conservation workshop. The winners are Tatiana Roshenets, Tim Macklin, Pandora Kerma, Gail Robinson, Amy Parent, Jonathan Klein, Erin Lopez, Lin Guan, Geoffrey Steadman, Jamie Shamas (two photos), Laura Becker Lawlor, Lauren LaFronz, Michael Nishball, Peter Hood, Sally McCauley, Salvatore Vassallo and Stanley Gorzelany The chosen photos are a wide representation of the conservation areas in town, including inland and tidal wetlands, watercourses, open spaces and shellfish. Seeds of Change challenge The Fairfield Theatre Company is hosting the Seeds of Change Challenge from 4 to 6 p.m. on March 12 The event is a celebration of the earth, the importance of seed sovereignty, soil ecology, and the small changes every individual can make to feel they are part of preserving a healthy environment. There will be an exhibition of natural vendors and local environmental groups starting at 4 p.m. Megan Zwerlein, a local yoga instructor, will lead a breathing exercise at 4:30 p.m., followed by a screening of the documentary "Seeds of Vandana Shiva." There will be a question-and-answer session after the film moderated by Sefra Alexandra, the Seed Huntress; featuring Dina Brewster, of The Hickories; Elle Angerame of the Green Village Initiative; and Clan Mother Shoran Waupatuquay Piper, of the Paugussett Nation. People can register through the theater's website. Fairfield Warde DECA wins competition Members of the Fairfield Warde DECA chapter joined more than 500 high school business, finance, hospitality and marketing students at the state's annual association career development conference held March 1, with several students advancing to the international-level competition at the DECA International Career Development Conference that will be held next month in Orlando, Fla. Katherine Foley won first place for the retail merchandising series and the retail merchandising simulation. Elle Melson and Eleni Gold won second place for the buying and merchandising operations team event. Aura Kurel won third in independent business plan. Three students placed in the top five for Connecticut: Aadira Balan for the business financial series, Adam Horwitz for the marketing communications series and Caroline Buck for principles of finance. Owen Campbell was awarded one of two DECA state scholarships. The Warde chapter is collecting donations through March 15 so the students can attend the conference. Donations can be made through PayPal or a check payable to: FWHS DECA, Fairfield Warde High School, Jessica Sauro, c/o Fairfield Warde DECA,755 Melville Avenue, Fairfield, CT 06825. This is Wardes first time competing and the first year of its DECA chapter. FAIRFIELD The level of devastation brought to Turkey and northern Syria by an earthquake last month, as well as its resulting aftershocks, is "extraordinary," humanitarian aid workers said. "Sometimes the images on television don't always do that justice," said Janti Soeripto, the president and CEO of Save the Children U.S., based in Fairfield. "I walked around in cities where literally not one single building seems to have been undamaged mountains and mountains of debris." Early in the morning on Feb. 6, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit southern and central Turkey as well as northern and western Syria. Officials in those countries say the death toll from the natural disaster and its aftershocks is approaching 50,000. Soeripto said she and her team visited the Turkish provinces of Hatay and Gaziantep last weekend to visit their staff in Turkey and talk with their partners in Syria. She said they went to a food distribution center and a child friendly space, where children can play and enjoy themselves, but also get access to mental health professionals. "We had the opportunity to visit a government run shelter, actually they called it a container city, where people who have lost their homes are finding temporary shelter," she said. Soeripto said she visited Turkey in 2016 or 2017, adding it was quite impactful to see the devastation there. She said she saw people going into their homes to try and salvage their belongings, even though the buildings were leaning at precarious angles. "The level of destruction is unlike anything I have seen over the last number of years," she said. "You see a lot of people who are very hesitant to go back into their homes, even if they're still standing, because they are concerned about their safety. We spoke to a health care professional who was saying that women are reluctant to go to hospitals to give birth because they are worried about the safety of the structure." Soeripto said it is a really desperate situation, and a lot of the aid workers responding to the disaster were also impacted by it. She said many staff members are still sleeping in tents or in Save the Children's office, while trying to help their families as well. Before the earthquake, Soeripto said, Save the Children's aid workers were primarily focused on helping refugees from the Syrian Civil War both in Syria and Turkey. That mostly meant working to provide children and their families with education, health care and security. The non-profit's mission has now shifted, she said. "Within the first 20 hours, our teams based in Istanbul, they drove for 12 hours and managed to get up and going... serving hot soup," she said. "It was great to have strong teams based in Turkey, as well as folks and other staff in northern Syria, because it allowed us to be on the ground super quick." Soeripto said the situation is still sort of in the immediate response phase, with Save the Children focusing on supplying people impacted by the earthquake with the essentials. "We're talking foods, blankets, clothing, hygiene kits everything that people need clean water," she said. "We've also started to do some psychosocial support for children." Once schools start again, Soeripto said, Save the Children will help children get ready to go back. She said they are also working with the government to help children who lost their parents in the earthquake by connecting them with family. "We're putting all of our best efforts into it," she said. "As we enter the next phase of the response, we're going to work closely with the government to make sure we're adding value where that is needed." People looking to help Save the Children's efforts in Turkey and Syria can go to https://www.savethechildren.org/ for more information. Surrounded by a cheering crowd, a gray seal who was found fighting for her life has returned to her ocean home. The seal, named Kiwi, was rescued by Mystic Aquariums Animal Rescue Program on Jan. 25 in Nantucket, Mass., malnourished weighing around 25 pounds and suffering from an infection, according to a news release by the aquarium. At the time of her rescue, she was about 4 or 5 weeks old. FAIRFIELD A former town official who has repeatedly been charged with animal abuse was arrested again Monday after police say he sent them threatening text messages. Raymond Neuberger, 39, is facing two animal cruelty cases related to serious injuries inflicted on two cats owned by his girlfriend, court documents show. He was convicted in a third 2018 animal cruelty case involving the torture of dogs owned by the woman he was to marry, according to court documents. Neuberger was arrested again Monday and charged with second-degree threatening and second-degree harassment after he sent several "threatening and harassing" text messages to law enforcement, Fairfield Police Lt. Michael Paris said. Police did not release the contents of the text messages. Neuberger, who served as a member of Fairfields Representative Town Meeting from 2013 to 2017 and ran for state representative in 2016, was taken into custody at his parents' home in Easton, Paris said. He was released after posting $5,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court on March 15. "The Fairfield police remain committed to upholding the law and will not tolerate any threat, including to our law enforcement officers," Chief Robert Kalamaras said. "We will hold those responsible to the fullest extend of the law." Neuberger's most recent animal cruelty cases stem from the beating death of a cat named Gem and the torture of a cat named Pearl who had been burned by a chemical "down to the muscle" on her abdomen, an arrest warrant said. Those cases are pending as Neuberger is free on bond. Neuberger was first charged with animal cruelty in 2018 when he faced four counts of first-degree malicious wounding of an animal after police said he injured his then-fiancees two 5-year-old Cavalier King Charles spaniels, Thor and Charlie. Police said Neuberger poured boiling water on Thor and fractured several of Charlies ribs. Burns covered 8 to 10 percent of Thors body when his owner sought treatment for him in June 2017, according to a warrant for Neuberger's arrest. While Neuberger claimed the burns had occurred when he accidentally spilled hot coffee, veterinarians determined the injuries were too extensive to have been caused by a spill and notified authorities, the warrant said. Neuberger spent 41 days in jail and was sentenced to two years of probation in November 2018. State lawmakers are considering sweeping changes to improve residents access to public records statewide in response to a Hearst Connecticut Media Group investigative series detailing how the City of Bridgeport has repeatedly violated the open records law with little repercussions. And within Bridgeport, local elected officials are questioning if reforms Mayor Joe Ganim announced just hours after the series published online will be enough to reduce the citys massive backlog and speed up its processing of records requests. Its troubling, said State Representative Matt Blumenthal, co-chairman of the legislative committee that oversees the states Freedom of Information Act. The stories indicate a disturbing pattern that we have an obligation to ensure does not become the norm in response to information act requests. Blumenthal said measures he is considering include a funding boost for the Freedom of Information Commission (FOIC), which oversees compliance with the open records law, so it can process complaints about public officials breaking the law faster as well as increasing penalties and fines for agencies found in violation. The law caps fines at $1,000, an amount that hasnt been updated since 1984. The law also sets a high bar for when the FOIC can issue fines. So fines are seldom imposed. In the last decade, only six fines have been issued against any public agency. We do need to consider what powers or penalties will motivate entities to comply with their Freedom of Information obligation, Blumenthal said. The fines or penalties for non-compliance with Freedom of Information laws cannot be treated as just the cost of doing business. State Sen. Marilyn Moore, who represents Bridgeport and is running for mayor against Ganim this fall, said the FOIC needs the ability to impose stricter penalties when agencies violate open records laws and fines need to be increased. Bridgeport has only been fined once over the last decade, despite the commission ruling the city had violated open record's laws 36 times during that time. Bridgeport was the subject of many more complaints to the FOIC over that span 253 in total but most were settled before reaching a ruling from the commission. There has to be some repercussions for towns that don't comply with the law, she said. John Q. citizen doesnt get a break when he breaks the law. They expect us to follow the laws. Its really annoying that they believe they can break the rules, and it's okay to break the law and nothing happens to them. Ned Gerard / Hearst Connecticut Media State Senator Cathy Osten, co-chairwoman of the legislatures powerful budget writing committee, said she is also exploring ways to speed up the FOICs process, which suffers from its own backlog and delays. I'd really like to see us get caught up, she said. I want to make sure that the backlog is completely done. Osten is considering providing more funding for the agency to increase staffing. If you're taking too long, it limits people's confidence in the system and that's exactly why I'd like to move this along a little bit, she said. Hearst Connecticut Media reported the commission often takes more than a year after a complaint is filed to process, hold hearings and rule on contested cases. Thats about four months longer than the commission took prior to the pandemic. Last week, during an annual conversation with lawmakers about the FOICs fiscal needs, Osten asked the commissions executive director, Were curious: When we will be at the point where we will not have a backlog? Jessica Hill / Associated Press FOIC Executive Director Colleen Murphy replied: I would hope that by this time next year we would be in a much better position than we are now. Murphy said she believed much of the backlog and longer turnaround time was attributed primarily to cases filed early in the pandemic. We're trying to deal with those [pandemic-era] cases, but also the new ones that have come in have a one-year deadline, so we're trying to balance all of that, she said. Murphy said her 16-person agency underwent significant staff turnover due to retirements and people leaving for other jobs recently. She plans to monitor how quickly the new team resolves cases to determine if the commission may need additional staff. This year will be a really testing year for us and we may seek some funding next year for additional staff, Murphy told lawmakers. Local reaction City councilors in Bridgeport said they were happy to see Ganim announce changes aimed at speeding up the citys handling of records requests, including plans to train staff in each department on how to process records requests to phase out its practice of funneling requests through the city attorneys office, which generated a growing backlog of over 2,000 open requests. But some questioned if the city will need to take additional steps to adequately improve its performance. Budget Committee co-chair Scott Burns said whether there is enough funding to process requests quickly has to come up during this springs municipal budget season. At this point, I really dont know the answer of whether more staffing is needed or its adequate (and) just the process needs to be different, said Burns, who also criticized the mayor for taking so long to address the bottleneck, which the city had been aware of for years. Fellow budget co-chair, Ernie Newton, agreed there should be a discussion about whether resources are adequate in certain departments to respond to record requests that staff will soon begin processing. Its time consuming, you know? To get all the documents and everything that people need Its not like you can just mash a button and these documents appear. Ned Gerard / Hearst Connecticut Media However, Council President Aidee Nieves said the changes Ganim announced should speed up the process enough and additional personnel are not needed. We dont need to hire people to be desk jockeys, she said. Weve got enough desk jockeys. Nieves said she wants to see Ganim advisor Edward Adams put in charge of ensuring the situation improves. Adams, a retired FBI agent, was supposed to run an office of government accountability when he was hired as a top aide in 2016. But that office, which would have taken on much of the responsibility for dealing with FOIA requests, was never formally created. Adams has worked in other roles instead. Ned Gerard/Hearst Connecticut Media Some council members also wondered whether the citys backlog may contain frivolous requests that are burdensome for staff to process. Bridgeport has still not provided records which would show if that may be an issue; Hearst Connecticut Medias FOIA for a copy of the citys log of records requests has been pending since September. And, state law, however, allows Bridgeport and other public agencies to petition the FOIC for relief from a so-called vexatious requester so that the city does not need to respond to their request. Murphy, the FOICs director, does not believe Bridgeport has ever requested relief from such requests. Trouble continues for Bridgeport This week, the states Freedom of Information Commission ruled in two separate cases that the city had violated Connecticuts open records laws. The commission ordered city officials to search again for records they claimed they could not find and to undergo more training; city officials have repeatedly been ordered to undergo additional training in recent years. FOIC Commissioner Stephen Fuzesi Jr. said he hoped the latest round of training would complement the training and new process the city is rolling out. That should be a very timely event right now, he said. Maybe the new process will make things move better. I am sincerely hoping it will. Jacqueline Rabe Thomas/Hearst Connecticut Media Group The changes Ganim announced Feb. 9 are supposed to be implemented by March 17. For now, the old way of processing requests seems to continue, at least in some cases. On Thursday, a city councilwomans months-old records request for the bids the city received on a large construction project in Bridgeports East End was forwarded by the department with those records to the online portal managed by the city attorneys office. Thats where requests are sent to die, said Councilwoman Maria Pereira, who has requests in that portal as much as three years old. This is outrageous. Nothing has changed. Families continue to wait Two families who are still waiting for public records from Bridgeport more than a year after their loved ones deaths are expected to meet with the citys police chief next week. Bridgeport Polices failure to inform the families of Lauren Smith-Fields and Brenda Lee Rawls that these two Black women had died in separate incidents on the same day in 2021 led to national outrage and a change in state law last year that requires such notification within 24 hours. Dorothy Washington, Rawls sister, said the police chief requested the meeting the day after the Hearst Connecticut Media investigation was published. This will be the first time anyone from the department has met with her family, she said. Her family has been asking for 911 recordings, police reports, and an internal affairs report the department completed into how officers handled the case. Washington said her family hopes the police chief comes to next week's meeting with records they have been asking for. But she has serious doubts. "I just don't think anything's gonna be available that day. In my opinion, I think they're just trying to smooth this over by meeting with us to keep us quiet," she said. "I just don't have any trust in the department to have the reports there for us. Sometime after her son was restrained or secluded for the 20th time in a single school year, Latisha Johnson decided she'd had enough. It was 2017, and her son, Christian, who is autistic and non-verbal, was a student at an Area Cooperative Educational Services (ACES) program for children with autism and other developmental disorders. The then 16-year-old was, in his mother's words, "an awesome young man," but was also prone to act up and sometimes difficult to calm. At home, Johnson used aroma therapy, played relaxing frequencies for Christian and gave him supplements meant to ease his anxiety. Sometimes she'd seat him in a rocking chair with a warm blanket. She'd learned from experience that answering aggression with aggression only made his outbursts worse. At school, though, the approach seemed to differ. Again and again, Christian was physically restrained and locked in a padded room, where Johnson says he would sometimes strip off his clothes in frustration. Documents Johnson shared with CT Insider, which included records of Christian's "aggression" and "elopement" from class, show that staff restrained or secluded him 47 times over a two-year period for a total of more than four hours. "They would restrain him, then put him in the seclusion room," Johnson, who lives in Stamford, said in an interview. "When you go for a tour of the school, they show the room, but you never think that it's going to play out the way it does." Along the way, Johnson noticed changes in Christian's behavior at home, where he was more anxious and occasionally even violent. Sometimes he'd shove or scratch her, once breaking her arm during an outburst. Eventually, Johnson pulled Christian from the school and began to home-school him. Later, she found a school across the state border in Rye Brook, New York that didn't use restraint or seclusion and sent him there. Five years later, Johnson has decided that keeping her son from being restrained or secluded isn't enough. She now plans to do whatever she can to end the practices for all students. "This is my thing now," she said. "I'm going to commit the rest of my life to making sure that those seclusion rooms are shut down and closed and turned into calming rooms." Johnson was one of several dozen parents, advocates and experts to submit testimony ahead of a public hearing Wednesday on a bill that would, among other things, replace seclusion with "time outs" in unlocked rooms and limit when restraint is allowed. In written remarks, she argued for banning both restraint and seclusion, which taught Christian "nothing but to use violence to communicate." More and more, Johnson has channeled her energy into activism. She has met with officials at the state Department of Developmental Services, sharing her and Christian's story. She has also become involved with the nonprofit CT Family Support Network and has taken free courses on parent leadership and civic engagement. Margaret Kozlark, a fellow parent of a child with autism who met Johnson years ago at a parent training and has kept in touch with her since, said she has watched officials and administrators underestimate Johnson, who is Black, seeming to treat her differently from white parents. She has also seen Johnson continue to advocate for Christian nonetheless. "She's a freaking rockstar," Kozlark said. "She will fight to the end of the Earth for her son. She is the most amazing mom." Johnson says she still thinks frequently about her son's experience with restraint and seclusion, often with pain and regret. She hasn't forgiven ACES, a regional program operating six special education schools in New Haven County, for what she sees as an unnecessary use of physical interventions. According to state data, ACES schools restrained and secluded students more than 1,000 times during the 2016-17 school year and has maintained similar, or sometimes higher, levels ever since. "It makes me sad," Johnson said. "I hate that he had to go through that part of his life. I hate that I left him there so long." In an email, ACES executive director Tom Denehy said he could not comment about individual students but that ACES staff members were sometimes forced to use restraint and seclusion due to the high-need population they serve. "The significant behavioral needs of our students sometimes require the use of safety management measures, such as restraint, seclusion, or forcible escorts," Denehy said. "Such measures are used only in situations requiring intervention to prevent immediate or imminent risk of harm to the student or others and to maintain safety." After several years at the school in New York that doesn't restrain or seclude students, Johnson said, Christian has "blossomed," showing less aggression than he did during his time at the previous school. Johnson wants Christian to live as independently as possible and is currently exploring housing options. Some of her leads are in the Hartford area, and she's clear: If Christian moves north so will she. Not only would that let her be near her son, but living close to the state capital might also benefit her advocacy efforts. Parenting Christian has not been easy, Johnson said, especially as she has gone through periods of unemployment and poverty. Now, she wants to share her story so mothers in similar situations know they're not alone and so others understand parenting a child with autism goes beyond the "fantasy stories" she sometimes sees on TV or in movies. Johnson's dream, she said, is to start an advocacy organization and maybe do some public speaking. More than anything, though, she wants to see seclusion rooms at schools like the one Christian attended transformed into "calming rooms," with soft lights and rocking chairs. "I'll be very happy," she said, "when I can go to the first one and see it switched over." alex.putterman@hearstmediact.com FAIRFIELD A former town official threatened to kill and burn police with chemicals in a series of text messages sent to a detective who arrested him last month on a new animal cruelty charge, an arrest warrant shows. In the arrest warrant, police said the text messages came from a phone number belonging to Raymond Neuberger, who they said tried to conceal his identity by using "spoofed" numbers. Neuberger, 39, was charged Monday with second-degree threatening and second-degree harassment, both misdemeanors. He was released after posting a $5,000 bond. He also is facing two counts of cruelty to animals, third-degree assault and disorderly conduct in other pending cases. John R. Gulash, of Gulash & Associates, who is representing Neuberger in his other pending cases, could not be reached for comment. Judicial records do not list a lawyer in Neuberger's threatening case. According to the warrant, a Fairfield police detective began receiving messages after notifying Gulash that Neuberger would face additional animal cruelty charges on Feb. 6. After Gulash said his client would turn himself in that day, Neuberger sent the detective profanity-laced text messages, according the warrant. "I'll see you when you get here," the detective responded, according to the warrant. When the detective processed Neuberger on the animal cruelty charge on Feb. 6, he "de-escalated the situation with Neuberger and continued to advise him that it was not personal and that police just have a job to do," the warrant said. The detective also warned Neuberger that he could "vent' to him that day, but after he posted bond he needed to stop contacting certain detectives using vulgarity or threatening language "because it would not be tolerated and would result in police action," according to the warrant. After Neuberger was released from police custody, he texted the detective again, apologizing for the previous messages, the warrant stated. "I'm sorry for what I said before," he said, according to the warrant. "When I saw my mother break down, I just couldn't handle it. It was death by 1000 (sic) cuts and I took my frustration out on you. My apologies." "No problem no hard feelings," the detective replied, according to the warrant. "I appreciate the text. Good luck with everything." About a month later around 12:15 a.m. on March 3, Neuberger sent another text to the detective that contained a link to a news article detailing the most recent arrest on animal cruelty charges, the warrant said. "Latest harassment. Can you prove that? Better lawyer up pal," Neuberger texted the detective, according to the warrant. Around 1:35 a.m. on March 5, Neuberger sent another text to the detective stating, "You took my life brother. Give it back before I take yours," according to the warrant. The detective received several more texts from two unknown numbers around 8 a.m. on March 6, the warrant stated. The detective determined the messages were sent from Neuberger through spoofed numbers, according to the warrant. From one number, the warrant said multiple texts sent at 8:02 a.m. read: "I promise you. Your (sic) gonna pay for what I didn't deserve." "I PROMISE." "I'll die for it." Another text message said, "Don't you ever (expletive) with me again," according to the warrant. The spoofed number also sent another message that contained profanity, the warrant showed. According to the warrant, another text message was sent to the detective from a different number at 8:02 a.m. stating, "Just learned what a chemical burn is. Should I do it to all the cops?" Police said in the warrant they believed Neuberger was also responsible for this text message. The police department has investigated Neuberger for three separate animal cruelty cases, a domestic violence incident and for harassing the town's first selectwoman, the warrant stated. During these investigations, Neuberger has "demonstrated a pattern of harassment conducted via text message and phone call," the warrant said. According to the warrant, Neuberger also sent "vulgar text messages" to Fairfield First Selectwoman Brenda Kupchick from a spoofed phone number in July 2020. Police noted that Neuberger had helped Kupchick and other members of the Republican party leading up to the election, but was removed from the campaign after they learned of his animal cruelty arrest in 2018. Detectives told Neuberger to cease any contact with Kupchick or he could be arrested. Neuberger denied sending any of the messages, but said he understood the warning, police said in the warrant. In all three animal abuse cases, police said Neuberger injured pets owned by women he was dating. Fairfield police said the latest animal abuse charge stemmed from a complaint filed by a woman who notified police after hearing about Neuberger's arrest in October in connection with the beating death of a cat named Gem. Police said Gem was killed during a domestic violence incident. Neuberger's charges of cruelty to animals, third-degree assault and disorderly conduct in that case remain pending. A former roommate of the woman who was involved in the domestic incident reported to police that Neuberger abused another cat named Pearl in February 2022, according to a warrant on the new charge. The roommates shared ownership of Pearl when the one woman began dating Neuberger in November 2021, the warrant stated. Pearl suffered severe burns while alone with Neuberger in February 2022, the warrant stated. Pearl appeared to have been burned so severely that the cat required extensive treatment, including having her tail amputated, according to the warrant. Fairfield police said their investigation uncovered Pearl's extensive injuries, including that she had been burned by a chemical "down to the muscle" on her abdomen, the warrant said. The former Representative Town Meeting member was first charged with four counts of malicious wounding of an animal in March 2018. Police accused Neuberger of seriously abusing his former fiancee's two King Charles Cavalier Spaniels by pouring boiling water on one and breaking the ribs of the other. After spending 41 days behind bars, Neuberger was granted accelerated rehabilitation, which dismissed the original charges once he completed the program. In 2022, the detective who arrested Neuberger in the 2018 case received a voicemail in which "Neuberger sounded aggravated" and "intoxicated," the warrant stated. "Clear my (expletive) name, you put me through enough," Neuberger said in the voicemail, according to the warrant. "You know who this is." The detective at the time decided not to contact Neuberger, the warrant said. Neuberger, who ran unsuccessfully for state representative in 2016, is scheduled to be arraigned in state Superior Court in Bridgeport on March 15, judicial records show. He is also set to appear in court on April 18 for his other pending cases. Staff writer Lisa Backus contributed to this article. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate SHELTON The parents whose home police say hosted a party where a fight occurred prior to the stabbing death of Fairfield Prep student James McGrath were charged Thursday with violating the states Liquor Control Act. Paul Leifer, 59, and Susanna Leifer, 51, were arrested Thursday on a warrant charging them with permitting minors to possess alcohol, according to Shelton police. Susanna Leifer was also charged with second-degree reckless endangerment because, police said in a prepared statement, she "had interactions with some of the attendees" at the gathering. The Leifers were released on promises to appear in state Superior Court in Derby April 3. In a prepared statement Thursday, the McGraths' attorney, Michael Rosnick, said the family "is very appreciative of the continuing diligent work by the Shelton Police Department to determine all the underlying facts of this case and to hold all the responsible parties accountable." "Connecticut has specific laws that are designed to prevent environments for underaged drinking like this one from happening," Rosnick said in the statement. "Connecticut General Statutes state that a homeowner shall not knowingly allow underaged drinking on their property. It is clear from the warrant that there is probable cause to believe that the actions of the Leifers contributed to an environment that encouraged underaged drinking which resulted in a chain of activities that led to the unfortunate death of James McGrath." According to police, the Leifers' Lazy Brook Road home was the location of a large party of students from St. Joseph High School May 14, 2022 "where alcohol was present." During the party there was a fight between Shelton High School students and St. Joseph students, according to arrest warrants. After the Shelton High School students left the property, a group of St. Joseph students allegedly went from the Lazy Brook Road property to another party at a Laurel Glen Drive home where the Shelton High School students had gathered, police said. Another fight ensued at that property where Raul Valle, then a St. Joseph student, killed McGrath, a Fairfield Prep student who lived in Shelton and had attended Shelton schools, according to an arrest warrant. Lawyer: McGrath's family will file lawsuit At a press conference Thursday afternoon, the McGraths' attorney said the family had "mixed emotions" about the Leifers' arrest. "Everything is still raw," Rosnick said. "They're still in tremendous pain. This doesn't bring them excitement." The lawyer said the family plans to file a lawsuit in connection with McGrath's death "at some point in the near future," but said he couldn't offer more specific details yet. "We will be pursuing litigation at the appropriate time once we've done our due diligence to discover all the facts," Rosnick said. "I don't know when that's going to take place." He noted the family has also formed a foundation in memory of McGrath to use the attention generated by the case to effect positive change. Valle faces charges of murder and three counts of first-degree assault, and is scheduled to appear in court April 25. Three other teens were arrested in connection to the earlier fight on Lazy Brook Road, but have not been publicly identified because they were charged as juveniles. Patrick Semansky/AP WASHINGTON (AP) The United States said Tuesday it is imposing a new round of sanctions on Iranian firms and people accused of procuring equipment used for Iranian drones. Treasurys Office of Foreign Assets Control coordinated with the FBI to designate four firms and three people in Iran and Turkey for allegedly buying equipment, including European-made engines, to be used for Irans drone and weapons programs. WASHINGTON (AP) The Pentagon is speeding up its delivery of Abrams tanks to Ukraine, opting to send a refurbished older model that can be ready faster, with the aim of getting the 70-ton battle powerhouses to the war zone by the fall, the Pentagon said Tuesday. The original plan was to send Ukraine 31 of the newer M1A2 Abrams, which could have taken a year or two to build and ship. But officials said the decision was made to send the older M1A1 version, which can be taken from Army stocks. Officials said the M1A1 also will be easier for Ukrainian forces to learn to use and maintain as they fight the invading Russian forces. This is about getting this important combat capability into the hands of the Ukrainians sooner rather than later, said Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary. The Biden administration announced in January that it would send the tanks to Ukraine after insisting for months that they were too complicated and too hard to maintain and repair. The decision was part of a broader political maneuver that opened the door for Germany to announce it would send its Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine and allow Poland and other allies to do the same. Speaking at a Pentagon press conference, Ryder said the tanks will be refurbished and refitted to make them combat ready for Ukraine. He declined to say where that work will be done. It's unclear how soon the U.S. would begin training Ukrainian forces on how to use, maintain and repair the tanks. The intention would be to have the training of the troops coincide with the refurbishment of the tanks, so that both would be ready for battle at the same time later this year, said U.S. officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details not publicly provided. The Pentagon will also have to ensure that Ukrainian forces have an adequate supply chain for all the parts needed to keep the tanks running. The Russian and Ukrainian forces have been largely in a stalemate, trading small slices of land over the winter. The fiercest battles have been in the eastern Donetsk region, where Russia is struggling to encircle the city of Bakhmut in the face of dogged Ukrainian defense. But both sides are expected to launch more intensive offensives in the spring. Asked about the timing of the tanks' arrival, Ryder said the Abrams are part of the medium- and longer-term military support the U.S. is providing to Ukraine. He said that as Ukrainian forces take or retake territory, they will also need to sustain those gains and deter Russia from regaining any footholds. During a visit to a tank plant in Lima, Ohio, in February, Army Secretary Christine Wormuth met with officials there at length to determine the best options for getting the tanks to Ukraine. Part of it is figuring out among the different options whats the best one that can allow us to get the Ukrainians tanks in as timely a fashion as we can, without disrupting foreign military sales, Wormuth said at the time. Officials at the plant, which is owned by the Army and operated by Reston, Virginia-based General Dynamics, said production totals can vary, based on contract demands. And while they are currently building 15-20 armored vehicles per month, including tanks, they can easily boost that to 33 a month and could add another shift of workers and build even more if needed. Development of tanks for Ukraine would have to be squeezed in between the current contracts for foreign sales, which include 250 of the newest versions for Poland and about 75 for Australia. During Wormuths tour of the plant, workers were preparing to build an updated version of the vehicle for Poland. Ukrainian leaders have persistently pressed for the Abrams, which first deployed to war in 1991 and has thick armor, a 120 mm main gun, armor-piercing capabilities and advanced targeting systems. It runs on thick tracked wheels and has a 1,500-horsepower turbine engine with a top speed of about 42 miles per hour (68 kilometers per hour). ___ Follow the AP's coverage of Russia's war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate ISLAMABAD (AP) A magnitude 6.5 earthquake rattled much of Pakistan and Afghanistan on Tuesday, sending panicked residents fleeing from homes and offices and frightening people in remote villages. At least nine people died in Pakistan and two in Afghanistan, officials said Wednesday More than 200 people were brought to hospitals in the Swat valley and elsewhere in the region of Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in a state of shock, Bilal Faizi, a spokesman for Pakistan's emergency services told The Associated Press. These terrified people collapsed, and some of them collapsed because of the shock of the earthquake, he said. Faizi said most were later discharged from the hospital. Faizi and other officials said nine people were killed when roofs collapsed in various parts of northwestern Pakistan. Dozens of others were injured in the quake, which was centered in Afghanistan and also felt in bordering Tajikistan. The earthquake triggered landslides in some of the mountainous areas, disrupting traffic. The nine people who died in northwest Pakistan included five men, two women and two children. Taimoor Khan, a spokesman for the provincial disaster management authority in the northwest, said at least 19 mudbrick homes collapsed in remote areas. We are still collecting data about the damages, he said. On Wednesday. The powerful tremors sent many people fleeing their homes and offices in Pakistan's capital of Islamabad, some reciting verses from the Quran, Islam's holy book. Media reports suggested cracks had appeared in some apartment buildings in the city. In Afghanistan, Sharafat Zaman Amar, Talibans appointed spokesman for the public health ministry said, so far at least two people died and around 20 others were injured in the earthquake in Afghanistan. Zaman Amar said Unfortunately, there could be more casualties as the quake was so powerful, in most parts of the country all hospitals and health facilities are ready to save lives of people, he added. The scene was repeated in Kabul and other parts of Afghanistan. "The quake was so strong and terrifying, we thought houses are collapsing on us, people were all shouting and were shocked, said Shafiullah Azimi, a Kabul resident. Aziz Ahmad, 45, another Kabul resident, said In my life this was first time I have experienced such powerful quake, everyone was terrified, He added he and all his neighbors stayed out of their homes for hours, afraid of aftershocks. We couldn't dare to get back homes." The U.S. Geological Survey said the epicenter of the magnitude 6.5 quake was 40 kilometers (25 miles) south-southeast of Jurm in Afghanistan's mountainous Hindukush region, bordering Pakistan and Tajikistan. The quake struck 188 kilometers (116 miles) deep below the Earth's surface, causing it to felt over a wide area. Physician Rakhshinda Tauseed was at her hospital in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore when the earthquake hit. I quickly asked patients to go move to a safer place, she said. Khurram Shahzad, a resident in Pakistan's garrison city of Rawalpindi, said he was having dinner with his family at a restaurant when the walls started swaying. I quickly thought that it is a big one, and we left the restaurant and came out, he told The Associated Press by phone. He said he saw hundreds of people standing on the streets. The situation was similar in Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on the border with Afghanistan, where people were seen standing outside their homes and offices. Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif in a statement said he asked disaster management officials to remain vigilant to handle any situation. Zabihullah Mujahid, the main spokesman for the Taliban government in Afghanistan, tweeted that the Ministry of Public Health had ordered all health centers to be on standby. The region is prone to violent seismic upheavals. A magnitude 7.6 quake in 2005 killed thousands of people in Pakistan and Kashmir. Last year in southeastern Afghanistan, a 6.1 magnitude quake struck a rugged, mountainous region, flattening stone and mud-brick homes. Afghanistans Taliban rulers put the total death toll from the quake at 1,150, with hundreds more injured, while the U.N. has offered a lower estimate of 770. The latest earthquake hit Pakistan as it struggles to recover from last summer's devastating floods which killed 1,739 people. Swat valley in northwest Pakistan was among the areas hit by the floods worsened by climate change. ___ Associated Press writers Riaz Khan in Peshawar and Abdul Sattar in Quetta, Pakistan, contributed to this report. A new state-of-the-art brewery is opening its doors this weekend in Branford. Caius Farm Brewery will host its grand opening on March 10. The brewery boasts a 1020-barrel brewhouse, traditional taproom and a "German-style beer garden" with roughly an acre of wetland for seating, lawn games and outdoor activities. The 20-barrel brewhouse is a modernized brewing vessel that handles large batches of beer, making it beneficial for distribution. Caius Farm Brewery has been in the works since 2020 when founder, owner and head brewer Caius Mergy first found the historic property at 101 N Branford Road, which was once the location to the David Baldwin home. After COVID-related delays, the brewery broke ground in 2022. In honor of its historic farming background, the brewery is utilizing ingredients from its own planted hop yard, fruit trees and beehives, as well as ingredients from other Connecticut businesses such as grain from 3B Ranch in Northford. Google Maps I just want to share the styles and my passion for the industry with the local community and keep it as a small family-oriented brewery. And I also want to make sure theres always a style for everybody. That way, its a very welcoming place," Mergy said in a press release. We cant wait to explore the future of our beer with the local community, and we will keep to our slogan of: Body, Soul, Mind, Beer. Brews, which are named after prominent classical historical figures such as Commodus and Brutus, are inspired by Mergy's background in classical archaeology. Though there will be a variety of beer choices, Caius Farm Brewery will specialize in German style beers and mixed fermentation sour beers. For non-beer drinkers, the brewery will also be mixing flavored Italian sodas onsite. In addition, the brewery will have the Urban Taqo Company and Hindsight BBQ trucks in rotation at the brewery on weekends, according to a press release. In recent Branford brewery news, DuVig Brewing Company has closed its brewery on School Ground Road. The brewery was a staple in the Shoreline beer community for close to a decade before its closure. DuVig Brewing Company's last day of business was on March 5. Caius Farm Brewery will be open Thursday through Sunday. The brewery is located at 101 N Branford Road in Branford. NEW MILFORD A 16-year-old from Danbury is facing charges stemming from a rollover crash that sent three teens to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Lt. Lee Grabner from the New Milford Police Department said the rollover occurred at 9:15 p.m. Friday at the corner by St. Francis Xavier Church, 26 Chestnut Land Road. He said the vehicle, which was occupied by five Danbury teens, struck a stone wall and rolled over. The New Milford police, New Milford Community Ambulance and Water Witch Hose Company No. 2 responded to the scene. Three rear passengers, who were not wearing seat belts, were transported to Danbury Hospital for non-life threatening injuries, Grabner said. The 16-year-old driver, who was also not wearing a seat belt, was uninjured. He and the front-seat passenger, who was wearing a seat belt, were released to their parents. The passengers were two 16-year-old males, one 17-year-old male and one 18-year-old male, police said. Grabner said he couldn't provide specifics regarding the nature of the teens' injuries at this time. The driver was arrested and charged with reckless driving, traveling fast for conditions, misuse of registration plate, operating a motor vehicle without an instructor and passenger restrictions. The latter two charges stem from violations of state statutes for youth with their learner's permit. Grabner could not be reached for additional comment on whether the driver had his license or permit. Grabner said passenger restrictions means "when you're 16, you can't have any passengers that are juveniles ... you can only operate a car with a licensed operator." "Based on the nature of these charges, the operator was operating too fast and recklessly when he lost control of the vehicle, striking a stone wall, resulting in the vehicle overturning," Grabner said. The driver is scheduled to appear in Litchfield Court in Torrington on Friday. This was one of two rollover crashes in town over the weekend. The second was at 7 p.m. Saturday at 124 Grove St. Grabner said the vehicle was traveling northbound on Grove Street and crossed into the southbound lane. He said the rollover happened when the vehicle struck a utility pole, and the 35-year-old driver was taken to Danbury Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. In addition to the New Milford Police, New Milford Community Ambulance and Water Witch Fire Company No. 2, Eversource responded to the scene to assess the damaged pole. Grabner said no power outages were reported as a result of the car hitting the pole, and that the case is still under investigation. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The 16-year-old driver of an SUV who died along with four family members in a crash over the weekend in Westchester County did not have a learner's permit or license in Connecticut or New York, officials said Monday. Westchester County Executive George Latimer said a witness reported the driver, identified as Malik Smith, went straight where the Hutchinson River Parkway curved just north of the Mamaroneck Road exit in Scarsdale, N.Y. The SUV then went off the highway, struck a boulder and then a tree before the vehicle burst into flames with six children inside around 12:20 a.m. Sunday, Latimer said. Describing the crash as "horrific," Latimer identified the children who died as Derby residents Smith; Anthony Billips, Jr., 17; Zahnyiah Cross, 12; Shawnell Cross, 11; and Andrew Billips, 8. A sixth child, Abraham Billips, 9, also of Derby, survived by crawling out of the shattered back window, Latimer said. "The crash cost the lives of five young people. That is a tragedy, no matter what the details are," Latimer said. A family member told Hearst Connecticut Media Group the children were all related and had recently moved to Derby. The family has started a GoFundMe campaign to help with burial expenses that raised about $43,000 as of Monday evening. "We as parents lost five of our children in a very tragic accident and need help deeply," said Da'Shawn Cross, who created the online fundraiser. The children were in a 2021 Nissan Rogue that was rented out to relatives, but it was not clear how the teen was given access to the vehicle, Latimer said. Criminal charges could be filed depending on what the investigation into the accident reveals, according to Terrance Raynor, commissioner of the Westchester County Department of Public Safety. However, he noted there is no criminal investigation into the crash itself. On the two-lane highway that has very little shoulder space, Latimer said Smith did not turn with the roadway. Authorities believe Smith was "either distracted or fell asleep" behind the wheel, Latimer noted. "We do not believe speed was a factor in this accident," Latimer added, as authorities believe he was going around the speed limit 55 mph. Latimer said there was no damage to the SUV that would have indicated another vehicle was involved. He also said there were no tire marks indicating the driver made no attempt to stop before the crash. Based on the scene, Latimer said it was unclear whether the occupants were wearing seat belts. The cause of death for each of the children was blunt-force trauma, according to Latimer. Toxicology reports are also underway. Investigators are still trying to figure out a lot of details about the incident. Latimer said authorities do not know exactly where the vehicle was coming from or where it was heading. A witness saw the crash and stopped, helping Abraham Billips as first responders tried to put out the flames. The Good Samaritan put the 9-year-old in their car and called his mother. The phone call was the first time the family learned about the crash, Raynor said. The 9-year-old was taken to Westchester Medical Center for treatment of injuries that were not life-threatening, Latimer said, but was unsure of whether the child had been released from the hospital Monday afternoon. A spokesperson for the hospital said Monday there was no one by that name at the medical center. Investigators have not conducted an in-depth interview with the boy, Raynor said. "He's just seen five members of his family die," Latimer added. Police have sporadically been in touch with the family, but they have not been comprehensively interviewed by investigators, according to Raynor. "As you can imagine, these families are very distraught," he said. "They have been cooperative with respect to the questions we've asked, however, there is a lot more to go into this investigation," Raynor added. Authorities were not sure of the occupants' direct relationship, but Latimer said, "there are at least two sets of siblings." The family had just relocated to Derby from New York City, Latimer said. The children had not yet enrolled in Derby schools and Smith was a student at a Brooklyn high school. In a message to the community, Matthew Conway, superintendent of Derby Public Schools, said he spoke with the family on Sunday. "Our thoughts go out to the family during this unimaginable tragedy," he said. "Our team will be following up with the family to ensure they have the support needed during this time." Under New York state law, drivers under the age of 18 are prohibited from having more than one passenger, unless the passengers are members of their immediate family or there is a passenger older than 21 in the vehicle. In Connecticut, a 16 and 17-year-olds with a license are prohibited for the first six months from driving with anyone other than a parent, grandparent, or a legal guardian, according to state Department of Motor Vehicles Commissioner Tony Guerrera. In the following six months, 16- and 17-year-old drivers with a license can drive with immediate family members, including siblings, Guerrera said. Drivers under 18 also may not drive between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m., unless it is for employment, school, religious activity or medical necessity. Staff writers Josh LaBella and Pat Tomlinson contributed to this story. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate DERBY The state Department of Children and Families was notified about a family that had recently moved to Connecticut weeks before five of their children were killed in a crash over the weekend in Westchester County, an official said. Westchester County officials said Monday Derby residents Anthony Billips, Jr., 17, Malik Smith, 16, Zahnyiah Cross, 12, Shawnell Cross, 11, and Andrew Billips, 8, were killed in a crash early Sunday on the Hutchinson River Parkway in Scarsdale, N.Y. A sixth child, Abraham Billips, 9, also of Derby, survived by crawling out of the shattered back window, officials said. The family has said all of the children are related. DCF Commissioner Vannessa Dorantes said the agency in late February interviewed the Cross and Billups children who died in the crash at the request of New York City's Administration for Childrens Services. "We can confirm that at the end of last month, we were asked by our counterparts in New York Child Protective Services to perform a 'courtesy visit' to interview the children based on an alleged incident that occurred in New York," Dorantes said in a statement Tuesday. "Upon the request, and because the children were located in Connecticut at the time, we assisted New York CPS and reported back to our colleagues accordingly. There was nothing learned in the interviews which warranted further Connecticut DCF involvement." It was not immediately clear Tuesday why the family was involved with Child Protective Services. New York City's Administration for Childrens Services said it could not share information about whether a family has a case with its agency, nor case details, to protect their privacy by law. Dorantes noted that her agency is reviewing its interactions with the families, but declined to comment further due to the "pending investigation into this incident." "This is an unspeakable tragedy, and our thoughts are with the family, friends, neighbors and others within the community who knew these children and are now grieving their loss and the trauma they experienced," she added. Officials have said the children were not yet enrolled in Derby schools, while Smith was enrolled in a high school in Brooklyn, where a vigil was held Monday night. A New York City Public Schools spokesperson said they could not provide any information about whether the children were enrolled in the district. The Connecticut Child Advocate Sarah Eagan said she is investigating the circumstances of the crash and if the family had dealings with local or state public agencies. "The crash raises a lot of questions as to how the children wound up in the situation they were in," said Eagan, who as the state's Child Advocate is required to review the unexpected deaths of children living in Connecticut who were receiving local or state services. During a news conference on Monday, Westchester County Executive George Latimer said Smith did not have a learner's permit or driver's license when he was operating the 2021 Nissan Rogue that crashed into a boulder and a tree before bursting into flames around 12:20 a.m. Sunday. Latimer said Smith either fell asleep or was distracted before the crash occurred. He said speed does not appear to be a factor. He said the SUV was rented out to relatives, but it was not clear how the teen was given access to the vehicle, Latimer said. Criminal charges could be filed depending on what the investigation into the accident reveals, according to Terrance Raynor, commissioner of the Westchester County Department of Public Safety. However, he noted there is no criminal investigation into the crash itself. Latimer said the family has not yet been "comprehensively" interviewed and investigators are still trying to determine where the children were coming from and where they were headed. The 9-year-old was taken to Westchester Medical Center for treatment of injuries that were not life-threatening, Latimer said, but was unsure of whether the child had been released from the hospital Monday afternoon. A spokesperson for the hospital said Monday there was no one by that name at the medical center. Investigators have not conducted an in-depth interview with the boy, Raynor said. HARTFORD Local police on Monday afternoon announced the death of a former chief of the department. Ronald Loranger, 83, of Westbrook, died Friday, according to his obituary on Legacy.com. His survivors include daughter Susan, son Stephen and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren, the obituary said. Ronald will be remembered as a kind and generous soul and will be missed and remembered by the many lives he touched, the obituary said. Loranger served as chief of the Hartford Police Department from 1989 to 1993, according to the department. Upon his appointment in June 1989, his obituary said, he became the 16th person to fill that role. Loranger was born in Biddeford, Maine, in 1940 and attended Bulkeley High School in Hartford. He was stationed in Ethiopia with the U.S. Army for two years before returning to Connecticut to help raise his children, the obituary said. Loranger joined the Hartford Police Department as a patrol officer in 1964, according to his obituary. Over the next 25 years, he rose through the ranks to become a sergeant, lieutenant, major and assistant chief. When Loranger retired in 1993, he adopted Westbrook as his new home, according to his obituary. . (H)e loved his beautiful house, traveling, dining, telling stories and enjoying family and friends, the obituary said. Calling hours for family and friends will be held at the Farley-Sullivan Funeral Home, 34 Beaver Road in Wethersfield, from 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesday. Burial at Cedar Hill Cemetery will follow a funeral service at 10 a.m. Wednesday. Bjoern Wylezich / TNS A Guilford resident has pleaded guilty to a federal charge of producing child sex abuse material after authorities in Rhode Island arrested him on child molestation charges and located "hundreds" of videos and images on his phone depicting the sexual abuse of children, the U.S. attorney's office said. Christopher Michaelson, 38, pleaded guilty Thursday before U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford, the office said. The charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum of 30 years behind bars. Sentencing in the federal case is scheduled for June 2, the U.S. attorney's office said. WOODBRIDGE Backlash has been strong following the town Board of Education's controversial decision not to fill two soon-to-be-vacant kindergarten seats reserved for New Haven students participating in the state's Open Choice program. Critics, who range from legal experts, municipal officials and Connecticut residents have called the decision "really disturbing," "shameful," and "disappointing," also saying they believe that schools are "moving backward" in their efforts to enrich educational diversity despite well-meaning initiatives aimed at reducing segregation and promoting inclusion. For some naysayers, the Open Choice issue in Woodbridge underscores a need for legislative changes that could further incentivize school districts to participate in the now-voluntary program. As a member of Open Choice a program meant to help students find seats in higher-performing or integrated districts Woodbridge Public Schools serves 18 students from New Haven in grades K-6 or two students per grade. But a disagreement over how much New Haven Public Schools was paying WPS to provide special education services to Open Choice students prompted the Woodbridge school board to reconsider its involvement in the program for the 2023-24 school year. According to the state Department of Education's website, the receiving district pays a portion of the extra costs for special education students in the program, and the remainder is paid by the district where the student lives. New Haven Public Schools long-standing practice and agreement with Woodbridge Public Schools has been to pay for our students individual special education services that exceed the baseline services that WPS would otherwise ordinarily provide to all its students with special needs," Justin Harmon, director of communications for NHPS, said in a statement. For the 2020-21 school year, NHPS agreed to pay $59,811 to WPS for special education and related services, according to Harmon. But the two sides failed to reach an agreement for the 2021-22 school year, and WPS attempted to bill NHPS for $262,774 in special education costs, Harmon said. NHPS eventually agreed to pay WPS $131,728, he added. "Contrary to past practice and agreements, WPS and the Woodbridge Board of Education appear to be requesting that New Haven Public Schools pay for baseline education costs as well, inappropriately attempting to bill NHPS for these baseline costs, and then inaccurately alleging that NHPS doesnt pay its bills," Harmon said. "New Haven has paid and will continue to pay its fair share of reasonable costs associated with educating New Haven students with special needs who participate in the Open Choice program, and we hope Woodbridge will do the same." As a result of those financial disputes, Woodbridge school officials temporarily closed their doors to new Open Choice city students, voting 6-1 in favor of the change at its Jan. 17 meeting. "I truly believe in the program. However, I dont think year after year, we can bring this financial loss to the town," Woodbridge Board of Education Vice Chair Maria Madonick said at the meeting. "And I think pausing it for a year will send a clear message, and if it doesnt, then we have to reevaluate how we are going to accomplish our goals as a district without a program with such a financial liability." The fallout Following the school board's vote, city and town leaders implored board members to reverse their decision, arguing that eliminating two Open Choice kindergarten seats would be detrimental to schoolchildren on both sides and counterproductive to Woodbridge's efforts to reduce racial, ethnic and economic isolation in its schools. In a letter to the Woodbridge school board, Woodbridge Selectman Sheila McCreven advocated for the town's Open Choice participation to continue uninterrupted, saying the program grants New Haven students 13 years of quality education at Beecher and the middle and high schools of Amity Regional School District. "I believe strongly that this participation benefits not just the Project Open Choice students and their families but significantly enriches the education of all students in both the Woodbridge and Amity system," she wrote. Last month, New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker and two city school officials testified during the public comment portion of a Woodbridge school board meeting, expressing their strong disapproval of the board's decision and its reasoning. Elicker, whose request to add the issue to the meeting agenda was denied, did not hold back, reprimanding school board members for their decision. "In the limited time that youve given us, our team will correct some of the misleading statements made by your board," Elicker said, explaining how NHPS does not handpick students to attend Beecher but rather uses the lottery system. "Your choice to discontinue this program because you have been receiving too many special needs students, I think, is unethical and discriminatory." During his lecture, Elicker referenced a letter that the Woodbridge Board of Education wrote to New Haven explaining how the city's alleged underpayment created a financial burden on the town's school district. "Our strong view is that we appropriately reimbursed Woodbridge for costs associated to the program, but your claim that these two students are a financial burden on Woodbridge is shocking to me and clearly out of touch," Elicker said. "The median household income in Woodbridge is more than $171,000 ... Meanwhile, the median household income in New Haven is under $49,000, and nearly 25 percent of our residents are living in poverty. Are you really telling us that two New Haven students are creating a burden on your town?" Stratford resident John Burgeson took a similarly harsh stance in a recent New Haven Register letter to the editor, calling out the Woodbridge school board for making WPS "yet another ugly example of white school districts in Connecticut doing everything in their power to keep their schools as white as possible. "Your argument that these two children would somehow cause the school district financial distress would have been hilarious were it not for the shameful and racist nature of your thinking," he added. "We're moving backwards" Not all of the criticism was directed at Woodbridge. One New Haven Board of Education member said he partly blamed Mayor Elicker for using such a confrontational approach with the Woodbridge school board during its February meeting. "I wasnt comfortable with the tone we took at the meeting," New Haven school board member Darnell Goldson said this week. "It was absolutely shocking to me to see that kind of (tone) with another district, and I dont understand how he feels justified to do that in the name of the Board of Education." Goldson said his board should have been responsible for settling the dispute with Woodbridge, adding that he would have recommended forming a delegation to meet with that town's school board members privately to resolve their differences instead of airing their dirty laundry in public. According to Goldson, New Haven School Board members were not briefed on the situation before Elicker spoke at the meeting. "If we decided that we dont agree with their math, then lets have a discussion about that," Goldson said. "Its frustrating that this is happening around us and we have no say in how it ends up." "Two constituents are now going to be without an opportunity because of the decision this mayor made," Goldson continued. "He could blame it on Woodbridge all he wants, but at the end of the day, its not Woodbridge thats losing out on having its students participate in another district; its New Haven. So we lose." Goldson said he also would have liked to see the state Board of Education step in to help interpret Open Choice rules pertaining to how districts divvy special education costs. "To have these fights in public and to lose two seats is ridiculous to me," he said. "Were moving backwards, and thats frustrating." The state Department of Education said in a statement that it does not have the statutory authority to arbitrate disputes between districts and strongly encourages them to work together to resolve questions and disagreements. "However, when there have been questions or conflicts related to the determination of reasonable costs of special education, we have provided clarification on current legal requirements ... as we have done in conversations with the Woodbridge School District," the agency said. Calls for change The problem between Woodbridge and New Haven stems partly from a vague state statute holding local or regional boards of education financially responsible for the "reasonable costs" of special education instruction. Narrowing that language could make the negotiation process smoother. "I think the statute could be changed to modify the word 'reasonable' to 'actual' and have some reporting requirements that show and demonstrate that each town is spending that amount on special education services for each child," said Lisa Hammersley of the School + State Finance Project, a nonprofit policy organization focused on ensuring equitable education funding for Connecticut students. "I know that the state Department of Education could lean in on the conversation to provide better guidance as to what 'reasonable' is." One proposal being considered in the state legislature is House Bill 5003, which would increase funding for Connecticut public schools and reduce disparities between rich and poor districts. The bill would fully fund the state's Education Cost Sharing program by 2025 (as opposed to 2028 under current law) while also covering additional costs for high-need students at magnet and charter schools and within the state's Open Choice initiative. An analysis from the School + State Finance Project shows that the proposal would result in more than $250 million in additional state funding to 157 Connecticut municipalities, with the majority of the money benefitting districts with large numbers of low-income students. If the bill is approved, New Haven would receive an additional $19.3 million during the 2025 fiscal year, according to the analysis. Hammersley said the bill also includes higher financial incentives for districts to participate in the Open Choice. Woodbridge currently receives a $3,000 state grant for every student it enrolls through Open Choice. Under H.B. 5003, that amount would jump to $15,134 per Open Choice student, according to Hammersley. "It's a much larger state grant to support Open Choice students that reflects the fact that students in New Haven and the community have additional needs that the Town of Woodbridge will need to take into account when educating their children," Hammersley said. Martha Stone, the executive director of the Center for Children's Advocacy, said she found the Woodbridge Board of Education's decision "really disturbing." Throughout her career as a litigator, including as lead counsel for the plaintiffs in Sheff v. O'Neill, Stone said she has noticed the attitude of some suburban districts toward the Open Choice program has been recalcitrant. "It perpetuates the segregation thats going on in Connecticut," Stone said of school districts balking at accepting Open Choice students. "It prevents students in Woodbridge from having experiences with people who are different from them. It affects detrimentally both students in the city and students in the suburban district." Under the terms of the Sheff settlement, the state is required to desegregate Hartford-area public schools over the next decade by attracting suburban students to Hartford magnet schools and expanding Open Choice. To that extent, Stone said she has submitted proposed legislation to Rep. Jeff Currey, co-chair of the Connecticut General Assembly's Education Committee, calling for the state to require suburban districts to make available a certain number of Open Choice seats for Hartford students. Stone's draft builds upon a previous proposal from former state Commissioner of Education Mark McQuillan. But mandating that suburban schools participate in Open Choice would negate one of the key features of the program: the ability to choose, officials said. Because participating in Open Choice is voluntary, faulting school districts for withdrawing from the program is problematic, given their right to do so. "It is imperative that districts who choose to participate make the decision to do so based on their individual interest and ability to provide opportunities to students of other districts," the state Department of Education said. "Similarly, only the receiving district would be in a position to know how many seats they have available in any particular year, and so it is important that they maintain control over how many seats are offered depending on individual enrollment trends in their own districts." Stone also noted the importance of having towns adopt zoning regulations that allow for a range of housing types because housing diversity and educational diversity are "inextricably linked." Without proper housing, towns and cities lack economic and racial diversity, which impacts the student makeup in schools. Woodbridge is already entangled in a housing discrimination lawsuit that is unfolding in state Superior Court. Woodbridge Board of Education Chair Lynn Piascyk said the district's pause on accepting New Haven Open Choice students is only temporary, and that a discussion and vote on whether to participate in the program for the 2024-25 school year will take place in September or October, compared to the most recent vote which took place in January. According to Piascyk, the school board has historically taken an annual vote to participate. "Over several years, the Woodbridge Board of Education has made repeated efforts to resolve the outstanding payment issues with the City of New Haven," Woodbridge First Selectman Beth Heller said in a statement this week. "I am strongly in favor of Woodbridges continued participation in the Open Choice program and hope New Haven and our WBOE can reach an agreement, not only on the outstanding payments but also on future reasonable payments so that we may continue to fully participate in this program which has been most beneficial to each of our communities." This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate KYIV, Ukraine (AP) Russian and Ukrainian officials gave conflicting accounts Tuesday of what appeared to be a brazen attack on Russian cruise missiles transported by train in the occupied Ukrainian Crimean Peninsula. A Ukrainian military spokesperson indicated that Kyiv was behind the explosion late Monday that reportedly destroyed multiple Kalibr cruise missiles near the town of Dzhankoi in northern Crimea, while stopping short of directly claiming responsibility. Natalia Humeniuk, the spokeswoman for Ukraines southern operational command, described the strike as a signal to Russia that it should leave the Black Sea peninsula it illegally took from Ukraine in 2014. Speaking on Ukrainian TV, Humeniuk pointed out Dzhankois importance as a railway junction and said that right now, the way ahead (for Russian forces in Crimea) is clear they need to make their way out by rail. A vague statement by Ukraines military intelligence agency on Monday said multiple missiles carried by rail and destined for submarine launch had been destroyed, without saying outright that Ukraine was responsible or what weapon had been used. However, the agency implied that Kyiv was behind the blast, saying it furthers the process of Russias demilitarization, and prepares the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea for de-occupation. Moscow-installed authorities in Crimea on Tuesday provided a different version, saying that Ukrainian drones attacked civilian facilities in Dzhankoi. Sergei Aksenov, the Kremlin-appointed head of Crimea, said the attack left one civilian wounded, but caused no serious damage. Aksenovs adviser, Oleg Kryuchkov, rejected Ukraines claims and said Ukrainian drones had targeted residential areas rather than the railway. Igor Ivin, head of the local administration in Dzhankoi, said the attack damaged power lines, a private house, a store and a college building. Unconfirmed social media reports late Monday claimed that Russias anti-aircraft defenses shot down multiple drones over Crimea. None of the statements could be independently verified. Throughout the war, reports have surfaced of attacks on Russian military bases and other infrastructure in Crimea, with Ukraine rarely explicitly claiming responsibility but greeting the incidents with jubilation. In August, powerful explosions rocked a Russian air base in western Crimea, with Ukraine later saying nine warplanes were destroyed. Satellite photos showed at least seven fighter planes had been blown up and others probably damaged. Ukrainian officials initially steered clear of taking credit, while mocking Russias explanation that a careless smoker might have caused ammunition at the Saki base to catch fire and blow up. Unusually, Ukraines top military officer weeks later claimed that he had ordered the strikes. Russian-appointed authorities have also previously reported repeated Ukrainian drone attacks on Crimea, most of which targeted the port of Sevastopol that hosts a major Russian naval base. These incidents in Crimea, as well as reported drone attacks on Russian territory far from the wars front lines, have exposed major weaknesses in Moscows defenses and embarrassed Russian President Vladimir Putin, who reportedly believed the invasion of Ukraine would be quick and easy. In other developments: Ukraine's human rights chief said that Kyiv has brought back 15 more Ukrainian children deported by Russian forces from the country's south and northeast, where Moscow held large swaths of territory earlier in the war. Dmytro Lubinets spoke just days after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Putin, accusing him of bearing personal responsibility for the abductions of children from Ukraine. According to the Ukrainian government, over 16,000 minors were forcibly taken to Russia and Russian-occupied areas, with some put up for adoption by Russian families and just 308 repatriated so far. Civilians were killed and wounded after Russia pounded an eastern Ukrainian town with missiles, damaging more than a dozen buildings, Ukraines national broadcaster Suspilne reported. A spokeswoman for the regional prosecutors office, Anastasia Medvedeva, told Suspilne that a couple died after an anti-aircraft missile slammed into their house in Chasiv Yar, just over 10 kilometers (six miles) west of the embattled city of Bakhmut, while another resident had been hospitalized. Earlier on Tuesday, top Ukraine presidential aide Andriy Yermak posted photos on Telegram of what he said was the aftermath of the attack, showing major damage to an apartment building. Russian warplanes flying over the Black Sea fired missiles, most of which were intercepted, at the port city of Odesa, the regional government reported. It said debris caused building damage and injuries on the ground but didn't provide details. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday chaired a meeting of top defense and security officials, focusing on coordinating arms and ammunition supplies for the Ukrainian army as well as information security, Zelenskyys press office said. The meeting came a day after European Union countries endorsed a fast-track procedure aimed at providing Kyiv with sorely needed artillery shells to repel Russias invasion forces, and on the same day the Pentagon announced it would speed up its delivery of Abrams tanks by opting to send a refurbished model that can be ready faster. Ukraines presidential office reported that at least three civilians were killed and 10 others were wounded by Russian shelling in the previous 24 hours. It said that Russia fired on the southern city of Kherson and its suburbs more than 60 times over that period, killing one person and injuring seven others across the Kherson province. Fierce battles continued in the eastern Donetsk region, where Russia is straining to encircle the city of Bakhmut in the face of dogged Ukrainian defense. Local Gov. Petro Kyrylenko said on Ukrainian television that Russian shelling there over the previous day killed one civilian and wounded another. Kyrylenko added that a further civilian died and two more suffered wounds in Avdiivka. Ukrainian authorities have reported on civilian deaths in Bakhmut on a near-daily basis since Moscow's grinding push to take the city began months ago. Of Bakhmut's prewar population of around 70,000, only several thousand remain as much of the once-proud mining hub has been pounded to rubble. Ukraine's ground forces chief said Bakhmut's Ukrainian defenders continue to thwart Russian attempts to push on to the city center. The defense of Bakhmut continues, Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi tweeted. ___ Follow APs coverage of the war in Ukraine: https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine WASHINGTON (AP) The Biden administration is putting out the word that planned stopovers in the United States by Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen in the coming weeks fall in line with recent precedent and should not be used as a pretext by China to step up aggressive activity in the Taiwan Strait. Taiwans office of the president confirmed on Tuesday that Tsai is tentatively scheduled to transit through New York on March 30 before heading to Guatemala and Belize. Shes expected to stop in Los Angeles on April 5 on her way back to Taiwan. The office did not provide details of her itinerary while in the U.S. Ahead of Taiwan's announcement, senior U.S. officials in Washington and Beijing have underscored to their Chinese counterparts in recent weeks that transit visits through the United States during broader international travel by the Taiwanese president have been routine over the years, according to a senior administration official. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter. In such unofficial visits in recent years, Tsai has met with members of Congress and the Taiwanese diaspora and has been welcomed by the chairperson of the American Institute in Taiwan, the U.S. government-run nonprofit that carries out unofficial relations with Taiwan. White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the planned stopoversadministration officials stress they are not official visitsare business as usual and consistent with longstanding U.S. policy. Theres no reason for China to overreact," Kirby said about the expected unofficial visit. "Heck, theres no reason for China to react. Tsai transited through the United States six times between 2016 and 2019 before slowing international travel with the coronavirus pandemic. In reaction to those visits, China rhetorically lashed out against the U.S. and Taiwan. State Department deputy spokesman Vedant Patel said the unofficial nature of our relations with Taiwan remains unchanged. The Biden administration is trying to avoid a replay of the heavy-handed response by China that came after then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan last year. Following Pelosi's August visit, Beijing launched missiles over Taiwan, deployed warships across the median line of the Taiwan Strait and carried out military exercises near the island. Beijing also suspended climate talks with the U.S. and restricted military-to-military communication with the Pentagon. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a California Republican, has said he would meet with Tsai when she is in the U.S. and has not ruled out the possibility of traveling to Taiwan in a show of support. Beijing sees official American contact with Taiwan as encouragement to make the islands decades-old de facto independence permanent, a step U.S. leaders say they dont support. Pelosi, D-Calif., was the highest-ranking elected American official to visit the island since Speaker Newt Gingrich in 1997. Under the one China policy, the U.S. recognizes Beijing as the government of China and doesnt have diplomatic relations with Taiwan but has maintained that Taipei is an important partner in the Indo-Pacific. U.S. officials are increasingly worried about Chinas long-stated goals of unifying Taiwan with the mainland and the possibility of war over Taiwan. The self-ruled island democracy is claimed by Beijing as part of its territory. The 1979 Taiwan Relations Act, which has governed U.S. relations with the island, does not require the U.S. to step in militarily if China invades but makes it American policy to ensure Taiwan has the resources to defend itself and to prevent any unilateral change of status by Beijing. The difficult U.S.-China relationship has only become more complicated since Pelosi's visit. Last month, President Joe Biden ordered a Chinese spy balloon shot out of the sky after it traversed the continental United States. And the Biden administration in recent weeks has said that U.S. intelligence findings show that China is weighing sending arms to Russia for its ongoing war in Ukraine, but it does not have evidence that suggests Beijing has decided to follow through on supplying Moscow. The Biden administration postponed a planned visit to Beijing by Secretary of State Antony Blinken following the balloon controversy but has signaled it would like to get such a visit back on track. The White House on Monday also said officials are in talks with China about possible visits by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo focused on economic matters. Biden has also said he expects to soon hold a call with China's Xi Jinping. Kirby said keeping those lines of communication open is still valuable. Presidents Vladimir Putin and Xi met in Moscow on Tuesday for a second day of talks, the first face-to-face meeting between the allies since before Russia launched its Ukraine invasion more than a year ago. The Taiwanese government earlier this month said that Tsai planned stops in New York and Southern California during an upcoming broader international trip. ___ AP journalists Johnson Lai in Taipei and Josh Boak and Matthew Lee in Washington contributed reporting. ___ This story has been corrected to show China lashed out against the U.S., not against China. Tweed-New Haven Airport has played a large part in my life. I grew up 1.5 miles away, and one of my favorite childhood memories was going to watch the planes take off and land with my father. We saw many different types of aircraft from private to commercial to military, all serving the Greater New Haven area. I remember a Yale professor flying low above our town in his WWII-era Grumman Bearcat. When I turned 15, I took my first flying lessons at Tweed. All these years later, and after a long period of underutilization, Im now watching as the airport is once again growing and serving as an economic driver for our region. I was heartened to see another important step taken toward that future when the airport recently issued its draft environmental assessment, which showed that the proposed improvements at Tweed specifically a lengthened runway and construction of a modern terminal will actually improve the airports future environmental impact. From noise, to air quality, to traffic, the planned changes at the airport are ready to be done in an environmentally sound fashion. This airport can and should serve as a crucial transportation hub for the New Haven area. It did so for decades, providing a gateway to the region for visitors and a convenient departure point for local travelers. Of course, despite its importance to the community, its no secret that it also faced challenges in recent years, including declining passenger traffic and outdated facilities. But make no mistake the changes at Tweed arent about creating something this region has never seen before, theyre about restoring the airport to its full use and potential. In the late 1960s, New Haven Airways was the local fixed base operator, or FBO, at Tweed. As a local kid, I worked there at various times in different roles. I started with Pilgrim Airlines shuttle from New Haven to JFK, then went to New Haven Airways, and worked for Robinson Aviation, Tweeds current FBO, as well. Over the years many airlines have served at Tweed, including Eastern, US Airways, United, Continental and American Airlines. Service to and from Tweed began to decline in the late 1990s, however, and for much of the last decade HVN was nothing like the bustling airport of my youth. Then Avelo showed up. Now, finally, theres air traffic at HVN once again. Avelos presence has shown the value of having a regular commercial service at Tweed. In talking to my family and friends, everyone loves what Avelo has brought to our region. Its an hour by car to Bradley or Westchester without traffic and 1.5 hours to Providence. Avelo provides regular, affordable service, which is a big deal for southern Connecticut travelers. Tweeds proposed expansion will make the airport even better, including making it safer for flyers and visitors. Expanding Tweeds runway will not only allow for more advanced planes that will allow for service at additional destinations, it will also ensure that takeoffs and landings are safer for everyone, including the use of new lighting system upgrades. Tweeds expansion is not just about the airport itself. HVN serves as a gateway to the entire region, providing a crucial link between New Haven and other parts of the country and the world. Moreover, the economic benefits of the expansion are significant and would help to support the local economy and attract new businesses and investors to the area. This project is an investment in the future of our community and will ensure that New Haven remains a great place to live, work, and visit for generations to come. Lewis (Lew) Langella is a resident of East Haven. The Government Administration and Elections Committee heard testimony on a bill that would ban TikTok from being used by government employees or public officials on state-owned devices. The sole exception would be for law enforcement purposes. You dont need to be a member of Generation Z to know what TikTok is, said Sen. Bob Duff, D-Norwalk, during a Friday meeting. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has repeatedly pointed out the danger that this application poses to government entities. Rep. Gale Mastrofranceso, R-Southington, said, "I gotta be honest with you, I'm on the fence on it." "Do you have any data besides the news outlets? Do we have hard facts?" The proposed bill before the General Assembly would also charge the chief information officer, chief information security officer and the chief court administrator jointly develop security standards for computer programs and state-issued devices to counter cybersecurity threats." During the testimony, board members asked Duff and Sen. Ryan Fazio, R-Greenwich, if there was any concrete evidence about the espionage threat of TikTok. Im a freedom guy, as you know, said Sen. Rob Samson, R-Southington. Do you have any concrete evidence? Fazio replied, The best example is that employees of ByteDance used TikTok geolocation data specifically to track journalists whom they were suspecting of speaking to employees of TikTok in the U.S. The ability of these applications to retain and collect data is immense. In replies to requests for more data on the privacy threats of TikTok, Duff and Fazio pointed to news reports about TikTok tracking journalists and the testimony of FBI Director Chris Wray. In December 2022, Jeff Brown, the current chief information security officer, and Mark Raymond, the chief information officer, had asked the various intelligence and security agencies, including the FBI, for guidance on TikTok. According to documents obtained by CT Insider via a Freedom of Information request, the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency had no additional evidence to provide that TikTok was a security threat. I asked one of my analysts to reach out to our HQ She couldnt find evidence that we had any additional information to share, wrote FBI supervisory agent Connor Phoenix in an email to Connecticut officials. Sorry we dont have more to offer. The discrepancy between what the cybersecurity agents could provide and what the FBI director is saying in public is likely political, says Milton Mueller, director of the Internet Governance Project of Georgetown University. Chris Wray is not an expert on cybersecurity. The FBI director is a political appointee and he is touting a political line, Mueller said in an Intelligence Squared debate earlier this month. This is a foreign policy case. There are people who believe in decoupling from China, and they will interpret any connection to a Chinese company as a threat. Theres really no evidence that this is harming the United States This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate John Johansen was supposed to build a house. He decided to build a bridge. So, in 1956, Johansen, a member of the famed Harvard Five group of architects, convinced an executive at oil company Mobil to buy additional land in New Canaan, on the other side of the Rippowam River. Along either side of the river and across it Johansen built the house. Villa Ponte, the Warner House or Bridge House as it came to be known (93 Louises Lane), is available to rent for the first time in the houses near 65-year history. Sothebys International Realty has Bridge House listed at $100,000 for the month of August. This [house] actually straddles the river with the river flowing underneath, listing agent Inger Stringfellow said. Stringfellow said the houses main draw and its most iconic feature is that part of it serves as a bridge over the Rippowam. The 5,255-square-foot house is divided into four pavilions, linked by the bridge. The bridge serves as the houses living room, with a gold-leaf, barrel-vaulted ceiling, and floor-to-ceiling pane glass doors on either side that open to overlook the tree-lined river below with its sloped bed of stacked boulders. The rippled babble of water below glints off the ceilings patinated shine, casting dancing shadows across the room's floor and furnishings. Marcott Studios / contributed Marcott Studios / contributed Carlos Marques Marcott Studios / contributed Designed by John Johansen of the Harvard Five with a bridge that spans the Rippowam River, a home at 93 Louises Lane in New Canaan is available to rent in August for $100,000. Photo by Marcott Studios / contributed Stringfellow said the current owners only the second family to own the house are going on vacation this summer and thought to rent the house. While its a first for Bridge House, Stringfellow said summer rentals in the $40,000 to $60,000 range are common in New Canaan and surrounding areas. She said higher priced rentals, like the $100,000 Bridge House, are seen across the Long Island Sound in the Hamptons, but theyve become more common here following the exfiltration of New Yorkers to less expensive, surrounding communities. Stringfellow said homeowners in Connecticut took advantage of migrating New Yorkers looking for a place to stay. There was a big shift when COVID hit, she said. People who took advantage of demand and rented out have considered doing this again. Marcott Studios / contributed Stringfellow said theres also been increased interest in the mid-century modern style Bridge House represents. These moderns have really become quite in-demand, she said. Theyre just so few of them. This is an option for someone who, rather than spend their time sitting on the Long Island Expressway, wants to experience living in a really iconic house. Bridge House was featured in a number of Architectural journals when it was built and was chosen as one of the best contemporary houses of 1958 by Architectural Record. The bridged living room even made that editions cover. Marcott Studios / contributed By 1958, Johansen was already a celebrated architect. He, along with a group of professors from Harvards Graduate School of Design looked to Connecticut as a place to build what would become known as mid-century modern-style homes. Connecticut was embracing the modernist movement in the years after World War II thanks, at least in part, to A. Everett Chick Austin, who welcomed the burgeoning art and architectural style as director of the Wadsworth Athenuem museum in Hartford. Johansens group, the Harvard Five, became known for there unique designs, many of which still stand in New Canaan and serve as the focal point for visiting tour groups. Four of the groups creations the Landis Gores House, the Richard and Geraldine Hodgson House, the Philip Johnson Glass House and the Noyes House are listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. Stringfellow, the listing agent for 93 Louises Lane in New Canaan, can be reached at (203) 321-9361. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate MADISON Ann Nyberg is on a mission to prevent newborns and their parents from the heartache her family suffered after welcoming her newest granddaughter, 6-month-old Bevin, born profoundly deaf. As a newborn, Bevin was diagnosed with congenital Cytomegalovirus, or CMV, a common, but little-known virus responsible for her deafness. This newborn also was born with calcification in her brain and retinitis in her right eye. The WTNH news anchor took her sobering story to the state capital in early March in the hopes of bringing more attention to CMV. I cant reverse what happened to my grandbaby, but I am steadfast in trying to help others going forward from CMV, which again most of us have never heard of, Nyberg told the legislatures Joint Committee on Public Health. The Madison resident said her new role is to act as the voice for her granddaughter. Katie (her daughter) is very quiet, Nyberg said. So, Im really the spokesperson. She is so busy with dealing whats going on that I am the advocate. In her written testimony, Nyberg recalled her daughter and son-in-law receiving the disturbing news. "From the pediatricians office my daughter and son were told to go home, pack a bag and get immediately to the hospital for a battery of tests to see what could be wrong with her, she said. I will never forget the look on their faces: a mom postpartum, scared to death, and a soninlaw who was bracing for anything coming their way, she wrote. The nightmare continues for my daughter and her husband and our family, though we have settled into our new normal, she told the committee. Few pregnant women know about CMV CMV is a little known, though common virus, that is a major infectious cause of birth defects, according to a physician with Moderna. CMV is a complex virus that though most people have never heard of it, more than half of all adults in the U.S. over the age of 40 have been infected in their lifetime, Dr. Lori Panther, vice president, Clinical Development, Infectious Disease at Moderna, said in an email. CMV is the most common infectious cause of birth defects approximately 30,000 infants are born with congenital CMV infection every year in the U.S., and 20 percent of congenitally infected children will struggle with lifelong effects, including deafness and hearing loss, seizures, and developmental delays, Panther said. Days after her testimony, dressed casually in a quarter-zip blue sweatshirt and jeans, Nyberg talked about the specifics of the bill in its present form. This bill would mandate that all OB-GYNs, pediatricians, doctors who see women of childbearing age, discuss it and educate them about it, she said. Importantly, said Nyberg, it would also require universal screening for every baby born in Connecticut. In February, Minnesota became the first state to include universal CMV testing for newborns. Nybergs daughter knew nothing about this virus until her newborn failed two hearing tests after birth and was subsequently tested for CMV. Other states that require this type of testing include Florida, Iowa, Kentucky, New York, Utah and Virginia. Nyberg said that a 2015 bill, requiring every newborn in the state who fails a hearing test be tested for CMV saved Bevin. Nyberg credits another parent Lisa Saunders, a former Mystic resident for helping to get that earlier bill passed. Saunders had advocated for the bill; her daughter, Elizabeth, was born with CMV in 1989. At 16, Elizabeth died in 2006 of a seizure. Because she has microcephaly, a small head, small, damaged brain, they knew to test her immediately for Toxoplasmosis and for Cytomegalovirus, said Saunders. Transmission of virus There are some sobering facts about the transmission of virus among pregnant women, who may pass it on to the baby in utero. Dr. Gail J. Demmler-Harrison, of the Texas Medical Center infectious disease department, has been researching viral diseases of children, especially congenital infections and primarily congenital CMV, for some 30 years. About 1 to 4 percent of all pregnant women will experience a primary CMV infection during their pregnancy, she said at the CT hearing. If you work in a child care setting, the risk increases to approximately 10 percent, she said. If you have a toddler at home who is actively infected with CMV and shedding CMV in their saliva or urine, the risk is even higher, approaching 50 percent in some studies, she said. But, there are precautions women can take to lessen their risk of contracting CMV and passing it along in utero to their babies, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The saliva and urine of children with CMV have high amounts of the virus, according to cdc.gov. Recommended precautions include not sharing food, utensils or cups with children and washing hands after changing diapers. Early detection is key Anti-viral medications can be given to babies if they are born with CMV, but there is a 21-day window for them to be effective, said Nyberg. So, when we dont test babies, universally, you miss that 21-day window, Nyberg said. Bevin has been on anti-viral medications since she was 3 days old, one dose every morning and another every night. She is being carefully monitored. Initially the blood tests were every week, now they are monthly, according to Nyberg. These anti-viral medications do come with some risks, according to Demmler-Harrison. One thing that the anti-viral can do is suppress the bone marrow, so we will do frequent blood count, she said. Occasionally it may raise the liver enzymes just a smidgen and so well monitor that, she said. Sen. Christine Cohen, who supports the bill, sat beside Nyberg during the testimony. Early screening, a simple process Hearing Anns story really brings that to life, Cohen said. Theres more that we could be doing and should be doing to protect the health of these young children, without much issue. Newborns are already screened for a variety of things this would be just included in their typical newborn little pin prick that they get and fairly easy to fight the virus if found right away, she said. This early screening is important, as Demmler-Harrison said only about 10 percent of babies born with CMV show symptoms. The other 90 percent are a silent majority, she said. Yet, about one in five of those babies will go on to have hearing loss, some have silent brain involvement and will have developmental disabilities. Newborn screening for CMV would pick these babies up, show them to the light of the day, force us to recognize how common CMV is and encourage us to deal with them with careful monitoring and follow-up, she said. Bevin was fitted with hearing aids shortly after birth. These are adjusted and changed very frequently as she grows. They put hearing aids in immediately to keep intact any tones they might be hearing, which helps with development, said Nyberg. She can hear certain tones, but not enough to learn language, she said. When she is about 9-months old she will have surgery for cochlear implants, electronic devices to assist with hearing. She should be able to have full language and she will hear, said Nyberg. Not like you and I hear, but she will hear. As she grows, developmentally, she could have all kinds of issues, Nyberg said. We dont know. Moderna working on vaccine Meanwhile, work is currently underway, at Moderna, to develop a vaccine. Researchers have been working for more than 50 years to investigate various CMV vaccine candidates, but the complexity of the virus has made finding a suitable vaccine difficult, Panther said in an email. Recognizing the potential of our mRNA platform, our CMV vaccine candidate mRNA-1647 in is currently being evaluated in our Phase 3 CMVictory study, she wrote. The study is ongoing and continuing to enroll participants, with the goal of bringing this potential public health tool to market in the future, she wrote. Nyberg talked about advocating for her grandbaby and all the families who are dealing with congenital CMV across the country. I stand on the shoulders of all these moms across America who are screaming for education about this and for screening, Nyberg said. More than 120 employers have signed up to participate in the Hearst Connecticut Media Top Workplaces awards for 2023. But just to be sure we hear from all the best organizations, we have extended the deadline from mid-March to April 21. Enter now it won't be extended beyond that date. Why do it? If youre an owner, manager or employee at just about any kind of business in 2023, chances are youre worried about two concerns that dont usually go together: An economic downturn on the one hand, and a shortage of workers on the other. Its a tough balancing act that feels like a knife-edge, with the best people scarcer than ever. How can a business gain an advantage? One of the most effective claims you can make is that youre a Top Workplace. Hearst CT Top Workplaces is open to employers in Fairfield, New Haven and Litchfield counties. It's the 13th year of the contest, which lets any employer privately owned businesses, nonprofits, publicly traded corporations, subsidiaries, branch offices, even government agencies to showcase all the ways they value employees in the post-coronavirus-crisis era. Nominations are open for the 2023 competition. Click here to see coverage of the 2022 winners. Click here to watch a video about Top Workplaces. Click here to nominate your company whether youre the CEO or the newest employee. Ask Mark Curtis, founder and CEO of the Splash Car Wash chain, what winning has meant for his company and his employees. Hell talk about teamwork and morale on the line and in the office. Top Workplaces celebrates that spirit. Heres how it works: The contest is open to any employer with 35 or more people in the three counties. Recognition is given for small, midsize and large organizations, and the contest also rewards the best executives. The cost to compete and win is zero. A couple of things you should know about Top Workplaces. Its overseen by our news department based on scientific surveys; its not a popularity contest. In the fall, we produce a special news section in print with extensive coverage online about the winners. Our advertising and marketing folks sell ads for our special section coverage on the winners after the list is prepared. Those ads have nothing to do with picking the winners and in fact, advertising doesnt see the winners list in order of how they finish until the news is public; they only see a list in alphabetical order. Awards are based on short, 24-question employee surveys by our partner, Energage, about how well employers value their ideas, communicate, put their strategies to work, operate ethically and create a culture of teamwork and competence. We make sure employees taking the surveys arent coerced to give the right answers, so these winners are the real deal, with responses required from at least half of their local workforce to participate. Energage doesnt pay Hearst and Hearst doesnt pay Energage for preparing the winners list; Energage makes money by delivering consulting services to companies. Last year, Hearst Connecticut Media honored 59 employers from across the region as Energage surveyed 11,664 people who worked at the organizations that entered. The top winners from 2022 include Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices New England Properties (first place among large employers for the fifth consecutive year), and Bridgewater Associates at No. 2 for the large size category. Gaylord Specialty Healthcare was No. 3 among large employers. For midsize employers, Splash Car Wash won the top spot for the second straight year. No. 2 was Connecticut In Home Assistance and No. 3 was Barnum Financial Group. Fairway Independent Mortgage Corp. took the top spot among small employers, followed by Masters in Home Care and Criterion, a software developer in Norwalk that previously won for two straight years. All of these winners have amazing stories to tell about working through coronavirus and into an economy that remains hard to predict. And they can tell you why their Top Workplaces designation matters. Hearst Connecticut Media Top Workplaces winners will be featured in the Connecticut Post, The News-Times of Danbury, Greenwich Time, The Stamford Advocate, The Norwalk Hour and New Haven Register in September and will be highlighted on all of the associated websites. For complete coverage of last years winners, go to any of those media outlets websites and type /topworkplaces such as www.ctpost.com/topworkplaces. Energage carries out the Top Workplaces surveys in more than 60 metro markets including some of the biggest. The company has surveyed more than 20 million employees at tens of thousands of organizations including 2 million surveys at 8,000 workplaces last year alone. Energage launched its Top Workplaces USA designation in 2022, with the best of the best winners that have at least 150 employees. If you make that list, youll see national recognition. Employers can be nominated online at https://topworkplaces.com/nominate/hearstct or by calling 203-617-0727. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate WESTPORT The potential for a new historic district on and around Sniffen Road has been put on hold following neighborhood opposition. The proposal, introduced last month, was to highlight the then 80 homes constructed in 1956 in the area by Ryder, Struppmann and Neumann, on top of the former Fillow Flower Company, called the Flower Estates at Westport. "It was a heroic effort," Historic District Commission member Wendy Van Wie said during the recent meeting. Amy Zipkin, of Sniffen Road, introduced the application for the historic district during a February Historic Distirct Commission meeting. It included several homes on Sniffen Road, with hopes to expand to surrounding streets. "It embodied the transition of the town of Westport from an agrarian farm community to New York commuter suburb," she said in the March meeting. One of the homes, 30 Sniffen Road, is under a 180-day demolition delay, which was one of the reasons for her applying for a historic district, she said in the February meeting. However, Zipkin decided to withdraw the application following little support from surrounding property owners. Zipkin said that to qualify for historic district status through State Historic Preservation Office, a property needs to be at least 50 years old and not have any substantial alterations to it. However, some houses have been altered. Westport's regulations for local historic district status also require the houses to be in numerical sequences without "donut holes," which are gaps in houses, she added. It was unrealistic for the Flower Estates to become a historic district, Zipkin said, as the district would have required crossing Sniffen Road to Clinton Avenue, and turning left to Fillow Street. Zipkin said it could be possible for separate historic districts in the future, though. "For the foreseeable future, my family's well being and livelihood will be impacted by an out of town LLC, with limited connection to Westport and its future," she said about the construction. Zipkin said she expects the application to remain with the Historic District Commission, if someone were to consider it in the future. Don O'Day, a Sniffen Road resident and Representative Town Meeting member, started a petition to oppose the historic district. O'Day said he was opposed to the designation for his home, and he reached out to neighbors for their opinions. He said within 90 minutes, he "got a lot of signatures that, to me, represented a good deal of opposition to this proposal." In an interview, O'Day said about 17 houses in only one section of Sniffen Road signed, though not every house was contacted as some people weren't home. Emily Stella, a Sniffen Road resident, said at the meeting that she opposed the historic district and encouraged the development of the neighborhood. MEXICO CITY (AP) The U.S. State Department said Tuesday it was concerned about the fair treatment of our companies in Mexico after Mexican police seized a cargo terminal owned by an Alabama-based company. Mexicos seizure of the Caribbean cargo port stretched into its second week Tuesday. Police are holding the port and have apparently used it to unload cargo from a Mexican cement and aggregates company, Cemex. The Alabama company, Vulcan Materials, said Tuesday that police and prosecutors still had not presented any legal paperwork to justify the seizure. The State Department said that cases like these have the potential to impact our ability to achieve our shared vision for improving livelihoods in one of Mexicos most economically disadvantaged regions. It also impacts Mexicos efforts to attract future investments." The office of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has not responded to requests to comment on the issue. The president has been publicly sparring with Vulcan for over a year. He needs the dock to get cement, crushed stone and other materials into the area to finish his pet project, a tourist train known as the Train Maya. Some of the cement unloaded last week was apparently destined for the Maya Train project, which the president has vowed to open by December despite the fact it is well behind schedule. Vulcan said police forced their way into the dock at Punta Venado, near Playa del Carmen, last Tuesday. It should be clear that the rule of law is no longer assured for foreign companies in Mexico, the company said in a statement. This invasion, unsupported by legal warrants, violates Vulcans commercial and property rights. Vulcan said it had an agreement with Cemex, the Mexican company, to lease it a part of the cargo port, but the agreement expired Dec. 31 and had not been renewed. Cemex acknowledged the contract had expired, but said it had been trying unsuccessfully to renegotiate it. Cemex said it had three other contracts with Vulcan that were still valid. Cemex said it filed a criminal complaint against Vulcan and was granted injunctive relief and a legal warrant to access the property and continue operating by the state prosecutors office. The wording is odd, since such injunctions are normally issued by Mexicos federal courts rather than prosecutors, and such disputes are seldom resolved through criminal complaints. Because there arent any local supplies of crushed stone needed to stabilize the Maya Trains tracks, Lopez Obrador has been forced to import the stone, known as ballast, from Cuba. Even so, ships carrying the Cuban ballast have to land at the port of Sisal, on the Gulf of Mexico side of the Yucatan peninsula, and be trucked about 180 miles (300 kilometers) to some train construction sites. The only private freight dock on the Caribbean side that could handle the Cuban shipments and other shipments of cement and steel is the one owned by Vulcan. Lopez Obrador has offered to buy the property, but talks have apparently not gone well. Last May, the Environment Department closed Vulcans limestone quarry and forbade the company from exporting stone that has long been used in U.S. and Mexican building projects. The president accused the company of extracting rock and exporting it without proper permits. Vulcan said it has those permits. Lopez Obrador wants the water-filled quarry to be used as a theme park to rival the nearby XCaret park. He also wants Vulcan to build a cruise ship dock at the freight terminal. The 950-mile (1,500-kilometer) Maya Train line is meant to run in a rough loop around the Yucatan Peninsula, connecting beach resorts and archaeological sites. Lopez Obrador touts the train as a way to bring some of Cancuns tourism income to inland communities that havent shared in the wealth. But there are no credible feasibility studies showing tourists will want to use the train. Few things offend the British sense of fair play more than the bending of rules to fix a result. Yet the Commons privileges committee investigating whether Boris Johnson deliberately lied to Parliament is doing just that. Its MPs are giving every impression they are so determined to hound him from public life they have already found him guilty. For a few hours this afternoon, he will give evidence to a hearing that is likely to determine his political future. But his 52-page defence makes clear that, while accepting he did make misleading statements at the Despatch Box over No 10 lockdown parties, he did so in good faith. Evidence in messages and emails handed to the committee shows advisers repeatedly assured him no rules were broken. If ministers cant rely on their officials for information, the whole system collapses. Mr Johnson's 52-page defence makes clear that, while accepting he did make misleading statements at the Despatch Box over No 10 lockdown parties, he did so in good faith Evidence in messages and emails handed to the committee shows advisers repeatedly assured Boris Johnson that no rules were broken Moreover, it is clear the committee sat on evidence that backed Boriss version of events selectively quoting from messages presumably to paint him in a bad light. Yes, Mr Johnson admits some social-distancing guidelines might have been broken. But Downing Street is a cramped rabbit warren and was filled with people working day and night to battle Covid. Of course, while the committee was originally set to decide whether Mr Johnson had knowingly misled Parliament, it later removed that word from their remit. So against all convention and natural justice the accused is to be damned even if he inadvertently broke the rules. Vindictive opposition parties and unforgiving Remainers mercilessly drummed him out of office now they are trying to hammer the nails into his coffin. Right prescription? Of the myriad issues affecting the creaking National Health Service, it has been clear for too long that one major problem is the shortage of doctors. This means countless patients being forced to wait weeks for a hospital or GP appointment and stories of people dying because they couldnt see a doctor in time. How has it come to this? True, unprecedented numbers are retiring early or working part-time a problem the Chancellor hopes to solve by axing the pension cap. It has been clear for too long that one major problem is the shortage of doctors But unless ministers actually train more students, who find it fiendishly hard to get into over-subscribed medical schools, this will merely be fiddling while Rome burns. So it is worth listening to an intriguing idea by NHS England chairman Richard Meddings to plug staffing gaps. He suggests reducing the length of time it takes to qualify as a doctor from seven years, allowing many more people to pass through medical school and start caring for patients. After all, he says, most doctors never actually use all the skills they are taught. Of course, this idea could only be put into practice if patient safety was not compromised. But ministers must look at any possible prescription for improvement. Tragedy to learn from No one can feel anything but sorrow for the grieving family of Ruth Perry, the head who killed herself shortly before Ofsted downgraded her school to inadequate. The fact her loved ones blame the education watchdog for her death, claiming inspectors put her under intolerable pressure and reached sensationalist conclusions, clearly needs taking seriously and requires review. No one can feel anything but sorrow for the grieving family of Ruth Perry, the head who killed herself shortly before Ofsted downgraded her school to inadequate Yet even before this tragedy is fully explained, it has been seized upon by teaching unions desperate to see the assessment regime brought down. Yes, inspections can be stressful. But it is vital an independent body ensures schools provide the best possible educations. By driving up classroom standards that had floundered for decades, Ofsted has benefited pupils, parents and teachers. Kotb was absent from the Today show on both Monday and Tuesday Hoda Kotb has shared her latest interview with Michelle Obama while taking another break from work following her youngest daughter's hospitalization last month. The Today star, 58, sat down with Obama, 59, in front of a live audience in Philadelphia last November while the former first lady was promoting her new book, The Light We Carry, on her six-city tour. Their conversation was recorded for an episode of Obama's new podcast, The Light, and a bonus episode of Kotb's podcast, Making Space, both of which dropped on Tuesday. During the candid interview, Obama opened up about the lesson in love that she learned from her husband, former President Barack Obama, early on in their courtship. Hoda Kotb, 58, interviewed Michelle Obama, 59, in front of a live audience in Philadelphia last November while the former first lady was on her six-city book tour Their conversation was recorded for an episode of Obama's new podcast, The Light , and a bonus episode of Kotb's podcast, Making Space Obama opened up about the lesson in love that she learned from her husband, former President Barack Obama, during the candid interview, saying, 'He showed up for his people' 'I was looking for romance. I was looking for long walks on the beach. But what Barack was showing me was his steady, his constant. He was showing me that his family mattered,' she recalled. 'Even with a girlfriend in tow, he prioritized being there for his grandparents and for his little sister and his mother. He showed up for his people, and that's what you want. And that's what Barack has shown me his entire life, that he shows up for us, for me and our daughters, for his friends, for our families.' Kotb's co-star Carson Daley promoted the bonus episode of her podcast on Tuesday's show as she missed her second day of work in a row. Both she and her co-anchor Savannah Guthrie were absent from Monday's broadcast, although the latter was said to be on assignment. It's unclear when Kotb will be back on the show, but her latest absence comes just a few weeks after she returned to work following her three-year-old daughter Hope's hospitalization. TODAYs Hoda Kotb @hodakotb sat down with former first lady Michelle Obama where she shared words and lessons in love from her husband, former President Barack Obama. pic.twitter.com/cR5wpl4DhQ TODAY (@TODAYshow) March 21, 2023 Kotb's co-stars promoted her interview with Obama on Tuesday's show as she missed her second day of work in a row Both Kotb and her co-anchor Savannah Guthrie were absent from Monday's broadcast, although the latter was said to be on assignment The Today co-anchor missed two weeks of the morning show while caring for her youngest child, who spent several days in the intensive care unit battling a health issue. Kotb opened up about her daughter's hospitalization when she returned to work on Monday, March 6. Prior to the episode, she hadn't been on air since February 17. 'My youngest Hope was in the ICU for a few days and then the hospital for a little more than a week,' she told Guthrie. 'I'm so grateful she is home, she is back home. I was waiting for that day to come. And we are watching her closely. I'm just so happy. 'And you know what I realized too, Savannah? When your child is ill, the amount of gratitude you can have for people who have helped you out,' she continued. 'I'm grateful for the doctors at Weill Cornell who were amazing and the nurses and I'm grateful to my family and I'm grateful to friends like you who were there every single day. It's unclear when Kotb will be back on the show, but her latest absence comes just a few weeks after she returned to work following her three-year-old daughter Hope's hospitalization Kotb missed two weeks of work while Haley spent several days in the ICU battling a health issue last month 'I want to say thank you for that. I love you.' Later in the episode, she reflected on her daughter's health scare and how it has given her a newfound perspective. 'I feel like, life is one way on a Monday and we all have our Mondays and we complain about them. We're like, "Oh, what a crummy Monday," and then Tuesday rolls around and something really hits hard, and you realize that Monday was actually pretty awesome,' Kotb told her fourth-hour co-host Jenna Bush Hager. 'So for us, it was little Hope had to go to the hospital, and she was in the ICU for a few days and then the hospital for another week and it was really scary. And she's vibrant and brilliant.' Kotb also shared how she was blown away that her youngest daughter has remained selfless and generous during her illness. 'The other day, she just got up from bed, and she was so sweet and cute, and she wasn't feeling great,' the mom explained. 'She had in her hand two little confetti stars. Last week, Kotb revealed that her six-year-old daughter, Haley, has been struggling with all the attention Hope has been getting because of her health issue 'All the attention is on Hope, and Haley wonders too, like, "I'm here. Here I am. See me. I need someone to carry me. Do what you're doing for Hope, you know?"' she told Jenna Bush Hager 'And I looked at her, 'cause I had just gotten out of the shower, and I turned, and she was sitting there. And she said, "I got two, Mom." 'And I said, "Oh my gosh." She goes, "One for me and one for you." And I thought to myself, "This child, even when she's not feeling good, she [is] still giving everything away."' Last week, Kotb revealed that her six-year-old daughter, Haley, has been struggling with all the attention Hope has been getting because of her health issue. 'All the attention is on Hope, and Haley wonders too, like, "I'm here. Here I am. See me. I need someone to carry me. Do what you're doing for Hope, you know?" I feel like there is a lot of that,' she explained. Kotb added that there have been times in her own life when she didn't feel like anyone was paying attention to her, but she believes they have made her stronger. "It's weird,' she said, 'but I feel like I got most of my resilience in life because of that. You didn't expect to always be seen and heard.' Maisie Crompton was amazed at how cheap the prices were British traveller visited Kmart in Australia for the first time A British mum travelling around Australia has recorded her reaction to visiting Kmart for the first time. Maisie Crompton, who's been travelling with her partner and five-month-old daughter, was amazed to see the wide variety of products at the popular retailer along with the budget prices. The 21-year-old went to Pacific Fair on the Gold Coast and shared a short video on TikTok with her 157,000 followers. 'I NEED a Kmart in England!!!! It's all my favourite shops in one,' she captioned the clip. Scroll down for video British traveller Maisie Crompton (left) was astonished to see the wide variety of products for the first time at Kmart 'I went to Kmart for the first time and this was my reaction. 'I was literally so jealous. It's like a mix of B&M, Primark and Ikea. I was just in my element - I love these kinds of places.' She explained how if the price of a $3 product was exchanged to the British pound it would cost a mere 1.50. 'Are you joking? Such a bargain!' she added. Maisie was also pleasantly surprised by how 'pretty' the shopping mall looked and went into other retailers, including Cotton On. Maisie explained how if the price of a $3 product was exchanged to the British pound it would cost a mere 1.50. 'Are you joking? Such a bargain!' she added The video has been viewed more than 289,000 times and Aussies were quick to comment on their love for Kmart. 'We love Kmart as a single mum it really helps the budget,' one woman wrote. 'I always go into Kmart thinking I won't buy much, but always buy way more then I thought,' another said. 'Pacific Fair is a gem,' another added and a fourth said: 'Kmart is life for us.' Others said they wish certain UK and US retailers were in Australia. 'It's so funny when you guys say you're amazing by Kmart, we wish we had Walmart, US Target and Primark!' one wrote. Another said: 'Don't forget to pop into TK Maxx stores as well while you're here.' The time it takes to qualify as a doctor should be slashed to plug staffing gaps, the chairman of NHS England has said. Richard Meddings suggested new medics were over-qualified after seven years of training because 'most' did not get to use their full skills on the job. The former banker, who took up his role a year ago, said the NHS has fewer doctors and nurses than other developed countries. He acknowledged that the lack of staff combined with an 'exponential' rise in demand from an ageing population had created a 'capacity issue'. Mr Meddings said vacancies could be filled by accelerating training for doctors or employing more support staff, such as 'physician associates', who do not have medical degrees. Mr Meddings made his remarks during a panel discussion on the future of the NHS at the Social Market Foundation think-tank. NHS England chairman Richard Meddings suggested new medics were over-qualified after seven years of training because 'most' did not get to use their full skills on the job Asked if it should be possible to train a doctor in less than seven years, he said: 'I would have thought so. Or you go to physician associates so you change the skill levels.' Trainee doctors spend five years at medical school followed by two years on placement doing their foundation training. Once qualified, they can specialise and spend around another eight years working to become a consultant. Mr Meddings said the NHS needed to expand its workforce, comparing it unfavourably with other Western countries. He added: 'We have 15 per cent fewer doctors and 25 per cent fewer nurses than the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) average relative to population so you can see there is a capacity issue.' Former health minister Lord Warner called for an overhaul of NHS staffing, amid a backdrop of 124,000 vacancies. British GPs have the highest stress levels and lowest job satisfaction compared with doctors in nine other high-income countries, a study by the Health Foundation charity found He said: 'What we've never done is look at whether we need seven years to train a doctor. France does it in five years and if you go to America you are likely to be seen by a physician associate much of the time.' But the British Medical Association warned it risked patient safety and diluted the quality of the medical workforce. The BMA's Professor David Strain said: 'There is a serious workforce crisis in the NHS that needs to be urgently addressed, but compromising the time taken to train and educate medical students is not the solution. 'Cutting the length of training time will compromise education, and reduce the comprehensiveness of patient care.' The Government is preparing to publish a 15-year NHS workforce strategy, which is expected to set out plans for thousands more medical and nursing apprentices who do much of their learning on the job. Raymond Edgell and his wife Sandra decided to get a smart meter fitted last August. Their old gas and electricity meters in their home in Harefield, near Uxbridge, were in a cupboard under the stairs. And the couple who are both in their 70s were increasingly finding it a pain to take regular meter readings. The new 'smart' device promised to send readings to their supplier, Scottish Power, automatically and ensure their bills would always be accurate. Even better, the couple would receive a gadget with a screen that would show exactly how much power they were using each day. But seven months later, the device doesn't work. In fact, it never has. Raymond, 78, a retired postman, estimates that he's tried to call Scottish Power 150 times over the intervening months to no avail. Meter rage: Official figures published yesterday show that 3.2 million customers have smart meters that do not function as they should Official figures published yesterday show that he is one of 3.2 million customers whose smart meter does not function as it should. This is Money's sister title, Money Mail, has had dozens of letters from readers who, try as they may, simply cannot persuade their energy supplier to fix their faulty meters. Some have been left for months on end with broken smart meters, with no way of knowing how much gas and electricity they are using until a bill lands. Others say their gadget is stuck in 'display mode'. This means it has not been configured and is therefore not connected to their account and does not show how much energy they are using. Some say their meter has never worked due to a weak mobile signal or botched installations, while we see more and more cases of monitors showing wildly incorrect readings. Even on meters that do show correct usage information, some homeowners are finding the readings are not being sent to their supplier, forcing them to send manual readings anyway. In January, British Gas admitted that 4,000 customers had been hit by a smart meter defect that was unlikely to be mended until June. No service: Raymond Edgell and his wife Sandra's smart meter never worked properly and their supplier Scottish Power still hasn't replaced it after seven months The smart meter in the Edgell household was not installed properly, says Raymond. It is permanently stuck in display mode and, incorrectly, showing the couple's daily spend as 1.66. 'I ring up every day, often up to three times but get cut off,' he says. 'No matter what day you ring, or what time, the recorded message always says they're busy. I don't know what else to do. Getting a smart meter has been a massive mistake. 'Sandra is frightened to death that a massive bill for thousands of pounds is going to drop through the door.' When Money Mail put his case to Scottish Power, a spokesman said it would investigate as a priority, and the problem appeared to be caused by the smart meter being linked to a different property address. The Government aims to have a smart meter in every home by 2025 and has set energy firms strict installation targets, which they must meet or face big fines. But experts say the result has been energy firms prioritising new installations over fixing broken devices hence the huge delays and lack of help for homeowners like Raymond. There is also little incentive for firms to rectify faults, as the energy watchdog Ofgem does not track how long it takes suppliers to fix devices. According to figures released this week by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, almost 3.2 million of the 31.3 million smart meters installed in households and small businesses across the UK are operating in so-called 'traditional mode'. This is when the meter is no longer automatically providing the energy supplier with readings. Drive: The Government aims to have a smart meter in every home by 2025 and has set energy firms strict installation targets, which they must meet or face big fines Consumer champion Martyn James says: 'Vulnerable people have been left unable to take advantage of energy-saving schemes due to being stuck on old meters or left with incorrect bills due to metering errors with smart meters. 'We urgently need a priority system in place so those most in need or struggling financially get their meter problems sorted out first.' Veterinary surgeon Nigel Taylor has had to go back to emailing in his meter readings to EDF after his device suddenly stopped working after 18 months. The father-of-two from Plymouth says: 'I was always aware of my energy use but one day I came to my smart meter and it would not display any data.' This was in October 2021, and Nigel has still not been able to get a replacement device. Nigel, 70, says: 'I have been offered gestures of goodwill but I feel like I am being fobbed off. 'I'm being bombarded by advertising for smart meters but I have a smart meter and want to use it but it doesn't work.' Energy companies began installing the first generation of smart meters, known as Smets1, in 2013. But millions of these devices stopped working if customers changed supplier. Smets2, the newer model, is now being rolled out to all homes, which means meters should not lose their smart features if households switch providers. All remaining first generation meters, some of which are reaching a decade old, are being remotely upgraded onto the new network. Smart meters run on mobile signal, so people living in particular areas with low signal or in buildings with thick walls can find the meter simply does not work. Sally Jones, 69, was pestered by her former energy firm for a year before she agreed to have a smart meter installed in her home, near Derby. The retired maths teacher has been battling since June 2021 to get the device working. She has since switched to EDF, but is still not able to keep track of her spending as the in-home display unit is defunct. Sally says: 'Every month since September, my monthly bill has gone up. 'Before all the price hikes I was paying about 100 a month. In December I was billed 384, and I had no idea what was making the bill that high.' She is unable to use the meter to track which devices around her home are guzzling the most energy. 'I'm totally frustrated. I've been around the house and unplugged everything. I turn my microwave on only when I'm going to use it and I've unplugged all the telephones.' After Money Mail's intervention, EDF fixed Sally's display unit and paid 75 in compensation. It is investigating Nigel's case. moneymail@dailymail.co.uk A dad who was on his first-ever canyoning trip has tragically died, with rescuers finding his body wedged between rocks and partially submerged in water. The body of Munib Dar, 39, was found submerged in the Wollangambe River, wedged in-between rocks, on a famous hiking track in Sydney's Blue Mountain region just after 11am on March 20. Mr Dar was hiking the intermediate Wollengambe Canyon 2 Track at Mount Wilson when his friend lost sight of him on Sunday afternoon. His friend was forced to leave Mr Dar after realising he could not help him and hiked back to a spot with phone reception to call emergency services. Rescuers started searching for Mr Dar at 5pm on Sunday but had to pause their search due to deteriorating conditions on the mountain. Munib Dar, 39, (pictured) was found submerged between rocks in a river below the Wollengambe Canyon 2 Track at Mount Wilson The body of the 39-year-old was found on Monday around 3pm after hours of searching near the Blue Mountain (pictured) PolAir and NSW Ambulance were able to continue their search at 9am on Monday amid thick fog, which prevented special operations teams from joining the search. Mr Dar, who leaves behind a wife and one child, was found dead hours later. 'He appears to have become wedged into some rocks and has submerged in the water,' NSW Police Acting Inspector Lauren Martin said. 'We had very heavy fog, drizzling rain and pretty poor visibility making things really difficult for crews. '(It's a) very difficult time for the friends who were with the 39-year-old man at the time he got into trouble.' Emergency crews suspended their Wollangambe River search due to poor weather conditions before picking it back up once fog had partially cleared Mr Dar was a father-of-one NSW Police remained with his body overnight due to terrible weather conditions before they could safely airlift him out on Tuesday. A report is being prepared for the coroner. The Wollengambe Canyon 2 Track is a 5.8-km trail and is generally considered a moderately challenging route and takes more than two hours to complete. Australian hiking website All Trails warns hikers that 'it's unlikely you'll encounter many other people while exploring' in the remote bushland behind Mount Wislon. The Wollangambe River where Mr Dar was found is located in the Blue Mountains, 80kms west of Sydney, in NSW A Queensland country pub owner who threw out all her pokies has revealed how much the poker machines subsidise food prices and how grateful people are that they now have a gambling-free place to go. Jessica Huddart bought the 113-year-old Mapleton Public House, in the Sunshine Coast hinterland, last June but decided recently to get rid of the pokies. For most bars the machines are a goldmine, bringing in a reliable revenue stream but Ms Huddart said she was concerned about how much gambling has become 'such a big part of Australian culture'. She was also been surprised to discover just how much poker machines add to a pub's income. 'It probably hadn't occurred to me until taking this pub over, just how much some places do rely on that (pokies) revenue to operate and how much that revenue is subsidising things like food and drink,' Ms Huddart told Daily Mail Australia. Queensland country pub owner Jessica Huddart (pictured right with her husband Ben Johnston) got rid of her pokies Ms Huddart (pictured with one of her children) said that getting rid of her poker machines will allow her to add a children's corner in the bar; a concept that was banned by Queensland government regulations when poker machines were so close-by She said the subsidies added to a broader issue in society of not valuing good food or realising what costs went into preparing and serving it. 'It's just creating bigger problems for the hospitality industry in general because people's expectations around what food should cost can be based on subsidised meals,' Ms Huddart said. Ms Huddart said the financial benefits of poker machines were outweighed by their social cost and having customers sitting in a side-room staring at flashing, beeping screens was totally at odds with what the social community hub she wanted her pub to be. She admitted she was still concerned that getting rid of the bar's six poker machines might be a change too far for some of her customer - but her fears were quickly calmed when she saw an increase in bookings after ditching the pokies. 'We had people calling up to make bookings who were congratulating us at the same time,' she said. 'One lady in particular, she actually burst into tears because she said it's really hard to find a pub to go to that doesn't have gaming.' Jessica Huddart (pictured) bought the 113-year-old Mapleton Public House in the Sunshine Coast hinterland last June and recently made up her mind to get rid of the pokies On trips out for a meal, the woman said her husband would leave her to go to the gaming room and play the pokies. Ms Huddart said the woman is now looking forward to having lunch with him without distractions. Pokies subsidising food prices is an issue that recently popped up in Sydney, when a bowling club was slammed in February for its expensive chicken schntizel. Skinny Tony's, Five Dock Bowling Club's in-house Italian restaurant, is not actually a registered club meaning it is not allowed to have poker machines as a way of subsidising its prices. Restaurant owner Pierre Moio (pictured) said the venue didn't have pokies to subsidise their menu prices Owner Pierre Moio explained that because the venue is privately run and doesn't have pokies, which typically net venues that have them thousands in extra revenue, it wasn't able to offer cheaper meals. 'As restaurateurs that invest in creating venues for people to come in and enjoy, there's a certain responsibility from our point of view to ensure that we put on an experience for people,' Mr Moio told Yahoo News. 'But at the end of the day if there's a cost there to do that at some point, the consumer needs to realise that.' Ms Huddart's pub has been inundated with emails and messages on social media since ditching pokies. 'It's been a bit of a whirlwind, to be honest. It feels really validating,' Ms Huddart said. 'It's been quite overwhelming really. I didn't expect the attention that we got (for getting rid of the pokies).' She did not make the changes thinking it would get any publicity. 'It was more just that this is what I believed was the right thing to do and I was following through on that,' she siad. Jessica Huddart bought the 113-year-old Mapleton Public House (pictured) in the Sunshine Coast hinterland last June and recently made up her mind to get rid of the pokies On a more personal note, Ms Huddart said another reason for getting rid of the pokies was related to her a member of her own family losing a lot of money to a gambling addiction. 'That was sort of part of the sadness of it in a way, but ... I don't judge anyone that does enjoy gambling,' she said. 'I think this decision is more about caring for the people that are addicted and do have a problem, and also caring for children who I just don't think need to be exposed to that at all. 'That's really my reason for doing it as opposed to ... looking down on anybody that does choose to use (pokies).' The change will allow her to introduce a children's corner in the bar; a concept that was banned by Queensland government regulations when poker machines were so close-by. Ms Huddart said she has played the pokies herself in the past, but that 'gambling has become such a big part of Australian culture and I don't think it needs to be in a place that to me should be about the community coming together'. As her poker machines were old and unreliable, she had them taken away to a tip, but she sold the gaming licences for around $2.25million. She plans to reinvest the licensing money into improving the bar with a new kitchen, some couches and a coffee table. 'What we're doing is the right thing for the community and for our vision here,' said Ms Huddart. It was the latest in a series of mysterious sea-life strandings on the East Coast Eight dolphins died Tuesday after a grisly 'mass stranding' event swamped a New Jersey beach - the latest in a string of mysterious sea-life deaths across the East Coast. Beachgoers in Sea Island City arrived at the coast in late morning to find the stranded pod of dolphins. Despite lifesaving efforts from crews to keep them hydrated, two were pronounced dead at the scene. The remaining six dolphins were euthanized several hours later, adding to the more than three dozen cetaceans that have washed up dead in recent months. Since mid-February, at least six other dolphins have washed ashore in New Jersey alone, while dozens of whales are being routinely discovered up and down the Atlantic coast. Humpback whales appear to be the most commonly stranded, with at least 16 dying on the region's beaches since the start of December. Authorities are now grappling with how to explain the deaths. Emergency crews rushed to Sea Island City, New Jersey on Tuesday morning following reports of eight dolphins washed ashore. Two of the dolphins died on the scene, and the remaining six were euthanized hours later Following the fatal mass-stranding in New Jersey, the Marina Mammal Stranding Center said the six surviving dolphins were euthanized because they were 'rapidly deteriorating'. 'The decision was made to humanely euthanize the dolphins to prevent further suffering, as returning them to the ocean would have only prolonged their inevitable death,' the body added. 'We share in the public's sorrow for these beautiful animals, and hope that the necropsies will help us understand the reason for their stranding.' In January, a huge 35-foot humpback whale stole headlines after it washed ashore in Long Island, which at the time was the tenth such incident on New York and New Jersey beaches in two months. Recent years have seen a disturbing spike in beachings, leading the federal National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to declare an 'unusual mortality event' in 2017. Since then, at least 335 humpbacks, right whales and minkes, a small species of whale, have died after washing onto the East Coast. Throughout 2022, 19 humpback whales were stranded on the US Atlantic Coast, according to the NOAA. But by the end of February, the levels of humpback whales stranded on the East Coast had already reached 50 percent of 2017's tally, with at least 29 whales dying on the East Coast since December. Included in this disturbing figure is six North Atlantic right whales, a highly endangered species. As the aquatic bodies pile up, authorities have been scrambling to provide answers over the sudden influx of beach strandings, with offshore wind developments one of the potential causes being floated. Critics say the sonar technology used by energy companies to map the ocean floor could be confusing the sea life, sending them towards the coast or out of their natural habitats. However, several authorities have dismissed these claims, and say there is no evidence it is true. The Marina Mammal Commission insisted that the high levels of beachings are 'not new, nor are they unique to the US Atlantic coast'. A disturbing number of whales and dolphins have died in recent months after being stranded on East Coast beaches. Pictured: A humpback whale is recovered from Lido Beach, New York on January 20, 2023 At least 29 whales have washed ashore since December on the East Coast. Pictured: A beached whale on Rockaway Beach in the Queens borough of New York The most common reason attributed to the deaths has been either the animals being hit by ships or caught in fishing nets. Post-mortems conducted on many of the humpback whales found since 2016 found that approximately 40 percent had evidence of 'human interaction', meaning ship strikes or entanglements, according to the NOAA. Another reason that could explain the mass deaths is the surge in online shopping since the pandemic, which has fueled a record-setting number of cargo shipments to the East Coast. The spike has led to an increase in titanic vessels moving through the region, and their updated routes may have begun crossing paths with more whales than ever before. 'When the whales are in these channels, you have to cross your fingers and hope there are no collisions,' Paul Sieswerda, executive director of Gotham Whale, a New York City-based whale research group told the New York Times. Pictured: Officials examine a whale on Rockaway Beach, New York on December 13, 2022 Despite repeated denials from authorities that the spate of strandings is due to offshore wind farms, Republican lawmakers introduced a resolution to legislate on the issue on the same day as the eight dolphins died in New Jersey. The resolution, filed by New Jersey Congressman Jeff Van Drew and co-sponsored by several of his House colleagues, calls on all wind farm projects to be halted until a full environmental and economic impact has been carried out. 'While this administration continues to ignore the adverse consequences that could result from offshore wind development, my colleagues and I will not, Van Drew said in a statement to Fox News Digital. 'It is imperative that the array of unanswered concerns are addressed, from maritime travel and safety to the environment and national security.' Multiple brawls between teenagers have broken out at a San Francisco mall in recent months - many of which have happened after school on Wednesdays, which are early release days. Security guards at San Francisco's Stonestown Galleria shopping center have been so overwhelmed that the San Francisco Police Department is now involved. There were three incidents between March 15 and March 17 when groups of teens entered the mall and assaulted each other, SFPD said. The most recent attacks, which happened last week inside the Target store and at the food court, were captured on cellphone video that was posted to social media. Supervisor Myrna Melgar, who represents District 7 where the mall is located, said it has increased security patrols in the area. Multiple brawls have broken out at San Francisco's Stonestown Galleria in recent months - many of which happening during afterschool on Wednesdays, which are early release days The most recent attacks, which happened last week inside the Target store and at the food court, were captured on cellphone video that was posted to social media Melgar also said that she would be speaking with the San Francisco Unified School District - as the fights have been occurring when school has early release days. One of the videos of the brawls posted to social media shows a group attacking one teenager and punching and kicking him while other teens crowd around and continue to record the fight on their cellphone. A police spokesperson told KRON4: 'On Friday, several juveniles were pepper sprayed by other juveniles. 'Officers discovered one juvenile suffering from injuries as a result of the physical altercation. Medics were summoned and transported the victim to the hospital for non-life threatening injuries.' The police department also said that they are doing what they can to address the problem. 'We are working closely with the shopping center officials to assess the security measures in place to address criminal activity, especially the violent acts and physical altercations,' said SFPD in a statement. One of the videos shows a group attacking one teenager and punching and kicking him while other teens crowd around and continue to record the fight on their cellphone 'The shopping center has increased security personnel and we have increased our patrols in and around the shopping center in the hopes of stopping violent incidents from occurring. The fights at the mall have resulted in physical injuries, according to Melgar, who advised parents to 'be aware,' and 'monitor your kid's social media and follow what they are doing.' In a statement provided to KRON4, Stonestown Mall wrote: 'We are outraged by the unacceptable behavior that occurred at Stonestown Galleria which was a clear violation of our Code of Conduct. We are working closely with school, city, and law enforcement leadership to address this issue. 'The safety and well-being of our guests and tenants is our top priority and we have zero tolerance for this disruptive behavior. At this time, we are directing all inquiries to the San Francisco Police Department.' The grieving mother of a young bottle shop worker stabbed to death has revealed she's been spat on, abused and attacked with a stone after making a mercy dash to bring her son's body home. Declan Laverty, 20, was minutes away from finishing his shift at the Airport Tavern BWS drive-through bottle shop in Darwin just before 9pm on Sunday when he was stabbed multiple times. He texted both of his parents to say he loved them and that he'd been stabbed before bleeding to death in the arms of a shocked witness at the scene. As his alleged attacker Keith Kerinauia, 19, faced court for the first time on Tuesday, Declan's mum, Samara Laverty, and dad, Damien Crook, opened about their heartbreaking loss. Ms Laverty rushed to Darwin on Monday to bring her son's body home to Cairns in far north Queensland but has suffered more cruel blows. Ms Laverty revealed she had been hit with a stone, had abuse hurled at her and was spat on in the supermarket within hours of arriving in Darwin. Samara Laverty made the mercy dash to Darwin following the tragic death of son Declan (right) 'I cannot wait to get my poor son out of this hellhole,' Ms Laverty told the NT News. She remembered her son as a smart, loving and talented young man and a keen AFL player who adored animals and his family. He had just turned 20 in February and was due to return to Cairns soon to visit his mum, sister and pets. 'His amazing life that he was just starting out his journey on will never be fulfilled,' Ms Laverty said. 'He will never fall in love. He will never marry. He will never be a dad. 'His life, his future, our future have been completely stripped away.' Mr Laverty was living with his dad in Darwin at the time and still has his leftover dinner in the fridge. Mr Crook said the pair were best mates and fought back tears as he revealed their plans to buy a house together before his son's life was tragically cut short. 'Everyone is hurting. I mean his mum - everyone is hurting, not obviously just me,' he told the Today show. Declan Laverty (left) was renting a place in Darwin with his dad Damien Crook (right) The young bottle shop worker was allegedly stabbed to death at the The Airport Tavern drive-thru BWS (pictured) moments before closing time on Sunday night 'We had a brilliant relationship a dad relationship but also a mate relationship, you know. We were best mates, you know. 'We were going to buy a little unit together and he loved his music and he said 'dad, I'm going to look after you, I'll buy you a house and look after you, as long as you cook for me every night.' His son had been looking for a new job because he couldn't deal with abusive customers anymore. 'This isn't the first time,' Mr Crook said . 'He's been abused, he had a screwdriver pulled on him a month or so ago, along with verbal and physical attacks. 'One of his workmates can't even go back to work anymore he got beaten up that bad and, and that's just at that store for refusing alcohol.' Mr Crook has received a far different response from the Darwin community compared the harrowing ordeal of Declan's mum in recent days. He also acknowledged the support of the Endeavor Group, which operates his son's workplace. 'Darwin has been really amazing,' he said. 'I can't thank Darwin people who have helped enough 'I want a memorial for Declan in Darwin for me, but for all the people who have been here for me and all the people that are hurting as well, we need something here.' Damien Crook (pictured) fought back tears while paying tribute to his son on the Today show Declan Laverty (pictured) had just celebrated his 20th birthday weeks prior Keith Kerinauia, 19, was on Tuesday charged with one count of murder, a count of aggravated robbery and breach of bail. The Darwin Local Court heard on Tuesday Kerinauia had already been due to face court on April 13 over 'an allegation of an aggravated assault involving a bladed weapon', the NT News reported. Police will allege the 19-year-old was in a blue 2014 Toyota Camry when it pulled up at the Jingili bottle shop just before closing time on Sunday night. Crown prosecutor Marty Aust asked for the case to be relisted with Kerinauia's other charges. Kerinauia was remanded in custody and no application for bail was made. He will next face court on May 24. Friends have rallied around both of Mr Laverty's parents with online fundraisers set up to help with funeral costs. The notorious film star owned the sprawling 2,000 acre ranch in the 1950s 'Rancho Pavoreal' in Sage, California is listed at $12 million The Southern California ranch once owned by John Wayne is currently on sale A Southern California ranch once owned by old-Western movie star John Wayne is currently on sale for $12 million. According to the listing agent, the estate is 'very masculine, very Western' and is perfect for anyone looking to have ample space for equestrian use or cattle ranching. The property, dubbed 'Rancho Pavoreal,' includes more than 2,000 acres in Sage, California, located between San Diego and Palm Springs. 'Once In a lifetime opportunity,' the Coldwell Banker Homes listing reads. Wayne, who rose to fame starring in cowboy films throughout the 1950s and 1960s - lived on the property for many years while he was shooting his now iconic movies. A SoCal ranch once owned by movie star John Wayne is currently on sale for $12 million Wayne, who rose to fame starring in cowboy films throughout the 1950s and 1960s - lived on the property for many years while he was shooting his now iconic movies The property, dubbed 'Rancho Pavoreal,' includes more than 2,000 acres in Sage, California, located between San Diego and Palm Springs Novick said the estate is 'very masculine, very Western' and is perfect for anyone looking to have ample space for equestrian use or cattle ranching The sprawling 2,000 acre property is located near Temecula Valley Wine Country and is just a stone's throw from both the beach in San Diego and the desert in Palm Springs. According to listing agent Tatiana Novick, the property - located at 43000 Stanley Road in census-designated Sage - has 'incredible views every season.' Novick said the new property owner will be able to enjoy the snow-capped Palomar Mountains during colder months and the green pastures and sun in the summer. Rancho Pavoreal also has running streams and three water wells. Photos show the vast property with its hiking and horse-riding trails, flat land for horses and other cattle, and gorgeous mountain views. The home itself is a 3,000 square foot residence that was built in the 50s and includes a barn just outside. One picture of the inside shows the home's deep connection to Wayne, including a framed photo of him alongside a long-range gun. The real estate agent called the listing with its many amenities 'very rare.' At one point, the long time owners used the property as a dude ranch, Novick said. The estate's residence is currently lived in and there is and electricity and propane. At one point, the property was used as a dude ranch, the listing agent said The sprawling 2,000 acre property is located near Temecula Valley Wine Country According to listing agent Tatiana Novick, the property - located at 43000 Stanley Road in census-designated Sage - has 'incredible views every season' Rancho Pavoreal also has running streams and three water wells According to Novick, who spoke with Patch , Wayne lived on the ranch for several years Photos show the vast property with its hiking and horse-riding trails, flat land for horses and other cattle, and gorgeous mountain views The home itself is a 3,000 square foot residence that was built in the 50s One picture of the inside shows the home's deep connection to Wayne, including a framed photo of him alongside a long-range gun The wide open spaces also make the property perfect for a shooting range, Novick says In his career, Wayne stared in classics such as 'True Grit' and 'The Alamo' which made him one of the most-prolific actors of his time The Oscar, Golden Globe, Cecil B. DeMille Award, and Presidential Medal of Freedom holder (photographed right) died in 1979 at the age of 72 According to Novick, who spoke with Patch, Wayne lived on the ranch for several years while he was making some of his biggest movies in the 1950s and 60s. The dates that Wayne owned the property are not known exactly, however. One book from 1993 states that Wayne actually lived in the home from 1938 to 1948. The home was later sold to an East Coast family who lived there until 2018. It could be an easy sell for a massive and wealthy fan of the iconic old-western actor. In his career, Wayne starred in classics such as 'True Grit' and 'The Alamo' which made him one of the most prolific actors of his time. The Oscar, Golden Globe, Cecil B. DeMille Award, and Presidential Medal of Freedom holder died in 1979 at the age of 72. According to his IMDB page, Wayne - who was born Marion Michael Morrison - had appeared in more than 180 projects throughout his expansive, multi-decade long career. Wayne's was lauded and praised for embodying 'the image of the strong, taciturn cowboy or soldier and who in many ways personified the idealized American values of his era,' his Britannica page states. In return, they will back the govt's safeguard mechanism They have demanded a ban on new coal and gas projects The Greens are in negotiations over the govt's climate plan Time is running out for the Greens to agree to the government's climate policy, with a growing likelihood the party could destroy the plan just as it did to Kevin Rudd's scheme back in 2009. The government wants the safeguard mechanism - which requires the country's top 215 carbon dioxide emitters to cut pollution by five per cent per year through to 2030 - to be passed by the Senate by Thursday. To do so, the government needs the support of the 11 Greens senators and two more from the crossbench. But the Greens say the government bill does not go far enough, and have demanded a ban on new coal or gas projects in return for their support of the proposed legislation. The Greens and the Albanese government are still in negotiations over the safeguard mechanism as time ticks down (pictured, Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi, Greens leader Adam Bandt and Greens member for Griffith Max Chandler-Mather) 'The real thing we're trying to tackle here is to stop pollution from coal and gas going up because that's the cause of the government crisis,' Greens leader Adam Bandt told Radio National. 'Under the government's model at the moment, they want to open up new coal and gas mines, pollution from coal and gas is forecast to go up and that is a problem.' The Greens leader said the government was giving the United Nations the 'middle finger' by pressing on with approvals for new fossil fuel mines. 'If Labor proceeds to open new coal and gas mines in the face of this very clear, final warning from the world's scientists and the United Nations, they will be condemning our children to an unbelievable future,' Mr Bandt said. He added that pollution levels could even rise under the under the proposed safeguard mechanism as companies can increase their emissions, as long as they offset them. 'Now what we've said, what others have said is, well, why not put something in the legislation that actually requires emissions to go down so that these corporations can't offset their way out of the crisis?' he questioned. The Greens have demanded the government ban new coal or gas projects in return for their support (pictured, Bayswater power station) Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen (pictured) said the Greens 'have a choice make progress or make a point' Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen said it was essential the government passed the bill. 'Ten years of denial and delay has increased the threat of climate change to our health, environment, economy and national security. The government is acting rapidly to urgently turn this around,' he said on Tuesday. 'If passed, our reforms will come into effect in just 101 days from now.' Mr Bowen told Sky News Australia that the Greens would do well to back the current bill rather than risk destroying it altogether by holding out for stronger measures. 'The Greens have a choice make progress or make a point, if they want to make progress I'm here to make progress,' he said. 'If they want to make a point they can do that but a point is not progress.' The ongoing battle to contain a disease outbreak across idyllic Lord Howe island has thrown a number of tourists' dream trips into disarray with one family left $30,000 out of pocket. The island, located in the Tasman Sea 600km east of Port Macquarie, NSW, became off limits to 'non-essential visitors' on March 16 due to myrtle rust - an invasive disease-causing fungus that can destroy entire plant species. The island's board released a statement advising the Permanent Park Preserve (PPP), which covers about 70 per cent of the island, was temporarily closed. However the sudden closure has left many tourists in the lurch, including a Sydney family who spent $30,000 on a once-in-a-lifetime Easter holiday. The family of avid bushwalkers, who asked to remain anonymous, were told they weren't able to postpone or refund the 'ruined' trip after the PPP park was shut. Lord Howe Island (pictured) has closed a huge portion of the island to 'non-essential travelers' after a biosecurity risk threatened native plant species Myrtle rust (pictured) is an airborne fungus which can destroy entire plant species and was found around the island The island exploded in popularity after Chris Hemsworth, his wife Elsa Pataky and his brother Liam Hemsworth posted photos from a family holiday there in 2020. After learning that the disastrous fungus had shut the island, a Sydney mum told Yahoo News that her travel agent would not push back or refund the holiday. After she explained that she could no longer enjoy the 'full experience' of the trip, the agent said any changes would incur a 100 per cent fee. 'For a family who are keen bushwalkers, it's one of the things we wanted to do,' she said. 'Your children get to that age, they can take on the walk and it's something we can share together. 'I know it's a first-world problem and I'm grateful, [but] I begrudge not being given some sort of alternative.' The Permanent Park Preserve (pictured map) makes up 75 per cent of the island and has been closed to contain the myrtle rust outbreak Tourists can still participate in most activities like visiting beaches (pictured) but will not be able to bushwalk for now Despite the closure of a majority of the island, local businesses outside the PPP will remain open and tourists will still be welcomed elsewhere. Lord Howe Island Executive Officer of Tourism Trina Shepherd said more than 90 per cent of tourist locations were still accessible for visitors. Ms Shepherd told Yahoo that even when the PPP is open, only five per cent of it is accessible for bush hikes. 'The only people that will possibly be disappointed are those specifically wanting to go on the walking trails, and not interested in doing anything else,' Ms Shepherd said. 'There's very few people who don't enjoy other aspects of the island.' Ms Shepherd said she was busy correcting misinformation about the island being totally closed. 'It's so damaging for the poor operators on the island,' she said. The Lord Howe Island Board is hopeful of reopening the park soon and reassesses the situation weekly. The Hemsworths visited Lord Howe Island (pictured Chris right), calling the island 'paradise' Australian sniffer dogs aren't able to smell queen bees who are carrying in deadly and destructive pests, it can be revealed. This means sniffer dogs at Australian ports didn't detect the Varroa mite parasite that has been devastating bee populations and causing tens of millions of dollars worth of destruction to Australian crops in the last year. A spokesperson for the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry told the ABC they didn't know why dogs weren't detecting the scent. 'Queen bees were re-introduced to the detector dog target odour list at the end of 2022 as part of a review into risk controls for varroa mite,' the spokesperson said. Australian sniffer dogs aren't able to smell queen bees who are carrying in deadly pests, it can be revealed 'We understand the odour was removed in 2015, however there is no specific information relating to the decision made at that time.' The parasite has wrecked havoc on Australia's native bee population. The Varroa mite was first detected near the port of Newcastle in June and an emergency order was introduced in NSW to try and prevent the spread of the deadly mite. On Tuesday, fresh cases of Varroa mite infestation in eastern NSW prompted mandatory monitoring of beehives in Sydney for the first time since the outbreak began. The potentially devastating mite was detected in six new hives across four locations including Mooney Mooney on the Central Coast, directly north of Sydney, authorities revealed on Tuesday. Sniffer dogs at Australian ports didn't detect the varroa mite parasite that has been devastating bee populations and causing tens of millions of dollars worth of destruction to Australian crops in the last year It takes the total number of infested premises to 137. An eradication zone, within which all beehives must be destroyed, now applies to Sydney's northernmost tip of Palm Beach, according to a map on the Department of Primary Industries website. New rules also apply to any hives within a broadened surveillance zone, where officials will monitor and conduct inspections to reduce spread. Until June, Australia was the only continent free of the parasite, which experts estimate could cost $1.31 billion over 30 years. NSW authorities have told a Senate inquiry into Australia's biosecurity preparedness they remain confident they have contained the Varroa mite. The varroa mite was first detected near the port of Newcastle in June and an emergency order was introduced in NSW to try and prevent the spread of the deadly mite. A sniffer dog is pictured It comes after earlier evidence from the head of NSW beekeepers who is worried the deadly parasite can't be eradicated. The Department of Primary Industry's Dr John Tracey told the inquiry almost 14,000 hives had been euthanised so far, with more than 75 per cent of hives in the eradication zone destroyed. 'We are confident based on the information we have that we have successfully delimited the infestation and we're continuing to work in from the edges of those areas as we euthanise the hives,' he said. Department head Scott Hansen told the inquiry he was convinced the right areas have been contained. 'After more than almost 100,000 tests across hives, we still don't have any positives outside of our currently identified eradication zones,' he said. It's still unclear how the Varroa destructor mite arrived in Australia. Department officials say the origin might never be determined, although genetic sequencing has shown it is only one outbreak. The inquiry was told permits have been granted for 333,000 hives to be moved since a permit system was introduced in June, when the mite was first detected around Newcastle. One third of those hives were moved for pollination. KMD Brands Limited (ASX/NZX: KMD , KMD or the Company) is pleased to announce its results for the six months ended 31 January 2023 (1H FY23). 1H FY23 key highlights (vs 1H FY22): Sales growth up 34.5% to $547.9 million, a record first half for KMD Brands Continued sales growth for Rip Curl, strong Australian recovery for Kathmandu, and record first half sales for Oboz Gross margin remains resilient, increasing +100 bps (1.0% of sales) Underlying EBITDA(1) of $45.3 million (1H FY22: $10.2 million) with group underlying EBITDA margin(1) improving on a rolling 12-month basis Statutory NPAT of $14.0 million; Underlying NPAT(1) of $16.5 million (1H FY22: loss of $5.1 million) Balance sheet remains strong, with expectation of inventory unwind to underpin strong cashflow generation in the second half Interim dividend of 3 cents per share declared (fully franked for Australian shareholders) Commenting on the 1H FY23 results, Group CEO & Managing Director Michael Daly said: We are delighted with the results our team has delivered in 1H FY23, building on the strong momentum of the previous six months. We achieved record sales results for the Group, highlighting the strength of our global brands. "For the first time since Rip Curl was acquired, the Group has experienced a full 12 months of trade without significant interruption from the COVID pandemic, which resulted in group sales of over $1 billion. "Despite uncertainties in consumer outlook, all three of our brands Rip Curl, Kathmandu, and Oboz delivered strong sales growth in the half, and as a group we have improved our gross margin. We were also very proud to recently announce that KMD Brands and all three of its brands are now Certified B Corporations, becoming one of the first multinational companies in Australia and New Zealand to have all its brands individually certified. This is testament to our commitment to setting ourselves high standards of social and environmental impact, accountability, and transparency. With a healthy balance sheet, and expectations for strong cash flow generation in the second half, we are in an excellent position to execute on our growth strategy through expanding our global footprint, investing in digital platforms, leveraging operational excellence, and leading the industry through sustainability and innovation. The following are attached in relation to KMD Brands Limited's Interim Result for the period to 31 January 2023: 1. Results Announcement 2. Media Announcement 3. Interim Financial Statements for the six months ended 31 January 2023 and the Independent Auditors Review Report 4. Investors Presentation 5. Distribution Notice Investor briefing An investor call will be hosted by Michael Daly (Group CEO) and Chris Kinraid (Group CFO) at 8.30am AEDT / 10:30am NZDT today, Wednesday 22 March 2023. For those wishing to participate, please dial one of the numbers below and provide the conference ID to the operator: Australia Toll Free: 1800 590 693 New Zealand Toll Free: 0800 423 972 Conference ID: 445053 The webcast will be available on the KMD Brands investor website following the call. - ENDS - Comments from our readers No comments yet Add your comment: Your name: Your email: Not displayed to the public Comment: Comments to Sharechat go through an approval process. Comments which are defamatory, abusive or in some way deemed inappropriate will not be approved. It is allowable to use some form of non-de-plume for your name, however we recommend real email addresses are used. Comments from free email addresses such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc may not be approved. Anti-spam verification: Type the text you see in the image into the field below. You are asked to do this in order to verify that this enquiry is not being performed by an automated process. Related News: NZL - Settlement of Forestry Estate Acquisition April 17th Morning Report GFL - Appointment of Company Secretary April 14th Morning Report BIF - Quarterly Client Update CBD - Notice of Special Shareholder Meeting to Approve Merger Chatham Rock Phosphate Private Placement BPG - Amendment to Promissory Note CHI - Q1 2023 Conversion Project Update April 13th Morning Report Officials were forced to drink mugs of water in front of a furious crowd of locals to prove it was safe despite millions of dead fish washing up nearby. The incident occurred at a heated town meeting in Menindee, in the far west of New South Wales, after millions of dead native fish were found floating in the Darling-Baaka River, causing alarm among locals. The meeting at Menindee civic hall on Tuesday saw officials from NSW police, the Department of Planning and Environment, WaterNSW, Essential Water, the Environmental Protection Agency and Central Darling shire all drink water to prove that it was safe. However, despite the gesture, locals left the meeting feeling their questions were still unanswered. The meeting at Menindee civic hall on Tuesday saw officials drink mugs of water in front of the crowd The heated meeting came after millions of dead native fish were found floating in the Darling-Baaka River, 'The only thing that was reiterated and certainly not taken with any faith from the community is that the water supply is safe and secure,' said local Graeme McCrabb. 'That is certainly not being accepted by the community at all.' Jan Fennell, a resident, was the one to ask the officials to drink the water. She explained how the town was tired of being given instructions by the government without being granted meaningful involvement in the operation. 'We need more local people involved with those that are doing the testing and where you are getting the results from,' Ms Fennell told the panel. Some residents claim they have suffered rashes after using water from the river. It is believed the officials only drank from town water, which is the only source that currently meets Australian water standards. Central Darling's shire council manager Greg Hill said there would be water deliveries available on request to those not on the town water supply. The dead fish fill a huge amount of the river, including the intake point for the Menindee water treatment plant. Thousands of dead fish have washed up at the main weir at the Menindee Lakes, in outback NSW Central Darling's shire council manager Greg Hill said there would be water deliveries available on request to those not on the town water supply The process to remove them began on Tuesday, though some residents are concerned decomposing fish have already began to sink. Mr McCrabb said the community was doubtful about attempts to remove the fish because the water has become a 'soupy mess'. 'As soon as you touch those fish now, they just break up. It's a difficult one.' Other residents said they were too frustrated to attend the meeting after similar fish deaths in the waterway in 2019, and were skeptical about water management on the lower Darling-Baaka. 'There is anger there and frustration,' Mr McCrabb said. 'People have no faith that the government has the ability to respond or has any interest to respond.' Federal and state agencies are working out of an Emergency Operations Centre set up in the outback town on Sunday. On Monday, NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Brett Greentree said the agencies' first priority was protecting the water supply, but the clean-up effort could take some time. 'I can only appreciate and acknowledge the hardship,' Mr Greentree said. NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Brett Greentree on Monday said the agencies' first priority was protecting the water supply 'The smell is something for the poor residents to put up with and it's really difficult after they've gone through a period of drought and then the floods. 'They've had a really tough time.' The fish began washing up from late last month as floodwaters receded and the region was hit by repeated heatwaves. The mass fish kills were likely caused by low levels of dissolved oxygen in the water, known as hypoxic blackwater, which has been exacerbated by the extreme conditions. The EPA's regulatory operations director, Carmen Dwyer, explained how the excavation team would use two types of booms to sweep the river. She said this would ensure officials can collect both the carcasses on the surface and those already sinking. The official also explained how the EPA had already begun sampling fish for toxicology reports and she would be analysing more back in Sydney. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Tuesday that the country would hold a general election in May, as his government faces widespread anger over a train disaster that killed 57 people in February. 'I can tell you with certainty that the elections will take place in May,' he said in an interview with TV channel Alpha. According to local media the collision between two trains, which has led to nationwide protests since 1 March, has stunned Greece into pushing back the planned early-April election until May. The conservative government's mandate expires in early July. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis visits the site of a crash, where two trains collided, near the city of Larissa, Greece, 1 March, 2023 Protestors carry a placard depicting Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis with a red 'X' sign as they demonstrate during a 24-hour nationwide strike over the country's deadliest train disaster last month, Athens, Greece, 16 March, 2023 Image shows the devastation caused by the collision of a passenger train and a freight train On 28 February, a high-speed passenger train with more than 350 people on board hit a freight train head on at speeds thought to be up to 100 miles per hour. Passengers were caught in a blaze of temperatures reaching up to 1,300 C, with 57 dying from the accident. Since the collision near Tempi, Larissa, at the end of February, 2.5 million protestors have taken to the streets to voice their anger. Most of the victims were university students returning from a long holiday weekend. Many blame the crash on government underinvestment in the railways, a consequence of austerity between 2010 and 2017, and the train operator. A station master was charged with the deaths as a result of the collision, through negligence and causing grievous bodily harm through negligence. He blamed the crash on a technical fault when arrested before admitting to 'making a mistake'. In the weeks since, Greece has been subject to a number of train strikes, school walk-outs and civilian demonstrations demanding reform. The rail workers' union said in a statement earlier this month: 'Pain has turned into anger for the dozens of dead and wounded colleagues and fellow citizens.' They had warned previously: 'The federation has been sounding alarm bells for so many years, but it has never been taken seriously.' Ongoing demonstrations have struck a massive blow to Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and his government ahead of the elections. The government of Greece has sought EU funding to make safety upgrades to the rail network, announced 6 March. But unions have extended their strikes, blaming cost-cutting and under-investment on the government. On 21 March, the drivers union PEPE called on the rail operator for better monitoring of rail crossings, improved tunnel lighting, bridge inspection data and the removal of debris and from tracks. A petrol bomb explodes next to riot police during a demonstration, after a collision between two trains, near the city of Larissa, in Athens, Greece on 5 March Riot policemen walk past flames during a rally marking a nationwide 24-hour strike following a deadly train crash that claimed the lives of at least 57 people, in Athens, Greece, 8 March A protester throws a flare towards riot police during a rally marking a nationwide 24-hour strike, in Thessaloniki, Greece, 8 March 2023 A sign depicting Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is carried during a demonstration following the fatal collision of two trains, near the city of Larissa, in Athens, Greece, 8 March Mitsotakis has been in power since July 2019. His liberal-conservative party, New Democracy, was in opposition during the first phase of the Greek government debt crisis, 2009-11, in the aftermath of the 2008 global financial crisis. New Democracy made a coalition government between 2012 and 2015, aimed at relieving the crisis. Mitsotakis has led New Democracy in government since 2019. His term has been defined mostly by the pandemic, for which he was broadly praised, and recovery since. The Economist named Greece its 2022 Top Economic Performer as it was able to repay $2.87bn of loans to the EU ahead of schedule. Greece's Gini coefficient - which measures inequality - has steadily creeped up since 2019, however, reversing a downward trend. Reporters Without Borders have also reported the county's press freedom has suffered significant setbacks in the last two years. In 2022, Transparency Index gave Greece a corruption score of 52/100, a relative indicator of corruption between nations. This figure has steadily increased from 40/100 in 2014 and has averaged 49.5 over the four years of this government. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis (2-R) and Greek Minister of Infrastructure & Transport Kostas Karamanlis (L) at the scene of a train collision, near Larissa city, Greece, 1 March Firefighters work in the aftermath of a train collision near Larissa, Greece, 3 March 2023 Firefighters and paramedics worked to save passengers from the train, which carried 350 Police and emergency crews examine the debris of a crushed wagon on the second day after a train accident in the Tempi Valley near Larissa, Greece, 2 March 2023 Greece's transport minister resigned after the disaster, while the stationmaster on duty during the accident and three other railway officials have been charged and face possible life sentences. Three days ago, the Prime Minister's office also said police chief Constantinos Skoumas had been sacked less than two months after starting the role. No specific cause was given, but the office said his replacement would aim to introduce 'a more positive and efficient implementation of modern police operational plans on citizen safety'. In protests last week, riot police were filmed charging at peaceful demonstrators. Tear gas has also been used to dispel large groups of people gathering in response to the accident. China's President Xi Jinping told a grinning Vladimir Putin 'change is coming' in an ominous parting message as he departed Moscow last night following talks with his Russian counterpart. 'Change is coming that hasn't happened in 100 years. And we are driving this change together,' Xi told Putin via his interpreter words sure to set alarm bells ringing in the West. 'Please, take care, dear friend,' he added, gripping the Kremlin leader's hand warmly before being waved off by the Russian despot, who bid Xi a 'safe journey'. After the two leaders hailed a 'new era', Xi's plane left Moscow's Vnukovo airport on Wednesday. He was seen off by a guard of honour who played the Russian and Chinese national anthems, Russia's RIA Novosti news agency said. In February 2022, the pair announced they had forged a 'no limits' friendship and Putin invited Xi to visit the Russian capital. They have since publicly talked of strengthening their 'special relationship', with Moscow and Beijing both rejecting what they say are US attempts to create a 'unipolar world' controlled by Washington. 'Change is coming that hasn't happened in 100 years. And we are driving this change together,' Xi told Putin as the pair bid farewell at the Kremlin on Tuesday evening 'Please, take care, dear friend,' Xi added, gripping Putin's hand warmly before being waved off by the Russian despot, who bid Xi a 'safe journey' Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping leave after a reception in honor of the Chinese leader's visit to Moscow After the two leaders hailed a 'new era', Xi's plane left Moscow's Vnukovo airport on Wednesday (pictured). He was seen off by a guard of honour who played the Russian and Chinese national anthems, Russia's RIA Novosti news agency said Xi finally met Putin at the Kremlin yesterday, with both leaders appearing keen to promote their positive relations. They signed a series of memorandums and agreements designed to boost bilateral co-operation on a number of issues, and were pictured coiffing champagne together in the Kremlin's Palace of the Facets as Xi invited his Russian counterpart to visit China later this year. Their unsettling farewell message came just hours after Putin vowed to respond to British plans to send ammunition containing depleted uranium to Ukraine as Moscow warned the risk of a 'nuclear collision' was increasing. The Russian despot raged against Britain's decision to provide Kyiv's troops with Challenger 2 battle tanks and depleted uranium ammunition, arguing it marked a step towards using weapons with a 'nuclear component'. Tank shells containing the radioactive material are more dense, enhancing their capability to penetrate thick layers of armour. But depleted uranium can cause serious radiation damage if it enters the body - for example through shrapnel or inhalation from explosions - and is linked to increased instances of cancer and other illnesses in warzones. Speaking after talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping in the Russian capital, Putin said he will be 'forced to react' if the UK goes ahead with its delivery of 14 next-generation battle tanks. 'The United Kingdom announced not only the supply of tanks to Ukraine, but also shells with depleted uranium,' Putin seethed. 'If this happens, Russia will be forced to respond accordingly, given that the West collectively is already beginning to use weapons with a nuclear component. It looks like the West indeed intends to fight Russia until the last Ukrainian,' added. Britain in kind accused Putin of peddling deliberate disinformation regarding his 'nuclear component' claims, with the MoD pointing out that 'the British Army has used depleted uranium in its armour piercing shells for decades. It is a standard component and has nothing to do with nuclear weapons or capabilities'. Russian politicians and Putin's propagandists have made a series of combative remarks since the invasion of Ukraine last year, suggesting Moscow would - if necessary - be prepared to deploy its vast nuclear arsenal. Putin also joined XI in condemning the security pact known as AUKUS that will see Australia develop a nuclear-powered submarine program with the United States and Britain. Russian President Vladimir Putin and China's President Xi Jinping leave after a reception following their talks at the Kremlin in Moscow on March 21, 2023 Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Chinese President Xi Jinping toast during their dinner at The Palace of the Facets, a building in the Moscow Kremlin, Russia, Tuesday, March 21, 2023 Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, deliver his speech as Russian President Vladimir Putin listens to him during their dinner at The Palace of the Facets in the Moscow Kremlin, Russia, Tuesday, March 21, 2023 Speaking after talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping (pictured together), Putin said the move heralds the West switching to supplying Kyiv with weapons containing nuclear components, adding that Moscow will 'respond' if the UK goes ahead with its delivery of 14 next-generation battle tanks Vladimir Putin today (pictured in the Kremlin) vowed to 'respond' to Britain's plans to send ammunition to Ukraine that contains depleted uranium as Moscow warned there are 'fewer and fewer steps' to a nuclear collision Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky meet Ukrainian troops being trained to command Challenger 2 tanks at a military facility on February 8, 2023 in Lulworth, Dorset, on February 8 Russia's Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu reiterated Putin's point today and warned the world is just mere 'steps' away from nuclear disaster. 'Another step has been taken, and there are fewer and fewer left,' Shoigu said. When asked whether this meant that the world was closer to a nuclear collision, he replied: 'It was not by chance that I told you about steps. There are fewer and fewer.' But Conservative MP and British army veteran Bob Seely dismissed Putin and Shoigu's statements as a simple intimidation tactic. 'Russia uses nuclear threats to try to intimidate. Moscow did this in the Cold War and sadly the Kremlin is doing it again now,' he said. 'Putin's primary political aim is to undermine the link between Ukraine and its Western allies that are supplying Kyiv with funding and arms. If he can break that link, he believes he could eventually grind Ukraine down and win a victory that his troops have not been able to win on the battlefields in southern and eastern Ukraine. 'What's worrying is that Russia is now increasing the level of nuclear threat rhetoric. Is this because President Xi has left Moscow, or because he is giving his blessing to it? China's role here is important. 'Putin's rhetoric is likely to be just that, but we do not know that he is bluffing and therefore we need to assume he may use nuclear weapons. If we take his threat seriously, and everything we can to deter him, we make it less likely that he will use them, but for sure we live in dangerous times and we need to be honest about that. We cannot just assume he is bluffing. 'What is also clear is that the longer this war goes on, the more dangerous it will become. Therefore, the least dangerous option is to arm Ukraine to win this war this year, or at least push Russia onto the defensive... Arming Ukraine remains the least bad option.' Depleted uranium is used in weapons because it can penetrate tanks and armour more easily due to its density and other physical properties. It is a by-product of the nuclear enriching process used to make nuclear fuel or nuclear weapons. It is around 60 percent as radioactive as natural uranium. Depleted uranium is a particular health risk around impact sites, where dust can get into people's lungs and vital organs. The use of tank shells containing the radioactive material has been linked to increased cancer risk and increased rates of birth defects in warzones. Despite this, many countries have stockpiles of depleted uranium ammunition including Russia, the US and the UK. On Monday, UK junior Defence Minister Annabel Goldie wrote: 'Alongside our granting of a squadron of Challenger 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine, we will be providing ammunition, including armor-piercing rounds which contain depleted uranium. Such rounds are highly effective in defeating modern tanks and armored vehicles.' Conservative MP and British army veteran Bob Seely dismissed Putin and Shoigu's statements as a simple intimidation tactic A thousand UK service personnel are deploying to run a training programme giving 10,000 volunteer recruits from Ukraine, with little to no military experience, the skills to be effective in frontline combat. Other recruits are being trained in how to operate Challenger 2 tanks (pictured) Ukrainian recruits are taught how to maintain a Driver Tank Trainer (DTT) armoured vehicle at a military facility, on February 23, 2023 Weapons expert Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, former commander of Britain's Royal Tank Regiment, said it was 'reckless' of Putin 'to try and suggest Britain is sending nuclear material' to Ukraine. Russia and China's joint statement on the war in Ukraine 'The Russian side positively assesses the objective and unbiased position of the Chinese side on the Ukrainian question. The parties are opposed to any states and their blocs damaging the legitimate security interests of other states in order to obtain military, political and other advantages. The Chinese side positively assesses the willingness of the Russian side to make efforts to restart peace talks as soon as possible. Russia welcomes China's readiness to play a positive role in a political-diplomatic settlement of the Ukrainian crisis and the constructive ideas set forth in the document drawn up by the Chinese side 'On China's Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukrainian Crisis.' The parties note that in order to resolve the Ukrainian crisis, it is necessary to respect the legitimate concerns of all countries in the field of security and prevent the formation of bloc confrontation, and halt actions that further fuel the conflict. The parties stress that responsible dialogue is the best way for a sustainable resolution of the Ukrainian crisis, and the international community should support constructive efforts in this regard. The parties call for an end to all steps that contribute to the escalation of tension and prolongation of hostilities, to avoid further degradation of the crisis to the point where it could cross over into an uncontrollable phase. The parties oppose all unilateral sanctions imposed in circumvention of the U.N. Security Council.' Advertisement He said depleted uranium is a common component of tank rounds, possibly even used by Russia. 'Putin insinuating that they are some sort of nuclear weapon is bonkers,' de Bretton-Gordon said. 'Depleted uranium is completely inert. There is no way that you could create a nuclear reaction or a nuclear explosion with depleted uranium.' 'Naturally, Russia has something to answer this with,' Shoigu told reporters when asked about the ammunition. Earlier, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called the plan the 'Yugoslavia scenario', saying the ammunition caused cancer and infected the environment. It comes as Xi said on Tuesday he had signed an agreement with Putin bringing their ties into a 'new era' - in a move that will be met with apprehension in Ukraine as Kyiv fears China may ultimately decide to supply its strategic ally with arms, influencing the outcome of the war. 'We signed a statement on deepening the strategic partnership and bilateral ties which are entering a new era,' Xi said following talks with Putin in the Kremlin. 'The parties express great concern over the ongoing strengthening of NATO's ties with the countries of the Asia-Pacific region on military and security issues,' China and Russia said. Putin also claimed that China's 12-point 'peace plan' could provide a basis for the end to the Ukraine war - a move that has been met with scepticism in Kyiv and the West, with world leaders questioning the real motive behind Beijing's plan for peace. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said today that Kyiv has invited China to talks and is waiting for an answer from Beijing. 'We offered China to become a partner in the implementation of the peace formula. We passed over our formula across all channels. We invite you to dialogue. We are waiting for your answer,' Zelensky told a press conference, adding that: 'We are receiving some signals, but there are no specifics yet'. China has not offered any concrete proposals to end the war other than its 12-point 'peace plan' which included calling for an end to Western sanctions, negotiations that would see Ukraine ceding territory, a NATO pull-back from its eastern borders and reconstruction efforts that are likely to benefit Chinese contractors. Beijing insists it is a neutral broker in Ukraine, and Xi said Tuesday after his talks with Putin: 'We adhere to a principled and objective position on the Ukrainian crisis based on the goals and principles of the UN Charter.' But despite its calls for peace, Beijing has continued to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Russia and parroted the Kremlin's talking points about NATO expansionism. In a scathing speech on Monday, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken also voiced scepticism over Xi's 'peace' proposals aimed at ending the war in Ukraine, warning they could be a 'stalling tactic' to help Russian troops on the ground. 'The world should not be fooled by any tactical move by Russia, supported by China or any other country, to freeze the war on its own terms,' Blinken said. Blinken added that Xi's trip suggests that Beijing does not think that Putin should not be held accountable for atrocities committed in Ukraine by Russian forces. It came after the International Criminal Court on Friday called for Putin's arrest and accused the despot of committing war crimes by abducting Ukrainian children from their homes and deporting them to Russia to be given to Russian families. Putin warmly welcomed Xi on Monday for a three-day visit the two major powers described as an opportunity to deepen their 'no-limits friendship'. Putin is keen to show he has a heavyweight ally and also find a market for Russian energy products under western sanctions. Russia's deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov accused NATO of wanting to become the world's dominant military force and said Moscow is trying to prevent it. 'That is why we are expanding our cooperation with China, including in the security sphere,' he said. This is the dramatic moment a Russian fighter jet intercepted a pair of US nuclear bombers over the Baltic Sea, just days after an American drone was downed Dramatic footage, purportedly captured from the Su-35, appeared to confirm this on Tuesday. In the video captured from close-range, it showed one of the two American aircraft soaring above the clouds (pictured) Two US B-52 Stratofortress aircraft (left) were intercepted by a Russian Sukhoi Su-35 (right). Here's how they stack up against eachother Western officials 'have seen some signs' that Mr Putin also wants lethal weapons from China, though there is no evidence Beijing has granted his request, Nato secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg said in Brussels on Tuesday. 'China should not provide lethal aid to Russia,' Mr Stoltenberg said. 'That would be to support an illegal war and only prolong the war.' It comes after a Russian fighter jet intercepted a pair of US nuclear bombers over the Baltic Sea, just days after an American drone was downed. Russia's defence ministry said a single Su-35 was scrambled to meet the B-52 strategic bombers that were flying towards the Russian border on Monday, but that it returned to base after they moved away following a tense standoff. The development came as Moscow said it had flown two of its own nuclear bombers over the Sea of Japan for more than seven hours, in a statement released as Japan's prime minister was beginning a surprise visit to Ukraine - and as China's premier Xi Jinping continues his own visit to Moscow. Russia's Tupolev Tu-95MS planes are capable of carrying nuclear weapons and Moscow regularly flies them over international waters in the Arctic, North Atlantic and Pacific as a show of strength and as an intimidation tactic. It also followed the March 14 crash of a US military surveillance drone into the Black Sea after it was intercepted by Russian jets, in the first known direct military encounter between Russia and the US since Russia invaded Ukraine. 'On March 20, radar facilities of the air defence forces of the Western military district on duty over the Baltic Sea detected two air targets flying in the direction of the Russian Federation's state border,' the ministry said on the Telegram messaging app. It said the targets were US Air Force B52H strategic bombers. Dramatic footage, purportedly captured from the Su-35, appeared to confirm this on Tuesday. In the video captured from close-range, it showed one of the two American aircraft soaring above the clouds. Earlier, the two US planes were seen being escorted by Polish fighter jets. Flightradar24 plotted the route of a B52 Stratofortress bomber across Europe on Monday, saying it was flying at 26,500ft. The route tracked across Spain from south to north, skirted around France, before flying over Britain. It then went out into the north sea, crossed Denmark, flew up into Sweden and then down into Poland, before following the Baltic Sea up to Estonia, before turning back on itself to fly back towards Sweden. Russia said a Su-35 fighter jet took to the air in order to prevent a border violation, and added, 'after the foreign military aircraft moved away from the Russian Federation state border, the Russian fighter returned to its base airfield.' The ministry said the Su-35's flight was strictly in line with international rules of the use of airspace. 'No violation of the state border of the Russian Federation was permitted,' it said. They say teachers are using half a million children as 'leverage' for better pay Parents are struggling to figure out what to do with their kids for two more days Los Angeles Unified School District teachers are preparing for another day out of the classroom Wednesday in an ongoing three-day strike Parents who are struggling to figure out what to do with their children due to a three-day teachers strike in Los Angeles have slammed officials for being unable to come to an agreement. Working moms and dads - already angry at having to keep their children at home, after nearly two years out of the classroom due to COVID - expressed outrage at one video of striking teachers dancing in the rain during the first day of action. They called out the educators and employees on social media for failing families, saying they are using nearly 500,000 young people as 'leverage' in their own battle for better pay and other benefits. 'What about those parents who work at restaurants, warehouses, retail etc who dont allow children? Trying to juggle kids while not being fired is stressful to many,' wrote Helen Yesenia Ramos. 'Working parents should not be struggling,' Ramos, who is a parent of LAUSD students, said on Facebook. The strike has caused ripples in the lives of so many residents that venues like the Los Angeles Zoo have offered free entry for students and reduced admission for parents looking for something to do with their child. Upset parents whose children were forced to stay out of school Tuesday slammed one video of teachers dancing in the rain during the strike Parents like Rachel Elder (left) and Helen Ramos (right) have taken to speaking with local news outlets and sharing social media posts to discuss the disruption the strike has caused 'Those government officials... need to come up with better solutions in situations like this. Working parents should not be struggling,' said Helen Ramos, a parent Other parents on social media called for the groups to stop using children as 'leverage' in their battle over pay and labor practices In the video posted to Twitter Tuesday evening, teachers and even some young children are seen wearing ponchos and holding umbrellas as they dance. While some applauded at the video, others did not view it with kind eyes. 'Dancing around while children sit around unsupervised at home. Definitely on the right side of history!' said one person on Twitter. 'Or, you could go back and teach the poor kids who lost out on 18 months of education in your district,' wrote another user. More than 1,000 public schools are closed across the area. According to a union representative with Service Employees International Union, Local 99 (SEIU 99), the strike will end Thursday and classes will resume Friday. While some applauded at the video of the teachers dancing, others did not view it with kind eyes The video shows the educators dancing in the rain while holding umbrellas 'Or, you could go back and teach the poor kids who lost out on 18 months of education in your district,' wrote one Twitter in response Another video of teachers and staff dancing was shared by Newsweek This map shows the schools throughout the Los Angeles area closed during the strike The strike is slated to end on Friday after three days, officials said In addition to pay and health care benefits, the group is calling out LAUSD on 'unfair practices' The sentiment carried over to Facebook where parents expressed their outrage and sadness over children losing out on days worth of schooling. 'Do your job and get to the negotiating table. You are the ones failing the families that attend LAUSD Schools,' wrote one commenter on SEIU 99's post about the strike. Dustin Bowen, who identifies himself as a California resident in his Facebook profile, said: 'Im disgusted by this LAUSD strike starting Tuesday. This was supposed to be the first normal school year since the 2018-2019 school year.' 'The children of Los Angeles arent leverage for political agendas or wage negotiations. The kids have been through enough the last three years,' he continued. 'I agree that the school district should pay school staff members more, but not at the expense of children,' Bowen wrote in a Facebook post Tuesday. Rachel Elder, a mom who took her son to an Echo Park rec center for the day, told NBC 4 she felt that she had no other choice. 'It was either working from home with my son playing video games and not have anything to do or it was finding some pod of people that might be in the same boat,' Elder said. LAUSD is the second largest school district in the United States, just behind New York City Public Schools which has more than one million students. Some parents have been forced to take advantage of free and reduced admission to places like the Los Angeles Zoo, the Natural History Museum in Exposition Park and the La Brea Tar Pits, and the Petersen Museum. Many parents are still struggling with childcare and some with meal coverage for students who rely on LAUSD for food throughout the week. 'Im disgusted by this LAUSD strike starting Tuesday. This was supposed to be the first normal school year since the 2018-2019 school year' wrote Dustin Bowen, who identifies himself on Facebook as a California resident. The La Brea Tar Pits is offering admission to students impacted by the strike The Peterson Automotive Museum is offering free admission to students 17 and under Local libraries are offering extended hours and programs for children The Natural History Museum at the La Brea Tar Pits is also offering admission The Los Angeles Zoo is currently offering free admission to students and reduced price admission for accompanying adults According to SEIU 99, the union alongside UTLA are working toward better pay and fighting against concerning practices. Last month, after SEUI workers voted to authorize a strike, the district allegedly subjected employees to 'surveillance, intimidation, and harassment' as the negotiation process was slated to begin. 'This afternoon, SEIU Local 99 had agreed to enter a confidential mediation process with LAUSD to try and address our differences. Unfortunately, LAUSD broke that confidentiality by sharing it with the media before our bargaining team, which makes all decisions, had a chance to discuss how to proceed,' SEIU officials said. The group says LAUSD has a history of 'continued disrespect of school workers' and the strike was their clear and only option. Protests involving thousands of educators and school employees took place across the greater Los Angeles area Tuesday as some 65,000 workers did not have to go into LAUSD schools. In the rain, members of SEIU 99 and UTLA arched around while showing off signs with messages that decried the district for not adhering to their demands. 'I voted to strike for quality schools, better lives!' one of many messages plastered on the numerous protesters' signs read, with another insisting the non-teacher school workers 'keep schools safe.' 'Respect us!' the picket sign added. Among their major requests, SEIU are asking for a 30 percent pay raise, increased employment hours for part-time workers, a $20-an-hour minimum wage, and full health care benefits for those working at least four hours a day. Staff of Los Angeles's only public school district went on strike on Tuesday, shutting down the country's second-largest school system in the process The protests comes after their latest round of negotiations for increased pay with the LA Unified School District schools fell flat last week, opening the door for more than half a million kids to miss school Some were seen descending to their respective schools, while others flocked to the district's bus yard while refusing to start their day Low-wage workers including custodians and bus drivers were joined by teachers in solidarity, and aired a series of rallying cries such as 'Whose house? Our house!' Members of Service Employees International Union Local 99 - the group who had been engaged in the talks - were among those marching in the cold rain Tuesday Superintendent Carvahlo decried the possibility of a strike, citing the prolonged campus closures that interrupted students' learning during the pandemic LAUSD's superintendent, Alberto Carvalho, said he has tried to negotiate with the union in good faith. 'Under California law, we cannot drive the school system into a bankruptcy position. We cannot drive the school system into a red position. And if we were to acquiesce to all the demands, that is exactly where we would be, that is not legally allowable,' Carvalho told CNN. The superintendent says he is 'eagerly awaiting' SEIU's counter proposal and that administration officials are focused on bringing kids back to school. 'We should not be depriving our students of an opportunity to learn,' Carvalho said. SEIU officials fought back against Carvalho's statements, however, saying they had no choice but to strike in order to force change. 'If the district doesnt realize that our members are valuable once they stop working, then nothings really gonna change,' a union rep said. 'Ultimately, what were seeking is improving the schools equity in schools. Thats what were seeking,' the rep continued. Qantas is rolling out an upgraded in-flight menu which dishes up new meals for regional, domestic and international travellers. The new food options have just become available on flights within Australia and will appear on international routes from March 29 offering 'seasonal ingredients with plant-based options' to coincide with Autumn. The 'multi-million dollar' changes will see larger portions in addition to the new menu items and a focus on sourcing 'premium high-quality ingredients from Australian producers'. The new dishes include Korean chilli and garlic chicken in economy, ice cream for premium economy, seared snapper with black bean sauce for business class, and for those in first class, Calvisius caviar on buckwheat blinis. The menu expansion follows another revamp in October of the domestic economy menu to reinstate vegetarian options after they were removed. Seared Glacier 51 Toothfish with Saffron Sauce, Steamed Potatoes and Braised Fennel will feature on the new menu (a version with zucchini ribbon is pictured) Qantas is overhauling its in-flight menu as part of upgrades to the airline which has seen a run of negative publicity (file image) Along with the in-flight menu overhaul, Qantas lounges will also get new food. The airline said as it returns to profit it is investing $100million in upgrading its customer offering - which will also include expansion to the lounges, aircraft renewals, and new routes. Qantas Group Chief Customer Officer, Markus Svensson said the menu changes would take the inflight dining experience to a new level. 'Premium food and wine is one of the top three reasons our customers choose to fly with Qantas, so this significant boost means we will be able further our efforts to deliver a world-class experience in the sky,' said Mr Svensson. 'We are proud to work with established and emerging Australian food and wine producers to offer the best possible dining experience to our customers.' The menu is overseen by top Australian chef Neil Perry who has worked with the airline since the late 90s. 'We are spoilt for choice in Australia when it comes to being able to source top quality food from fantastic Australian producers, and together with generous servings and great service, these are the key ingredients to creating an enjoyable meal,' said Mr Perry. 'Over time, it's been fantastic to see a broader curiosity around international cuisines and plant-based dining, which has allowed us to become more adventurous with our menus,' added Mr Perry. Crumbed Margra Lamb Cutlets with Lemon Myrtle Celeriac Puree will be an in-flight option for first-class international flights The airline is spending $100million to upgrade it's menus, lounges, planes and routes Dark chocolate cream with caramel pear and chocolate pearls is available for international business class flights One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has blasted the push for Australians to pay weekly rent to Indigenous groups based on their ancestral claims to the land. She branded the movement - backed by Aboriginal senator Lidia Thorpe - an 'outrageous' money grab based on greed and 'racist identity victim politics'. In a blistering attack in Parliament, Senator Hanson savaged the 'Pay The Rent' movement supported by Senator Thorpe and feminist writer Clementine Ford. 'The idea that Australians should pay rent for living in their own country is offensive,' she said in a speech to the Senate on Monday. 'It's based on the idea that only Aborigines own Australia. They don't. Australia belongs to all Australians.' One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has blasted proposals for Australians to pay a weekly rent to Indigenous groups based on their ancestral claims to the land Senator branded the plan - backed by First Nations senator Lidia Thorpe (pictured) - as an 'outrageous' money grab based on greed and 'racist identity victim politics' She insisted that anyone born in Australia has equal claim to the ownership of the country, regardless of heritage. 'We have all contributed to this country and we all share in its achievements, failures, resources, disasters, virtues, values and shortcomings,' she said. 'The only good thing about the race-based rent idea is that the activists who want it reveal their true motivation. Its not about justice or redress. Its just about money other peoples money. Its just about their greed. 'If this mob succeed in their bid for a race-based Voice to Parliament, its only a matter of time before this idea is on the political agenda. 'Its only a matter of time before non-aboriginal Australians are forced to pay yet more tax a race-based rent tax.' She claimed that system would be abused and the money diverted away to administrators and bureaucrats. 'As usual, the Aboriginal industry will keep all the money and truly disadvantaged Aborigines in remote communities will continue to suffer poverty, unemployment and crime,' she said. 'One Nation calls on all sensible Australians to reject this discrimination. 'We urge the government to audit the Aboriginal industry, and to finally act to fix the real problems in Aboriginal communities.' The 'Pay the Rent' movement wants homeowners to pay a percentage of their income to a body led by Aboriginal elders without any government oversight. One per cent of weekly wages is the level suggested by Robbie Thorpe, a veteran Aboriginal rights activist from Melbourne who ran a similar scheme in Fitzroy in the 1990s. The 'Pay the Rent' model proposes homeowners would pay a percentage of their income to a body led by Aboriginal elders without any government oversight Luke Currie-Richardson says the 'Pay the Rent' would work as a type of land tax, based only on those Australians who own property paying rent to the traditional owners of that land Under the suggested one per cent - with the median Australian employee's earnings of $1,250 per week - it would cost each Aussie around $12.50 a week, or around $650 a year. Mr Thorpe aaid the rent scheme is 'a rational, reasonable, responsible means of reconciling 200 years of unchecked genocide, as far as I'm concerned'. Proponents say it could then be extended to all users of the land, with people holding weddings or organising concerts also encouraged to hand over money. On the eve of Australia Day, Senator Thorpe said: 'It assists sovereign grassroots fight the many campaigns and struggles we face everyday. 'Pay the rent from grassroots for grassroots. No strings attached to government agenda. ' Author Clementine Ford added: 'We need to stop paying lip service to decolonisation and start paying the rent to the First Nations people.' Senator Thorpe's office declined to comment on Senator Hanson's remarks, adding: 'We don't respond to racist rhetoric.' Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has a unique pension deal that allows him to avoid tax on his savings, despite being a vocal critic of the Governments pensions shake-up for big earners, it was claimed last night. Sir Keir criticised Chancellor Jeremy Hunts plans announced in last weeks Budget to abolish the tax-free limit on pensions savings, which had stood at 1.07 million, describing it as a huge giveaway to some of the very wealthiest. But The Telegraph claimed that Sir Keir is himself exempt from tax rules he would apply to other workers who save more than 1 million, under a special arrangement with the Government from his time as Director of Public Prosecutions for England and Wales between 2008 and 2013. He was last night accused of hypocrisy over the set-up. Sir Iain Duncan Smith, the former work and pensions secretary, said: Politicians who take policy positions should recognise that complaining that others benefit, while they themselves have also benefited, is as close to hypocrisy as it is possible to get. Labour leader Keir Starmer during a press conference at the Labour party headquarters in central London This makes a mockery of the current Labour Party position. Fellow Tory MP Kieran Mullan said: This is brazen hypocrisy from Sir Keir Starmer. While Starmer benefits from a bespoke public sector pension with no lifetime cap, he wants to re-introduce a cap for everyone else. Sir Keir should come clean and explain why he should benefit from an uncapped pension pot, but other public servants shouldnt. The Labour leader has pledged to force other wealthy savers to be subject to a cap on their pension savings and last night led a Parliamentary attempt to overturn the centrepiece of Mr Hunt's Budget. Sir Keir has vowed to reverse it if Labour wins the next general election. The Telegraph reported that Sir Keirs civil service pension is not large enough to incur a tax charge under the pension cap system on its own, and he has not paid into it since 2013. Under the current system, almost all taxpayers must pay rates of 25 per cent on money taken as income, or 55 per cent on a lump sum, on any sums over 1.07million. But under Sir Keir's arrangement, any money he saved while serving as DPP does not count towards his total. A Labour spokesperson said: The pension rules for the Director of Public Prosecution are set by the government of the day, not the DPP themselves. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre declined to reveal President Joe Biden's stance on federal reparations for black descendants of slaves, saying the administration feels the issue is best left to Congress. At a press briefing on Tuesday, a reporter asked Jean-Pierre where the Biden administration stands 'on reparations for slavery, and segregation, and similar historic wrongs' specifically affecting black people in the US. 'We think Congress is the appropriate venue for consideration on such action, and so we're going to leave it there for Congress to decide,' she responded, referring to a recently re-introduced federal bill to study the reparations issue. The press secretary strongly defended Biden's record on and commitment to racial justice issues, adding, 'but as it relates to the legislation, we want to leave that in the hands of Congress.' In January, Senator Cory Booker, a New Jersey Democrat, re-introduced S.40, legislation that would establish a federal commission to consider proposals for reparations for African American descendants of slavery. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Tuesday the Biden administration feels the issue of reparations for slavery is best left to Congress Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, a Texas Democrat, introduced a companion bill in the House, which would allocate $12 million to fund the study. The same legislation previously failed to make it out of committee in 2021, when Democrats controlled the Senate and House, and appears unlikely to succeed in the currently divided Congress. When the reparations bill was first floated two years ago, the White House said Biden supported the idea of studying the issue, but stopped short of saying whether he would sign the legislation. Still, reparations for slavery have been a topic of growing political significance and divisive debate as a number of cities and states pursue their own proposals on the issue. It wasn't until George Floyd, a black man, was murdered by a Minneapolis police officer in 2020 that reparations movements began gaining significant traction across the country. San Francisco's proposals are by far the most wide-ranging, after a city-appointed reparations committee issued more than 100 recommendations, which received an enthusiastic response at a hearing earlier this month. The proposals include payments of $5 million to every eligible black adult, the elimination of personal debt and tax burdens, guaranteed annual incomes of at least $97,000 for 250 years, and homes in San Francisco for just $1 a family. The Board of Supervisors who heard the suggestions can vote to adopt some or all of the recommendations. There is no deadline for the decision, but the board will next take up the issue at a meeting in September. Demonstrators with the Reparationist Collective gather at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC to demand reparations for slavery in February 2021 Protesters met at Atlanta's CNN Center for a march to demand reparations for systematic injustices imposed on black people in July 2020 A crowd listens to speakers at a reparations rally outside of City Hall in San Francisco at a hearing on reparations earlier this month San Francisco's draft reparations plan, released in December, is unmatched nationwide in its specificity and breadth. The committee hasn't done an analysis of the cost of the proposals, but critics have slammed the plan as financially ruinous and politically impossible. An estimate from Stanford University's Hoover Institution, which leans conservative, has said it would cost each non-black family in the city at least $600,000. John Dennis, head of the Republican Party in San Francisco, slammed the proposal as irresponsible because it was impossible to finance. 'It's completely unserious and aside from being a massive waste of time, it's also a complete distraction,' he told AFP. 'The city's (annual) budget is $14 billion. They're talking about spending $50 billion. It's preposterous.' But Amos Brown of the NAACP, a group that campaigns for racial justice, said headline figures were not helpful. 'Relegating this issue to a fight over $5 million is wrong and dishonest,' he told AFP. 'It doesn't demonstrate all the terror and pain we have suffered. My position is that for all we've been through it's about $5 million plus specific programs' to bolster economic development, housing, health and education, he said. Supervisor Shamann Walton, middle left, speaks during a special Board of Supervisors hearing about reparations in San Francisco on March 14 Several supervisors said they were surprised to hear pushback even from politically liberal San Franciscans. 'Those of my constituents who lost their minds about this proposal, it's not something we're doing or we would do for other people,' said Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, whose district includes the heavily LGBTQ Castro neighborhood, at this month's hearing. 'It's something we would do for our future, for everybody's collective future,' he added. In 2020, California became the first state to form a reparations task force and is still struggling to put a price tag on what would be owed. A number of cities are also studying potential reparations strategies, including Boston; St. Louis; St. Paul, Minnesota; Asheville, North Carolina and Providence, Rhode Island. Meanwhile, the Illinois city of Evanston has been helping residents who suffered from historic racist housing policies. Its grants have paid off a few mortgages, but also stoked divisions between winners and losers. The chaotic scene took place at a Hoppers Crossing home Two men have been shot and another stabbed in a burglary Two men have been shot and another man stabbed during an aggravated burglary at a suburban Melbourne home. A car rammed into the garage of a house on Bayview Crescent in the southwest suburb of Hoppers Crossing around 8:45pm on Tuesday, according to police. A fight then broke out between a group of men inside the vehicle and the occupants of the property. Two men, aged 23 and 19, were shot and another man, 29, suffered knife wounds during the brawl. All three were taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Two men have been shot and another man was stabbed during an aggravated burglary in Melbourne (stock image) Four men have been arrested. Detectives believe the incident was a targeted attack. Police cordoned off a section of Bayview Crescent on Wednesday morning, as officers conduct a number of reassurance patrols over the coming days. The property's garage was busted and a window was damaged after the brawl, according to the Herald Sun. Detectives from the armed crime squad are investigating. Anyone who witness the event or has information can call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. Do you know this protestor? Email will.potter@mailonline.com Despite siding with Trump supporters, the protestor was caught with an anarchist tattoo on his neck in images from earlier in the day An Antifa infiltrator was spotted confronting protestors in New York as they gathered in anticipation of Donald Trump's potential arrest A protestor was caught whipping Trump supporters into a frenzy in Manhattan, just moments after he covered an 'anarchist' tattoo commonly worn by Antifa agitators. Leading a chant of 'Let's go Trump!', the man started questioning another protestor's allegiance to the former president - ahead of his potential indictment by Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg. Not long before leading the frenzy, he was spotted by a photojournalist on the scene hiding a tattoo of the anarchist 'A' symbol emblazoned on his neck. The suspicious appearance comes after years of speculation from Trump's base that Antifa instigators join their events to incite violence. Trump loyalists have gathered outside of Trump Tower in midtown Manhattan, pictured on Monday afternoon, as rumors of his impending indictment escalate The scenes erupted after a man, dressed similarly to the notorious 'Q-Anon Shaman' from the January 6 riots, was swarmed by furious protestors for apparently faking his support for Donald Trump. The individual with an anarchist tattoo ordered him prove he was not 'wearing a wire', while several others joined in and accused him of being 'a plant'. While the 'shaman' bore his chest and fired back, 'Do you want to see?', the suspicious protestor closes in and again orders him to prove he isn't wearing a microphone. 'He's got more wires than a PlayStation,' he jokes. 'Show us the wire!' The bizarre interaction ends with the supposed-faker stripping off his shirt and revealing he isn't wearing a recording device, which is greeted by raucous chants of 'Let's go Trump'. The alleged Antifa protestor, center left, was spotted earlier with an 'anarchist' tattoo on his neck before he put his hood up to confront the 'shaman' The protestor was pictured earlier in the day with his hood down, revealing an 'anarchist' tattoo commonly worn by Antifa antagonists Independent photojournalist Rebecca Brannon, who shared the initial footage online, said that she was the one who spotted the man had a tattoo of the anarchist logo on his neck - which is a common symbol among Antifa members. 'I noticed his circle-A tattoo - the classic symbol prominently associated with Antifa and anarchists,' she said. 'He knew I noticed then put his hoodie up'. The speculation comes as conspiracies have swirled for years that authorities, particularly the FBI, send in 'plants' to incite hostility at right-wing events. These conspiracies erupted following the scenes on January 6, 2021, when Donald Trump supporters became embroiled in ugly scenes as they raced to the Capitol. A Trump supporter outside Trump Tower on March 20 waves a banner reading: 'Trump 24 or before' Many of the former-president's supporters have flocked to New York City this week following news of his incoming indictment, as Trump himself ordered his followers to take to the streets if he is hauled into custody. Hordes of MAGA advocates gathered outside Trump Tower to pledge their allegiance, including one who said she would side with him if it came to a civil war. Stephanie Lu, a 59-year-old Chinese-American woman, said she didn't vote for him in 2016, but once he became president she came to realize she likes what he stands for. 'We value hard work, law abiding, the conservative value is what Chinese Americans treasure, we have the same conservative values,' she said. 'If there's a civil war I am fighting. I will fight with my life. And the Democrats, they should wake up. We are fighting for them too. 'They're the next generation. If they become communist serfs their children will suffer. We are fighting for them, especially white people.' She also spoke ill of the Manhattan DA, who she said wasn't doing a good job of fighting what she called real crime in the city. 'This district attorney didn't do nothing to those criminals. The real criminals,' Lu said. Her prediction was that if Trump is arrested it will result in either a landslide victory or a civil war - a view shared by many of her fellow-protestors. Stephanie Lu, a 59-year-old Chinese-American woman, said she thought Trump's arrest would either end in a landside victory for the former president in 2024, or civil war. 'If there's a civil war I am fighting. I will fight with my life,' she said Dion Cini, 54, founder of TrumpSwag.com, stood outside Trump Tower on Monday afternoon. He is pictured here eating what he described as a 'Trump burger' Numerous protestors have swarmed Trump Tower following news of Donald Trump's impending arrest, including this man dressed as a 'Trump Shaman', who faced accusations he was faking his MAGA-allegiance Dion Cini, 54, the founder of TrumpSwag.com, a company that manufactures MAGA political merchandise, said he thought the indictment of Trump was wrong but expected the move would only boost his ratings, referring to a 'Trump bump'. 'The good news is it's a win win, no matter what happens tomorrow,' said Dion. 'I call it the Trump bump. No matter what happens tomorrow, there's a 10-15 point bump in Trump's ratings,' he said. 'If they if they arrest him, he gets a Trump bump. If they don't arrest him, he gets a Trump bump.' Kalman Brudo, a 66-year-old from Brooklyn, also said getting arrested could work in his favor. 'We're in New York City, New York City is the belly of the beast of the liberal, but I think it's going to help Trump tremendously because people are going to see its a scam,' Brudo said. 'I don't want to see him arrested but if he is arrested, I think it's gonna work for him. They just want to do a perp walk. They want him humiliated. They want to take that picture,' he said. 'I used to be a left. The leftists know to speak. We're with the program. We're smart. The right, except for exceptions are like idiots. They don't know how to respond.' Former President Donald Trump's MAGA allies are slapping back at Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for saying he was above the 'daily drama' and chaos that the ex-president inflicted on the nation. Trump's senior adviser Jason Miller took to Twitter and slammed DeSantis, while sharing the Florida governor's sit-down with Piers Morgan, which was published earlier Tuesday in The New York Post and will air on Fox Nation's Piers Morgan Uncensored. 'Ron DeSantis has finally shown his true colors. An establishment Never Trumper who despises the MAGA base and was faking it the entire time,' Miller wrote. Trump's longtime political adviser Roger Stone chimed in, tweeting: 'What an extraordinary political miscalculation.' While Donald Trump Jr. viewed the move as pathetic. Former President Donald Trump's (left) MAGA allies are slapping back at Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (right) for saying he was above the 'daily drama' and chaos that the ex-president inflicted on the nation 'Ron DeSantis has finally shown his true colors. An establishment Never Trumper who despises the MAGA base and was faking it the entire time,' Jason Miller tweeted Tuesday evening Roger Stone shared DeSantis' interview with Piers Morgan and called it an 'extraordinary political miscalculation' Donald Trump Jr. viewed the move as pathetic in a Tuesday evening tweet 'Just as radical Dems are indicting Trump & destroying the fabric of our nation with their Police State tactics, DeSantis pathetically runs to the liberal media on orders from his RINO establishment owners to attack my father,' tweeted Donald Trump Jr., also highlighting Morgan's interview in The Post. 'He's exposing himself as 100% Controlled Opposition!' The New York Post is owned by Rupert Murdoch, who also owns Fox News Channel, which former President Trump has been increasingly critical of since launching his 2024 bid. DeSantis hasn't officially launched a presidential bid, but has taken several digs at Trump since Monday, as the former president looks likely to be indicted over his role in the 2016 hush-money scheme ahead of the 2016 presidential election. 'I also think just in terms of my approach to leadership, I get personnel in the government who have the agenda of the people and share our agenda,' he told interviewer Morgan in a sit-down interview at the Florida governor's mansion. The pushback came on a day when Trump ally Steve Bannon lectured DeSantis for a 'weasel approach' by bringing up the porn star at the center of a looming potential Trump indictment. 'You bring your own agenda in you're gone. We're just not going to have that. So, the way we run the government I think is no daily drama, focus on the big picture and put points on the board and I think that's something that's very important,' DeSantis said. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said he was 'fine' with Trump's 'Ron DeSanctimonious' nickname for him, and said he didn't know how to spell it. He also hit back at the 'daily drama' of the Trump White House 'Do you think you could beat Biden?' DeSantis was asked. 'I think so,' he responded DeSantis said he was 'fine' with Trump's nickname of Ron DeSanctimonious for him, with the Ivy League educated former Navy lawyer brushing off the slam by saying he doesn't know what it means. 'I don't know how to spell the sanctimonious one. I don't really know what it means, but I kinda like it. It's long, it's got a lot of vowels. We'll go with that, that's fine.' 'I mean you can call me whatever you want, just as long as you also call me a winner because that's what we've been able to do in Florida, is put a lot of points on the board and really take this State to the next level,' he said trying to turn the tables on Trump. He brushed off the daily blasts, which have been increasing in frequency in recent weeks, although Trump maintains a wide poll lead over DeSantis and other potential rivals. 'To me, it's just background noise. It's not important for me to be fighting with people on social media. It's not accomplishing anything for the people I represent,' he said, in a reference to Trump's Twitter battles before millions of followers. DeSantis re-upped his statements about not knowing about paying off a porn star, in somewhat different language. Trump has repeatedly denied a sexual affair with Stormy Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, and who says they had an affair in 2006 'So, we really just focus on knocking out victories, day after day, and if I got involved in all the under tow I would not be able to be an affective Governor,' he said. He stood by his repeated statements that he doesn't know about paying off a 'porn star' something he said twice criticizing the investigation of Trump that could lead to an indictment in Manhattan. He did not repeat the phrase in the interview, however, following a sharp response from Trump and his allies. 'Well, there's a lot of speculation about what the underlying conduct is. That is purported to be it, and the reality is that's just outside my wheelhouse. I mean that's just not something that I can speak to,' he said. Well, there's a lot of speculation about what the underlying conduct is. That is purported to be it, and the reality is that's just outside my wheelhouse. I mean that's just not something that I can speak to DeSantis said Monday he didn't know 'what goes into paying hush money to a porn star to secure silence over some type of alleged affair.' Trump ally Steve Bannon called it a 'weasel approach,' and Trump responded with a statement that questioned DeSantis' sexuality. 'Ron DeSanctimonious will probably find out about FALSE ACCUSATIONS & FAKE STORIES sometime in the future, as he gets older, wiser, and better known, when he's unfairly and illegally attacked by a woman, even classmates that are 'underage' (or possibly a man!),' Trump wrote Monday. 'I'm sure he will want to fight these misfits just like I do!' Trump added on his Truth Social platform. 'The way we run the government I think is no daily drama, focus on the big picture and put points on the board,' said DeSantis, who added that 'It's not important for me to be fighting with people on social media. Here Trump throws a paper towel roll as he visits the Cavalry Chapel in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico on October 3, 2017, in an event that drew criticism online Trump predicted he could be arrested Tuesday, and is planning a rally in Texas this weekend DeSantis also said flat out he could beat President Joe Biden, although he again stopped short of saying he would run. 'Do you think you could beat Biden?' Morgan asked him. 'I think so,' he responded. 'If I were to run,' he said, 'I'm running against Biden. Like we [him and Trump] are competing for the Republican, potentially, I get that, but ultimately you know the guy I'm gonna focus on is Biden because I think he's failed the country. I think the country wants a change. I think they want a fresh start and a new direction and so we'll be very vocal about that,' he said. Vladimir Putins failures on the battlefield have exposed his increasing reliance on Chinas president Xi Jinping. Just weeks ago Russian troops appeared poised to capture the strategically significant city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine. Advisers of Ukraines president Volodymyr Zelensky were saying he should withdraw his troops to save lives. But he did the opposite and deployed thousands of reinforcements who made an immediate difference. Now, in a remarkable turnaround, Russian commanders believe operations to seize Bakhmut have reached a culminating point military jargon for when troops cannot advance any further and must focus on defensive operations instead. Vladimir Putins failures on the battlefield have exposed his increasing reliance on Chinas president Xi Jinping (pictured: right) With Western tanks expected to arrive in the coming weeks, Russia is expected to struggle to hold territory they have taken. Putin hopes to strengthen his relationship with China although president Xi has yet to provide weapons and ammunition. China has declined repeated Russian requests to take sides because Beijing wants to establish its credentials as a peacemaker. It also benefits from the international sanctions imposed on Russia as it means Moscow is forced to sell its natural resources at reduced prices, due to a lack of European customers. Ukraines president Volodymyr Zelensky deployed thousands of reinforcements who made an immediate difference, against the advice of his advisors At a press conference at the Kremlin yesterday afternoon Putin said Russia and China were working on mutually beneficial measures. He said the countries are forming a great Eurasian partnership. He said: I am confident these arrangements will be the basis for future growth and development for our countries and our people. Following yesterdays talks with Putin, president Xi said China was impartial on the Ukraine conflict, adding that he supported peace and dialogue to end the war. A force spokesperson said the sign had since been removed amid the outcry Poster listed rape and sexual assault next to crimes such as anti-social behaviour Kent Police is facing an outcry after Internet users shared images of a poster displayed in its station window in Maidstone that classed rape and sexual assault as 'non-emergency' crimes. The poster - a black-and-white A4 printout - told passers-by how 'non-emergency enquiries' can be shared with the police force via an online form, and listed rape and sexual assault in the same category as anti-social behaviour, fraud and road traffic incidents. A snap of the poster has been circulated on social media, with one user writing a message to Kent Police which read: 'This just goes to show how done out this country is getting! 'How can you downplay such a horrific and violent crime? 'I get it's hard to prove but going about it like this ain't the way. Absolute tools.' Another chipped in: 'Kent Police in solidarity with the Met,' following the release of a damning report that described the Met Police as 'broken and corrupt' off the back of a year-long review into the organisation conducted by Baroness Louise Casey. The poster - a black-and-white A4 printout - told passers-by how 'non-emergency enquiries' can be shared with the police force, and listed rape and sexual assault in the same category as anti-social behaviour Kent Police said the poster was on display at Maidstone police station and has since been removed The image of the poster was shared on March 15. It is unclear when the sign was first displayed, though a Kent Police spokesperson told The Telegraph it had since been removed. 'The poster in question was put up by a member of police staff at the front counter in Maidstone police station but has since been removed and replaced by a poster clarifying our advice about how best to report crimes to us,' the spokesperson said. Meanwhile, a statement released by Detective Chief Superintendent Emma Banks - the head of protecting vulnerable people at Kent Police, said the force takes the investigation of sexual assaults 'extremely seriously'. She said: 'We urge anyone to call us on 999 if there is a crime in progress or if someone is in immediate danger. Doing so can make the difference between arresting a suspect at the scene and in some cases saving a life 'Kent Police takes the investigation of domestic abuse, rape and sexual assault extremely seriously and we support victims to come forward and speak to us. 'They can report crimes anonymously and they can also approach us via a range of support organisations. 'All reports of rape or sexual assault, made through whatever channel are reviewed by a detective sergeant, and are ultimately overseen by a senior officer as part of a thorough review process aimed at ensuring justice and support for all victims.' Social media users shared images of the poster and hit out at Kent Police One social media user said Kent police is in solidarity with the Met - in reference to a bombshell new report by Baroness Louise Casey (pictured) that Scotland Yard is 'broken' and its 'rotten' ranks are riven with racism, misogyny and homophobia The anger at Kent police comes as a bombshell new report claimed the Met police cannot be trusted to police itself and may harbour many more predatory officers like Sarah Everard's killer Wayne Couzens and serial rapist David Carrick. In the most damning report in its near 200-year history, the force is described as institutionally racist and corrupt as well as misogynistic and homophobic. Baroness Casey, who spent a year examining Scotland Yard's culture and practices, said there was a 'rot' at its heart that allowed racism to go unchallenged and predatory behaviour to 'flourish'. She said successive Met commissioners had 'failed to ensure the integrity of its officers and the organisation'. She demanded a 'complete overhaul' of the 4 billion service, saying anything less would be 'clutching at straws'. Baroness Casey warned there was nothing to stop other rapists in the ranks, adding: 'In the absence of vigilance toward those who intend to abuse the office of constable, predatory and unacceptable behaviour has been allowed to flourish. There are too many places for people to hide.' Characterising a culture of 'blindness, arrogance and prejudice', her report identified failings across nearly all departments, which have been ignored due to a 'culture of denial and defensiveness'. In conclusion, Baroness Casey said the force had lost public trust and become 'unanchored' from the founding principles established by Robert Peel in 1829. 'The Met is in danger of losing its way consent is broken,' she said. 'Too often, the Met seems to act in its own self interest rather than the interests of the public it serves.' A peer was left 'furious' after a university debating society shelved her talk on cancel culture and free speech because she retweeted a Ricky Gervais joke about transgender people. Baroness Fox of Buckley, 52, was disinvited by the debating society at Royal Holloway, University of London, following complaints from students about her support for the joke. Fox was due to speak about the 'importance of debate', which was set to incorporate the issues of cancel culture and free speech. Instead, she ironically found herself being cancelled ahead of the first in-person talk there since the pandemic. The Times reports that Fox said the society was 'browbeaten' into shelving her talk after complaints from the Royal Holloway Students' Union (RHSU). Fox was accused of having transphobic views - which she denies - for retweeting the gag. Baroness Fox of Buckley, (pictured) was left 'furious' after a university debating society shelved her talk on cancel culture and free speech because she retweeted a Ricky Gervais joke about transgender people The 52-year-old peer was disinvited by the debating society at Royal Holloway (pictured), University of London Gervais had joked about 'the old-fashioned women, you know, the ones with wombs' and the 'new ones we've been seeing lately with beards and c****' in his last Netflix special 'SuperNature'. RHSU president Maia Jarvis flagged to the debating society that Fox had shared a clip of the joke with the caption: 'Whole trans-identity ideology skewered in a mere 1, yes 1, minute. 'And all deliverd through the prism of an exasparated ridiculing of 'old fashioned', 'dinosaur' women with wombs, like me. I own up. And I laughed. Kudos to @rickygervais for this. Speaking about the ordeal, Fox said: 'I had been cleared to talk by the university, because, funnily enough, I am not a hate-monger. 'Then six societies complained to the student union. The student union rescinded their clearance and started pestering the society and putting a lot of pressure on them. 'They tried to fight it off, but eventually caved in. I was furious because the students that invited me were all upset.' Gervais had joked about 'the old-fashioned women, you know, the ones with wombs' and the 'new ones we've been seeing lately with beards and c****' in his last Netflix special (pictured) Fox was accused of having transphobic views - which she denies - for retweeting the gag (above) In an email reported by the Telegraph, Ms Jarvis had warned the society: 'Claire Fox retweets and praises this video of Ricky Gervais being overtly transphobic. I wonder if you have thought about the impact of bringing a person who is an advocate for hate towards trans people and publicly ridicules them.' But Fox told The Times: 'That [the tweet] was the evidence! That made me laugh. It was an insubstantial point.' The peer denied being transphobic and called the allegations made against her 'a malicious slur'. She also revealed this has happened to her at universities on three separate occasions, which 'is having a chilling effect'. The RHSU said it supported cancelling the talk 'to safeguard out transgender community and will always seek to protect the safety of our marginalised people on campus'. Royal Holloway insisted it was committed to free speech and hopes 'to to create an inclusive and supportive environment'. Police have found no sign of a woman reported missing more than 10 hours ago after she was allegedly swept off the rocks at a popular Gold Coast beach. Gold Coast police launched a major search for the woman after she was reported missing off Currumbin Beach at around 9.30pm on Tuesday. The search has seen officers looking both on shore and in the sea in the midst of rough conditions and rain. The woman's alleged disappearance was reported by a man who was in the water when she fell. The man then reported the incident to other witnesses on the beach but vanished before police arrived. Gold Coast police launched a major search for the woman after she was reported missing off Currumbin Beach Police discovered fishing equipment on the rocks but have found no sign of the woman with nearby CCTV footage inconclusive. They are now calling for the man to come forward after admitting that they have yet to determine whether there is a missing woman or not. 'It is crucial that this man contacts us,' Acting Superintendent Scott Knowles said. 'We need to know first-hand what he saw. 'We have an idea who he may be and have made some enquiries and have not been able to locate him, but it would assist greatly if he got in contact with police.' The search has seen officers looking both on shore and in the sea. The woman's alleged disappearance was reported by a man who was in the water when she fell If the woman was swept away, police say they have serious concerns about her safety. The search, which began last night, had to stop due to rough sea conditions. Police have also been unable to use helicopters to aid searchers because of wet weather. They are urging anyone with information to call them immediately. Stephen Smith's death is now being considered a homicide - eight years after the teenager was found dead on a rural road near Buster Murdaugh's family home. Bland Richter Law Firm, which is representing Smith's family, made the announcement on Tuesday after a call with South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) Chief Mark Keel. Law enforcement revealed they did not even need to exhume the 19-year-old's body to convince them that his death was a homicide. But said they will 'be present and participate in any exhumation of Stephen's body to gather more evidence.' It comes just a day after Buster denied 'vicious rumors' that he was involved in his classmate Smith's death after the teen's family raised $60,000 to exhume his body. Stephen Smith's death is now being considered a homicide - eight years after the teenager was found dead on a rural road near Buster Murdaugh's family home Smith's family announced they will exhume his body following renewed attention on the case after Alex Murdaugh was found guilty of murdering his wife and son. There have been rumors that Murdaugh's son Buster (pictured) was involved in a romantic relationship with Smith Bland Richter co-founder Eric Bland said SLED is committed to combining efforts and resources as the state moves forward with exhuming Smith's Body. 'We have a chance to right eight years of wrongs, and we intend to do just that,' said Bland. Smith was found dead on July 8, 2015, on a rural road near the Murdaugh property with a blunt-force trauma injury to the head. Stephen Smith (right) and his mother Sandy (left). His family have long believed he was murdered - as Stephen's body allegedly did not have any injures from the torso down, and no car parts were found at the scene. The teen's death was initially ruled a hit and run, but highway patrol officers have since claimed they do not believe the scene was consistent with a road traffic accident. His family have long believed he was murdered - as Stephen's body allegedly did not have any injures from the torso down, and no car parts were found at the scene. SLED reopened the investigation into Smith's death in 2021, citing new evidence had been uncovered while investigating the murders of Buster's mother Maggie Murdaugh and his brother Paul. But according to Bland, officials said they were waiting until after Alex Murdaugh's murder trial to make this announcement because of their concern over witness testimony. 'SLED officials have revealed that they did not need to exhume Stephen Smith's body to convince them that his death was a homicide.' Eric Bland and Ronnie Richter said in a joint statement. 'However, they will be present and participate in any exhumation of Stephen's body to gather more evidence. We are committed to finding out what really happened, and getting the peace and justice the Smith family deserves.' Stephen Smith (right) and his mother Sandy (left). His family have raised $60,000 to exhume his body, and announced they would be looking into the death of the teenager again Pictured: Stephen Smith's car found along Sandy Run Road in Hampton, South Carolina in 2015. The teen's death was initially ruled a hit and run, but highway patrol officers have since claimed they do not believe the scene was consistent with a road traffic accident Maggie Murdaugh is seen with her husband Alex and sons Buster (right) and Paul (left) On Tuesday, Attorney Ronnie Richter told TMZ Live there are a 'number of facts that clearly point to murder' which include 'Stephen's body from the torso down had no injuries, there were no car parts found at the scene, his shoes were still on, he supposedly walked three miles in the dark without ever using his cell phone.' Smith's mother Sandy said she wants to find the 'real reason' for her son's death, and has stood by her opinion that he would have 'walked through the woods' if his car broke down - not along the road. Patrol officers told state law enforcement they believed the teen was murdered, but there was no further investigation. In June 2021, Dailymail.com revealed that police investigating the teen's suspicious death probed witnesses over any relationship the dead boy may have had with the heir to a powerful South Carolina legal dynasty. Since then, two documentaries by HBO and Netflix have aired rumors alleging that Buster Murdaugh was involved in a romantic relationship with Smith. The 26-year-old surviving son of double-murderer Alex Murdaugh released a statement Monday saying that speculation 'has gone on far too long.' Alex Murdaugh, Buster's father, was convicted last month of killing his wife, Maggie, 52, and his son, Paul, 22, and sentenced to life in prison. Buster's mother and brother were found brutally shot to death near the kennels at their sprawling Moselle hunting lodge in Islandton on June 7, 2021. The announcement was made by the family's lawyers, Bland Richter, on Twitter Tuesday night following a phone call with SLED Chief Mark Keel The 26-year-old surviving son of double-murderer Alex Murdaugh released a statement Monday saying speculation 'has gone on far too long Buster Murdaugh and his girlfriend Brooklynn White walk into Colleton County Courthouse in South Carolina in February for his father's double murder trial In the statement Monday, shared by Alex Murdaugh's trial lawyer Jim Griffin, Buster called the claims as 'baseless' In a statement on Monday, shared by Alex Murdaugh's trial lawyer Jim Griffin, Buster wrote: 'I have tried my best to ignore the vicious rumors about my involvement in Stephen Smith's tragic death that continue to be published in the media as I grieve over the brutal murders of my mother and brother. 'I love them so much and miss them terribly. I haven't spoken up until now because I want to live in private while I cope with their deaths and my father's incarceration. 'Before, during and since my father's trial, I have been targeted and harassed by the media and followers of this story. 'This has gone on far too long. These baseless rumors of my involvement with Stephen and his death are false. 'I unequivocally deny any involvement in his death, and my heart goes out to the Smith family. 'I am requesting that the media immediately stop publishing these defamatory comments and rumors about me.' Authorities reopened the investigation into Smith's death in June 2021 following information uncovered during the investigation into Maggie and Paul's deaths. A Netflix docuseries explored their alleged relationship, but at the time Buster refused to comment Buster, who supported his doomed father every day during his trial last month, said he wanted privacy to 'grieve over the brutal murders of my mother and brother' However, investigators have never publicly revealed if there was a link between Smith's death and the Murdaugh family - despite witnesses allegedly giving tips to law enforcement linking the classmates together. A Netflix documentary explored their alleged relationship, though at the time Buster refused to give a comment. More than half of the people interviewed during the investigation mentioned hearing rumors of Buster Murdaugh's possible involvement in Smith's death - but he was never brought in for questioning, the documentaries said. Buster is currently thought to be holed up at his lawyer girlfriend's property in Hilton Head, and was spotted walking dogs at the property several times during the trial. Smith's mother, Sandy, shared the news that they would be exhuming her son's body and pushing forward with an independent autopsy last week on a GoFundMe page. She wrote: 'Our family is so very grateful to all of you who came together to help us in our fight for justice for Stephen. 'I could not have imagined when we began this fundraiser that it would take off the way that it did. Thank you for not allowing Stephen's story to be swept under a rug.' SLED reopened the investigation into Smith's death in 2021, citing new evidence that was uncovered while investigating the murders of Buster's mother Maggie Murdaugh and his brother Paul. But according to Bland, officials said they were waiting until Murdaugh's murder trial was to make this announcement because of their concern over witness testimony The weather front comes weeks after California was hit by its third major storm Over 230,000 have been plunged into darkness amid torrential wind and rain Another storm has made landfall on the West Coast, causing at least one death A 'bomb cyclone' slammed into San Francisco Tuesday evening in the latest severe storm to hit the West Coast, devastating the region with hurricane-force winds and torrential rainfall. The weather front is the latest major storm to hit the region this year, where it unleashed flash floods and blistering wind gusts throughout the Golden State. At least one person died after the gusts - which reached upwards of 78mph - caused a tree to fall near Portolla Valley. Meanwhile, more than 230,000 residents across California had their power wiped out in the storm. Glass from a San Francisco high rise reportedly plummeted to the ground after the storm swept in late afternoon, however no injuries were reported from the incident. Severe winds have led to numerous downed trees in the San Francisco area, killing at least one person and injuring two others Deep floodwaters have plunged southern California into chaos as it is hit with yet another storm Evacuation orders were issued Tuesday evening in Santa Cruz County as torrential rains battered the coastal region, just weeks after rapid floodwaters caused havoc in Los Angeles. Two people were critically wounded in San Francisco after they were struck by a falling tree, which came as at least one person was killed in a similar incident in San Mateo County. Detailing the fatal incident, California Highway patrol officer David LaRock told Weather.com: 'Due to high winds, a large tree fell on the vehicle as it was traveling eastbound. When emergency crews arrived they had to clear several large branches to get to the vehicle.' Shocking weather images showed a sharp twist in the storm's trajectory as it made landfall, indicating the potent winds that drove it to the coastline. Meteorologist Drew Tuma of ABC7 tweeted that he witnessed the winds drop 'from 60mph to dead calm in an instant' after he found himself in the eye of the storm. Flights out of San Francisco International Airport were temporarily grounded amid the storms, with roughly 300 flights delayed and over 20 cancelled. Other nearby airports including Oakland and San Jose Mineta International Airports also reported some weather-related disruptions. Footage from the area shows numerous cars damaged by fallen trees and rising floodwaters sweeping through streets. Fast moving waters in Oakland, which saw substantial destruction in recent weeks after an overflowed levee washed out the region, also caused a section of a dock to break loose and drift away with numerous boats. And in the Mission Bay region, an industrial barge was dislodged and smashed into a bridge, leading authorities to urge residents to avoid the area. Travel chaos has also hit the roads across southern California, and motorists are trapped after downed power lines hit Woodside. Residents are being asked to shelter in place due to many of the wires remaining live, and local authorities have said it is unclear when PG&E will recover the broken lines. Severe winds cancelled all ferry services on Tuesday afternoon in the Bay area, with officials noting the disruption was due to 'ocean-like waves'. Just weeks after the region was swept away by torrential rainfall, California has been hit by another storm. Pictured: An aerial shot of submerged homes in Manteca, San Joaquin County Deep floodwaters in San Joaquin County, California, pictured, has caused severe damage just weeks after further storms swept through the state In San Joaquin County, around two hours south of San Francisco, shocking images have shown deep floodwaters completely submerging streets. The region was already hit with an evacuation order after residents were inundated with the rising waters. San Francisco Fire Department representatives have advised the public to take extra precautions as the storm continues to batter the city. 'There's lots of street closures right now throughout San Francisco, just due to wires down, trees down, flooded areas,' SFFD spokesperson Jonathan Baxter told SFGATE. 'Be aware of the severe storm heading through San Francisco'. Baxter added. 'If you don't have to be out, consider other options. If you are going to be out, expect delays throughout your travels.' A winter storm warning has been placed throughout Wednesday morning for the Greater Lake Tahoe area, where winds could gust up to 75mph. Torrential rains battered the state when Pineapple Express made landfall, plunging 21 counties under a state of emergency Hundreds of residents in Soquel, California were left stranded earlier this month when the 'Pineapple Express' storm struck the Santa Cruz Mountains, causing a key road to become washed out by flash floods The destruction comes just weeks after a devastating storm dubbed 'Pineapple Express' brought significant damage to the West Coast. Catastrophic floods washed out the state as the storm, which was the third major landfall of the year, placed over 20 counties under a state of emergency. Roughly 17 million people in parts of California and Nevada were under flood watches, and the torrential rains saw upwards of an inch fall every hour at some points. More than a dozen people died and many more were left stranded in the San Bernardino mountain range as historic amounts of snow hit the Golden State. Monterey County was the among worst-hit areas in the state as it was pummeled with as much as 13 inches of rain when the storm hit earlier this month. Rain topped the 10-inch mark in several other regions, including Santa Cruz County, where a creek bloated by rain destroyed a portion of Main Street in Soquel - a town of 10,000 people - isolating several neighborhoods. This is the shocking moment a protester at a Christian Lives Matter protest was tackled to the ground by police during a clash with LGBTQ activists outside a church in Sydney. The man wearing a tracksuit top and shorts was pushed to the ground and handcuffed by cops at St Michaels church in Belfield, where NSW Upper House MP Mark Latham was speaking, as other protesters pushed the police officers. Shouts of 'f****** gays' can be heard in a clip of the protest. Two police officers attempted to hold down the protester, while others from the Christian group charged at the line of cops who were separating them from the LGBTQ rights protesters. As many as 500 Christian protesters violently clashed with an LGBTQ activist group outside the church on Tuesday evening, with at least two people taken away in handcuffs. Inside the church Mr Latham, the New South Wales One Nation leader, spoke about religious and parental rights ahead of Saturday's state election. A group of about 15 members from LGBTQ+ activist group Community Action for Rainbow Rights had arrived at the church to protest against the speech, claiming it was 'anti-trans'. But instead, they were met by a mob of Christian Lives Matter followers, who they claim threw rocks and bottles at them. This is the shocking moment a protester at a Christian Lives Matter protest was tackled to the ground by police during a clash with an LGBTQ rally in Sydney Two police officers attempted to hold down the protester, while others from the Christian group charged at the line of cops who were separating them from the LGBTQ rights protesters (pictured) Police said the large crowd were also hurling glass bottles at officers, with one constable taken to the Canterbury Hospital with cuts to his hand. The terrifying clash was captured on film and showed the Christian group shouting abuse at the activists. At one stage, a man is seen throwing a punch into the crowd, only for it to connect with the back of a woman's head. She is then heard screaming and crying as a friend wraps his arm around her. Police said the large crowd were also hurling glass bottles at officers, with one constable taken to the Canterbury Hospital with cuts to his hand Mr Latham addressed the event on Tuesday night and said police had advised him not to speak. 'To not give my speech, to go straight home would have allowed the transgender protesters to cancel my free speech and democratic rights as an election candidate, things that are sacred to me and have been for 35 years in running for elections, local, Federal and State,' he tweeted. 'I didn't see what happened on the front street, but I sincerely convey my best wishes to those injured and thank the police officers involved for their work. 'No one should take the law into their own hands. Violence at political events is wrong.' Hundreds of Christians clashed with a LGBTQ activist group outside a church in Sydney on Tuesday. A cameraman is seen being shoved to the ground during the chaos Mr Latham stressed he didn't organise the event but was invited to speak. Speaking to 2GB on Wednesday morning, Mr Latham said politicians should be allowed to speak without groups blocking roads and access to the church. 'There was no need for what happened out the front, it diminishes our democracy, and we're better off sorting out our differences at the ballot box,' he said. 'This is a really bad development in our system, who would go into politics when this is what you face now? 'Get the f*** out of here' a large man screams before lashing out (pictured) 'Transgender activists threatening to block the road and access to the church - that was wrong. 'But keep your hands to yourself, don't be violent.' During the chaos, a cameraman was shoved to the ground by a Christian protestor as he tried to make his way through the crowd. 'Get the f*** out of here', a large man screams before lashing out. Another man then pushes him again before being slammed to the ground as a swarm of men stood over him in a circle. Community Action for Rainbow Rights claimed the religious mob viciously attacked their members. Shortly after he ugly scenes, Mark Latham denounced the 'violent' behaviour The cameraman was pushed again by another man before being slammed to the ground as a swarm of men stood over him in a circle 'Hundreds of violent far-right thugs attacked a small peaceful speak out of LGBTI+ activists with glass bottles, rocks and their fists,' the group wrote on Facebook. 'Several people were punched in the face multiple times and hit with rocks and bottles as they were surrounded by a mob 30 times their size. 'This is a disgusting and violent escalation by the anti-LGBTI+ far-right protesters.' The group shared a video they claimed was filmed by one of the Christian Lives Matter members who encouraged those going to the protest to grab the activists 'and drag them by their f***ing hair'. 'Go there tomorrow, and f***ing shake them up, drag them by their head and remove them from St Michael's Belfield.' The NSW Police riot squad eventually had to be called in, with a 34-year-old man arrested and charged with encouraging the commission of crimes. He was given conditional bail to appear before Bankstown Local Court on April 11. A 41-year-old man was arrested and charged with common assault. He was given a court attendance notice to appear before Bankstown Local Court on May 30. Anyone with vision or information about the brawl are urged to contact Crime Stoppers at 1300 333 000. Moscow has recovered components of the US surveillance drone that was destroyed by two Russian fighter jets last week, according to intercepted military radio traffic. Just hours after the March 14 incident, radio traffic from the Russian scramble to salvage the MQ-9 Reaper drone was captured by amateur hobbyists on unencrypted channels, according to the New York Times. Clips of the radio traffic reveal conversations between multiple Russian ships and aircraft about attempts to recover the drone's engine casing, nose, wing and gas tank. 'At this moment, we have brought up three parts of the frame,' one unit code-named Apelsin (Orange) is heard broadcasting. 'Now I am proceeding toward the helicopter to search for more.' Pentagon officials have said any sensitive information was remotely wiped from the drone's software after its propeller was stuck by an Su-27 fighter jet during a close pass, and that any wreckage recovered will have little military value. Hours after Russian Su-27 fighter jets (above) destroyed a US drone, Russia began salvage operations and recovered some wreckage, radio intercepts suggest Pictured: The Prof Vodyanitskiy research vessel in Russia which is said to be part of the search for the drone wreckage in the Black Sea 'Whatever is left of that floating will probably be flight control surfaces, that kind of thing probably nothing of real intrinsic value to them in terms of re-engineering or anything like that,' National Security Council spokesman John F. Kirby told CNN. 'We're not overly concerned about whatever they might get their hands on,' he added. The downing of the US surveillance drone was the first direct military incident between US and Russia since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine began a year ago. The US Navy does not currently have warships operating in the Black Sea, and is not believed to be undertaking a salvage operation on the surface of the waterway. The newly released radio communications indicate that Russian salvage ships from the Russian-controlled Crimean port of Sevastopol rushed to the area where the drone crashed into the water within eight hours of the incident. Fragments of the transmissions spanned about four hours, and included repeated conversations about dwindling fuel reserves and concerns about making it back to port. Mentions of Sevastopol and nearby Striletska Bay help to confirm that the salvage vessels were operating in the area where the drone went down. The radio transmissions refer to unit code names including Orange, Hedgehog, Tenacious, and Neptune. Russian media claimed that Kremlin forces had found the downed US drone near the port Telegram channels indicate special purpose vessels Fizik (pictured in a file photo) and Professor Vodyanitskiy both sailed to or near the suspected location of the wreckage Separately, information from social media indicates special purpose vessels Fizik and Professor Vodyanitskiy both sailed to or near the suspected location of the wreckage in the Black Sea. As well, a source close to the Russian defense ministry claimed Kremlin forces had found the downed Reaper drone at a depth of up to 2,953ft in the Black Sea near Sevastopol. Moscow has not officially acknowledged a salvage operation, but Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the military would decide whether attempt a recovery. 'This is the prerogative of the military. If they deem it necessary to do that in the Black Sea for our interests and for our security, they will deal with that,' Pescov said last week. US officials have said Russia deliberately forced the drone down in international airspace, possibly in an attempt to seize its data, by dumping jet fuel on it and clipping one of its propellers as they buzzed by it. Russia insists that the drone was operating inside a 'temporary airspace regime' established for its invasion of Ukraine, and claim that the drone crashed after the operator lost control due to 'sharp maneuvering'. An MQ-9 Reaper drone is seen in a file photo. The downing of the US surveillance drone was the first direct military incident between US and Russia since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine US officials said the MQ-9 Reaper drone was intercepted by two Russian Su-27 jets that dumped fuel on top of the drone before clipping its propeller, forcing it to crash That account was contradicted by footage from the drone, released by the Pentagon, showing the Russian jets harassing the US aircraft by flying extremely close and dumping jet fuel on it. It also showed the loss of the video feed after another close Russian maneuver, which the Pentagon said resulted from a Russian jet colliding with the drone. The video ends with images of the drone's damaged propeller, which the Pentagon said was caused by the collision, making the aircraft inoperable and leading it to crash in the Black Sea. On Friday, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced that the pilots of the two Russian fighters would be awarded for forcing the drone down. The United States has since resumed surveillance drone flights over the Black Sea region, officials said. MAFS star Duncan James put his marital woes to one side on Friday to join his sisters Renee and Lauren for a night on the town. The trio was joined by Lauren's new wife Kellie as they toasted to the couple's recent wedding at trendy Japanese restaurant Besuto in Sydney's CBD. Duncan, 35, known for his support of the gay community, was finally able to properly celebrate his sister's nuptials after being tied up with work and TV commitments. The quartet was seen smiling and chatting as they exited the popular eatery. Duncan, who has been dubbed the heart-throb of this year's season of MAFS, wore a black shirt, grey jeans and Timberland boots. MAFS star Duncan James (left) put his marital woes to one side on Friday to join his sisters Renee (right) and Lauren (second from left) for a night on the town. The trio was joined by Lauren's new wife Kellie (second from right) as they toasted to the couple's recent wedding Duncan, 35, known for his support of the gay community, was finally able to properly celebrate his sister's nuptials after being tied up with work and TV commitments The quartet stepped was seen leaving the trendy Japanese restaurant Besuto in Sydney's CBD Lauren wore a netted black dress and strappy heels, while her wife Kellie opted for a low-cut tangerine silk dress and white heels. Renee, who made her MAFS debut during Homestay Week on Tuesday, commanded attention in a colourful patterned dress and tan heels. A family source said Duncan has always been a champion for his sister, and was thrilled to be able to celebrate her marriage. Duncan (right), who has been dubbed the heart-throb of this year's season of MAFS, wore a black shirt, grey jeans and Timberland boots Renee, who made her MAFS debut during Homestays on Tuesday, commanded attention in a colourful patterned dress and tan heels 'Duncan couldn't wait to celebrate Lauren and Kellie's marriage,' the insider said. 'He is so proud of his sister and has been looking forward celebrating with them for weeks.' Duncan has been spotted at various LGBT hotspots recently, and is known to be supportive of his gay family and friends. It comes as Duncan's marriage to Alyssa Barmonde falls apart on MAFS. Unsurprisingly, Alyssa was nowhere to be seen during her husband's night out with his sisters. Lauren (second from left) wore a netted black dress and strappy heels, while her wife Kellie (second from right) opted for a low-cut tangerine silk dress and white heels A family source said Duncan has always been a champion for his sister, and was thrilled to be able to celebrate her marriage How does the China solution to biodiversity protection enlighten the world? Ecns.cn) 08:49, March 22, 2023 (ECNS) -- March 21 this year marks the 11th International Day of Forests. With the awareness of ecological priority and green growth increasing across China, its achievements in environmental protection are making considerable strides. The forest coverage rate in China has reached about 24.02 percent, with 231 million hectares of forests, contributing about one-fourth of the world's newly added green area, making it the country with the fastest and largest growth of forest resources globally. China has also made remarkable progress in biodiversity conservation. According to the Catalogue of Life China: 2022 Annual Checklist released in May 2022, wild populations of over 300 rare and endangered wild animals and plants grew. Wild populations of giant pandas and Tibetan antelopes also increased significantly, both downgraded from endangered to vulnerable. The total number of milu deer that once disappeared from the wild now exceeds 8,000in China. Meanwhile, in December 2022, NASA released a new image of Earth. Compared with the iconic "Blue Marble" photo taken 50 years ago, the new image reveals clear changes to the face of the planet. The Antarctic ice sheet has visibly reduced in size, dark green vegetation in the African tropics has shrunk dramatically, and Madagascar's once-green landscape is now mainly brown. In the face of such looming damage to biodiversity, what should the international community do to strengthen cooperation and cope with the crisis? What experience can the world draw from China? Zhou Jinfeng, vice president and secretary-general of the China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation, and Shahbaz Khan, director and UNESCO representative to the People's Republic of China, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Japan, Mongolia and the Republic of Korea, were invited to discuss the topic at the latest W.E. Talk. Shahbaz Khan said China's experience with ecological conservation is very unique. It combines tradition with modernity, and brings philosophical thinking. China's leadership and concept of ecological civilization is very important to the world. Zhou believes that with "ecological civilization" written into the constitution, China has established a series of methodologies for ecological conservation and formed a broad consensus among the public. China leads the world in the publicity of biodiversity. Here's an excerpt of the dialogue. China News Service: Who should play the leading role in stopping the trend of biodiversity loss? Zhou Jinfeng:Biodiversity loss is a huge challenge facing mankind and the Earth, and all parties must join hands to cope with it. Governments should play a leading role, while the participation of societies, enterprises and individuals is also indispensable. International organizations, all walks of life, and the public should actively make changes. Shahbaz Khan:All countries must do it. And everyone in the country must do, right from the level of an individual to the level of a county, to the level of a city, to the level of a province, all the way to the central governments, and the governments must work together. The simple reason is that all these issues are now interconnected so that's why we need more solidarity than ever before for everyone to work together. It's not something that can be solved only by scientists, only by the government. We need businesses and we need everyone to work together. China News Service: How should countries strengthen cooperation to protect biodiversity? Zhou Jinfeng:First of all, countries need to strengthen policy coordination based on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. Secondly, data sharing will make a difference. Some species are migratory, such as the Beijing swift. When Beijing enters winter, the birds migrate to South Africa. There are various kinds of migratory species and invasive alien species like the desert locust, which is both an agricultural disaster and a threat to biodiversity. Countries should forecast, give early warnings, and assist each other in terms of providing satellite data, technology and information. The third is technology sharing. Different countries have special technologies in different fields, such as in arid regions and rainforests. Technology sharing is crucial to global biodiversity protection. Shahbaz Khan:In this regard, I would say we need to convene people and communicate together, like the example of COP15 in Kunming and going to Montreal. What UNESCO is doing is that it has set up networks, such as the World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR) and the world heritage sites and natural heritage sites, also very importantly, global geoparks where geodiversity is very, very important. What's happening through these networks? We have, for example, with the global geoparks and the geodiversity networks, leadership from the mayors of those areas, the political leadership with the biodiversity-related networks, leadership at the local, at the provincial and at the national level, are bringing scientists but also local people, and also bringing different groups, especially the youth to be empowered with our sides as well. China News Service: What inspiration can the world draw from China's experience in biodiversity protection? Zhou Jinfeng:First, Chinese people have become more knowledgeable of biodiversity protection. The concept of ecological civilization has been included in the country's constitution. Guided by that constitution, China has systematically developed a series of laws and regulations. Second, biodiversity protection has become a nationwide consensus in China. Objectively speaking, China is in an absolutely leading position in the world in terms of public understanding of biodiversity. Third, an array of methodologies have been developed in China to promote the concept of ecological civilization. These methodologies share one core concept, which is that clear waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets. These invaluable assets are nature and biodiversity. Shahbaz Khan:China's experience (in ecological conservation) is very unique. I would say it brings tradition with the modernity. It brings philosophical thinking. So ecological civilization is a very important concept given by President Xi Jinping. If we think about ecology to be preserved on one hand and civilization on the other hand, and if we just think of one or the other, we will never be able to make progress in the world. But once we think ecological civilization, our harmonization of the existence of humans with our planet, that's the most beautiful part of it. I would say ecological civilization is a very practical concept. It is a concept that can bring together global standards like the Convention on Biological Diversity. But very importantly, the global Convention on Biological Diversity with Chinese characteristics brings ecological civilization. So, China's ecological civilization concept is very important for the world. China News Service: We should not expand the economy at the cost of the environment. What experience across the world do you think is worth promoting? Zhou Jinfeng:To coordinate economic growth and environmental protection, we should raise awareness of the public, roll out corresponding laws and regulations, and call for more public participation. These are the three tools. Here is an example. The power grid is considered to have a negative impact on birds. So, the State Grid Corp of China organized volunteers to patrol the network nationwide to minimize the ecological impact and ensure economic development. China has created public-interest litigation on environment. Since 2015, the CBCGDF has filed a series of litigation cases to adjust a number of economic development projects, thus protecting the environment and biodiversity while developing the economy. China News Service: In the future, how can we better protect the environment through technological innovation? Zhou Jinfeng:As for science and technology, we can't say whether they are good or bad. Using the concept of ecological civilization as a guide, we should develop science and technology, to drive harmonious coexistence between humankind and nature, and to address current crises. Under the guidance of ecological civilization, the all-round development of science and technology is the most important tool for us to solve current crises. Shahbaz Khan:Science and technology is an evolving field. From science and technology, there are many products that have caused a lot of harm and they're still causing harm. But there is a lot of hope as well. We had the industrial revolution 4.0. I think we are going to Industry Revolution from 4.0to5.0, where we are looking into greener technologies, a better internet of things, a better use of artificial intelligence, the blockchain, and the way for us to look into large amounts of data using satellites and data mining abilities. With these technologies, we can see whatever is happening in the world and where it is happening. Using satellites, using our better computing power, using better data mining through artificial intelligence, and using the internet of things for us to connect with the sensors, we should be able to see, and we are already deploying those devices. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) Jessica Biel revealed her beloved niece Zaya has Down syndrome on Tuesday when she posted a touching tribute on Instagram. The 7th Heaven alum who received a very sweet shoutout earlier this month from Justin Timberlake for her 41st birthday rocked a pair of whimsical mushroom socks to support the adorable toddler on World Down Syndrome Day. Captioning a pair of selfies, Biel wrote: 'For #WorldDownSyndromeDay this year, Im wearing FUN SOCKS to support my amazing niece @lovelyzayab and to celebrate the whole incredible community. Post yours to send love to our friends and family all over the world.' Zaya, three, and her family explained the significance of Biel's 'fun socks,' as the little girl's Instagram Story detailed how 'chromosomes look like mismatched socks,' representing the chromosome abnormalities that cause Down syndrome. Biel looked radiant in her makeup-free selfies, pairing her cute socks with a beanie, cozy black leggings, and an asymmetrical T-shirt. Touching reveal: Jessica Biel, 41, revealed her beloved niece Zaya has Down syndrome on Tuesday when she posted a touching tribute on Instagram Heartwarming symbol: The Valentine's Day star also shared a picture of her adorable niece to her Instagram Story The Valentine's Day star also shared two pictures of Zaya on her Instagram Story, writing, 'For #WDSD this year, we're wearing FUN SOCKS. Post yours to send your love to our friends all over the world.' Zaya and her family reshared many heartwarming sock posts to her Instagram Story, and posted an official explanation to spread the word. Their post began: 'Why the "Mismatched colorful sock" on World's Down Syndrome Day? 'Actually, chromosomes look like mismatched socks, we wear them to raise awareness of people with Down Syndrome, their acceptance by the society, schools and companies! '2023 With us, not for us a human rights-based approach views people with disabilities as having the right to be treated fairly and have the same opportunities as everyone else, working WITH others to improve their lives @lovelyzayab.' Down's syndrome is a genetic condition that typically causes some degree of learning disability and certain physical characteristics. Symptoms include: Floppiness at birth, eyes that slant down and out, a small mouth and a flat back of the head. It is caused by an extra chromosome in a baby's cell due to a genetic change in the sperm or egg. Zaya is the daughter of Jessica's younger brother Justin Biel, who runs his own eco-accessory line called BARE. Zaya's mother, Rose Biel, is an energy healer and shaman whose bio on Instagram reads: 'Creating sacred moments, healing and experiences.' Jessica and Justin's mother Kimberly also worked as a spiritual healer throughout their childhood in Boulder, Colorado. Supporting the cause: Biel looked radiant in her makeup-free selfies, pairing her cute socks with a beanie, cozy black leggings, and an asymmetrical T-shirt Adorable: Zaya is the daughter of Jessica's younger brother Justin Biel, who runs his own eco-accessory line called BARE Spreading the word: Zaya and her family reshared many heartwarming sock posts to her Instagram Story, and posted an official explanation to spread the word A-list aunt: Last year, Jessica revealed that Zaya's life was saved by a surgical procedure on her heart at Children's Hospital Los Angeles. The Candy star attended the hospital's annual charity gala looking gorgeous in a feather black dress Last year, Jessica revealed that Zaya's life was saved by a surgical procedure on her heart at Children's Hospital Los Angeles. The Candy star attended the hospital's annual charity gala with her A-list husband Justin Timberlake and younger brother, giving the great cause a shoutout on Instagram. Captioning pictures of her glamorous attire, Biel wrote: 'Last night all dressed up to support a cause close to our hearts. 'So special having m brother with us his daughter had a life saving heat surgery at CHLA and we are so grateful and proud to be part of this community. Shout out to little Zamboni! Thanks to everyone who came out.' As Homestay Week winds down, Married At First Sight viewers have noticed an infuriating detail among the long-distance couples. Flocking to Reddit after Tuesday night's episode, some pointed out the MAFS stars from Sydney almost always expect their partners to move interstate for them. Evelyn Ellis, Harrison Boon and Tahnee Cook in particular were called out for not wanting to leave their home state for love, asking their partners to relocate instead. 'Why do all the Sydneysiders think their partners should move to Sydney? Seems like if you are from Sydney, the partner must move to Sydney. Why is this the case?' one person asked. Other fans suggested model Evelyn and PR manager Tahnee likely wouldn't move due to their jobs in media, while Harrison would need to stay in Sydney because he is co-parenting his son with his ex-partner. As Homestay Week winds down, Married At First Sight viewers have noticed an infuriating detail among the long-distance couples. (Pictured left to right: Kirra Schofield, Harrison Boon and Bronte Schofield on Tuesday's episode) 'For Evelyn it makes sense to stay as she would have pre-existing model relationships,' one viewer noted. 'For Ollie [Skelton, Tahnee's husband, a voice-over artist from Perth] being in the media landscape it makes sense [to move] as well. Two years' Sydney voice-over experience could equate to six in Perth experience.' 'For someone like Harrison who has a job that can be easily moved, there's no excuse. [But] add in a son and that makes it reasonable for him to ask [Bronte, from Perth] to move,' someone else wrote. Flocking to Reddit after Tuesday night's episode, some pointed out the MAFS stars from Sydney almost always expect their partners to move interstate for them Evelyn Ellis (left), Harrison Boon (centre) and Tahnee Cook (right) in particular were called out for not wanting to leave their home state for love, asking their partners to relocate instead Fans suggested model Evelyn and PR manager Tahnee likely wouldn't move due to their jobs in media, while Harrison would need to stay in Sydney because he co-parents his son with his ex 'For someone like Harrison who has a job that can be easily moved, there's no excuse. [But] add in a son and that makes it reasonable for him to ask [Bronte, from Perth] to move,' a user wrote However, there were other Redditors who didn't buy the career excuse, saying nowadays it is possible to take media jobs anywhere However, there were other Redditors who didn't buy the career excuse, saying nowadays it is possible to take media jobs anywhere. 'I can understand for the ones with kids in Sydney they don't want to move,' one said. 'But it does surprise me with couples like Tahnee and Ollie who can both do their work from Perth and afford a bigger place [there], yet they automatically default to Sydney.' Married At First Sight continues Wednesday at 7:30pm on Channel Nine and 9Now Naomi Campbell dressed to impress in a blue velvet midi dress as she attended the Visionary Arts Awards at the Ham Yard Hotel in London on Tuesday. The supermodel, 52, looked glamorous in the halterneck number which she teamed with a pair of black heels. She styled her long dark tresses poker straight from a centre parting and accessorised with several gold bangles. During the evening, the prestigious Visionary Legacy Honour was awarded to Naomi in recognition of her illustrious career in fashion and as an activist spanning over four decades. Also in attendance of the star studded event was broadcaster Fearne Cotton, 41, who bagged the award for Podcast of the Year. Incredible: Naomi Campbell dressed to impress in a blue velvet midi dress as she attended the Visionary Arts Awards at the Ham Yard Hotel in London on Tuesday Congrats! Also in attendance of the star studded event was broadcaster Fearne Cotton, 41, who bagged the award for Podcast of the Year Chic: Meanwhile actress Rose Ayling-Ellis, 28, looked effortlessly cool in a smart dark suit which she teamed with a crisp white shirt The blonde beauty stunned in a chic black V-neck silk mini dress which boasted long sleeves and colourful heart buttons up the front. Fearne added inches to her frame in a pair of small dark heels and rocked a pair of sheer spotted tights with the number. The author styled her long blonde tresses in loose waves as she beamed for photos with her award. Meanwhile actress Rose Ayling-Ellis, 28, looked effortlessly cool in a smart dark suit which she teamed with a crisp white shirt. The EastEnders and Strictly star opted for a pair of chic backless black mule loafers with the ensemble and accessorised with gold stud earrings. Judi Love dressed to impress in an eye catching sequin navy gown which boasted long sleeves and a plunging neckline. The Loose Women panellist, 42, couldn't contain her smile as she won Documentary of the Year award at the event. Actress Nicola Thorp, 34, turned heads in a bold yellow blazer jumpsuit which she cinched in at the waist with a coordinated belt. Wow: The supermodel, 52, looked glamorous in the halterneck number and styled her long dark tresses poker straight from a centre parting and accessorised with several gold bangles Amazing: During the evening, the prestigious Visionary Legacy Honour was awarded to Naomi in recognition of her illustrious career in fashion and as an activist spanning over four decades Emotional: Naomi had a tear in her eye while accepting the Legacy Honour award Honour: She was presented the award by Valerie Amos as they both beamed for a picture Winners: She beamed alongside Kwajo Tweneboa, who won the award for Community Person of the Year Icons: While Naomi also grabbed a snap with Levi Roots Home time: Heading home, the supermodel wrapped up in a faux fur coat while attempting to shield from the rain Door to door: She was snapped heading into a waiting chauffeured car All smiles: Fearne stunned in a chic black V-neck silk mini dress which boasted long sleeves and colourful heart buttons up the front Stylish: She added inches to her frame in a pair of small dark heels and rocked a pair of sheer spotted tights with the number Beauty: Ferne was also snapped outside of the bash flashing a smile, carrying a glittering clutch bag under her right arm Looking good: EastEnders and Strictly star Rose was all smiles in the smart outfit which she accessorised with a pair of gold stud earrings Smart: She opted for a pair of tailored trousers with a white shirt and cropped blazer for the occasion Glamorous: Judi Love dressed to impress in an eye catching sequin navy gown which boasted long sleeves and a plunging neckline Amazing: The Loose Women panellist, 42, couldn't contain her smile as she won Documentary of the Year award at the event Work it: She placed one hand on her hip while posing for a snap outside of the award ceremony, adding a pair of pointed toe heels to her ensemble Talented: Manal El-Feitury's short film, When Life Goes Viral, was placed second in the Best Short Film award in the category for mental health awareness Dressed to impress: Actress Nicola Thorp, 34, turned heads in a bold yellow blazer jumpsuit which she cinched in at the waist with a coordinated belt Date night: The former Coronation Street star cosied up to fiance Nikesh Patel, who looked dapper in a tuxedo Beaming: The duo were all smiles as they were snapped outside of the venue Kanya King was also spotted outside of the awards show She elevated her frame in a pair of towering black heels and toted her belongings around in a matching clutch. The former Coronation Street star cosied up to fiance Nikesh Patel, who looked dapper in a tuxedo. The Visionary Arts Awards are the UK's only awards show dedicated to celebrating social impact through popular culture. Dapper: Jermain Defoe looked smart in all black as he opted for a roll neck jumper underneath a two piece suit Stylish: Strictly's Johannes Radebe flashed a huge smile outside of the venue while looking typically suave in a velvet taupe suit Naomi Campbell and Joan Collins attended a dinner to celebrate the opening of Schiaparelli at Harrods in London on Tuesday. Naomi, 52, who shot to global fame as one of the supermodels of the 1990s, continued to cement her icon status with her latest public appearance. Showcasing her incredible figure, Naomi wore a blue suede dress. The beautiful garment featured a blue flower and gold chain which strung around her neck. Carrying her belongings, she toted a black clutch bag and accessorised with a collection of gold chain bracelets. Wow! Naomi Campbell and Joan Collins attended a dinner to celebrate the opening of Schiaparelli at Harrods in London on Tuesday The beauty added inches to her enviable frame with a pair of black heels and wore her brunette tresses straight, cascading to as far as her waist. She sported a stunning palette of make up including a light pink lip. Catching up with other A-listers, Naomi greeted Joan, who looked the picture of elegance in a black dress and statement white wrap with small black feathers. The actress, 89, certainly commanded attention in the eye-catching garment, complete with black gloves. She accessorised with a big pearl necklace and matching bracelet. Joan oozed elegance with her dark tresses styled in into a neat bun. She kept on her trademark red lip and glamorous palette of makeup and finished the look with some purple eyeshadow. The beauty lifted her frame with black toe-pointed heels. Catch-up: The 52-year-old, who shot to global fame as one of the Supermodels of the 1990s, continued to cement her icon status with her latest public appearance Glam: Naomi joined the former Dynasty star who beamed from ear to ear in a photo with creative director Daniel Roseberry Stunning: The beautiful garment featured a blue flower and gold chain which strung around her neck Stylish: Carrying her belongings, she toted a black clutch bag and accessorised with a collection of gold chain bracelets Elegant: Joan Collins, who looked the picture of elegance in a black dress and statement white wrap with small black feathers Beauty: She also shared this glamorous snap to her Instagram as she showed off the outfit The former Dynasty star beamed from ear to ear as she joined Naomi and creative director Daniel Roseberry for photos. Also at the star-studded event was Emilia Clarke, who looked gorgeous in a black dress, complete with a puffer detail on her wrists. The black number also featured gold buttons running down to her waist, where two quirky gold eyes stood out. Toting her belongings, she clutched a small gold bag. Pixie Lott also showed off her chic sense of style in a black velour dress. The beauty added a quirky gold handbag to her look, embellished with a design of a face. Game Of Thrones star Gwendoline Christie looked equally elegant as she covered up in a black velour jacket and styled her gorgeous blonde tresses to the side. Details: The 89-year-old certainly demanded attention in the eye-catching garment, complete with black gloves Star-studded: Also at the star-studded event was Emilia Clarke, who looked gorgeous in a black dress, complete with a puffer detail on her wrists Quirky: The black number also featured gold buttons running down to her waist, where two quirky gold eyes stood out Backless: Pixie Lott also showed off her chic sense of style in a black velour dress Trendy: The beauty added a quirky gold handbag to her look, embellished with a design of a face Chic: Game Of Thrones star Gwendoline Christie looked equally elegant as she covered up in a black velour jacket and styled her gorgeous blonde tresses to the side Naomi's outing comes after she celebrated Mother's Day by sharing a slew of rare photographs with her 22-month-old daughter. Taking to Instagram on Sunday, the 52-year-old model posted a string of snaps, each with her daughter's face covered. One shot showed her cuddling her little girl, while another showed the mother daughter duo at the beach. A third was of Naomi holding her daughter in a field, while another was of the young girl in a park. Another photo showed the supermodel and her daughter sitting inside a carriage on a ride. A final photo was of Naomi as a child, wrapping her arms around her own mother Valerie Morris. Beauty: Ruth Wilson looked the epitome of chic in a brown suit and collection of gold jewellery Dapper: Oliver Cheshire sported an eye-catching red jacket to the celeb dinner Inspired: Inspired by the designer, Naomie Harris wore a black and gold blazer Bold: Sabine Getty wore a opted for a bold palette of make up to celebrate the designs opening dinner Captioning the adorable pictures, she simply wrote: 'Blessing' followed by a series of heart emojis. The statuesque star stunned fans by announcing the birth of her daughter May 2021, just weeks after appearing on the New York Fashion Week runway without a visible baby bump. She later insisted that her daughter was not adopted amid growing speculation regarding their biological parentage. Speaking to British Vogue in February while posing with her daughter for a cover shoot, the model confirmed: 'She wasnt adopted shes my child.' Naomi played coy during the new interview, and despite confirming her daughter is not adopted, refused to elaborate further on her first born. However she admitted that very few of her wide circle of friends and family members knew she was planning on becoming a parent. She explained: 'I can count on one hand the number of people who knew that I was having her. But she is the biggest blessing I could ever imagine. Its the best thing Ive ever done.' A long-forgotten Married At First Sight groom who is desperately clinging to his 15 minutes of fame tried - and failed - to make a cameo on this year's season. Nasser Sultan, who starred on the 2018 season and has since become notorious for gatecrashing red carpet events, attempted to get on camera while Tahnee Cook and Ollie Skelton were filming Homestay Week back in November. As producers followed the young couple around Sydney's eastern suburbs, Nasser pestered the crew to film a scene with him, reports Yahoo Lifestyle. 'Nasser saw them setting up to film and followed them around Bondi, asking producers if he could do a scene with Ollie and Tahnee,' a source told the website. 'The crew said no and tried to get rid of him, but he crashed it anyway and introduced himself. Ollie and Tahnee totally blanked him and it was super awkward.' Nasser Sultan (pictured), a long-forgotten Married At First Sight groom who is desperately clinging to his 15 minutes of fame, tried - and failed - to make a cameo on this year's season Photos showed Nasser awkwardly standing behind Tahnee and Ollie as they spoke to producers while filming a scene in an op-shop. But in a brutal snub, all footage of Nasser was edited out in post-production and he was not shown on screen at any point during Homestay Week. It comes after the reality TV troublemaker clashed with security at the ARIA Awards at Sydney's Hordern Pavilion in November. Nasser, who is notorious for gatecrashing red carpet events, tried to get on camera while Tahnee Cook and Ollie Skelton were filming Homestay Week in Sydney in November The former music promoter was denied entry when his name was nowhere to be found on the VIP list, Yahoo reported at the time. But somehow he was later photographed on the red carpet. Nasser had tried to attend the Australian music industry's night of nights with a media pass, but became frustrated with his lack of access. Journalists covering the event were crowded into a single enclosure. As producers followed the young couple around Sydney's eastern suburbs, Nasser pestered the crew to film a scene with him, but was edited out of all this week's episodes After being turned away, Nasser was seen making angry phone calls and wandering around the venue, before eventually making it onto the red carpet. 'Nasser thought he was there [at the ARIAs] as one of the big celebrity guests. He got a reality check when he arrived and found out he was stuck behind a barrier,' a source said. He was apparently hoping to get red carpet access so he could score interviews with celebrity musicians for a website. Dylan Sprouse and Barbara Palvin are engaged after nearly five years together, according to a new report. Though they've yet to publicly confirm their engagement, Barbara was pictured sporting a sizable diamond ring on her left ring finger earlier this month. She sported a gold band with a large diamond while hanging with Dylan and mutual friends during the Mammoth Film Festival on Thursday, March 2. A source told ET that the Hungarian supermodel, 29, has 'been showing off her ring to people' since the former child star, 30, popped the question and 'are so happy.' They continued: 'They're always very in love with one another and by each other's sides, but they're even happier than usual. They can't wait to start this new chapter together.' Engaged: Dylan Sprouse and Barbara Palvin are engaged after nearly five years together, according to a new report; seen on March 3 Sparkler: Though they've yet to publicly confirm their engagement, Barbara was pictured sporting a sizable diamond ring on her left ring finger earlier this month; seen March 2 The couple began dating in June 2018 after meeting at a party the previous year. Speaking to W Magazine in 2019, Dylan recalled messaging the beauty on Instagram after she randomly followed him on the app. 'She followed me, so I was like, I guess I'll give her something. And I slid into her DMs,' he told the outlet. He tried to organize a meetup with the Victoria's Secret model but it took longer than expected for her to respond. 'I was like, "Hey, I don't know if you're in New York for very long, but we should hang out if you want to. Here's my number." And she didn't message me for six months,' he recalled. But Barbara made a major move by flying out to China in 2018, where Dylan was having six-month movie shoot, in order to have their first official date. She told PEOPLE that Dylan was instantly ready to go steady, but that she had some reservations. 'And then I was like, "OK, let's do it." I just sat down, took a deep breath, and I'm like, "What am I waiting for? There's no other guy I would love more than I love him, and he's got everything that I need,"' she recalled to the outlet. Barbara later admitted to PEOPLE that she knew she was in love with Dylan the 'first minute we met.' Pictured: She sported a gold band with a large diamond while hanging with Dylan and mutual friends during the Mammoth Film Festival on Thursday, March 2 In love: A source told ET that the Hungarian supermodel, 29 , has 'been showing off her ring to people' since the former child star, 30, popped the question and 'are so happy'; seen in 2022 They made their relationship Instagram official in August 2018 and made their red carpet debut during New York Fashion Week that September. They reportedly moved in together in January 2019 and Barbara was introduced to Dylan's twin brother Cole the following month. Barbara and Dylan have not been shy about showing their love for one another on social media, as well as at the number of events they've attended together over the years. The Disney Channel alum has also been an avid supporter of Barbara's modeling career, which included being crowned a Victoria's Secret Angel in March 2019. He sat front row as she walked the runway for the lingerie brand in 2018 and even brought her a post-show treat. 'He is bringing Shake Shack burgers for me,' Barbara revealed to PEOPLE as she hung out backstage with her fellow models. Prior to dating Barbara, Dylan was in a longterm relationship with Dayna Frazer - who is also a model. The former couple were together from approximately 2013 until 2017. It was reportedly an on/off romance. Longtime lovers: The couple began dating in June 2018 after meeting at a party the previous year; seen in February Supportive: The Disney Channel alum has also been an avid supporter of Barbara's modeling career, which included being crowned a Victoria's Secret Angel in March 2019; seen in 2022 Dayna publicly accused the actor of cheating on her in an Instagram post shortly after their 2017 split, according to PEOPLE. He later responded by sharing a string of tweets, where he called the situation 'complicated' and defended his character. The Suite Life Of Zack And Cody star did not explicitly name Dayna in the posts. 'I will say this and only this: by adhering to an assumption based on limited information, you neglect the complicated nature of this issue,' Dylan began. 'The truth always has two sides, and those sides have motivations, and those motivations, despite how cloudy they currently seem, are private. 'This is complicated and it will remain complicated, but those who know me and who have known me, know well enough what kind of person I am. And that is all.' As for Barbara, the runway maven has only been in a few public romances over the span of her decade-long career. She is said to have been romantically linked to One Direction alum Niall Horan and musician Julian Perretta. Supportive: The Disney Channel alum has also been an avid supporter of Barbara's modeling career, which included being crowned a Victoria's Secret Angel in March 2019 Front row: He sat front row as she walked the runway for the lingerie brand in 2018 and even brought her a post-show treat; seen ahead of the show in 2018 Treat: 'He is bringing Shake Shack burgers for me,' Barbara revealed to PEOPLE as she hung out backstage with her fellow models. He kept the bag under his seat during the show; Dylan seen with Delilah Belle Hamlin at the 2018 show Barbara told Vogue Australia in November 2018 that she's never been much of dater and that it's actually 'not normal for me to have a boyfriend.' 'I was single for six years,' she confessed to the outlet. But after meeting Dylan, she said that she's finally 'found the perfect guy' for her. 'He's very kind and gentle. That's what I do on my day off: I spend it with the people I love and I'm very much in love right now.' Hugh Grant looked as dashing as ever as he promoted his upcoming film Dungeons and Dragons with co-stars Michelle Rodriguez and Chris Pine in Paris on Tuesday. The Love Actually heartthrob, 62, was dapper in a smart black suit and white shirt as he smiled for pictures in front of the Eiffel Tower. His co-star Michelle, 44, opted for a more casual but stylish look with a cropped leather jacket as they attended the photocall. Meanwhile, Don't Worry Darling's Chris Pine looked ruggedly handsome as he opted for a bold white suit with a denim shirt. Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, is based on the hit table-top game of the same name and is due to be released on March 31. Dashing! Hugh Grant, Michelle Rodriguez and Chris Pine promoted their new film Dungeons and Dragons in Paris on Tuesday Star-studded: The cast posed for the photocall by the Eiffel Tower. L-R: Jeremy Latcham, Hugh Grant, Rege-Jean Page, Jonathan Goldstein, Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, John Francis Daley, Sophia Lillis and Justice Smith The star-studded cast, which also includes Sophia Lillis and Justice Smith, posed by the iconic French monument. Bridgerton hunk Rege-Jean Page turned heads in a dazzling black and white striped suit as he smouldered for the camera. The cast are making journeys around Europe to promote the new film, after they attended a red carpet premiere in Berlin on Monday. Hugh Grant's demeanour in Paris marked a stark contrast to that at the Academy Awards, where he became one of the biggest stories after his awkward red carpet interview with Ashley Graham went viral. The awkward interview saw Hugh shut down Ashley and roll his eyes at her in a red carpet chat branded the 'worst interview ever.' Hugh was not amused as he stepped out at the Oscars, and openly showed his disdain towards the 34-year-old supermodel's questions - keeping his answer short and making his disinterest well known in a now viral clip. Development on action-comedy Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves began in 2013, when a project centred on the long-running role playing game, was greenlit by Warner Bros. Pictures executives. The feature experienced a lengthy development process, during which figures such as Joe Manganiello and Dwayne Johnson were attached to the project. Hunk: Bridgerton star Rege-Jean Page turned heads in a black and white striped suit Travels: The cast are travelling around Europe to promote the new film, which is based on the table-top game of the same name Bold choice: Don't Worry Darling actor Chris Pine looked ruggedly handsome in a white suit and denim shirt Casual: Meanwhile Justice Smith opted for a leather jacket for a cool ensemble in the French capital Smoulder: The Bridgeton hunk couldn't resist turning on the charm at the photocall Directors Goldstein and Daley were reported to have been in talks to headline the feature in 2019, and it was revealed that they had written a new script for the movie the following year. Chris signed on to appear in the film in 2020, and the rest of its cast was added over the next two years. It tells the story of a charming thief and a band of unlikely adventurers, who embark on an epic quest to retrieve a long lost relic, but their charming adventure goes dangerously awry when they run afoul of the wrong people. Physical production on the movie began in April of 2021 with filming taking place in both Iceland and Ireland. After several months of work, the project's crew wrapped in August of that year. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves was initially supposed to be released in 2021, although its premiere date has been pushed back several times. Emmerdale is reportedly set to welcome back a villain to the ITV soap - after nearly a decade off screen. Carl King's son Thomas is set to make a comeback to the Dales next month, having last set foot in the village in 2013 where he terrorised the locals in the wake if his dad's death. The teen, at the time played by Mark Flanagan, left Chas Dingle terrified as he stalked her for her part in his father's death - she had initially struck him with a brick before Cameron Murray returned to deliver the killer blow. He also began a relationship with Belle Dingle with the two planning on running away together causing Belle's late mum Lisa to ring the police fearing he'd abducted her - before Thomas eventually changed his mind. Thomas also stole Dan Spencer's campervan twice while also getting up to mischief with Dan's son Sean in the village - including stealing late Sandy Thomas' mobility scooter. Exciting: Emmerdale is reportedly set to welcome back a villain to the ITV soap - after nearly a decade off screen Return: Carl King's son Thomas is set to make a comeback to the Dales next month, having last set foot in the village in 2013 where he terrorised the locals in the wake if his dad's death And now, 10 years after he fled the village to live with his mum in Saudi Arabia, Thomas - now known as Tom - is reportedly set to return to potentially cause 'chaos' once more. A source told The Sun: 'Toms return is going to be explosive. He shocks his uncle Jimmy when he returns to the village and its not clear why hes back. 'Fans will be glued to their screens watching Toms comeback unfold and his presence could cause chaos. 'They will all be asking if hes as evil as his dad Carl and wondering why hes returned.' MailOnline have contacted Emmerdale for comment. The publication goes on to report that newcomer James Chase has bagged the role of the returning character. It comes as Emmerdale boss Jane Hudson teased a summer 'spectacular' and the return of a character. She told The Sun: 'We are working on summer storylines and I always like to have a summer spectacular. So if I say that, I have to come up with something now.' Trouble: The teen left Chas Dingle terrified as he stalked her for her part in his father's death - she had initially struck him with a brick before Cameron Murray returned to deliver the killer blow (Chas pictured with Carl in 2009) Back again: Now, 10 years after he fled the village to live with his mum in Saudi Arabia, Thomas - now known as Tom - is reportedly set to return to potentially cause 'chaos' once more She further teased about potential returns: 'Ooh, I cant tell you. Were working on June storylines at the minute and I thought about a return, "Viewers would love that".' Elsewhere, Emmerdale is currently seeing a new villain emerge in the form of Alex Moore, whose sinister plan and secret lover was revealed in a shock twist at the end of Tuesday's episode. The character has long been under suspicion from girlfriend Naomi Anderson's dad Charles and his partner Manpreet Sharma - and their suspicions were well and truly proved in the latest installment. Criminal: Elsewhere, Emmerdale is currently seeing a new villain emerge in the form of Alex Moore, whose sinister plan and secret lover was revealed in a shock twist at the end of Tuesday's episode Secret: Earlier in the show, Belle and Chas Dingle spotted Alex on the outskirts of the village giving money to mystery Clare - with Belle soon reporting her concerns to Naomi Lies: The episode saw Alex unveil his plot to rob the GP surgery to pay off his drugs debt, while it was also seen that he had a secret girlfriend in the shape of mystery newcomer Clare The episode saw Alex unveil his plot to rob the GP surgery to pay off his drugs debt, while it was also seen that he had a secret girlfriend in the shape of mystery newcomer Clare. Alex confirmed that him joining vicar Charles' outreach programme and his romance with Naomi all part of his bigger plan, telling Clare: 'Our pay day will be here soon - they'll never see it coming!' Watching the scenes play out, Emmerdale viewers were quick to react, with some calling out Alex's 'dodgy' behaviour. While others branded his hapless girlfriend Naomi 'gullible' for falling for his lies once more. Emmerdale airs on weeknights at 7:30pm on ITV1, and ITVX. Colin Farrell's dramatic transformation into Batman villain The Penguin takes almost three hours, DailyMail.com can reveal. The star was pictured arriving to the New York on set around 8am on Tuesday and after undergoing a hair, make-up and prosthetics overhaul, he emerged just before noon. The 46-year-old Irish actor was covered up by layers of prosthetics to help him achieve the look of Oswald 'Oz' Cobblepot, better known as The Penguin. He is taking a standalone series about the comic crime figure to HBO Max, even as the service has canceled some of its other DC Comics shows. Farrell appeared to be filming a crowd scene on Tuesday, and he was seen followed by a bevy of other actors. The actor who recently lost out on the Best Actor Oscar to Brendan Fraser was costumed in a classy single-button plaid charcoal suit. Three hour transformation: Colin Farrell arrived on set of his upcoming Batman spinoff series The Penguin on Tuesday in casual gear around 8am. Almost three hours later he emerged in character Unrecognizable: The 46-year-old Irish actor was covered up by layers of prosthetics to help him achieve the look of Oswald 'Oz' Cobblepot, better known as The Penguin He wore a short black tie with the look and covered up with a cool-looking black leather overcoat with wide lapels. He channeled classic Hollywood gangsters with a pair of shiny black leather shoes with charcoal spats. Earlier in the day, Colin was seen without his prosthetics on set. He kept things casual with a gray V-neck T-shirt and navy sweatpants, along with black-and-white Adidas slide sandals. The Lobster star wore his short dark hair swept up in spikes, but it appeared to have been completely covered up once he sat through hours of prosthetic work. Colin's thick head of hair was replaced by a balding pate with thin strands of receding hair swept back. The new look completely swallowed up his natural features, which were replaced by a more hooked nose, several deep facial scars and a doughier chin. He also appeared to have padding on his body that was hidden by his suit, which gave him a more heavyset appearance, though his version of The Penguin is slimmer than some past portrayals and illustrations of the character in many Batman comics. Colin's true identity was likely unknown to many people who saw him in the critically acclaimed blockbuster The Batman, in which he starred opposite Robert Pattinson, who played a younger, more inexperienced version of the title hero. The prosthetics didn't appear to stop him from doing any of his usual activities, and he was spotted taking a puff from a red vape device during some downtime at the top of a set of steps. He removed his suit jacket and overcoat to help cool down. Safety in numbers: Farrell appeared to be filming a crowd scene on Tuesday, and he was seen followed by a bevy of other actors Classy: The actor who recently lost out on the Best Actor Oscar to Brendan Fraser was costumed in a classy single-button plaid charcoal suit Layered: He wore a short black tie with the look and covered up with a cool-looking black leather overcoat with wide lapels, though he later stripped down, seemingly to cool off between takes Old school: He channeled classic Hollywood gangsters with a pair of shiny black leather shoes with charcoal spats Back in January, Colin admitted while being honored at the Palm Springs International Film Festival that he had no idea his supporting role in The Batman would launch its own series. 'The only thing I had an idea was that I wasnt nearly getting to explore the character as much as I wanted to,' he admitted to Variety. 'Because there was all this extraordinary work done by [makeup artists] Mike Marino and Mike Fontaine and his team, and I just thought it was the tip of the iceberg, pardon the pun, that we were getting to do the six or seven scenes that we did in the film. I was grateful for them, but I wanted more,' he said. In fact, Penguin wasn't even the primary antagonist of the film, as that role belonged to a chilling serial killer version of the Riddler played by Paul Dano which was inspired by depictions of the never-caught Zodiac killer. Colin noted that part of why he wanted to pursue a spinoff series was due to Mike Marino's prosthetic work. He joked at the time that he was able to go to a Starbucks without being mobbed by gawkers the first time that he put on the prosthetics, before adding that crowds are more respectful when he's back home in Ireland. 'Theyre cool about it in Ireland. People dont be looking,' he said. 'People dont be paying as much attention as you think!' Colin was previously seen on Wednesday of last week as he filmed a scene with his costar Rhenzy Felix. Transformed: The new look completely swallowed up his natural features, which were replaced by a more hooked nose, several deep facial scars and a doughier chin Taking a puff: He was still able to do everyday activities with the prosthetics, including taking a hit from a red vape device More stories to tell: In January, Colin admitted to Variety at the Palm Springs International Film Festival that he wanted to do the Penguin miniseries because he was disappointed that he didn't get to explore the character more in The Batman Keeping it under wraps: So far, a release date for The Penguin has not been announced Plot details about Colin's eight-episode miniseries are being kept under wraps, but it is believed to take place immediately after the events of The Batman. In that film, he worked as a top lieutenant for the crime boss Carmine Falcone (John Turturro), but he was positioned to take over the top spot of his crime family by the end of the film. Notably, Penguin appeared to be attending a funeral, based on the all-black outfits of the other actors gathered around him and vases of red roses lining the stairs. So far, a release date for The Penguin has not been announced. Gwyneth Paltrow was mocked on social media on Tuesday for wearing aviator-style reading glasses at her Utah ski trial that drew comparisons to killer Jeffrey Dahmer. The 50-year-old actress wore the large glasses along with a cream-colored knit sweater and tweed harem pants during the opening day of a trial in Utah over a 2016 ski collision involving a retired optometrist. 'Jeffrey Dahmer's glasses,' a commenter posted in response to a news article showing Gwyneth wearing the glasses. 'I like her serial killer vibe,' another comment read. Dahmer, also known as the Milwaukee Cannibal, was a serial killer and sex offender who killed and dismembered 17 men and boys between 1978 and 1991 and wore similar glasses in his 1991 mugshot. Social media: Gwyneth Paltrow was mocked on social media on Tuesday for wearing aviator-style reading glasses at her Utah ski trial that drew comparisons to killer Jeffrey Dahmer 'Jeffrey Dahmer meets Gwyneth Paltrow,' another comment said. 'Gwyneth Paltrow is literally going for the #Dahmer look at this ski accident trail...wtf? Not very on brand for @goop,' another commenter posted. A humorous post read: 'These are exactly the kind of 1980s aviator specs you should wear when being sued by a retired optometrist.' Another Twitter user @ipitythefoos compared her look to Ben Stiller's undercover outfit in the 2004 film Starsky & Hutch, stating, 'I can't be the only one who sees it.' Twitter user @thedailycrabbie added, 'Gwyneth Paltrow showed up for court wearing the most "I'm an evil rich c-word" glasses you're going to see. @missy2938 added, 'They're broadcasting the Gwyneth trial??!!! How did I not know this!! Those glasses' Paltrow and Terry Sanderson, the man suing her, sat across from each other in a Park City courtroom as their attorneys gave opening statements that provided strikingly different accounts of the crash. Both described their clients as victims and blamed the other for the collision at Deer Valley, one of the countrys most upscale ski resorts. The two showed little emotion as attorneys questioned their credibility and version of events on the first day of the trial, which is expected to last eight days. Sanderson's attorneys said that they plan to call Paltrow to the stand to testify on Friday, but they could do so earlier in the week depending on the other witnesses' availability. Paltrow shielded her face from photographers using a blue "GP"-initialed notebook as she entered and exited the courtroom. Sanderson wore a gray suit and left halfway before witnesses began testifying. Eye wear: 'Jeffrey Dahmer's glasses,' a commenter posted in response to a news article showing Gwyneth wearing the glasses The look: 'Gwyneth Paltrow is literally going for the #Dahmer look at this ski accident trail...wtf? Not very on brand for @goop,' another commenter posted Good one: A humorous post read: 'These are exactly the kind of 1980s aviator specs you should wear when being sued by a retired optometrist' Stiller: Another Twitter user @ipitythefoos compared her look to Ben Stiller's undercover outfit in the 2004 film Starsky & Hutch, stating, 'I can't be the only one who sees it' Evil: Twitter user @thedailycrabbie added, 'Gwyneth Paltrow showed up for court wearing the most "I'm an evil rich c-word" glasses you're going to see' Athens, Mar 22 (UNI) Parliamentary elections in Greece will be held in May, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Tuesday evening in an interview with Alpha TV, declining to name an exact date. Greek parliamentary elections are held every four years, the four-year mandate of the current government expires on July 7, 2023. The prime minister earlier said the government intends to work nearly until the deadline. "I have been saying from the very beginning that the elections will be held at the end of the four-year period, but no one believed me," Mitsotakis said. The journalist asked why the prime minister did not name the date, and noted that the scenario of holding elections in July was being discussed in order to avoid voting by young people who would leave for the holidays. I can tell you with certainty that the elections will take place in May. It will not be in July. It would be unthinkable to say that the elections will take place in July, because a repeat vote may be required. Very likely. And we will not have elections in August. And certainly we have a period of exams that we must keep as the apple of our eye," Mitsotakis said. UNI/SPUTNIK GNK Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai performs 'Bhumi Puja' for the tourism development works of Anjanadri Hill at Anegundi, in Koppal district, Tuesday, March 14, 2023. (PTI) New Delhi: With a little over a month to go for the Assembly elections in Karnataka, it is raining sops, schemes and freebies in the poll-bound state. While Prime Minister Narendra Modi had come down heavily on the "revdi" culture a reference to votes for freebies -- the Opposition, especially the Congress, has come up with a slew of freebies. Topping the list is the Congress promise to provide 10 kg rice each month under the "Anna Bhagya Yojna" and Rs 2,000 for women. That is not all. Voters are being offered gifts ranging from pressure cookers, utensils, LIC premiums to pilgrimages to Tirupati and Shirdi. Promises of giving 2,000 units of free electricity were also being made. The Congress has also been offering a "guarantee card" for its promises. In a bid to counter the Congress spree of freebies and the alleged use of "revdi" culture, chief minister Basavaraj Bommai has indicated that he was drawing up a roadmap to achieve the status of $1 trillion economy for Karnataka by 2032. He said that a committee constituted by the planning department, headed by the additional chief secretary (finance), assisted by Ficci and McKinsey, along with other bureaucrats and industry experts, had recommended a set of initiatives to increase the states GDP to $1 trillion. Reaching out to the crucial rural votebank, the chief minister claimed his government was focusing on micro-irrigation and digitising agriculture to boost post-harvest management. "I am happy to see the recommendations of the committee aim at increasing the growth rate of agriculture from 13.3 per cent to 16.3 per cent, industry from 8.8 per cent to 16.8 per cent, the service sector from 13.6 per cent to 16.9 per cent, aiming for an overall growth rate of 16.8 per cent by 2032", Mr Bommai said. It was also claimed with "Karnataka creating 50 lakh jobs in the last three years, the state is witnessing a major scaling up in various sectors". Responding to the Opposition allegation of unemployment increasing in the state, the CM asserted that "there is a big strength of the Government of India and Karnataka has a minimum unemployment problem". A BJP leader claimed that Mr Bommai has turned Karnataka into "one of the growth engines of India". Etala Rajendar said if the probe by the Enforcement Directorate into the scam is a political vendetta as claimed by Kavitha and the BRS, then the courts will give the final verdict. (DC) HYDERABAD: "Women in villages are wondering how one of their own could get involved in a liquor scam. The question on their minds is, Is this the only business that Kavitha could get into," BJP leader and Huzurabad MLA Etala Rajendar said on Tuesday. Answering questions from reporters in Parakal on the alleged involvement of BRS MLC K. Kavitha in the Delhi liquor scam, Rajendar said, "The feeling is that what Kavitha has done is too bad, and is an insult for women." Rajendar said if the probe by the Enforcement Directorate into the scam is a political vendetta as claimed by Kavitha and the BRS, then the courts will give the final verdict. "They should have nothing to fear if they are not involved and are innocent. Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao had repeatedly said that irrespective of whether it is his son, or daughter, if they commit mistakes and break the law, he will not spare them. What has become clear now is that the ruling family in Telangana is no longer satisfied with looting the state and has spread its tentacles to other states," Rajendar said. On Chandrashekar Raos letter to BRS workers and people to stand upto and fight BJP, Rajendar said people are no longer willing to the Chief Ministers lies and asked "if the four crore people of Telangana gave any undertaking to Chandrashekar Rao that they will stand by his family if it gets into trouble." TPCC chief A. Revanth Reddy returns from the Telangana High Court after the party filed a petition to place in the public domain the details of the TSPSC paper leak case probe on Tuesday. (P.Surendra/DC) Hyderabad: TPCC chief A. Revanth Reddy on Tuesday alleged that the Bharat Rashtra Samithi was conspiring to shut the TSPSC question paper leak case by pinning the blame on the two commission employees arrested for copying the question paper in a pen drive. Revanth Reddy, in an informal chat with mediapersons on the Assembly premises, said that through a petition, the Congress urged the High Court to place all details of the case in the public domain. Congress leaders held that IT minister K.T. Rama Rao should shoulder the blame for the leaks, but was distancing himself, claiming it was not under his jurisdiction. "SIT will not be able to pull off the investigation into the TSPSC leakage issue. SIT means nothing but sit and stand. What happened to earlier cases probed by the SIT including the drugs case, Nayeems land dealings, Gold Stone Prasad, Housing Board and MLAs Poaching case? All those holding responsible positions in TSPSC, including chairman and secretaries, should be named in the case," he said. Revanth, playing the Telangana card, questioned how the investigation was handed over to an AP official. "From where is the SITs investigating officer AR Srinivas? Now, the keys of TSPSC were handed over to Andhra people. Have we achieved Telangana to see this day? When I raised questions about the probe, they sent me notices. Where are those who had fought for achieving Telangana?" he asked. Taiwan OSATs quietly ramp up support for Chinese customers Taiwan-based OSATs with manufacturing sites in China, such as King Yuan Electronics (KYEC) and ASE Group, have quietly ramped up their capacity supports for China-based clients including HiSilicon, Oppo, and Unisoc, according to industry sources. HiSilicon suffered greatly from the initial US ban in 2019 but has since regrouped and started using mature process chips. China-based semiconductor companies have since moved to become more self-sufficient. HiSilicon is still working with Taiwan-based OSATs such as ASE Group and KYEC, as well as testing interface companies Chunghwa Precision Test Tech (CHPT), WinWay Tech, and MPI, just on a lesser scale. Oppo subsidiary Zeku Technologies is also moving toward high-end chips, developing its own image signal processor (ISP) and high-level system on a chip (SoC). Sources said that Huawei group still has some previously ordered wafer inventory on-hand, but is quietly working on its own mature process consumer chips and security chips. It was previously reported that HiSilicon was in discussion with TSMC advanced packaging employees, but many went to China's leading OSAT JCET Group. JCET has been continuously improving its advanced packaging technologies and is a competitor to ASE. Some in the industry believe that despite the ongoing conflict between the US and China, US bans are unlikely to completely hinder the autonomy of China's semiconductor industry. Huawei has reportedly licensed 5G-related patented technology to Oppo, which is just another way of China advancing its own semiconductor industry. NeoGene unlocks direct-to-silicon liquid cooling technology by novel IC package approach NeoGene Tech, a Guangzhou-based Taiwanese thermal management solution provider, has in Q3 2022 supported Xiaomi to successfully launch its flagship 5G smartphone, Xiaomi 12S Ultra, with excellent thermal dissipation performance. NeoGene Tech's proprietary ultra-thin, two-phase-flow-circulation MagicWick-Inside vapor chamber technology was adopted by Xiaomi 12S Ultra. Just half year later, NeoGene Tech is now unlocking another breakthrough in direct-to-silicon cooling technology to solve the growing ultra-high-power-density semiconductor heat dissipation issues for data centers and cloud computing. The key to such technology is to use both internal and external cooling circulation systems to work together in a single IC package. The silicon chip and PGA substrate are integrated into a high efficiency liquid cooled package module to form a complete IC device. NeoGene Tech tries to redefine high-power IC components, making the IC not only a semiconductor, but also a cooling packed thermal management device. Its core technology adopts a proprietary three-dimensional vapor chamber device with excellent wick structuring and very high efficiency two phase flow circulation. The company named it "NeoGene Cooling Engine." Since pure water has a very high latent heat acting as a working fluid in a vapor chamber, the high-density heat generated by a semiconductor can be dissipated very quickly through the evaporation process at the touched evaporator area, once the design of the wick structure and residual water inside the 3D vapor chamber are optimized. "In our IC package approach, the high-power density silicon chip directly contacts the evaporator area of the 3D vapor chamber located outside the heat exchanging chamber. The column shape condenser and the coupled dissipation fins are accommodated inside the heat exchanging chamber that can be filled with a circulating coolant liquid. The heat generated by silicon chip will be efficiently carried away by the circulating liquid accordingly. We call this technology '3D VC Embedded Liquid Cooling,' according to Jeffrey Chen, CEO of NeoGene Tech. By leveraging NeoGene Cooling Engine technology, NeoGene Tech is not only proposing a new approach to IC packaging, but also offering a variety of product solutions for different application scenarios at data centers. "Based on NeoGene Cooling Engine, we plan to provide three types of liquid cooling solutions. First is the NeoGene Liquid Cooler which will be used for packaged IC heat dissipation at 1 U configuration. The second is the Direct-to-Silicon Cooling Package Module, which can be adopted by IC Brands at the packaging level. We will also offer NeoGene Immersion Dissipator, which can be used for immersion cooling auxiliary schemes" said Jeffrey Chen. According to Jeffrey Chen, NeoGene Tech's patented 3D VC embedded liquid cooling technology can not only be widely used for cooling servers in data centers and cloud computing, but also used in cooling IGBT and ADAS modules in electric vehicles. For different application scenarios, the flexible modular design of the cooling engine can meet any power consumption requirements of Multi-Chips-Module (MCM). Combining efficient two-phase flow circulation with liquid flow circulation, ultra-high power density heat can be effectively carried away. The installation is also very simple and cost-effective in different application scenarios. Theoretically, the energy required to evaporate 1g of pure water under the saturated vapor pressure of 40 C is 2405.94 joules, which is equivalent to the heat generated by a 2.4KW semiconductor chip within a second. By properly using the NeoGene Cooling Engine and the liquid cooling circulation technology, once the two-phase flow circulation speed in the NeoGene Cooling Engine is fast enough and the water in the wick structure is replenished in time, even if the TDP of the semiconductor is greater than 1000W, the heat dissipation problem can be effectively solved. The market size of liquid cooling in data centers globally data is estimated to be 1.82 billion US dollars in 2021, and will reach 7.12 billion US dollars by 2028. During the forecast period, it is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 21.5%, according to market research reports. NeoGene unlocks direct-to-silicon liquid cooling technology by novel IC package approach IC Design White Paper (4): China has become the largest source of chip design talents When analyzing the supply and demand of global semiconductor design talents in 2021, one finds US-based companies to be the main source of chip design demand. US-based companies accounted for 43% of the global demand for semiconductor design talent, followed by China and Taiwan, which accounted for 27% and 14% respectively. In fact, North America-based suppliers are the main demand source for global semiconductor design engineers. North America-based IC design houses, for example, are estimated to employ 113,000 semiconductor design engineers worldwide. US-based IDMs/Foundries employ 36,000 design engineers worldwide. Including the 8,000 engineers in OEMs like Apple and Tesla, the total comes to 157,000 employees. China-based IC design houses are estimated to employ 89,000 semiconductor design engineers. Including China-based IDMs/Foundries and Internet giants/OEMs, the total number of semiconductor design engineers reach 98,000. By geographic region, China has been the world's top region in IC design talent supply due to its numerous higher education institutes and the large number of STEM graduates from semiconductor-related majors. Many overseas corporations also employ a large number of local talents from China. For example, Qualcomm has nearly 5000 employees in China, with most being R&D personnel. It's estimated that local and overseas suppliers in China employ 121,000 semiconductor design engineers in total. According to the "China IC industry talent white paper," the number of local IC design employees in China reached 221,000 in 2021, and local design engineers accounted for 55% of the figure. The number of semiconductor design engineers employed in North America totals around 87,000, with many engineers coming from foreign regions like India and China. After China and North America, India and Taiwan are the third and fourth largest supply of IC design talents, respectively. For India, there are around 56,000 semiconductor design engineers employed locally. Most of whom work for subsidiaries and R&D centers established by foreign corporations. A few joined local IT companies. In 2021, Qualcomm employees in India accounted for 34% of its 45,000 global employees, making it the semiconductor supplier with the most design talents hired in India. As for Taiwan, it has the second-largest IC design sector in the world. Taiwan's engineers are known for their high quality and dedication. In terms of quantity, they are also quite large from a global standard. They are also very cost-competitive compared to western engineers. This has attracted many foreign IC design houses and IDMs to hire Taiwanese IC design engineers, making Taiwan the four largest supply of IC design talent. Other regions like Southeast Asia (mainly Vietnam), Israel, and Eastern Europe also have the potential to develop into IC design talent hubs. However, talent from the latter two regions is less accustomed to coming to Taiwan to work in IC design. They still give priority to international corporations when looking for jobs. The global supply of talent from IC design-related schools is currently concentrated in the United States, China, Taiwan, and India. According to Synopsys' estimation, these four locations are also the main places of employment for IC design engineers. However, with the increasing development of IT, the complexity of chip design is also gradually increasing. Coupled with the emergence of new technologies and applications, it's expected that there will continue to be a shortage of global IC design talent until 2030. In the US, STEM students only account for 17% of the total student population, far lower than the global average. Add to that an aging semiconductor engineer population and high turnover rate, and US companies become extremely reliant on foreign engineers coming to the US and hiring IC design talents worldwide, as seen in Qualcomm's nearly 5000 employees in China. Although China is the largest supply region of tech graduates, it also has a lot of emerging industries like software and the internet that have job offers. Therefore, the percentage of graduates who ended up working in the IC sector is not very high. However, the US has been tightening its grip on tech sanctions. China has felt the pressure and will accelerate its push toward technology supply chain autonomy. It's expected that they will use incentives to promote the IC design sector. Taiwan's total number of university graduates has been affected by its very low birth rate. The number of graduates in the fields of electrical engineering, electronics, and ICT could go against the trend and grow due to policy incentives. However, this increase will still be limited. India's large population gives it the potential to continue to grow in terms of talent supply. Recently, with the whole world pursuing technology talent and India expanding its investment in the local ICT industry, the IC design talent shortage within India is also becoming more severe. China, the US, Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea dominate the global semiconductor market, and each faces a specific set of problems in IC design talent supply. For Taiwanese suppliers, the lack of international brand power and the systematic management capability of overseas locations are its main disadvantages compare to suppliers from other regions. Editor's note: At the Taiwan IC Design Industrial Policy White Paper Presentation scheduled on March 28, Taiwan Semiconductor Industry Association (TSIA) will release its IC Design White Paper to guide Taiwan's semiconductor policy. As a co-organizer, DIGITIMES will publish a series of articles to summarize the document. The white paper will be available for download after the event. The DIGITIMES Research special report you are trying to open is sold a-la-carte and is also available withservices. Please sign in if you wish to continue. The global top-5 notebook brands, not including Apple, saw their combined shipments rise over 10% on month in February 2023 thanks to a low comparison base in January and channel retailers' inventory replenishment. Abstract The global top-5 notebook brands, not including Apple, saw their combined shipments rise over 10% on month in February 2023 thanks to a low comparison base in January and channel retailers' inventory replenishment. Lenovo returned as the largest notebook brand worldwide in February, benefiting from the China retail channel restocking its notebook inventory. Shipments of Hewlett-Packard (HP) dipped slightly from a month ago in February as sales of the vendor's inexpensive consumer models had a major decline in mature markets worldwide. Dell's February shipments were also slightly lower than those a month ago, but its orders from the enterprise sector should no longer experience any major drop in the upcoming months. Table of contents Baidu's Kunlun Xin not only focuses on AI, but also eyes self-driving China's Baidu recently announced the AI product "ERNIE Bot," which uses the second generation of Kunlun AI chip in its model. Besides focusing on AI chip development, Baidu is also focusing on applying Kunlun chips to autonomous driving. Recently, Chinese automaker BYD has invested in Kunlun to expand its planning for high-end autonomous vehicles (AV). In 2021, Baidu's smart chip and architecture department completed its independent fundraising and established Kunlun Xin (Kunlun Semiconductor). Ouyang Jian, Baidu's chief chip architect, became CEO of Kunlun Xin. Baidu is the largest stakeholder in the company with a 70.87% share. In fact, the core R&D team of Kunlun Xin already worked on AI architecture computing within Baidu way back in 2011. As of now, Kunlun AI chip has already had two iterations. Kunlun Gen 1 has already deployed over 20,000 units in businesses like Baidu's search engine and the DuerOS. Kunlun Gen 2 also achieved mass production in August 2021. It was also introduced to the ERNIE deep learning model. In terms of autonomous driving, the Kunlun chip series is the core of Baidu's Apollo software platform. Apollo is a software platform provided to Baidu partners in the automotive and AV sectors. The system was constructed based on the ERNIE model's "Perception 2.0" architecture. Kunlun Gen 2 has already been applied to the driving system of Baidu's self-driving vehicle RoboTaxi. According to sources, the chip is built using the 7nm process. Armed with a GDDR6 highspeed VRAM, the memory bandwidth can reach 512GB/s. It uses the latest Kunlun XPU-R architecture. Ouyang Jian once stated that future in-vehicle computing systems must be relatively open. It can provide users with a computing system that has high computing power and high versatility, while also being able to satisfy the customized demand of clients. In the future, Kunlun Xin will also consider designing a high-performance automotive SoC targeting high-end AVs. As for the progress of the latest generation of chips, the GM of Baidu's intelligent cloud computing solutions and Operations department Song Fei and Kunlun Xin strategic director Song Chunxiao both stated that the third generation of Kunlun chips will begin mass production in early 2024. It will also use the XPU-R architecture. It is worth noting that BYD has recently invested CNY58,000 (US$8420.56) in Kunlun Xin, acquiring about 0.3% of the shares. Although the investment amount is small, it shows that BYD is further expanding its plans in the field of AVs. Paris, Mar 22 (UNI) Over 850 protesters have been detained in France during demonstrations against the recently passed pension reform, French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said. "Since Thursday, 855 people have been detained in France, including 729 in Paris. Some 843 people have been placed in custody," Darmanin told BFMTV broadcaster. Earlier in the day, riot police used tear gas against protesters at an oil refinery in the French city of Fos-sur-Mer in the south of the country as they tried to block access to the oil depot, 20 Minutes newspaper reported. Demonstrators reportedly gathered to support the forced-to-work strikers. Three police officers were injured in the clash, the newspaper reported. The police also used tear gas against radical demonstrators who had gathered on the Place de la Republique in Paris after they started throwing firecrackers and glass bottles at the officers, according to a RIA Novosti correspondent. On March 16, the French government adopted a law on raising the retirement age from 62 to 64 years without holding a final vote in the parliament, triggering Article 49.3 of the constitution, which allows the government to adopt legislation with no need for a parliamentary vote. Since then spontaneous demonstrations against the bill have been taking place in Paris. For two days in a row, the French staged protests against the pension reform on the Place de la Concorde in Paris in front of the Palais Bourbon, the meeting place of the National Assembly. According to the interior ministry, 10,000 people gathered in front of the assembly on March 16, and 4,000 the next day. There have already been eight nationwide strikes and hundreds of demonstrations in France within the last two months, with over 1 million people taking part in most of them. During the protests, clashes often broke out between the police and protesters. According to Darmanin, the ninth nationwide demonstration will take place in France on March 23, to which 12,000 police officers will be deployed, with 5,000 in Paris. The minister noted that over 300 police officers had been injured during the two months of protests against the reform. UNI/SPUTNIK GNK Save my User ID and Password Some subscribers prefer to save their log-in information so they do not have to enter their User ID and Password each time they visit the site. To activate this function, check the 'Save my User ID and Password' box in the log-in section. This will save the password on the computer you're using to access the site. Note: If you choose to use the log-out feature, you will lose your saved information. This means you will be required to log-in the next time you visit our site. Karnataka approves Foxconn's proposed project, potentially for mobile phone manufacturing Weeks after Foxconn chairman Young Liu's visit to India, India's southern state Karnataka approved 18 projects, including Foxconn's planned mobile phone manufacturing facility. According to PTI and Deccan Herald, a high-level clearance committee under the government of Karnataka approved 18 projects with INR753.93 billion (US$9.14 billion), which will generate 77,606 jobs in the state, with Foxconn's INR80 billion project expected to add 50,000 jobs. According to details accessed by Deccan Herald, Foxconn's facility, which covers 300 acres in the Information Technology Investment Region near the towns of Doddaballapur and Devanahalli, will have an annual production capacity of 100,000 mobile phones by the end of 2025 before reaching 20 million by the end of 2029. Foxconn's INR80 billion project will be divided into three phases, which include INR30 billion in investments by fiscal 2024 (April 2023 to March 2024), INR40 billion investment by fiscal 2026, and INR10 billion investment by 2027. Besides Foxconn, other investors include Ather Energy's INR5.04 billion manufacturing plant for electric two-wheelers, Amplus Active Private's power plants, and C2GR Private's project for anode materials production for lithium-ion batteries. According to the reports, among the 18 proposed projects, 18 are new, five are for expansion, and three are additional investment proposals. In early March, Foxconn's delegation led by Liu visited India's Telangana and Karnataka, with Foxconn signing MoUs with the states before it clarified these MoUs were not definitive, which aroused controversy and forced Foxconn to send letters to the chief ministers of the states saying it would commit to the agreements that it had signed with the two states. Still, it goes without doubt that Foxconn's India investment push has been accelerating. In addition to mobile phone manufacturing investments, Foxconn has partnered with Vedanta for a wafer fab and Ather Energy for PCB assemblies for components for electric two-wheelers. WSJ also reported that Foxconn might invest in another chipmaking facility on its own without incentives provided by India's central government. US export controls might be rolled out in stages, potentially covering all immersion DUV systems, according to DIGITIMES Research As the US rallies Japan and the Netherlands to tighten up semiconductor export controls against China, the world has been trying to estimate the extent of damage done to the Chinese semiconductor industry, especially to China's leading foundry Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. (SMIC) Under US pressures, ASML has since 2019 stopped shipping its extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machines. However, following the US export controls introduced last October against Chinese semiconductor industry that covered logic chips at 16/14nm or below, deep ultraviolet (DUV) machines have been under growing spotlight. Current sanction list only reflects ASML's preferred scenario According to ASML's statement on March 8, 2023, it will need to apply for export licenses to ship the most advanced immersion DUV systems. However, it will take time for these controls to be translated into legislation and take effect. Notably, in the statement ASML indicates that the additional export controls "do not pertain to all immersion lithography tools but only to what is called 'most advanced.'" Since ASML has not received any additional information about the definition of 'most advanced', it interprets the reference as TWINSCAN NXT:2000i and subsequent immersion systems. Meanwhile, citing an anonymous source, Bloomberg reported on March 13, 2023 that ASML is planning to restrict the sales of three immersion systems: TWINSCAN NXT:2000i, NXT:2050i and NXT:2100i. As the parameters of export controls remain vaguely defined, DIGITIMES Asia analyst Eric Chen believes that the potential scope of export controls negotiated between the Netherlands, the US and Japan could be wider, pointing to Washington's resolution to constrain Chinese advanced process technology development. The three aforementioned argon fluoride immersion (ArFi) DUV systems, according to Chen, likely only reflects ASML's preferred scenario. Even though conventional ArF lasers can only bring feature size down to 57nm technology node, immersion lithography allows ArF laser to further shrink feature size down to 38nm. With the aid of multiple patterning, ArF immersion DUV machines can further overcome lithographic limitations and produce chips at 16/14nm nodes. In other words, a ban on immersion DUVs can impede not only Chinese 16/14nm development, but also 28nm process technology. Noting the ongoing negotiations between Washington and the Hague, Chen doesn't rule out the possibility that the US export controls on lithography machines will be rolled out progressively. While the most likely scenario will see certain advanced immersion systems falling under US export controls, the full scope of US sanctions might cover all immersion lithography systems. Chinese semiconductor equipment market dominated by foreign suppliers Currently, more than 80% of China's semiconductor equipment market is dominated by suppliers not based in China. For example, ASML, Nikon and Canon lead the lithography segment, while Shanghai Micro Electronics Equipment Co. (SMEE) is the only China-based lithography machine supplier. Other equipment segments such as etching, ion implantation, coating, wafer cleaning and testing have been led by players based in the US, Japan, Germany, Switzerland, and South Korea. Even though China is cultivating domestic champions like Advanced Micro-Fabrication Equipment Inc. China (AMEC) and NAURA Technology Group Co., these domestic players are still years behind their international peers, especially when China's semiconductor equipment ecosystem is not complete enough to support advanced process development. The piling US semiconductor curbs against China will certainly impact the production level of the Chinese chip industry. On the demand side, according to Chen, industrial downturn will decrease domestic demand for production capacity. As IC design houses or brand companies seek production diversification to reduce geopolitical risks, demand for China-based production capacity will be further dented. The only silver lining to the adverse situation would be the mid-to-long term demand for chip production capacity, particularly specialty process technologies, driven by Chinese 5G, AI and EV developments. According to DIGITIMES Research, when it comes to 12-inch wafers, SMIC's capacity is estimated to grow from 160,000 wafers per month (WPM) in the end of 2022 to more than 190,000 WPM by the end of 2023. For 8-inch wafers, the capacity is expected to remain the same at 350,000 WPM. Questions to be answered With the full scope of US sanctions remaining unknown, Eric Chen also drew attention to a potential issue that has largely evaded mainstream discussion: with China's legacy and advanced nodes at 28nm and below coming under sanctions, who can fill the capacity gap as the supply of 28nm production capacity remains tight? SMIC, for example, has been a major contributor to legacy capacity: as of 2022, 80% of SMIC revenue came from legacy nodes at 40nm and above, while advanced nodes at 28nm and below only accounted for 20%. Moreover, according to Chen, the current US sanctions still leave loopholes, as the chemicals necessary for semiconductor production - a sector led by Japan - are not covered by the current export conrol regime. Finally, Chen also raised the possibility that the US would gain better insights into Chinese industry's chip design capabilities as Chinese chipmakers turn to foundries based outside of China, though it remains to be seen to what extent the foundries in question would be willing to cooperate with Washington's requests. Chart 1: China's semiconductor equipment self-sufficiency remains to be strengthened Credit: DIGITIMES Chart 2: Legacy nodes still contribute to more than half of SMIC's revenue Credit: DIGITIMES About the Analyst: Eric Chen is an Analyst and Project Manager at DIGITIMES Research. Chen received his Master's degree in International Business from Taiwan's Soochow University. His research focuses on foundry industry as well as IC assembly & packaging industry. Backbenchers have been urged to vote to reverse the Governments decision to lift the eviction ban ahead of a Dail motion on Wednesday. In response to a non-binding motion put down by Sinn Fein, the Government responded with a counter motion that listed measures already taken and pledged safety net measures for renters who may be impacted by the eviction moratorium being lifted. This included additional supports for local authorities to acquire more than 1,500 social homes in 2023, if required. The Department of Housing is also to set up an acquisition delivery team to ensure that local authorities meet its tenant in-situ purchase targets. During a heated Dail debate on the motion on Tuesday, Housing Minister Darragh OBrien condemned the incendiary language of Sinn Fein, while emphasising were doing everything we can to ensure that no person ends up homeless. Sinn Feins housing spokesperson Eoin OBroin told the Government benches: Two-and-a-half years in charge and youre making it worse. What would Deputy OBroin do? Sinn Feins Thomas Gould added. He wouldnt make thousands of people homeless is what he would do. He said that the eviction ban being lifted was a betrayal of ordinary, vulnerable people. The reason why we dont support your measures is because none of your measures have worked, and we wouldnt be where we are today if they worked, Sinn Fein TD Martin Kenny added. The vast majority of people out there recognise what this Government is doing is totally obnoxious, it is ridiculous. The question has been asked umpteen times where are these people going to go? There is no emergency accommodation, there is no prospect of them being able to find alternative accommodation, there are no houses to rent. You have done nothing to make this system work. We have a broken housing system. Repeating a call made by Mr OBroin earlier in the day, Mr Kenny appealed to minister for housing and government backbenchers to turn this around. Because you will rue the day if you go through with this, he said. Labour leader Ivana Bacik called the eviction motion by Sinn Fein compassionate, and said that there was no evidence that an extension of the eviction ban would result in a reduction in supply of private rental accommodation. She added: But theres nothing there from April 1. And were all hearing this minister, were all hearing this from families, from individuals in our own constituencies. Youre hearing it, I know. The homeless agencies are hearing it, local authorities are hearing it there is no emergency accommodation available. She confirmed again to the Dail that Labour would put down a motion of no confidence next week if the Government refuses to change course. The legislation would indefinitely extend the ban, which could be lifted by order of the minister if homelessness figures fall for four months in a row. Several independent TDs have yet to declare whether they will back the Government, and Sinn Fein has claimed the outcome could be very, very tight. Independent TD Verona Murphy told the Dail on Tuesday night: The action, not words of Government, needs to be unequivocal and immediate. Considering potential future policy positions is not satisfactory. We await further clarity on the immediacy of the Governments actions before committing to supporting the motion. Independent TD Catherine Connolly said that they plan to lift the eviction ban in time for April Fools Day and failed to see the humour of that, accusing the Government of empty boasting on housing schemes it introduces. Mr OBroin concluded the debate by telling Mr OBrien that he would be remembered as the minister who deliberately increased homelessness, comparing him to former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher. The temporary prohibition on evictions, which was introduced in November, will run out at the end of the month as scheduled. While critics of the move claim it will result in the current record levels of homelessness soaring even higher, the Government has insisted that prolonging the measure will see more landlords leave the rental market, reducing an already low supply of accommodation further. An expansion of the existing tenant-in-situ scheme is a mainstay of the Government support measures. The scheme empowers local authorities to buy homes where tenants who are in receipt of Housing Assistance Payments or are part of the Rental Accommodation Scheme have been threatened with an eviction notice. Measures will also allow for local authorities to step in for other renters faced with eviction who cannot afford to buy their home. The authorities will be able to purchase the properties and operate them on a cost rental basis, with the existing householders being able to stay on with lower rental payments. A further initiative will give renters the first right of refusal to buy their rental home if it is put on the market. A share equity scheme would see renters being able to secure 30% of the purchase price by way of a state grant, with local authorities also able to offer home loans at rates lower than those available on the open market. Green Party leader Eamon Ryan, who outlined the measures after Cabinet, said the Government was offering safety net guarantees. The Government initially set at target for 1,500 homes to be purchased under the tenant-in-situ scheme but Mr Ryan said that was set to be increased. Were putting centre stage the protection of tenants, the protection of people at risk of being homeless, and I think significant developments in that regard is the expansion of the tenants-in-situ scheme, going beyond the 1,500 houses or having the capability of going beyond that, he said. The Taoiseach later outlined support measures for landlords to encourage them to stay in the market. He said there would be a tax package in the budget for smaller landlords to encourage them to stay in the sector; an extension of a refurbishment grant scheme for renovating derelict properties for the rental market; while people renting out rooms in their homes will not have their social welfare or medical card entitlements affected. While Sinn Feins motion calling for an extension is non-binding, Mr OBroin insisted it was not purely symbolic and that the vote could be close. There is a significant number of independents who are indicating they are going to vote against the Government because they are unhappy how they are handling this crisis, he said. His party leader Mary Lou McDonald later told the Dail the Government was set to knowingly inflict a tsunami of misery on renters. With your eyes wide open you intend to lift the eviction ban knowing that this will spell disaster for so many, she told Mr Varadkar during Leaders Questions. She added: You sound to me like somebody who has thrown in the towel and thrown renters to the wolves. Mr Varadkar said the Sinn Fein motion would discourage more landlords from entering the market and would make the situation worse. In sharp exchanges with the Sinn Fein president, he added: It seems to me that you see housing not as a crisis to be overcome or problem to be solved, but as a political issue to be exploited. Podcasts Our podcast series brought to you by Rob Vember, brings together eLearning Africa's experts with our community of African education, training and technology professionals to discuss issues affecting learning and training across Africa today. We've developed this series from the ground to help sector professionals respond to a time of exceptional change. Tune in every month for fresh perspectives, new solutions and advice from digital learning and ICT experts and leading practitioners on the challenges faced by African education and training professionals. Get to know the stories, experiences and motivators behind these leading voices. Student Awards Emily Harding 23, a Biochemistry & Molecular Biology major, is the recipient of a 2022 Barry Goldwater Scholarships. These scholarships are reserved for college sophomores and juniors who intend to pursue research careers in the natural sciences, mathematics, and engineering. Read more. Andrew Furman 23, a Political Science major, Communications and Philosophy minor, is the recipient of a 2022 Explorers Club Award, which provides students funding with the goal of promoting scientific exploration and field study. Read more. Marc Ramson 23, a Political Science major, Communications and Religious Studies minor, Alexander Waskiewicz 24, a Political Science and Public Health double major, and Matthew Wilt 23, a Political Science and Legal Studies major, International Studies minor, all earned a James A. Finnegan Fellowship Foundation Scholarship which provides practical training in government and politics for outstanding undergraduate students. Read more. Occupational Therapy student Lorraine Schlosser 23 was recently awarded the prestigious Jo Anne J. Trow Award from the Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society. The society awards only 50 merit-based scholarships annually to outstanding undergraduate students who must have a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher. What is a Covered Individual? A covered individual is any individual who is entitled to educational assistance under Chapter 31(Veteran Readiness and Employment) or Chapter 33 (Post 9/11) GI Bill benefits. Elizabethtown College does not impose any penalty, including the assessment of late fees, the denial of access to classes, libraries, or other institutional facilities, or the requirement that a covered individual borrow additional funds, on any covered individual because of the individual's inability to meet his or her financial obligations to the institution due to a delayed disbursement funding from the VA under Chapter 31 or 33. Covered individuals are permitted to attend or participate in the course of education during the period beginning on the date on which the individual provides to the College a certificate of eligibility for entitlement to educational assistance under Chapter 31 or 33. A certificate of eligibility can also include a Statement of Benefits obtained frm the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) website - va.gov or VAF 28-1905 form for Chapter31. The aforementioned ends on the earlier of the following dates: 1) the date on which payment from VA is made to the institution 2) 90 days after the date the institution certified tuition and fees following the receipt of the certificate of eligibility. Creating a Transformative Experience for Our Students Elizabethtown College promises to engage our students in finding their life's calling, life's work, and most fullfiling future. Gifts made by alumni, parents, and friends provide the support needed to set our students on the path to their best life. The Institutional Advancement Division works to create, enhance, and maintain relationships with these important members of the greater Etown community in order continue to provide the life-changing educational experience Etown provides. If you are interested in learning how you can support Etown or have any questions, please contact our office at 800-877-9658 or ia@etown.edu. Make a gift to etown Aleksey Sukhobokov, a loader from the Tver Region, has been kept under arrest in a pre-trial detention center since October last year for allegedly 'justifying terrorism'. According to investigators, in a private conversation he rejoiced at the explosion on the Crimean bridge. All accusations are based only on the testimony of his colleagues. Excavating early medieval Britains most significant female burial Reconstructing the necklace based on the objects position in the ground. Its asymmetrical design is unusual by modern standards but may have been deliberate, or components could have been lost, or even retained by mourners as mementoes of its owner. The artists impression shows how it may have looked when clean and new. IMAGE: MOLA (Hugh Gatt) Archaeological work just outside Northampton has uncovered an internationally significant burial, furnished with a remarkable 7th-century necklace, as well as a number of other high-status grave goods. With conservation and analysis of the finds under way, Carly Hilts spoke to Paul Thompson and Lyn Blackmore about what these artefacts can tell us about the woman they were buried with, and what they could add to our understanding of early medieval England as research progresses. Elements of the necklace emerging from the soil. IMAGE: MOLA The site at Harpole, a village four miles west of Northampton, had been a very straightforward excavation for the small team from MOLA (Museum of London Archaeology. Working ahead of a new housing development by Vistry Group, and supported by archaeological consultants RPS, they had already carried out geophysical surveys of the whole area, and in March and April of 2022 they moved on to targeted excavation of the features identified by this preliminary work. For some weeks, they had been uncovering Iron Age and Roman remains: fairly typical domestic evidence, including ditches, pits, a couple of enclosures not the main focus of a settlement, but traces of very everyday activity on the fringes of occupied areas. As the project drew to its end, there was nothing to indicate anything unusual and then, on the penultimate day of digging, everything changed. On 11 April, Site Supervisor Levente-Bence Balazs was overseeing the investigation of what was thought to be an interesting rubbish pit-type feature containing organic remains, but as the team carefully scraped back layers of soil, they found two gold items and pieces of human tooth enamel. It was quickly apparent that this was not a rubbish pit, but a grave. The archaeologists had uncovered the first hints of a discovery that would completely change perceptions of the sites significance: the 1,300-year-old burial of a woman who had been laid to rest in ostentatious style, accompanied by the richest necklace of its type ever found in Britain. It was, Project Manager Paul Thompson said, an exhilarating day. RECONSTRUCTING THE HARPOLE TREASURE Now that all of the elements of the necklace have been recovered, it is possible to piece together the original appearance of the item, which has been dubbed the Harpole Treasure. Fortunately, the grave had been dug particularly deep, meaning that it had not been disturbed by ploughing over the years, and MOLA have been able to reconstruct the necklaces likely design based on the position of each of its 30 components in the ground. These include nine oval pendants made from colourful glass and semi-precious stones set in gold, and eight late Roman coins. These were all issues of Theodosius I (r. 379-395), which MOLA finds specialist Lyn Blackmore notes are very rare in England, with only a handful noted in the most-recent survey (2010). The Harpole coins are in exceptionally good condition, suggesting that they had not circulated widely as currency. Instead, they may have been recovered from a hoard before being incorporated into the necklace, or carefully curated and passed down as heirlooms. It is also possible that they are later copies; analysis to determine this has not yet been done. Some of the components of the 7th-century Harpole Treasure, the richest necklace of its kind ever found. IMAGE: MOLA (Andy Chopping) All of the coins bear the same design, with Theodosius profile on the obverse, and a motif depicting two seated emperors with a winged figure of Victory between them on the reverse. Because of how the clasps were fitted when the coins were turned into pendants, we can see which side was intended to be the front on the necklace and, interestingly, it is the reverse of the coins that was selected to face forwards. This might be because the imagery of the emperors, whose heads appear to be encircled by haloes, and the angelic winged figure, were thought to be more appropriate for the religious theme of the necklace as a whole. The wearers beliefs are expressed most clearly by the jewellerys centrepiece: a roughly square gold pendant with red garnets forming a cross design. Like the coins, this was a repurposed piece: it appears to be half of a hinged clasp, not unlike a daintier version of the famous Sutton Hoo shoulder clasps. On either side of this was a large, biconical bead made from wound gold wire, while ten smaller ones were interspersed through the rest of the necklace. Altogether, when new and sparklingly clean, this would have been a visually arresting piece of jewellery, flashing with colour and gleaming precious metal: an unmistakeable sign of both the status and the piety of its wearer. As for the necklaces date, it is thought to have been made c.AD 630-670, when Harpole lay within the early medieval kingdom of Mercia. There are a small number of parallels from Britain, the closest being the Desborough Necklace: another Northamptonshire discovery, it was found just 20 miles from Harpole in 1876 and is now held by the British Museum. Although the Desborough design was much simpler albeit with more (37) components than the Harpole Treasure it too was hung with a number of pendants, and included biconical gold beads and a central cross. ABOVE LEFT: X-ray analysis of a soil block taken from the grave revealed the presence of a large and ornate cross within it. ABOVE RIGHT: The cross was decorated with small silver faces with blue glass eyes. IMAGES: MOLA This is an extract of an article that appeared in CA 395. Read on in the magazine or on our new website, The Past (click here to subscribe), which details of all the content of the magazine. At The Past you will be able to read each article in full as well as the content of our other magazines, Current World Archaeology, Minerva, and Military History Matters. At least one major artist cares about San Antonio. Chris Stapleton is coming to the AT&T Center on Thursday, Oct. 19, as part of his All-American Road Show, the AT&T Center announced Thursday. Stapleton, the artist behind hits like "Tennessee Whiskey" and "Broken Halos," returns to the Alamo City for the first time since the pandemic began in March 2020. Tickets for the concert go on sale March 24 at 10 a.m. The past few years saw a busy schedule for Stapleton, including singing the national anthem at the Super Bowl last month and featuring on "I Bet You Think About Me" on Taylor Swift's remastering of her album "Red." Stapleton won Male Vocalist of the Year for the sixth time at the Country Music Awards in November. Stapleton's latest album "Starting Over" also arrived in 2020. Stapleton's bill will include openers Charley Crockett and Nikki Lane, as the eight-time Grammy winner also plays American Bank Center Arena in Corpus Christi on Oct. 12 and Moody Center in Austin on Oct. 20. Stapleton was previously scheduled to arrive in San Antonio in the fall of 2020 before the pandemic arrived. shepard.price@express-news.net Red Bull On the first day of Fiesta, it's a tradition to exchange medals. On the St. Mary's Strip, rappers will be trading bars and insults. Red Bull Batalla, which is billed as the world's largest Spanish-language freestyle rap competition, will stage an exhibition match on April 20 at Paper Tiger, 2410 N. St. Mary's St. The event, which begins at 10 p.m., is free; reservations are being accepted at eventbrite.com. The sign above Southtown first appeared in 2020, a banner on the old El Mirador building within sight of the Tower of the Americas that simply read, Rosarios, Coming 2021. The word was out: Lisa Wong was moving her flagship Mexican restaurant a few blocks north of its South Alamo Street location, taking over the rambling casita that El Mirador occupied for a generation. What arose in its place and opened in February took almost three years to build, commandeers half a city block, throws a hard elbow at Maverick Texas Brasserie next door, lifts its rooftop bar to the clouds and elevates Rosarios to the hottest new restaurant in San Antonio. Lost in the thrill of the Next New Thing is a lingering sense that this has all happened before, just this way. And one of us is Jack Nicholson smiling up from the ballroom in The Shining, reliving the same scenarios through time, both changed and unchanging. Is it Lisa Wong, who bought Rosarios in 1992 in the current Hot Joy building on South Alamo Street, then moved it in 1999 to a bigger, more modern space a little farther north on South Alamo, then moved it in 2023 to a bigger, more modern space a little farther north on South St. Marys Street? Mike Sutter/Staff Is it Rosarios, where Tacos Callejeros and shrimp nachos and fajitas abide now as they did then, working a style of Mexican cooking that hovers between mom-and-pop comfort food and the contemporary bistro-Mex of Wongs joint venture Acenar on the River Walk? On ExpressNews.com: After nine years, Rosarios closes its North Side restaurant Or is it the customers? We're all wondering whether Rosarios new clothes will fit the same for people who liked things the way they were. Then I read an Express-News review of Rosarios from when it moved in 1999 that wondered the same thing, a piece written by one of my predecessors here. Whenever a favorite restaurant expands, upscales its image or changes locations in response to growing popularity, I get a bit nervous, Karen Haram wrote. Will the beloved restaurant stay true to the concept that made it popular in the first place? Will the restaurant's menu stick to its roots or lose focus in an attempt to match its new image? Mark the spot here for the death of any original thoughts on Rosarios, I guess. But the questions still need answering. For us, for the people who crowd the bar in front, the tables on the sidewalk of the outbuilding next door, the cathedral of the main dining room, with bright pink walls and towering lacquered wooden screens. For the people clamoring for the rooftop lounge to open any day now with its view of downtown on one side and the Tower on the other. Mike Sutter/Staff The question of how to serve those people eased up this week when Rosarios announced it had closed its 9-year-old North Side location to focus on the new one, with jobs waiting for the staff. Rosarios ComidaMex & Bar 722 S. St. Marys St., 210-223-1806, rosariossa.com Quick bite: Relocated and modernized Southtown Mexican restaurant from Lisa Wong Hit: Enchiladas Mexicanas, Chicken Chipotle, Mexican street corn Miss: Puffy tacos, tortilla soup, chile relleno Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday; 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday; 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday Price range: Appetizers, $8.25-$15.25; soups and salads, $9.25-$14.25; entrees $9.95-$19.99; desserts, $5-$8 Alcohol: Cocktails, beer and wine Excellent Good Fair Poor Bad Express-News dining critics pay for all meals. See More Collapse My questions about the food arose not from a point-by-point comparison with the old location, but rather whats here now. And whats here now is an uneven balance of good, just OK and what-were-they-thinking, the kind of food youd expect from a place half this nice. Sloppy presentations and splattered plates undercut food that should have scored strong nostalgia points in San Antonio. Im talking about simple plate wipes and that thing in poker where the dealer tells you not to splash the pot because it scatters the chips and makes things messy. Go easy, make it nice. The worst of my time at Rosarios went more than skin-deep, on a plate of puffy tacos where the shells didnt just fail to hold form; they melted away in mealy clumps. Lisas Plate accomplished the rare feat of making cheese enchiladas look unappetizing, bleeding on a plate with guacamole salad, beef fajitas and rice and beans, all of it looking like itd been dropped on the plate from a few feet up. Youve had these enchiladas from a dozen mid-tier Mexican cafes not named Rosarios, and the best I can say about the fajitas is at least they werent caramelized and stiff like the fajitas from a mixed chicken-and-beef fajita plate from the week before, all cast-iron sizzle and no spark. Mike Sutter/Staff A chile relleno plate got hit just as badly, a war zone of mulch-colored sauce and gloppy broiled cheese on an over-roasted poblano pepper that leached the joy from its creative filling of beef, raisins and almonds. And not all tortilla soup is created equal, and this weak bowl wasnt equal to what I want from tortilla soup: fortifying comfort. On ExpressNews.com: Eat the Street: Feeding the heart and soul of South Alamo The queso that carries Rosarios name came in a small cup barely wide enough for a chip, the kind of basic milky melted cheese youd expect from a jar, an unwelcome guest sitting next to a decent handshaken margarita from a cocktail menu that included an entertaining frozen margarita with a sweet crimson cactus heart and an outclassed Oaxacan old-fashioned with a sticky dash of cola syrup like warm Coke Zero. The story arc started to curve the other way with shrimp nachos that honored the form with thick curls of clean shrimp under appropriately suffocating blankets of melted Monterey cheese. A waiter, moonlighting from his job as a wine rep, recommended Griseldas Tacos Callejeros, a trio of tacos in corn tortilla shells fried halfway to hold shape without going all the way crunchy. Stuffed with beef, carnitas and chicken, respectively, each showed that sometimes the middle of the road is a safe place to be. He also steered me toward Chicken Chipotle, a quiet place in the chaos, with a tangle of steamed spinach and creamy chipotle sauce over grilled chicken, with a satisfying blend of juice and sear. Keep that guy around. I can say without qualification that Enchiladas Mexicanas looked as good as they tasted, a glowing crimson pool of guajillo and chile pasilla over enchiladas filled with queso fresco and crowned with a freewheeling mix of cabbage slaw, potatoes, carrots and a roasted jalapeno. With a side of roasted Mexican sweet corn bearing crunch and twang, it was the perfect Rosarios experience. And there is such a thing as the perfect Rosarios experience, when past and present align. When Rosarios moved in 1999, the Express-News reported big crowds and long waits, stretching as long as two hours on the weekend. Twenty-four years and two blocks later, the only thing different is the address. Nicholson, party of one? Your table is ready. Until I counted receipt by receipt, I couldnt wrap my head around more than 370 restaurant visits in 2022. But Ive been on a mission for the Express-News. Call it the Year of the Top 10s. The best tacos, the best coffee, the best doughnuts, the best fried chicken, the best sandwiches. And the Top 10 restaurants in San Antonio, Boerne and New Braunfels. Why? The restaurant scene keeps building on itself, and in a year with so many closings, theres still been almost twice as many openings. Its time to catalog the best of where we are now, to set a baseline for the growth to come. Of the thousands of plates that moved across hundreds of tables the past year, these are the Top 25 things I ate in 2022. READ MORE: Mike Sutter's Top 10 San Antonio restaurants in 2022 Mike Sutter/Staff file photo Arrosta: Lasagna Bolognese Never underestimate the power of handmade pasta or the power of San Antonio chef Robbie Nowlin. His Lasagna Bolognese is exactly the kind of Italian farmhouse comfort food you want from this new rustic Italian trattoria just outside the Pearls main campus. 1803 Broadway, Suite 101, 210-979-9950, arrostapearl.com Mike Sutter/Staff file photo The Art of Donut: Smores doughnut A quest for the citys Top 10 doughnuts this year found The Art of Donut resting comfortably at the top, thanks to doughnuts built like elaborate personal birthday cakes, including the smores doughnut, with an actual chocolate bar for full campfire effect. 3428 N. St. Mary's St., 210-265-5423, artofdonut.com Mike Sutter/Staff file photo The Barn Door: Chopped sirloin with queso The year saw the continuation of showdowns between San Antonio institutions that began with Freds Fish Fry vs. Sea Island Shrimp House. This time it was The Barn Door vs. Little Red Barn, two steakhouses with more than 100 years of history between them. The Barn Door came out on top, propelled by chargrilled steaks and this: a work of bacon-wrapped steakhouse art draped in Day-Glo orange cheese with a thick scatter of pico de gallo, ordered rare like cowboy tartare. 8400 N. New Braunfels Ave., 210-824-0116, thebarndoorrestaurant.com Mike Sutter/Staff The Beignet Stand: Beignets A farmers market dream of becoming a stand-alone restaurant became a reality for Michael Grimes and Elisa Trevino this year when they opened The Beignet Stand on Broadway. The starter kit of a hot fried New Orleans beignet packs more powder than Tony Montana, and an order of three might also include beignets filled with strawberry jam or Mexican hot chocolate cream. 8343 Broadway, thebeignetstand.com Mike Sutter/Staff file photo Bliss: Oyster sliders Memory is a powerful thing, and Bliss remembers how it built its Southtown legacy on chicken-fried oysters, those four tiny sliders on baby biscuits with melt-away fried oysters and a drape of brown-butter hollandaise and tumbles of candied bacon. Show me a better one-bite masterpiece in San Antonio. 926 S. Presa St., 210-225-2547, foodisbliss.com RELATED: Top 10 taquerias in San Antonio Mike Sutter/Staff file photo Botero Tapas + Wine Bar: Paella Botero My exploration of Boerne to find that citys Top 10 restaurants took me to Botero for a thoroughly immersive Spanish cafe experience that included paella with clams, mussels, shrimp, pork and chicken, brought together by tiered textures of good paella rice. 161 S. Main St., Boerne, 830-446-3035, botero161.com Mike Sutter/Staff file photo The Bread Box: English muffin breakfast sandwich With 10 years under their belts, Bread Box owners Tina and Lucas Kent have perfected the art of the English muffin. Theirs is supple like ciabatta, spongy like focaccia, as evenly toasty as an artisan pizza crust. Soft and sweet, its the perfect platform for a breakfast sandwich with eggs souffled in two thick bouncy-house circles finished with melted cheddar and thick cowboy bacon with lettuce and tomatoes. 555 W. Bitters Road, Suite 115 at The Alley on Bitters, 210-277-8612, thebreadboxsa.com Mike Sutter/Staff file photo Capos Pizzeria: Pizza by the slice Is it any surprise that the No. 1 pick from our 52 Weeks of Pizza series makes the best pizza by the slice in San Antonio? This is the best slice of pepperoni pizza in the city, with cup-and-char pepperoni that curls up at the edges like kiddie pools of flavor on a textbook New York crust with a sturdy, bubbled collar and the infrastructure to hold the load all the way to the pointy end. 8522 Broadway, Suite 105, 210-362-1901, more locations at capospizzasa.com Mike Sutter/Staff file photo Carriqui: Old School Nachos Built on the bones of the old Liberty Bar, Carriqui at the Pearl is a polished confluence of Texas saloon, Mexican cookout and barbecue swagger. But for all its ambition, it knows how to keep it real with nachos made the way nachos were made at the dawn of time: one chip, refried beans, one slab of cheese, one slice of jalapeno. Melted under the broiler. Perfect. 239 E. Grayson St., 210-910-5547, carriquitx.com Mike Sutter/Staff file photo Chefs Table Turkish Mediterranean Grill: Adana kebab Ibrahim Karabiyik brought the Adana kebab of his native Turkey to Chefs Table in 2021, a perfectly grilled skewer of ground lamb with a bright symphony of onions, herbs, fresh peppers, cucumbers and pomegranate vinaigrette. 1546 Babcock Road, Suite 102, 210-664-5100, chefstableturkishgrill.com READ MORE: Top 10 fried chicken in San Antonio Mike Sutter/Staff file photo Cullums Attaboy: Steak and eggs Chris Cullum grew up eating at the coolest places in San Antonio, thanks to his dad, the late jazz musician Jim Cullum. Hes taken everything hes learned over the years and given it new life at Cullums Attaboy, a space that feels like a neighborhood dive bar, a midcentury lunch counter and a highway diner rolled into one, with fluffy scrambled eggs, and a grilled tenderloin dressed with shaved truffles and a lush brown glace. 111 Kings Court, 210-601-5353, cullumsattaboy.com Mike Sutter/Staff file photo Cup Stuff and Catering: Turkey and dressing Yearning for a taste of Thanksgiving all year round, I came across Melanee Reynas Cup Stuff, named for the parfaits that kick-started her business. She could start a restaurant selling nothing but turkey and dressing, its that good. Turkey in the kind of shaggy bits and pieces you only get from a whole bird, dressing with the sweet grain of cornbread, soaked in gravy made with real turkey stock, with sides of cranberry sauce, green bean casserole and mashed potatoes, and a roll to sop it all up. 827 Rayburn Drive, 210-369-8106, Facebook: Cup Stuff and Catering Mike Sutter/Staff file photo Double Standard: East Coast oysters This American-style tavern opened in late May and immediately changed the downtown happy hour game with $1 East Coast oysters. Theyre fresh, briny and cheap, served in a rowdy turn-of-the-20th century saloon with one of the coldest martinis in the city. 114 E. Houston St. in the Rand Building, 210-977-0005, doublestandardsatx.com Mike Sutter/Staff file photo Fig Tree Restaurant: Saddle of rabbit Theres nothing like new blood to reinvigorate an old favorite, and chef Luis Colon led the charge to bring back the 50-year-old Fig Tree from its pandemic hibernation on the River Walk. The short, smart menu is a playbook of high-technique Continental food, including tender, radiant rabbit saddle rolled and stuffed with meat from the leg, then wrapped in prosciutto, served with wild mushrooms and gnocchi. 515 Villita St. in La Villita, 210-595-1313, figtreerestaurant.com Mike Sutter/Staff file photo Garcias Mexican Food: Breakfast tacos The brisket taco gets all the glory at this Tex-Mex cafe, but the breakfast tacos stand among the best in the city, an all-star lineup on fresh flour tortillas that includes papas rancheras, machacado a la mexicana, and a scramble of eggs and country sausage grilled with pico de gallo. 842 Fredericksburg Road, 210-735-4525, Facebook: Garcias Mexican Food RELATED: Top 10 New Braunfels restaurants Mike Sutter/Staff file photo The Jerk Shack: Fried chicken I ate at more than 25 fried chicken joints to find the Top 10, and Jerk Shack took the top spot, surpassing even its world-class Jamaican jerk chicken with fried chicken wearing a well-seasoned batter like weathered parchment. A three-piece with legs and thighs and two sides is one of the citys perfect plates of food. 10234 Texas 151, Suite 103, 210-776-7780, thejerkshacksatx.com Mike Sutter/Staff La Fogata: Chile en nogada A roasted poblano pepper filled with beef picadillo, apples and nuts, chile en nogada is served for special occasions across Mexico. This 45-year Mexican restaurant standard-bearer makes every day a special occasion with rich, sweet pecan sauce and the spark of pomegranate seeds. 2427 Vance Jackson Road, 210-340-1337, more locations at lafogata.com Mike Sutter/Staff Ladino: Autumn squash baba ghanoush Named for the Ladino language spoken by Sephardic Jews in parts of the Middle East, this new Mediterranean project at the Pearl transformed the old Il Sogno space the same way it transformed baba ghanoush into a seasonal celebration of golden squash, toasted seeds and shallots, scooped with warm housemade pita. 200 E. Grayson St. Suite 100, ladinosatx.com Mike Sutter/Staff file photo Max & Louies New York Diner: Reuben sandwich Drew Glick is a larger-than-life entrepreneur whos kept Max & Louies on everybodys lips even through the pandemic with bagels, pizza, matzo ball soup and meatloaf. But sandwiches are his love language, and the Reuben here is piled with so much pastrami and corned beef that the rye bread just hangs on for dear life. And I wouldnt want any other way. One of the best in our 52 Weeks of Sandwiches series. 226 W. Bitters Road, Suite 126, 210-483-7600, maxandlouiesdiner.com Mike Sutter/Staff file photo Panfila Cantina: Chilaquiles enmolados The blurred lines between migas and chilaquiles are forever drawn by tortilla chips in San Antonio. Anything with scrambled eggs and chips is called one or the other, and everybody acts like thats OK. And maybe it is, at least until the charming new Panfila Cantina weighs in with chilaquiles enmolados with full-size tortilla chips simmered in smoky-sweet mole sauce and thats it, just that euphoric chilaquiles tipping point between soft and crunchy, because thats all you need. 22250 Bulverde Road, Suite 114, 210-455-0702, panfilacantinaandrestaurant.com READ MORE: Top 10 Boerne restaurants Mike Sutter/Staff file photo Pollos Asados Los Nortenos: Pollo asado A showdown this year pitting Los Nortenos against challenger Al Carbon Pollos Asados was close, but the charcoal-grilled chicken from Los Nortenos won with balanced achiote-citrus flavor, a strong sear, a clean chop and a juicy bite. 4642 Rigsby Ave., 210-648-3303; 4822 Walzem Road, 210-481-4168; polloslosnortenos.com Mike Sutter/Staff file photo Reese Bros Barbecue: Brisket This startup just south of the Alamodome adheres to the Hill Country barbecue model of meat by the pound and sides sold separately, and the brisket justifies its premium price with moist and lean cuts that show off the smoke and let the fat find its balance. The bark holds a consistent edge as black and polished as cooled volcanic lava, with black pepper winning the tug of war with salt, the way it should be. 906 Hoefgen Ave., 512-925-9205, reesebrosbbq.com Mike Sutter/Staff file photo SP Cafe: Vietnamese banh mi SP Cafe understands the elegant simplicity of the Vietnamese banh mi sandwich, the way its sold on the streets of Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and every village and roadside cafe in between. It starts with house-baked baguettes, then rolls through a time-honored build of cold-cut layers of ham and pork loaf with a creamy spread of mayo and liver pate for an iron-rich core of protein, salt and fat balanced by julienned carrots and cucumbers, backed up by the heat and florals of sliced jalapenos and cilantro. 602 NW Loop 410, Suite 126, in the Park North Shopping Center, 210-541-9689, savoureuxcafe126.com Mike Sutter/Staff file photo Terans Restaurant: Terans Taco Building on more than 600 taqueria visits since I came to San Antonio, I updated my list of San Antonios Top 10 taquerias this year. True to the mom-and-pop energy of the citys taco scene, Terans Restaurant took No. 1, opening its doors at 3:30 in the morning to feed the people who keep the wheels rolling. Terans Taco is a hulking masterpiece of fluffy eggs, crisp cowboy bacon, melted cheese, beans, ribbons of smoked sausage, ham and home-fried potatoes. Its like a Transformer of all your favorite breakfast tacos ready to save the day, or at least fuel it up. 4403 E. Houston St., 210-333-6470, no web presence Mike Sutter/Staff file photo Uwes Bakery & Deli: Bratwurst on a Bun From Krauses Cafe to McAdoos Seafood Co. to The Downtowner, I picked the Top 10 New Braunfels restaurants this year, a list that reinforced a city dining scene on the move. But an unassuming family-run bakery hooked me with one of the best hot dogs in Central Texas. Uwes is beloved for bread, kolaches and klobasneks, and its bratwurst hot dog plays in the same league, made with a fat, housemade Thuringer brat with an aroma like Bavarian incense on a stout pretzel bun with crisp sauerkraut and grain mustard. 1024 W. San Antonio St., Unit B, New Braunfels, 830-632-6585, uwesbakerydeli.com In Kerrville, a bucolic city along Interstate 10 northwest of San Antonio, a Dallas company is seeking to capitalize on the Hill Country's explosive growth. A division of RREAF Holdings developed 120 apartments at Loop 534 and Singing Wind Drive about five years ago and the complex known as Sendero Ridge leased up quickly, a sign of strong demand for housing in the area, said Carl Schwab, president of RREAF Development Services. Now the company is planning to build more than a thousand new homes and apartments on two other swaths of undeveloped land. "We love the community. Who doesn't love the Hill Country?" Schwab said. "Everybody's seen the growth in Kerrville and Fredericksburg, and then along I-10 back to Boerne and San Antonio. (Kerrville is) not a small town, but it's not like Austin and San Antonio with all the traffic and hustle and bustle." On Express-News.com: Aerospace manufacturer begins work on base at Kerrville Airport Commerce Park He's planning to add from 550 to 575 apartments and potentially commercial space on 38 acres next to Singing Wind Park and from 550 to 600 apartments, build-to-rent homes and for-sale homes on 203 acres off Texas 16 and Camp Meeting Road. RREAF is developing the bigger site in phases and adding public infrastructure, including a road off of Texas 16 that will be dedicated to the city. Courtesy of RREAF Holdings and HEDK Architects Growth and opportunity The first phase is a mix of 262 one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments, some of which will have garages, on about 13 acres. Construction could begin within six weeks, Schwab said. The second phase will add 208 apartments. Later phases are expected to include homes for sale on large lots and build-to-rent homes, a booming category of the U.S. property market aimed at families who cannot afford to buy a home but want more space than an apartment offers. Schwab said RREAF aims to price the units in line with Sendero Ridge, which ranges from around $1.60 to $1.90 per square foot per month. As construction materials and labor costs rise, it's unclear what the range of rents and prices will be and it will likely take four or five years to build out the property. "For a community of that size, that's a pretty significant amount of new product," Schwab said. "But what we see is a city that's desiring to realize that growth, and so we feel that provides an opportunity for us to partner with the city to try and get that accomplished." Kerrville, with a population of about 25,000, is the seat of Kerr County, which saw its population grow nearly 6 percent from 2010 to 2020, according to census data. That's a much lower growth rate than other counties in the Hill Country, which is one of the fastest-growing regions in the U.S., according to the 2020 census. In Kendall County, which includes Boerne, the population jumped 32 percent to about 44,000 people during the same period. Hays County which includes San Marcos, Kyle and Buda was the fastest-growing county nationwide from 2010 to 2020 among those with populations of 100,000 or more. Its population jumped 53.4 percent during that period to just over 241,000 residents. William Luther /Express-News Limitations The Hill Country's growth has generated concerns about its impact on the environment and increasing burdens on the limited infrastructure in the small cities that dot the region. "Demand has outpaced oftentimes the available infrastructure," Schwab said. "We stand prepared to move as fast as the city wants to realize growth, subject to the availability of the services the city is capable of providing." On ExpressNews.com: Gold rush in Hill Country as homebuilding surges; stresses on environment, infrastructure prompt dire warnings A comprehensive plan Kerrville adopted in 2018 anticipates there will be demand for 6,127 additional rental units and 17,585 additional ownership units by 2050 in the area based on current and expected trends. But affordable rental and for-sale housing is difficult to find, a concern for the city's workforce. "The lack of inventory in the affordable categories will begin to affect not only the growth of the population of Kerrville, but also the health of its economy if workers and entrepreneurs are unable to find places to live, assuming it hasn't done so already," the plan states. The plan suggests providing a range of housing types. The "sample action items" outlined include creating a citywide strategic housing plan with a focus on affordable and workforce housing, as well as looking into possible funding mechanisms for developing workforce housing and rehabilitating existing housing. Those interested in honing their parkour skills should look no further than Pearsall Park. On Friday, Reddit user "yunotxgirl" posted to the site's San Antonio page about a training course that's located in the park. The post received 170 upvotes (Reddit's version of likes) and 28 comments from fellow San Antonio Reddit users. "Did you know Pearsall Park has a whole ninja course/obstacle course," the user wrote. "Completely free and tbh (to be honest) pretty challenging." The user added a video posted by San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department explaining the course and how and why it was built. In the video, Parks and Recreation officials explain that the course was built on the site of an old landfill and was constructed in partnership with KaBOOM, a nonprofit that helps build playgrounds, in just one September day in 2019. The agility course, officials note in the video, offers Alamo City residents a new way to enjoy the outdoors. "The agility equipment was built by the community and we had nearly 200 volunteers come to the park to build the agility course," Chris Espinoza, senior public information officer at Parks and Recreation, wrote in an email. "The agility equipment and the site work was paid for by the 2017 Bond." KaBOOM assisted with project management and provided technical building experience for the course, Espinoza wrote. The equipment was selected by KaBOOM for specific cities, including San Antonio, seeking to provide a challenging course for the public. You might also like: San Antonio-area parks, trails and creeks are getting major upgrades. Here's where. "This course at Pearsall was put in a few months after 'American Ninja Warrior' came to San Antonio and had their broadcast from Downtown SA," Espinoza wrote. Most of the obstacles involve upper-body and grip strength, according to Parks and Recreation, as the course aims to be accessible to most people willing to give it a try. Obstacles within the course include ropes, agility drills and platforms where, just like in "American Ninja Warrior," people jump from side to side. The course is designed for those 13 and up, Parks and Recreation officials noted. shepard.price@express-news.net Dozens of artifacts and documents donated by music star Phil Collins are key attractions among the 500 historical items on display at the Alamo's new Ralston Family Collections Center. Collins influence is seen throughout the building. A display panel in the lobby, From Rock Star to Collector, highlights the British musicians passion for collecting relics connected to the 1835-1836 Texas Revolution. In 2014, Phil Collins generously gifted his collection to the people of Texas with the hope that the artifacts will inspire curiosity and offer new ways to learn about the history of the Alamo, the panel states. Nearly nine years later, the March 3 public opening of the collections center, with 10,000 square feet of gallery space, has allowed the Alamo, for the first time, to display dozens of items from the Phil Collins Texana Collection. Here are five objects on display that Collins wrote about in detail in his 2012 book, The Alamo and Beyond: A Collectors Journey. Scott Huddleston / Staff Mexican Cavalry Officer Helmet Made of leather, brass and horsehair, this headgear is a pristine example of a cavalry officers helmet of the 1830s. In his book, Collins suggests it was worn by an officer in the Mexican armys Dolores Battalion, stationed southeast of the Alamo to chase and kill defenders running from the fort during the battle. The helmets brass detailing depicts a Mexican eagle with a snake in its mouth. But Collins notes its resemblance to French military apparel. Even the uniforms worn by the Mexican troops were styled on those worn by Napoleons huge army, he wrote. Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, a great admirer of the French emperor, thought of himself as the Napoleon of the West. " On ExpressNews.com: New Alamo collections center named for donors Scott Huddleston / Staff Henry Schively Bowie Knife Collins traces a long, interesting story of this knife and says its believed to have been at the Alamo in 1836 though how it got there, we will never know. It was made by Schively, a renowned cutler who lived from 1784 to 1863. The knife is said to have been given to Mexican Brig. Gen. Antonio Gaona at the Alamo by his infantry troops, then gifted by Gaona to U.S. Navy Lt. Elisha Kent Kane more than a decade later during the Mexican-American War. Kane, who went on two Arctic expeditions in search of British explorer Sir John Franklin, had the knife fitted with a reindeer antler he found at the grave site of Franklin and his crew. A silver plate on one side of the handle was inscribed, Reindeer Antler from The Graves. " Scott Huddleston / Staff Mexican 7-inch Howitzer Shell Collins called the intact, 26-pound shell one of the rarest items of battle weaponry in his collection. It was recovered from the Sea of Mud archaeological site in Wharton County in 2000, believed to have been discarded by troops under Mexican Gen. Vicente Filisola. Only seven intact howitzer shells of its kind have been unearthed one from the Alamo and six from the Sea of Mud site, Collins wrote. The shell has markings, perhaps a personalized touch added by Mexican soldados or relating to its origin in this case, England. When the shell was found, it still had the fuse attached and its gunpowder inside, Collins added. On ExpressNews.com: Bar owner seeking $17M near Alamo put value at $527K last year Scott Huddleston / Staff Original Alamo Muster Roll A January 1836 muster roll listed 114 men in the Alamo garrison, including at least 60 who stayed at the fort during the siege and died in the early morning March 6 battle, according to Collins. Its a fantastic document to own and tells much about the constant ebb and flow of volunteers in and out of the garrison just weeks prior to the final hours of March 6, 1836, he wrote. Collins theorized the document was likely seized after the 1836 battle, then recovered six weeks later at San Jacinto before ending up in possession of Thomas William Ward, who became a commissioner of the General Land Office and an avid collector. Scott Huddleston / Staff Receipt for 30 Head of Beeves Collins called Alamo commander William Barret Travis receipt one of the jewels of my collection. Travis wrote the promissory note in Spanish on Feb. 23, 1836, at the start of the 13-day Alamo siege, to Ignacio Perez for beef to feed the men, women and children inside the compound. It promised Perez payment of 413 pesos from the provisional government of Texas by September 1836. The purchase of the thirty heffers was referenced the next day in a postscript in the famous victory or death letter that Travis sent out in a plea for reinforcements, noting 20 or 30 head of Beeves in the fort. The receipt also involved two prominent Tejano families in San Antonio: the ranching Perez clan and the politically connected Ruiz family. Francisco Antonio Ruiz, mayor of San Antonio, paid Perez the money owed on Sept. 8, 1836. Although a very small piece of parchment and knowing the circumstances under which it was written, this receipt is a truly remarkable piece of Texas history, Collins wrote. shuddleston@express-news.net In response to increasing numbers of homicides and other violent crimes in recent years, the city of San Antonio is taking a scientific approach in its efforts to reverse the trend. San Antonio police: Family of three found dead in apparent double murder-suicide at North Side apartment The San Antonio Police Department began 2023 by implementing the first phase of a multiyear plan that aims to use evidence-based strategies to reduce violent crime in urban areas. The plan developed by criminologists at the University of Texas San Antonio and calling for new ways of dealing with high-crime areas and violent offenders could be in practice for three to five years, though its creators hope the SAPD will make it a long-term approach. The UTSA team, consisting of five faculty members and one graduate student, developed a similar plan for the Dallas Police Department, which has seen violent crime reduced in that city since the plan was implemented two years ago. Within the first year, homicides in Dallas declined 13 percent. Mike Smith, a professor and director of the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice at UTSA, said the creators of San Antonios plan are cautiously optimistic that it will achieve similar results. Our problems in San Antonio arent unique, but every city is different, so we hope we can replicate the results here, Smith said. That would be awesome to help move the needle on violent crime in San Antonio. On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio saw most homicides in 2022 in last 30 years; overall crime rate also up Last year marked San Antonios deadliest year in the last three decades, with homicides increasing 43.5 percent in 2022 to 231 recorded homicides from 161 in 2021. Since the 1990s, when San Antonio was labeled the nations drive-by shooting capital, the homicide rate generally fell until it spiked in 2016. After that, homicides fell again until 2020, after which San Antonio has again experienced rising numbers. In addition to San Antonio and Dallas, the UTSA team is working with the police in Salt Lake City and Tacoma, Wash., to introduce similar plans in their cities. Other major cities such as Houston and Pittsburgh have started to develop similar strategies. We are excited to work with the San Antonio Police and city of San Antonio because this is our hometown, Smith said. It is great to work here and be able to bring this practice to our own city. Short term: high-visibility deterrence The crime reduction plan consists of three tiers, with short-, mid- and long-term strategies that are intended to build on each other. The short-term plan focuses on hot-spot policing targeting small areas where violent crimes are more likely to occur by establishing high officer visibility to deter violent offenders. This part of the plan has been in effect since Jan. 1. Officers from the SAPDs street crimes patrol and community policing units will rotate through 28 hot spots 100-by-100-meter grids across the city that are experiencing high levels of violent crime. The tactic involves officers sitting in their vehicles while flashing their patrol lights for 15-minute periods during peak crime hours. The plan calls for officers to remain in their vehicles unless they see a crime or an emergency in progress. Smith said the tactic is an evidence-based, highly effective means for reducing violent crime in small geographic areas. As part of such hot-spot policing, every 60 days, the research team will analyze information such as calls for service and incident reports with respect to the dates, times and locations that violent crimes are most prevalent to determine when and where officers need to be stationed. Research has shown, Smith said, that declines in calls for service and arrests for violent offenses have occurred in high-visibility patrol areas for up to three months after cycles of hot-spot policing end. Mid-term: community resources The second phase of the plan employs what it calls problem-oriented, place-based policing. This aims to focus police and other community resources toward violence-prone areas to address underlying conditions contributing to greater prevalence of violent crime. Sometimes solutions dont involve police and needs other community resources, Smith said. The problem-oriented, place-based policing phase will begin six to 12 months after hot-spot policing is implemented. Long-term: focus on offenders The plans final phase, which wont be implemented for at least a year, will focus on the 5 percent of offenders who commit half of the citys violent crime, San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said. Those offenders will be invited or required to participate in a program that will employ key people in the criminal justice system to emphasize that violence in the community is unacceptable and provide resources to address needs associated with violence. Officials hope that by engaging social science experts focused on areas like housing, job training, education and more, they can bring to bear resources that address reasons behind people committing violent offenses. The long-term plan also calls for enlisting people who are influential in offenders lives to provide another source of support. Smith said that including people such as families, faith leaders and victims families can reinforce the message that the offenders actions have consequences while providing support to make it easier to stop. The people in the program will have case managers to follow up with them and help them quit lifestyles that contributed to their involvement in violent crimes. Many times, the chances of becoming a victim of violent crime increases astronomically if you are living or engaging in a high-risk lifestyle, McManus said in 2022. Moving forward Kaylee Greenlee Beal Smith said the crime reduction plan relies on the best evidence-based strategies compiled from decades of criminal justice research. These arent ideas pulled out of thin air. They are rooted in 30 years of evidence, he said. Science evolves and improves, and another group of criminologists may come up with something better down the road, but for now, what the evidence shows is that this is the best practice. Not everyone, however, is on board with the plan and its crime-prevention strategies. Several City Council members were critical when McManus presented the plan during a Public Safety Committee meeting on Feb. 21. My overall concern is the human collateral damage with hyper concentrating police in lower-income communities of color, said District 5 Councilwoman Teri Castillo, who represents the West and near Southwest sides. She highlighted the case of Tyre Nichols, who died in early January at the hands of multiple Memphis, Tenn., police officers who were seen in video footage brutally beating him. The officers were part of their departments specialized unit called Scorpion, which focused on hot-spot policing. McManus said San Antonios plan doesnt resemble the Memphis unit in any shape or form. Likewise, Smith said there is nothing in the plan that would condone controversial tactics such as dragnet policing, stop-and-frisk or racial profiling to achieve the citys goals. Other council members wondered why there is such a focus on violent crime when property crimes made up a bulk of the SAPDs reports last year. Mayor Ron Nirenberg, on the other hand, complimented the plan, calling it a truly whole government approach. The difference-making here in terms of what we havent been doing before is that were actually using data to inform the approach, he said. The former governor of a Mexican border state whose term in office was marked by the rise of violent criminal organizations was sentenced to nine years in prison Wednesday by a federal judge in Houston. In an indictment filed in 2013, federal prosecutors accused Tomas Yarrington Ruvalcaba, 66, of collaborating with drug traffickers while public safety in Mexicos Tamaulipas state collapsed. Today, unsolved disappearances and killings are routine in the state, which borders much of South Texas. Yarrington was the governor from 1999 to 2004, and U.S. prosecutors had alleged in a racketeering count that he accepted bribes from the powerful Gulf Cartel, funneled to him through state police officers and one of his top political strategists. During his time in office, the Gulf Cartel and its one-time enforcers, the Zetas, spread from their base in Matamoros, Yarringtons hometown, to control most of the states seaports and international crossings. The Zetas split with the Gulf Cartel more than a decade ago, increasing violence and instability in Tamaulipas. Fighting between criminal groups in the cities those organizations once controlled continues today. If hed gone to trial, Yarrington would have faced up to life in prison. The much shorter sentence he received from U.S. District Judge Rolando Olvera reflects the lesser charge to which the former governor pleaded guilty in 2021, a single count of money laundering conspiracy, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Yarrington admitted only to taking kickbacks from contractors doing business with the state government. The racketeering charge and nine other counts were dismissed as part of the plea deal. Even if you are governor of a Mexican state, we will not stand idly by when you use your position to wrongfully fill your pockets and violate the laws of the United States. said Alamdar Hamdani, the U.S. Attorney in Houston. Todays prison sentence for Yarrington concludes a multi-year, multi-agency international investigation spanning two continents concluding in bringing a corrupt politician to justice. Unfortunately, I do not think that will make much of a difference in Mexicos fight against corruption, said Rodrigo Montes de Oca, a research scholar at the Baker Institutes Center for the United States and Mexico and an expert on corruption. Yarringtons case is only one more case in a thread of corruption cases involving former Mexican governors. However, Yarringtons case may serve to send a warning to Mexican kleptocrats to stop laundering money in the U.S., he added. Yarrington admitted to laundering between $3.5 and $9.5 million, money that prosecutors said he used to purchase airplanes, a South Padre Island condo, a residence in Port Isabel, homes in McAllen and an Austin suburb and a partial ownership in a planned mixed-use development off La Cantera Parkway in San Antonio. His alleged co-conspirator, Tamaulipas businessman Fernando Alejandro Cano Martinez, helped him move the money through South Texas banks, according to the indictment. Cano is a fugitive, and the U.S. government has seized much of the real estate. Yarrington grew up in Matamoros, across the border from Brownsville. He served stints as the citys mayor and in Mexicos national congress and won the governors race at a time when the fortunes of his political party, the longtime ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party, were fading. His bid for the partys nomination in the 2006 presidential election failed. Even after he left office, prosecutors alleged, Yarrington held enough sway with Mexicos drug cartels to mediate disputes, orchestrating a territory-sharing agreement between rival gangs in 2007. His past came back to haunt him a few years later. In 2011, the Zetas killed the brother of a Texas businessman and displayed his body in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, along with a crude banner accusing Yarrington and the Gulf Cartels leaders of being responsible for the death of a gubernatorial candidate. The following year, U.S. prosecutors began seizing Yarringtons assets in Texas. The indictment against him was unsealed in December 2013, and Yarrington was a fugitive himself until Italian police arrested him in Florence in April 2017. He was extradited to the U.S. a year later. His successor, Eugenio Hernandez Flores, is jailed in Mexico awaiting extradition to the U.S. on money laundering conspiracy charges. Yarringtons attorney Chris Flood said his client has been in what he called involuntary protective custody," amounting to solitary confinement, for more than five years because the U.S. Marshals Service believed his life was at risk. He asked Olvera for additional credit for time served, but the judge denied that request. Flood said Olvera did not take into account the allegations of involvement in drug trafficking, which would have resulted in a much higher sentence. The governor is happy to put this behind him and happy that the court and the government both determined that he had no involvement with the cartels, and his sentence reflected that, Flood said. He added that Yarrington has denied owning stakes in the La Cantera development and Port Isabel home. Courtroom observers said Olvera chastised Yarrington for betraying his constituents and told the former governor that officials who violate their oath of office weaken democracy and promote authoritarian agendas. In my opinion, he definitely understood the totality of what Yarrington has done and is responsible for, said Mark Lippa, the acting deputy special agent in charge for Homeland Security Investigations in South Texas. This prosecution really changed the landscape for transnational organized crime figures who wanted to exploit the United States banking system and launder their money, Lippa added. And theres been changes in the way organizations launder their money. We never completely eliminate crime, but you can drive a message, and thats what this did. Prosecutors recommended a prison sentence between nine and 11 years. New Braunfels' school board have named an interim superintendent after the head of the district abruptly resigned last week. At special session on Friday, New Braunfels Independent School District trustees voted 6-0 to appoint James Largent, a former superintendent in North and East Texas, to the temporary position. Cade Smith, NBISD's superintendent for nearly two years, quit March 13, the first day of the district's spring break. NBISD Board President Eric Bergquist said in a statement that Smiths decision hadn't been an easy one, but he did not say why the superintendent stepped down. Largent, who previously served as NBISD's interim superintendent in March 2021 before Smith took over, starts work Mar. 27. He'd served as superintendent for Rusk ISD from 2001 to 2012 and Granbury ISD from 2012 to 2018. James Guerra, president and CEO of JG Consulting, the executive search firm that recruited Smith for the district, told the board on Friday that the search for a permanent superintendent would be free because Smiths departure triggered a two-year guarantee in the firm's agreement with NBISD. Smith lasted less than two years in the position. If it takes us a year, we'll continue for as long as necessary, Guerra said of the upcoming search. Applications for the position are open, Guerra said, and theres already interest from potential candidates as far as California. Its also because eight out of 10 people who leave California come here, Trustee David Heefner joked. NBISD hopes to announce a lone finalist on May 1. The island of Rousay is only around four miles long, but it boasts such an extraordinary richness of archaeological remains with sites almost outnumbering people that it has earned the nickname the Egypt of the North. Our cover story this month represents the concluding part of the Orkney trilogy that we have been running, drawing on my visit to the archipelago last summer. During this trip, I went to see the excavation at the Knowe of Swandro, an impressively long-lived site, but one whose stonework is being rapidly eroded by the sea. A relatively more recent feat of masonry is the focus of our next feature: St Bartholomew the Great in Smithfield, today hailed as Londons oldest surviving parish church. As this ecclesiastical edifice marks its 900th birthday, we trace its history back to its earliest origins as the brainchild of an ailing ex-jester. We then explore Arminghall Henge in Norfolk, home to a mighty timber monument that was described as a second Woodhenge when it was discovered in 1929. The site was first excavated in 1935, and last year archaeologists reopened this original trench, revealing glimpses of the timbers fiery end. Finally, our regular contributor Joe Flatman guides us through the myriad roles fulfilled by archaeologists within the National Trust, and updates us on recent research concerning some of its sites. I hope to see lots of you at our annual conference, which returns as an in-person event later this month; click here for the latest details of the event (and how to book your ticket if you havent already done so!). P.S. Details of all the content of the magazine are available on our new site, The Past. Here you will be able to read each article in full as well as the content of our other magazines, Current World Archaeology, Minerva, and Military History Matters. Subscribers should see the advert inside the magazine for a very special offer! In This Issue: FEATURES THE KNOWE OF SWANDRO Excavating eroding archaeology on Rousay In the third part of our Orkney trilogy, we visit a multi-period site on Rousay. The Knowe of Swandro spans the Neolithic, Iron Age, Pictish, and Norse periods of Orkneys past, but archaeologists are in a race against time and tide to document its remains before they are lost to the sea. ST BARTHOLOMEW THE GREAT Tracing the history of Londons oldest surviving parish church One of the few buildings in the City to have survived the Great Fire of London, St Bartholomew the Great began its life as a priory and hospital, founded by Henry Is minstrel and courtier Rahere, after he fell sick on a pilgrimage to Rome. Here, we explore its 900-year history. RE-EXCAVATING ARMINGHALL HENGE A burnt timber circle from prehistoric Norfolk What can the re-excavation of a trench, first dug by Grahame Clark at Arminghall Henge almost a century ago, tell us about the sites monumental timber circle and its fiery end? FROM RAT NESTS TO LOST MINES Exploring archaeological pathways in the National Trust The role of a National Trust archaeologist is diverse and ever- evolving. Joe Flatman delves into the many responsibilities of this position, touching on recent research that NT archaeologists have been involved in, as well as the different routes into the profession. NEWS Bronze Age goldworking toolkit revealed; Neolithic axe-grinding site discovered near Stirling; Elizabethan- era ship discovered in Kent quarry; Further finds along the A428; Mysterious Eadburg etched into early medieval manuscript; Science Notes; Medieval market town revealed in County Kilkenny; Finds Tray NEWS FOCUS Ritual remains: excavating a Bronze Age barrow and a Roman shrine in Overstone REGULARS COMMENT Joe Flatman excavates the CA archive CONTEXT Defending the dreaming spires: Civil War ramparts discovered in Oxford REVIEWS Canterbury Cathedral, Trinity Chapel: the archaeology of the mosaic pavement and setting of the shrine of St Thomas Becket; Wroxeter: ashes under Uricon; Waterlands: prehistoric life at Bar Pasture, Pode Hole Quarry, Peterborough; The Book of the Skelligs; Heritage Dynamics: understanding and adapting to change in diverse heritage contexts; Excavations at Chester: Roman land division and a probable villa in the hinterland of Deva excavation at Saighton Army Camp, Huntington, Chester MUSEUM NEWS The latest on acquisitions, exhibitions, and key decisions EXHIBITION Gladiators: a cemetery of secrets at the Corinium Museum, Cirencester LISTINGS Our selection of exhibitions and events, as well as historical, archaeological, and cultural resources from around the world that are still available online. PROFILE Roman women: tracking down female archaeologists of the Roman frontiers CONFERENCE The latest details of Current Archaeology Live! 2023 SHERDS Chris Catlings irreverent take on heritage issues ODD SOCS The British Cartographic Society Have all this delivered directly to your door every month click here to find out more about subscribing to Current Archaeology, the UKs favourite archaeology magazine. When I first started writing this column in February 1992, it wasnt uncommon to get questions and answers from readers who remembered places and events from the 1930s. This week, were looking into places that were popular in the early 1980s and are now part of local history, even if not well-represented in the written record. There was a very high-end restaurant/bar behind the Alamo Cafe on I-10 or across the street from the Dianne Flack furniture store on Bluemel in the early 1980s. The employees wore tuxedos, (including) the valet drivers. I worked at USAA; none of us can remember the name of it. We thought it might have Mafia connections. Laura Redwine The only family this posh dining spot belonged to is the family of restaurants started by entrepreneur Phil Romano. Before the first Fuddruckers or Macaroni Grill, there was Enochs Dinner Club, opened in 1978 at 2619 Mossrock Drive. With the growing South Texas Medical Center, Datapoint Corp. and USAA all nearby, this part of Northwest San Antonio was a good place to start a hospitality business. Paula Allen on Medical Center: Foundation behind push for San Antonios Medical Center marking 75th anniversary Like most of Romanos ventures, it started with a concept. Enochs was a private club for traditional fine dining in an intimate space that once was the former Fat Roberts restaurant that opened and closed in the mid-70s. Never a chain, Enochs was intended to be exclusive, serving classic fare such as steaks, presented to diners before they were cooked, and Caesar salads, prepared at tableside. Prices were stated only upon request. The diners themselves were hand-picked, starting with 25 people Romano invited to a free preview dinner. Acting as a focus group, they were asked what they thought of the experience, and if theyd enjoyed it to provide names of 10 people who also should receive invitations to belong. As the process was repeated, the growing clientele could be fairly sure of meeting people they knew or would like to know over dinner at Enochs. Membership cost $100, and the list eventually reached 6,000. Romano opened a second sophisticated venue, Barclays bar, in 1979, nearby at 2615 Mossrock. Another members-only enterprise, this one took advantage of the 70s craze for the ancient board game of backgammon, reaching 2,000 members during Romanos time as proprietor. Like Enochs, Barclays was a one-off; also like the dinner club, the neighboring bar didnt hold its founders interest very long. Paula Allen on another Northwest Side restaurant: San Antonios favorite rural restaurant Wolfes Inn changed hands, not menu during its seven decades Romano sold Enochs after a few years. Its listed in San Antonio city directories through 1987, with Dow L. Roberts as proprietor from 1983 onward. Likewise, Romano sold Barclays in the early 80s and was succeeded by Mike Pfeffer, then Ray Hymel before the bar dropped out of the directory at the end of the decade. At about the same time Enochs and Barclays were finding success, Romano was working on his next venture, Fuddruckers, a build-it-yourself better-burger chain that eventually went national. Romanos Macaroni Grill, launched in 1988 in Leon Springs, was a reproducible take on a neighborhood Italian restaurant. It also became a successful chain. Profiles of Romano available online often highlight his San Antonio years, including the two relatively obscure membership clubs. Anyone with memories or photographs of Enochs to share may contact this column. Your (Aug. 13, 2022) article on San Francisco Steak House reminded me of the infamous Super Slide water park located right next door (or across the street, I believe it's a bank now). It was built on a hill, now completely gone. There were two water slides that went down it, and that is all it was. It was only open one or two years, 1979-1980. From what I gather from vague memories of friends and family, they had a bracelet system, where one group could ride as much as they wanted for 20-30 minutes, while the other group took a break, then the groups would switch. A fatal accident closed it permanently on May 17, 1980. A young boy hid in the caged-off intake area in order to ride more (during the group switch-off) and got sucked into the intake pipe. He did not die of drowning. I can remember seeing this on the news so I imagine there is a newspaper article on it somewhere. I hope you can write an article on this to gather more information and possibly a photo. It seems everyone who was a kid during that time went there at least once; it was very popular while it was open. But since it was completely razed, there are some people that don't even believe it ever existed. There is so little information on this, and I have never seen a photo of it, but we all remember how it ended. Brian Sonnen This was the short-lived Super Water Slides amusement park at 10331 Desert Sands Drive, near but not related to the Old San Francisco Steak House at 10223 Sahara Drive in the Harmony Hills subdivision (covered here Sept, 12, 2021). I didnt find a photo, but the 1979 Bexar County plat map shows that the irregularly shaped site, owned by Hamby Enterprises, was bounded on the north by San Pedro Avenue, on the west by Morocco Drive and on the east by the access road of U.S. 281. Paula Allen on Harmony Hills: Ultramodern subdivision in San Antonio forecast housing trends It wasnt a very elaborate amusement park. The water slide facility in north San Antonio features four water-filled flumes running down a 50-foot hill, says an Associated Press story about the tragic accident you remember. Patrons ride down the stream of water on rubber mats and into a 3-foot-deep landing pool. Its not entirely clear why or how 13-year-old Eric M. Hayden lost his life while playing with his friends on a Saturday at the water park. A police officer quoted in the AP story said the boy apparently slipped through an 8-inch opening at the top of a concrete duct under the slides that carried water from the landing pool to a covered tank leading directly to the huge pumps (that) recirculated water back up to the top of the hill. It was a small space for a boy his age to have squeezed through, and authorities said it was not entirely clear how Hayden got over the barrier and into the pumping tank, but he was thought to have been sucked into one of the pumps feet first. When he didnt return home, his parents and the park owner searched for him. He was found when the pumps were reversed for cleaning later that night. According to his death certificate, Hayden died of asphyxiation due to drowning before his body reached the pumping mechanism, as ruled by Bexar County Deputy Medical Examiner Nina Hollander. Paula Allen on another S.A. tragedy: Witness to tragedy seeks location of river viewing spot The park was closed after the accident, and screens were placed over the two ducts a few days later. A later AP story says that preventive measures also were being taken at a similar facility on I-35 north of San Antonio. Its not clear whether Super Water Slides ever reopened. Deed-record research by Beth Standifird, San Antonio Conservation Society Foundation librarian, shows that three different suppliers of construction materials placed mechanics liens on the property to ensure payment between June and August 1979, which may indicate a loss of income. The fatality is one of many incidents at amusement parks mentioned in a 1983 Consumer Products Safety report to the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on Health and Safety. In response to the manner of Haydens death, inspections at a number of other water slide installations (led to modifications) to ensure that each parks inlet pipes were closed off, so access, whether intentional or accidental, could not be gained. historycolumn@yahoo.com| Twitter: @sahistorycolumn| Facebook: SanAntoniohistorycolumn This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Second of two columns Last weeks column traced the rise to wealth and fame of goat-gland surgeon and border-blaster radio pitchman John R. Brinkley, who migrated to Texas after he lost both medical and radio licenses in Kansas. The family settled in Del Rio and also had ties to San Antonio, where they kept a house near the end of the rejuvenation specialists flashy heyday. His son, John R. Johnny Brinkley III, enrolled at Peacock Military Academy at age 12 in early 1939, Donna Peacock writes in Parade Rest, a history of the Woodlawn-area private school for boys. He should have blended in easily just another uniformed figure among many, says Peacock, granddaughter of school founder Wesley Peacock. But then, no other boy there had his own bodyguard or a floodlight outside his barrack-room window, or still another guard who patrolled the campus at night. On ExpressNews.com: Goat-gland doctor moved his family to Texas after troubles in Kansas Peacock goes on to say that the boy was not a good mixer, and although hazing was never permitted at the Academy, he was nevertheless the brunt of schoolboy teasing, and his guards (were subject to) typical pranks. Cadets made goat noises at the boy and dropped bags of water on the guards on watch below their dorm-room windows. It was a case of notoriety by association, Peacock says. Perhaps trying to help his son by providing some celebrity perks, Brinkley Sr., a longtime benefactor of Boys Town in Nebraska, brought its charismatic founder, Father Edward J. Flanagan, to Peacock. When Flanagan came to San Antonio to visit local boys clubs and religious institutions, he also visited the secular school, at the request of Dr. John R. Brinkley, on whose yacht Father Flanagan had spent a few days, says the San Antonio Light, March 20, 1939. At the school, Flanagan met some high-ranking cadets and praised Spencer Tracy, Mickey Rooney and other actors for their sympathetic performances in the 1938 movie Boys Town. Brinkley Sr., who was called Pater by his son, was a longtime benefactor of Boys Town in Nebraska. When its charismatic founder, Father Edward J. Flanagan, came to San Antonio to visit local boys clubs and religious institutions, he also visited Peacock, at the request of Dr. John R. Brinkley, on whose yacht Father Flanagan had spent a few days, says the San Antonio Light, March 20, 1939. It may have been an effort to give his son some celebrity perks. At the school, Flanagan met some high-ranking cadets and praised Spencer Tracy, Mickey Rooney and other actors for their sympathetic performances in the 1938 movie Boys Town. The following year, young Brinkley lived with his bodyguard off-campus in a house rented for them at 507 W. Magnolia Ave. Academy staff enjoyed a brief taste of the Brinkley glory years, says Peacock. When Gone with the Wind opened here Feb. 7, 1940, the elder Brinkley hosted a dinner party at the St. Anthony Hotel for the entire faculty. After the meal, the guests found a string of taxicabs lined up outside to transport them in style to the Texas Theatre. Paula Allen on the Peacock academy: San Antonios Peacock Military Academy marched to the beat of its own drum Shortly after this time, the Brinkleys charmed existence began to crumble. There were challenges to his medical license, wrongful death lawsuits, a libel suit that didnt go his way, mail-fraud charges, bankruptcy and the loss of his XERA license. Returning in his private plane from unsuccessful negotiations in Mexico City, he had a heart attack, which led to a swift cascade of health woes. The doctor who suggested his treatments could help patients live to 100 had a leg amputated as a result of a blood clot. Gangrene set in, and a further amputation was required. Brinkley was rushed to San Antonio in a private ambulance to be treated by a local heart specialist. The house on Magnolia became the familys new home base when he wasnt in the Nix Hospital and his wife, Minnie Brinkley, wasnt testifying in federal court in Little Rock, Ark. During his illness, Minnie Brinkley says in the Goat Gland documentary, the former surgeon was studying correspondence courses in Christian ministry, in hopes of regaining his radio audience with prayer and sermons. From his sickbed, Brinkley wrote a January 1942 letter to his Little Rock attorney enumerating reasons why he couldnt pay him. As quoted by Lee, he says his wife had to borrow the money to make her most recent court appearance, noting that, unless we get some relief, we will not be able to educate our son, presumably referring to Johnnys Peacock tuition. The elder Brinkley died at 59 on May 26, 1942, and was buried in his wifes family plot in Memphis, Tenn. More from Paula Allen: Peacocks chose to sound taps at military campus rather than to hand reins to someone outside the family His son left Peacock and graduated from Del Rio High School. He went on to Yale University, where he studied psychology and Spanish, and later to law school at the University of Texas. He served in counterintelligence for the Army while stationed in Germany and then for the CIA in Cuba, according to the Del Rio News-Herald, Oct. 22, 1976. Johnny Brinkley, who struggled with alcoholism, also practiced briefly as a lawyer, had a photography studio in New York and worked for the lumber company his father had owned. Married in 1959, he became the father of a daughter, Angela, of whom he won custody after a divorce. They stayed in Del Rio, and his mother helped to bring up her granddaughter. Minnie Brinkley, who was let off with fines and probation for her part in the mail-fraud case, had a trust to sustain her and remained in the family mansion. She tried to sell it in 1949, placing an ad in the Wall Street Journal, but got no takers at her asking price of $375,000. The younger Brinkley died Oct. 21, 1976, by suicide at home in Del Rio, where he was found by his mother and daughter. His mother died in 1980. The Del Rio house, which has since passed out of family hands, is recognized with a Texas Historical Commission marker. SALUTE TO A SCHOOL: Alumni of Peacock Military Academy (1894-1973) and Donna Peacock, granddaughter of its founder, will share their memories of the Woodlawn-area campus with a program starting at 10 a.m. March 18 in the community room of the Patrick Heath Public Library, 451 N. Main St. in Boerne. Observing the 50th anniversary of the schools closing, historical images and artifacts also will be on display in the librarys ground-floor gallery. historycolumn@yahoo.com| Twitter: @sahistorycolumn| Facebook: SanAntoniohistorycolumn Terry Puckett teaches a moving meditation called Tai Chi Chih in a game room with gray flagstone walls. It encompasses everyone, Puckett, 84, said of the international movement. It does adjust you mentally. You learn to let things pass through you and over you and to concentrate on what youre doing. For eight weeks, shes taught seniors at her Monday morning class at Lions Field Adult and Senior Center on Broadway. Before a recent class started, each member read a quote related to the art from an index card. Affirmations included Chi is energy and Float like a butterfly flying across a pool of rippling water. You are never too old to set a new goal or dream a new dream, Melinda Lange, 71, read. On ExpressNews.com: A reminder of Black resistance: San Antonio safe spaces listed in Green Book in Jim Crow era Amen, said Ruth Madorsky, 85, wearing a T-shirt with a Batman logo. About the author A 22-year veteran of the Air Force, Vincent T. Davis embarked on a second career as a journalist and found his calling. Observing and listening across San Antonio, he finds intriguing tales to tell about everyday people. He shares his stories with Express-News subscribers every Monday morning. See More Collapse Puckett started the class with the ping of a tiny meditation gong. Standing in a circle, they followed Puckett through 19 movements and one pose. They shifted their weight back and forth and side to side. Students pushed their palms forward as if pushing through heavy air. Then they turned their palms over and began to pull back. Tai Chi Chih means knowledge of the supreme ultimate. This was the last session of her class, where students sought improved energy, focus, health, posture, creativity and less stress. Puckett, 84, has taught the non-martial art to a wide range of students for more than 20 years. Shes taught with Explore Amazing Places in Central America, churches, Haven for Hope, private homes and public parks. During the pandemic, she offered classes via Zoom online. Kin Man Hui, San Antonio Express-News / Staff photographer In 1999, Puckett learned the art from Sister Alice Holden at Re-Barn, a retirement facility at Incarnate Word, after she retired as a professor of art at St. Philips College. An avid traveler, Puckett envisioned teaching her friends the art in Guatemala on a helicopter pad, across from volcanoes and floating clouds at Lake Atitlan. Her dream would become a reality. In November 2001, Puckett became an accredited instructor. She attended a week-long training class in Albuquerque, New Mexico, attended by Justin Stone, who developed Tai Chi Chih. In 1969, Stone, after learning Tai Chi Chuan in the orient, realized the form would be more doable for Western civilization and developed the new form, simplifying it from 108 movements to 19 movements and one pose. At the end of the class, the students shared why they took up the art. Kin Man Hui, San Antonio Express-News / Staff photographer Alison Beam, 58, found it hard to meditate while staying still. The movements helped her find peace and calm. Professional sculptor Donna Dobberfuhl said the classes helped her relax after intense days of creating art. Her full-life sculptures are installed across the nation and locally, including bronze animals at the San Antonio Zoo and longhorn at Redbird Ranch. She plans to sign up for Pucketts next class. Madorsky, 85, said Tai Chi Chih has lowered her blood pressure when shes become angry. That was the case at a doctors appointment when the physician was late to the clinic. If a passer-by had looked through the cracked exam room door, they would have seen Madorsky in her stance, circling positive energy with her hands. Lange enjoyed learning how to improve her posture. She plans to share the philosophy and quotations of the art with her grandchildren. Kin Man Hui, San Antonio Express-News / Staff photographer On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio native one of newest players on Harlem Globetrotters largest female roster Years ago, while attending graduate school in Austin, Denise Richter, 61, first saw the art in action. The retired professor emerita of journalism recalled sitting beside an older Chinese man on a bus that passed people practicing Tai Chi in a park. Thats really interesting, she said. I dont know what it is. Thats Tai Chi, he said. It saved my life. Kin Man Hui, San Antonio Express-News / Staff photographer The man said he grew up in China during a great famine when food was scarce. Practicing Tai Chi helped keep his life force alive. Thats an endorsement, she said. I thought, I need to learn more about this. Now that Im retired, here I am. Richters husband, Blair, 65, a bio-chemist, said he felt energy between his hands and balance in his body. He called Puckett an original apostle of Stone, the founder of the art that helped the class find peace in their lives. Pucketts next Tai Chi Chih class starts at 10 a.m. on March 27 at Lions Field. For more information, call Lions Field at 210-207-5380 or email Puckett at terrygpuckett@me.com. vtdavis@express-news.net If youve flown out of San Antonio International Airport lately, you know that the crowds of passengers are back. In August, 813,000 travelers passed through the city-owned facility, which worked out to 93 percent of the average monthly totals in 2019, just before the COVID-19 pandemic laid waste to the air travel industry. But San Antonio Internationals resurgence isnt all good news. Its highlighting some of the airports long-standing inadequacies. Travelers who waited out the worst of the pandemic are finding the number of nonstop flights out of San Antonio is still small compared to Austin-Bergstrom International, which is close enough to siphon off area passengers who really hate connecting flights. And as travelers crowd cattle-like into Terminal As concourse, one of the narrowest among big-city airports well, its just as they remember it. Those are the problems we see up close at the airport. To see the biggest one, we have to step back. The city that the airport serves is growing to such an extent that the travel demands of San Antonians will exceed the facilitys capacity in the near future. Edward A. Ornelas, Staff / San Antonio Express-News Between 2010 and 2020, the metro area grew by more than 400,000 people, an increase of 16 percent. At that pace, airport officials expect annual passenger totals to exceed 14 million by 2040. Thats why the city of San Antonio is embarking on a 20-year, $2.5 billion expansion and redevelopment of San Antonio International. Approved by City Council nearly a year ago, the master plan calls for the extension of one of the airports two main runways, the construction of a new Terminal C and an additional parking garage, and the remaking of Terminal A. The city will pay for the capital project one of the biggest in San Antonio history with a mix of federal and state grants, bond revenue and facility charges paid by air travelers and airlines. TOP FLIGHTS: The most popular flight destinations out of San Antonio At this point, the airports expansion is largely conceptual. Corgan, a Dallas-based architecture and design firm, is currently drafting plans for Terminal C and other airport projects under a contract worth $3.8 million over three years. But Terminal C the largest project within the master plan will be under construction in 2024, with its opening planned for 2028. To understand how big the challenges are that airport officials are trying to overcome, we compare key aspects of San Antonio Internationals offerings and operations to peer facilities around the country, including Austin-Bergstrom. Lets start with the number of nonstop flights out of San Antonio Want to fly nonstop from San Antonio to Beijing? Sorry you literally cant get there from here. The airports runways are too short. The maximum distance an airplane can fly is determined by the amount of fuel in its tanks. To fly nonstop to, say, Europe or Asia, you need big jets with big fuel tanks. The more fuel you load onto a plane for long international flights, the heavier it becomes, and heavy planes need longer runways in order to get off the ground. San Antonios longest runways measure 8,505 feet which is about a thousand feet short of accommodating the long-distance commercial airliners capable of reaching premium destinations such as London, Frankfurt or Dubai. However, the airport master plan notes that big jets the Boeing 757-200 and 767-300/400ER can fly to Europe from San Antonios runways but with reduced payloads only. Of the 40 destinations reachable by nonstop flights out of San Antonio, the farthest are Boston and Seattle, both only 1,500 nautical miles away. The San Antonio airports master plan notes several commercial jets that are capable of making these non-stop international flights: The Airbus A350-900 seats up to 325 passengers and requires 9,450 feet of runway for takeoff The Boeing 767-200ER needs 10,500 feet of runway for takeoff The Boeing 787-9 requires 13,200 feet for takeoff But no matter how long your runways are, they need to be configured properly Extended runways are essential for longer direct flights, but the ability coordinate multiple takeoffs and landings at the same time is also crucial. Runways are built in relation to prevailing winds, or the direction from which the wind usually blows. And many of the worlds busiest airports provide multiple, parallel runways (the standard in the U.S. is 3,000 feet apart) to allow for simultaneous takeoffs and landings. San Antonio International Airport (SAT) In addition to prevailing wind runways, airports like SAT also have crosswind runways that run perpendicular to the primary runways. In the past, this allowed a greater variety of planes to take off and land in a greater variety of weather conditions. SAT has the smallest number of passengers and takeoffs and landings of all airports we looked at. Portland International Airport (PDX) Because crosswind runways often butt up against or even cross through primary runways, like at Portland International Airport, both cannot be used at once. This limits the number of takeoffs and landings that can occur in the same time period. Unlike at SAT, in addition to their crosswind runway, PDX has two parallel runways of decent length. That means they are able to operate more planes in a shorter amount of time. Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (ABIA) Many airports, like ABIA, don't have crosswind runways. Advances in aircraft mean that only the most extreme weather events prohibit commercial crafts from landing, making the crosswind runways a consideration of the past, or at least important only for airports that primarily deal with smaller, less technologically advanced planes. ABIA has fewer runways than SAT, but sees nearly 3.5 million more annual passengers than SAT. Orlando International Airport (MCO) Orlando's lack of crosswind runways coupled with its multiple long runways means that it's capable of sustaining more flights with larger planes. MCO had the largest passenger count of airports we examined. Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) Even though Charlotte does have a crosswind runway, it also has three parallel, long runways. CLT had the largest take-off and landing count of airports we examined. Normally, when runways are due for reconstruction due to age, usage and weathering, Federal Aviation Administration funding is available to help bankroll improvements. However, an assessment of San Antonio Internationals crosswind runway concluded that it was no longer required, making the runway ineligible for FAA funding. Airport officials have not included the construction of additional parallel runways in their 2040 planning horizon. But runways are just one of the factors holding San Antonio back. You also need demand. Longer, better configured runways and desirable local attractions Orlando, Fla., has both. Thats why its airport has 124 percent more takeoffs and landings than San Antonio. The Orlando airport has four runways 9,000 feet long or longer, which gives airlines the flexibility to fly just about anywhere in the world. As far as attractions, take your pick: Disney World, Universal Orlando Resort, SeaWorld or the Kennedy Space Center. The Orlando airport offers 204 direct flights, the most of any facility we looked at. Orlando also sees the most annual passengers. Charlotte is a national center of banking and finance and home to the headquarters of nine Fortune 500 companies, including Bank of America and Lowes. The Charlotte airport had the largest number of flights among the airports we looked at. The enduring strength of the U.S. financial-services industry goes a long way in explaining why Charlotte saw the smallest drop in passenger counts from pre-COVID levels. In other words: business travelers. Area residents financial wherewithal their ability to pay for plane tickets to vacations destinations or to visit family is another big factor in how many flights an airport will offer. Apart from Orlando, home to many lower-wage workers in the service industry, including tourism, San Antonio has the lowest median income of the metro areas we analyzed. JoEllen Toler/AP An Andean bear will soon be headed to Texas after escaping his enclosure from the St. Louis Zoo twice last month. Named Ben, the bear was discovered roaming outside his habitat on Feb. 7 and was recaptured before the zoo opened to the public that day. Google Maps Two students were wounded Monday morning in a shooting at an Arlington high school and a suspect is in custody, according to the Dallas Morning News. The shooting occurred outside a school building on the Lamar High School campus, according to the Arlington Police Department. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate SWEETWATER Miss Texas gripped the body of the decapitated Western diamondback rattlesnake, blood trickling onto her pink acrylic nails. Her silver crown glittered from the white overhead lights. The crowd cheered. She looked focused as she pulled to separate the meat from the hide. You got this, Averie! someone shouted from behind her. Put some muscle into it, girl! another called. She wore a yellow plastic poncho to protect her Miss Texas sash from blood spatter. Tens of thousands attend the Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup each year, which this year collected 2,595 pounds of snakes from hunters around the state. Besides the snakes, theres a carnival, flea market and gun show. Theres a half-mile row of vendors selling funnel cakes, corn dogs and even alligator-on-a-stick. Inside, you can buy deep fried rattlesnake. Its been a tradition for about the last decade for Miss Texas to attend the event. This years honoree, Averie Bishop, donned camouflage waders and walked through the snake pits, handling the snakes, milking one and skinning one. But one tradition she decided to skip. Behind her was a white wall decorated with the bloody handprints of children. Attendees could pay $20 to skin a snake, after which they were encouraged to press their bloody hands against the wall and sign their name. Most were kids. Theres an internal conflict, at least for me, Bishop said, standing in the skinning pit. Their intentions are good, to support farmers. But at what point does it become sport? Charlie Blalock/ Contributor If someones going to do it, Im not going to tell them not to, she said. Weve all got to draw the line somewhere, right? Those seeking a distillation of Texas politics in 2023 could do worse than the rattlesnake roundup, even without the obvious snake references a frontier hardship built into an unlikely economic engine. Visitors now come from around the country, even the world, and its a source of deep pride for the community. But the exposure has brought pressure to reform. Like Texas, Sweetwater has stubbornly resisted those efforts. The Jaycees who put on the event have successfully fended off political efforts to stop or change the roundup for 65 years, mirroring the states conservative politicians, who are fighting to preserve their power and values in the face of a rapidly changing state. Charlie Blalock/ Contributor More than one Confederate flag was on display on the grounds, and Republican Gov. Greg Abbott won 80 percent of the vote in Nolan County, where it is held. About 10 paces from where Bishop skinned the snake, a teenage boy with a badge saying official vendor sold merchandise mocking Black Lives Matter, deriding President Joe Biden and promoting Donald Trump for president in 2024. Yet now the same festival also featured Bishop, the first-ever Asian American Miss Texas. For her year of service, Bishop chose to promote diversity and inclusion. She has visited the state Capitol to meet with lawmakers, she said, pushing back against political efforts there to censor books in school libraries or ban colleges and universities from instituting diversity, equity and inclusion policies, efforts that have been championed by Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. Bishop said her projects have been difficult given the states challenging political climate. Charlie Blalock/ Contributor 'The Sweetwater Machine' You ready, gas man? one Jaycee said, standing under an overhang of rust-colored rock on one side of a small canyon. A number of Jaycees led a group of visitors from the roundup on a rattlesnake hunt on a ranch several miles north of Sweetwater. For $50, folks could learn the methods that have made Sweetwater the biggest or at least the most famous rattlesnake roundup. The designated gas man held a plastic container attached to a hose with a mister on the end. Gasoline dripped onto the red dirt from the connection between the container and the hose. He fed the copper into a hole in the rock and pumped gasoline. Then they waited for the snakes to come out. When wind blew through the canyon, the smell of the gasoline still hung in the air. Charlie Blalock/ Contributor Pumping gas fumes into rock cracks to chase out snakes still bunched together and lethargic from hibernation is the traditional way of rounding up rattlesnakes in spring. But as with other Sweetwater traditions, the practice has faced blowback in recent years from modern sensibilities. There are 26 species of bugs classified as endangered that live in the rock features commonly gassed for snakes. An additional 130 bug species are rare and only found in those rocky habitats, known as karst. Research shows that gas fumes are more lethal to bugs than they are to reptiles, so while rattlesnakes may be dazed and driven from the dens, it could be killing the bugs inside. About 10 years ago, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department moved toward prohibiting snake gassing, not only to protect more susceptible critters but also to head off an onerous federal declaration under the Endangered Species Act to protect the karst bugs that could then stifle development in the rapidly growing Hill County. The agency convened a task force of experts, with representatives of Sweetwater and of the Jaycees, to study the issue. Immediately, they faced resistance. The Sweetwater Machine is well rehearsed because many have tried to shut them down for many reasons. We were not trying to shut them down, but we were treated immediately as though we were, said John Davis, a retired biologist from TPWD who led the multiyear effort to ban gassing. We were met with the attitude that youre just the latest person to try to shut us down, and youre going to fail like everybody else. Charlie Blalock/ Contributor Sweetwater and the Jaycees made many arguments against the policy, saying the gasoline wasnt actually hurting the bugs and that they gas the same dens and pull snakes out each year, so the fumes cant be contaminating the areas. In the end, the Jaycees were unable to present any evidence that their event would be ruined without gassing. On the proposed policy, there were 9,312 comments in support and 743 in opposition. But, on the day in November 2016 when the TPW Commission was preparing to enact the policy, Davis dressed up and drove to the meeting, preparing to present, and his phone rang. They said theyre tabling it indefinitely. It had been pulled. It was literally that close, Davis said. For decades, the Jaycees have visited the Capitol during each legislative session, bringing their rattlesnakes. Lawmakers love handling and taking pictures with the snakes, and past visitors have included Gov. Rick Perry and Abbott. The Jaycees' goal is to promote the roundup but also to build relationships. And when the state government considers a policy the Jaycees oppose, their spokesman said, they send a member back to Austin to meet with the lawmakers and talk with them. The state Senate Committee on Water, Agriculture & Rural Affairs has jurisdiction over hunting policies put forth by parks and wildlife officials. Its chairman then and now is Sen. Charles Perry, who represents Sweetwater. His high school is less than 1 mile from the Nolan County Coliseum, where the roundup is held. Davis said that Perry called TPWD and told them to drop the gassing proposal. It had nothing to do with science, it had nothing to do with public opinion. It had nothing to do with what, quote, the people wanted. It was all politics, very specifically one individual, Davis said. Charlie Blalock/ Contributor Perrys office did not respond to requests for an interview or comment. Nor did the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. At this point there is not enough support from either the community or legislative oversight for the department to move forward with regulating the use of gasoline to collect rattlesnakes, says the last update on the official TPWD webpage. Environmentalists like to be lobbying against things like this. But its whats done, whats always been done, said Jeffrey Cornett, a member of the Jaycees, shortly before last weekends hunt. 'Nice and pertective animals' Hotels in the town of Sweetwater sell out months in advance. An economic impact analysis commissioned by the local chamber of commerce estimated that it injects more than $8 million into the community each year, and the money raised by the event goes to local charity. But this month, about 1,000 Sweetwater residents also received handwritten letters from schoolchildren around the country calling on them to transition the roundup from an event where the snakes are killed to one where they are not. Like a lot of unpopular ideas in Texas, the idea came from California. We had always said when we write letters to Sweetwater theyre not going to listen to hippies from California, said Emily Taylor, a biology professor at California Polytechnic University who organized the letter-writing campaign. I don't know, maybe theyre more likely to listen to these kids who love snakes and dont want them to die. The letters included cartoon drawings of snakes, or simple messages such as Rattlesnakes are really shy creatures and snakes actully are really nice and pertective animals. There were once roundups all over the country, but today, those where snakes are killed only happen in three states: Texas, Oklahoma and Alabama. Sweetwaters is by far the most famous and is probably the largest, although data is scarce. There is scant evidence the deadly roundups are affecting the snake population. At the same time, however, organizers attempts to portray the event as anything other than a bloody spectacle dont always add up. Charlie Blalock/ Contributor For example, the Jaycees frequently claim the event supports science, claiming that they collect data on every snake to provide to the state. But I dont believe that has happened for some years, said Paul Crump, the states herpetologist with the parks and wildlife department. Such information would be useless because hunters can come from anywhere to provide rattlesnakes to the roundup and that information is not tracked, other experts said. Then, in the milking pit, venom is drawn from snakes into a glass vial. The Jaycees say its provided to the medical industry for use in research or the production of antivenom. But the companies that produce antivenom or use venom for research say they dont buy from rattlesnake roundups. They said they either have their own captive populations, or they source venom collected only under lab conditions, such as some zoos. Sweetwater organizers disputed the characterization of their venom as useless, though they also declined to provide specifics. We kind of keep that private because companies dont want yall to know theyre buying from us, said Dennis Cumbie, while standing in the venom pit last weekend. He said the Jaycees sign nondisclosure agreements about who purchases the venom. Ronald W. Erdrich/Associated Press Even the premise for the event is questionable. The event started, the Jaycees say, because there were so many snakes in the town; and that even today, without the roundup the town would be overwhelmed by snakes, threatening kids, pets and livestock. Experts are skeptical. I think that we have a deep ingrained fear of snakes as a species that transcends the particular culture of Texas, Crump said. And I think that Texans are disproportionately, especially historically, exposed to rattlesnakes and venomous snakes through the way the state developed over the past couple hundred years. In other words, Texans may have a particular dislike for rattlesnakes. No argument, said Karen Hunt, president of the Sweetwater and Nolan County Chamber of Commerce. In West Texas, the mentality is that rattlesnakes are not our friends out here. Pretty much anybody would tell you if we see a rattlesnake in our yard, someone is going to get called to come in and kill it for you, she said. Theres not anybody that I know of whos going to say when you catch all those snakes, come and put them on my property. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate One day, Alexandria Robertsons carefully crafted life suddenly started falling apart. She returned from vacation in January 2020 to learn shed been laid off from her corporate job in the Austin area. Her car was totaled in an accident. At the same time, she found out she was pregnant with her first child. I was pregnant. I had no job. I had no car. And I had no health insurance, Robertson said. I at the time just did not have money for the expenses of having a baby. Robertson qualified for Medicaid, but since Texas is one of just 11 states that havent expanded the program, she would be covered only up to two months after childbirth. But then, just a few weeks later, COVID-19 descended on the United States. For the length of the public health emergency which turned three this month no one would be moved off of Medicaid. Robertson accessed crucial health care during and after pregnancy and straight through her next pregnancy. As mothers, we know we need health care, we know we should be taking care of ourselves, but its so expensive, she said. It just put me at ease to have that covered, and my second pregnancy was the best one Ive had. The public health emergency allowed almost 3 million Texans mostly children, young adults and new moms to access consistent health insurance. But now, Congress is bringing this experiment in Medicaid expansion to an end. In April, the state will start moving people off of Medicaid for the first time since March 2020. For many patients and providers, though, its hard to imagine going back. If you are afforded a window, however long that window is, where you know you can get care anytime you need it, it completely changes your perspective on health, said Dr. Vian Nguyen, chief medical officer at Legacy Community Health, Texas largest federally qualified health center. Were seeing our patients want to come back. Were seeing that mindset shift. Three years of coverage While navigating a layoff, pregnancy and a global pandemic, Robertson connected with Any Baby Can, an Austin-area nonprofit, and nurse Wiltse Crompton. Crompton helps first-time moms like Robertson navigate the first two years of their childs life, through the nurse-family partnership. For many low-income moms Crompton works with, pregnancy is the first time they get on health insurance as adults. Its then that many of her clients learn about other diagnoses, like diabetes and high blood pressure, which require long-term care. The pregnancy itself may introduce or exacerbate health concerns, like gestational diabetes or postpartum depression. But typically, two months after childbirth, right when they started to get consistent with treatment, these moms would lose Medicaid. Crompton helped where she could, but the states patchwork of free and low-cost services was a weak facsimile of full health care coverage. Its just so hard to be a new mom and take care of a baby, and then on top of that, you dont feel well or youre worried about other things, Crompton said. To me, if mom's health is good and she feels good, then that's going to make a big difference in that baby's health. The last three years, though, have been a sea change, Crompton said. One client had been in and out of the hospital for untreated Type 1 diabetes. Obviously, once the babys born, she still has Type 1 diabetes and she still needs insulin, Crompton said. So for her, it was literally lifesaving that she got pregnant and then because of COVID was able to stay with the continued Medicaid coverage. Crompton also has seen more moms take control of their fertility and family planning. Before, if these women missed their six-week postpartum checkup due to transportation or child care issues and couldnt reschedule before their coverage expired, theyd often miss their chance to access long-acting reversible contraception, like an IUD. If they did get on birth control, Crompton said, you better like the one you get, because you cant switch without having to pay out of pocket and it can be really expensive. The continuous coverage also has allowed many women, like Robertson, to maintain health insurance in between pregnancies. At Parkland Health and Hospital System in Dallas, theyve noticed moms and babies are coming into pregnancy and childbirth healthier than ever, said Marjorie Quint-Bouzid, the senior vice president for womens and infants specialty health. Typically, people will just fall off because they dont want to engage if theyre not sure how theyre going to pay for their medical care, Quint-Bouzid said. If they cant manage chronic conditions or access early prenatal care, she said, that (next) pregnancy is now significantly high-risk, at significant cost to the system and even potentially their life or the life of the child that theyre carrying. Quint-Bouzid said continuous coverage incentivized the entire health care system to more fully engage with pregnant and postpartum women. When a woman typically could not afford to make (follow-up) visits, there was the barrier to care, she said. As clinicians, weve been able to see some of the benefits and the value of really designing programming that looks beyond that one postpartum visit. At Legacy Community Health, Nguyen said about 60 percent of their patients typically had returned for a six-week postpartum checkup. Now, its more than 75 percent, and many of these patients continue to access a wide array of physical and mental health services long after the typical two-month coverage period. The great unwinding begins Almost since the public health emergency went into effect in March 2020, health care providers, advocates and the state braced for the day it would expire. Three years later, that day has arrived. While the full public health emergency expires in May, continuous Medicaid coverage ends even sooner, at the end of this month. States have 12 months to determine who still qualifies for Medicaid. Health advocates have raised concerns about Texas readiness to review the eligibility of millions of Medicaid recipients, especially with agency staffing shortages. HHSC is short more than 300 eligibility advisors, who help process benefits applications and renewals, a vacancy rate of 6.35 percent. This is down from more than 20 percent in April 2022, the agency said. The short-handed agency also is dealing with a 68 percent increase in Medicaid applications during open enrollment in 2022 compared with the same period in 2019. In January, about 70 percent of Medicaid applications were processed timely, within 45 days, up from only about 50 percent in September. The agency is making a significant hiring push by raising salaries, offering merit bonuses, allowing flexible work schedules and pushing overtime to keep up with the increased demand. The state is urging people on Medicaid to ensure their information is up to date at YourTexasBenefits.com and to respond to renewal notices from the state. After nearly three years, families are rusty at completing the renewal process, and many families have moved to a new home, Stacey Pogue, senior policy analyst at Every Texan, a health care advocacy group, said in a news release. We need all hands on deck to make sure Texans know how to update their addresses with the state and renew their health coverage. In addition to existing programs that allow community organizations to help Texans access benefits, HHSC created the Case Assistance Affiliate program, which allows Medicaid managed care plans to directly assist with redetermination. Jamie Dudensing, the CEO of the Texas Association of Health Plans, said she hopes this cuts through some red tape. If you have a problem with your insurance, who do you call? Your insurance company, she said. We already have always been the first people they call, even though weve never really been responsible for eligibility. Now, we can actually log in ourselves and we can set up a (virtual) visit with them and go through this entire application together. The state intends to start with people who most likely no longer qualify for Medicaid, including young people who aged out and postpartum women. Many will instead qualify for state programs, like Healthy Texas Women and the Childrens Health Insurance Program, or low-cost plans at HealthCare.gov. A lot of Texans will have to navigate new paperwork, figure out whether they qualify for new programs and potentially find new health care homes as they roll off of Medicaid. Even as they work to make the process as smooth as possible, health care providers especially those who treat low-income Texans are prepared for the effect this will have on the whole health care system. Its not that the mom doesnt get the care, Nguyen said. The domino effect is on all of us trying to scramble to make sure she gets the care regardless. And after three years of saying yes a lot more, Nguyen said its hard to return to the old reality. Its a very heavy burden for health care providers to carry when they see someone in front of them who needs something and they feel like they cant help them, she said. When we talk about physician burnout and nurse burnout, it is of course around the hours, but it really is more of the mental component of feeling like you just cannot help when thats what you signed up to do. Legislative efforts During the last legislative session, in the throes of the public health emergency, the federal government offered states a way to easily expand Medicaid for pregnant women from two months to 12 months postpartum. It passed the Texas House with bipartisan support, but the Senate cut the proposal down to six months. That required Texas to apply for a waiver, which the feds said is not approvable in its current form. This session, as continuous coverage and other pandemic-era provisions expire, theres broad bipartisan support for the 12-month extension. House Speaker Dade Phelan has said it is a top priority for his chamber; Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick did not respond to request for comment. Beyond that, though, it seems unlikely as ever that Texas will expand Medicaid more fully. Texas is in the small and dwindling minority of states that has resisted the expansion, turning down billions in federal funding in the process. More than a million additional Texans would qualify for health insurance if the state fully expanded Medicaid. But conservatives have challenged the Affordable Care Act since its inception, arguing that its poorly managed, financially unsustainable and encourages government dependence. In 2021, a proposal called Live Well Texas, which proposed expanding Medicaid, increasing reimbursement rates and incentivizing participants to work, died despite broad bipartisan support. For Robertson, having access to Medicaid after childbirth made all the difference in the world. She was able to stay home and breastfeed without worrying about immediately getting a new job with affordable health benefits. As a mom, as a woman, I got to take some time to get myself back together and to then put my heels on and get back to work, she said. That time really allows a mother to get back on track, get herself back into the workforce and get herself out of poverty. Disclosure: Every Texan, Parkland Health and Hospital System and Texas Association of Health Plans have been financial supporters of the Texas Tribune. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. The Texas Tribune is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues. When and how we die, we dont know. But what becomes of our body after death has claimed it should be our choice. That is the essence of one of the more intriguing, forward-looking, and, for some, disturbing bills being considered in the 88th Texas Legislature. Disturbing for those uncomfortable with discussing death; disturbing for challenging us to think of the harm done to the environment by traditional burial methods; disturbing for introducing us to new and different burial methods; disturbing because of some of the details of these new methods. Senate Bill 105, authored by Sen. Nathan Johnson, a Democrat from Dallas and co-authored by Sen. Morgan Lamantia, a Democrat from the Gulf Coast, aims to expand the definition of cremation to include alkaline hydrolysis or water cremation. During this process, the body is sealed in a stainless-steel chamber in a solution of 95 percent water and 5 percent sodium hydroxide at temperatures ranging from just below boiling to more than 300 degrees. Tissues are dissolved into an effluent, which is disposed through municipal sewer systems. The bodys bones are ground into a fine powder and given to the deceased persons family, not unlike the ashes given families after flame cremations. Concerns over the effluent going into sewer systems dissipated after studies proved not only that it was safe, but it also helped the water treatment process by feeding the bacteria that breaks down sewage. Water cremation, also called aquamation, is an attractive option to burials and flame cremations because they are less expensive and better for the environment. Its part of the growing green burial movement advocating conservation and more environmentally friendly burial practices that reject chemical embalming and hardwood caskets. When South African Nobel Peace Laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu died in 2021, he was water cremated at his request. Tutu, who called climate change one of the greatest moral challenges of our time, wanted his burial to be consistent with that message. The United States is a toxic burial ground with the annual internment of millions of hardwood board feet, nearly 2 million tons of bronze, copper, steel and concrete and more than 800,000 gallons of formaldehyde, which is used for embalming. Flame cremation has surpassed burials in the United States, according to the National Funeral Directors Association but it annually releases an estimated 360,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Water cremation is legal in more than half the states. Because it isnt clear if it is legal in Texas, no funeral home offers the service. Texans wanting water cremation for a loved one have to go out of state and then return home with their remains. Johnsons bill removes the uncertainty so funeral homes feel secure in moving forward. If those people are afraid to make the investment to provide the service for fear of prosecution and violation of law, Johnson told me. We need the clarity, so that if they think it's a worthwhile market, they'll make the investment, and we know that there are vendors who will make that investment and make the service available. During a Senate Committee on Business and Commerce meeting on March 7, the bill had bipartisan support. The Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops opposes the legalization of water cremation because it fails to treat the body with dignity and respect. But who defines the parameters of failing to treat the body with dignity and respect? Religions and cultures have, for centuries, had their own burial traditions which, while different from ours, are no less reverential. Who is qualified to tell a grieving family how to handle the remains of their loved ones? Which of us can tell them, with complete certainty, that how they want to honor their relatives is dishonorable? Johnson, smartly, defines water cremation as a choice issue. The key to moving the legislation is getting people to look at this as a matter of personal conscience, of personal freedom," he said. When and how we die, isnt usually left to us. How and where our remains are left to this Earth, should be. My family has lived in Texas for generations, raising children with the principles this state has historically embraced: faith, family and freedom. Ive raised my own children with an active faith as a Christian parent of a precious transgender child living in Texas. From the beginning, acceptance from our church was never an issue. When we learned that my child was transgender, there was no crisis of faith. Instead, as part of our Episcopal tradition, my childs transition was joyfully celebrated with an official rite of renaming, where members pledged their support for my daughter. Meanwhile, in stark contrast to the loving support of our church, extremist politicians began targeting transgender kids and manufacturing political crises to motivate ultraconservative voters. Conservatives in Texas set a record in 2021: the highest number of anti-LGBTQ+ bills proposed in any state, with the majority aimed at transgender youth. My daughter and I testified against these hateful bills, listening to vicious lies from witnesses and politicians. My child listened to lawmakers objectify her as they discussed childrens genitalia and debated her very existence. Fear that gender-affirming care could become illegal spread quickly across the state. Listening to other Christians dismiss the harm they were causing was devastating. Any theology that inspires thoughts of suicide in others conflicts with the Gospel. Contributed Gender-affirming health care was lifesaving for my child, who felt so uncomfortable in her own skin I had to ask for permission to hug her; who was so unhappy she was planning to end her life, rather than continue living as a boy. Like any parents would when faced with such a life-threatening crisis, we consulted experts. For children, gender-affirming care can simply mean social support, like allowing a child to wear different clothes, get a new haircut or use a certain name. For older youth, it may involve medications that temporarily pause puberty. Decades of research has proven this kind of support dramatically lowers young peoples risk of depression and suicidal thoughts. The care my daughter received returned a light to her eyes I hadnt seen since early childhood. She blossomed into the whole person God created and spontaneous hugs were back in abundance! We wanted to relax into this hopeful time. But instead, politicians directed the Department of Family and Protective Services to investigate parents of transgender children. The Texas Republican Party intensified its platform, opposing gender-affirming care for transgender people through age 21. Instead of embracing the joy of my daughters transition, we were forced to make a plan to keep our family safe. Children regularly leave home to attend college but being forced to flee the state your family calls home is devastating. Our daughter planned to stay in Texas to finish college. She wanted to be as close as possible to her 94-year-old grandmother. But extremist lawmakers took that away from her. This summer, our daughter will become the only one of our 20 family members to live outside Texas. The 2023 legislative session is underway, with politicians introducing more than 100 anti-LGBTQ+ bills. Restricting our ability to make decisions for our children is dangerous government overreach, and this should be a warning to all parents in Texas, not only the parents of LGBTQ+ kids. I never thought Id say it, but Texas is too small for my daughter. Canadians encouraged to support their favourite small business using #StandWithOwners for a chance to win a $500 gift card Vancouver, B.C. In its second year supporting small businesses through its national #StandWithOwners initiative, TELUS is doubling its commitment by investing $1 million to promote these vitally important organizations in 2021. Small business owners have demonstrated incredible strength and ingenuity as they pivoted and innovated throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and TELUS is proudly supporting them with funding, localized advertising, and mentorship as they move forward.We continue to be inspired by the courage and determination of Canadian small business owners as they navigate long periods of lockdown and evolving restrictions to keep their dreams alive, said Navin Arora, Executive Vice-president, TELUS and President, TELUS Business Solutions. With nearly 69% of Canadas total private labour force being employed by small businesses,1 it has never been more important to rally behind and stand with owners. As we renew our commitment, we are asking Canadians to make one too. Commit to supporting your favourite small business this year. Together we can recognize and champion the owners that make our communities so special."Canadians and small businesses alike can participate in #StandWithOwners: TELUS Small Business Application: Owners can apply to receive $10,000 and personalized local advertising campaigns to help fuel awareness and drive revenue for their business. Winners will be chosen weekly and showcased on telus.com/standwithowners. Rallying the community: Canadians are invited to take action and make a commitment to stand with their favourite small business this year. Whether its buying your fruit and vegetables from a farmers market, ordering from your favourite local restaurant, or shopping at a family-owned flower shop, Canadians can show their support on social media by tagging their chosen business and using the hashtag #StandWithOwners. Bonus: participating Canadians will be entered to win a $500 gift card towards the small business theyve nominated. Expert advice: TELUS is engaging industry experts and will launch a series of online resources that will help guide small business owners to develop effective digital marketing campaigns to drive awareness and sales. Health & wellness virtual panel: Following a year of pandemic-induced regulations, 48% of owners say they have experienced mental health challenges.2 To help owners prioritize their mental and physical wellbeing, TELUS is hosting a virtual panel with experts to discuss ways that owners can better look after themselves and their employees. TELUS has a longstanding history of supporting Canadian small businesses and entrepreneurship through programs such as Pollinator Fund, TELUS Ventures, TELUS Pitch, and Stand With Owners. To learn more about this years campaign and how to get involved, visit telus.com/standwithowners. 1 Based on a study from the Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada Small Business Branch 2 Based on a recent report from CFIB. State Rep. Harold Dutton stood by himself on Thursday afternoon. The room was almost empty for the Houston Democrat's news conference in support of the state's takeover of the Houston Independent School District, where he addressed just a few reporters and members of his own staff for about an hour. It was a sharp contrast to Wednesday, when the House Democratic Caucus and the Legislative Black Caucus held a packed briefing decrying the move as a frontal assault from Gov. Greg Abbott on the state's public education system. MORE: Houston lawmakers decry HISD takeover, warn other districts they could be next Dutton never afraid to buck his own party authored the legislation that caused the takeover to move forward in the first place, a 2015 bill saying the state would take over school districts with a single failing school for five consecutive years. He is also a graduate of Wheatley High School, the campus whose failure triggered the takeover, and he steadfastly defended the state's takeover of its largest school district. "Somebody asked me and said 'Well, all of these people are against this idea and you seem to be the only one for it,' " Dutton said. "I said, 'Well, maybe that's the case, but I remember something my mother told me: that sometimes, right, you will have to stand by yourself. That you won't be able to stand with a group. So today I stand by myself in hopes that somehow we can change the dynamics of these kids that I know need all the help they can get." House Democrats and members of the Legislative Black Caucus have said the state set up Houston ISD to fail through underfunding, and is now pursuing a takeover as part of a broader attack on traditional public schools in favor of charter schools and private institutions. Abbott has been leading the campaign this session for private school vouchers, while also openly attacking diversity, equity and inclusion programs in schools. This is an attempt to push vouchers, to push (charters), to promote and perpetuate the things that Gov. Abbott believes and hears about, and that obviously isn't diversity, equity and inclusion, said state Rep. Ron Reynolds then, another Houston Democrat, and the leader of the Legislative Black Caucus. Could White House intervene? U.S. Rep Sheila Jackson Lee said Thursday that she is seeking federal government intervention to halt the Texas Education Agencys takeover of HISD. Jackson Lee said she has been in contact with the White House frequently over the past years and is now speaking to President Joe Bidens assistant education secretary and the U.S. Office of Civil Rights. She has also distributed a letter criticizing the takeover. I truly believe that this is a clearly defined matter of discrimination, Jackson Lee said, adding that other districts have faired similarly to HISD but are not facing takeovers. What they said is that my letter that I sent, the most recent letter, had members of Congress, including leadership, who said this is really an issue about public school education. DATA: How does your school system compare to HISD? The answer might surprise you Dutton said the purpose of the law allowing state takeovers was to hold "a gun to the head" of school districts and force them to address chronically failing schools. But he said the schools in northeast Houston his district still lag far behind those of other neighborhoods in Houston, and he feels the district never made it a priority to address it. "Some people think there's something wrong with the children, and that's why they haven't done enough to address it," Dutton said. Although Wheatley failed for enough years to trigger the takeover, in 2022 it achieved a "C" rating from the state, a passing score. Dutton said he doesn't think that should matter because it happened after the state tried to take over in 2019, but Houston ISD sued, delaying the process. If it stopped now, he said, Houston ISD would be rewarded despite losing its lawsuit. Dutton offered an analogy on how he views the situation. "Look, I represent a guy on the criminal side and what he did was he shot this guy," he said. "And then he said to me, he said, 'Well, the guy is getting better, why are they charging me with aggravated assault?'" Community meetings scheduled Community members will have a chance to ask questions and learn more about the state takeover process at several community meetings hosted by the TEA over the next two weeks. Here are the details on those meetings, which are all scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m: Tuesday, March 21 at Westbury High School, 11911 Chimney Rock Wednesday, March 22 at Chavez High School, 8501 Howard Wednesday, March 29 at Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center, 4400 W. 18th Thursday, March 30 at Kashmere High School, 6900 Wileyvale Following a yearslong legal battle, the TEA announced Wednesday that it will appoint a new superintendent and board of managers in June to oversee the district. Decades after fumbling away what once looked like a dominating hold on the 1980s computer revolution, Texas has launched a comeback that threatens to loosen Chinas economic grip on America and make the Lone Star State a true tech industry hub rivaling Silicon Valley. Already some of the biggest computer microchip makers and designers like Intel, AMD and Samsung are expanding their footprints in the state, and now the federal government is considering making Texas a $2 billion national research hub for the industry, which has been firmly rooted in East Asia. The prospect is so enticing that it has Longhorns working with Aggies, Democrats with Republicans and even Gov. Greg Abbott is ready to work with President Joe Bidens administration. BACKGROUND: Biden urges action on semiconductor bill, as Texas looks to ramp industry Were in a digital race with our adversaries, U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul said after a meeting last week in Austin with top semiconductor industry leaders and U.S. Commerce Department officials. Were on the cusp of something really big. Semiconductor chips are in everything from cars to computers and smartphones to appliances. During COVID-19, McCaul said it became abundantly clear that having almost all of the semiconductor chip manufacturing overseas was disastrous for supply chains and is a national security problem, given that chips are vital for the military. That's why he and U.S. Sen. John Cornyn led a bruising effort in Congress last year to pass legislation, called the CHIPS Act, that creates billions of dollars in incentives for semiconductor companies to move to Texas. More than $60 billion is now targeted to come to Texas to grow the industry. And tucked into the legislation is another $2 billion proposal to create a National Semiconductor Technology Center. While Texas is in competition with other states for that site, McCaul said the University of Texas and Texas A&M University are combining forces to land the contract. I want it here, said McCaul, whose congressional district stretches from Austin to Katy. And the federal government knows. On Monday, J.D. Grom, a top official with the U.S. Department of Commerce, talked with the Republican congressman and others about what they are looking for in applications for the center and other funding tied back to the Cornyn and McCaul legislation. The mission of it all, Grom said, is to reduce the time and cost of developing new technology in the semiconductor industry. By the end of this decade, we are hopeful that America will not only design, but produce the worlds most advanced chips on our shores, Grom said. Getting universities on the same page Already more than 75 percent of chip design work is done in Texas. Where the U.S. has lagged is in the actual manufacturing of chips. But that is beginning to change. Texas Instruments has kicked off construction on $30 billion in manufacturing operations in Sherman, in North Texas, that will bring an estimated 3,000 jobs. Samsung is building a $17 billion advanced chipmaking plant in Taylor just north of Austin as part of an expected $200 billion expansion, with 11 new facilities. And in December, Taiwan-based GlobalWafers Co. said it was starting construction of a 12-inch silicon wafer plant in Sherman. In a lot of ways, Texas is picking up where it left off in the 1980s. Texas was a budding technology hub back then, home to Tandy Corp. in Fort Worth. Microelectronics Computer Technology Corp. moved to Austin, and Texas Instruments in Dallas was creating advanced chips that no one else in the world was making. TI in the early 1980s was the largest maker of semiconductors in the world. RELATED: Shortage of car parts gives Houston drivers all the more reason to drive carefully At one point, then-San Antonio Mayor Henry Cisneros predicted Interstate 35 was on its way to being one of Americas great technology corridors. It didnt last. While chip designers are still in Texas, most of the manufacturing went overseas, primarily to China and Taiwan where almost all chips are now made. McCaul said the national security problem is already obvious because of the relationship with China. But when the pandemic hit it only further showed the vulnerability of the U.S. supply chain for semiconductors as everything from cars to appliances were suddenly hard to come by. He and Cornyn began meeting with Biden within the first days of his administration taking office and planted the seeds for the CHIPS bill that could provide a pipeline of federal investments for Texas. Since then, McCaul and others have been trying to break down barriers and rivalries that could hurt Texas in winning the national center. In that regard, the University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M University, which graduates more engineers than any other school in Texas, have formed a partnership and promised to work with each other to land the project. UT President Jay Hartzell said they already have a 66,000-square-foot research facility built during the 1980s tech boom that needs to be upgraded but should put UT in a good position to play a big role in the states overall efforts. Hartzell said it is not enough that UT and A&M are working on the project. He said it has to be a statewide push from colleges and universities particularly because of the workforce demands. The semiconductor industry needs everything from manufacturing workers to doctoral students in engineering. The problem's too big for any one university to tackle, Hartzell said. As big as we both are, we cant do it all alone. Texas A&M System Chancellor John Sharp said the partnership will be crucial if the state is really going to become the forefront of a global industry. Creating a talent pipeline A key component of the CHIPS package is more than $200 million of incentives for workforce development to make sure schools are producing people who can work either in manufacturing or engineering. Allen Thompson, vice president of U.S. government relations for Intel, said the challenge for Texas is going to be making sure theres a consistent pipeline of future engineers to meet the needs of the fast-growing industry. Pay close attention to how you are going to maintain the engineering workforce, Thompson said. Political battles have also been pushed to the back burner as McCaul and U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin, have praised each other for their efforts on the legislation. McCaul even declared that the CHIPS bill wouldnt have succeeded without the Biden administration and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo helping them navigate Congress. Although Biden and Abbott have clashed plenty since Biden was elected, Abbott said on Wednesday that he doesnt think that will get in the way of Texas winning federal commitments from the White House or Commerce Department, which is implementing the CHIPS legislation. Ultimately, he said, its a national security issue for the United States, and Texas is in a position to execute quickly on any plans or projects. There is a need for speed, Abbott said. No state can match the speed that Texas provides to ensure that we will be up and running the manufacture chips that will propel the next generation of technology. McCaul said the stakes are just too high for political rivalries or egos to get in the way. He called it a generational transformation of an industry that Texas finds itself well positioned to lead if everyone can just get on the same page. Its really the future of the world, McCaul said. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate It occurred to Danielle Brigati several times over the past year that her education had not entirely prepared her for the real-world challenges of a modern Texas librarian. There wasnt a course covering strategies for on-the-job threats. No class instructed her how to behave during police questioning. IN-DEPTH: See every book Texas schools banned and challenged in our interactive database But last fall Brigati, who has been the director of Kerrvilles Butt-Holdsworth Public Library for the past decade, found herself confronting both. The threats she brushed off as bluster. But the citys detective returned for three separate interviews. Her husband, a retired cop, helped settle her nerves. The officer was friendly and respectful, Brigati recalled. But there was little doubt why a handful of citizens had summoned law enforcement to the library. They were trying to file criminal charges, she said. Politically and socially conservative, Texas is a national leader in school book challenges and bans; a Chronicle investigation last summer counted more than 2,000 content reviews of challenged school library books. The state prison system prohibits more than 9,000 titles. TOP 10: Texas school districts that banned or removed the most books Many of the book battles that flared up at school and public libraries across the state in the past year have returned to smolders. Yet behind the scenes an even more consequential campaign is playing out not merely to place some books off limits, but to prosecute librarians for making them available. Local police have been called out to Texas public libraries to scan books for illegal content in at least five instances. They are a step away from drawing chalk outlines in the library, said Adam Steinbaugh, an attorney for The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, a free-speech advocacy organization. They are treating librarians as suspects. That should be concerning for everyone. In late 2021, Gov. Greg Abbott ordered the Texas Education Agency to investigate any criminal activity in our public schools involving the availability of pornography. Records show the agency opened 20 investigations into school districts suspected of violating laws that prohibit the distribution of obscene content to minors. No librarians have been charged with a crime. But in recent months Texas lawmakers have proposed a dozen bills that would change state law to make it easier to prosecute them for obscenity. We have never seen anything like this before, said Shirley Robinson, executive director of the Texas Library Association. Is law enforcement going to be in the position of deciding to arrest librarians or teacher for obscenity? Is that really where were going? A flurry of outrage Abbotts TEA directive was part of a salvo of measures fired by Republican lawmakers attacking what they described as offensive public-school offerings. In October 2021 Fort Worth Republican Rep. Matt Krause, chairman of the Committee on General Investigating, sent a mass letter to school districts asking about their book collections in particular volumes that address or contain sexual themes. A week later, Abbott fired off his own letter to the Texas Association of School Boards demanding the organization ensure that no child in Texas is exposed to pornography. The association responded it lacked authority to compel such standards. On Nov. 8, 2021, Abbott directed the TEA, the Texas State Library and Archives Commission and the State Board of Education to develop statewide standards to prevent children from being exposed to pornography or other inappropriate content. (The recommendations were completed last April.) Two days after that, the governor ordered the education agency to investigate illegal pornography in schools. The exact nature and scope of TEAs investigations is unclear. Records show it was authorized under a state code typically used to evaluate questionable school performance. The agency is not listed among the dozens of policing agencies identified in the states Code of Criminal Procedure. (A letter from TEA to Keller school officials obtained by the Dallas News said the state agency could turn over its findings to police.) Texas law prohibits distribution of pornographic material to minors under the age of 18, defined as appealing to the prurient interest of a minor, in sex, nudity, or excretion; is patently offensive and utterly without redeeming social value for minors. Yet identifying precisely what falls under those broad definitions is legally tricky. State law also protects potentially obscene materials distributed by a person having scientific, educational, governmental, or other similar justification. Honestly, we dont get questions about it, said Shannon Edmonds, head of governmental relations for the Texas District and County Attorneys Association. The bar has been raised so high by the U.S. Supreme Court and related opinions. Its very difficult to make charges stick. Policing the library That hasnt stopped police from investigating Texas librarians. Documents obtained by The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression record descriptions of law enforcement officers reviewing library books for illegal content. A Hood County deputy constable opened an investigation into Granbury school libraries last May, the records show, three days after meeting with two women to explain the states obscenity laws. The women presented police with a list of 11 books, accompanied by a binder of excerpts they found objectionable. The deputy traveled to three school libraries, where he attempted to interview the librarians, inquired about acquisition procedures and photographed covers and title pages of the available books, according to the records. The status of the investigation is unclear. School officials, Precinct 4 Constable Chad Jordan and District Attorney Ryan Sinclair did not respond to interview requests. In Huntsville, police initiated an investigation into whether any of the books violated state law after several citizens charged the library contained obscene volumes. Police Chief Darryle Slaven has asked one of his officers to look at some books to ensure that we dont have anything that would be a violation of the penal code, the city manager wrote to Huntsvilles director of Parks and Leisure in October 2022. A library card has been established for HPD, she responded a day later. Just finished the first round of book investigations, a text message from the officer reads. Of the ones that were currently available only 1 book had obscene material (gender queer), referring to a book commonly cited as objectionable. The Huntsville investigation appears to have ended when city officials recently voted to turn the public librarys operations over to a private management company after a LGBTQ-themed display prompted complaints. Slaven and City Manager Aron Kulhavy did not respond to interview requests, however, Walker County District Attorney Will Durham said his office was never contacted. Citing the difficulty of obscenity prosecutions, he added, Im happy not to have gotten involved. In Kerrville, Brandon Aery said he was outraged by the banned book displays proximity to the childrens book section. (Brigati said it was set up where all displays are located, straight back from the entrance just behind the Texas seal in the center of the librarys floor.) Aery, who said he also had challenged vulgar books at the school library, filed a police complaint after trying to get the City Council to investigate to see if any laws had been broken, and they pretty much refused to. The Kerrville Police Department conducted a thorough review of the matter and consulted with the prosecuting attorneys, a police spokesman said. As a result of the investigation into this matter, no criminal charges were filed. In September 2021 Leander police said they were investigating the high school library after two parents complained about Lawn Boy, a commonly challenged coming-of-age novel. Last summer, a Katy school district police officer checked a book out of the library to review it when a parent complained about the young adult graphic novel Flamer in Jordan High School. Per Gov. Abbott and the TEA, the book Flamer should have been removed from KISD library shelves but it still remains, the woman wrote in an email to the officer. The complaint was later dismissed. Bill to remove 'loophole' Although none of the Texas investigations has resulted in arrests, legislators have introduced bills this year that, while not always mentioning libraries, would make it easier to criminally prosecute librarians for violating state obscenity laws. Republican Sens. Pete Flores, Mayes Middleton and Bob Hall filed legislation that would remove the legal exception for offensive materials given to minors that had scientific or educational value. Republican Reps. Steve Toth, Matt Schaefer, Matt Shaheen, Jared Patterson, Cole Hefner, Bryan Slaton, Terri Leo-Wilson and Ellen Toxclair filed identical or similar bills in the House. In a summary of his bill, Hall said: Society commonly refers to content containing harmful material, as here defined, as pornographic. There is no place for this content in the classroom or in schools. In a written response to questions, Toth referenced images depicting a sex act from Fun Home, a critically acclaimed graphic memoir he said was part of the collection at Grand Oaks High School in Conroe. Passing this material off as educational violates the intent of Texas obscenity law, he said. His bill would stop schools from making this trash available to our kids by removing the loophole that allows schools to claim porn is educational to avoid prosecution, he said. Edmonds pointed out that any changes to the Texas obscenity law would have to pass First Amendment muster. But he also noted that with the courts new conservative majority, a number of lawmakers were eager to challenge existing free speech precedents. In addition to the challenge of identifying who in the library system would be charged with a crime librarians typically inherit their collections its scary to think about prosecuting librarians for providing books, said Mendy Autry, librarian at the Midlothian Independent School District and president-elect of the Texas Association of School Library Administrators. That doesnt sound like America. Nearly a dozen other pending legislative proposals would add restrictions on what students can check out from school libraries, require librarians to inform parents which books their children check out, prohibit libraries from acquiring books on certain topics, install a book-rating system or ban vendors that sell books deemed offensive. Pattersons Restricting Explicit and Adult-Designated Educational Resources (READER) Act, for example, would streamline the definition of obscene and require parental approval for any student to view sexually relevant material. Its all part of a concerted effort to restrict access to certain ideas, said Chloe Kempf, a staff attorney with ACLU-Texas. Obscenity probe records unavailable Those wanting to know how the governor-ordered TEA criminal investigations into the states public school libraries are being conducted, or what its reviewers found and concluded, will have to wait until after state lawmakers close out the current biennial legislative session and go home. In response to a request from Hearst Newspapers early this year, the agency agreed at least some of its records were public information. But it said it would not release any of them until June 28 a month after the Legislature is scheduled to close out its session, and 10 days after Abbotts deadline to sign or veto any new laws. The agency said it needed time to black out information to protect the identity of school-age students. TEAs Public Information Office maintains strict adherence to the Texas Public Information Act, an agency spokesman added. The timeline to produce documents is in no way impacted by or related to the ongoing legislative session." According to a list of actions it said were initiated because of Abbotts directive, the agency reported receiving four dozen complaints between October 2021 and early 2023. The majority concerned inappropriate instructional materials or book complaints. In Bexar County, a parent at Northside school districts Henderson Elementary in January complained of a sexually suggestive song their student was subjected to during music class. When TEA receives a complaint, it determines if it should be handled locally or by the state agency. According to the limited information released by TEA, seven complaints in Huckaday, McKinney, Arlington, Conroe, North Lamar, Eanes and Prosper school districts were referred back to local schools. The remainder were assigned to the agencys Compliance Review Unit. CRU investigations can take anywhere from 60 days to several years, depending on their complexity. TEAs longest-running open investigations are in Leander, Calhoun County, Midland and Keller school districts, all of which are approaching a year and a half since a complaint was referred. A spokeswoman for the Eanes Independent School District, the subject of a pending investigations into sexually inappropriate books, said the state education agency had instructed officials not to discuss it. The agencys list of investigations shows six of the CRU pornography investigations were completed and closed. None of the spokespeople or superintendents from those independent school districts Garland, Calallen, Driscoll, Plano, West Oso and Mansfield responded to a request for comment. The claim: "You know, more cops are killed responding to domestic violence calls than anything else. Did you know that?" President Joe Biden. Biden made the claim during a March 9 speech about his fiscal year 2024 budget proposal, as he called for more money for training law enforcement, saying they need more help. Politifact Rating: False. Domestic violence calls can be deadly for police, but PolitiFact found no evidence that more officers die responding to those calls than any other type of call. Discussion Biden did not specify what year or years he was referring to and didnt say whether he was including accidents. Some experts said without such qualifiers, its hard to evaluate Bidens statement. Data, mostly from the FBI, shows Biden is wrong. Domestic violence calls can be deadly for officers, but not what mostly lead to their deaths while on duty. "A better statement would have been that domestic disturbance/violence incidents are one of the most common circumstances in which on-duty law enforcement officers are feloniously killed," said Jordan Blair Woods, a University of Arizona law professor who has published research on police and traffic stops. ABOUT POLITIFACT PolitiFact is a fact-checking project to help you sort out fact from fiction in politics. Truth-O-Meter ratings are determined by a panel of three editors. The burden of proof is on the speaker, and PolitiFact rates statements based on the information known at the time the statement is made. See More Collapse The FBI provides annual data about law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty. There are two main categories, one is accidental, which includes car crashes or pedestrian officers struck by cars. The other category is "felonious deaths," which the FBI defines as "a direct result of a willful and intentional act by an offender." This data does not prove Bidens claim that more police officers are killed responding to domestic violence calls than anything else. An FBI data summary showed that 60 officers were killed feloniously in 2022, nearly all were shot. When broken down by circumstance encountered by the officer upon arrival at the scene, the data for these police deaths show: Twelve were the result of an ambush (entrapment/premeditation); Eleven were related to investigative/enforcement work (drug-related matter, wanted person, traffic violation stop); Six were a disorder/disturbance (domestic disturbance, civil disorder, etc.); Six were a tactical situation; Six attacks were unprovoked. Additionally in 2022, 58 officers were killed in accidents, mostly car crashes. The FBI pointed to more detailed data showing the circumstances faced by 504 officers feloniously killed from 2012 to 2021. The data showing the call for service or reason for the officers involvement showed 68 officers died while responding to disorder/disturbance calls, including 19 related to domestic violence. A category the FBI labels "investigative/enforcement" accounted for 182 killed officers. This included deaths related to traffic violation stops (45), wanted people (32) and suspicious people/circumstances (32). Still, "that claim is commonly heard among law enforcement folks that domestic conflict calls are unusually risky," said Jeffrey Butts, the director of the John Jay College of Criminal Justices research and evaluation center. In domestic violence calls, Butts said "the fact that police have been called indicates that emotions are already hot and someone is vulnerable." Seth Stoughton, a University of South Carolina law professor who teaches classes on police law and policy, noted that the FBIs data doesnt include the number of police officers who die by suicide, which is estimated to be higher than felonious killings. In 2020, 116 officers died by suicide, according to the Ruderman Family Foundation, a philanthropic organization. The claim: The whole green energy agenda involves more than doubling 10 types of mining, and that has never happened in economic history in one industry. Alex Epstein, president, Center for Industrial Progress. Epstein, who runs a for-profit California-based think tank that favors fossil fuels, claimed the "green energy movement" supported by Biden is a scam. He said Biden's goal of net-zero emissions by 2050 would require a sharp increase in mining projects for the minerals used in renewable energy technology, such as rechargeable batteries. Politifact Rating: Mostly True. Biden's goal requires a dramatic rise in mineral production and varies by the mineral, with some requiring more than three to five times whats being produced now. Discussion President Joe Bidens administration wants the United States to eventually reach net-zero emissions no later than 2050 by transitioning to renewable energy sources and encouraging motorists to adopt electric cars. But Epstein says it's a goal far out of reach. A video of Epstein's interview in a Jan. 31 Fox Business segment was flagged as part of Facebooks efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. Mining experts say Epsteins remarks are mostly accurate with some caveats. Epstein didnt mention the year when the U.S. hopes to reach net-zero emissions or list any of the minerals mined for renewable energy technology. Net-zero refers to the point where greenhouse gases released are in balance with the amount removed from the atmosphere. According to the United Nations, global greenhouse gas emissions would need to reach net-zero by 2050 to prevent temperatures from rising above 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit from pre-Industrial Revolution levels. Kray Luxbacher, head of the University of Arizonas mining and geological engineering department, said doubling more than 10 types of mining wouldnt be implausible for the mineral requirements needed to reach net-zero by 2040 or 2050. Luxbacher cited a report from the International Energy Agency featuring a list of nine minerals, their use in clean energy technology and their overall importance to that technology. Listed minerals include copper, nickel, lithium, zinc and aluminum. "For some minerals, far more than doubling of production will be required (to reach net-zero) even using more conservative sustainable development scenarios," she said. Scott Dunbar, a professor and department head of the University of British Columbias Norman B. Keevil Institute of Mining and Engineering, said Epsteins remarks are an underestimate. In the case of copper, global production would need to be increased by as much as five times from where it is now by 2050. Dunbar said thats just for wiring alone in electrical components, as copper is highly conductive, allowing electricity to flow through easily. Global demand for these materials is rising outside of the transition to renewable energy because of economic, population and urbanization growth, Dunbar said. Around 21 million tons of copper are mined annually. By 2050, this would need to rise to 60 million tons each year to meet the demands caused by economic, population and urbanization growth alone, Dunbar said. If 70 percent of the worlds electricity comes from renewable sources in 2050, 100 million tons of copper will be required. "Its a staggering amount that some people say is going to be impossible," Dunbar said. "It takes 10 to 15 years to get a copper mine into production, so theres going to have to be big changes in the way we do things to satisfy that demand." Around 2 million to 3 million tons of nickel are mined annually, providing a vital component in electric car batteries. Reaching the 2050 net-zero goal would require around 5 million tons to be mined, Dunbar said. To add 2 billion electric cars worldwide by 2050 would require more than 12 million tons of nickel, Dunbar said. Asked to substantiate his claim, Epstein cited a separate report from the International Energy Agency, which said the "(clean) energy transition requires substantial quantities of critical minerals" that would need to grow almost sevenfold between 2020 and 2030 to meet the 2050 net-zero goal. Dunbar said current mining deposits dont contain enough minerals to meet the demand to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. He said it's possible to get the minerals by mining deeper in the Earth than is done now, but that would expend a lot of energy and go against the desire to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. New technologies could emerge before 2050 to address the issue, but it could take years before its a reality. "Its a problem occupying a lot of people in the mining industry right now: How are we going to satisfy this demand?" Dunbar said. "Nobody knows. It keeps our minds busy." The claim: "The tapes show that Capitol police never stopped Jacob Chansley (known as the 'QAnon Shaman'), they helped him," Carlson said. "They acted as his tour guides." Fox News host Tucker Carlson. PolitiFact Rating: Pants on Fire! Available evidence rebuts this claim. Officers repeatedly asked Chansley to leave the building. This is corroborated by the plea agreement Chansley signed and an officers account of the events. IN-DEPTH: The aftermath of Jan. 6 continues to unfold. Here's what has happened since 2021. Discussion Jacob Chansley, more infamously known as the "QAnon Shaman," is serving out a 41-month prison sentence for his actions during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. Photos from the riot show Chansely, clad in red, white and blue face paint and a horned fur cap, walking the Capitols halls and shouting in the Senate chamber. In September 2021, Chansley pleaded guilty to a felony charge of obstructing an official proceeding. While in the Capitol, Chansley was followed by Capitol Police and repeatedly ignored officers orders and requests to leave the building, according to Chanselys signed plea agreement. ABOUT POLITIFACT PolitiFact is a fact-checking project to help you sort out fact from fiction in politics. Truth-O-Meter ratings are determined by a panel of three editors. The burden of proof is on the speaker, and PolitiFact rates statements based on the information known at the time the statement is made. See More Collapse But during a March 6 segment of "Tucker Carlson Tonight," Fox News host Tucker Carlson portrayed the events differently, suggesting that Chansley had officers support and hadnt disobeyed them. As Carlson spoke, Fox played surveillance video footage without audio that showed officers near Chansley, often appearing to trail behind him. Carlson said the clips appeared in 40,000 hours of unreleased surveillance tape from the riot that he received from House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. During his show, Carlson introduced a video of Chansley in the Senate chamber, and said that Capitol police officers were taking Chansley "to multiple entrances" and trying to "open locked doors for him." "We counted at least nine officers who were within touching distance of unarmed Jacob Chansley, not one of them even tried to slow him down," Carlson said. "Chansley understood the Capitol police were his allies." However, Chansleys signed plea agreement, an officers firsthand account of the events, and an internal memo from Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger all contradict Carlsons claim that the police helped him that day. After hundreds of rioters overwhelmed police and breached the Capitol building, Capitol Police officers repeatedly asked Chansley to leave the Capitol and he refused, according to his plea agreement. Chansley was arrested in Phoenix three days after the riot. Although he initially faced six charges, Chansley in November pleaded guilty to one count of obstructing an official proceeding. The seven-page agreement stated that "if this case were to go to trial, the government would prove the following facts beyond a reasonable doubt," and then listed the following details: Chansley entered the Capitol through a door other rioters had broken open. He was among the first 30 rioters inside the building. Chansley and other rioters went to the second floor of the Senate side of the building and "were met by a line of U.S. Capitol Police officers, instructing them to peacefully leave the building." Chansley challenged U.S. Capitol Police Officer Keith Robishaw "to let them pass." Chansley ultimately used "his bullhorn to rile up the crowd and demand that lawmakers be brought out." Chansley tried to gain entry to the Senate floor and again encountered Robishaw, "who once again asked him to leave the building." Chansley said others were on the Senate floor and he was going to join them; the officer followed him. Chansley climbed the Senate dais and sat in then-Vice President Mike Pences seat, taking pictures of himself. Despite repeated requests from Robishaw, Chansley refused to vacate the seat, calling Pence a traitor. Just after 3 p.m., "other law enforcement officers arrived to support (Robishaw) and cleared the defendant and other rioters from the chamber." Chansley signed that plea deal, attesting that he had read the account of the events and agreed "that it is true and accurate." "While it is not a complete recitation of all that I did or all that I know, it represents some of my conduct and some of my knowledge concerning my own involvement in illegal activity," read the statement just above Chansleys signature. Robishaw was interviewed for the HBO documentary "Four Hours at the Capitol," released in October 2021. His firsthand account of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot supports the details in Chansleys plea agreement. About 45 minutes into the film, Robishaw said he entered the Senate chamber behind "the Shaman," referring to Chansley. "And thats when I realized I was alone now," he said. "In my mind, I was like, I cant do anything, you know?" Robishaw said. "(What) I can only do is, you know, shout orders, and if they listen, great. If they dont, I cant force them. Im by myself." Xi Jinping says that China is ready to "stand guard over world order" as he met with Vladimir Putin. Xi Jinping has met with Vladimir Putin in Moscow The Chinese leader spent over four hours in talks with his "dear friend" Putin in Moscow as they discussed Beijing's 12-point peace plan to bring an end to the war in Ukraine. Putin said: "We are always open to negotiations." Xi was serenaded by a military band as he arrived in the Russian capital on Monday (20.03.23) for his first visit since Putin invaded Ukraine and hailed his "close ties" with Russia. The summit has been presented as a "journey of friendship, cooperation and peace" and marks a deepening of ties between China and Russia - which has become increasingly isolated due to the war. Xi told his counterpart: "Under your strong leadership, Russia has made great strides in its preposterous development. I am confident that the Russian people will continue to give you their firm support." China released a plan to end the war in Ukraine last month and it included "ceasing hostilities" and resuming peace talks, although the US has warned that it could be a "stalling tactic". Secretary of State Antony Blinken said: "The world should not be fooled by any tactical move by Russia, supported by China or any other country, to freeze the war on its own terms. "Calling for a ceasefire that does not include the removal of Russian forces from Ukrainian territory would effectively be supporting the ratification of Russian conquest." Earth is running out of space rockets. Earth is running out of space rockets The space-flight industry is being held up as so many nations and companies are desperate to send people into orbit. Up to 100 lunar missions are scheduled to take place in the next decade and launch vehicle providers have explained that there are now difficulties in finding lift-off spots. Tim Ellis, of the US aerospace manufacturer Relativity, revealed that "almost every company that we talk to is worried" about rocket availability. He said: "You have a lot of people that are trying to hit specific deadlines to getting spacecraft to orbit." Tory Bruno, of United Launch Alliance, added: "There is now, for the first time in 30 years, a global shortage of launch capacity which is going to last about a decade." The shortage also stems from Russia's decision to withdraw from the International Space Station (ISS) project after 2024 amid tensions with the West due to the Ukraine war. All aboard The Flying Scotsman for a fascinating historical, soul-nourishing documentary that celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the worlds most famous train. Narrated by none other than TV favourite and historian Sir Tony Robinson (Black Adder, Time Team), The Flying Scotsman 100th Anniversary pulls into digital platforms on 20 February 2023, as well as a DVD release on the same date courtesy of Reel 2 Reel Films. Flying Scotsman Centenary documentary on digital and DVD 20th Feb 2023 The Flying Scotsman roared into the record books as the fastest steam locomotive the world had ever seen today, there are very few who havent heard of this magnificent machine. Now, this new feature-length documentary tells the inspiring story of how it became such a lauded national treasure. Travel back in time to relive the creation of the world-renowned train in this enriching film, which shows how it became a seminal piece of British history, from how it came into being to where it voyaged including its incredible journey from the UK to America, Australia and then back to the UK where it still excites train enthusiasts to this day. Featuring interviews with entrepreneur and railway preservationist Alan Pegler OBE and respected businessman Sir William McAlpine alongside the dedicated engineers who played a key part in keeping the Flying Scotsman running and more this poignant documentary is full of depth, rich history, fascinating facts, unique insights and most of all, the story of an engineering marvel unlike any other. Commemorating the centenary of this famous locomotive that has rightfully cemented its place in world history, this documentary keeps the magic alive so now 100 years on people can enjoy a magical adventure with this epic engine. Book your tickets for a journey to remember and celebrate The Flying Scotsman 100th Anniversary. On UK digital platforms 20th February 2023 and on DVD 27th Februry 2023 Competition Prize Provider Aim Publicity We have a copy to give away, to be in with a chance to secure one of these Flying Scotsman DVD's simpley answer the question below, then complete and submit the entry form GOOD LUCK Which Railway Company did the Flying Scotsman originaly belong to? A. LMS B. LNER C. SR Tagged in Competition Closing Date : 14th March 2023 SEMINAL HORROR franchise V/H/S returns for its fifth wicked instalment V/H/S/99 which will have you taped to the screen. The latest incarnation brings a brand-new host of hellish found footage fear fillers five unique tales of mayhem and terror all linked by the year 1999. VHS 99 on Bluray VHS 99 on DVD This Shudder Original proved its horror chops, showing its still as popular as ever when it quickly became the streamer's most-watched film ever. Now, this terrifyingly thrilling feature is set to arrive on Blu-ray, DVD and digital on 27 March 2023, courtesy of Acorn Media International. Witness a hellish vision of 1999 as social isolation, analogue technology, and disturbing home videos fuse into a nightmare of found footage savagery that explores the dark side of 1990s nostalgia. With roots in Rock n' Roll, Maggie Levin's Shredding' tells the story of a dare that turns deadly... meanwhile Suicide Bid' from Johannes Roberts (Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, 47 Metres Down), explores the concept of college hazing through a claustrophobic horror tale thats sure to terrify viewers. Renowned record producer, DJ, filmmaker and rapper Flying Lotus (Kuso), collaborates with Zoe Cooper who takes the idea of a low-budget game show that humiliates its contestants with the promise of a reward that's impossible to win... and in 'The Gawkers' directed and penned by Tragedy Girls creators Tyler MacIntyre and Chris Lee Hill boys just want to have fun, but at what cost? 'To Hell And Back' from Vanessa and Joseph Winters (Deadstream), concludes the collection and sees two videographers hired to document an occult ritual summoning who end up getting much more than they bargained for... A throwback to the final punk rock days of VHS that takes one giant leap into the hellish new millennium, V/H/S/99 is an eerily entertaining, frightening and at times darkly humorous ride and a must for any collectors shelf. On Blu-ray, DVD and digital 27 March 2023 SPECIAL FEATURES include: Deleted Scenes Shredding BitchCat Music Video The Gawkers Camera Test and The Making of Medusa To Hell and Back Storyboards and Location Scouting Bloopers And more! Title: V/H/S/99 Blu-ray Cat.No: AB2067 Cert: 18 Running Time: 90 minutes. Release Date: 27 March 2023 RRP: 19.99 Also available to download and keep from 27 March 2023. Title: V/H/S/99 DVD Cat.No: AV3727 Cert: 18 Running Time: 90 minutes. Release Date: 27 March 2023 RRP: 15.99 Also available to download and keep from 27 March 2023. COMPETITION Prize Provider Aim Publicity To celebrate the release of the fifth wicked instalment V/H/S/99 we are offering one lucky winner the chance to win a copy on DVD. All you have to do is answer the simple Question below, then complete and submit the entry form Question: What year links all the stories on the video A. 1988 B. 1999 C. 2010 GOOD LUCK Tagged in Competition Closing Date : 14th April 2023 Rachael Blackmore created history in the Grand National in 2021 by becoming the first female jockey to win the prestigious event, steering Minella Times to success. Rachael Blackmore and Minella Times win the Grand National! pic.twitter.com/czIIh2SsuV At The Races (@AtTheRaces) April 10, 2021 Blackmore enjoyed a further groundbreaking moment in 2022 when she followed her success in the National by winning the other major prize in jumps racing, the Cheltenham Gold Cup, with her charge A Plus Tard. The 33-year-old geared up for another Cheltenham Festival, and added further crowns to her name in the Mares Hurdle and Ryanair Chase, although a second Gold Cup evaded her grasp as she was forced to pull up A Plus Tard after he was hampered by falling horse. Ready For Another Grand National Tilt She will now turn her attention to the Grand National in a bid to win the crown for a second time. Henry De Bromhead has a number of charges available for the race at Aintree, but the best hope could be Aint That A Shame in the horse racing latest odds at 20/1, although Blackmore could look elsewhere out of the strong yard at her disposal. Minella Times is not available after he was retired due to sustaining a shoulder injury in preparation for another run at the event in 2023. Therefore, Blackmore will have a new charge to prepare, but it also gives her an opportunity to join a rare company of riders if she can achieve another win. There is a select company of jockeys that have won the National with different horses, the last of which was Leighton Aspell when he rode Pineau De Re and Many Clouds to victory in 2014 and 2015. In the modern era of the National, there have not been many multiple-time champions with different charges other than Aspell, but there is usually a common theme, that they are quality jockeys that have established themselves as the top rider of the era, such as Ruby Walsh and Richard Dunwoody. Blackmore can look to establish her own legacy with another victory. Which Horse? One of the skills of a champion jockey is selecting the best horse for the race. Given that Blackmore is De Bromheads top rider, she will have the first pick of all the charges available using the advice of the champion trainer and her own intuition. Aint That A Shame seems to be the best suited out of De Bromheads yard to the challenges of the National, and Blackmore has already ridden him twice already this season. Aint That A Shame finished fourth in a race at Leopardstown and won a Beginners Chase at Gowran Park. ENVOI ALLEN and @rachaelblackmor win the Ryanair. Class is permanent. pic.twitter.com/sn9VGDCokT Michael Harris (@mjyharris) March 16, 2023 However, Envoi Allen could also be available for Blackmore fresh off his success with her in the saddle at Cheltenham Festival in the Ryanair Chase. It would be a huge step up for Envoi Allen to push over four miles in the National, but he did defeat Kemboy in the Champion Chase at Down Royal over three miles earlier in the campaign. Blackmore has a tough decision on her hands, but it is a blessing to have so many options. Her choice could be career-defining at least in the short term as she seeks to firmly establish herself as the best operator in the business. 20-year-old artist Ari Abdul releases her new single Bored. The upbeat alt-pop production is driven by a simmering beat and emotion-laden guitar riffs. Ari Abdul single 'Bored' Speaking on the song, Ari says, Although someone is confessing their feelings, theyre rejected. Roses which symbolize love are dead in the song, which represents the dead love in the situation. Bored is an anti-love song about not reciprocating the same feelings someone has for you. Last Autumn, Ari released her debut EP Fallen Angel. As its title suggests, Fallen Angel is a pop-noir work, levitated by alluring melodies and Abdul's warm, luminescent vocals. Growing up in Catholic School, she became enamored with the story of Lucifer and the "fallen angel" narrative. Ari and her best friend/ producer Thomas LaRosa worked to create a world behind the EP inspired by "loss of innocence and connection with oneself into a distorted, wicked version." The EP's most luring quality is how it gives you glimmers into who Abdul is, mingling tenebrous fantasy with her personal story. These twisted narratives come to life in tracks like the narcotic slow-jam BABYDOLL, the ethereal-pop "Stay," and the shimmering-seductive "Taste." About Ari Abdul: Ari Abdul Photo Credit: Keri Ann Dolan Hailing from Brooklyn, New York, Ari Abdul has forged her own brand of dark alternative pop. Music quickly became a second language for Ari Abdul growing up in Brooklyn. Her Ecuadorian mom loved Latin music while her Costa Rican/ Palestinian father introduced her to classic rock. Rounding everything out were her brothers who were all about hip-hop and metal. She graduated to electric guitar at 14 and started playing grunge songs inspired by Nirvana. But she was too nervous to share her work - let alone her voice- with anyone. She had friends in choir, but that wasn't the musical direction she saw herself going. It wasn't until LaRosa's mom encouraged Abdul to create her own music in July 2021 that lite the spark to share her voice with the world. She combines the reverb-heavy swells of your favorite shoegaze artists such as The Neighborhood and Lana Del Rey. Combining an array of visual and stylistic influences, Ari has cultivated a mysterious edge to her artistic endeavors. Last year, she released her debut single BABYDOLL followed by the sped-up version BABYDOLL (Speed). Both versions garnered viral success with over 83M global streams, 400M TikTok views, and 420K TikTok creations. Follow Ari Abdul: TikTok | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube The Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) and the Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI) will host Medical Korea 2023 The 13th Global Healthcare Medical Tourism Conference at Coex in Seoul from March 23 (Thu) to March 24 (Fri), 2023. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230321005095/en/ Medical Korea 2023 Conference, which celebrates its 13th this year, will be held as a large-scale offline event in three years after the outbreak of COVID-19, from March 23 to 24 at Coex in SEOUL. (Graphic: Business Wire) The conference will be held as a large-scale offline event, the first time in three years after the COVID-19 outbreak. Medical Korea 2023 is one of the largest global healthcare conferences in Korea with the aim of the globalization of the Korean healthcare industry. The conference begins with keynote lectures by Jamie Metzl, a technology and healthcare futurist and Hwang Hee, CEO of Kakao Healthcare. The lectures consist of 4 forums and 6 seminars covering various topics such as medical tourism trends, online training, personal health record, digital healthcare, and scale-up strategies for regional global healthcare business, in attendance of 65 speakers. Various programs such as business meetings, an exhibition (digital healthcare experience center and promotion hall for foreign patient evaluation and certification system), G2G meetings, etc. are in place to promote the discovery of channels to attract new customers through exchanges between overseas buyers and domestic sellers, and the expansion into the overseas markets by the health industry. In the forums, participants can explore the latest trends in the global healthcare industry and opportunities for health care cooperation through medical tourism policies, predict changes and innovations in health care caused by the spread of My Data, and learn the opinions of trainees from Mongolia and Uzbekistan concerning the training projects for the MKA e-class business promotion, etc. Invited experts as speakers are: Mohd Daud Mohd Arif (CEO, Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC)) Napas Paorohitya (Chief Marketing Officer, Bumrungrad International Hospital) Hiang Khoon Tan (Director, SingHealth Duke-NUS Global Health Institute (SDGHI)) Dmytro Butov (Professor, Department of Phthisiology and Pulmonology, Kharkiv National Medical University) Kim Ju Han (Professor, College of Medicine, Seoul National University) The KHIDI has designated 'Endemic', 'Telemedicine', 'Personal Health Record', 'Medical Tourism' and 'Digital Therapeutics (DTx)' as the top 5 keywords for global healthcare trends in 2023. More information on Medical Korea 2023: www.mkconf.org Major forums at Medical Korea 2023 Conference: https://mkconf.org/fairProgram.do'selAction=single_page&program_idx=50&program_type=P&hl=ENG&FAIRMENU_IDX=12605#/ View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230321005095/en/ Contacts: Medical Korea 2023 Hwan Guk Park +82-43-713-8972 wank21@khidi.or.kr A radical strategy was presented by the Swiss bank Credit Suisse on Thursday in an effort to recover from a number of recent issues that have damaged its reputation, reported AP. The Zurich-based bank announced intentions to reduce risk, staff numbers, and expenses. As it disclosed a third-quarter loss of 4 billion Swiss francs ($4.1 billion), it also announced that it will revive the CS First Boston investment bank brand, which was long a stalwart of Wall Street, reported AP Over 166 years, Credit Suisse has built a powerful and respected franchise but we recognise that in recent years we have become unfocused, chairman Axel Lehmann said in a statement, as reported by AFP. Lehmann said the reassessment of the banks future direction included a radical strategy and a clear execution plan to create a stronger, more resilient and more efficient bank with a firm foundation, focused on our clients and their needs. He said the bank will also work on further improving risk management and control processes across the entire bank, after a series of investments turned sour. I am convinced that this is the blueprint for success, helping rebuild trust and pride in the new Credit Suisse. Simpler, more stable bank with a more focused business model Credit Suisse also said expects to run the bank with approximately 43,000 staff by the end of 2025 compared to 52,000 at the end of September, reflecting natural attrition and targeted headcount reductions. The announcement came as the bank unveiled a third quarter net loss of $4.034 billion Swiss francs. This is a historic moment for Credit Suisse. We are radically restructuring the investment bank to help create a new bank that is simpler, more stable and with a more focused business model built around client needs, new chief executive Ulrich Koerner said in a statement, as reported by AFP. Koerner is considered a specialist in bank restructuring and has had a hundred days to diagnose the problems at Credit Suisse. The announcement was keenly awaited by analysts, rating agencies, banking regulators and regular customers. Market sentiments The market environment was not very bright when the announcement was made on Thursday. In the third quarter, high market volatility caused by Russias war in Ukraine, combined with recession fears, dampened demand for transactions such as debt issues, initial public offerings as well as mergers and acquisitions, reported AFP. As per AFP on Tuesday, Switzerlands biggest bank UBS, like the major US investment banks, reported a drop in income in its investment bank arm. Credit Suisses capital-guzzling investment banking arm has been the source of heavy losses which plunged Credit Suisses accounts into the red eclipsing its other, more stable activities such as wealth management or its Swiss domestic banking services. Credit Suisses investment bank suffered a loss of 3.7 billion Swiss francs in 2021 and backed that up with a 992 million Swiss franc loss in the first half of 2022, reported AFP. It was hit by the implosion of the US fund Archegos, which cost Credit Suisse more than $5 billion. Meanwhile its asset management branch was rocked by the bankruptcy of British financial firm Greensill, in which some $10 billion had been committed through four funds. Credit Suisse is one of 30 banks globally deemed too big to fail, forcing it to set aside more cash to weather a crisis. Banking experts are therefore dismissing social media rumours earlier this month of a Lehman Brothers moment, referencing the US bank which collapsed, triggering the 2008 financial crisis. While many industry experts think a bankruptcy highly improbable, these rumours helped drag its share price down to a low of 3.158 Swiss francs. Credit Suisse shares closed Wednesday at 4.763 Swiss francs on the Swiss stock exchanges main SMI index, as reported by AFP. With inputs from AFP and AP Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. New York: A group of Wall Street banks is planning a rescue package of around $30 billion for First Republic Bank, sources told The Associated Press on Thursday. The rescue package comes as San Francisco-based First Republic has been battered by investors and worries have grown that the midsized bank might be the next to fail, after Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank. Sources familiar with the matter said that JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, Wells Fargo and Goldman Sachs are part of the group of banks pulling together the package. It is likely to consist of $30 billion in deposits and capital for First Republic. The list of 11 banks involved also includes Truist, Morgan Stanley, BNY Mellon, State Street, US Bank, PNC and Bank of America, a source said. The sources spoke on the condition of anonymity because the package was still being developed. A First Republic spokesman declined to comment on the reports. First Republic serves a similar clientele as Silicon Valley Bank, which failed Friday after depositors withdrew about $40 billion. Reports said First Republic also experienced a large number of withdrawals. Its shares dropped more than 60 per cent Monday, even after the bank said it had secured additional funding from JPMorgan and the Federal Reserve. Thursday the banks shares were down as much as 36 per cent, but rallied after reports the rescue package was in the works, and were up nearly 8 per cent in afternoon trading. The news comes after the collapse last week of Silicon Valley Bank, which was the second biggest bank failure in U.S. history after the demise of Washington Mutual in 2008. The shuttering of Silicon Valley Bank Friday and of New York-based Signature Bank two days later has revived bad memories of the financial crisis that plunged the United States into the Great Recession of 2007-2009. Over the weekend the federal government, determined to restore public confidence in the banking system, moved to protect all the banks deposits, even those that exceeded the FDICs $250,000 limit per individual account. The White House had no comment Thursday on the reports of the rescue package for First Republic Bank, which has more than $200 billion in assets. Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. New Delhi: Budget 2023 has been hailed as one that pushes for economic growth without compromising on fiscal prudence. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had a tough task of meeting expectations from a wide swathe of stakeholders who were keenly watching as she presented the last full Budget of Modi governments second term. The FM ticked nearly all major boxes as she announced a mega capex programme of Rs 10 lakh crore and boosting consumption by offering relief on the income tax front under the new regime. The Budget sent a signal that Modi government means business and is serious about improving the health of the economy. Cutting back on certain expenditure heads and utilising the space to increase allocation on capex shows intent of improving the quality of spending. Key takeaways from FM Nirmala Sitharamans exclusive interview with Network18: Economic growth The numbers for growth mentioned are realistic despite global uncertainties. I dont think any one economy is so immune that the global volatilities dont affect them. On Adani exposure of LIC, SBI Exposure of big lenders such as LIC and State Bank of India (SBI) to the crisis-ridden Adani group is well within the permissible limits as stated by these lenders, said Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in an interview with Network18 Group Editor Rahul Joshi on February 3. Message to global investors The finance minister said that India remains a well governed and a very well regulated financial market. She said that the investor confidence will continue and that one instance, however much talked about, is not going to be indicative of how well Indian financial markets are governed. Privatisation The Finance Mister said that the disinvestment and asset monetisation is still a part of the Budget. It may not be a part of the speech. We have to see when is the best time to monetise assets. Also Read: Indian markets are well regulated: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to Network18 Process of privatisation of PSU banks is on. The amendments will have to be made. Inflation The FM said that inflation has come down with the combined efforts of the RBI and the government. She said that the inflation moderation is expected to sustain and that there shouldnt be any pressure to keep raising rates. The twin deficits problem is also not as severe as before. Income tax changes Talking about the changes to the new tax regime, she said that the purpose is to make it more attractive in terms of compliance and tax rates. I am more looking at it to make sure every Indian citizen makes his own choice, her choice. You are the best judge of what you want to do with your money, she said. Health of Banking System The FM said that the banking system is healthy as the bad debt situation has improved. Having gone through the twin balance sheet problem. Indian banking sector is at a comfortable level with NPAs coming down to absolute low levels and recovery happening, the FM said. Must Read: No funding winter, funding always waiting to see more innovative startups: Nirmala Sitharaman to Network18 MNREGA The FM said that higher focus on schemes like PM Awas Yojana and Jal Jeevan Mission will generate jobs in rural areas. MNREGA is a demand driven scheme and as and when more demand comes from states, we will go to the Parliament for supplementary demands. Private capex The upheaval in the banking world continues. It started with the collapse of Californias Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and the next to fall was New Yorks Signature Bank. The global financial giant Credit Suisse was in deep trouble only to be rescued by the Swiss central bank. Even as Washington reassures the public that its banks are sound, the tension is palpable. All eyes are now on the San Fransico-based First Republic Bank, which was on the verge of failing, but has been rescued by eleven of Americas biggest banks. What is First Republic? Founded in 1985, First Republic Bank, headquartered in San Francisco, is the countrys 14th-largest bank. It is known for its private banking and private business services. First Republic typically caters to high-end clients and firms, and its businesses include wealth management and residential real estate loans. Many of its customers are billionaires and the bank offered them generous financial terms. The Wall Street Journal reported that Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg got a mortgage through First Republic. The company reported more than $212 billion in assets at the end of December and generated more than $1.6 billion in net income last year, according to a report by CNBC. What went wrong? After the fall of Silicon Valley Bank last Friday and Signature Bank over the weekend, First Republics stock started plunging. Like the two lenders, First Republic had a high number of uninsured deposits, which led to worries that its clients would pull out their money. On Sunday, it had more than $70 billion in liquidity apart from additional funds it could raise from the Federal Reserves Bank Term Funding Program. But this did not instil any faith in investors and they continued to dump the stock. On Wednesday, First Republic was downgraded by rating agencies Fitch and S&P, citing risks to its funding and liquidity. They placed it on a negative watch, reflecting low confidence in the banks financial strength. This affected stocks further. First Republic has similarities to SVB its size, the large wealthy client base and the uninsured deposits. Also read: Silicon Valley Bank collapse: What happens to customers? Are their deposits secure? Why are uninsured deposits such a concern? Uninsured deposits are the portion of the deposits that exceed the insurance coverage available from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), the US government body. The FDIC has insured up to $250,000 of deposits that anyone has kept at a federally protected bank. Anything beyond that is not guaranteed to be protected should a financial institution fail. Silicon Valley Bank had a large uninsured deposit base. As the bank started losing money, it tried to raise cash. This is when its depositors, mostly business customers, who had more than $250,000 stashed in the bank, left and turned to other lenders. Uninsured depositors across the US were on their toes. First Republic, which had some two-thirds of its deposits in uninsured accounts, came under the scanner. Also read: From cocaine money laundering to fake names: The long list of scandals at Credit Suisse What saved First Republic? Eleven of the biggest US banks came to the rescue and announced a $30 billion rescue package. The major banks include JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Citigroup and Truist. JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Citigroup will contribute about $5 billion apiece, while Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley will deposit around $2.5 billion, the banks said in a news release. Truist, PNC, US Bancorp, State Street and Bank of New York Mellon will deposit about $1 billion each. The deposits are obligated to stay at the bank for at least 120 days, according to First Republic. These new deposits from the big banks are uninsured, reports CNBC. On 8 March, before the US banking crisis started, the San Fransico-based banks shares closed at $115 per share. More than a week later, on Thursday, it dropped to $20 at one point before closing at $34.27 per share. Why did the big banks step in? The rescue package for First Republic Bank is an effort to prevent it from becoming the third to fail in less than a week and head off a broader banking crisis. The group of banks behind the rescue package confirmed that other unnamed banks had seen large withdrawals of uninsured deposits, reports The Associated Press. The $30 billion in uninsured deposits is seen as a vote of confidence in First Republic, whose banking franchise before the past week was often the envy of the industry. The actions of Americas largest banks reflect their confidence in the countrys banking system, the banks said in a statement. We are deploying our financial strength and liquidity into the larger system, where it is needed the most. First Republics executive chairman Jim Herbert and CEO Mike Roffler said in a statement that we would like to share our deep appreciation for the 11 banks. On Thursday, the bank said that it had about $34 billion in cash as of March 15, not counting the new $30 billion in deposits. First Republic had borrowed tens of billions of dollars from the Federal Reserve and the Federal Home Loan Bank over the past week but daily deposit outflows have now slowed considerably, the bank said. First Republic is also suspending its common stock dividend, reports CNBC. What are authorities saying? US treasury secretary Janet Yellen met JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon privately before the 11 banks agreed on depositing $30 billion in First Bank, reports CNN. Yellen was the one pushing the plan forward from the governments side while Dimon brought other bank executives on board. Yellen first conceived of the idea of the largest US banks coming together to direct deposits toward First Republic, according to a separate source familiar with the matter, the report says. This show of support by a group of large banks is most welcome, and demonstrates the resilience of the banking system, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, Acting Comptroller of the Currency Michael Hsu, Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell and FDIC chairman Martin Gruenberg said in a joint statement. The $30 billion bet on First Republic is seen as a bulwark against future bank runs. The shares of many midsized banks were hit hard this week as investors feared depositors would withdraw their cash and run to the nations biggest banks, reports AP. Over the weekend the federal government, determined to restore public confidence in the banking system, moved to protect all the banks deposits, even those that exceeded the FDICs $250,000 limit per individual account. While the banking crisis started with Silicon Valley Bank, regulators told reporters earlier this week that it became necessary for the government to backstop the banking system because it appeared more runs were possible. While the move by the big banks helped stablise First Republics deposit base, its also a signal to financial markets not only about the lender but the US financial system. With inputs from agencies Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Finally, Indias Delhi has a new mayor. After three failed attempts in the past to hold voting, Aam Aadmi Partys Shelly Oberoi was elected to the post. She defeated Rekha Gupta of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) by 34 votes in a bitter contest. Oberoi received 150 votes against 116 for Gupta in an election which was held at the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) House meeting. AAPs Aaley Mohammad Iqbal will be Oberois deputy. Who is Shelly Oberoi? Oberoi, 39, is a first-time councillor, who won the Delhi civic body election from East Patel Nagar, the home turf of former Delhi BJP chief Adesh Gupta, in December last year. She defeated Deepali Kumar by 269 votes in the ward which was considered to be a stronghold of the BJP. Her victory resonated with the AAP who won the municipal elections on 8 December, ending the saffron partys 15-year-old dominance. In January, Oberoi went to the Supreme Court to demand that elections to the civic bodys top post be held in a time-bound manner. A Dilliwali (born and raised in the Capital), Oberoi joined the AAP as an activist in 2013. In 2020, she was picked as the vice president of its Mahila Morcha, the partys womens wing. Before taking a plunge into politics, Oberoi worked as a visiting assistant professor at Delhi University. She has also taught at several other universities including Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS) in Mumbai, Indraprastha University and Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU). Oberoi pursued her PhD from IGNOUs School of Management Studies. She is a lifetime member of the Indian Commerce Association, according to her LinkedIn profile. She has won several academic laurels including holding the highest grade point average among students in college. She was awarded the Miss Kamla Rani Prize and a scholarship. She earned her masters degree in commerce at Himachal Pradesh University. She has been quite the achiever and has big plans for Delhi. What will she do as the Delhi mayor? We will start working on Kejriwal ki 10 guarantees from day 1 to clean and make the city garbage free. I thank the CM and deputy CM and the people of Delhi for giving me this opportunity. I will need the blessings of the people of Delhi to fulfil duties and responsibilities, she said while talking to the media before her election. In an earlier interview with The Indian Express, Oberoi said that she would strive to get Delhi off its garbage capital tag. Over the next few months, we will all work together to make Delhi the city that it should have been We will work together to ensure Delhi becomes clean again. Minutes after taking charge, Oberoi said that the MCD will inspect landfill sites in the next three months. We have to work together to fulfil the aspirations of people, she told the House. What does Oberois win mean for AAP? Oberois electoral win is significant for the AAP but its fight is far from over. The mayor is the head of the civic body but it is the Standing Committee that has the power to approve finances for projects, finalise policies and form regulations, according to a report in The Indian Express. Six members of the 18-member Standing Committee will be elected on Wednesday and the remaining 12 will be picked by the Ward Committees later. The mayor can call for special meetings of the House, declare quorum to hold meetings and disqualify members, the report says. How has AAP reacted to her win? Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia congratulated Oberoi and the party workers. The goons have lost, the public won. Today in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, the people of Delhi won and hooliganism was defeated, Kejriwal said. Also read: Delhi backs MCD Mein Bhi Kejriwal, but lessons for AAP to remain unbeatable Sisodia congratulated Oberoi for winning the mayoral elections. Many congratulations to all the workers on Aam Aadmi Partys mayor in Municipal Corporation of Delhi and once again wholehearted gratitude to the people of Delhi, he said in a tweet in Hindi. Many many congratulations to the first Mayor @OberoiShelly of AAP. Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann has dubbed AAPs win in the Delhi mayoral poll as the victory of democracy. He also praised Kejriwal for his spirit of fighting for the rights of people. With inputs from agencies Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Commentary By Deborah Jaremko Asias demand for liquefied natural gas (LNG) is rising fast as countries look for cleaner alternatives to coal while their economies expand. According to a new report by global research consultancy Wood Mackenzie, Asia should import LNG from Canada to significantly reduce its emissions. If Canada increases its LNG export capacity to Asia, by 2050 net emissions could decline by 188 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent per year or the annual impact of taking 41 million cars off the road, analysts wrote. Its like taking all of the cars in Canada away if we were able to build all of those projects, said Matthias Bloennigen, Wood Mackenzies director of Americas upstream consulting. It reduces emissions globally, so its for the good of everyone. To reach global net zero emissions by 2050, the largest reductions will likely need to come from the power sector, analysts wrote. The heart of the opportunity is switching from coal-fired to gas-fired power plants, particularly in Asia. Natural gas traded globally as LNG produces less than half the emissions of coal when used in power generation. And its a so-called baseload reliable fuel that can help offset the intermittency of wind and solar as renewables take on a larger share of the global energy mix, analysts wrote. Gas is also cost-competitive and there are large global reserves in many countries, including Canada, the report said. If Canada does not export as much LNG as anticipated to northeast Asia, the region would need to rely on LNG from elsewhere that has a higher emissions intensity. If Canada limits its LNG exports to one or two projects, total emissions in northeast Asia would increase by 121 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent through 2050, analysts wrote. But if Canada significantly increases LNG capacity to help northeast Asia reduce its reliance on coal, net emissions would decline by 5,459 mtCO2e (metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent) over the same period. LNG from Canada going into northeast Asia has lower emissions than LNG coming from many other global LNG exporters, the report said. LNG from western Canada has average life cycle emissions intensity of 12 kgCO2e/MMBtu (kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalent/metric million British thermal unit), compared to 21 kgCO2e/MMBtu for projects in the United States. With its high environmental standards and stewardship, Canada would be a great partner to fill the LNG demand gap in Asia, Wood Mackenzie analysts wrote. Deborah Jaremko is director of content for the Canadian Energy Centre, an Alberta government corporation funded in part by taxes paid by industry on carbon emissions. New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday sent a four-page preliminary reply to the Delhi Polices notice about his women still being sexually assaulted remark made during the Bharat Jodo Yatra while questioning the process adopted by the authorities and a sudden urgency after a 45-day delay. The Congress leader gave the 10-point reply hours after a Delhi Police team knocked on his doors for the third time in five days. He also sought eight to 10 days to give a detailed response to the questions posed by Delhi police over his January 30 remarks, the sources said. The police team headed by Special Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Sagar Preet Hooda arrived at Rahul Gandhis 12, Tughlaq Lane, residence around 10 am and was able to meet the Congress leader after two hours, officials said, adding the team left around 1 pm. According to the police, Gandhi stated in Srinagar during the Bharat Jodo Yatra that I have heard that women are still being sexually assaulted, and since the Yatra had passed through Delhi also, they wanted to ascertain if any victim had approached the Congress leader here so that they can initiate a probe into the matter. The police had asked him to give details of these victims so that security could be provided to them, an official said. Sending a preliminary reply a little before 4 pm, Gandhi termed the police action unprecedented and asked whether this had anything to do with his position taken both inside and outside Parliament on the Adani issue, sources said. According to them, Gandhi also asked what was the urgency on the part of the Delhi Police in making two visits in as many days after an initial gap of 45 days after he made his speech in Srinagar. The former Congress chief, the sources said, asked whether any other political party, including the ruling party, has been subjected to such kind of scrutiny or questioning over their political campaigns. An angry Congress has condemned the Delhi Police action and attacked the Central government, calling it the worst case of harassment and political vendetta, but the BJP rejected the charge and said the police was only discharging its lawful duty. Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. New Delhi: PRACCIS, a Delhi-based research organisation specialising in field work-based study of contemporary India, in collaboration with Maharaja Bir Bikram University, Agartala, undertook a qualitative and quantitative election study of Tripura assembly election which took place on February 16, 2023. The qualitative study was conducted in all the 60 Assembly constituencies. The election to the 60-member Assembly in Tripura was held on February 16, while the counting of votes is expected to take place across 21 venues on March 2. While the BJP won 36 seats in the 2018 election, BJPs ally IPFT (Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura) won eight seats. For the quantitative study, the 60 Assembly seats were divided into three demographic strata: tribal dominated seats, non-tribal/Bengali dominated seats; and mixed-demography seats. The purpose of the qualitative survey was to understand not only the political preference of the respondents but also the socio-economic realities in which they reside so that a clearer picture of the political and cultural dynamics of Tripura unfolds in front of us. The findings of our qualitative survey corroborate with our findings through the quantitative survey as detailed below. The 2023 Assembly election in Tripura is all set to reward the incumbent BJP government to power again. There is a close fight between the CPM-Congress alliance and the TIPRA Motha, the local tribal party for the second position. In terms of seat, TIPRA Motha has slight edge over the CPM-Congress alliance despite latter securing more votes. In a major shift from the past, the voting pattern this time is along the ethnic lines. While an overwhelming section of tribals are voting for the local tribal party TIPRA Motha, led by the royal scion, Pradyot Manikya Debbarma, the non-Tribals are veering decisively behind the incumbent BJP. In general, BJP is the default beneficiary as people are disappointed with its economic delivery but happy with the change in political culture of Tripura from being a Party State to becoming relatively freer from the surveillance of the political parties. The alliance between erstwhile antagonistic parties, the CPM and the Congress doesnt seem to work on ground as the remaining Congress voters still have a negative memory of the CPM rule wherein they faced intense violence and discrimination in everyday life. The people on the ground saw the alliance more as a coming together of some leaders rather than the respective voters. In nutshell, the alliance mathematics lacks chemistry. The local tribal party, TIPRA Motha has immense appeal among the majority of Tribals except the Chakmas and the Mogs. The concept of THANSA, meaning tribal unity is effectively working on the ground. The BJP, therefore, is expected to corner seats between 34 and 39, followed by TIPRA Motha, which is projected to get some 11 to 16 seats. The Congress-CPM Jot is seen as coming a distant third, pegged to get between 9 and 14 seats. Sajjan Kumar is associated with PRACCIS, a Delhi based research institution. Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The BJP and its allies are headed for a triple victory in the Northeast. After retaining power in Tripura and Nagaland, the saffron party reunited with its ally National Peoples Party to in a bid form a government in Meghalaya. Results for Assembly elections in Tripura, Nagaland, and Meghalaya were declared on Thursday. The BJP and its ally Indigenous Progressive Front of Tripura (IPFT) have crossed the majority mark in the 60-seat house. In Nagaland, the party and its ally Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) also retained power and even performed better than the last time. However, Meghalaya, where CM Conrad Sangmas NPP, emerged as the single-largest party, seems to be headed for a hung Assembly. The NPP and BJP had decided to fight the state election alone. However, things took a turn as the final numbers trickled in. Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa who is often dubbed as the deal-maker in the Northeast tweeted that Sangma has sought home minister Amit Shahs support in the government formation. Sarma later tweeted that BJP chief JP Nadda has advised the state unit to help the NPP in government formation. Adaraniya Sri @JPNadda ji , the national president of the @BJP4India has advised the state unit of BJP, Meghalaya to support the National peoples Party in forming the next government in Meghalaya. @SangmaConrad Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) March 2, 2023 However, the current numbers show that the BJP-NPP alliance will still fall short of a majority. Meanwhile, PM Modi thanked the people of the three states for supporting BJP saying that it was a vote for progress and stability. Thank you Tripura! This is a vote for progress and stability. @BJP4Tripura will continue to boost the states growth trajectory. I am proud of all Tripura BJP Karyakartas for their spectacular efforts at the grassroots. Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 2, 2023 Former royals party shines in Tripura As for the Opposition parties, the Congress and the TMC managed to win 5 seats each in Meghalaya. The Congress was not able to win any seats in Nagaland. In Tripura, the Congress and Left alliance secured 13 seats. The Left ruled Tripura for more than three decades until it was defeated by the BJP in the last Assembly polls. Notably, the states erstwhile royal Pradyot Manikya Debbarmas Tipra Motha won 13 seats in its electoral debut. #WATCH | The 2-year old party has become the second biggest party in Tripura due to blessing of peopleI have congratulated Tripura CM, whenever we will conduct talks, I will talk about the issue: Tipra Motha Chairman, Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma pic.twitter.com/fYD0ZsApB6 ANI (@ANI) March 2, 2023 Other major highlights of the elections include Nagaland getting its first female MLA. NDPPs Hekani Jakhalu becomes Nagalands first woman MLA after she wins from Dimapur-III constituency (Pic source: Hekani Jakhalus Twitter Handle)#NagalandElections2023 pic.twitter.com/VbGavKLVch ANI (@ANI) March 2, 2023 NDPPs Hekani Jakhalu scripted history by winning the Dimapur-III seat. With inputs from agencies Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday said the heavy BJP machinery deployed during campaigning made the MCD polls the toughest election contested by the Aam Aadmi Party so far and accused the party of trying to buy AAP councillors. Addressing the newly elected councillors, Kejriwal claimed that the BJP has started telephoning the AAP councillors and offering them up to Rs 20 lakh. This election was very very tough. A few people say it was an easy election, but it was not. The way they conspired against us and the way they used state machinery against us, it was the toughest elections we ever contested, Kejriwal claimed. Heavy BJP machinery deployed during campaigning made MCD poll the toughest election contested by the AAP so far, he added. Referring to the purported videos of jailed minister Satyender Jain, the chief minister said the BJP pressured the media to spread propaganda against us. They will try to buy you. They have started calling the councillors. Somebody is being offered Rs 10 lakh and some Rs 20 lakh. They are asking them (councillors) to vote in their (BJPs) favour, the AAP supremo said. I am completely sure no one from you will fall for their offer. However, we need to expose them. Put your phone on recording and whenever there is a call from them, record it, he added. Despite all the tricks, Kejriwal said the BJP could not breach AAPs reputation earned through work done and trust. Despite their propaganda, the people voted for us in the MCD. It means people trust what we did and earned in the last few years. The BJP thought people are gullible, but the public is not gullible they were not taken in by the BJP propaganda, he added. The AAP does positive politics and talks about its work, unlike the BJP which spread fake videos and letters of a jailed conman, he claimed. Several purported videos of Jain meeting visitors and the jail superintendent, eating fruits and vegetables and getting massages in his prison cell have gone viral, giving ammunition to the BJP to attack the AAP. Earlier, jailed conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar wrote to the Delhi Lt Governor alleging that AAP leader Jain extorted Rs 10 crore from him in 2019 to ensure his safety in prison, his lawyer said on Tuesday. We do positive politics and talk about our work. The BJP through fake videos and letters of a jailed conman did not allow us to discuss our work narrative, Kejriwal said. Moreover, the way they pressured the media, they scolded the media and twisted its arm, they ran a misinformation campaign against us. There was a new fake video every morning at 9 oclock, he alleged. The AAP on Wednesday wrested power from the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) in the high-stakes civic polls in the national capital. The Arvind Kejriwal-led party bagged 134 of the 250 wards while the BJP won 104. Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Kohima: A voter turnout of 75.49 per cent was recorded in Nagaland till 3 pm as the polling began amid tight security today at 7am, informed Election Commission of India. The polls would seal the electoral fates of 183 candidates across parties. The highest voter turnout was recorded at 85.82 per cent in Mon area. The polling began in 59 Assembly constituencies at 7 am this morning amid tight security. The voting is underway in 59 out of 60 Assembly constituencies, as BJP candidate Kazheto Kinimi was declared winner uncontested from Zunheboto districts Akuluto constituency after his opponent from the Congress, N Khekashe Sumi, pulled out of the race on the last day for withdrawal of nominations, which was February 10. According to the data given by the Election Commission of India, Chumoukedima was at 69.04 per cent, Dimapur was at 67.64 per cent, Kiphire was at 80.90 per cent, Kohima was at 71.94 per cent, Longleng was at 66.05 per cent, Mokokchung was at 78.68 per cent, Noklak at 79.28 per cent, Peren at 70.15 per cent, Phek at 68.30 per cent, Pughoboto at 78.27 per cent, Shamator at 75.00 per cent, Tseminyu at 83.94 per cent, Tuensang 74.67 per cent, Wokha at 81.60 per cent, Zunheboto at 77.76 per cent. In Mondays polls, the BJP is contesting in alliance with the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP), its old alliance partner in the 2018 Assembly polls as well. The BJP is, however, having the role of a junior partner, having agreed to a seat-sharing ratio of 20:40 in the state. The Congress and Naga Peoples Front are contesting in 23 and 22 seats respectively. The CPI is contesting on 1, NCP on 12, NPP 12, RPP 1, JD(U) 7, LJP (Ram Vilas) 15, RPI (Athawale) 9, RJD 3, and Independents 19 seats. The party had forged an alliance with the NDPP in 2018 and had successfully formed an alliance government with the backing of Janata Dal (United) and an Independent. The BJP had won 12 seats while NDPP had registered a win on the 17 seats, while the JD(U) clinched 1 seat. There are a total of 13,17,632 electorate in Nagaland, of which 6,61,489 are men and 6,56,143 are women. A total of 2,351 polling stations have been set up in the state.According to the Election Commission, 305 companies from various security forces have been deployed at the polling stations across the state to ensure a smooth and fair voting process. The counting of votes will take place on March 2 along with Tripura and Meghalaya. Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. New Delhi: The Congress on Saturday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of not allowing a discussion in Parliament on the situation along the border with China and asked why he was not taking the nation into confidence in the matter. The Congress partys attack on the government came days after Indian Army personnel clashed with Chinese soldiers in the Tawang sector in Arunachal Pradesh. Claiming that Chinese build-up in Doklam is threatening the strategic Siliguri Corridor the gateway to northeastern states the party asked when would the nation have a China pe Charcha. Chinese build-up in Doklam up to Jampheri Ridge is threatening Indias strategic Siliguri Corridor the gateway to Northeastern States! This is of utmost concern for our National Security! @narendramodi ji, when will the nation have CHINA PE CHARCHA? Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge tweeted, in a swipe at Prime Minister Modis campaign initiative Chai pe Charcha. Congress general secretary communications Jairam Ramesh said in a statement that it is the political duty and moral responsibility of the prime minister to share his Mann ki Baat on the seven questions posed to him by his party. The nation wants to knowwhy you are insisting that there should be no debate in Parliament on the border situation and the challenges we face from China, he asked. You have met the top Chinese leadership an unprecedented 18 times and recently shook hands with Xi Jinping in Bali. China launched an incursion into Tawang shortly thereafter and continues to unilaterally alter the border situation. Why are you not taking the nation into confidence? the Congress leader asked. Ramesh said why did the prime minister say on June 20, 2020 that there has been no incursion by China into Indian territory in eastern Ladakh? Why have you allowed the Chinese to stop our troops from accessing thousands of square kilometres in eastern Ladakh where we were regularly patrolling prior to May 2020, he also asked. The Congress leader also questioned why the prime minister abandoned the plan approved by the Cabinet on 17 July 2013 to establish a Mountain Strike Corps. Why have you allowed Chinese companies to contribute to PM CARES Fund? Why have you allowed imports from China to zoom to record levels in last two years, he asked. The Congress attack came a day after Rahul Gandhi said the government was sleeping while China was preparing for war. Gandhis remarks evoked sharp reactions from the BJP, which said Gandhi was lowering the morale of the armed forces. In a statement in Parliament, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said Chinese troops tried to unilaterally change the status quo along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Yangtse area of Arunachal Pradeshs Tawang sector on December 9, but the Indian Army compelled them to retreat with its firm and resolute response. The face-off took place amid the over 30-month border standoff between the two sides in eastern Ladakh. Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Mehul Reuben Das Pros: Build quality and weight Crisp, sharp and vibrant 2K touch-enabled display Banging set of speakers, mics and webcam Performance Excellent keyboard 5G connectivity Cons: Only two USB-C/Thunderbolt ports including power. No SD Card slot Can get a little hot during resource-intensive tasks Price: Rs 2,14,700 for the tested configuration Rating: 4.25/5 There are several ultraportable, thin and light laptops on the market that are also capable enough to get the job done. However, finding an ultraportable laptop that weighs less than 1 kilogram, is like finding a living and breathing unicorn. The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano Gen 2, is that exact unicorn. The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano Gen 2 is a tiny workhorse of a machine that weighs just a hair over 970 grams. It has good battery life, it is built like a tank, comes with an exquisite display and has an Intel CPU that is more than powerful enough to take on whatever is thrown at it (within reason, of course). Aesthetic wise too, the ThinkPad X1 Nano Gen 2 is sharp, sleek and understated. Having said that, it is a bit on the pricier side. But then, the specs build and features are only half the story here. Where the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano Gen 2 really shows its worth is the suite of ThinkPad-specific features that it comes with. Thats what youre actually paying for. Designed and meant for professionals, this is a no-nonsense work machine. We take a look at what makes the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano Gen 2 worth the price that Lenovo is asking for it. Specifications and features The ThinkPad X1 Nano Gen 2 that we tested came with the 12th Gen Intel Core i7-1260P CPU which comes with a total of 12 cores (4 Performance cores and 8 Efficiency cores). Our unit was paired with a healthy 16GB LPDDR5 SDRAM running at 5200MHz in a quad-channel configuration, although you can spec it up to an i7-1280P and 32GB RAM. The CPU has a Max Turbo Frequency of 4.7 GHz on the P cores, and 3.40 GHz on the E cores. For graphics, we have Intel-integrated Iris Xe Graphics. For the display, we get a 13-inch 2K (2160 x 1350), IPS display that has a matte anti-glare coating. The display which has been set in a 16:10 aspect ratio, uses a touch panel which supports up to 450 nits of peak brightness and has a refresh rate of 60Hz. It also supports 99 per cent of the sRGB colour range and comes with Dolby Vision. For storage, our unit had the top-of-the-line 1TB PCIe 4.0-based NVMe M.2 SSD. You also get a 49.5W 3-cell battery. For ports, you get only two USB-C/Thunderbolt 4 ports and an audio jack. Wireless connectivity is taken care of by WiFi 6e, Bluetooth 5.2, and wireless 4G or 5G connectivity. Then, there is the whole suite of ThinkPad exclusive features. There are a bunch of hardware-based security features like ThinkShutter, Privacy Guard, Match on Chip Fingerprint, IR Camera, Thunderbolt Security, Chassis Intrusion Switch, Chassis E-Lock, Smart USB Protection, and USB Secure Hard Drive SmartCard support On the software front, you get Glance Privacy Alert, Lenovo WiFi Security, BufferZone, Intel Authenticate, Intel Software Guard Extensions, Self-healing BIOS, Secure Wipe etc. And then, there are a few creature comforts that make the ThinkPad X1 Nano Gen 2 the ultimate ultraportable laptop for professionals. Some of the most impressive ones are the inclusion of the Dolby Suite, and the lengths to which Lenovo went to ensure a strong built quality. Design and Build: To say that the ThinkPad X1 Nano Gen 2 is built like a tank would be a gross understatement. The Nano Gen 2 is a slim device, measuring in at 0.57 X 11.5 X 8.2 inches. The chassis is made up of matte black magnesium and aluminium and has a carbon fibre hybrid lid. The laptop cleared MIL-STD 810H torture tests for road dangers such as tremors, shock, and temperature extremes. Despite its diminutive size, you get a laptop that is seriously tough. There is no deck flex whatsoever, and the display despite being a 16:10, doesnt wobble when you lift it up. Speaking of lifting it up, the hinges are smooth as butter and allow users to pick the lid up with just one finger, without exerting any force on the base. The hinge also allows the display to be opened at a 180-degree angle. We also love the act that Lenovo has gone for very minimal branding on the laptop. You get just one Lenovo badge on the laptop, and a couple of ThinkPad badges. The title of the i in ThinkPad acts as a tiny LED indicator, which, is a neat little touch. On the left, you get both the USB-C / Thunderbolt ports and a 3.5mm jack. Those are all the ports that you get, which is a shame. While the fact that both the ports are Thunderbolt certified is a nice touch, you are seriously limited if you want to use a host of devices and want to charge the laptop at the same time. What is even worrying is that this, despite being a professional-grade laptop, does not come with an HDMI port or a card reader. At the very least, it should have had at least one USB-A or another USB-C port on the right-hand side. Speaking of the right-hand side, you get another the power button port and a couple of vents, which have an aggressive, but understated design. The fingerprint scanner is under the keyboard, right beside the trackpad. You also get the Evo badging on the left-hand side, so that means the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano Gen 2 meets all the standards set by Intel The Keyboard and trackpad The keyboard on the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano Gen 2 is one of the highlights of the device. Typing on it is truly a blissful experience, Very rarely do we come across a keyboard that is as inviting and as cajoling as the one found on the ThinkPad X1 Nano Gen 2. During our thorough testing, not once did we feel that the typing experience on the keyboard was lacking in any way. Lenovo really knows how to nail the keyboard. All the laptops that we have tested from Lenovo, have been nothing short of exquisite. Furthermore, the keyboard is backlit. The layout is simple and well-spaced, and it does not have any idiosyncrasy that a user might need to adjust to it simply works. We also love the fact that we have dedicated arrow keys, and separate Home, End, Page Up, and Page Down keys. The function keys double up as keys to start and end video calls. They also get the usual volume up and down, and brightness adjustment keys. To adjust the brightness of the keyboards backlight though, you will have to use the spacebar, which seems slightly odd, but is actually the most logical place if you think about it. Then there is the trackpad. It is a small one, given the diminutive size of the laptop but nonetheless, it is great to use. The trackpad could have been slightly bigger, had it not been for the three switches at the top of it, but then, those three switches, the left, right and centre click, is quintessential to a ThinkPad. Another quintessential ThinkPad feature is the red nubbin that you get right in the middle of the keyboard. Depending on your use case scenario, youll either hate it or love it so much that you actually start missing it on other laptops. I, for one, cant have enough of it. It helps in editing Word documents and Excel spreadsheets in a way that only longtime ThinkPad users can understand. The Webcam, mic and speakers One of the standards that Intel set for their Evo badges recently, is the inclusion of a 1080p, FHD webcam, and the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano Gen 2 gets that. You also get IR functionalities which means that you can log in using Windows Hello facial recognition. The camera and the IR also support the User Presence Sensing feature and offer Zero Touch Login and Lock which lets you lock and unlock the device as you approach or walk away from your desk. The images and the video that the webcam takes are well-lit and vibrant, with excellent clarity, and is just perfect for all your work needs. You also get a privacy shutter on the webcam. As for the speakers, you get two 2-watt woofers and two 1-watt tweeters, tuned and certified by Dolby Atmos. Overall, the laptop gets pretty loud, but they dont have a punchy bass. Having said that, there is no distortion even at full volume, and the speakers are more than enough for your conference calls or to consume content on YouTube or Netflix. These speakers are really good considering that this is ultraportable. You also get four array microphones, 360-degree far-field pickup and Dolby Voice, which just enhances the quality of your voice by using a bunch of different features. We really loved how the voice separation, dynamic levelling and noise reduction worked on the laptop. The Display Lenovo is really pushing the 16:10 aspect ratio in its laptops for a while now. The ThinkPad X1 Nano Gen 2 is no different. The taller aspect ratio makes working on documents and spreadsheets a joy other productivity tasks, especially photo editing on Lightroom also take advantage of the taller screen. Our test unit came with a 13-inch 2K (2160 x 1350), IPS touchscreen display, which was very responsive. There is a variant without a touchscreen panel, which will be a lot more budget-friendly, so do check that out if youre considering the X1 Nano. While the display is not as impressive as an OLED panel would have been, nevertheless, it is impressive. The ThinkPad X1 Nano Gen 2 has a refresh rate of 60Hz. The display is surrounded by pretty thin bezels which makes using it a very immersive experience. With a peak brightness of 450 nits, the display is surprisingly bright for an IPS panel. Furthermore, it is vibrant enough and is very accurate in reproducing colours, as it covers 99 per cent of the sRGB colour space. The panel is certified by Dolby Vision, which means that the dynamic range on the device is phenomenal and it shows. Thanks to the capabilities of the display with colours, and content consumption. You can even play light, indie games on the laptop and still enjoy them to the fullest. We wouldnt hesitate to colour-grade videos or work on high res photos on this display for professional use, although rendering them to a file might be a slight issue in certain scenarios. Performance As far as ultraportable laptops are concerned the ThinkPad X1 Nano Gen 2 is in a league of its own when it comes to performance. Our test unit came with a 12th Gen Intel Core i7-1260P CPU, with a Max Turbo Frequency of 4.7 GHz on the P cores, 3.40 GHz on the E cores, and 16 threads. It also came with 16GB LPDDR5 SDRAM, rated at 5200Mhz. If youre looking for more oomph, you can spec your Xi Nano to include an i7-1280P and 32GB RAM. On paper, the Intel Core i7-1260P may look a little underwhelming to some, but this 28W beast is more than capable of pulling its punches. The Core i7-1260P does pretty well is most synthetic benchmarks and scores respectfully. All of this comes down to Intels thread director and the hybrid performance that comes with the splitting up of E-cores and P-cores. As expected, the Core i7-1260P does phenomenally well in light, single-threaded tasks, but what is really surprising is its performance in heavier multi-threaded tasks as well. This isnt a gaming laptop and doesnt come with a GPU. Still, we were able to play light games like Rocket League, at 19201200, at the highest visual setting at some pretty playable framerates. Furthermore, we were able to batch-process a ton of images in Lightroom while colour-correcting them, without any issues. There is one issue though. Like all ultraportables, the ThinkPad X1 Nano Gen 2 does heat up a little, especially under consistent heavy load. This happened to us when we were benchmarking the laptops, and once during an extended period of colour-correcting images. The laptop gets a little toasty under such circumstances, but not to the extent where it should be alarming. But even during the thermal peaks, theres no sign of thermal throttling. This is thanks to Lenovos cooling design for the ThinkPad X1 Nano Gen 2 and the generously sized vents and heat pipes in the laptop. Battery Life The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano Gen 2 comes with a 49.5W 3-cell battery, which comes with a rather nifty 65W charging brick. Despite its diminutive size, the ThinkPad X1 Nano Gen 2 has a fairly decent battery life. Intels power efficiency really comes to life here. With that notwithstanding, in an average working day which involved a ton of writing, some photo editing, a whole lot of browsing, and quite a bit of content consumption on YouTube and Netflix, we got about 7-8 hours at about 60 per cent screen brightness, which is great. During our thorough battery testing though, which basically is replaying a 4K video on the loop, again and again, the laptop conked out in just under 4 hours or so. While Intels 12th-gen P-series processors do take a toll on battery life we get to see a significant boost in power. Also, you have to consider the fact that youre driving a 2K display that is vibrant and sharp. Yes, there are other ultraportables out there that have better battery life. Are they as capable as the ThinkPad X1 Nano Gen 2? Not by a mile. Conclusion The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano Gen 2 strikes a great balance between performance, portability and productivity. There were days when I just tossed the laptop in my backpack and forgot if it was in there or not you really dont feel its weight when youre carrying it in your backpack. Yes, there are some shortcomings. We would have loved to see some more ports on the laptop, at least a USB-A or an additional USB-C port on the right-hand side, and maybe the heat dissipation could have been better. And, yes an SD card slot has become an essential in laptops, especially for one that costs as much as the X1 Nano does. The performance and feature sets that are exclusive to ThinkPads, however, do make up for some of the shortcomings. As a pure work-specific ultraportable laptop, though, theres hardly anything out there that beats the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano Gen 2, especially when you consider that gorgeous screen, and that awesome keyboard. FP Staff Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday inaugurated the country's first 5G testbed to enable startups and industry players to test and validate their products locally and reduce dependence on foreign facilities. The testbed has been set up at a cost of around Rs 220 crore. Speaking at the silver jubilee celebrations of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai), the Prime Minister said the 5G testbed is an important step for self-reliance in the direction of critical and modern technologies. Addressing the event, PM Modi said in the eight years that his government has been in power, India has, through 5Rs, infused new energy in its telecom sector. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that 5G technology will contribute $450 billion to Indias economy in the next decade and a half. PM inaugurated the country's first 5G testbed to enable startups and industry players to test and validate their products locally and reduce dependence on foreign facilities. He expressed his support for the 5G technology, predicting that it will bring a positive change in the way the country is being governed. In the absence of a 5G testbed, startups and other industry players were required to go abroad to test and validate their products for installation in a 5G network. "I invite youth friends, researchers and companies to utilise the testing facility for making 5G technology," said PM Narendra Modi. It will also bring a positive change in ease of business, ease of living. All sectors, including agriculture, health, education, infrastructure and logistics. This technology will make things easy, and also generate employment opportunities, PM said The 5G testbed has been developed as a multi-institute collaborative project by eight institutes led by IIT Madras. The other institutes that participated in the project are IIT Delhi, IIT Hyderabad, IIT Bombay, IIT Kanpur, IISc Bangalore, Society for Applied Microwave Electronics Engineering & Research (SAMEER) and Centre of Excellence in Wireless Technology (CEWiT). The testbed facility will be available at 5 different locations. The Prime Minister also announced that India should be ready to launch 6G services in the next ten years, for which a task force has already started its work. Anyone who has been following what people have been using ChatGPT for, must have seen this coming from a mile away. With ChatGPT starting to infiltrate every aspect of our daily lives, it was only a matter of time before people would use the AI bot to enhance their dating lives. A recent study conducted by McAfee, the people behind one of the most prolific antivirus and online security systems, has found that over 78 per cent Indians fell in love with a love letter that was actually written using ChatGPT. The kicker in this? People were not able to tell that the letter was written using AI, and rather thought that it was written by a human. What did the study reveal? McAfee polled over 5000 people, aged 18 and over from 9 countries including the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Australia, India, Japan, Brazil, and Mexico. Of these, about 1000 were from India. The study revealed that about 62 per cent of Indian adults are planning to use AI bots like ChatGPT to help write their love letters this Valentines Day. Furthermore, about 73 per cent of Indians polled will be using AI to boost their dating profiles and get them to write their profile bios and pick up lines. As opposed to the 78 per cent of Indians who fell for the AI-written love letter, 69 per cent fell for the same letter if we take a look at global averages. Also, 30 per cent men and 22 per cent of women globally planned on using ChatGPT or a similar service to write their love letters for them, and only 39 per cent of people globally planned on using AI bots for pickup lines and dating app profiles. Weve forgotten how to be romantic, at least data says so Expressing an emotion as complicated as love is not easy for everyone. And while utilising AI bots to assist persons who are unable to communicate their emotions may appear to be an innocuous application of emerging technology, it illustrates the rising difficulties people experience in determining whether information received online is from a person or a computer. Nevertheless, people have legitimate reasons for turning to an AI bot to ghostwrite their love notes and letters for them. Of the people polled in India, about 59 per cent of respondents said they lacked the confidence or the artistry for writing letters the way they feel it should be written. About 32 per cent, cited a lack of time as their reason, and 26 per cent, cited a lack of inspiration. Interestingly though, about 57 per cent of the respondents said they would be offended if they found out the note they had received was produced by a bot. So if youre planning to pull something off like this, ensure that your partner doesnt find out who came up with your note. Dating, catfishing, and Artificial Intelligence As convenient as dating has become in the digital age, the chances of getting catfished has also increased. In fact, 76 per cent of Indians have been catfished or know someone who has. Furthermore, 89 per cent of Indian respondents have had direct talks with strangers across social media platforms, compared to the global average of 66 per cent. People yearning for love have always been more prone to fraud, and hackers take advantage of this by engaging in lengthy, intricate attempts to steal from their victims. With 76 per cent of Indian respondents having communicated with a stranger online, they were also requested to send money, which is usually a red signal, especially if youve never seen them in person. How to protect yourself from getting catfished? Its actually very easy to identify a catfishing ploy, if one has their wits about them. Being on high alert and scrutinizing any texts, emails, or direct messages you receive from strangers always helps. Also, never send money or gifts to someone you havent met in person. Take the relationship slowly. Ask questions and look for inconsistent answers. Also, try a reverse-image search of any profile pictures the person uses. Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The massive leaps that we have seen AI take in the last couple of months will undoubtedly have a lasting effect on the world as we know it. Almost every sector, professionally, will see a major paradigm shift in a few years. In fact, this shift is already taking place in many professions. The field of medicine is also seeing this shift as AI makes more significant and pertinent changes to the medical industry. An AI developed specifically to help medical workers, researchers and doctors have created a treatment for an aggressive type of cancer in just 30 days. Another AI model has shown the ability to forecast a patients survival rate using the treating doctors notes. Researchers from the University of Toronto worked with Insilico Medicine to develop a potential treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) using an AI drug discovery platform called Pharma. Also read: OpenAIs ChatGPT passes Whartons MBA Exam, while also qualifying for a medical licence in the US HCC is a type of liver cancer, but the AI found a previously undiscovered therapy route and created a novel hit molecule capable of binding to that target. The system, which can also predict survival rate, is the invention of scientists from the University of British Columbia and BC Cancer, who found the model is 80 per cent accurate. A new weapon against deadly diseases AI is shaping up to be the new weapon against deadly diseases, given that it is capable of analysing vast amounts of data, uncovering patterns and relationships and predicting the effects of treatments. Insilico Medicine founder and CEO Alex Zhavoronkov said in a statement, While the world was fascinated with advances in generative AI in art and language, our generative AI algorithms managed to design potent inhibitors of a target with an AlphaFold-derived structure. The team used AlphaFold, an AI-powered protein structure database, to design and synthesize a potential drug to treat hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common type of primary liver cancer. The drug was developed in just 30 days from target selection and after only synthesizing seven compounds. Researchers found a more powerful hit molecule in a second round of AI-powered compound creation, though any possible medication would still need to go through clinical testing. Also read: ChatGPT has started replacing humans in the workplace, US survey reveals AlphaFold made new scientific ground in forecasting the structure of all proteins in the human body, said Feng Ren, chief science officer and co-CEO of Insilico Medicine. At Insilico Medicine, we saw this as an amazing chance to take these structures and apply them to our end-to-end AI platform to create new medicines for illnesses with high unmet needs. This study represents a significant first move in that direction, he added Predicting life expectancy with great accuracy A different algorithm used to estimate the life expectancy of cancer patients, analysed doctor notes following a patients initial consultation, using natural language processing or NLP, a subset of AI, which has been modelled to understand the complexities of human language. ChatGPT, the most famous of all AI bots is based on NLP. The model found patient-specific traits, forecasting six-month, 36-month, and 60-month survival rates with more than 80 per cent accuracy. The AI basically scans the consultation documents and notes like a person would read it, said John-Jose Nunez, a psychotherapist and clinical research associate with the UBC Mood Disorders Centre and BC Cancer, in a statement. These papers contain a wealth of information, including the patients age, the type of cancer, underlying health problems, previous drug use, and family histories, said Nunez added. All of this is combined by AI to create a full picture of patient outcomes, he added. Cancer survival rates have traditionally been computed retroactively and classified by only a few generic variables, such as cancer location and tissue type. The algorithm, on the other hand, can detect distinct hints within a patients original appointment document and provide a more detailed evaluation. The AI was taught and evaluated using data from 47,625 individuals from all six British Columbia Cancer sites. Going global Because the algorithm was trained on data from BC Cancer, which deals with patients in British Columbia, it has the potential to be an effective instrument for forecasting cancer survival in the province, Nunez explained. However, the beauty of neural NLP models is that they are extremely scalable, portable, and do not require organised data collections. To enhance performance in a new area, we can rapidly train these models using local data, he added. Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Elon Musk has been consumed for weeks with concerns over how many people are viewing his tweets. Last week, the Twitter CEO made his Twitter account private for a day to see whether it would increase the amount of his audience. Several famous right-wing accounts with whom Musk communicates complained that recent adjustments to Twitter had decreased their reach. Musk assembled a group of engineers and advisors in a room at Twitters headquarters on Tuesday to seek answers on one simple question why are his engagement rates plummeting? This, however, led to the firing of a top Twitter engineer. Mukss frustration over his dipping numbers I have more than 100 million followers, and Im only getting tens of thousands of impressions, said Musk to the team of engineers. This is ridiculous, he said, according to multiple sources with direct knowledge of the meeting. Twitter has often been accused of shadowbanning certain accounts when they cannot outright ban an account. Shadowbanning is when Twitter restricts the reach of an account and lets people see less of a particular account. Musk has been very vocal about his stance against the shadowbanning account. However, once he took over Twitter, he has often indulged in the practice himself. In extreme cases, he has kicked people, mainly journalists off the platform. Also read: Twitter Bans Several Prominent Journalists Who Covered Elon Musks Twitter Shenanigans Musk suspected that either Twitters algorithm shadowbanned him, or someone engineered the algorithm in such a way that would shadowban his account. Twitters engineers explain why his numbers are low One of the companys two surviving key engineers suggested a possible explanation for Musks dwindling reach: public interest in Musks antics is waning little under a year after the Tesla CEO made his unexpected attempt to purchase Twitter for $44 billion. Employees showed Musk internal statistics on account interaction as well as a Google Trends graphic. They told him in April that Musk was at peak popularity in search results, as represented by a score of 100. He now has a score of nine. Also read: Racial Slurs On Twitter Increased By 500 Per Cent After Elon Musk Took Over Engineers previously studied whether Musks reach had been purposely limited, but discovered no indication that the algorithm was prejudiced against him. Musk blows up on his engineers. Following this revelation that data sets pointed to the fact that his popularity had dipped, Musk fired the engineer who presented the data. Dissatisfied with the work of engineers so far, Musk has instructed employees to track how many times each of his tweets are recommended, according to one current worker. It has now been seven weeks since Twitter added public view counts for every tweet. At the time, Musk promised that the feature would give the world a better sense of how vibrant the platform is. Shows how much more alive Twitter is than it may seem, as over 90% of Twitter users read, but dont tweet, reply or like, as those are public actions, he tweeted. Almost two months later, though, view counts have had the opposite effect, emphasizing how little engagement most posts get relative to their audience size. Twitter usage declining According to one recent survey, Twitter usage in the United States has dropped nearly 9 per cent since Musks tookover. According to Twitter insiders, the view count feature itself may be contributing to the drop in interaction and, consequently, views. To accommodate the display of views, the like and retweet buttons were modified to appear smaller, making them more difficult to tap. Another clear explanation for the drop in engagement is Twitters increasingly buggy product, which has perplexed users with disappearing mentions, altering algorithmic priorities, and tweets inserted seemingly at random from accounts they dont follow. On Wednesday, the firm had one of its first big disruptions since Musk took charge, with customers being told, oddly, You have exceeded your daily quota for tweeting. It turns out that an employee mistakenly destroyed data for an internal service that regulates Twitter usage. In November, the team who worked on the service left the organisation. Twitter in chaos Interactions with current Twitter employees create a picture of a severely unstable workplace, where Musks whim-based approach to product management leaves people scurrying to build new features even as the main service crumbles. The chaos makes it less likely that Musk will ever return the $44 billion he paid for Twitter and may prolong its demise. Also read: Twitter To Start Breaking Down Soon, Say Employees As Core, critical Teams Leave We havent seen anything in terms of long-term, coherent plan, one employee told Platformer. The majority of our time is spent on three primary areas: putting out fires (mainly caused by dismissing the wrong people and attempting to recover from that), completing unachievable jobs, and increasing efficiency without clear parameters of what the intended end results are. From my opinion, we generally proceed from dumpster fire to dumpster fire. Musks product input, which is mostly based on responses to his tweets, frequently perplexes his employees. More layoffs to come? He really doesnt like to believe that there is anything in technology that he doesnt know, and thats frustrating, the employee told Platformer. You cant be the smartest person in the room about everything, all the time. With Musk continuing to dismiss employees in the heat of the moment, entire teams have been wiped out, and their work has been passed on to other overburdened teams that frequently have no comprehension of the new task that has been allocated to them. Also read: Elon Musk Fires Engineer Who Publicly Called Out Musk And His Lies About Twitters Performance They have to turn into code archaeologists to crawl through the repo and figure out whats going on, one employee explained. Meanwhile, the current wave of layoffs in the internet industry has led to a sense of paralysis among Twitter employees. I do think the current mood in tech, and worry of not being able to find something else, is the key cause for most employees, Platformer quoted one employee saying. I know for a fact that the majority of my staff is doing intense interview prep and will certainly leap at any opportunity to leave away. Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Paris: French President Emmanuel Macron appeared defiant on Tuesday after his government narrowly survived no-confidence votes, telling allies he would stand by his beleaguered prime minister. Ignoring calls from opponents, Macron said there would be no government reshuffle, no fresh parliamentary elections and no referendum on his controversial pension reform, even in the face of widespread protests that have brought millions into the streets. Police arrested another 234 people in Paris on Monday night during clashes between protesters and security forces, with several groups burning trash bins, bikes and other objects. The latest unrest came after Macrons centrist government narrowly survived two no-confidence motions in parliament on Monday, clearing the way for the legislation raising the retirement age from 62 to 64 to enter into force. But anger over the governments decision to invoke a notorious constitutional power to force the reform through the National Assembly without a vote last week has dismayed many ruling party MPs and caused more fury on the streets. The reform is adopted but it is not seen as legitimate in the eyes of French people, political scientist Jerome Jaffre told France Inter radio on Tuesday. Thats a source of problems, of bitterness, and its far from being resolved. There were also clashes in eastern cities Dijon and Strasbourg overnight, while protesters blocked traffic in other parts of the country. Arbitrary arrests? Far-right leader Marine Le Pen warned Macron on Tuesday that he was pushing the country to the verge of a social explosion. Consciously the government is creating all the conditions for a social explosion, as if they were looking for that, Le Pen told AFP in an interview, adding that she would not help extinguish the fire of public anger over the legislation. Several hundred people were already gathered in central Paris by early Tuesday evening, promising to keep up the pressure. Lawyers, magistrates and some politicians accused police officers of having made arbitrary arrests in an attempt to stifle anti-government protests. They cited as proof the fact that the vast majority of detained demonstrators were released after a few hours, without any charges. Criminal law is being used by the government to deter demonstrators from exercising their right to demonstrate, said Raphael Kempf, a lawyer specialising in human rights and freedoms. Paris police chief Laurent Nunez rejected the allegations, telling the BFMTV broadcaster: There are no unjustified arrests. Macrons office said the president would give a live television interview at 1:00 pm (1200 GMT) on Wednesday. All signs Tuesday were that he will seek to defend what was to be a flagship reform, while seeking fresh momentum for his second term, which still has more than four years to run. At Tuesdays meeting with political allies at the presidential palace, Macron called for fresh ideas in the next two to three weeks with a view to adopting a change in method and reform agenda, according to a participant who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity. Necessary transformations Under-fire Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne has refused to resign, telling AFP that she was determined to continue to carry out the necessary transformations in our country with my ministers. As well as the political crisis sparked by the law, the government is also contending with growing public order problems and the risk of economic disruption. Spontaneous protests by young people have seen clashes with police nightly since last week. Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said there had been 1,200 unauthorised demonstrations since last Thursday, some of them violent. Meanwhile strikes and blockades at oil refineries could create fuel shortages. Around six percent of petrol stations throughout France have run out of petrol or diesel, or both. Ive been to most stations, 18-year-old high school student Christos Chatts told AFP in the southern port city of Marseille. Theyre either closed, or theres no fuel, or there are monster queues. The streets of Paris also remain strewn with uncollected rubbish after a two-week strike by garbage workers. Another round of strikes and protests organised by trade unions for Thursday could again bring public transport to a standstill. A survey on Sunday showed Macrons personal approval rating at just 28 percent, its lowest level since the height of the anti-government Yellow Vest protest movement in 2019. Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The new spacesuit that astronauts will use to investigate the Moon as part of the Artemis mission has been unveiled by NASA. The new suit, developed by Axiom Space, is intended to enhance explorers movement while they work on the lunar surface. The prototype suit was unveiled at an event on March 15th. It was created for the Artemis III expedition, which will see the first woman and a person of colour step on the Moon. Esther Marquis, a costume artist who worked on the television series For All Mankind, created a dark grey cover for the prototype, but the real outfit will be white for thermal purposes. Sprucing up for a new suit NASAs collaboration with Axiom is essential for the successful arrival of humans on the Moon and the maintenance of American dominance in space. Building on NASAs years of research and expertise, Axioms next-generation spacesuits will not only enable the first woman to walk on the Moon, but they will also open opportunities for more people to explore and conduct science on the Moon than ever before, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in a statement. Also read: Explained: Why Artemis may be the last mission for NASA astronauts Since the Space Shuttle era, NASA astronauts have worn the same fundamental spacesuit design, with the technology basically staying the same. The ancient suit design has stood the test of time, but it is very restrictive in terms of the amount of mobility it permits. Why was a new suit required? A new outfit was required to allow humans to move, turn, and kneel easily. This is crucial when operating in a low-gravity environment, such as the Moon, as opposed to the microgravity environment of the International Space Station. The Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit, or AxEMU, is the name of the new suit prototype, which is modelled in part on NASAs Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit (xEMU) prototype. The emphasis of the advances was on issues like better mobility and safety requirements, as well as thermal requirements to deal with the cold temps found on the Moons south pole. Also read: Why is NASA going back to the Moon 50 years after Apollo mission? The new helmet has elements like an HD video camera on the side so passenger POV video can be live streamed back to Earth and a light band over the helmet bubble to improve visibility. Another area that required extra insulation to allow astronauts to operate in the frigid conditions of perpetually shadowed areas of the Moon were their footwear. The cosmonaut enters the AxEMU from the rear rather than the bottom and top as they did with the previous suit design, which is another significant change from the previous suit. Some economical decisions Unlike in the past, NASA will have a service agreement with Axiom Space to provide the gear rather than owning the spacesuits themselves. The deal is similar to borrowing a vehicle as opposed to buying one, according to Lara Kearney, head of NASAs Extravehicular Activity and Human Surface Mobility program. Also read: Blue Origin sues NASA over decision to award Artemis moon lander contract to SpaceX NASA will be in the role still of mission control and making the mission execution decisions, but Axiom is going to be right there with us, making sure that suit is safe as we have our astronauts walking on the surface of the Moon, Kearney explained during the reveal event. Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Kabul: Pakistan has warned of military action inside Afghanistan if the Afghan Taliban continues to provide support to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). However, the Afghan Taliban has denied the presence of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) bases inside Afghanistan. According to reports in the Pakistani media, a delegation from Pakistan led by Defence Minister Khawaja Asif delivered this message during a meeting in Kabul with Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the acting deputy prime minister of Afghanistan. Asif was accompanied by Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Lieutenant General Nadeem Ahmed Anjum and other senior officials from the defence and foreign ministries of Pakistan. Pakistan threatens Afghan Taliban Our delegation delivered a very loud and clear message to Afghan Taliban leadership to stop Afghanistan-based militants of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) from launching any spring offensive inside Pakistan and eliminate them from Afghan soil, a Pakistani official was quoted as saying by Turkeys Anadolu news agency. In case of failure to stop the TTP from cross-border attacks and does not take any action to eliminate them or expel them from their hideouts, then Pakistan has no other choice except to target their hideouts in border areas inside Afghanistan, he added. We showed them proof of how TTP planned and carried out recent attacks in Bannu and Peshawar from Afghanistan and warned them that any further attack would result in a tough response from Pakistan. We have no other option but to target militants hideouts in border areas inside Afghanistan. We have delivered this message to them. Afghan Taliban raises concerns with Pakistan Afghanistans acting Defence Minister Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob also expressed the Afghan Talibans concerns with the visiting Pakistani delegation and accused Pakistan of helping the United States (US) carry out a drone attack that killed then al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri in Kabul last year. The Afghan Taliban has alleged that the US launched the drone strike using Pakistani airspace. However, Pakistan has rejected the Afghan Talibans allegations and has claimed that the US has not been allowed to use Pakistans airspace against Afghanistan. The Afghan Taliban also told the Pakistani delegation that the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) also known as the Pakistani Taliban has no presence in Afghanistan. The Afghan Taliban also claimed that all members of the TTP leadership had relocated to Pakistan after the Taliban captured Kabul in August 2021 following the withdrawal of US and NATO forces from Afghanistan. Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Islamabad: Pakistan has reiterated its demand for a joint probe into the accidental firing of a supersonic BrahMos missile by India which landed in its territory and sought a satisfactory response from New Delhi on the incident that took place a year ago. The Foreign Office here issued a statement on the completion of one year since the BrahMos missile was fired from Suratgarh in Rajasthan and fell into Pakistani territory on March 9, 2022. The services of three officers of the Indian Air Force were terminated in August last year after a Court of Inquiry (CoI) found that deviation from the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) by them led to the accidental firing of the missile. Despite the lapse of one year, the Government of India has not acceded to Pakistans demand of a joint probe in order to accurately establish the facts surrounding this serious incident, the Pakistan Foreign Office said. India has also not shared findings of its internal inquiry with Pakistan, it said. Pakistans Foreign Office alleged that India unilaterally and hastily closed the internal inquiry which raised serious questions on the command and control systems in place in India for its strategic weapons. Pakistan reiterates its demand for a joint probe into this irresponsible incident, it said. We also expect a satisfactory response to and clarification of several fundamental questions regarding security protocols and technical safeguards against accidental or unauthorised launch of missiles in a nuclearised environment, it added. The Foreign Office stated that the missile endangered human life and property and posed a grave threat to regional and international peace, security and stability. Last year also, Pakistan demanded that the Indian government provide specific responses to the queries raised by Islamabad after the incident and accede to its call for a joint probe. Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. New Delhi: UAE may soon join 18 other countries that have agreed to trade in the India Rupees and give up dollar as cross-border transaction mode. Discussions are underway with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for settling trade in Rupee-Dirham for imports and exports, a report by Financial Express quoted a senior official as saying. Soon top leaders of both the countries are expected to announce the deal. Transaction much easier in local currency The official said India imports and exports in large quantity and also get a lot of remittances from the Gulf countries. It becomes much easier to transact in the local currency rather than going to a third-country currency like the US dollar or Euro, the official added. Must Read: Rupee closer to replacing dollar as 18 nations agree to trade in INR For the unversed, UAE is Indias third largest trading partner after the US and China. In the first half of the ongoing financial year, bilateral trade between India and UAE stood at $44 billion. In financial year 2022, India-UAE bilateral trade stood at about $73 billion. Late last month, top Indian banking and finance officials visited Abu Dhabi to discuss the details of the deal. Officials of central bank and finance department of both the countries have been working together since last year to put in place a Rupee-Dirham payment mechanism. Indias Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and UAEs Central Bank officials have already done the groundwork for the introduction of bilateral trade in local currencies. Last year, India had prepared a concept paper on Rupee-Dirham trade and shared it with the UAE. Also, India and UAE also signed a free trade agreement (FTA) that started in May last year. How will trade Rupee-Dirham help India and UAE? The UAE and India currently use the US dollar to settle trade payments. If they start trading in local currencies, they would be able to save on account of foreign currency conversion fees and facilitate smoother flow of capital. Also Read: Indian rupee could be the new dollar, says Doctor Doom Nouriel Roubini Also, the transaction costs for exporters and importers will be reduced. Once effective, trade in Rupee-Dirham will be conducted through vostro accounts of banks of the two countries. 18 countries agree to trade in Indian rupee Last week, Indias Minister of State for Finance Bhagwat Karad said RBI had granted approval to domestic and foreign AD (Authorised Dealer) banks in 60 cases for opening SRVAs of banks from 18 nations for settling payments in Indian rupees. The 18 countries that have been allowed to trade in Indian rupees are Russia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Botswana, Fiji, Germany, Guyana, Israel, Kenya, Malaysia, Mauritius, Myanmar, New Zealand, Oman, Seychelles, Tanzania, Uganda and the United Kingdom. Must Read: Eight countries open 50 special rupee vostro accounts in 6 months to trade in INR The report quoted senior official saying that a bilateral beginning has been made with these countries to trade in our own currencies and over a period of time the volumes will pick up. Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday condemned British plans to send tank ammunition that contains depleted uranium to Ukraine, saying Moscow would be forced to respond accordingly. Speaking in London on Monday, Minister of State for Defence Annabel Goldie said some of the ammunition for the Challenger 2 battle tanks that Britain is sending to Ukraine includes armour piercing rounds which contain depleted uranium. If all this happens, Russian will have to respond accordingly, given that the West collectively is already beginning to use weapons with a nuclear component, Putin said in remarks after a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping. He did not elaborate. Russian politicians and commentators have made a series of combative remarks since the invasion of Ukraine last year, suggesting Moscow would if necessary be prepared to deploy its vast nuclear arsenal. Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said the British decision left fewer and fewer steps before a potential nuclear collision between Russia and the West. Another step has been taken, and there are fewer and fewer left, he told reporters in remarks cited by domestic agencies. Depleted uranium is used in weapons because it can penetrate tanks and armour more easily due to its density and other physical properties, a point that Goldie made. It is a particular health risk around impact sites, where dust can get into peoples lungs and vital organs. Naturally, Russia has something to answer this with, Shoigu told reporters when asked about the ammunition. Earlier, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called the plan the Yugoslavia scenario, saying the ammunition caused cancer and infected the environment. Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Twitter has finally launched its Pay-For-Blue-Tick subscription service, Twitter Blue in India. The charges for the subscription of Twitter Blue in India, make it one of the most expensive subscriptions in the country. Elon Musk, Twitters CEO, stated that the company will consider purchasing power parties (PPPs) before launching Twitter Blue in India. However, that has not been the case. The monthly charges for a Twitter Blue subscription make it much more expensive than Netflix, a service that for many people in the country is one of the most expensive recurring subscriptions on the market, especially when you consider Netflixs competition, who usually charge about Rs 999-Rs 1499, annually. Exactly the same as one month of Netflixs costliest tier 650. The 900 price point is for Android/iOS users. Aroon Deep (@AroonDeep) February 8, 2023 Twitter Blue charges The company has introduced the new membership at a price of Rs 650 per month for those accessing it via the Twitter website on their desktops, laptops or the Safari browser on their Macs. However, users who wish to signup using the mobile app, which is what most people use Twitter on anyway, will have to pay Rs 900, on both, Android and iOS. The company is offering a discounted price for subscribing annually on the website. If users chose to pay for their Twitter Blue subscription annually, they will have to pay Rs 6,800. Subscribing to Twitter Blue On their mobile Android and iOS devices, users will need to open the app and swipe right to access the menu. There, they will see the Twitter Blue option. Once they click on it, Twitter will take them to a page where they need to fill in their details, pay Rs 900, and then wait to get verified using their mobile number. On the desktop, it is a similar process. Log in to your profile and click on Twitter Blue in the left column. A pop-up will allow you to choose your preferred plan and then go ahead with the payment. The annual plan will be accessible only via the website. Benefits of Twitter Blue In case a user subscribes to Twitter Blue, they will have access to a bunch of nifty features. Apart from a verified blue tick on your profile, users will also get the ability to edit your tweets for upto 30 minutes after posting a tweet. Twitter also priortizes Twitter Blue users in replies, mentions, and search. Furthermore, if you own NFTs, you can link your NFT wallet, and set your NFT as a profile picture. Twitter Blue subscribers also get access to new features as and when they will be launched. Content creators who want to post videos on the platform, will have the ability to upload longer videos in 1080p quality What happened to Musks promise of Purchasing Power Parity? Elon Musk stated during the introduction of Twitter Blue in November that regional prices will be determined by the countrys purchasing power parity. That does not appear to be the case. Twitter charges users in the United States $8 (website) for a monthly membership to Twitter Blue. This is around Rs 660. Subscriptions purchased via Android and iOS cost $11, which equates to Rs 910. Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. New Delhi: The historic takeover of beleaguered Credit Suisse by rival UBS threatens to spark another crisis: a job problem for around 5,000 employees in the UK. The domino of hundreds of floating curriculum vitae has already fallen in the market spelling bad news for Britains already tattered financial sector. According to Reuters, Credit Suisse staff had already been seeking to jump ship in recent weeks. Reuters quoted sources as having said so. According to the report, senior London bankers were apprehensive of whether the 5000 people that Credit Suisse employed in the city are going to land jobs. Hundreds of these Credit Suisse employees are going to find themselves out of jobs, further affecting the cost of living crisis. Reuters quoted Stephane Rambosson, co-founder of Vici Advisory which specialises in hiring senior investment bankers, as telling the agency, Many Credit Suisse bankers had already been talking to a lot of people for a while [about leaving the Swiss bank]. Those who were more loyal and didnt do so are now talking to headhunters. An executive at a rival London-based wealth manager said they had seen a steady flow of CVs coming in from Credit Suisse bankers, the report said. UBS, however, has told Credit Suisse wealth bankers that it sought to reassure them and that it was willing to keep them on board. According to reports, Credit Suisse bankers fear massive job cuts after the UBS takeover, estimates claiming some 10,000 jobs were on the line across the globe. The giant lenders demise could also deal a potential blow to Canary Wharf Group, which manages the financial hub of the same name in Londons regenerated docklands, Reuters added. Credit Suisse was one of the first major banks to be lured to the area by the prospect of cheaper office space in the early 1990s and houses the bulk of its UK staff in the One Cabot Square building in the western part of the estate. Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Washington: The United States will deliver Abrams tanks to Ukraine by the fall of 2023 significantly faster than expected while Patriot air defenses will also arrive on an expedited timeline, the Pentagon said Tuesday. In coordination with Kyiv, Washington made the decision to provide the M1A1 variant of the Abrams tank, Press Secretary Brigadier General Pat Ryder told journalists. This will enable us to significantly expedite delivery timelines and deliver this important capability to Ukraine by the fall of this year. Ryder said the tanks would give Ukraine a very similar capability to the M1A2 that Washington had originally intended to provide, but declined to go into specifics about differences between the variants. M1A2s were expected to take more than a year, Ryder said, a timeline that would have put deliveries sometime in 2024. Ukraine will also receive advanced Patriot air defenses sooner than originally anticipated. Were confident that well be able to get the Patriots there on an expedited timeline, Ryder said, noting that Ukrainians being trained on the system went faster than expected, just given their propensity and their eagerness to do the training. The United States has spearheaded the push for international support for Ukraine, quickly forging an international coalition to back Kyiv after Russia invaded in February 2022 and coordinating aid from dozens of countries. Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Commentary By Susan Martinuk Dysfunctional systems, wait lists, not enough doctors, and not enough beds are just the obvious starters in a long list of problems that are keeping Canadians from accessing medical care. While tossing more money at the problem will provide temporary relief, it cant fix the one defining issue preventing a positive change in delivering healthcare services ideology. Canadas healthcare system is falling apart because it has been built on the mistaken idea that only government can pay for, and deliver, healthcare (called single-payer universality) rather than on the more practical notion of actually providing timely medical care. Thats why the federal governments recent offer of $46.2 billion for health care over 10 years comes with strings attached: Expenditures must maintain medicares governing ideology of single-payer universality the very concept that has constricted access to care and created years-long wait lists for surgery, scans and specialists. Ideology has been at the heart of medicare since its inception, and a little history will go a long way to understanding our collective foolishness in allowing this to persist. From the mid-1940s to the early 1960s, Saskatchewans Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) party (the precursor to todays NDP), led by Tommy Douglas, won multiple elections by promising ever-growing coverage of medical care that culminated in full universality in 1962. Along the way, the CCF had assured voters that such reforms were sustainable: that party line/myth held true until 1964 when the CCF was finally ousted from power by the Liberals led by Ross Thatcher. As related to me by Thatchers then-chief of staff, Thatchers priority was to figure out how to fund the medicare monster that he had inherited. He had a fresh team of accountants pour over the provinces financial books, but all they could conclude was that the money to fund medicare simply wasnt there. In other words, the CCF had misled the Saskatchewan people by telling them the province could provide sustainable funding for universal medicare. Thatcher immediately fired the bureaucrats who had created the program and seemingly fudged the books. Meanwhile, back in Ottawa, Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson was leading a minority government and looking for a wedge issue to gain total power in the next federal election. His top advisor, Tom Kent, offered universal medicare as the solution, calling it the jewel in the record of achievement that the government could use to win a majority government. (Tom Kent, A Public Purpose, page 365) The uncertainty about when a federal election might be held added to the pressure to quickly create a national medicare plan to present to Canadians. Pearson thought it best to base the national program on the Saskatchewan model, so the federal government hired none other than the same bureaucrats who had just been fired for incompetence by Premier Thatcher. They tried and failed to once more develop realistic costs for a national medicare program. That was when one Saskatchewan bureaucrat came up with what Kent believed was a brilliant way to resolve the problem. In his 1988 book, Kent writes, The government did not need to work out or legislate the details of a shared-cost program it only needed to define, clearly, the principles of what it meant by medicare. Then it would contribute to the costs of any provincial program that satisfied those principles. (Tom Kent, A Public Purpose, page 366) That was how Canadas beloved universal medicare program began with the delivery of medical services founded and grounded in an intangible ideology rather than in more tangible concepts such as costs, sustainability, delivery, and common sense. And here we are, almost 60 years later, still talking about making medicare work under the erroneous presumption that only our cash-strapped governments can deliver and pay for healthcare. Approximately three million Canadians sit on wait lists; six million are looking for primary care doctors; patients are waiting long hours for care in Emergency Departments; and cancer patients are dying awaiting treatment. No strings should be attached to federal health transfers other than that they go towards health care. We should be emulating Europes successful hybrid/complementary healthcare systems, where governments pay for most care, but both public and private sector professionals compete to provide care. Innovation and new delivery care models should be encouraged; patients who can afford private care should have it. Hospitals should be paid on activity-based funding that encourages more procedures rather than the current global funding that constricts care and the number of procedures. Doing things the same way over and over and expecting a different result is what Einstein termed the definition of insanity. Its time for Canadians to move past our collective insanity and realize that ideology is part of the problem, not the solution. Susan Martinuk is a Senior Fellow at the Frontier Centre for Public Policy and author of Patients at Risk: Exposing Canadas Healthcare Crisis. Feds increase health care funding by $196.1 billion over 10 years At the recent working meeting with premiers, the federal government announced it will increase health funding to provinces and territories by $196.1 billion over 10 years, including $46.2 billion in new funding. This funding includes the following elements: An immediate, unconditional $2 billion Canada Health Transfer (CHT) top-up to address immediate pressures on the health care system, especially in pediatric hospitals and emergency rooms, and long wait times for surgeries. This builds on previous CHT top-ups that total $6.5 billion provided throughout the pandemic. A 5 per cent CHT guarantee for the next five years, which will be provided through annual top-up payments as required. This is projected to provide an additional $17.3 billion over 10 years in new support. The last top-up payment will be rolled into the CHT base at the end of the five years to ensure a permanent funding increase, providing certainty and sustainability to provinces and territories. With this guarantee, the CHT is projected to grow by 33 percent over the next five years, and 61 percent over the next 10 years. $25 billion over 10 years to advance shared health priorities through tailored bilateral agreements that will support the needs of people in each province and territory. $1.7 billion over five years to support hourly wage increases for personal support workers and related professions, as federal, provincial, and territorial governments work together on how best to support recruitment and retention. $175 million over five years for the Territorial Health Investment Fund in recognition of medical travel and the cost of delivering health care in the territories. In addition, the government will work with Indigenous partners to provide additional support for Indigenous health priorities: Beijing: China has warned the United States (US) with conflict and confrontation over what it termed as mistaken policies by the worlds sole superpower. Reiterating Chinas call for dialogue to end the war between Russia and Ukraine, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang alleged that the United States (US) has been trying to suppress and contain China rather than focussing on fair or rule-based competition. The United States perception and views of China are seriously distorted. It regards China as its primary rival and the most consequential geopolitical challenge. This is like the first button in the shirt being put wrong, Qin Gang told the in Beijing on the sidelines of an annual parliament meeting on Tuesday. The usually frosty relations between the US and China have been even more tense for the last few years over a number of issues including Taiwan, trade and the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. Relations between the US and China worsened after controversy erupted last month over a balloon that the US alleged was a Chinese spying device. The balloon was eventually shot down by the US military. The US government has said that it is establishing guardrails for relations with China and is not seeking conflict. However, Qin Gang claimed that what this means in practice is that China is not supposed to respond when slandered or attacked. That is just impossible. If the United States does not hit the brake, and continues to speed down the wrong path, no amount of guardrails can prevent derailment, which will become conflict and confrontation and who will bear the catastrophic consequences? he was quoted as saying by Reuters. Invisible Hand in Ukraine war, says China While speaking to the media on Tuesday, Qin Gang alleged that an invisible hand was pushing for an escalation of the war between Russia and Ukraine. However, the Chinese minister did not specify who he was referring to. China has defended its stance on the Ukraine war despite Western criticism of its decision to refrain from calling Russia the aggressor in the conflict. Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Washington: The United States said Tuesday it does not see China as capable of being an impartial mediator between Moscow and Kyiv over the war in Ukraine. It was the most direct US criticism yet of Chinas aim to be a middleman in efforts to end the war. I dont think you can reasonably look at China as impartial in any way, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters. He noted that China has refrained from criticizing the Russian invasion of Ukraine and has continued to buy Russian oil even as the West piles sanctions on Moscows energy industry to starve the Kremlin of money to pay for the war. China, Kirby added, also keeps parroting the Russian propaganda to the effect that the US and other countries in the West are to blame for the war for giving such strong support to pro-western Ukraine over the years that Russia felt threatened and justified in invading. In a summit rich with red carpet pomp, Chinese President Xi Jingping was visiting Russia Tuesday and met with President Vladimir Putin, with the war in Ukraine high on their agenda. After talks Tuesday they hailed what they called a new era in Russian-Chinese relations. Kirby said the two were linked not so much by an alliance but rather a marriage of convenience, because thats what I think it is. China has presented a 12-point position paper on the war which includes a call for dialogue and respect for all countries territorial sovereignty. Putin said he was open to talks on Ukraine and praised Beijings position paper. Kirby said Russia and China want to change the rules of that game, meaning the rules based international order. Still, the United States wants to maintain channels of communication with China, he said. Kirby added that he is not aware of China having provided military assistance to Russia. The United States has said China is considering this big step, but China denies it. Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. China to boost modernization of SOEs: state-asset regulator Xinhua) 09:24, March 22, 2023 BEIJING, March 21 (Xinhua) -- China will strive to transform its state-owned enterprises (SOEs) into modern entities that meet the requirements of Chinese modernization, said an official with the country's top state-asset regulator on Tuesday. The centrally-administered SOEs should adhere to market-oriented, law-based and international reforms, improve the modern corporate system with distinctive Chinese features, accelerate the establishment of a flexible, efficient and market-oriented operating mechanism, and enhance their core competitiveness and functions, said Zhang Yuzhuo, chairman of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council. SOEs are an important element and force in promoting Chinese modernization, Zhang said, adding that the enterprises should shoulder their new responsibilities and missions in promoting Chinese modernization. China started implementing a three-year action plan for SOE reform in 2020 as part of the decades-long efforts to transform SOEs into competitive and modern enterprises. Currently, there are 98 central SOEs in China. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) ESPN executive vice president Rob King has been let go by the company following allegations of harassment, per the New York Post. On Tuesday, King tweeted I have decided the time is right for me to leave ESPN. After nearly 20 years with ESPN, I have decided the time is right for me to leave the company. Im looking forward to spending more time with my family and friends, and wish the company continued success. Rob King (@ESPN_RobKing) March 21, 2023 Per the Post, King was dismissed due to social media posts, which were brought to the attention of ESPNs Human Resources. During his time at ESPN, King wore many hats. His current title was Executive Editor at Large, Special Projects, and per his ESPN bio, King is responsible for the companys overall journalistic direction, working closely with leaders across ESPN Films and original content, digital content, social media, multi-platform journalism and storytelling and global content, and advises ESPN and its senior leadership team on editorial issues. Previously, King served as SVP of Original Content, SVP of SportsCenter and News, and VP and editor-in-chief of ESPN.com. [New York Post] Nonwoven infection control masks were being used in their millions even before the COVID-19 pandemic and are regarded as simple mass-produced items. Nevertheless, the manufacturing process used to make them needs to meet strict requirements regarding precision and reliability. According to DIN (the German Institute for Standardization), the nonwoven in the mask must filter out at least 94 percent of the aerosols in the case of the FFP-2 mask and 99 percent in the case of the FFP-3 version. At the same time, the mask must let enough air through to ensure that the wearer can still breathe properly. Many manufacturers are looking for ways to optimize the manufacturing process. Furthermore, production needs to be made more flexible so that companies are able to process and deliver versatile nonwovens for a wide range of different applications and sectors. ProQuIV, the solution developed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics ITWM in Kaiserslautern, fulfills both of these aims. The abbreviation ProQuIV stands for Production and Quality Optimization of Nonwoven Infection Control Clothing (Produktions- und Qualitatsoptimierung von Infektionsschutzkleidung aus Vliesstoffen). The basic idea is that manufacturing process parameters are characterized with regard to their impact on the uniformity of the nonwoven, and this impact is then linked to properties of the end product; for example, a protective mask. This model chain links all relevant parameters to an image analysis and creates a digital twin of the production process. The digital twin enables real-time monitoring and automatic control of nonwoven manufacturing and thus makes it possible to harness potential for optimization. Dr. Ralf Kirsch, who works in the Flow and Material Simulation department and heads up the Filtration and Separation team, explains: With ProQuIV, the manufacturers need less material overall, and they save energy. And the quality of the end product is guaranteed at all times. Nonwoven manufacturing with heat and air flow Nonwovens for filtration applications are manufactured in what is known as the meltblown process. This involves melting down plastics such as polypropylene and forcing them through nozzles so they come out in the form of threads referred to as filaments. The filaments are picked up on two sides by air flows which carry them forward almost at the speed of sound and swirl them around before depositing them on a collection belt. This makes the filaments even thinner: By the end of the process, their thickness is in the micrometer or even submicrometer range. They are then cooled, and binding agents are added in order to create the nonwoven. The more effectively the temperature, air speed and belt speed are coordinated with each other, the more uniform the distribution of the fibers at the end and therefore the more homogeneous the material will appear when examined under a transmitted light microscope. Lighter and darker areas can thereby be identified this is referred to by experts as cloudiness. The Fraunhofer team has developed a method to measure a cloudiness index on the basis of image data. The light areas have a low fiber volume ratio, which means that they are less dense and have a lower filtration rate. Darker areas have a higher fiber volume and therefore a higher filtration rate. On the other hand, the higher air flow resistance in these areas means that they filter a smaller proportion of the air that is breathed in. A larger proportion of the air flows through the more open areas which have a less effective filtration effect. Production process with real-time control In the case of ProQuIV, the transmitted light images from the microscope are used to calibrate the models prior to use. The experts analyze the current condition of the textile sample and use this information to draw conclusions about how to optimize the system for example, by increasing the temperature, reducing the belt speed or adjusting the strength of the air flows. One of the key aims of our research project was to link central parameters such as filtration rate, flow resistance and cloudiness of a material with each other and to use this basis to generate a method which models all of the variables in the production process mathematically, says Kirsch. The digital twin monitors and controls the ongoing production process in real time. If the system deviates slightly from where it should be for example, if the temperature is too high the settings are corrected automatically within seconds. Fast and efficient manufacturing This means that it is not necessary to interrupt production, take material samples and readjust the machines. Once the models have been calibrated, the manufacturer can be confident that the nonwoven coming off the belt complies with the specifications and quality standards, explains Kirsch. ProQuIV makes production much more efficient there is less material waste, and the energy consumption is also reduced. Another advantage is that it allows manufacturers to develop new nonwoven-based products quickly all they have to do is change the target specifications in the modeling and adjust the parameters. This enables production companies to respond flexibly to customer requests or market trends. This might sound logical but can be quite complex when it comes to development. The way that the values for filtration performance and flow resistance increase, for example, is not linear at all, and they are not proportional to the fiber volume ratio either. This means that doubling the filament density does not result in double the filtration performance and flow resistance the relationship between the parameters is much more complex than that. This is precisely why the mathematical modeling is so important. It helps us to understand the complex relationship between the individual process parameters, says ITWM researcher Kirsch. The researchers are able to draw on their extensive expertise in simulation and modeling for this work. More applications are possible The next step for the Fraunhofer team is to reduce the breathing resistance of the nonwovens for the wearer without impairing the protective effect. This is made possible by electrically charging the fibers and employing a principle similar to that of a feather duster. The electric charge causes the textile fabric to attract the tiniest of particles which could otherwise slip through the pores. For this purpose, the strength of the electrostatic charge is integrated into the modeling as a parameter. The Fraunhofer researchers plans for the application of this method extend far beyond masks and air filters. Their technology is generally applicable to the production of nonwovens for example, it can also be used in materials for the filtration of liquids. Furthermore, ProQuIV methods can be used to optimize the manufacture of nonwovens used in sound-insulating applications. Whether its kidney diseases, heart failure, alcohol poisoning or diabetes mellitus analyzing electrolyte balance is imperative to the diagnosis of these and many other serious diseases. Its composition is precisely balanced in the respective parts of the body and any changes can have dramatic effects. For example, if your sodium ion concentration is too low, the cells in your brain might start to swell, which could cause a coma. Todays measuring devices require separate sensors for each type of electrolyte. A blood sample of around 70 to 80 microliters is needed in order to cover all sensors with blood. The volume of blood that can be taken from small children or elderly patients is often insufficient for this. To overcome this challenge, teams of specialists in medicine, fluid mechanics, surface chemistry, photonics and electronics from Eschweiler in Kiel, Scienion AG, Charite Universitatsmedizin Berlin and Fraunhofer HHI teamed up to form the optION consortium. Their goal: to investigate and expedite a new measurement principle in photonics, enabling very small volumes of blood to be analyzed with high precision. The researchers also had another objective: They wanted to develop a device concept that end users could use to test for a variety of health parameters rapidly, without complications and in a way that is convenient to patients even in areas that are harder to reach. Think of it like a simple blood sugar test, explains project manager Jakob Reck from Fraunhofer HHI. It takes a prick of the fingertip to produce a droplet of blood, which is enough to immediately determine all of the relevant parameters. Microring sensors for electrolyte analysis The experts are using microring resonators as photonic sensors. The highly sensitive integrated silicon nitride waveguides are produced on site in the Fraunhofer HHI cleanrooms. The waveguides form a ring where near-infrared light is able to interact with itself and the environment. When an analyte accumulates on the ring, this causes a shift in the effective refraction index and optical resonance of the ring. In principle, the ring goes out of tune similar to a guitar string, explains Reck. If an analyte interacts with the ring in other words, the string the tone changes. We are able to design these guitar strings to be extremely sensitive, resulting in clear signaling and analytics. Each of the sensors emits a signal that is specific to a particular electrolyte, guaranteeing the functionalization of the sensors surface: To this end, Scienion scientists attached special capture molecules to the ring resonators. Only the specific analyte to be investigated is able to latch onto a ring using the lock-and-key principle and thereby influence the light field on the waveguide. This change is directly related to the amount of molecules that have accumulated. Even the smallest deviation in the optical characteristics can be measured, which makes it possible to detect even the tiniest amount of a substance with a high degree of accuracy. For the functionalized photonic sensors, the Biofluid Mechanics Laboratory at Charite Universitatsmedizin Berlin developed a microfluidics system to transport small quantities of liquid onto the chips in a targeted manner. Several microrings with different coatings can be covered with just one sample. As such, electrolyte concentration can be analyzed using volumes of less than 20 microliters. Following this, specialists from Eschweiler and Fraunhofer HHI combined sensors and fluidics with control, read-out and evaluation electronics into a demonstrator device whose performance was tested at Fraunhofer HHI and by the Charite Institute of Laboratory Medicine, Clinical Chemis-try and Pathobiochemistry. Accurate measuring and high levels of flexibility These tests speak for themselves: Our process is highly flexible and very reliable, says Fraunhofer HHI scientist Reck. No matter which of the tested parameters we are looking at, we are generally two orders of magnitude above the detection limit required for mainstream tests. We also have a diverse range of options, since the surface of our resonators can be adapted to a large number of analytes. Additionally, the consortiums photonic sensors are very small, allowing for sensitive measurement of tiny volumes as well as the parallel detection of different electrolytes and other biomarkers by multiplexing multiple sensor rings. We have a fingernail-sized sensor chip that uses eight microring resonators. As such, the process can be highly miniaturized and integrated, says Reck. Furthermore, the sensor is designed for rapidly recording measurement data in real time so that surface kinetics can be displayed through the binding of the biomolecules. The current sensor head demonstrator can fit in a shoebox, paving the way to a small handheld device that can be used in a laboratory setting and, as a result, be easily sent into the field. On top of this, it is battery operated and does not need to be connected to the grid, which again makes it easier to use. Interdisciplinary solution broad applicability Jakob Reck sees its interdisciplinary nature as having added tremendous value to the project and as a challenge that the consortium members called for from the outset: The aim was to implement an innovative concept that is needed on the market with all its individual aspects: from the photonic chips through to the surface functionalization and microfluidics to device integration. The only way for this project to be successful is for the parties involved to be extremely communicative and willing to listen to each other so that they truly understand what is required by each of the other disciplines. The results of the research project, which ended in October 2022, are impressive. The successful partners are already planning follow-up projects they have enough starting points, and market demand is high. As a result, the joint research project Poly-Chrome Berlin kicked off in 2022: Its aim is to develop new applications in sensors and analytics that can be implemented in a cost-effective way. As before, analytics using photonic sensor chips is a significant part of this project, which also involves specialists from Fraunhofer HHI. This demonstrates the broad range of possible applications of our solution since the project goes beyond the scope of medicine, with the aim to establish sensors in the field of life sciences in vitamin detection, for example. Another exciting field of application is water and environment analytics, where the solu-tion can be used for rapid testing in bodies of water and pipelines, such as for cyano-bacteria in the latter, says Fraunhofer expert Jakob Reck. These small sensor chips are making big waves they will soon show that they are able to perform in a number of different situations. From vehicles to industrial plants to household appliances, embedded systems are an integral part of numerous aspects of daily life and are taking over important control, regulation and information-processing tasks. They feature everywhere from components and modules, operating systems, and hardware and software design to machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, services and complex system designs. In order to achieve optimal performance in different environments and applications, embedded systems must be both compact and intelligent and, in particular, save resources. At embedded world 2023, scientists from the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft will demonstrate developments ranging from neuromorphic chips to energy self-sufficient sensors. Edge AI: artificial intelligence for electronic systems Intelligent, self-learning, embedded systems are playing an increasingly important role for companies in making their products smarter, whether it concerns wearables in sport, smart speakers, digital solutions in retail or condition monitoring for industrial machines. The Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS offers users of its embeddif.[ai] technology an opportunity to rapidly develop AI solutions for embedded systems. This enables AI applications to be operated independently of a cloud server, thus making them energy-efficient and safeguarding data sovereignty. These benefits allow companies to use artificial intelligence for various applications in the smallest of spaces. Edge AI can also be used in applications via neuromorphic hardware architectures. For example, experts at Fraunhofer IIS are developing new chip platforms inspired by the human brain. One example is spiking neural networks (SNNs), which process information in the form of pulses in an energy-efficient way. Visitors to the embedded world exhibition will be able to see these mechanisms in action in a live 3D demo. The Fraunhofer Institute for Microelectronic Circuits and Systems IMS will showcase its AIfES solution, a platform-independent and constantly growing machine learning library developed in the programming language C. AIfES runs on almost any hardware, from 8-bit microcontrollers to smartphones and PCs. Using the AIRISC family of embedded RISC-V processors, Fraunhofer IMS offers secure and efficient hardware for sensor applications and embedded AI to implement customer-specific extensions in a short time, thus providing optimal performance for special applications. In addition, Fraunhofer IMS will present its LiDAR photodetector. This intelligent light collector registers individual photon events in order to develop comprehensive distance sensors. Using the example of a flying experimental platform the Albacopter the scientists will demonstrate a possible application of this detector in urban mobility scenarios. Sustainable systems: sustainability and energy efficiency of embedded systems When it comes to embedded systems, sustainability is a relevant topic both in terms of development and use. In addition to optimizing energy-intensive manufacturing processes, sustainability considerations, such as the updateability of the software used or the question of whether a system can be repaired or must be completely replaced, are important with a view to conserving resources. At embedded world, researchers from the Engineering of Adaptive Systems EAS institute branch of Fraunhofer IIS will present a method for early damage detection using thermal spectroscopy. By measuring transient thermal resistance, damage in the housing of an integrated circuit or of discrete electronic components can be detected before a functional failure occurs. This allows the component to be repaired or replaced at an early stage. In the field of energy harvesting, Fraunhofer IIS is developing and investigating technologies and systems for using energy from the environment to provide small electronic consumption devices with energy self-sufficiency. Scientists can harvest sufficient energy from vibrations from machines, devices or structures, as well as from temperature differences between pipes, lines or valves and the environment, for many internet-of-things (IoT) sensors to operate sensors or significantly extend the service life of any batteries used. RFicient technology developed by Fraunhofer IIS makes long response times of conventional wake-up receivers a thing of the past. Numerous time-critical applications, as well as IoT services that either run simultaneously or require requests to be sent to multiple nodes first, such as applications for airports or train stations, will benefit from a response time of 30 milliseconds, i.e., the time required to respond to a signal with an action. A rapid response and low consumption by the chip are not mutually exclusive and allow, in fact, savings of up to 99% in the power consumption of a continuously operating system. Increasing miniaturization of distributed electronic systems is posing ever more challenges in terms of achieving an adequate energy supply. In the context of green ICT i.e., electronics for energy-saving information and communication technology the Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration IZM deals with topics ranging from system characterization and energy-efficient hardware design to energy-optimized firmware design. The Fraunhofer IZM team models and parameterizes the entire energy conversion chain, from the source to suitable processing and intermediate storage to variable loads. Sensor and system design: development of microchips and sensors One of the fundamental aspects of the embedded industry is the needs-based and innovative development of integrated circuits and sensors. The Fraunhofer Institute for Organic Electronics, Electron Beam and Plasma Technology FEP will present its innovative IC and backplane design for new, application-specific microdisplays and sensors. Visitors will be able to see for themselves the practical application of various OLED microdisplays, for example in thermal imaging and augmented reality applications. A reliable augmented reality (AR) system for industrial applications, for example in electronics and aircraft construction, which can be used in safety helmets, demonstrates the high level of brightness and low power consumption of the OLED microdisplays used. Furthermore, a new evaluation test board, which has 64 microdisplay chips installed, will be presented to customers. Compared to individual evaluation kits, it is intended to support new development ideas and their rapid implementation in start-ups, small and medium-sized enterprises or even large companies. In terms of sensor and system design, Fraunhofer IIS will present tailored solutions for the ever-changing requirements of industrial applications. The focus will be on the development of mixed-signal ASICs (application-specific integrated circuits), intelligent integrated sensor systems and design solutions to support increasingly complex electronic systems. To facilitate the agile development of software, deep SiL (software in the loop) testing of embedded systems is required. Researchers in the Engineering of Adaptive Systems EAS institute branch offer virtual hardware models that can be used to carry out a deep software test without hardware, whereby the systems robustness can be increased from the outset. Fraunhofer IZM will present two plug-and-play sensor platforms that make it possible to quickly test and validate concept ideas for wireless sensor and radar sensor systems. The researchers will demonstrate a universal radar platform for 24, 60 and 79 GHz applications that ensures the efficient implementation of radar projects. The platform enables the development of applications with ranges from 0.1 to 260 meters and angular resolutions of less than 10. The sensor-actuator platform Swarmy uses modular sensor structures to obtain a variety of common measured variables, with data collection, evaluation and display capabilities. This platform is designed for the industrial environment. You can see the aforementioned solutions and other solutions from Fraunhofer for the embedded industry from March 14 to 16 at Booth 422 in Hall 4. Further information about the solutions being exhibited by the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft at the embedded world Exhibition&Conference can be found here: >> embedded world 2023 exhibits (fraunhofer.de) Afghanistan: Council approves conclusions European Council / Council of the European Union Council of the EU Press release 20 March 2023 The Council today approved conclusions reaffirming EU's principled commitment to peace and stability in Afghanistan and to supporting the people of Afghanistan. A stable Afghanistan is in the interest of the entire international community to prevent regional instability, terrorism threats, forced displacement and irregular migration. The EU stands ready to further enhance support to Afghanistan's neighbours and partners across the wider region for the prevention of negative spill-over effects. The Council reinstates the validity of the five benchmarks outlined in the Council Conclusion of September 2021, welcomes the EU's presence in Kabul, and recalls the importance of the work of the EU Special Envoy for Afghanistan in conveying the EU's position, including in dialogues with regional and international partners, in line with the EU's strategic interests. Since the overthrow of the constitutionally based government in August 2021, the Taliban's actions and decisions have led to the dramatic worsening of the human rights, political, economic and humanitarian situation for the Afghan people, especially for women and girls. The EU strongly condemns the systemic violation of human rights, in particular of women and girls, persons belonging to ethnic and religious minorities, LGBTIQ persons, human rights defenders, journalists and other media workers, former security forces and politicians. It also condemns the large-scale and systematic gender-based discrimination by the Taliban who, through their discriminatory decision to ban women from working for national and international non-governmental organisations, are impeding the delivery of humanitarian assistance and basic needs support to the Afghan people. The EU remains committed to continuing its assistance to alleviate the severe humanitarian and socio-economic crisis, by providing humanitarian and basic needs and livelihoods support within a principled approach, where women can meaningfully participate in its delivery and where women remain beneficiaries. Where activities cannot be continued in line with the EU's principled approach, the EU support to those activities will be reconsidered. The EU reiterates its unwavering commitment to supporting the full participation of all Afghans, including women and girls and persons belonging to ethnic and religious minorities in all spheres of life in Afghanistan. The EU stands ready to adopt additional targeted restrictive measures against those responsible for serious violations and abuses of human rights. These restrictive measures are designed not to negatively impact the Afghan population and are reversible. The EU is concerned about the presence and operations of terrorist groups in Afghanistan, including ISKP and Al-Qaida. Afghanistan should not once again serve as a base for terrorism and violent extremism to other countries, and the EU demands that the Taliban cease all direct and indirect ties with terrorism and reiterates the Taliban's responsibility in combatting terrorism. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Council extends mandate of EU military Operation IRINI in the Mediterranean until 2025 European Council / Council of the European Union Council of the EU Press release 20 March 2023 The Council today extended the mandate of the EU Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) military operation in the Mediterranean - EUNAVFOR MED IRINI until 31 March 2025. The decision was taken in the wake of the Strategic Review of the operation carried out by the Political and Security Committee. In this context, the Council decided that the disposal of arms and related materiel seized by the operation should be further facilitated. The reference amount for the common costs of Operation IRINI will be 16 921 000 for the period from 1 April 2023 until 31 March 2025. Background EUNAVFOR MED IRINI (Greek for 'peace') was launched on 31 March 2020 as a concrete contribution on the part of the European Union to the process set up by the international community to support the return to peace and stability in Libya. Operation IRINI's core task is to contribute to the implementation of the UN arms embargo on Libya, established by the UN Security Council Resolution 1970 (2011), through the use of aerial, satellite and maritime assets. In particular the mission is mandated to carry out inspections of vessels on the high seas off the Libyan coast suspected to be carrying arms or related material to and from Libya in violation of the arms embargo on Libya. It does this in accordance with UNSC Resolution 2292 (2016) and subsequent UNSC resolutions. In addition, Operation IRINI monitors violations perpetrated via aerial and land route and shares the information collected with the United Nations. EUNAVFOR MED IRINI is also mandated to: monitor and gather information on illicit exports from Libya of petroleum, crude oil and refined petroleum product contribute to the capacity building and training of the Libyan Coast Guard and Navy contribute to the disruption of the business model of human smuggling and trafficking networks through information gathering and patrolling by planes IRINI is led by Rear Admiral Stefano Turchetto as EU Operation Commander, and its headquarters are located in Rome, Italy. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Strategic Compass: High Representative presents first annual report on its implementation European External Action Service (EEAS) 20.03.2023 Today, 20 March, the High Representative Josep Borrell presents the first annual report on the implementation of the Strategic Compass to both Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defence during the Foreign Affairs Council. High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security policy, Josep Borrel said: "The past twelve months have been a brutal wake up call for Europeans. As Russia's unprovoked war against Ukraine continues and the world becomes more unstable and unpredictable, Europeans are investing in their common security. With the Strategic Compass we are moving from words to action: for our own security, for the security of our partners and for international peace and security. All three are inextricably linked." Over the past 12 months, the EU has strengthened its security support to partners around the world. Collectively, the EU and Member States have risen to the challenge and elevated their level of ambition and credibility. In one year, the Strategic Compass has proven its ability to guide the EU's action on security and defence across all its four pillars: act, secure, invest and partner. For the first time ever, the EU is providing lethal equipment to a partner country under attack. Through the European Peace Facility, we have provided 3.6 billion in military supplies to Ukraine and launched a Military Assistance Mission to train 30,000 Ukrainian soldiers by the end of 2023. In parallel, the EU continues to be reliable global security provider. The EU is stepping up its support in the Gulf of Guinea, the Indo-Pacific, the Western Balkans, and in the South Caucasus, amongst others. In particular, the EU has launched two new missions in Niger and Armenia and used the European Peace Facility to support its partners with military equipment. We have designed new tools to anticipate and counter hybrid threats, strengthen our cyber defence, and fight disinformation campaigns and foreign interference. We have also upgraded our approach to maritime security and advanced our understanding about the security and defence implications stemming from space. Member States are increasing defence spending and investments. Collectively, since the start of the war against Ukraine, EU Member States have announced increases in defence spending that are estimated to bring an extra 70 billion by 2025. This represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to progress towards stronger collaboration, designing and acquiring next-generation capabilities together. Spending together must become the norm instead of the exception. For the first time, the EU is supporting Member States in the joint procurement of ammunition. Working with partners lies at the heart of the EU's vision as a security and defence actor. We continue to invest in multilateralism, defend and uphold the rules-based international order with the United Nations at its core. The EU's partnerships with both the United States and NATO have never been stronger. In the same way, the EU has invested in its global network of partners. On 20-21 March, the EU will hold the first edition of the Schuman Security and Defence Forum on 20-21 March 2023 to deepen these partnerships, exactly one year since the adoption of the Compass. This high-profile event will bring together the EU and key partners to discuss the full range of international security threats and challenges we all face and how we can best work together to address them. Read the report to learn more about the implementation of the Strategic Compass. Background On 21 March 2022, the EU and Member States collectively agreed to increase our capacity and willingness to act, strengthen our resilience, secure our access to the strategic domains, build solidarity and mutual assistance, invest in much needed capabilities and strengthen our strategic partnerships. The Strategic Compass has more than 80 concrete and time-bound actions that set out a clear and ambitious agenda for our security and defence. Factsheet: Strategic Compass Factsheet: Delivering on the Strategic Compass ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT on the Implementation of the Strategic Compass for Security and Defence NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Questions and answers: a background for the Strategic Compass European External Action Service (EEAS) 20.03.2023 Brussels EEAS Press Team What is the Strategic Compass and what added value does it have? In March 2022, with the adoption of the Strategic Compass, the EU Member States agreed on a common strategic course of action for security and defence towards a stronger and more capable European Union. The Strategic Compass provides an analysis of our strategic environment and seeks to bring greater coherence and a strong common sense of purpose to the EU's security and defence efforts. It is a guide for action, providing concrete proposals and timelines for the coming 5-10 years in four areas: Act more quickly and decisively when facing crises; more quickly and decisively when facing crises; Secure our citizens against fast-changing threats; our citizens against fast-changing threats; Invest in the capabilities and technologies we need; in the capabilities and technologies we need; Partner with others to achieve common goals. The increasingly deteriorating security environment and, in particular Russia's unjustified and unprovoked armed aggression against Ukraine, underline the need to strengthen the EU security and defence. In order to tackle the broad range of threats and challenges we are confronted with, we need to step up our capacity to think and act in strategic terms and we need to do this together as Union. The adoption of the Strategic Compass is a strong signal of unity. EU Member States, for the first time, agree on a common vision with detailed objectives of what they want to be able to achieve in security and defence. It shows their strong resolve to make the EU a more capable actor in security and defence and allows for quicker decision-making. The Compass puts forward concrete proposals, setting out a clear route for their implementation along specific timelines. The Compass is the result of more than two years of preparatory work. Member States have engaged in a strategic dialogue on the EU's role as a security and defence actor. The discussions were supported by the first ever threat analysis at EU level, that has allowed Member States to strengthen their common understanding of the threats and challenges, as well as ways to tackle them. This is a major step towards a common strategic culture. What is new in the Strategic Compass? For the first time, Member States have adopted a strategic document with a common vision and detailed objectives on EU security and defence. On substance, the Strategic Compass proposes over 80 concrete actions in four 'pillars' (ACT, SECURE, INVEST and PARTNER), most of them with precise timelines. The most important and new elements are: Developing an EU Rapid Deployment Capacity, consisting of up to 5,000 troops that can be tailored and swiftly deployed for different types of crises; Organising regular live exercises to increase the interoperability and readiness of our armed forces; Creating an EU Hybrid Toolbox that brings together different instruments to detect, prepare for, and respond in a coordinated manner to a broad range of hybrid threats. In parallel, we will also develop a dedicated toolbox to address and counter foreign information manipulation and interference; Further developing the EU's Cyber Defence Policy to be better prepared for and protect against cyberattacks; Developing an EU Space Strategy for security and defence to strengthen our resilience and react better and faster to crises; Developing and investing in next generation capabilities as well as the necessary strategic enablers, in particular also through collaborative capability development and joint procurement; Committing to invest more and better, including through joint procurement, investing in technological innovation for defence and create a new Defence Innovation Hub within the European Defence Agency; Reinforcing multilateral partnerships, in particular with NATO and the UN, through more structured political dialogues as well as operational cooperation; Boosting cooperation with bilateral partners, in particular the United States, Norway and Canada, Japan and the UK; Developing tailored partnerships in the Western Balkans, our eastern and southern neighbourhood, Africa, Asia and Latin America. You can check the progress achieved after one year here. Why does the EU need to increase its capacity to act and how does the Strategic Compass make a difference? The challenges we are confronted with in our neighbourhood and at global level are multifaceted and often interconnected. The return of war in Europe, increasing global and regional insecurities and crises, the return of power politics, the challenges to the international rules-based order and the proliferation of hybrid campaigns are some of the most worrying developments that directly and indirectly threaten our security. This requires the EU to make a leap forward in its capacity to act, making full use of all existing and new civilian and military instruments at its disposal. The Strategic Compass defines how we will strengthen our readiness for fast and decisive actions, increase the effectiveness of our civilian and military missions and operations, ensure greater flexibility in our decision-making and bolster our solidarity and mutual assistance against armed aggressions. What will the EU Rapid Deployment Capacity add to the CSDP toolbox? We need to be able to rapidly respond to imminent crises outside the Union. This includes the ability to quickly deploy tailored forces, for example for initial entry, reinforcement or as a reserve to secure an exit. This is what the EU Rapid Deployment Capacity (EU RDC) seeks to achieve. It can be used in different phases of an operation in a non-permissive environment. The EU RDC will consist of substantially modified EU Battlegroups (EUBGs) and of pre-identified Member States' military forces and capabilities, including strategic enablers. The objective is to have a modular force of up to 5,000 personnel. The substantially modified EUBGs will be used, in combination with the Member States military forces and capabilities, to tailor the EU RDC to the nature of the crisis and to the requirements and objectives of the operation. In order to support this aim, two operational scenarios have been agreed by Member States so far on the 1) initial phase of a stabilisation and 2) on rescue and evacuation. The first ever EU live exercise will be carried out under the Spanish Presidency in autumn 2023. The EU RDC will be fully operational by 2025. How will the Strategic Compass increase the effectiveness of CSDP missions and operations? Our civilian and military missions and operations are the most visible manifestation of our Common Security and Defence Policy. They contribute to security and stability in crises and conflicts in our neighbourhood and beyond. With an increasing focus on training and advisory tasks, they also support our partners' security and defence structures and increase local ownership. To address the fast evolving geostrategic environment, we must adapt the way we conduct our missions and operations to better respond to the increasing and complex global and regional challenges we are facing. Through more robust, flexible and modular CSDP missions and operations, we will be able to swiftly adapt to changing circumstances and increase their effectiveness. This comprises for example the possibility for increased accompanying of our partners' security and defence forces to ensure tailored and lasting effects, or additional training and advice on structural reforms. We will also seek mutual reinforcements of our CSDP missions and operations with European-led ad hoc missions and operations that are operating in the same theatre. The European Peace Facility is an important element in that regard by allowing us to rapidly provide military assistance to partners to supplement our training efforts. What are the implications specifically for civilian CSDP? Civilian CSDP missions contribute to global security abroad and at home. Their aim is to help prevent or resolve conflict and crises, enhance the capacities of partners and, ultimately, protect the European Union and its citizens. By summer 2023, EU Member States will make civilian CSDP more capable, more effective, flexible and responsive and more joined up with other EU instruments in light of the changed security environment. In concrete terms, the EU seeks to be able to deploy 200 civilian experts to a crisis area within 30 days. The Civilian CSDP Compact adopted in 2018 was a milestone for our civilian CSDP engagement. Member States agreed to step up their contribution to civilian CSDP including through increased deployments to EU civilian missions, by increasing the number of women at all levels, and improving their national systems for secondment. In the Strategic Compass, Member States have agreed to develop a new Civilian CSDP Compact by early summer 2023 when the current Civilian CSDP Compact shall be fully delivered. Furthermore, a civilian capability development process will be set-up by 2024 to assess the capability needs, develop requirements, conduct a gap analysis and review periodically the progress made in line with the new Civilian CSDP Compact. How will the Strategic Compass increase the security of our Union and its citizens? The more hostile security environment requires us to strengthen our resilience by better anticipating, detecting and responding to direct threats to our security. The Strategic Compass makes concrete proposals to use our tools better to counter hybrid threats as well as to fortify our cyber defence and cybersecurity and strengthen our capacity to dissuade and counter foreign information manipulation and interference. In addition, we must be able to secure our access to and presence on the high seas, in the air and in outer space. We aim to further increase our resilience against climate-related risks and human-made and natural disasters while striving towards a carbon climate-neutral EU presence on the ground. We will also strengthen our ability to rescue and evacuate our citizens at risk beyond our borders. All these efforts also contribute to strengthening our solidarity and mutual assistance. What is the concrete added value of EU hybrid toolbox? Hybrid attacks and campaigns are often coordinated actions across different domains. There have been, for example, cyber-attacks that have included information manipulation aiming to influence electoral outcome. To respond in a comprehensive manner to these threats, we need to be ready to mobilise all the tools and instruments that the EU has. Acting as an overall framework, the EU hybrid toolbox will bring together relevant mechanisms, such as the cyber diplomacy toolbox and the Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference toolbox. It will improve the effectiveness and coherence of different actions, and therefore bring added value to the EU's capacity to respond to hybrid threats. How will the EU protect us from cyber-attacks and advance a global, open, stable and secure cyberspace? The EU has developed an EU's Cyber Defence Policy to protect, detect, defend and deter against cyberattacks. It will boost research and innovation, promote education and training and increase cooperation among the EU's and Member States' cyber defence actors. It will also strengthen cooperation with like-minded partners in the area of cyber defence, notably NATO. In addition, the EU will further strengthen its EU Cyber Diplomacy Toolbox and its cyber posture to prevent, deter and respond to cyber-attacks. Further shared situational awareness, additional response measures as well as increased cooperation with like-minded partners will contribute to strengthen the EU's ability in this regard. The EU will step up its work to strengthen the rules-based international order, promote international security and stability, and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms online. It will advance international norms and standards that reflect these core values, by working with its international partners in the United Nations and other relevant fora. It will further intensify cyber dialogues with third countries, regional and international organisations as well as the multi-stakeholder community. How does the Compass address the required investments to ensure that we have all the capabilities necessary to increase our capacity to act and secure our Union? Our security does not come for free. We have known for a long time that we need step up when it comes to our defence spending. This need is now more urgent than ever. With the Strategic Compass, Member States have committed to substantially enhance their defence spending, notably by defining objectives to increase the defence budgets and to spend them better, notably to reduce the fragmentation and increase interoperability of European capabilities. This will allow them and the Union to match their collective ambition and related needs, increase interoperability, and make use of economies of scale, including through a coordinated and collaborative European approach and the use of EU tools. Especially with the ongoing EU defence initiatives, such as the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) and the European Defence Fund (EDF), we have already laid the groundwork for that. Additional incentives will be proposed to stimulate Member States' collaborative investments in strategic defence capabilities, including strategic enablers, notably those that are to be developed and/or jointly procured in EU cooperative frameworks. In that regard, the Strategic Compass includes the initiatives that the Commission has put forward in its Defence package. Member States will work on the Commissions proposal for a value added tax (VAT) waiver, for new financing solutions, as well as a reinforced European Defence Fund (EDF) bonus system. What is the focus of the Strategic Compass in terms of defence capabilities, what will it bring? The Strategic Compass underlines the need to do more to develop high-end, cutting-edge capabilities to equip full-spectrum military forces. We will step up our efforts to develop and acquire the needed strategic enablers, such as airlift, air refuelling, helicopters, Intelligence-Surveillance-Reconnaissance, etc. These enablers will facilitate the rapid deployment and sustainment of the necessary forces and capabilities, thus allowing the Union to conduct the full range of missions and operations as set out in its agreed level of ambition, including when using the EU Rapid Deployment Capacity. The Compass will also guide the work on filling our critical capability gaps and further develop specific strategic capabilities, such as naval unmanned platforms, future air combat and air defence systems, platforms for space based earth observation, communication and navigation, major land platforms and related logistic systems, notably main battle tanks, as well as cyber platforms, including by making use of new technologies. On the basis of the proposals put forward by the Commission in its Defence Package, further incentives will be developed to stimulate Member States' collaborative investments in joint projects and joint procurement, including for example a VAT waiver, new financing solutions, or a reinforced bonus EDF system. The capabilities will remain in the hands of Member States and will continue to be used in national, but also various multinational frameworks, including NATO or the UN. How does the Strategic Compass link all these issues with our cooperation with partners? The Strategic Compass emphasises that partnerships are an essential instrument to support the EU's ambition to be a global strategic player and to respond to the profound security shifts currently underway. Our partners will also benefit from a stronger and more capable EU in security and defence. Closer strategic cooperation with NATO and UN will be of utmost importance in this regard. The EU will also seek to boost its engagement with regional organisations such as the OSCE, the African Union and ASEAN. The Strategic Compass also puts forward a range of policy initiatives and suggestions on how to engage more coherently, consistently and comprehensively with bilateral partners around the world. This engagement will be based on shared values and interests and tailored to reflect the intensity and specific characteristics of our existing relationships. Partnerships will be further developed in a way which is coherent with existing policy frameworks, whether that be in the Western Balkans, our Eastern and Southern neighbourhoods, Indo-Pacific or with the African continent. Our bilateral partnerships will be organised around three key areas of cooperation: dialogue and cooperation on security and defence; participation of third countries in CSDP missions and operations; and supporting partners in building capacities. The EU has a long track-record of working alongside partners and we actively seek their participation in civilian and military CSDP missions and operations. How does the Strategic Compass relate to NATO? The current security environment has shown again how important EU-NATO cooperation is. More importantly, it has demonstrated how well EU and NATO already cooperate in practice. The Strategic Compass clearly states the importance of our strategic partnership with NATO, and seeks to further strengthen it. The need to ensure coherence, close coordination and mutual complementarity of efforts is even more evident today. Building on the unprecedented progress achieved in the implementation of the 2016 and 2018 Joint Declarations, the Strategic Compass puts forward an array of concrete and ambitious suggestions as to how to strengthen our mutually-reinforcing and beneficial partnership. These proposals aim at intensifying our political dialogue, including through enhanced information exchange and joint high-level meetings, statements and visits. In addition, more concrete actions for cooperation will be explored in the areas of exercises, situational awareness, military mobility, crisis management operations, maritime security, countering hybrid threats, cyber-attacks and disinformation, as well as the implementation of Women, Peace and Security agenda. Finally, the Compass aims at further expanding cooperation to new areas, such as Emerging Disruptive Technologies, climate change, resilience and space. How does the Strategic Compass relate to the United Nations? The Strategic Compass clearly states that to uphold rules-based multilateralism and the principles of the United Nations (UN) Charter, we must strengthen our strategic partnership with the UN. To this end, we will ensure coherence with the UN's actions in the area of peace and security. Through our civilian and military missions and operations, we are working together with the UN in many theatres but we can do more to help reinforce, bridge or complement UN tasks and missions. In this regard, we will strengthen our strategic partnership with the UN on peace operations and crisis management, including through the implementation of the new joint set of priorities on peace operations and crisis management for 2022-2024. If the EU and UN are to meet the challenges of the future, a more dynamic approach to early warning, conflict prevention and mediation is required. Structured exchange of information, joint horizon scanning, strategic foresight and gender responsive conflict analyses can help us make best use of our knowledge and expertise. This is important if we are to respond to new and emerging challenges such as climate change, pandemics, terrorism, organised crime, emerging and disruptive technologies and hybrid threats, including cyberattacks and disinformation. How does the Strategic Compass address the ongoing Russia's invasion of Ukraine? The work on the Strategic Compass was launched before Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and reflects the multitude and complexity of the threats and challenges the EU faces at home and abroad. The Compass provides a long-term, strategic and global guidance for EU security and defence. At the same time, the Compass also clearly reflects the developments related to Russia's unjustified and unprovoked aggression against Ukraine as well as Russia's wider destabilising role in other parts of the world. Against this background, it formulates guidance for what the EU should be capable of in the areas of security and defence. The Compass is unequivocal in its condemnation of the Russian aggression, as well as the importance of supporting Ukraine. Member States stand united both in their assistance to Ukraine and in their broader commitments to increase the EU's resilience and its ability to act. To that end, the EU has not only supported Ukraine in political, financial, economic and social terms. The EU has also offered an unprecedented package of military support under the European Peace Facility, including lethal equipment. In addition to a significantly increase in defence spending in light of current events, the Compass makes additional concrete suggestions to reflect the current geostrategic environment. We are, amongst others, developing a hybrid toolbox, strengthing our tools to fight cyberattacks and disinformation campaigns, increasing military mobility within and beyond the EU, as well as stepping up our cooperation in defence spending and investment, including through joint procurement. We are increasing our support to eastern partners and strengthening our strategic partnership with NATO and the UN, as well as with partner countries such as the US, Canada, Norway, UK and Japan. What are the concrete steps in the implementation of the Compass? The return of war in Europe as well as the manifold threats and challenges in the global security environment call for immediate implementation. The Strategic Compass proposes concrete actions as well as timelines for their implementation. Implementation has started on 'day one', and will continue, in line with the 5-10 perspective of the Strategic Compass. The EU Member States remain in the lead for the implementation of the priorities agreed in the Strategic Compass. The High Representative, and the EEAS, together with the Commission and the EDA, are providing the Member States with necessary support. The High Representative, in consultation with the Commission and the European Defence Agency, is presenting an annual report on the progress made. The first report tabled in March 2023 is available here. Based on the revised threat analysis in 2025 and on the achievement of key objectives foreseen, the High Representative will present proposals on a possible revision of this Strategic Compass. What is the progress in the implementation of the Compass after one year? With the Strategic Compass, we have committed to more than 80 concrete actions, many of them with a clear deadline. The vast majority of them has a delivery date already in 2022 and 2023. Some of the actions entail continuous work (for example, support to partners) or embrace a long-term perspective that requires a gradual approach (for example, the operationalisation of the EU RDC, scheduled by 2025). The EU is delivering on the ambitions of the Compass. Our massive and unprecedented support to Ukraine is a vivid proof of this. One year after adoption of the Compass, good progress has been achieved. Examples include: Adoption of new Action Plan on Military Mobility (November 2022); Launch of new missions in Ukraine, Armenia, Niger (2022/2023); Update of the EU threat analysis (December 2022); Development of the hybrid toolbox (Council Conclusions of June 2022), and a new Cyber defence policy framework (November 2022); Adoption of updated Maritime Security Strategy and new EU Space Strategy for Security and Defence (March 2023); Adoption of the Defence Investment Gaps Analysis (May 2022), creation of a joint defence procurement task force, and progress towards incentivising short-term collaborative procurement. The first High Representative's annual Progress Report on the implementation of the Strategic Compass outlines the key achievements, and points at areas where work will continue. How relevant is the Compass in light of the changed security environment, including Russia's military aggression against Ukraine? The Compass was adopted a month after Russia's aggression against Ukraine - and after necessary reflections and adaptations. The EU toolbox has been used to its fullest to support Ukraine, including through: The European Peace Facility, with seven support packages of assistance to Ukraine, amounting to EUR 3.6 billion; Work on further support to Ukraine through joint procurement; Launch of a Military Assistance Mission for Ukraine, and adaptation of the EU Advisory Mission for Civilian Security Sector Reform; Unprecedented and massive sanctions against Russia. With the war continuing at the EU borders, the Compass' call to step up EU security and defence remains even more valid than ever. This is necessary for our security, and for that of our key partners. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Norway signs framework-agreement for joint ammunition-procurement Government of Norway News story | Date: 20/03/2023 On March 20st, Defense Minister Bjrn Arild Gram (Sp) signs a framework agreement which allows the European Defense Agency (EDA) to acquire ammunition on behalf of the signatory countries. The Minister attends the EU Security and Defense Partnership forum on March 21st. It is the first time this forum is being held and it is designed to be an arena for dialogue between the EU and all its partners. The security situation in Europe and the relationship between the EU and its partners are among the topics that will be discussed. - With this agreement, Norway gets full access to acquire ammunition in cooperation with other European countries. This harbors great potential for further cooperation, particularly in the Nordics, and gives new opportunities for Norwegian defence industry, the Minister underlined The purpose of the agreement is to give several, and in particular smaller countries the opportunity to join together to acquire a number of ammunition types that are in high demand due to the war in Ukraine. - I am dedicated to continuing our support for Ukraine, and this framework agreement will hopefully make it easier for European countries to keep up the pace of donations. The Norwegian government has decided to contribute 250 MNOK to the EPF. - This is a part of our donation of 8 Leopard II battletanks and four support vehicles. It will be earmarked for tank ammunition. The global demand for ammunition is bound to stay high for years to come, due to the war in Ukraine and the worsened security situation in Europe. I am therefore content to sign a framework agreement which allows Norway to join with other European nations in procuring ammunition jointly in the future, Gram concluded. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Secretary General welcomes progress on Finland's road to NATO membership NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organisation 20 Mar. 2023 Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto and Defence Minister Antti Kaikkonen to NATO Headquarters on Monday (20 March 2023) for talks on Finland's progress toward membership in the Alliance. Mr Stoltenberg welcomed the announcement by Turkiye that they will now move forward on the ratification of Finnish membership, and Hungary's announcement that they will also vote on Finnish ratification in the coming days. "We welcome the progress which is now made on finalising the ratification of Finland, and we will continue to work hard. It will be a top priority to ensure that also Sweden will become a full member in the near future," he said. The Secretary General added: "President Putin invaded Ukraine with the declared goal of having less NATO in Europe. He is getting exactly the opposite. There will be more NATO in Europe". NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Blinken: Human rights are a 'central interest' but not the only one Report slams China, Myanmar for abuses; Blinken says rights are part of a 'multiplicity of interests.' Alex Willemyns for RFA 2023.03.20 -- Human rights are a "central interest" of the Biden administration's foreign policy "but not the only one," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday as he launched the annual U.S. country reports on human rights, which slammed China and Myanmar for abuses. This year's reports again denounce Beijing for "genocide and crimes against humanity" against ethnic Uyghurs in China, and accuse Myanmar of using "violence to brutalize civilians and consolidate its control," including killing nearly 3,000 people and imprisoning 17,000. But it also delves into human rights abuses in close U.S. allies like Israel, which is accused of a spate of rights abuses including "arbitrary killings" of Palestinians and Saudi Arabia, which is accused of "extrajudicial killings," "enforced disappearances" and torture. Speaking at the State Department to launch the reports, which are mandated by Congress and offer analysis of the rights situation in all 193 U.N. member states, the top U.S. diplomat was asked why the reports' findings don't always influence American foreign policy. "We're not pulling our punches with anyone," he replied. "Sometimes we do it more publicly; sometimes we do it more privately. We're trying to determine in each instance how we can hopefully be most effective in advancing human rights and advancing human dignity." Blinken said that his job was to focus on "all our interests." "At the same time, as we're working in different ways with different countries, we have a multiplicity of interests that we're working on," he said. "Human rights is a central interest of ours; it's not the only one." Genocide and crimes against humanity The reports identify grave human rights abuses across Asia, including in North Korea, Cambodia and Vietnam, which are each accused of crimes including arbitrary killings, torture and political persecution, to varying degrees of severity. But its most serious criticism in the region is reserved for the governments of China and Myanmar. The report again accuses the Chinese government of conducting a genocide against the mostly Muslim Uyghur population, most of whom live in the far-western Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. The crimes, the report says, included "arbitrary imprisonment" or detainment of more than 1 million civilians, "forced sterilization" and abortions, "more restrictive enforcement" of China's birth control policies, rape, torture and forced labor, as well as "draconian restrictions" on the freedoms of expression, movement and religion. Myanmar, which is listed under the name Burma, is again accused of carrying out genocide and crimes against humanity, with the report saying the human rights situation has worsened since the 2021 coup. "Deposed State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, President Win Myint, and other leading members of the deposed civilian government and National League for Democracy party remained in detention," the report says, noting that "armed opposition efforts" had "continued to disrupt the regime's ability to exert full administrative control." "The regime responded," it says, with "the continued arrest of political opponents, the reported use of extensive lethal violence against unarmed persons, torture, sexual violence, and other abuses." Rohingya Myanmar has also engaged in "punishment of family members for alleged offenses by a relative," recruitment of child soldiers, arbitrary killings of civilians and restrictions on religion, particularly against the mostly Muslim Rohingya on the Bangladesh border, the report says. "Limitations on freedom of movement for Rohingya in Rakhine State were unchanged. Rohingya may not move freely; they must obtain travel authorization to leave their township," it says, defying "the pre-coup rule that Rohingya traveling without documentation could return to their homes without facing immigration charges." Up to 600,000 Rohingya remain in Rakhine, it says, even after "the genocide, crimes against humanity, ethnic cleansing, and forced displacement of more than 740,000 Rohingya to Bangladesh in 2017," but are not regarded as a "national ethnic group" so remain stateless. Inward reflection Blinken said he recognized that the United States was itself not perfect on human rights. But he said the difference was that the U.S. system of government accepted such criticism and actively tried to correct identified problems. "While this report looks outward, to countries around the world, well, you know, the United States faces its own set of challenges on human rights," he said. "Our willingness to confront our challenges openly, to acknowledge our own shortcomings - not to sweep them under the rug or pretend they don't exist - that is what distinguishes us." Blinken's message was mirrored by Erin Barclay, acting assistant secretary of state for the bureau of democracy, human rights and labor, when asked at the morning State Department launch event about a rival report on human rights and democracy in the United States, which was released by China's foreign ministry on Monday. At his regular press briefing on Monday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin also accused the United States of engaging in "power politics and the law of the jungle" by applying human rights-based economic sanctions on other countries, which he claimed was "gravely violating other countries' human rights." American officials "always welcome critique of the human rights situation in our country," Barclay replied, "as long as it is credible and fact-based." "We don't sweep our problems under the rug," she said. "We are ready to shine a light on them and work to improve them in our own country." Edited by Malcolm Foster. Copyright 1998-2023, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. For any commercial use of RFA content please send an email to: mahajanr@rfa.org. RFA content March not be used in a manner which would give the appearance of any endorsement of any product or support of any issue or political position. Please read the full text of our Terms of Use. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Acting Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Erin Barclay on the 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices Special Briefing Erin M. Barclay, Acting Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, and Coordinator for Global Democratic Renewal Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights Vedant Patel, Principal Deputy Spokesperson Press Briefing Room Washington, D.C. March 20, 2023 MR PATEL: All right, thanks, everybody. I'm going to turn the floor over now to Assistant Secretary Barclay, who's going to make some remarks. And then her and Ambassador Van Schaack are on hand to address some other questions you all might have. Assistant Secretary, please. MS BARCLAY: Thank you all. Good almost one minute to the afternoon. As Vedant said, my name is Erin Barclay, and it is really an honor for me to be here with all of you for the release of the 47th Annual Country Report on Human Rights Practices, which we submitted to the United States Congress today. As Vedant noted, I've had the great privilege of leading the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor team since September of 2022, and I am extremely proud of DRL for being at the forefront of preparing these important reports with colleagues across the department and U.S. missions abroad. Since 1976, as required by Congress, the United States has issued the Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, affectionately called the Human Rights Report, addressing the status of internationally recognized human rights in all countries that are members of the United Nations. These reports support the U.S. goal of advancing individual liberty and democratic freedoms around the world and upholding the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which this year celebrates its 75th anniversary. Adopted on December 10th, 1948 in the wake of the Second World War, the Universal Declaration is the founding document of our international order. Under the leadership of Eleanor Roosevelt, who was the first chairperson of the Committee on Human Rights, the adoption of the Universal Declaration marked the first time in history that we had a shared global vision to promote a peaceful future of all nations by advancing the human rights, as the Secretary said, of everyone everywhere. In recognizing this milestone of its 75th anniversary, we have reaffirmed the legacy, relevance, and the fundamental truth the Universal Declaration enshrines; that is, that is that all individuals are born equal in dignity and rights, that all governments have a responsibility and a role to play in protecting those universal human rights. Today, this truth beats in the hearts of people around the world, who in the face of injustice and oppression courageously call upon governments to respect the exercise of human rights and the fundamental freedoms of expression, peaceful assembly and association, and religion or belief. The United States stands in solidarity with these human rights defenders as well as with members of marginalized groups, who are often denied equal protection under the law and targeted for violence, including women and girls; those belonging to racial, religious, or ethnic minority groups; LGBTIQ+ persons, and persons with disabilities. As we support pro-democracy activists, we have seen people and - people in governments in every region of the world unite in condemning human rights abuses. As Secretary Blinken discussed in his remarks, the Kremlin's brutal continued war against Ukraine underscores the need to hold to account those who commit unconscionable abuses, including against children. The egregious and repeated abuses Russia's forces continue to commit in Ukraine are far from the only abuses perpetrated in 2022 by governments and other malign actors across the globe, though, as the Human Rights Report lays out. We must continue to shine a spotlight on abuses wherever and however they are committed, mobilize global urgency in stopping and preventing them, and hold perpetrators to account. Disinformation and misinformation around the globe further threaten democracy and human rights, and one contribution the Human Rights Report makes is to bring facts to the table. The report's annual publication also makes clear the priority the United States places year-round on advancing human dignity and freedom, and reiterates our commitment to these issues in all countries, no matter, as the Secretary said, whether they are partners or adversaries. The Biden administration has put human rights and democracy at the center of our foreign policy, and one signature way the administration is promoting worldwide respect for human rights and democratic principles is by hosting the Summit for Democracy. Next week, March 29th and 30th, the United States will host the second Summit for Democracy with the governments of Costa Rica, the Republic of Korea, the Netherlands, and the Republic of Zambia. We are thrilled to have these four partners join us in co-hosting the summit this year. President Biden, joined by leaders from the co-host nations, will assemble world leaders in a virtual plenary, leader-level plenary, followed by a series of hybrid gatherings with representatives from governments, civil society, and the private sector in each of the co-hosted locations. Stay tuned next week for more about the summit. At the conclusion of this press briefing, the 2022 Human Rights Report will be available to the public on the State Department's website. Thank you for being here today, and I'm happy to take a few questions. MR PATEL: Daphne. QUESTION: Thank you so much. Human rights advocates have raised concerns about treatment of dissidents and minorities in India. Human Rights Watch in 2019 said the Indian Government's policies targeted minorities. The Indian Government recently banned a BBC documentary and then raided the BBC's offices, and India is ranked 150th in the press freedom index. Blinken has raised concerns about the rise of rights abuses in India last year without going into specific incidents. Are you concerned by India's treatment of minorities and dissidents and by the state of press freedom in the country? And have you raised these concerns directly with Indian counterparts? MS BARCLAY: Thank you very much for the question. As the Secretary said, we raise the difficult issues in all of our conversations with our partners. The U.S. and India regularly consult at the highest levels on democracy and human rights issues. We have and we will continue to strongly urge India to uphold its human rights obligations and commitments. Not surprisingly, we also regularly meet with civil society both in the U.S. and in India to hear their perspectives and learn from their experiences, and we encourage the Government of India to consult with them as well. On the BBC issue, we're of course aware of the BBC issues and we will continue to support free press around the world and have communicated the same. MR PATEL: Said, go ahead. QUESTION: Thank you, Vedant. On the West Bank, the occupied West Bank, a very quick question. Does this administration consider a - the demolition of a Palestinian perpetrator's home or the arrest of his siblings or his parents to be collective punishment? And if so, does that fall under the - does that qualify as a war crime? And second, do you expect that the Palestinian organizations, human rights organizations that were shut down on October 26th, 2021, to be reopened anytime soon? Thank you. MS BARCLAY: Thanks very much for your question. The U.S. is committed to advancing human rights is Israel and in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. As the President and Secretary Blinken have said, Israelis and Palestinians deserve equal measures of freedom, security, opportunity, justice, and integrity. Promoting human rights and fundamental freedoms is critical to their own right, and it also helps to preserve space for a two-state negotiated solution. QUESTION: Does the demolition of homes and arresting of relatives and parents and siblings and so on qualify as collective punishment, in your view? MS BARCLAY: I'm not going to comment on that at this point, but I'm happy to talk to you QUESTION: Can I just get in? This is something that just happened yesterday, right? But Israel's finance minister made some comments in Paris about Palestinians not being a people. Is that something that falls under your purview, something you can comment on? I'm sorry, it's a DRL question, right? I mean, if you want to answer it, Vedant, that's fine. But, I mean, this is something that happened last night. This is a guy who has not been without controversy before, and these latest comments are just - seem to add fuel to the fire. So what do you think about that? What do you think about the - an Israeli cabinet minister saying that the Palestinian people don't exist? MR PATEL: Matt, I think we'll let the assistant secretary speak to any questions about the report. But on the comment about the finance minister broadly, look, I think what I would say is I've not seen those comments specifically, but certainly it's something that we would QUESTION: I'm sorry. That's just MR PATEL: I've not QUESTION: What do you mean you haven't MR PATEL: I've not seen those comments specifically. But we of course would take issue with that kind of a - that kind of description or that kind of language being used. But we're going to get back to questions about the report. Alex, go ahead. QUESTION: Thank you so much. Thanks so much for coming down here. I have two questions, first about housekeeping. The fact that MS BARCLAY: I'm sorry? Say that QUESTION: The first part of my question is about housekeeping, the fact that we still have acting assistant secretary on this role. How much of this takes away from the - from, let's say, the success stories that you might actually put out there? The second part of the question. More broadly, the question was asked to the Secretary about the tools in your toolkit. I cover South Caucasus. All the cases I raised throughout the year and last year in this room are in the report, but those folks are in jail: in Azerbaijan, Ali Aliyev, Bakhtiyar Hajiyev; in Georgia President Saakashvili; in Russia Kara-Murza, and others. Does that - is it a reflection of the fact that you are running out of your tools in that part of the world? Thanks so much. MS BARCLAY: Thanks for your question, especially the first one, because it gives me an opportunity to brag about my bureau. So let me say this about the DRL Bureau. It is a bureau full of committed public servants who every day come into work and do the job for the American people. I'm extremely proud of them, and the administration is very fortunate to have all of the DRL team in place doing exactly what the administration's policies are on democracy, human rights, and labor. On your second question about the reports in terms of events that are reported year upon year, I think part of that is a reflection of how long the trajectory is in many cases to do better on human rights. And we see international reporting in that space, some of which shows sometimes it's a generational change. That doesn't mean we don't continue to raise those issues. You mentioned issues of political prisoners. This is front and center in all of our diplomacy bilaterally and multilaterally. We regularly raise cases, individual cases of political prisoners with appropriate officials, and we will continue to do that going forward. MR PATEL: You had your hand up? Go ahead. QUESTION: Thank you. Emel Akan from the Epoch Times. Thank you for taking our questions today. I saw that you mentioned forced organ harvesting in China in your report. So as you may know, there is mounting evidence that the Chinese Communist Party continues to harvest organs from living individuals, primarily Falun Gong practitioners. Congress has introduced bills targeting offenders. Where does the State Department stand on holding the CCP accountable for organ harvesting, and what steps are you planning to take to put an end to this atrocity? MS BARCLAY: So I'm not going to count - comment on the legislation specifically. We are tracking it. I'm aware of it. Organ harvesting has been a part of the Human Rights Report, has been reported on there, and we will continue to focus on that as an issue across - on the broad spectrum of human rights and trafficking issues going forward where it comes up. QUESTION: Thank you. So I read the reports on Georgia, 57 pages covering the issues on Georgia, and there is a really, really grim picture that the report suggests. You met the foreign minister in Geneva I think three weeks ago. Have you raised those issues with him? You mention that you talk about the political prisoners to Alex question. Have you raised the issue about the Saakashvili with him? MS BARCLAY: Thanks very much for your question, and I did have the opportunity to meet with the Georgian foreign minister when I was in Geneva for Human Rights Council high-level week a couple weeks ago. And I'm not going to comment on the specifics of my conversations with the foreign minister, but we raised the spectrum of issues, many of which the report articulates, and I'll leave it at that. QUESTION: Okay. And just to follow up, so there is a growing concern that Georgia is moving towards Moscow. There is a growing authoritarianism, Russian oligarchy, total disrespect to rule of law and freedom of media, freedom of speech, et cetera. So what is the general sense about Georgia in the State Department? Because if you look at the dynamic of those reports, if you look at the past years, they also suggest really grim picture of Georgia. So are those issues, concerns stay on paper, or do you actually do something about it? MS BARCLAY: Yeah, no, thanks very much for the question. It's important. It doesn't just stay on paper. These are issues that we talk to the Georgian Government about and, as you know, we have a 30-plus-year partnership with the Government of Georgia, and that QUESTION: People of Georgia. MS BARCLAY: The people of Georgia. Thank you very much. I appreciate that correction. And we want to continue to work together with the people of Georgia to move towards their Euro-Atlantic ambitions. MR PATEL: You had your hand up in the back. And then Kylie, we'll come to you after that. Yeah, you. Go ahead. QUESTION: Hi. I want to follow up - I just want to follow up on China real quick. Can you share more details on when was the last communication with China counterparts on human rights cases? And also, I know that Secretary Blinken has, like - has made his remark in the opening about China and Russia, but is there any concern from the State Department that, given those countries are - they don't have good human rights record according to the report, is there any concerns that the two leaders get closer and there will be more human right abuse cases coming from those two countries? And the third one is China's ministry of foreign affairs just published a report basically pointing fingers at the United States. It's called The State of Democracy in the U.S., like accusing U.S. of doing that. And any comments or, like, response to that? MS BARCLAY: Sure. Let me pick up your last question first. So we always welcome critique of the human rights situation in our country, as long as it is credible and fact-based and objective. We regularly submit ourselves to various processes in the UN, for example, the Universal Periodic Review at the Human Rights Council. We recently reported to the committee - the Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and other treaty bodies. So as the Secretary said, we don't sweep our problems under the rug. We are ready to shine a light on them and work to improve them in our own country. On your question about China specifically, the human rights situation in China is something that we are regularly raising with partner states bilaterally and in multilateral settings where China is present, and this includes looking to promote accountability for China's genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang but also human rights abuses across China. They remain - human rights remains at the forefront of our discussions with the PRC and are continuously highlighted in high-level discussions. MR PATEL: Final question, Kylie. QUESTION: I think this is a better question for Ambassador Van Schaack, if that's okay, but my question is: This report talks about a multitude of war crimes that have been committed by Russia in Ukraine, and so I'm wondering if you can bring us up to date on efforts to share U.S. evidence of war crimes committed in Ukraine by the Russians with the ICC just given - obviously we saw what they came out with last week regarding one war crime, but the U.S. clearly has evidence of multiple war crimes that have been committed. So can you just update us as to where those conversations and efforts stand? AMBASSADOR VAN SCHAACK: Yeah. Indeed, last week, the - a pretrial chamber of the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for President Putin and his children's commissioner, Maria Lvova-Belova, charging both of them with deportation and forced transfer of civilians and specifically of children. So it's a grave breach of the Geneva Conventions, and we've discussed that here when we talked about the crimes against humanity determination that was made. This has now been charged as war crimes. We have appreciated new authorities that Congress has given us when it comes to our ability to interact with the court and to potentially share information. We're looking for ways to be helpful. We generally don't talk about the specifics of what we do share because, in many respects, that might reveal prosecutorial trajectories, for example, or undermine the safety and security of witnesses. But we are looking for ways to support this, and we have been supporting accountability from the beginning when it comes to the Russia-Ukraine war, in particular supporting the work of the prosecutor general in Ukraine, who has primary jurisdiction over all of the war crimes and other atrocities being committed there. QUESTION: Okay. And without getting into specifics over what could be shared or what has been shared, can you just say if at this point any of the evidence that the U.S. has has been shared with the ICC? AMBASSADOR VAN SCHAACK: This is still under consideration. QUESTION: Okay. MR PATEL: Thanks, everybody. Thanks, everybody. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Air Force leaders discuss Total Force Integration during symposium Published March 20, 2023 By Master Sgt. David Eichaker Air National Guard JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. (AFNS) -- Air Force senior leaders from the active-duty, Reserve, Guard, and department civilians recently participated in a Department of the Air Force Total Force Integration, or TFI, symposium discussing how all components meet the demands of the total force. During the four-day event held March 14 -17, more than 3,700 Airmen, Guardians, and civilians attended the symposium. Participants learned how the Air Force is moving forward on strategic initiatives and leveraging the Total Force to support the warfighters. Participants, either virtual or in-person, learned why TFI and the deliberate development of all Airmen is imperative to the mission. "For the past 20 years, we have done nothing but deploy and fight using three components at the same time," said Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Ramon "CZ" Colon-Lopez. "We need to make sure every service member, regardless of component, is trained to perform at the same standard." Chief Master Sgt. Maurice L. Williams, Air National Guard command chief, who represents more than 108,00 Air Guard members, provided his perspective on the importance of TFI. "The diversity of strength we have together makes us more effective and more efficient across all functions," he said. "Being inclusive of all components brings us together as one team, building trust, and giving us the cohesiveness needed to accomplish missions efficiently." Participants heard how all components contribute to the current and future challenges to national security. The Total Force approach helps leverage innovative solutions in force structure, force management, and operations, to meet national security demands in a resource-constrained environment. Component leaders explained their TFI priorities and vision to help meet these objectives. "Accessibility is key for full force in terms of how to proceed," said Lt. Gen. John P. Healy, the chief of Air Force Reserve and Air Force Reserve commander. "I see capacity available in the Reserve component, especially when we see shrinking budgets and reducing top line end strength." "When you look at the total forcethe United States Air Forceactive, Guard, or Reserve, we have to be seamless," said Lt. Gen. Michael A. Loh, Air National Guard director. "We have to be fully integrated across all three components and tell them everything that goes on as a Guard member, as a Reservist, or as an active-duty member." "We all think we know what the other [components] are doing, but in reality, how we're organized, trained, and equipped is all a little bit different and knowing your fellow Airman is the number one thing we can do," he added. A total force approach could leverage more interoperability across the components and help eliminate challenges Airmen face when transitioning between components. "The barriers are our own," said Lt. Gen. Kevin B. Schneider, Headquarters Air Force director of staff. "Our pay systems are not the same between the regular Air Force, Guard, and Reserve and we make it too hard on ourselves. We make it too hard for Airmen to make that transition because we put them at risk of when the next paycheck is comingit's almost like going to a completely different service and organization." "We are all in the United States Air Force," he added. "We ought to have common systems and a common way of doing business." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address USS Porter (DDG 78) Arrives in Tallinn, Estonia US Navy 20 March 2023 From USS Porter (DDG 78) Public Affairs TALLIN, Estonia -- The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Porter (DDG 78) arrived in Tallinn, Estonia, March 20, 2023 for a scheduled port visit to enhance U.S.-Estonia relations as the two nations work together for a stable, secure, and prosperous Europe. The ship's presence in the Baltic Sea is a demonstration of the U.S. Navy's continued commitment to collective defense of the European region and reinforces the strong bond between the United States and Estonia. While inport Tallinn, the ship and her crew will have the opportunity to partake in several Morale, Welfare and Recreation tours and see many historical sights and experience the rich culture of Estonia and its citizens. "We're grateful for the chance to see Estonia and to enhance our relationship with a key NATO ally," said Cmdr. Joe Hamilton, Porter's commanding officer. "This is a great opportunity for our crew to experience Estonian culture and meet the people of Tallinn." The ship has conducted previous port stops in Funchal, Portugal and Rostock, Germany while on its current deployment. Porter's deployment to the NAVEUR-NAVAF area of operations comes months after a homeport shift from Naval Station Rota, Spain to Naval Station Norfolk in October 2022. Porter spent seven years in Spain as part of the Forward Deployed Naval Forces-Europe force, conducting eleven patrols in that time period. The patrols took Porter throughout the U.S. Sixth Fleet area of operations, including the Baltic, North, Norwegian, and Mediterranean Seas, as well as the Eastern Atlantic Ocean, in support of U.S., allied, and partner interests. "Porter's crew has performed superbly since our return to the region for this deployment," said Hamilton. "We've learned and enjoyed our training with our allied and partner Navies. We are looking forward to this interoperability training with the Estonian Navy." The ship's visit to Tallinn follows multiple port calls from U.S. Navy ships in recent years, including the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) in May 2022 and guided-missile destroyers on deployment from the United States East Coast and on patrol from the Forward Deployed Naval Forces-Europe (FDNF-E) force stationed at Naval Station Rota, Spain. The U.S. and Estonia are committed to working together and improving interoperability through port visits, operations, and exercises like Siil and Baltic Operations (BALTOPS). For over 80 years, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-U.S. Naval Forces Africa (NAVEUR-NAVAF) has forged strategic relationships with our allies and partners, leveraging a foundation of shared values to preserve security and stability. Headquartered in Naples, Italy, NAVEUR-NAVAF operates U.S. naval forces in the U.S. European Command (USEUCOM) and U.S. Africa Command (USAFRICOM) areas of responsibility. U.S. Sixth Fleet is permanently assigned to NAVEUR-NAVAF, and employs maritime forces through the full spectrum of joint and naval operations. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Lawyers for Former US Marine Pilot Investigating Possible Entrapment by US and Australia By Phil Mercer March 20, 2023 Daniel Duggan is wanted in the United States on charges including conspiracy to unlawfully export defense services to China and money laundering. Lawyers for the former U.S. marine, accused of helping to train Chinese military pilots, have said they are investigating whether he was 'trapped' by American authorities who are seeking his extradition from Australia. Duggan had applied for an Australian government job in aviation that needed security clearance. That was initially granted but was revoked soon after he returned to Australia. The former U.S. marine pilot's lawyer, Dennis Miralis, believes the extradition request is politically motivated and says that his client could well have been entrapped. "It is striking to us that a sequence of events like that could occur," Miralis told reporters Monday outside the court in Sydney. "We are exploring at this stage whether or not he was lured back to Australia by the U.S., where the U.S. knew that he would be in a jurisdiction where he would be capable of being extradited back to the U.S." "That is a matter of grave significance," Miralis said. "At this stage these are matters under investigation." Authorities in Washington have accused Duggan of training Chinese fighter pilots and believe he's violated the arms export control act. He was arrested last October in the Australian state of New South Wales and has recently been moved from a remand center in Sydney to a maximum-security prison. His legal team has filed a submission to the U.N. Human Rights Commission claiming that his incarceration breaches the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The Australian government approved a request for his extradition almost three months ago. The former marine airman is an Australian citizen who's renounced his U.S. citizenship. He denies breaking any law and has said he was training civilian not military pilots. Australia, the United States and Britain in recent months have launched a crackdown on former military pilots being recruited by China. A magistrate in Sydney will decide if Duggan is eligible for extradition to the United States to face criminal charges. The case has been adjourned until May 1. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address A class action lawsuit alleging the City of Billings illegally collected extra fees from residential utility users over decades has been settled. The suit has languished in the courts for more than four and a half years, the case file ballooning to nearly 90,000 pages. One judge had the case so long he retired before it could be finished. And, it still could be a year before the 35,000 or so members of the class receive a refund from the city, a rebate estimated to be less than 10% of the amount originally collected by the city. The stinging paradox of the win for residents is that they essentially have to pay for their own refund. The $3.6 million the city has agreed to pay in the settlement will come from taxpayers. The settlement could have been much larger. Plaintiffs in the case claimed the city had collected more than $50 million in illegal fees over several decades. Bozeman attorney Matthew Monforton, who represented the class, said in one court filing he had offered to settle with the city years ago for $20,000. The suit was filed in early 2018, claiming the city had collected a franchise fee since 1992 on water and wastewater services. The suit called the fees an illegal sales tax. Typically, a franchise fee is charged by a utility or other entity and paid to the city as a sort of rent for using public property to run its pipes, poles or wires. In this case, it was the city providing the services, not a third party. All along, the city has insisted the fees were legal, but stopped collecting them within a month of being sued. An unusual condition for settlement in the original suit was that the city acknowledge the fees were illegal and vow publicly to never charge them again. That provision was met when a judge issued a permanent injunction against the city, thereby permanently barring those types of fees. Now, the proposed $3.6 million settlement goes to a judge for approval. If approved, the 35,000 members of the class will be notified. The matter would then move on to the Billings City Council which would hold public hearings on paying the settlement. Monforton is requesting attorneys fees for class counsel at about $900,000. It would cost another $130,000 to notify class members and administer the rebates. That leaves about $2.5 million to be split evenly 35,000 ways around $70 each. The individual refund could be slightly more because not all eligible class members will respond to the offer of rebate. Plaintiffs werent able to claw back all of the collected fees because state statute limits the collection to three years, Monforton said. Were pleased to have a permanent end to the sales taxes and to have at least some of them returned to customers, Monforton said Tuesday. Because the city is named as a defendant in the case, city officials cant comment publicly without the approval of a judge. That approval would also have to come before the City Council can hold a public hearing on the settlement. Thai House of Representatives dissolved ahead of general election People's Daily Online (Xinhua) 09:12, March 21, 2023 BANGKOK, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Thailand announced on Monday that the House of Representatives has been dissolved, paving the way for a general election within two months, according to a royal decree. As the prime minister informed the King that the House of Representatives has been performing its duties since 2019. It is expedient to dissolve the House of Representatives to hold a new general election of members of the House of Representatives, wrote the royal decree, which has been royally endorsed. The general election of the 500-member House of Representatives will be held earliest in 45 days or latest in 60 days from Monday, according to the announcement released on the royal Thai government gazette website. The House of Representatives was formed after the 2019 general election, with its four-year term scheduled to end on March 23. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The democratic island of Taiwan has never been ruled by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), nor formed part of the People's Republic of China. The United States cannot desire to defend Taiwan more fervently than Taiwan desires to defend Taiwan. For Taiwan, the Mainland Communist regime surely poses an existential threat, both to the sovereignty and independence of the Taiwan government, as well as to the way of life of the Taiwan people. For China, Taiwan seems increasingly to pose an existential threat, as the liberties enjoyed on Taiwan are increasingly in short supply on the Mainland. In a cross-Strait war, Taiwan cannot afford to lose. Whether the government in Beijing can afford to fail in its next attempt to Liberate Taiwan is an unexplored question, since it can always make further attempts, sooner or later. While the defense of Taiwan might pose an existential threat to the United States, in the form of Chinese nuclear escalation, the loss of Taiwan would not pose an existential threat to the United States. The United States provided treaty-bound security guarantees to Ukraine in the 1990s in order to trick Kiev into giving up its Soviet nuclear legacy, but almost no one seems to have noticed these paper guarantees when Russia grabbed Crimea. The formal American security commitment to Taiwan is even more tenuous. Washington is required by treaty to provide Taiwan with the means for Taiwan to defend itself, but not itself to defense Taiwan. More than 50 percent of the American public would support U.S. military intervention to defend Taiwan against invasion by China, according to an August 2021 opinion survey in the US. "When asked about a range of potential scenarios, just over half of Americans (52 percent) favor using U.S. troops to defend if China were to invade the island," the Chicago Council Survey said. "This is the highest level ever recorded in the Councils surveys dating back to 1982, when the question was first asked." Survey data showed that a majority of Americans supported a range of U.S. policies towards Taiwan including official recognition as an independent country, inclusion in international organizations, and a U.S.-Taiwan free trade agreement, it said. "Chinese intimidation of Taiwan has increased since 2016, demonstrated by naval drills in the Taiwan Strait, incursions into Taiwanese airspace, and economic coercion targeted at Taiwanese industries," the report said. However, 47 percent believed the U.S. shouldn't sell arms or military equipment to Taiwan, compared with 50 percent who believed it should. Sixty percent of Republicans polled supported military intervention over Taiwan, compared with 50 percent of Democrats. Sixty percent of poll respondents saw Taiwan either as an ally or a necessary partner, while 61 percent saw China as a rival or an adversary. The American policy community needs to weigh very carefully American interests in the defense of Taiwan, which might be great [the defense of a fellow democracy yearning to be free against a brutal dictatorship], or might be quite significant [maintaining the credibility of security guarantees to South Korea and Japan], or might not be so great [delaying the inevitable South Korean and Japanese acquisition of nuclear weapons after the American withdrawal from the East Asian periphery]. American need not win to win - the American withdrawal from Vietnam had remarkably little impact on American alliance relations, coming after the sacrifice in blood and treasure to sustain alliance credibility. Possibly all that would be required of America would be to put up a good fight, though withdrawing in the face of Chinese threats which would tarnish Beijing's standing in the world for many decades. On May 26, 2006, William M. Arkin reported that the 5077 plan to defend Taiwan from a Chinese attack dates back from the Reagan administration, and has been successively updated and expanded over the years. Until 2001, the plan was what was called a "CONPLAN," which is an operations plan in concept only. This means that the general American courses of action were identified but the plan itself was only kept in abbreviated form, lacking either the assignment of forces or much of the details of logistics and transport needed for implementation. In August 2001, "Change 1" to the previous CONPLAN 5077 upgraded the contingency to a full OPLAN, with assigned forces and more detailed annexes and appendices. Taiwanese-independence advocates accused former president Ma Ying-jeou of breaking national security laws and called on the judiciary to investigate after his statement that China will wage a battle, which will be quick and will be the last battle for Taiwan. Ma showed his true colors as a mouthpiece of the Chinese Communist Party in his speech on Monday when he said the first battle will be the last, Taiwan Republic Office director Chilly Chen said. Ma is threatening Taiwanese by claiming that Beijing will launch a quick invasion of Taiwan, but that the US military will have no time and no chance to come to Taiwans aid, Chen said. Iran - Su-35 Iran finalized a deal 09 March 2023 on buying Su-35 fighter jets from Russia after deliberations that have been ongoing for months. Iran's mission to the United Nations told Russian news agency Sputnik, though they refused to disclose information on the number of aircraft and the timing of their delivery, as that is classified information. Media had reported that 24 of the fourth-generation twin-engine, super-maneuverable Sukhoi fighter jets meant for air superiority missions are part of the package. This was the first time in decades that Iran has acquired new fighter aircraft, with the exception of several MiG-29 Fulcrum's Tehran bought back in the 1990s. The IRIAF currently uses the Russian MiG-29 and modified F-4 Phantom IIs, F-14 Tomcats, and F-5E/F Tiger IIs from the United States, which Tehran had gotten from Washington under the US-backed Pahlavi government. "Following the end of the Iran-Iraq war in 1988, Iran asked a bunch of countries to buy fighter jets, and Russia said it was open to selling," the mission said. "The SU-35 fighter jets are technically acceptable to Iran, so after October 2020 and the end of Iran's restrictions on conventional weapons purchases (UN Resolution 2231), Iran finalized the deal to buy them," Tehran's delegation added. However, the diplomatic mission did not specify when the deal was finalized exactly, nor how many fighter jets Russia would deliver to Iran and when. "There are no details to be published because it's classified," the mission added. In a statement to the United Nations, Tehran said it began approaching "countries to buy fighter jets" to replenish its fleet in the wake of the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war. "Russia announced it was ready to sell them" after the expiry in October 2020 of restrictions on Iran purchasing conventional weapons under UN Resolution 2231, said the statement carried by the official IRNA news agency. "The Sukhoi 35 fighter jets were technically acceptable for Iran," it added. Kyiv has accused Tehran of supplying Moscow with Shahed-136 "kamikaze" drones used in attacks on civilian targets since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February last year -- an allegation the Islamic republic denies. It was reported in mid-March 2023 that Iran was expected to receive multiple Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jets from Russia as early as March 2023. MP Shahriar Heidari told Tasnim news agency that alongside the fighter jets, Iran will also receive military equipment such as air defense systems, missile systems, and helicopters that they had previously ordered. The Russian government may be able to speed up the transfer of such aircraft. The EurAsian Times noted 05 September 2022 that a batch of Su-35SE planes originally built for Egypt has been sitting in Russia due to the threats of American sanctions. These fighter jets could be diverted to the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF). The Super Flankers in question are the same ones Russia built for Egypts air force. For now, a number of Su-35SEs intended for delivery to Egypt remain parked in Komsomolsk-on-Amur in the Russian Far East, home to the eponymous Komsomolsk-on Amur Aircraft Plant (KnAAZ). This has fuelled speculation that Russia will sell them to Iran or Algeria (a major Russian arms client) instead. The National Interest reported in January 2023 that Tehran's potential purchase of dozens of Russian Su-35 aircraft would give an unprecedented boost to Tehran's control over its airspace, especially in case of an aerial military confrontation against the Israeli occupation. The Commander of Iran's Army Air Force Hamid Vahedi had announced that Iran is looking at purchasing Russian Su-35 fighter jets. Despite some Western assessments tending to downplay Iran's potential acquisition of the aircraft, believing that it would not drastically change the airpower balance in the Gulf, the purchase "manifests a grim calculus for the West," the report suggested. The article described the Su-35 as "a very lucrative catch" for Iran, as the aircraft is "a Russian 4.5th generation air-superiority fighter that has a better thrust-to-weight ratio than its predecessor, the Su-27," explaining that the platform is "capable of performing controlled maneuvers that would otherwise be impossible via regular aerodynamics." In addition to the Su-35, The National Interest report claimed that Iran might be very close to purchasing an S-400 deal, which would "decidedly alter the risk assessment" of an Israeli occupation strike on Iran. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said 09 March 2023 during a meeting with Israeli Security Minister Yoav Gallant that military cooperation between Russia and Iran bears negative repercussions for the Israeli occupation and the entire region of the Middle East. "Secretary Austin provided updates to Minister Gallant on Russia's unprovoked war of choice in Ukraine. He noted the negative implications for Israel and the broader Middle East from increased military cooperation between Iran and Russia," the Pentagon said in a statement after the bilateral meeting in occupied Palestine. Furthermore, according to the Pentagon statement, Austin highlighted that Tehran may gain battlefield experience with the kamikaze drones Russia is currently using. The repercussions of Russia transferring sophisticated military technology to Iran may be felt throughout the entire region, the senior US defense official added. Despite the warnings about cooperation, the Israeli occupation discussed with the United States a bilateral defense partnership, including the JUNIPER OAK exercise, which was recently concluded between the two sides and had been attended by over 7,000 Israeli occupation forces and US troops. Meanwhile, the Pentagon said both parties agreed to continue cooperation in that area, i.e., the military sphere. Greek paper Kathimerini claimed on 16 November 2020 that the Russian military-industrial complex in the very near future may receive a large export order for the Su-35. Potential customer - Iran, which could purchase 24 Sukhoi Su-35SE fighter jets, taking delivery of aircraft originally built for Egypt. The news was thrown into the media in an article in the Persian-language supplement of the English newspaper The Independent, written by the renowned aviation expert Babak Tagwai, who specializes primarily in the Middle East region. According to him, in mid-January 2022, Moscow and Tehran will sign a major long-term agreement on cooperation in the field of defense and security. Among other things, the delivery of Su-35 aircraft is possible. It is noteworthy that the modern Su-35, entering service with the Russian Aerospace Forces under the Su-35S index, is an aircraft that was originally made with a view, first of all, for export deliveries. The Su-35 theme began as a development on a new level of the idea of a deeply modernized single-seat fighter of the Su-27 family. The first "approach to the projectile" was the Su-27M of the first half of the 1990s. Prototypes were produced and only three conditionally "serial" aircraft, which, after being operated at the Air Force flight test center in Akhtubinsk, were transferred to the aerobatics group "Russian Knights". The modern Su-35 was created as a hi-end machine for the Komsomol branch of the Su-30 development. This version of the fighter received the Su-30MKK (Modernized Commercial Chinese) index and was produced at the Komsomolsk Aviation Plant ( KnAAZ ). Su-35, at the "paper" stage, began to participate in competitions in South Korea and Brazil. The latter was already very serious, there were good chances of winning, but in the end, for economic reasons, the South American state chose the smallest and potentially cheapest aircraft to operate - the Swedish Gripen, which is, of course, renowned for their geographical scale. The Chinese contract for 24 fighters was implemented as soon as possible. In 2015, Beijing became the first foreign customer of the Russian multifunctional Su-35 fighters, and already in 2018 the aircraft were delivered to the buyer. In parallel, there was a large-scale serial production of the Su-35 for the Russian Aerospace Forces, making the Su-35S, along with the Su-30SM, the main tactical aircraft - moreover, the "thirty-fifth" is a more expensive and high-tech solution, surpassing the universal "thirty" in the task of gaining air supremacy. Superiority is achieved due to a more advanced complex of onboard radio-electronic equipment (first of all, the most powerful radar station "Irbis" is remembered here, but the electronic warfare complex, the electronic "co-pilot" and, in general, more advanced cabin equipment cannot be ignored). The more powerful Su-35 engines could give it a maneuverability advantage. Thus, for the task of ensuring the country's air defense, the Su-35 looks like a good choice, which is especially important for Tehran. At the moment, the republic, which has achieved visible and spectacularly demonstrated successes in rocketry, has a stagnant aircraft fleet represented by American aircraft purchased before the 1979 anti-Shah revolution (in particular, the F-4 Phantom II "and F-14" Tomcat ") and flew to the end of Desert Storm by former Iraqi vehicles purchased by Saddam from the USSR (MiG-29, Su-24M, Su-25). For a long time, contracts for combat aircraft were blocked by UN Security Council sanctions, but they have already ended. In these conditions, Russia was not only one of the few suppliers not afraid of American bans, but also the only one capable of promptly delivering an advanced fighter that had been proven both at home and abroad and in battle. In September 2022, Iranian Army Air Force Commander Hamid Vahedi announced that the IRIAF is looking to purchase Russian Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jets. Even Turkey was considering the Su-35 as an alternative for the US-made F-16s in case of a fallout with the United States. According to US officials, Iranian pilots received Sukhoi Su-35 training in Russia in the spring, indicating Iran may start acquiring the aircraft within the following year. The information was disclosed to NBC News on 09 December 2022 by senior officials of President Joe Bidens administration. This training is part of what the US has described as an unprecedented level of military and other technology support pouring from Moscow to Tehran. Iran and Russia have been undertaking measures and agreements to boost their economic, trade, energy, and military cooperation. In December 2022, CIA Director William Burns pointed out that the US was concerned about the growing cooperation between Russia and Iran and fears that it could eventually evolve into a full defense partnership. The United States had expressed alarm over the growing military cooperation between Iran and Russia, with Pentagon spokesman John Kirby warning in December 2022 that Russia looked likely to sell Iran its fighter jets. Kirby maintained that Iranian pilots had reportedly been learning to fly the Sukhoi warplanes in Russia, and that Tehran may receive the aircraft within the next year, which would "significantly strengthen Iran's air force relative to its regional neighbours". In late December 2022, some reports revealed that Russia will soon be providing Iran with a complete squadron of Su-35 fighters in the near future, marking a new era in Russian-Iranian cooperation as the West keeps trying to isolate the two nations through unilateral sanctions. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Women's History March is Womens History Month. This had its origins as a national celebration in 1981 when Congress passed Pub. L. 97-28 which authorized and requested the President to proclaim the week beginning March 7, 1982 as Womens History Week. Throughout the next five years, Congress continued to pass joint resolutions designating a week in March as Womens History Week. In 1987 after being petitioned by the National Womens History Project, Congress passed Pub. L. 100-9 which designated the month of March 1987 as Womens History Month. Between 1988 and 1994, Congress passed additional resolutions requesting and authorizing the President to proclaim March of each year as Womens History Month. Since 1995, Presidents have issued a series of annual proclamations designating the month of March as Womens History Month. Few fields of American history have grown as dramatically as that of women's history over the past several decades. Courses in women's history are now standard in most colleges and universities, taught by specialists who have trained in the field; many schools also have interdisciplinary women's studies programs. Professors and graduate students continue to produce a wide range of scholarship on issues of women and gender. Textbooks that once relegated their coverage of women to luminaries such as Abigail Adams, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Sojourner Truth, or Eleanor Roosevelt now include full discussions of major topics and viewpoints in women's history as an integrated part of their general narrative. Although there is still controversy about how American history should be taught, it seems unlikely that we will ever return to the days when women were totally absent from history books or broader historical narratives. The challenge of women's history is not a simple question of add women and stir. It means rethinking and rewriting the story. Linda Gordon, whose pioneering work in the 1970s on the history of the birth control movement helped spur the development of the field, explained: women's history does not simply add women to the picture we already have of the past, like painting additional figures into the spaces of an already completed canvas. It requires repainting the earlier pictures, because some of what was previously on the canvas was inaccurate and more of it was misleading." In the classic feminist text A Room of One's Own (1929), Virginia Woolf tells the story of going to the British Museum to do research for an upcoming lecture on women and fiction. If truth is not to be found on the shelves of the British Museum, she asked herself, where . . . is truth? Her search was not an especially satisfying one. She found many books written by men on the subject of women, all of them totally useless to her task at hand. She left discouraged, feeling an outsider in the men's world of knowledge and scholarship. If Virginia Woolf were to walk into the Library of Congress or any major library or research facility today, she would have a far different experience. Instead of finding the subject of women neglected, excluded, or marginalized, she would confront a wealth of information on topics concerning women and gender that would have been inconceivable in the 1920s, or even as late as the 1960s. Now the problem is not too little material on women: it is how to master and find one's way through the explosion of feminist scholarship of the past three decades. Just as important, a whole range of previously overlooked documents and sources unearthed by feminist scholars sheds new light on women's experiences in the past and present. Women's history itself has a history, which, in turn, has influenced how the field developed, what kinds of questions were asked at various points in time, and how the field interacted with larger contours of American history in general. This process is ongoing. One of the most vibrant things about the field of women's history is its determination to avoid complacency. According to Linda Gordon, women's historians have been continuously self-critical of our generalizations.4 To revisit some of those earlier generalizations and to examine how the questions have been recast and deepened over time provides a good introduction to the field as a whole. Some of the earliest work in American women's history dates to the nineteenth century. Usually produced by amateur historians, these works are often referred to as compensatory or contributory history because they focused on previously unknown or neglected contributions that women had made to various aspects of the American experience. Many of these early historical works were biographies of famous women, often authors, first ladies, or women otherwise defined by their relationship to prominent men, a focus that became less dominant as the field matured. Not terribly sophisticated methodologically but often written in a lively and accessible style, these early attempts to put women in history were nevertheless important for showing that the materials and resources existed to write about women's lives and their contributions to American life. One way to think about women's history today is to realize how many of its major concerns are focused and oriented toward relationships: in addition to the reigning trilogy of race, class, and gender, the field addresses relationships between groups of women, between structures of power and their subjects, between regions and nationalities, and so forth. Instead of revealing a singular womanhood, womens history makes the diversity of the American experience more visible. While women often faced social constraints and could be restricted by conventional ideas about gender roles, the realities of womens lives have never been neatly confined to the domestic spaces of the home. They have been active participants in American societyas political activists, intellectuals, innovators, entrepreneurs, laborers, and educators. Native women played important family, economic, and diplomatic roles in their communities. For example, matrilineal societies like the Ocmulgee Nationor Creekin modern-day Georgia frequently arranged marriages between Creek women and fur traders in order to form alliances and strengthen trading networks. As translators and intermediaries, they aided cooperation between diverse communities by negotiating trade and peace treaties. Native women even bridged immense cultural differences and intermarried with European settlers and traders. As healers and elders, they nurtured their communities and sustained their traditions and oral histories long after the American government expelled native tribes from their ancestral lands. Women were political actors long before white suffragists gained the vote in 1920. Abigail Adams (1744-1818) was just one of the most well-known women who shaped American politics. While Adams oversaw the running of her family home and the upbringing of her childrenincluding future president John Quincy Adamsshe also advised her husband John Adams during his long career as a diplomat, Vice President, and President. Even while they were prohibited from voting, holding office, and had limited access to formal education, women influenced American politics within the narrow parameters that were acceptable in the Early Republicby conforming to the ideals of Republican motherhood and raising virtuous citizens. Women of color faced even greater barriers. Effectively excluded from American civic life, women of color adopted alternative strategies to fight racial oppression. While many white women called for the abolition of slavery, black women sacrificed life and limb to help enslaved people escape bondage. Harriet Tubman (1822-1913) an escaped slave and conductor of the Underground Railroad provided safe passage for nearly 70 enslaved people to freedom. After the Civil War, Tubman and other emancipated women became vocal advocates for womens suffrage and black equality. Mary McLeod Bethune (1875-1955) strove to aide black communities through education. She established schools and civic organizations for African-American students and became a member of President Franklin D. Roosevelts Black Cabinet, where she served as a voice for disenfranchised blacks throughout the South. Business entrepreneur Madam C.J. Walker (1867-1919) became the first self-made millionaire in America with her line of beauty and hair products. Walker believed she could help black communities across the country by helping women gain financial independence. Her training program provided working black women important training and skills. During the twentieth century, feminist activists like the Combahee River Collective continued the conversations begun by these womenarguing that oppression based on race and gender could not be overcome separately. In the decades following the revolution, America was flooded with people clamoring to define and shape the nations political, social, and religious identity. The Shakersor more properly known as the United Society of Believerswas one such group. Their charismatic leader, Mother Ann Lee (1736-1784), built a public ministry dedicated to the establishing heaven on earth. In 19 communities spread from Maine to Kentuckylisted on the Shaker Historic Trail Travel Itinerarythe Shakers sparked a religious movement committed to communitarian principles, including celibacy, pacifism, and gender equality. The Shakers alternative ideas about worship, marriage, and the family challenged mainstream culture and the very social order of a growing nation. As artists, women were keen observers of daily life in America. Alice Austen (1866-1952) was one of Americas earliest photographers. Her work captured daily life in American society while also testing Victorian valuesfemale subjects appeared in mens clothing and even smoked in public. Austen also challenged Victorian social mores in her personal life. She never married and instead shared a home with her partner Gertrude Tate for nearly fifty years. Austens entire body of worknearly 8,000 photographswas developed in the darkroom at her Staten Island home Clear Comfort, now a National Historic Landmark. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russo-Ukraine War - 21 March 2023 - Day 391 Su M Tu W Th F Sa 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While GlobalSecurity.org takes utmost care to accurately report this news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos. On 24 February 2022, Ukraine was suddenly and deliberately attacked by land, naval and air forces of Russia, igniting the largest European war since the Great Patriotic War. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a "special military operation" (SVO - spetsialnaya voennaya operatsiya) in Ukraine in response to the appeal of the leaders of the "Donbass republics" for help. That attack is a blatant violation of the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine. Putin stressed that Moscow's goal is the demilitarization and denazification of the country. The military buildup in preceeding months makes it obvious that the unprovoked and dastardly Russian attack was deliberately planned long in advance. During the intervening time, the Russian government had deliberately sought to deceive the world by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace. "To initiate a war of aggression... is not only an international crime; it is the supreme international crime differing only from other war crimes in that it contains within itself the accumulated evil of the whole." [Judgment of the International Military Tribunal] The UK Ministry of Defence reported that in the coming weeks, thousands of Russian convicts who have fought for Wagner Group are likely to be pardoned and released. Wagner prisoner recruitment peaked in autumn 2022, with inmates being offered commutation of their sentences after six months of service. Although approximately half of the prisoners recruited have likely been killed or wounded, evidence from Russia suggests the group is following through on its promise to free survivors. The certificates issued to freed Wagner veterans claim to have been endorsed by the decree of President Putin. With Wagner now likely banned from recruiting more prisoners, this exodus will worsen its personnel problems. In addition, the sudden influx of often violent offenders with recent and often traumatic combat experience will likely present a significant challenge for Russia's war-time society. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that the Russian Federation continues its armed aggression against Ukraine, focusing its main efforts on attempts to fully occupy Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts within their administrative borders. Russia continues its offensive operations on Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka, Mar'inka, and Shakhtars'ke axes. The fiercest fighting is for Bakhmut and on Avdiivka axis. The Russian aggressor continues to use its usual tactics of terrorizing the civilians, shells residential areas and critical infrastructure. During the day of March 21, the Russian adversary launched 4x missile and 24x air strikes, more than 30x MLRS attacks. Volyn, Polissya, Sivershchyna, and Slobozhanshchyna axes: no significant changes in the operational situation, no formation of Russian offensive groups were found. The Russian leadership continues to use the infrastructure of the Republic of Belarus to train its troops. The Russian adversary maintains its military presence in the border areas. During the day of March 21, Russian forces shelled the vicinities of settlements of Khrinivka, Mykhal'chyna Sloboda (Chernihiv oblast), Atyns'ke, Iskryskivshchyna, Volfyne, Pavlivka, Popivka (Sumy oblast), Basove, Kozacha Lopan', Strilecha, Hlyboke, Vovchans'k, and Velykyi Burluk (Kharkiv oblast). Kup'yans'k and Lyman axes: Russia continues its attempts to break through the Ukrainian defense. Russian forces conducted unsuccessful offensive operations towards the settlements of Masyutivka, Novoselivs'ke, Bilohorivka, and Verkhn'okam'yans'ke. The Russian invaders fired artillery at the vicinities of settlements of Krasne Pershe, Dvorichna, Kup'yans'k, Krokhmal'ne, Berestove (Kharkiv oblast), Nevs'ke, Bilohorivka (Luhansk oblast), Tors'ke, Spirne, and Fedorivka (Donetsk oblast). Bakhmut axis: Russia continues its offensive operations, but is losing its offensive potential. The Russian adversary keeps trying to capture the city, suffering major casualties, losing significant amount of weapons and military equipment. Ukrainian defenders are repelling numerous round-the-clock attacks of the Russian occupiers in the vicinities of settlements of Orikhovo-Vasylivka, Hryhorivka, and in the northern part of Bakhmut. Vasyukivka, Min'kivka, Orikhovo-Vasylivka, Hryhorivka, Bakhmut, Ivanivske, Stupochky, Predtechyne, Chasiv Yar, Kurdyumivka, Ozarianivka, and Pivnichne (Donetsk oblast), among others, came under Russian fire. Avdiivka, Mar'inka, and Shakhtars'ke axes: the Russian adversary conducted offensive operations in the vicinities of settlements Novobakhmutivka, Krasnohorivka, Avdiivka, Sjeverne, Pervomais'ke, Mar'inka, and Pobjeda. To no success. The vicinities of Lastochkyne, Berdychi, Avdiivka, Tonen'ke, Heorhiivka, Nevel's'ke, Krasnohorivka, Mar'inka, and Vuhledar (Donetsk oblast) came under Russian fire. Zaporizhzhia and Kherson axes: the Russian adversary is defending. Russian forces shelled the vicinities of settlements near the line of contact, including: Novopil' (Donetsk oblast), Ol'hivs'ke, Malynivka, Chervone, Charivne, Hulyaipole, Mala Tokmachka, Novodanylivka, Novoandriivka (Zaporizhzhia oblast), as well as Antonivka and the city of Kherson. The Russian Federation does not give up its war of aggression, despite the numerous casualties. It is constantly taking actions to replenish its losses in manpower. For example, one of the military units stationed in Krasnodar Krai (Russia) is actively working with its conscripts to get them to sign contracts. The servicemen who agree to sign the contracts are expected to be deployed to Ukraine in August 2023. During the day of March 21, the Ukrainian Air Force launched 5x air strikes on Russian forces concentrations, while Ukrainian missile and artillery units hit 1x ammunition depot, 2x anti-aircraft missile systems, 1x radar station, and 1x other important Russian target. Statements of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation The Russian Ministry of Defense reported that during the day, as a result of strikes on the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, about 405 Ukrainian servicemen and a large number of enemy military equipment were destroyed. Operational-tactical and army aviation, missile forces and artillery hit 95 artillery units, manpower and equipment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in 107 districts. 3 US-made AN/TPQ-37 counter-battery radar stations were destroyed in the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), Zaporozhye and Kherson regions. Fighter aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces in the DPR shot down a Su-25 of the Ukrainian Air Force. Air defense means destroyed 31 unmanned aerial vehicles of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the DPR, the Luhansk People's Republic (LPR), Kharkiv, Zaporozhye and Kherson regions. In addition, 3 HIMARS multiple rocket launchers were intercepted. Zaporozhye region The Security Service of Ukraine said that it suspects the director of the Zaporizhzhya NPP, Yuriy Chernychuk, of cooperation with Russia. The investigation claims that Chernichuk allegedly puts pressure on employees and facilitates the connection of the facility to the energy system of the Russian Federation. The Ukrainian command throws its soldiers to certain death, ordering them to go on the attack in order to probe the Russian line of defense. This was stated by Vladimir Rogov, a member of the main council of the administration of the Zaporozhye region. The official said that all reconnaissance in combat recently ended for the Armed Forces of Ukraine with large losses of personnel and military equipment. Rogov also said that a loud explosion was heard in the Ukrainian-controlled city of Zaporozhye, after which electricity was lost in several areas. Kherson region Ukrainian troops shelled the village of Aleshki during the day. As a result of the attack, several residential buildings were damaged, there were no dead or wounded. DPR During the day, the Armed Forces of Ukraine opened fire on Donetsk, as well as the settlements of Gorlovka, Golmovsky, Makeevka. As a result of the attacks in Makiivka, a civilian was wounded, and another civilian was injured in an explosion on an explosive object. In Donetsk, damage was recorded to residential buildings, in Horlivka, damage was caused to the building of a correctional colony. Acting head of the DPR Denis Pushilin said that Kyiv has 5 supply routes for the group of troops in Avdiivka, the allied forces are doing everything possible to cut them. LC Ukrainian troops launched an artillery strike on Nizhnyaya Duvanka. As a result of the shelling, the fire and rescue post of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the LPR was destroyed. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address China's Xi, Russia's Putin swap praise as they begin key Moscow summit Xi's trip endorses Putin even as China portrays itself as neutral in the Ukraine crisis. By RFA Staff 2023.03.20 -- Chinese President Xi Jinping landed in Moscow on Monday, trading praise with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin at the start of a three-day state visit that is being closely watched for what the two leaders say about the war in Ukraine. Xi's first foreign trip after being re-appointed for a rare third term is also his first visit to Russia since Putin invaded Ukraine. Xi and Putin, both effectively leaders for life of their nuclear-armed countries, have met around 40 times during Xi's decade in power. "Dear friend, welcome to Russia," Putin said. "Over the last few years, China has made a colossal leap forward in its development. This arouses genuine interest all over the world and we are even a bit jealous of you," he added. Xi praised Putin's "strong leadership" that he said had delivered greater prosperity to Russia. "You have elections next year, and I'm sure the Russian people will support you," he said. The international focus is on the Ukraine war, after Beijing last month released a 12-point position on the Ukraine crisis. China last month released a 12-point proposal for ending the war and called for a cease-fire and peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow. The plan received a cautious welcome from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy but was seen by the U.S. and Europe as letting Moscow off easy. "We expect Beijing to use its influence on Moscow to make it put an end to the aggressive war against Ukraine," said Oleg Nikolenko, a spokesman for Ukraine's foreign ministry was quoted by Al Jazeera as saying Monday. 'Freeze the war' U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday that Washington "welcomes any initiative that advances a just and durable peace" and China's plan contains humanitarian and nuclear safety "elements that we have long supported." But he warned against a ceasefire that left the conflict unresolved and would allow Russia to rearm and resume fighting at a time of its choice. "The world should not be fooled by any tactical move by Russia, supported by China or any other country, to freeze the war on its own terms," he told reporters in Washington. "If China is committed to supporting an end to the war, based on the principles of the UN Charter, as called for in point one of (Xi's) plan, it can engage with President Zelenskyy in Ukraine on that basis and use its influence to compel Moscow to pull back its forces," added Blinken. Xi's visit comes three days after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Putin for war crimes related to the suspected abductions of children from Ukraine. Moscow responded furiously to the indictment, but analysts say the warrant would not affect Xi's visit in any significant way because both Russia and China are not state parties of the Rome Statute and do not recognize the court's jurisdiction. "The ICC needs to take an objective and just position, respect the jurisdictional immunity of aahead of state under international law, prudently exercise its mandate in accordance with the law, interpret and apply international law in good faith, and not engage in politicization or using double standards." Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Monday in Beijing. "China will uphold an objective and fair position on the Ukraine crisis and play a constructive role in promoting talks for peace.," Wang added. On Monday, two major newspapers in Russia and China simultaneously published two articles by Putin and Xi that reflected their approaches towards each other. Putin's article in the People's Daily said Russia appreciated China's "well-balanced stance on the events in Ukraine" and Moscow welcomed "China's readiness to make a meaningful contribution to the settlement of the crisis." The Russian president went on to condemn Western countries for "the irresponsible and outright dangerous actions that jeopardize nuclear security." "Russia is open to the political and diplomatic resolution of the Ukraine crisis," Putin wrote, "Unfortunately, the ultimatum nature of requirements placed on Russia shows that their authors are detached from these realities and lack interest in finding a solution to the situation." "We reject illegitimate unilateral sanctions, which must be lifted," the article said. Without mentioning the U.S., Xi wrote: "The international community is well aware that no country in the world is superior to all others. There is no universal model of government and there is no world order where the decisive word belongs to a single country." Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday that the two leaders would discuss the "further development of comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation between Russia and China" during Xi's trip, which lasts until Wednesday. Military-technical cooperation and energy issues will be high on the agenda. They will sign a joint statement on a plan to develop key areas of Russian-Chinese economic cooperation until 2030, according to Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov. The two sides also plan to sign "more than 10" documents on various areas of cooperation, Ushakov told a press briefing. Ukraine peace plan? "The Ukraine war will no doubt be the top issue for the two leaders' meeting," said Baohui Zhang, professor of Government and International Affairs at Hong Kong's Ling nan University. "China should have concerns for the prospect of Russia's eventual defeat and the following geopolitical consequences," Zhang told Radio Free Asia (RFA). "Moreover, China is sandwiched between Russia and the West regarding its roles in the Ukraine war. It is a quagmire that Beijing does not want." "[The] Chinese and Russian leaders will certainly talk about how to end the war as a cease of conflict is conducive to the interests of both," the analyst said. China's 12-point blue print on the Ukraine crisis, on the other hand, does not offer concrete measures to end the conflict and "it's difficult to say what Xi might say to Putin in private," said Ian Storey, a Singapore-based scholar who has been studying China's and Russia's defense diplomacy in Southeast Asia. "I don't think he will try to persuade Putin to sign some kind of ceasefire agreement with Ukraine," Storey said. When it comes to the Ukraine conflict, "the key question is whether or not the Putin-Xi summit will lead to decisions on the part of China to open large-scale military and military-related supplies to Russia," said Artyom Lukin, deputy director for research at the School of Regional and International Studies at Russia's Far Eastern Federal University. "For Beijing to go ahead with weapons shipments to Russia, it must be confident in the strength and resilience of the Chinese economy that will likely be hit with massive Western sanctions," Lukin told RFA. "Judging from the list of Russian top officials who will be present at the Putin-Xi talks, the main topics on the agenda will be bilateral economic relations," the analyst said. China wary of Washington's red lines Amongst participants, there will be ministers of finance and transport, the Governor of the Central Bank Elvira Nabiullina, and the head of the State Nuclear Energy Corporation Rosatom Alexei Likhachev, as well as prominent businessmen. "Even though Beijing keeps denouncing Western sanctions imposed on Russia, China has been careful not to cross the red lines drawn by Washington," Lukin told RFA. "Despite the overall considerable growth of bilateral trade last year, some areas of the Russia-China economic relationship, especially in financial and hi-tech sectors, have suffered," he said. Xi's visit to Moscow can provide some answers to the key question of "whether China's cautiousness in business dealings with Russia is transient or for the long haul,." added Lukin. Storey, a senior fellow at the ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute, pointed out that "increasingly Beijing will throw Moscow an economic lifeline" as Russia is an important country for China and "China cannot let Western sanctions against Russia succeed." "As time goes by, Russia's dependence on China will deepen," he said. Among the agreements to be signed during Xi's visit to Moscow "one major indicator to watch will be a possible signing of a binding contract to supply gas from western Siberia to China via a pipeline that will traverse Mongolia before entering China," according to Lukin. "Natural gas that Gazprom seeks to supply to China through the projected pipeline is from the same deposits that had, until recently, fed Europe's energy needs." "If Beijing hands this mega-contract to Moscow, this may signal Xi's determination to develop durable links with Russia," the Russian analyst said, adding that another big item on the economic agenda could be setting up a system to "bypass SWIFT and Western currencies in bilateral trade and investment." 'A tighter embrace' "While there has been much talk of the West trying to drive a wedge between Russia and China, this is just wishful thinking," according to Storey. "As both countries increasingly feel that they are the target of a U.S.-led containment strategy they have moved into a tighter embrace," he said. For that reason, the U.S. will "certainly be on the agenda of the meeting" between Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, according to professor Baohui Zhang from Lingnan University. "The Sino-Russia strategic partnership is motivated by the U.S. primacy in international affairs," Zhang said, "The U.S. support for Ukraine and the U.S. shift towards strategic competition against China have provided more momentum for Beijing and Moscow to tighten their diplomatic and security partnership." Over the past decade, Xi Jinping has made eight visits to Russia. Vladimir Putin, for his part, made 12 official visits to China since his first presidency in 2000. His last state visit to Beijing took place in February 2022. Updates with remarks by Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin.. Copyright 1998-2023, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. For any commercial use of RFA content please send an email to: mahajanr@rfa.org. RFA content March not be used in a manner which would give the appearance of any endorsement of any product or support of any issue or political position. Please read the full text of our Terms of Use. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Xi meets Putin in Moscow People's Daily Online (Xinhua) 08:04, March 21, 2023 MOSCOW, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping met with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, at the Kremlin on his arrival in Moscow on Monday. When Xi reached the Kremlin, he was greeted by the Kremlin Commandant at the alighting point. Putin warmly shook hands and took photos with Xi. The two presidents had an in-depth and candid exchange on China-Russia relations and issues of mutual interest. Xi noted that he was pleased to pay another state visit to Russia at the invitation of Putin, adding that Russia was the first country he visited after he was elected president 10 years ago and memories from that visit remain fresh today. Xi said that over the past 10 years, he and Putin have stayed in close touch, and expressed his appreciation to Putin for immediately sending him congratulatory messages on his reelection as general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) by the 20th CPC National Congress and on his reelection not long ago as Chinese president. He noted that Russia will hold the presidential election next year, and under Putin's strong leadership, Russia has made good progress in development and rejuvenation. Xi said he is confident that the Russian people will continue to give firm support to Putin. Xi stressed that there is a profound historical logic for China-Russia relationship to reach where it is today. China and Russia are each other's biggest neighbor and comprehensive strategic partner of coordination. Both countries see their relationship as a high priority in their overall diplomacy and policy on external affairs. China always upholds an independent foreign policy. To consolidate and develop well China-Russia relations is a strategic choice China has made on the basis of its own fundamental interests and the prevailing trends of the world, said Xi. China is firm in keeping to the general direction of strengthening strategic coordination with Russia, Xi said, adding that both China and Russia are committed to realizing national development and rejuvenation, support world multi-polarity and work for greater democracy in international relations. Xi said the two countries should further deepen practical cooperation in various fields and strengthen coordination and collaboration on multilateral platforms such as the UN to boost their respective national development and rejuvenation, and be a bulwark for world peace and stability. Putin extended a warm welcome to Xi for his state visit to Russia and once again warmly congratulated him on his reelection as Chinese president. Putin said that in the past 10 years China has made impressive and great achievements in all areas of development. This is attributable to the outstanding leadership of Xi and proves the strength of China's national political system and governance system. Putin said he is confident that under Xi's strong leadership, China will definitely continue to develop and prosper and successfully realize all the great goals that have been set. With concerted efforts by both sides, Russia-China relations in recent years have delivered fruitful results in various areas, Putin said, adding that Russia stands ready to continue to deepen bilateral practical cooperation, step up communication and collaboration in international affairs, and promote world multi-polarity and greater democracy in international relations. The two sides had an in-depth exchange of views on the Ukraine issue. Xi stressed that, on the Ukraine issue, voices for peace and rationality are building. Most countries support easing tensions, stand for peace talks, and are against adding fuel to the fire. A review of history shows that conflicts in the end have to be settled through dialogue and negotiation. China released a document on its position on the Ukraine crisis, advocating the political settlement of the crisis and rejecting the Cold War mentality and unilateral sanctions, said Xi. China believes that the more difficulties there are, the greater the need to keep space for peace. The more acute the problem is, the more important it is not to give up efforts for dialogue. China will continue to play a constructive role in promoting the political settlement of the Ukraine issue, said Xi. For his part, Putin said that Russia appreciates China for consistently upholding an impartial, objective, and balanced position and standing for fairness and justice on major international issues. Russia has carefully studied China's position paper on the political settlement of the Ukraine issue and is open to talks for peace. Russia welcomes China to play a constructive role in this regard. The two presidents said that they look forward to formal talks on the next day to draw up a new blueprint for China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination in the years to come. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address President Xi Jinping Meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the People's Republic of China 2023-03-21 04:25 On the afternoon of 20 March local time, President Xi Jinping, upon invitation, met with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin on his arrival in Moscow.a When President Xi reached the Kremlin, he was greeted by the Kremlin Commandant at the alighting point. President Putin warmly shook hands and took photos with President Xi. The two Presidents had an in-depth and candid exchange on China-Russia relations and issues of mutual interest.a President Xi noted that he was pleased to pay another state visit to Russia at the invitation of President Putin. Russia was the first country he visited after he was elected President ten years ago. Memories from that visit remain fresh today. Over the past ten years, he and President Putin stayed in close touch. President Xi expressed his appreciation to President Putin for immediately sending him congratulatory messages on his reelection as General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee by the 20th CPC National Congress and on his reelection not long ago as Chinese President. He noted that Russia will hold the presidential election next year, and under President Putin's strong leadership, Russia has made good progress in development and rejuvenation. President Xi said he is confident that the Russian people will continue to give firm support to President Putin. President Xi stressed that there is a profound historical logic for China-Russia relationship to reach where it is today. China and Russia are each other's biggest neighbor and comprehensive strategic partner of coordination. Both countries see their relationship as a high priority in their overall diplomacy and policy on external affairs. China always upholds an independent foreign policy. To consolidate and develop well China-Russia relations is a strategic choice China has made on the basis of its own fundamental interests and the prevailing trends of the world. China is firm in keeping to the general direction of strengthening strategic coordination with Russia. Both China and Russia are committed to realizing national development and rejuvenation, support world multi-polarity and work for greater democracy in international relations. The two countries should further deepen practical cooperation in various fields and strengthen coordination and collaboration on multilateral platforms such as the UN to boost their respective national development and rejuvenation, and be a bulwark for world peace and stability.a President Putin extended a warm welcome to President Xi for his state visit to Russia and once again warmly congratulated him on his reelection as Chinese President. President Putin said that in the past ten years China made impressive and great achievements in all areas of development. This is attributable to the outstanding leadership of President Xi and proves the strength of China's national political system and governance system. He was confident that under President Xi's strong leadership, China will definitely continue to develop and prosper and successfully realize all the great goals that have been set. With concerted efforts by both sides, Russia-China relations in recent years have delivered fruitful results in various areas. Russia stands ready to continue to deepen bilateral practical cooperation, step up communication and collaboration in international affairs, and promote world multi-polarity and greater democracy in international relations.a The two sides had an in-depth exchange of views on the Ukraine issue. President Xi stressed that, on the Ukraine issue, voices for peace and rationality are building. Most countries support easing tensions, stand for peace talks, and are against adding fuel to the fire. A review of history shows that conflicts in the end have to be settled through dialogue and negotiation. China released a document on its position on the Ukraine crisis, advocating the political settlement of the crisis and rejecting the Cold War mentality and unilateral sanctions. China believes that the more difficulties there are, the greater the need to keep space for peace. The more acute the problem is, the more important it is not to give up efforts for dialogue. China will continue to play a constructive role in promoting the political settlement of the Ukraine issue.a President Putin said that Russia appreciates China for consistently upholding an impartial, objective, and balanced position and standing for fairness and justice on major international issues. Russia has carefully studied China's position paper on the political settlement of the Ukraine issue and is open to talks for peace. Russia welcomes China to play a constructive role in this regard.a The two Presidents said that they look forward to formal talks on the next day to draw up a new blueprint for China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination in the years to come. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Spate of missile launches triggers call for unity on Korean Peninsula 20 March 2023 - Raising alarms that the situation on the Korean Peninsula is heading in the "wrong direction", a senior UN official appealed to the UN Security Council for unity on Monday, following a spate of missile launches in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). UN Assistant Secretary-General for Europe, Central Asia, and the Americas Miroslav Jenca told the Council that the Korean Peninsula must be "an area for cooperation" and not for escalating tensions. In this regard, the Security Council's unity is "essential" to ease tensions and overcome the diplomatic impasse. Drill simulates 'nuclear counterattack' DPRK has conducted 14 launches of ballistic missile systems in 2023. Pyongyang called its latest launch, fired on Sunday, a "drill simulating a nuclear counterattack", he said, briefing on the latest developments. "The situation on the Korean Peninsula continues to head in the wrong direction," he said. "Tensions continue to increase, with no off-ramps in sight." Sunday's ballistic missile launch was the fourth in 11 days in DPRK, which is more commonly known as North Korea. The systems tested on 16 March and 18 February, as well as on two occasions last year, are capable of reaching most points on the Earth, he said, reiterating the UN Secretary-General's condemnation of the launches and repeated calls on DPRK to immediately desist from taking any further destabilizing actions. Pyongyang had announced that the 16 March launching drill involved the Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile, which flew a distance of 1,000 kilometres to an altitude of 6,045 kilometres, he said. This heightened frequency of activities comes on the heels of a sharp rise in missile launches in 2022, including approximately 70 launches using ballistic missile technology, he cautioned. "The DPRK characterised these launches as involving systems with nuclear weapon roles, including so-called 'tactical' nuclear weapons," he said, adding that most of the systems tested are capable of striking countries in the immediate region. Pyongyang had not issued airspace or maritime safety notifications, he said, adding that unannounced launches represent a "serious risk" to international civil aviation and maritime traffic. Indeed, DPRK is actively pursuing its nuclear weapons programme, having approved a new law in September setting out conditions in which it could use nuclear weapons, including pre-emptively in certain circumstances, he said. 'Remains prepared for nuclear test' At the same time, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported in early March that the Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Site remains prepared to support a nuclear test, he said. A nuclear test - the nation's seventh - would be a flagrant violation of Security Council resolutions and undermine the international norm against nuclear testing. Highlighting concerns regarding the humanitarian situation in the country, he said the UN stands ready to assist in addressing medical and other basic needs of vulnerable populations. "We reiterate our call on the DPRK to allow the unimpeded entry of international staff, including the UN Resident Coordinator, and of humanitarian supplies, to enable a timely and effective response," he said. New Human Rights Council report Presenting her first report to the Human Rights Council (HRC) on Monday, Elizabeth Salmon, the new UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in DPRK, said that given the current heightened tensions, any security misstep could trigger significant escalation with drastic consequences for human rights. Meanwhile, the 2020 border closure continues to raise grave concerns, she said. "Access to food, medicines and health care remains a priority concern," she said, adding that UN engagement and access to information is at its "lowest point ever", allowing authorities to tighten control over its people and prioritize the development of weapon systems. New 'shoot-on-site' policy "People have frozen to death during the cold spells in January," she said. "Women have lost the means to make a living because of reduced market activities. The country also has introduced more severe penalties for accessing information from outside of the country, further limited domestic travel and further strengthened border security, including introducing a 'shoot-on-site' policy." The international community should approach human rights violations in the country from two tracks: engage in reflective thinking and make repeated efforts to re-engage authorities and take action and advocate to end impunity and achieve accountability. Security and rights 'closely interlinked' "It's urgent to address human rights concerns in possible negotiations on denuclearization and work towards a peaceful resolution of tensions because human rights and peace and security are closely interlinked," she said, also highlighting elements of the report, which focuses on girls and women. Reiterating the need to refer relevant cases to the International Criminal Court (ICC), she said in the meantime, the Human Rights Council should press for comprehensive negotiations with Pyongyang that comprise peace, security, economic development, and humanitarian and human rights issues. "The current stalemate in dialogue and diplomacy only enables the further deterioration of the human rights situation under the cloak of secrecy and facilitates the further development of the country's weapons programme including nuclear weapons," she said. "That surely isn't something the international community would want to settle with." Special rapporteurs are appointed by the UN Human Rights Council and work on a voluntary and unpaid basis, are not UN staff, and work independently from any government or organization. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UN: Tensions on Korean Peninsula Headed in 'Wrong Direction' By Margaret Besheer March 20, 2023 A senior United Nations official warned Monday that the situation on the Korean Peninsula is heading in the "wrong direction" days after North Korea fired its second intermediate-range ballistic missile of the year, followed by a short-range ballistic missile on Sunday. "Tensions continue to increase, with no off-ramps in sight," Miroslav Jenca, U.N. assistant secretary-general for Europe, Central Asia and the Americas, told the Security Council. He noted that North Korea has "clearly stated its intention" to continue pursuing nuclear and ballistic weapons programs, which are a violation of several Security Council resolutions. But as Pyongyang continues to flout the international community's demands that it abandon its unlawful nuclear and ballistic missile programs in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner, the 15-nation council remains divided over what to do. Since 2006, the council has adopted several sanctions resolutions intended to limit North Korea's access to funds and materials for its illicit weapons programs. But for more than a year, council members have been unable to speak in a unified voice condemning the 10 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launches and dozens of shorter-range ballistic missile launches. "The secretary-general [Antonio Guterres] remains deeply concerned over the divisions that have prevented the international community from acting on this matter, as well as on other threats to peace and security around the world," Jenca said of the council's paralysis. "The Korean Peninsula must be an area for cooperation." The United States and its partners have sought action without success. In May, China and Russia used their vetoes to block a U.S.-drafted resolution that would have imposed new sanctions on Pyongyang. On Monday, Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said Washington is pursuing what is known as a presidential statement in the council. "I know two members of this council believe we should stay silent," she said, alluding to Russia and China. "But council silence is not working. Hoping the DPRK regime will stop of its own accord is not working. Month after month, these two members are demanding we do the same thing and expecting different results." The DPRK is the abbreviation for North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. A presidential statement would require consensus of all 15 council members, which appeared unlikely. "China has expressed reservations on a council resolution or PRST [presidential statement] precisely because we don't think it is constructive. And on the contrary, we are afraid that they will inject fresh elements of irritants in the situation," said Chinese Deputy Ambassador Geng Shuang. He urged the U.S. and North Korea to be restrained, demonstrate mutual goodwill and seek a solution in a "calm, cool-headed" manner, adding that Washington should offer practical proposals. "I don't know what will come out of this PRST yet," Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said in response to a reporter's question. "I think we should demonstrate restraint in this issue. While accusing DPRK in all the misdeeds that they are doing, the U.S. and their allies forget that they make actions which DPRK considers extremely hostile." The United States and South Korea are currently conducting 11-day-long joint military exercises in the region. Japan, which currently sits on the council, took a firm position, as the latest ICBM launch landed 200 kilometers from its territory. "Where do we stand, on the side of the rule breaker or on the side of the rule keeper? We know the correct answer. Let's do our job," Deputy Japanese Ambassador Shino Mitsuko told council members, expressing support for the presidential statement as an interim measure until the council is ready to take more robust action. South Korea, which is not on the Security Council but is invited to public meetings on the issue, accused the council of turning a "blind eye" to North Korea's repeated and "brazen" violations. Ambassador Hwang Joon-kook said his country lives with Pyongyang's missile provocations on a near-daily basis. He took issue with comments from the Russian and Chinese envoys that sought in part to blame the joint military exercises for the missile launches. "Pyongyang has conducted six nuclear tests and launched more than 200 ballistic missiles over the last several decades a according to their own plan, regardless of our military exercises or our policy toward DPRK a even during the period of our so-called sunshine policy," he said. "This is largely because the DPRK is obsessed with the advancement of its nuclear capabilities to sustain its very, very unique regime, despite the severe and ongoing suffering of its own people." Following the meeting, the United States was joined by council members Albania, Ecuador, France, Japan, Malta, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom plus South Korea in a statement condemning the recent launches. "We cannot accept these launches as business as usual. This growing crisis threatens not only the region but global peace and stability," Thomas-Greenfield said on the group's behalf. She said they remain committed to diplomacy and urged the Security Council to break its silence. "The DPRK is testing the council's resolve and purpose, and the council must act," the envoy said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Republican lawmakers moved Tuesday to etch their supermajority status into the Legislatures bipartisan interim committees, while Democrats accused them of dismantling one of our few remaining bipartisan institutions. This bill overturns the many decades of Montana legislative history, practice and tradition of bipartisanship during the interim, Rep. Ed Stafman, D-Bozeman, said. But Republicans argued that Senate Bill 176 would simply extend the will of the voters to the makeup of those interim committees, which are currently split 50-50 between the states two largest political parties. The voters of Montana sent a supermajority here, and they sent a super-minority here also, said Rep. Braxton Mitchell, R-Columbia Falls. SB 176 previously passed the Senate, and passed a preliminary endorsement in the House, 66-34, with just two Republicans joining all 32 Democrats in voting against it. It would give the majority party a 3-to-1 advantage on interim committees. The GOP currently holds a two-thirds majority in both Houses. Interim committees, as the name suggests, are panels of lawmakers who continue working on issues between sessions. Frequently they take up study bills passed each session and focus on policy areas that require more depth of knowledge than can easily be absorbed in the rush of the 90-day legislative session. The committees cant pass legislation, but typically take votes toward the end of the interim to recommend bills that emerge from their discussions. Proposals addressing issues from teacher shortages to the Montana State Hospital and public pension systems emerged from the most recent batch of interim committees. Oftentimes, legislation requested by those panels receives broad bipartisan support once its introduced. SB 176 builds on a change enacted by Republicans last session, which gave the majority party the ability to break ties if an interim committee deadlocks on a vote. Democrats pointed several times to that above-average success for interim committee legislation. People who have served a while, you know that having made it out of a bipartisan committee, its been pretty well vetted, Rep. Marilyn Marler, D-Missoula, said. But Republicans noted that as their majorities have grown, split interim committees mean there arent enough GOP slots for each of their lawmakers to get an assignment during the interim. Meanwhile some Democrats get to serve on multiple interim committees to fill out their half of the pie. Its just math guys, and people who are elected to this body owe it to their constituents to serve their entire term, not just the 90 days were here, Rep. Jennifer Carlson, R-Churchill, said. A couple Democrats suggested Republicans might regret the increased partisanship when the shoe is on the other foot. But the GOP likely wont have to worry about that anytime soon. Montana has trended increasingly red in recent years, culminating in the GOPs capture of supermajorities in both the House and Senate last November. New legislative district maps that go into effect with next years elections will likely reduce those majorities, but dont offer Democrats a path to capturing either chamber in the foreseeable future. Over the past three decades, Montana Democrats have controlled a legislative chamber just twice the last time in 2007 compared to 26 times for Republicans. Twice the House was evenly divided. House Majority Leader Sue Vinton, R-Billings, suggested that if, as Democrats warned, they retake the majority in a future session, they can change this bill back to 50-50, prompting some bipartisan laughter. Democrats succeeded in amending the bill to keep a 50-50 split in the State-Tribal Relations Interim Committee. The change was opposed by Regier, but several Republicans spoke in support of the amendment. That committee plays a unique role, they argued, in educating non-native lawmakers and building relationships between the Legislature and the eight sovereign tribal governments within the states borders. If we bring a political spin into this committee, I have a feeling that its structure and its use will be degraded, Rep. Joe Read, R-Ronan, said. The amendment won support from Democrats and most Republicans, passing 74-26. Because it was amended after passing the Senate, the bill wont go straight to the governors desk if it passes a final reading in the House. Instead it must return to the Senate, which will vote on whether or not to accept the changes added by the House. Iran vows to deliver 'proportional response' to EU, UK sanctions Iran Press TV Tuesday, 21 March 2023 2:52 AM Iran vows to reciprocate the European Union and the UK's recent repetitive move to impose sanctions on Iranian targets over, what Brussels and London have called, human rights violations. "The confrontational and sanction policy will be met with Iran's proportional response," Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian told his Belgian counterpart Hadja Lahbib during a telephone conversation on Monday. Earlier in the day, the European Union announced that it was imposing restrictive measures on additional eight individuals and one entity, including members of the Judiciary, a member of the Iranian parliament, clerics, and a senior official of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB). Also on Monday, Britain imposed sanctions on more senior officials of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), including those whom it claimed were responsible for managing the elite force's financial investments. Both Brussels and London have alleged that they have resorted to the coercive measures over, what they called were, the Islamic Republic's treatment of foreign-backed riots that followed the death of a young Iranian woman in police custody last year. The riots erupted in September following the tragic death of the woman, named Mahsa Amini. She fainted at a police station in Tehran and was pronounced dead three days later at the hospital. An official report by Iran's Legal Medicine Organization has concluded that Amini's death had been caused by illness rather than alleged blows to the head or other vital body organs. Following her death, rioters went on a rampage, brutally attacking security officers and causing massive damage to public property. Dozens of people and security personnel were killed during the riots. Amir-Abdollahian condemned the EU and the UK's recent bans, saying, "Some European parties accuse others of seeking recourse to violence, while themselves have a dark history of dual behavior concerning the issue of human rights and [tow a history of] systematic violation of these rights." He cited the French police's treatment of recent protests against Paris' plans to raise the retirement age as a case in point. The Belgian official, for her part, condemned any instance of dual approach, insisting on the need for resolution of standing differences between Tehran and Brussels through negotiation. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Putin Hosts Xi At Kremlin With China's Proposal On Ukraine War On Agenda By RFE/RL March 20, 2023 Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, called each other "dear friend" and exchanged compliments at the Kremlin after Xi arrived for his first visit to Russia in four years amid Moscow's deepening international isolation over its invasion of Ukraine. Putin and Xi smiled and shook hands before making brief statements at the start of their meeting on March 20, which kicks off a three-day visit that the two countries say is an opportunity to deepen their "no-limits friendship" and rebuff what they say is Washington's attempt to isolate them and hold back their development. The meetings with Xi, who arrived earlier on March 20, gives a rare opportunity to President Vladimir Putin to claim that Russia is not completely walled off from the rest of the world despite his being targeted by an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged war crimes. "We hope that the strategic partnership between China and Russia will on the one hand uphold international fairness and justice, and on the other hand promote the common prosperity and development of our countries," Xi said as he and Putin began their meeting. The meeting ended after more than four hours, including a dinner at which Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Putin would likely offer Xi a "detailed explanation" of Moscow's actions in Ukraine. Broader talks between Russian and Chinese officials on a range of subjects are scheduled to take place on March 21, he added. White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters in Washington that Xi and Putin seem to be connected in "a bit of a marriage of convenience" rather than one of affection. "These are two countries that have long chafed at U.S. leadership around the world," he said. The White House remains concerned that China might provide lethal weapons to Russia, Kirby said. He also said Washington encouraged Xi to press Putin directly "on the need to respect Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity" and said Xi should speak with Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskiy about the impact of the war on Ukraine. Xi's visit comes just weeks after China announced a proposal for a political settlement in Ukraine that Western countries said echoes Russian talking points, including blaming the West for the unprovoked invasion. The Chinese plan called for a cease-fire and peace talks among other provisions. Putin, speaking at the start of the meeting, welcomed China's plan. "We are always open to negotiations," Putin told Xi. "We will certainly discuss all these issues, including your initiatives which we treat with respect, of course." U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken voiced skepticism over the proposal, warning that it could be a "stalling tactic" to help Russia on the ground in Ukraine. "The world should not be fooled by any tactical move by Russia, supported by China or any other country, to freeze the war on its own terms," Blinken told reporters at the U.S. State Department. Blinken also denounced Xi's visit, saying the timing showed Beijing was providing Moscow with "diplomatic cover" to commit further crimes. In an article published on March 20 in the Russian publication Russian Gazette, Xi said that China has remained "impartial" and "actively promoted peace talks" but presented no clear proposals in regard to its peace plan. Ahead of the visit, Putin touted his relationship with Xi and boasted that Moscow-Beijing relations had never been stronger. In a March 19 article for The People's Daily, the official newspaper of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, Putin tried to portray Russia and China as close allies united against U.S. hegemony and NATO expansion, including into the Asia-Pacific region. Putin papered over his unprovoked invasion of Ukraine that has led to the deaths of tens of thousands of people, falsely referring to it toward the end of the article as a domestic "crisis" provoked and fueled by NATO. In his article, Putin thanked Xi for his "balanced" position on the war and said he was open to China playing a role in bringing it to an end. Putin has tried to justify his war of aggression against Ukraine on various grounds, including claiming NATO expansion was a threat. In an attempt to connect their respective security concerns, Putin warned that NATO was a threat to China as well. In a statement published in Russian media ahead of the visit, Xi made only a thinly veiled mention of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, saying that "there has been an all-round escalation of the Ukraine crisis." While noting that China had made "several proposals" on ending the conflict, Xi said that "there is no simple solution to a complex issue" and that both parties need to "embrace" a common vision to resolve the crisis. Putin and Xi have met about 40 times in various capacities over the past 13 years. Putin described the Russian-Chinese partnership as one of equals, saying there is no "leader and follower." However, many experts say that China, the world's second-largest economy and a quickly growing military power, is the clear senior partner in the relationship. China's senior status within the relationship is only growing as Russia's economy suffers under the weight of Western sanctions, deepening the Kremlin's reliance on Beijing for trade, experts say. China has become a crucial transit route for Russia to import goods banned by the West. Economic ties, including Russian energy exports to China, will be another key topic of talks. With reporting by Reuters, AP, and AFP Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/putin-russia- xi-china-visit-ukraine-war/32325780.html Copyright (c) 2023. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russian Su-35 Fighter Jet Intercepts Two US B-52 Bombers Over Baltic Sea - Defense Ministry Sputnik News 20230320 MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russian fighter jet Su-35 prevented two US strategic bombers B-52 from reaching the Russian border on Monday over the Baltic Sea, the Russian Defense Ministry's National Defense Control Center (NDCC) reported on Monday. "On March 20, 2023, the radars of the air defense forces of the Western Military District on duty detected two air targets flying in the direction of the state border of the Russian Federation over the Baltic Sea. The targets were identified as two strategic bombers B-52N of the US Air Force," the NDCC said. In order to identify and prevent breach of the state border, a Su-35 fighter from the air defense forces of the Western Military District was scrambled. After that, the crew of the fighter occupied the established zone of duty in the air. "After the removal of foreign military aircraft from the Russian state border, the Russian fighter returned to its base airfield," the center said. The flight of the Russian fighter was carried out in strict accordance with international rules for the use of airspace. No breach of the Russian border was allowed. The latest scramble comes days after the Russian Defense Ministry confirmed on March 14 that a US MQ-9 Reaper drone crashed in the Black Sea as a result of its own extreme maneuvers after violating airspace and carrying out its flight with transponders turned off. US defense officials had declined at the time to offer specifics of the aircraft; however, subsequent reports later detailed that the US military had dispatched a second drone to the crash site. A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UN underlines commitment to support communities affected by Syria-Turkiye earthquakes 20 March 2023 - The head of the UN Development Programme (UNDP) has underlined on Monday the importance of addressing immediate humanitarian needs in earthquake-affected Syria and TArkiye, and efforts to promote recovery. UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner was among officials from across the UN system who participated in an international donors' conference to support the two countries, held in Brussels on Monday. The UN is "committed to step up and deploy our assets across the development and humanitarian spheres to stand with; and deliver for communities in TArkiye and Syria," he said. Staggering needs The double earthquakes struck on 6 February, displacing roughly 3.3 million people in TArkiye and destroying some 650,000 apartment buildings and houses. Over half a million people are now homeless in neighbouring Syria, where needs were already at their highest level in 12 years of war, with around 70 per cent of the population - 15.3 million people - requiring humanitarian assistance. Mr. Steiner stressed that access to basic services and livelihoods is a must for a more sustainable recovery to avoid vulnerability from deepening. Funding the response "That means providing emergency assistance to enable people to survive from day-to-day, always the number one priority," he said. "It also involves contributing the funds they will need to start returning to normality, to start working again, and to start piecing back together the communities that lays in ruins around them." The UN continues to deploy emergency teams and relief operations in both countries. However, a $1 billion appeal for TArkiye is less than 17 per cent funded, he said, while a $398 million flash appeal for Syria has so far received nearly $290 million. Leadership and generosity Mr. Steiner said the UN counts on the leadership, solidarity, and generosity of international donors to help to generate significant financing for recovery initiatives, which include debris removal, restoration of incomes and livelihoods, and rehabilitation of critical infrastructure. "At this tragic moment for the people of TArkiye and Syria, your support will help to light the candles that will illuminate a way out of this darkness, and these candles cannot flicker; they must light the path to recovery," he said. Crisis atop crisis For Syrians, the earthquake has been "akin to the effect of COVID-19 infecting a sick body weakened by 12 years of crisis," the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in the country, El-Mostafa Benlamlih, told the conference. In addition to the 500,000 Syrians now displaced, thousands more have lost access to basic services and livelihoods, he reported. Furthermore, shelters, camps, and informal settlements are overcrowded, violence and abuse are on the rise, and the threat of cholera is looming. "Thousands of men, women, children, orphans, and vulnerable people need shelter, food, medicine, blankets, toilets, water, electricity, sewerage, education, health services, and protection," he said. "Above all, they need dignity, jobs, and legitimate options in life. If left without options, people will seek alternatives elsewhere." Mr. Benlamlih warned against "business as usual", as assistance must lift Syrians out of poverty, reduce vulnerabilities, and break the cycle of dependency on aid. "Millions of men, women, and children in Syria need our support," he said. "Let us focus on people not on politics. We need your support, we need funds, and we need access." Aid update Meanwhile, the UN reported that in Government-controlled areas in Syria, humanitarian partners have provided assistance to 324,000 people in February and 170,000 people so far this month, primarily in the most affected governorates of Aleppo, Hama, and Lattakia. Every day since 9 February, an average of 22 trucks carrying aid provided by seven UN agencies have crossed from TArkiye into north-west Syria, using the three available border crossings. "Our humanitarian colleagues warn about the lack of resources to replenish emergency stocks, with the main Humanitarian Response Plan for Syria being only 5.7 per cent funded," said UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq, speaking during the daily media briefing at UN Headquarters in New York. Aid partners report that their emergency response stocks have been depleted, putting operations at risk unless urgent funding is made available, he said. He added that the Syrian healthcare system, which was already overwhelmed before the earthquake, is also at risk of collapse in some areas, depriving people in need of life-saving medical services. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Taiwan launches annual joint Air Force-Navy warfare drill ROC Central News Agency 03/20/2023 11:59 AM Taipei, March 20 (CNA) Taiwan's military on Monday kicked off its annual drill featuring the Air Force's major warplanes and Navy's anti-submarines to test their capabilities in conducting joint warfare amid rising military coercion from China. A military source told CNA that the Air Force's backbone fighters, namely F-16Vs, Mirage-2000 5s, domestically-made IDFs and P-3C submarine-hunting aircraft, as well as the Navy's S-70C anti-submarine helicopters and drones, have been dispatched from military bases around the country to take part in the joint warfare as soon as the drill's start was announced at 6:22 a.m. on Monday. The drill is set to run until Thursday and will test the Air Force and Navy's capabilities to conduct joint warfare, the source added. Meanwhile, the Air Force also recently launched a workshop at eastern Taiwan's Hualien Air Base, featuring pilot instructors who teach aerial maneuvers and tactics to pilots of F-16Vs, Mirage-2000 5s, and IDFs. These efforts were being made amid rising cross-Strait tension as Chinese warplanes regularly enter into Taiwan's self-declared air defense identification zone and warships sail near Taiwan's waters. The drills are held annually, but not just once a year and are seen as preparations for bigger military exercises such as the annual Han Kuang drills. (By Matt Yu and Joseph Yeh) Enditem/cs NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ex-President Ma Ying-jeou to make landmark visit to China ROC Central News Agency 03/20/2023 10:05 AM Taipei, March 20 (CNA) Former President Ma Ying-jeou (), of the opposition Kuomintang (KMT), is scheduled to visit China from March 27-April 7, and will become the first former Taiwan president to go to the Chinese mainland. The Ma Ying-jeou Culture and Education Foundation confirmed on Sunday night that the former president is planning to visit several Chinese cities, including Nanjing, Wuhan, Changsha, Chongqing, and Shanghai. The foundation said Ma's trip to China is aimed at worshipping his ancestors during the upcoming Qingming or Tomb Sweeping Festival, and he will lead a delegation comprised of Taiwanese students to make exchanges with their Chinese counterparts. Ma and his delegation will also visit historical sites related to the Revolution of 1911 led by Republic of China (ROC) founding father Sun Yat-sen (), and the Sino-Japanese War from 1937-1945. As a former president, Ma needs to report his trip before his departure and after his return to the Presidential Office under the Act Governing Relations between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area, even though a ban on his overseas tours expired on May 19, 2021. However, Presidential Office spokeswoman Lin Yu-chan () said the office has not received any report about Ma's trip to China yet. KMT spokesman Lin Chia-hsing () said he believed Ma's visit to China will enhance exchanges across the Taiwan Strait and improve mutual understanding between people on both sides. Lin said the KMT wished Ma a successful visit to China. Chen Ting-fei (), a lawmaker from the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), said Ma only could represent himself instead of the 23 million people in Taiwan, adding that she could not figure out what role Ma will play during his trip to China. Ma served as the ROC president from 2008-2016, during which time the two sides enjoyed arguably the best relations since the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949. He had a landmark meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping () in Singapore in late 2015, shortly before the DPP's Tsai Ing-wen () was elected as president in January 2016. This current visit comes as relations between the two sides have deteriorated and tensions have risen to a worrying level, with the Taiwanese government expanding mandatory military service and frequently warning of the threats from Beijing. But its calls for dialogue without preconditions have been ignored by Chinese leaders because Beijing distrusts the DPP, believing it is trying to achieve de jure formal independence, something it strongly objects to. The DPP government, meanwhile, has blamed the two side's deteriorating relationship on Beijing, saying it has continued to threaten Taiwan militarily and diminish Taiwan's international presence by poaching its diplomatic allies. (By Wang Cheng-chung, Yeh Su-ping, Lin Ko-lun and Frances Huang) Enditem/cs NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ajax vehicles on course for new delivery times Positive progress has continued on the next phase of Ajax trials as new in-service dates are confirmed and payments resume to General Dynamics. 20 March 2023 Positive progress on Reliability Growth Trials continues. Ajax vehicles to reach Initial Operating Capability between July and December 2025. Payments resume to General Dynamics for the delivery of Ajax vehicles to the British Army. Positive progress has continued on the next phase of Ajax trials, with the Ministry of Defence today confirming the revised in-service dates and resuming payments to General Dynamics for delivery of the programme. With an initial payment of A480 million, withheld since December 2020 due to challenges with noise and vibration, the MOD will resume payments to General Dynamics as the vehicles are scheduled to enter initial operating capability between July and December 2025. Assembled predominantly at General Dynamics in Merthyr Tydfil, 589 Ajax vehicles are due to be delivered to the British Army, bolstering the Army's land-based reconnaissance capability. Delivering on the Prime Minister's priority to grow the economy, creating better-paid jobs and opportunity right across the country, the payment will cascade to the UK-wide supply chain of more than 230 companies, supporting more than 4,000 jobs throughout the UK, including hundreds in South Wales. Future payments will be made against the new schedule and its milestones, conditional on the delivery of compliant and deployable Ajax vehicles and continued progress of remaining trials activity. This follows the Defence Secretary's visit to Bovington Camp last month, to see the ongoing trials. Defence Secretary, Ben Wallace, said: Having worked closely with General Dynamics to address the issues, I am pleased to say that we are making progress and are now on course to see the delivery of a suite of hundreds of battle-ready vehicles for the British Army. Reliability Growth Trials continue to progress well, testing the durability of the platform and components through a series of battlefield missions. Since starting trials, AJAX, APOLLO, ATLAS and ARES variants have driven over 2,260 kilometres through different terrains, completing a variety of representative battlefield tasks such as operating across a range of speeds and terrains, firing weapon systems, using the vehicles systems and communications and completing specialist tasks such as vehicle recoveries and repairs using the integrated crane. Ajax will deliver a step-change in the surveillance capability for the Army, with its suite of cutting-edge sensors, enhanced 40mm cannon, modular armour, and improved cross-country mobility. The programme will provide a world leading competitive advantage delivering 589 vehicles that will allow the Army to operate in all weathers, 24 hours a day. Deputy Chief of the General Staff, Lieutenant General Sharon Nesmith said: I am pleased and excited to see AJAX progress through the Reliability and Growth Trials. Ajax is the heart of the Army's modernisation programme, significantly enhancing our surveillance and strike capability. Subject to contract amendment, updated schedules direct that Initial Operating Capability will be achieved between July and December 2025, delivering a trained and deployable squadron that can be sustained on operations for up to six months. Full Operating Capability will follow between October 2028 and September 2029, when the Army has trained and converted forces to the Ajax platform to deliver Armoured Cavalry capability to the Deep Reconnaissance Strike Brigade and its two Armoured Brigade Combat Teams. A robust firm price contract remains for the delivery of the 589 vehicles, which will ensure that General Dynamics are incentivised to deliver against agreed outcomes. As such, the whole programme remains within its originally approved budget level and the Department has worked collaboratively and constructively with General Dynamics to achieve this. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Opening remarks by Commissioner Reynders at the Justice Ministers Conference on Support to the International Criminal Court and its Investigations into the Situation in Ukraine European Commission Speech 20 March 2023 London "Check against delivery" Dear Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, It is my pleasure to be present here today to reaffirm the European Union's long-standing support for the invaluable work of the International Criminal Court, most recently in the context of the war in Ukraine. For more than a year now, Russia's war of aggression has disregarded the foundations of our international rules-based order and destroyed the lives of many. It is against this background that the ICC has stepped up its efforts in investigating the international crimes that are being committed on Ukrainian soil on a daily basis. It is clear that when it comes to preventing impunity for the most serious crimes committed during this war, the International Criminal Court remains the key international actor to investigate and prosecute the perpetrators. For this reason that, since the beginning of Russia's war of aggression, the European Commission has provided over EUR 10 million in support of the ICC's work on Ukraine. And let me assure you, the European Union stands ready to continue providing the necessary support as the situation in Ukraine deserves a response that is up to the task. A financing decision was recently adopted on to continue an EU support project to the ICC, which is scheduled for 2025 and will encompass an amount of EUR 3 million. In addition, the Commission, Council and Member States have been discussing a joint coordination and follow up to the requested support by the Office of the Prosecutor. In light of the above, I welcome and encourage the pledges by Member States to provide further support, which we will hear more about later today. But let there be no mistake: in our struggle to ensure that justice is served for Ukraine and its people, our efforts cannot stop at providing the necessary financial support. We also need to coordinate our investigative efforts in respect to the international crimes committed in Ukraine. In March last year, Eurojust supported the set-up of a Joint Investigation Team in order to coordinate national investigations on international crimes committed in Ukraine. For the first time ever, the ICC is participating in a JIT, which facilitates swift and efficient coordination with Ukraine and six Member States as JIT members. Another crucial development is the setup of the future "International Centre for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine" (ICPA), which will be embedded in the current JIT. The ICPA will provide a structure for enhanced cooperation on the collection, preservation and analysis of evidence related to the crime of aggression for any future trial. Ultimately, we need to look ahead to ensure that the ICC can effectively perform its function in the context of the current crises of today and the crises of tomorrow. This also entails the need for the international community to strengthen the ICC's jurisdictional regime over the most serious international crimes, including for the crime of aggression. In order to pursue this objective, the Commission underlines the necessity to amend the Rome Statute in order to enable it to exercise jurisdiction over the crime of aggression. For this reason, at the Justice and Home Affairs Council of 10 March, I invited the Member States to continue reflecting on this important and timely endeavor. In the short term, the establishment of any potential accountability mechanism for the prosecution of the crime of aggression in Ukraine should respect the ICC's mandate and jurisdictional primacy. Finally, the Commission and Member States have continuously called on Ukraine to ratify the Rome Statute. Such a decision would bring Ukrainian national legislation in line with international standards and provisions, thereby strengthening the international rules-based order for current and future generations of Ukrainians. Let me conclude by saying this. One thing is clear: there can be no impunity for the international crimes committed in Ukraine, including the crime of aggression. I am therefore convinced that it is our role, as an international community, to bring those responsible for these atrocities to justice. Prosecutor Khan, be assured that you can count on the Commission's full support in achieving this goal. Thank you. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Battle For Bakhmut Grinds On As EU, U.S. Announce Plans To Send Ammunition To Ukraine By RFE/RL March 20, 2023 Ukrainian forces repelled fresh Russian attacks on Bakhmut over the past 24 hours, Kyiv said, as the battle for the ruined city in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk continued to exact a heavy toll on both sides as the European Union and the United States pledged to supply Ukraine with badly needed ammunition. Russian forces launched 69 attacks over the past day on Bakhmut and the nearby locations of Avdiyivka, Lyman, Maryinka, and Shakhtarsk, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said in its daily report. The defense of Bakhmut continues, said Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar, noting that this week marks two months since the fighting for Bakhmut intensified. "No one believed that under such intense enemy attacks the city could be held for more than a week, two at most," she said. "But thanks to the courage and heroism of thousands of our soldiers, as well as the skillful leadership of our generals and officers, the defense of Bakhmut is holding and the possibilities have not yet been exhausted." Russian forces continued to shell civilian settlements in the Donetsk and Zaporyzhzhya regions, causing casualties among the civilian population and damaging infrastructure, the military said. The head of Russia's Wagner mercenary group said his forces controlled "around 70 percent" of Bakhmut and were "continuing operations to complete the liberation of the city." In a letter to Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu published on social media, Yevgeny Prigozhin appealed for equipment necessary to rebuff a Ukrainian counteroffensive he said was due in late March or in April. Russian and Ukrainian forces have invested heavily in the battle for Bakhmut, even though analysts say the city carries little strategic value. In the Moscow-occupied part of the southern region of Kherson, Russian forces manning checkpoints have been pushing civilians to take up Russian passports, threatening them with violence and imprisonment, the Ukrainian military report said. The western part of Kherson, including Kherson city, was liberated by Ukrainian forces in November as Russians retreated across the Dnieper River. In Brussels, EU foreign and defense ministers agreed to provide 2 billion euros' worth ($2.13 billion) of artillery shells to Ukraine under a deal that will include joint EU ammunition purchases, while the United States announced $350 million in new military aid for Ukraine. The EU initiative aims to provide Ukraine with 1 million shells in the next 12 months as well as to replenish EU stocks, while the U.S. assistance includes a large amount of ammunition for various weapons systems. "Russia alone could end its war today. Until Russia does, we will stand united with Ukraine for as long as it takes," U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement announcing the additional ammunition for High-Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), Bradley armored fighting vehicles, howitzers, and anti-tank weapons. "As Russia's unconscionable war of aggression against Ukraine continues at great human cost, we are again reminded of the boundless courage and steadfast resolve of the Ukrainian people, and the strong support for Ukraine across the international community," Blinken said. The announcement of the additional aid came as Chinese President Xi Jinping was in Moscow to discuss a proposal by China to stop the war that has been met with cynicism by Washington, which sees the plan as a way to validate Russia's gains on the ground. Kyiv has said it needs 350,000 shells every month to stave off Russia's offensive in the east and to be able to prepare for a counteroffensive this spring. EU member states have so far given $13 billion worth of military support to Ukraine since the start of Russia's unprovoked invasion. The bloc's foreign ministers were due at their meeting in Brussels to address Moscow's accountability for forcibly deporting Ukrainian children to Russia as well as measures to facilitate Ukrainian exports. On March 17, the International Criminal Court in The Hague issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin for his role in the forcible transfer of Ukrainian children to Russia. The court also issued an arrest warrant for Russia's commissioner for children's rights, Maria Lvova-Belova. With reporting by Reuters, AFP, and dpa Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-bakhmut-fighting-russia- ammuntion-european-union/32325753.html Copyright (c) 2023. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address EU to Mobilize Additional One Million Ammunition Rounds From Europe to Ukraine Sputnik News 20230320 MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The European Union will provide Ukraine with one million ammunition rounds, European Council President Charles Michel said on Monday. Earlier in the day, a French news agency reported, citing diplomats, that the European Union has agreed on the ammunition plan for Ukraine worth two billion euros ($2.1 billion). "The EU continues supporting Ukraine. We have mobilized the European Peace Facility and the European Defense Agency. Additional one million ammunition rounds from Europe coming to Ukraine. Matter of urgency to help Ukraine as it defends its country," Michel said on Twitter. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said later that the EU support package will consist of 3 tracks. "A historic decision. Following my proposal, Member States agreed to deliver 1 mio rounds of artillery ammunition within the next 12 months. We have a 3 track approach: 1) a1 bn for immediate delivery; 2) a1 bn for joint procurement; 3) commission to ramp up production capacity," Borrell said in a tweet. Western countries ramped up their military support for Ukraine after Russia launched a special military operation there on February 24, 2022 there. The assistance includes air defense missiles, launch rocket systems, tanks, self-propelled artillery, anti-aircraft guns and various types of ammunition. The Kremlin has warned against further arms supplies that could mean the direct involvement of the US and NATO in the conflict. A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Some people cry. Others scream. Most simply watch, mouths agape at the cosmic majesty. That's how Charles Fulco, NASA's eclipse outreach coordinator and University at Buffalo alumnus, on Tuesday described reactions to a total solar eclipse, a rare astronomic event that will occur in Buffalo, Niagara Falls and all of Western New York about 3:18 p.m. April 8, 2024. Such an event happens at a specific location about every 375 years, Fulco said. His mission is to share such wonders with grade-school students and urge cities to prepare for the spectacle. In a total solar eclipse, the moon fully blots out the sun for a short duration, blanketing daytime in darkness, with the exception of brilliant rays from the sun's outer atmosphere that lap around the moon's edges as planets and stars that pop into view. Just before the near darkness approaches, the shade of the moon yields a sliver of light that shimmers like diamond ring. In Western New York, the total eclipse the peak, countdown-worthy part will last about four minutes, while roughly an hour separates the arrival of the moon's first shadows and the total blockage of the sun. "It's overwhelming," Fulco said. "Unearthly." Animals, he said, will scurry to their nests as a chilly breeze hits. Eclipse watchers in the region should keep their expectations in check, though. Considering the eclipse is set for spring in Buffalo, there's a roughly 50% chance it will be too cloudy to view, according to Weatherspark.com. Clouds shielded Buffalo's last total solar eclipse in 1925. Partial solar eclipses, like the last one in the region in 2017, are fairly common and dramatically different from what's headed this way next April, Fulco said. "They're not even in the same hemisphere," Fulco said, comparing their magnitudes. Should skies permit, Niagara Falls should be an exceptional vantage point, Fulco said. The NASA ambassador said when the eclipse is viewed through the perpetual rainbow that lingers just above the Falls, the color of the light changes from rainbow to a monochromatic pink color. If previous total eclipses in Mexico, southern Illinois and elsewhere are an indication, Fulco anticipates Western New York hotels will be booked full a month in advance, stadiums crowded for viewing and traffic afterward so extreme that visitors will be wise to book an extra day. But it's an opportunity not every city fully embraces. Fulco said that a year out Rochester is far ahead of Buffalo in developing citywide programming around the eclipse. Kevin Williams, director of the Whitworth Ferguson Planetarium, said he hosted an event at Buffalo State for the partial eclipse in 2017. He anticipated a few hundred people arriving on campus, but about 2,000 attended, filling an open field with filter-added telescopes as well as food trucks, information tables and more. Fulco and Williams agreed that adjusting the school calendar for April 8 next year around Easter vacation is crucial to make sure children are not on school buses or in classrooms during the full eclipse, but instead able to witness the experience. Some districts around the country have scheduled half-days or taken full days off to accommodate the eclipse, Williams said. Ensuring that streetlights do not automatically turn on in the darkness is an example of something municipalities can do to prepare. Safety measures are important, too. Special glasses to protect your eyes against the sun are given out by some organizations and are available for $3 to $4 by others. Specially approved glasses, engineered for eclipse-viewing, cause the sun to be about 100,000 times darker. Beware of counterfeit glasses and rely on the American Astronomical Society's list of reputable vendors, Fulco advised, and don't try to use sunglasses or binoculars as replacements. In the 4 minutes when the sun is blotted out, however, viewers are encouraged to remove their glasses, Fulco said, or they'll miss the pinnacle of the eclipse. On Tuesday, Williams remembered his takeaway from the 2017 eclipse-watching gathering at Buffalo State. "There's a lot going on in the country and the world that divides us, but this is something that brings us together," said Williams, who will hold a free "Countdown to Totality" open house event at the planetarium from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. this April 8, a full year before the eclipse. US Announces $350Mln Aid Package For Ukraine, Includes HIMARS Ammo Sputnik News 20230320 WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The United States will provide Ukraine with a new $350 million military assistance package that includes ammunition for Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), howitzers, Bradley combat vehicles, among other equipment, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday. "Today, pursuant to a delegation of authority from President Biden, I am authorizing our 34th drawdown of US arms and equipment for Ukraine valued at $350 million," Blinken said in a press release. "This military assistance package includes more ammunition for US-provided HIMARS and howitzers that Ukraine is using to defend itself, as well as ammunition for Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles, HARM missiles, anti-tank weapons, riverine boats, and other equipment." The US Defense Department said in of separate press release that the new military aid package also includes high-speed anti-radiation missiles, mortar systems and rounds, grenade launchers and small arms, mine clearing equipment, heavy fuel tankers, vehicle maintenance equipment, laser rangefinders and thermal imagery system, among other items. Since Russia launched its special military operation in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Western countries have been providing Kiev with military, financial and humanitarian aid well in excess of $100 billion. In April 2022, Russia sent a note to NATO member states condemning their military assistance to Ukraine. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that pumping Ukraine with weapons did not contribute to the success of peace negotiations and would have a detrimental effect on the conflict. A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Today we have several important defense decisions what is necessary to support our warriors - address by the President of Ukraine President of Ukraine 20 March 2023 - 21:36 Good health to you, fellow Ukrainians! We have several important decisions today, primarily defense decisions. Our European partners have agreed on a joint plan to accelerate the supply of shells for our artillery. This decision is worth 2 billion euros. It provides for both emergency supply and production of ammunition. This is a strategic step. It gives us confidence in our unity, in the immutability of the movement towards victory over the terrorist state. I am thankful to all our partners in Europe! To everyone who is truly interested in making Europe strong and free. A new defense package from the United States was also announced today. The amount is 350 million dollars. These are rockets for HIMARS, artillery shells and other ammunition - everything we really need to support our warriors. I am grateful to President Biden, Congress, and all Americans! I held three international conversations today. With Austrian Chancellor Nehammer, we discussed our bilateral cooperation - humanitarian and political issues. We also discussed our joint opportunities to restore justice violated by Russian aggression. I thanked Austria for joining the group that is preparing the establishment of a Special Tribunal on Russia's aggression against our country. I also thanked Ireland - Mr. Prime Minister - for his country's accession to this group. The circle of partners willing to work together to punish Russia for its aggression is inevitably expanding, making the prospect of punishment more and more realistic. It is not enough to bring to justice those responsible for crimes caused by aggression. It is also necessary to punish - quite fairly and legally - the original crime that gave rise to all the other crimes of this war. This is exactly what the Special Tribunal will provide. Every day we bring its creation closer. By the way, today this issue, as well as our joint work with the International Criminal Court, was discussed in London during the conference of European ministers of justice. I addressed the participants of the Conference and urged them to support all elements of international efforts to ensure that the aggressor is surely punished. It is very important that we discussed with both the Austrian Chancellor and the Irish Prime Minister the possibilities of medical treatment and rehabilitation of our people who were wounded by Russian weapons. With Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte, we focused on defense issues, on quite practical steps that will help implement our Peace Formula. I informed him about the situation on the frontline, our main needs and capabilities. I thank Mr. Prime Minister for his full understanding of the situation and for his unwavering belief that the power of European values is stronger than Russia's hatred of European freedom. Today, as always, I would like to commend our warriors. All those who are fighting for our country. The 56th and 57th separate motorized infantry brigades - thank you guys! Thank you for your strength and resilience in the defense of Bakhmut! The warriors of the 72nd Black Zaporizhian separate mechanized brigade, paratroopers of the 79th brigade, marines of the 35th and 36th separate brigades, the 74th separate reconnaissance battalion, our artillerymen of the 55th Zaporizhzhia Sich brigade - I am glad to be able to steadily thank you for the results, for your strength, for your resilience in Donetsk region! Kherson direction... The 406th separate artillery brigade and the 131st separate reconnaissance battalion - well done, guys! Always accurate, always strong! I am grateful to each and every one who is now in combat! Glory to all who defend the independence of our country! Thank you to everyone who helps! Glory to Ukraine! NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US Providing More Ammunition, Rockets to Ukraine By VOA News March 20, 2023 The United States is providing $350 million in U.S. equipment and ammunition in its latest aid package for Ukraine, as European Union foreign and defense ministers meet Monday in Brussels to finalize a plan to supply Ukraine with ammunition while replenishing their own ammunition stocks. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced the 34th presidential drawdown of U.S. military weapons stocks for Ukraine on Monday. Three military officials tell VOA the package includes more surface-to-surface Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) rockets to use in Ukraine's High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), more 155mm ammunition for Howitzers and additional 25mm rounds. Blinken said the package also includes more ammunition for Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles, HARM missiles, anti-tank weapons and riverine boats. "Russia alone could end its war today. Until Russia does, we will stand united with Ukraine for as long as it takes," Blinken said. Long-range rockets for HIMARS, known as ATACMS, are not included in this package, according to officials. A military official told VOA the U.S. ammunition package was being made in tandem with the efforts that EU partners were making to address Ukraine's need for more ammunition on the battlefield as it fights the full-scale Russian invasion that began more than a year ago. The EU's $2 billion proposal includes work to increase the bloc's production of ammunition in order to better secure long-term supplies. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has encouraged members to approve the plan, saying Ukraine needs deliveries of more artillery ammunition to happen faster. Putin in Ukraine The Kremlin says Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the Russian-occupied Ukrainian port city of Mariupol late Saturday after a stopover in the Crimean Peninsula to mark the ninth anniversary of Moscow's illegal annexation of the territory in 2014. Video showed Putin chatting with residents after earlier visiting an art school and a children's center in Crimea. The visits came after the International Criminal Court Friday issued a warrant for Putin's arrest on war crimes charges for Russia's seizure of Ukrainian children during its 13-month invasion. Putin has not commented on the charges and the Kremlin has called the allegations "legally null and void." Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has demanded Russia's withdrawal from Crimea and all areas it has occupied in the eastern regions of Ukraine, but the ground war in Ukraine's eastern regions has to a large degree stalemated, with neither side gaining much territory. Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address Sunday that the warrant represented a turning point in the conflict, and that Russia would be held responsible "for every strike on Ukraine, for every destroyed life, for every deported Ukrainian child... And, of course, for every manifestation of destabilization of the world caused by Russian aggression." Putin's visit to war-torn Ukraine was his first since the February 2022 invasion. Numerous Western leaders supporting Ukraine, including U.S. President Joe Biden, have visited Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital that Putin tried a and failed a to capture in the earliest weeks of the war. Mariupol was one of the centers of fighting in the first months of the war, although when Russia took full control last May, only about 100,000 residents remained of the city's prewar population of 450,000. Some material in this report came from The Associated Press and Agence France-Presse. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Hiroshima - 06 August 1945 At 2:45 a.m. on 06 August 1945, the Allies' B-29 "Enola Gay" left the island of Tinian near Saipan. Its primary target was Hiroshima, where the 2nd Japanese Army stood poised to defend against an expected Allied invasion of their homeland. The Enola Gay was carrying "Little Boy," a 9,700-pound uranium bomb. Piloted by the commander of the 509th Composite Group, Colonel Paul Tibbets, the B-29 flew at low altitude on automatic pilot before climbing to 31,000 feet as it neared the target area. The weather over the target was satisfactory, and the bombardier, Major Thomas Ferrebee, was able to use a visual approach. August 6th began with a bright, clear, summer morning. About 7 AM, there was an air raid alarm which had become an almost daily event, and a few planes appeared over the city (the weather plane). No one paid attention, and at about 8:00 AM the all-clear sounded. At approximately 8:15 AM Hiroshima time the Enola Gay released Little Boy over the city. Tibbets immediately dove away to avoid the anticipated shock wave. Forty-three seconds later, a huge explosion lit the morning sky as Little Boy detonated directly over a parade field where soldiers of the Japanese Second Army were doing calisthenics. The bomb's detonation point was only approximately 550 feet from the aiming point, the Aioi Bridge, an easily identifiable location near the center of the city. The bomb detonated at an altitude of 1800 feet. The yield of the bomb was 12.5 KT (kilotons, the equivalent of 12,500 tons of TNT). Though already eleven and a half miles away, the Enola Gay was rocked by the blast. At first, Tibbets thought he was taking flak. After a second shock wave (reflected from the ground) hit the plane, the crew looked back at Hiroshima. "The city was hidden by that awful cloud . . . boiling up, mushrooming, terrible and incredibly tall," Tibbets recalled. On the ground moments before the blast it was a calm and sunny Monday morning. By 8:15 the city was alive with activity -- soldiers doing their morning calisthenics, commuters on foot or on bicycles, groups of women and children working outside to clear firebreaks. Those closest to the explosion died instantly, their bodies turned to black char. Nearby birds burst into flames in mid-air, and dry, combustible materials such as paper instantly ignited as far away as 6,400 feet from ground zero. Pika Don Those who survived called the A-bomb "pika don". "Pika" referred to the flash of light, and "Don" was an onomatopoeic reference to the tremendous sound. Survivors close to the hypocenter, the point directly beneath the detonation, heard no sound, and called it meerely "pika". The detonation formed a high-temperature, high-pressure fireball which rapidely expanded to a diameter of about 400 meters in the first second. The fireball emitted intense heat for three seconds, and glowed brightly for about ten seconds. The temperature on the ground near the hypocenter reached thousands of degrees Celsius. On the ground near the hypocenter the overpressure reached tons per square meter. The fireball created a supersonic shockwave, which was followed by winds blowing hundreds of meters per second. The shock wave traveled eleven kilometers in 30 seconds. The white light acted as a giant flashbulb, burning the dark patterns of clothing onto skin (right) and the shadows of bodies onto walls. Survivors outdoors close to the blast generally describe a literally blinding light combined with a sudden and overwhelming wave of heat. (The effects of radiation are usually not immediately apparent.) The blast wave followed almost instantly for those close-in, often knocking them from their feet. Those that were indoors were usually spared the flash burns, but flying glass from broken windows filled most rooms, and all but the very strongest structures collapsed. One boy was blown through the windows of his house and across the street as the house collapsed behind him. Within minutes 9 out of 10 people half a mile or less from ground zero were dead. People farther from the point of detonation experienced first the flash and heat, followed seconds later by a deafening boom and the blast wave. Nearly every structure within one mile of ground zero was destroyed, and almost every building within three miles was damaged. In the case of wooden houses, those which were within one kilometer of the hypocenter were smashed at the moment of the explopsion. In the case of reinforced concrete buildings, the roofs of those near the center of the explosion collapsed. Some of the buildings were flattened and became piles of rubble. A fierce fire followed destruction by the violent blast caused by the explosion. Every building within one kilometer of the hypocenter was totally destroyed by the fire whether it was wooden or reinforced concrete. Wooden houses in the area between one kilometer and two kilometers from the hypocenter were completely destroyed. The buildings located one to two kilometers from the center were mostly destroyed by the fire. Wooden houses in the area two to three kilometers away were severely damaged. Even houses three to four kilometers from the center of the explosion were badly damaged. The buildings two to three kilometers from the center were partially destroyed. Less than 10 percent of the buildings in the city survived without any damage, and the blast wave shattered glass in suburbs twelve miles away. The most common first reaction of those that were indoors even miles from ground zero was that their building had just suffered a direct hit by a bomb. The firestorm eventually engulfed 4.4 square miles of the city, killing anyone who had not escaped in the first minutes after the attack. One postwar study of the victims of Hiroshima found that less than 4.5 percent of survivors suffered leg fractures. Such injuries were not uncommon; it was just that most who could not walk were engulfed by the firestorm. The Day After The A-bomb destroyed all levels of administration, transportation facilities, including railroads, the communication system, journalism, offices, factories of private and public corporations, and all other facilities. The total destruction of these facilities caused such great confusion that it was utterly impossible to grasp the number of dead and wounded. On the evening of August 6, Vice Inspector General Hattori of the Chugoku District Superintendent's Office, Director of Hiroshima Prefectural Police Ishihara, and Governor Genshin Takano, who had returned from a business trip, gathered at Tamon-in Temple at the entrance to Hijiyama Park. They formed both a temporary prefectural government office and a temporary air-defence headquarters. Thirteen hours later they reported the disastrous situation and asked for help from the central government and other related organizations. Therefore relief activities on the day of the explosion were almost limited to the Akatsuki Corps sent from Ujina, naval personnel sent from the naval base at Kure, and a few small hospitals which survived the disaster. Small ad hoc rescue parties soon began to operate, but roughly half of the city's population was dead or injured. In those areas most seriously affected virtually no one escaped serious injury. The numerous small fires that erupted simultaneously all around the city soon merged into one large firestorm, creating extremely strong winds that blew towards the center of the fire. Even after the flames had subsided, relief from the outside was slow in coming. For hours after the attack the Japanese government did not even know for sure what had happened. Radio and telegraph communications with Hiroshima had suddenly ended at 8:16 a.m., and vague reports of some sort of large explosion had begun to filter in, but the Japanese high command knew that no large-scale air raid had taken place over the city and that there were no large stores of explosives there. Eventually a Japanese staff officer was dispatched by plane to survey the city from overhead, and while he was still nearly 100 miles away from the city he began to report on a huge cloud of smoke that hung over it. The first confirmation of exactly what had happened came only sixteen hours later with the announcement of the bombing by the United States. Relief workers from outside the city eventually began to arrive and the situation stabilized somewhat. Power in undamaged areas of the city was even restored on August 7th, with limited rail service resuming the following day. Several days after the blast, however, medical staff began to recognize the first symptoms of radiation sickness among the survivors. Soon the death rate actually began to climb again as patients who had appeared to be recovering began suffering from this strange new illness. Deaths from radiation sickness did not peak until three to four weeks after the attacks and did not taper off until seven to eight weeks after the attack. Long-range health dangers associated with radiation exposure, such as an increased danger of cancer, would linger for the rest of the victims' lives, as would the psychological effects of the attack. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address At the battle of Stirling Bridge, 11 September 1297, the movie Braveheart has William Wallace provoking the English to battle, saying "Here are Scotland's terms. Lower your flags, and march straight back to England, stopping at every home to beg forgiveness for 100 years of theft, rape, and murder. Do that and your men shall live. Do it not, and every one of you will die today. ... Before we let you leave, your commander must cross that field, present himself before this army, put his head between his legs, and kiss his own ass." Putin's December 2021 Ultimatum A nuclear escalation was cited by some Western leaders, including US President Joe Biden, as a scenario they want to avoid by restricting their involvement in the Ukrainian conflict. They also warned Moscow against deploying nuclear weapons in Ukraine, stating that this would be considered a major provocation. The Russian military doctrine allows the use of such weapons of ultimate resort either in retaliation for an attack against Russia or its allies with weapons of mass destruction, or during a conventional conflict that puts the Russian statehood at significant risk. "The prospect of nuclear conflict, once unthinkable, is now back within the realm of possibility," United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told reporters 14 April 2022. Guterres sounded the alarm over Russia raising the alert level for its nuclear forces after invading Ukraine, describing it as a "bone-chilling development." NATO's entry into the conflict over Ukraine could turn into the beginning of a third world war, says European Council President Charles Michel. "We are doing our best not to aggravate the conflict," he argued. "Russia is a nuclear power, and we are well aware that if this conflict turns into a [conflict] between NATO and Russia, then we will come to a third world war." Professor Steve Fetter from Maryland University, a nuclear disarmament expert and former White House adviser, said in February 2023 that the "risks of catastrophe are higher today than last year, perhaps than ever before, largely due to the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine by Russia and the threats that Putin has issued." Fetter was especially worried that Russia's suspension of New START the only agreement between Washington and Moscow could pose the biggest threat to nuclear disarmament the world has seen in decades. "It is disturbing to see not yet a collapse, but the possibility of a collapse, in US-Russian arms control efforts, which has been a continuous process over the last 50 years," he says. In December 2021 Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin unleashed the most profound nuclear crisis since the Cuban Missile crisis six decades ago. He made an explicit nuclear threat on 25 February 2022 : Whoever tries to interfere with us, and even more so, to create threats for our country, for our people, should know that Russias response will be immediate and will lead you to such consequences that you have never experienced in your history. We are ready for any development. All decisions in that regard have been made. It is a bit difficult to figuring out Russian aimpoints. Doctrinally, if Putin thinks Ukraine is part of Russia, then NATO forces going into Ukraine would be a nuclear redline. And Putin might regard his impending demise as an attempt to "destroy Russia as a state." But once VVP decides to go nuclear, what is the aimpoint? Presumably, the intent is to "escalate to de-escalate", so probably it would be a demonstration. Probably not in NATO. Aimpoint in Ukraine would pose fallout and collateral damage concerns. So probably VVP nukes NATO warships in the Black Sea. No collateral, little fallout, enough NATO KIA to show he is serious, but not so horrific as to require lobbing the big one into the men's room in the Kremlin. Putin created the tensest point in US-Russia relations since the Cold War ended three decades ago. In December 2021 Russia presented a sweeping set of demands including for a ban on further NATO expansion and an end to the alliance's activity in central and eastern European countries that joined it after 1997. Russias proposal for ending the current crisis stipulates that the United States not deploy land-based intermediate- and short-range missiles in areas allowing them to reach [Russian territory]. The urgency with which Moscow sought to have its proposals addressed not a menu of options to choose from but a package was even more stunning. Russia not only delivered an ultimatum to the United States and NATO; it delivered an ultimatum to itself. Russia cannot afford to fail in this confrontation. To fail would show that Russia is weak, irresolute and incompetent. By setting out the demands so starkly, Putin was burning his bridges: There was thus no way back, short of unacceptable political humiliation (which is not Putins style). Putin appeared to be acting as if Russia was in a position to rewrite the end of the Cold War. In her book Putins World: Russia Against the West and With the Rest, Angela Stent writes that the Russian leader wants the West to treat Russia as if it were the Soviet Union and to renegotiate the end of the Cold War. Russia doesn't want any NATO troops, weapons or exercises in Ukraine in the same way that JFK didn't want Soviet missiles in Cuba. In October 2018, Putin, speaking at the plenary session of the Valdai Discussion Club, uttered a phrase about the consequences of the use of nuclear weapons. We have a nuclear missile warning system. When we are convinced that the attack is on Russian territory, we then strike back. Of course, this is a worldwide catastrophe, but we cannot be the initiators of the catastrophe. The aggressor must know that retribution is inevitable. Well, we, as martyrs, will go to heaven, and they will simply die, because they wont even have time to repent, he said then. On 21 February 2022, Putin, during a meeting of the Russian Security Council, said that "We know that there have already been statements that Ukraine intends to create its own nuclear weapons. This is not mere bravado. Ukraine has a Soviet technological backlog. The situation in the world with the appearance of WMD in Ukraine will change dramatically. Putin, meeting with Members of the Valdai Discussion Club, remarked Oct 22, 2021 what if tomorrow there are missiles near Kharkov what should we do then? We do not go there with our missiles but missiles are being brought to our doorstep. Of course, we have a problem here.... Has anyone even reacted to our statement that we will not deploy this kind of missile in the European part if we produce them, if they tell us that no one will do so from the United States or Europe? No. They never responded. But we are adults, we are all adults here. What should we do in this situation? The distance between Kharkiv and Moscow is 650 kilometers (400 miles). In December 1996, Nato allies declared they had no intention, no plan and no reason to deploy nuclear weapons on the territory of new members the so-called three nos. The Russians Plan B was probably not to invade Ukraine or bomb Estonia but to position their latest tactical and strategic weaponry in places that present to the United States and NATO the same existential threat and ultra-short warning times of attack that the U.S.-led encirclement of Russia presented to Moscow. If NATO opts for the policy of deterrence, we will respond with a policy of counter-deterrence, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said. If it turns to intimidation, we will respond with counter-intimidation. If it looks for vulnerabilities in Russias defense system, we will look for NATOs vulnerabilities. Its not our choice, but we dont have other options if we dont overturn this current very dangerous course of events. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said 13 January 2022 that Moscow couldnt exclude dispatching military infrastructure to Venezuela or Cuba if tensions with Washington continued to rise. I dont want to confirm anything, I will not rule out anything Depends on the actions of our American colleagues, Ryabkov told privately owned Russian-language television network RTVi. Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly spoken out, including on this topic, about what could be the measures taken by the Russian navy if things go completely in the direction of provoking Russia and further increasing military pressure on us, said Rybakov. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov compared the situation to the 1962 Cuban missile crisis when the world stood on the brink of nuclear war, consistent with the uncompromising line Russia signaled. Poland's foreign minister said in Vienna that Europe was closer to war than any time in the last 30 years and the U.S. envoy said the West should not give in to blackmail. The sources of Putin's ultimatum were easy to understand, representing long-standing grievances against the post-Cold War situation of Russia. From Russias perspective, NATOs claims that it is a purely defensive alliance ring hollow after its attacks on Yugoslavia and Libya. The timing of the ultimatum was less apparent. Putins demands for security guarantees from the United States and NATO caught many by surprise. Russia is a declining Great Power, with trends ranging from unfavorable demographics to global decarbonization all pointing to a future of diminished influence. Some observers had interpreted the American exit from Afghanistan as signaling the Biden administration's weakness. Germany faced the transition from Angela Merkel to a fragile tri-partite left coalition, while Britain was afflicted with post-Brexit woes and the shambolic Johnson premiership. Russia had seeminly formed and understanding with China to confront America with a challenge on two fronts, Taiwan and Ukraine. If not now, when? Putin virtually invited Chinese General Secretary Xi Jinping to support the Russian ultimatum vis-a-vis the United States and NATO. China was displeased with Washington dragging Europe into its China containment agenda. Putin on 15 December 2021 held a videocall with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Putin told Xi that "a new model of cooperation has been formed between our countries" that includes a "determination to turn our common border into a belt of eternal peace and good-neighbourliness". China's relationships with multiple Western allies had cratered in recent years over a host of issues. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, March 21, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Mechanical Ventilators Market revenues were estimated at US$ 5.7 Billion in 2022 and is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 5.7% from 2023 to 2033, according to a recently published Future Market Insights report. By the end of 2033, the market is expected to reach US$ 10.5 Billion. The market for mechanical ventilators is being driven by the increased prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, rising incidence of respiratory crises, and technical advancement in respiratory care equipment. COVID-19 had a favorable influence on market growth. During COVID-19, the American Association for Respiratory Care teamed together with other organizations to teach respiratory therapists how to use ventilators. This has prompted market participants to boost their production capacity in order to fulfill the increased demand. Because of respiratory failure due to the COVID-19 virus, the upper respiratory process requires intensive care and oxygen. The ventilator was used to supplement oxygen for extremely sick patients with the COVID-19 virus often. In late November 2021, synthesis of additional variants of COVID-19, high levels of airborne transmission, and a third upsurge in infections were discovered, leading to the possibility of an unprecedented pandemic on a global scale. Request a Sample Report@ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-16566 Furthermore, major mechanical ventilator manufacturers and the government had taken action to boost ventilator production to address increased demand throughout the pandemic. As a result, the industry's expansion has been fueled by the existence of many producers as well as government attempts to enhance market output. The expensive expense of mechanical ventilators, as well as the danger of ventilator-related infections such as nosocomial pneumonia, limit their use. Competitive Landscape Hamilton Medical, Getinge, Dragerwerk AG & Co., Smiths Medical, GE Healthcare, Ventec Life Systems, and Vyaire Medical Inc. are the prominent providers of Mechanical ventilators. A few of the recent developments of key Mechanical Ventilator providers are as follows: In January 2023, OES Medical debuted a new mains-powered ICU ventilator at the ABHI UK Pavilion at Arab Health 2023 to help hospitals control oxygen demand. In May 2022, CorVent Medical gained CE Mark clearance and began selling their RESPOND-19 Ventilator in Europe. This method is meant to allow hospitals to enhance the treatment of critically sick patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome by providing an easy-to-use, flexible augmentation of critical care ventilation capacity (ARDS). In April 2020, Koninklijke Philips N.V. announced that it will increase its hospital ventilator output to 4,000 units per week. In addition, the business expected to begin production of its Philips Respironics E30 ventilator with a weekly output of 15,000 units. This strategic decision supplemented the company's current line of mechanical ventilators and added to its unique product portfolio, providing additional options to build highly effective COVID-19 solutions. In November 2020, Philips announced the introduction of Ventilator BiPAP A40 Expiratory Flow Limitation (EFL), a noninvasive ventilator for COPD patients. Ask An Analyst@ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/ask-question/rep-gb-16566 More Insights Available Future Market Insights, in its new offering, presents an unbiased analysis of the Mechanical Ventilators Market, presenting historical market data (2018-2022) and forecast statistics for the period of 2023-2033. The study reveals essential insights by Product (Critical Care, Neonatal, Transport & Portable, Other Product Types), By Ventilation Mode (Invasive, Non-invasive), by End-user (Hospitals, Home Healthcare, Other End-Users), across five regions (North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Middle East & Africa). Market Segments Covered in Mechanical Ventilator Industry Analysis By Product Type: Critical Care Ventilators Accessories Neonatal Ventilators Accessories Transport & Portable Ventilators Accessories Other Product types By Ventilation: Invasive Non-invasive By End-User: Hospitals Home Healthcare Others By Region: North America Latin America Europe APAC MEA Get Full Access@ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/mechanical-ventilator-market Table of Content 1. Executive Summary | Mechanical Ventilator Market 1.1. Global Market Outlook 1.2. Summary of Statistics 1.3. Key Market Characteristics & Attributes 1.4. Analysis and Recommendations 2. Market Overview 2.1. Market Coverage / Taxonomy 2.2. Market Definition / Scope / Limitations 3. Market Risks and Trends Assessment 3.1. Risk Assessment 3.1.1. COVID-19 Crisis and Impact on Mechanical Ventilators 3.1.2. COVID-19 Impact Benchmark with Previous Crisis Read More TOC Request Customization@ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/customization-available/rep-gb-16566 Explore FMIs related ongoing Coverage on Healthcare Market Insights Domain Adrenal Crisis Management Market Size: The global adrenal crisis management market garnered a market value of US$ 3.3 million in 2022 and is expected to accumulate a market value of US$ 6.31 million by registering a CAGR of 6.7% in the forecast period 2023 to 2033. Home Blood Testing Devices Market Share: In 2022, the worldwide home blood testing devices market was estimated to be worth US$ 14.76 billion. This market is predicted to generate US$ 16.35 billion in revenue by 2023, and US$ 45.6 billion by 2033, with a CAGR of 10.8% from 2023 to 2033. Amylase Testing Market Growth: The global amylase testing market was valued at around US$ 587.1 Million at the end of 2021. The market is projected to register a 3.1% CAGR and top a valuation of US$ 830.2 Million by 2032. Apolipoprotein Test Market Demand: The global apolipoprotein test market was valued at around US$ 503.15 Million at the end of 2021. The market is projected to register a 7.6% CAGR and top a valuation of US$ 1,126.26 Million by 2032. Fluorescence Cell Market Opportunity: The global fluorescence cell market was valued at around US$ 641.29 Million at the end of 2021. The market is projected to register a 6.30% CAGR and top a valuation of US$ 1,255.7 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 NEW ORLEANS, March 21, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC (KSF) and KSF partner, former Attorney General of Louisiana, Charles C. Foti, Jr., remind investors that they have until May 8, 2023 to file lead plaintiff applications in securities class action lawsuits against Credit Suisse Group AG (NYSE: CS), if they purchased the Companys securities between March 10, 2022 and March 15, 2023, inclusive (the Class Period). These actions are pending in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. What You May Do If you purchased securities of Credit Suisse and would like to discuss your legal rights and how these cases might affect you and your right to recover for your economic loss, you may, without obligation or cost to you, contact KSF Managing Partner Lewis Kahn toll-free at 1-877-515-1850 or via email (lewis.kahn@ksfcounsel.com), or visit https://www.ksfcounsel.com/cases/nyse-cs/ to learn more. If you wish to serve as a lead plaintiff in the class action, you must petition the Court by May 8, 2023 . About the Lawsuits Credit Suisse and certain of its executives are charged with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period, violating federal securities laws. On February 9, 2023, the Company announced its 2022 financial results, disclosing that, contrary to its prior statements, it had continued to experience large customer outflows through yearend 2022, specifically, outflows of 110.5 billion Swiss francs in the final three months of 2022, a figure which far exceeded market expectations. On this news, shares of Credit Suisse fell $0.56 per ADS, or 15.64%, to close at $3.02 per ADS on February 9, 2023. Then, on March 15, 2023, news media sources revealed that the Companys biggest backer, Saudi National Bank, would not buy any more of the Companys shares on regulatory grounds. On this news, shares of Credit Suisse fell 13.94% to close at $2.16 per ADS. The case is Calhoun v. Credit Suisse Group AG, et al., No. 23-cv-01297. A subsequently-filed case, Turner v. Credit Suisse Group AG, et al., No. 23-cv-01476, expanded the class period. About Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC KSF, whose partners include former Louisiana Attorney General Charles C. Foti, Jr., is one of the nations premier boutique securities litigation law firms. KSF serves a variety of clients including public institutional investors, hedge funds, money managers and retail investors in seeking recoveries for investment losses emanating from corporate fraud or malfeasance by publicly traded companies. KSF has offices in New York, California, Louisiana and New Jersey. To learn more about KSF, you may visit www.ksfcounsel.com. Contact: This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate (Ad) What do Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn, and Hank Morgan have in common? Many know that their fictional adventures were written by the same author, but only few know that these stories were penned in the same place. From an octagon-shaped study at Quarry Farm, which overlooks Elmira, N.Y., Mark Twain whose real name was Samuel Clemens wrote some of his most successful and beloved works. Spending summers there proved fruitful to his writing process, according to Jodi DeBruyne, as did the locales of Saranac Lake, N.Y., Old Saybrook, Conn., and Dublin, N.H. DeBruyne is the Beatrice Fox Auerbach Director of Collections at The Mark Twain House & Museum. She and Assistant Curator Mallory Howard have been gearing up for a brand-new exhibit, which highlights the summer sojourns Twain took between 1870 and 1906. A sojourn is another word for a temporary stay. For Business or Pleasure? follows Twains footsteps through a series of sets, artifacts, and other memorabilia, which detail the advent of travel and leisure in middle-class America during the Gilded Age. Vacationing became a hobby for those outside of high society, and this concept is reflected in the works Twain produced at the time. We typically think of it as a very structured, prim, and proper period, but resort towns allowed people, women especially, to do things that were considered controversial in normal society, Howard explained. That sense of play and merging boundaries comes out in his books, many of which are set during the summer. The exhibit takes visitors to the same places the Clemens family traveled without having to leave Hartford. The museum partnered with the nonprofit TheatreWorks to commission a five-sided replica of the authors study at Quarry Farm. A boardwalk installation mimics the seafront of Old Saybrook, which also features period bathing suits on loan from the Darien Historical Society. A tent structure recalls the familys time at Saranac Lake in upstate New York, where Clemens wrote The United States of Lyncherdom in 1901. The exhibit also features an Adirondack guide boat borrowed from Mystic Seaport and an equine figure to recall the horseback riding daughter Jean enjoyed during her time in Dublin. These escapes gave him the focus to write all of the works he has come to be known for, DeBruyne said. Retreating to the mountains, the woods, or the seashore allowed him to unblock his writers block. The authors iconic white suit jacket the only known one in existence will also be featured in the exhibit. The artifact is a loan from the Mark Twain Boyhood Museum in Hannibal, M.O., and was last displayed in Hartford in 2002, Howard said. An exciting slate of related programming intends to create connections between societys past and present travel traditions. For example, children and adults will be able to participate in a summer reading challenge an activity that first gained popularity during the Gilded Age. The opening reception of For Business or Pleasure?: Twains Summer Sojourns takes place Thursday, March 23, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. The Mark Twain House & Museum is located at 351 Farmington Ave. in Hartford. For more information, visit marktwainhouse.org. The preceding content is a paid advertisement for The Mark Twain House & Museum. NEW BRITAIN There's an ugly underside of the bright and shiny Beehive Bridge. That's the analogy Erin Stewart's opponents tried to use to turn voters against her during her last run for mayor as a Republican in a traditionally Democratic-voting, working-class city. Obviously, it didn't work, as Stewart won a fifth term in office in November 2021, taking about 70 percent of the vote. Now, after kicking off her 6th campaign, Stewart waits for a new opponent to try and pry her from the mayor's office. At a campaign kickoff event earlier this month before about 300 supporters at the local VFW, Stewart looked back on a decade in office. Pulling out her speech from 2013 and reading excerpts, she mentioned building back New Britain's reputation and pride and making the city a place where people want to be again. "Ten years ago, I was talking about new and fresh ideas," Stewart said in an interview this week. With a revitalized downtown and improved infrastructure, thanks in large part to grants, and ongoing construction of apartment housing and park improvements, Stewart believes she has made good on those goals. "It's not a scary place anymore. There's a lot more positivity," she said. "We want to keep that going, and finish the projects we are doing." Building, caring, leading Those are the key words of Stewart's current campaign. Building has been a constant, and Stewart hopes to see some ongoing infrastructure projects through to completion, including the overhauling of the city's storm water and sewer system, the Mount Pleasant housing project renovation, and the Brit and Highrailer apartment buildings downtown. Stewart said "caring" applies to helping the city's most vulnerable populations, including those who have mental health and substance abuse issues. As for "leading," Stewart said she plans to highlight her long track record of moving the city out of deficits and into 21st century improvements. Regardless of those accomplishments, Stewart said she has never taken re-election for granted and she won't this time either. "We run every race like we're down, because of the numbers," she said. According to the New Britain Registrar of Voters office, there are 15,022 registered Democrats, 14,751 unaffiliated voters and 4,229 registered Republicans. The Beehive Bridge The criticism from her opponents during the last campaign focused on the signature translucent honeycomb-paneled bridge, which spans Route 72, a highway that split downtown in two in the 1960s. Shortly after being elected mayor for the first time and learning that the bridge needed repairs, Stewart said she had an idea for a way to make the bridge less scary and more inviting. The result was a $7.4 million makeover that included four stainless-steel honeybee sculptures, two pocket parks at each approach, bike lanes and wider sidewalks. The goal of the makeover was to lessen the noise from below, better connect the two sides of downtown, make it more attractive to pedestrian and bicycle traffic and help change the perception of the city to outsiders. Stewart said opponents criticized her for the improvements which included a $2 million contribution from the city calling them a waste of money and that the ugliness of the underside of the bridge showed that things were still rotten beneath the surface. To the contrary, Steward said the city leveraged opportunities for tens of millions in state and federal grants to pay for much of the infrastructure improvements that she believes has attracted the attention of developers and building owners to the downtown area. Now that much of the work in downtown is done, Stewart said the city is turning its attention to the neighborhoods, which are in the planning phase. Regardless, she expects to hear familiar criticisms that the city's school system is still under-performing and over-funded. Stewart counters that argument by pointing to improvements in communications and the relationship between schools and city leaders and that the city only has the power to determine the size of the schools budget, not how it is spent. The Consolidated School District of New Britain recently adopted a $136 million budget, a $10.5 million increase over the current year. Stewart also realizes this could be a difficult year for homeowners who are facing state-mandated revaluation when the value of single-family homes has spiked 60 percent in some cases. "We have to make sure that people can afford to live here," she said, adding that residents can expect the mill rate to be adjusted downward to offset some of the increases. The opponents' response Chris Anderson, chairman of the New Britain Democratic Town Committee, said the committee will begin interviewing candidates for mayor, the town council and board of education shortly and will choose a slate in July for the November election. "New Britain Democrats will continue to fight for our key issues, including working to reduce the property tax burden on residents, improving our worst-in-state school system and holding city hall accountable for out-of-control debt," Anderson said. Haiti - News : Zapping... Triple family murder in Belle-Anse A father, his son and his granddaughter were murdered on the evening of Saturday March 18, 2023 in Corail Lamothe, 4th communal section of Belle-Anse. The triple murder was committed by armed individuals who broke into the victims' house. The 6 employees of "Ti Malice" released The 6 employees of the rice production company "Ti Malice", kidnapped on March 16 by the gang "Kokorat san ras" https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-39094-haiti-news-zapping.html , have were released by their captors on Sunday March 19, 2023 some without ransom, others with ransom. 300 hectares of forest have gone up in smoke: James Cadet Minister of the Environment, revealed that more than 300 hectares have been burned by forest fires (National Natural Park Pine Forest Versant West of the Massif de La Selle and National Natural Park of Pine and Lotifoliated Forests (deciduous trees and forests on karst) of Macaya of the Massif de La Hotte) before being extinguished by environmental agents and the local population. Read on this topic : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-39067-haiti-environment-the-ministry-affirms-that-it-is-fighting-hard-against-the-fires-that-ravage-our-forests.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-39062-haiti-environment-sos-to-save-the-pine-forest-the-parc-la-visite-and-the-macaya-park.html Nearly 15,000 Gdes in cash transfers to more than 3,800 families The World Food Program (WFP) made cash transfers to 3,258 households living in Croix-des-Bouquets during the month of December 2022. These households benefited from two cycles of cash transfers; each of them received an amount of 14,567 gourdes via Western Union. WFP's intervention is part of the execution of the Program "Extension of Safety Nets for Vulnerable People" that the Economic and Social Assistance Fund (FAES) has been running since August 18, 2021. 3rd Edition of the Water Fair The 3rd edition of the drinking water and sanitation fair will be held in the North from March 20 to 26, 2023. This activity coincides with World Water Day (March 20). The FIFA President The re-elected During the 73rd Annual FIFA Congress in Kigali, Rwanda Gianni Infantino was re-elected for a further four-year term as FIFA President. HL/ HaitiLibre Published on 2023/03/21 | Source Actor Lee David delivered the news of his discharge from the military service. He joined the army in October 2021 and is scheduled to be discharged from the military duty on April 17th. Advertisement Lee David debuted in 2003 with KBS's "Unmanned Era" and has established himself as an actor by continuing his active activities through a number of movies and dramas. He has shown unique performances through dramas such as "Who Are You - School 2015", "Save Me", "Hotel Del Luna", "Itaewon Class", and "Law School", and has been well-received as comfortable yet colorful characters in movies "Split", "The Fortress", "Swing Kids", "Svaha: The Sixth Finger" and "The Hypnosis". After being discharged from the military, the movie "Holy Night: Demon Hunters" is about to be released. Lee David plays the role of Kim in the drama and acts as a mood maker for the team. "Holy Night: Demon Hunters" is a movie about the team 'Holy Night', dark problem solvers who hunt demons, confronting a group that worships evil, and is scheduled to be released in 2023 with Ma Dong-seok, Seohyun, Kyung Soo-jin, and Jung Ji-so. Meanwhile, Lee David is considering his next work to continue his active activities after being discharged from the military. Homebuyers in the Southeast are the most likely to get denied for a mortgage, according to a new Stacker analysis of federal lending data. Actor-couple Kareena Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan, who went to Africa for a vacation with their children Taimur Ali Khan and Jehangir Ali Khan, returned to India in the early hours of Wednesday. Taking to Instagram, a paparazzi account posted a video in which the family was seen exiting the Mumbai airport. (Also Read | Kareena Kapoor holds Jeh's hand as Saif Ali Khan holds Taimur's while boarding private plane to India) Kareena Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan returned to Mumbai with their kids. As they walked towards their car, Saif Ali Khan was seen holding Taimur's hand as Kareena walked in front of them. Jehangir, also called Jeh, looked around him as he was carried by his nanny. Before getting inside the car, Saif posed with a fan. Reacting to the video, several fans complimented the family. Talking about Saif, a fan commented, "Hes in great shape." Another person said, "Beautiful family." A few people also posted heart emojis in the comments section. For the travel, Kareena wore a beige outfit, a white shawl, and matching sneakers. She also wore dark sunglasses and carried a black bag. Saif was seen in a rust-coloured T-shirt, navy blue trousers, and white sneakers. Taimur Ali Khan opted for a pink T-shirt, blue pants, and sneakers while Jeh was dressed in a dark blue T-shirt, denims, and shoes. On Wednesday, Kareena gave her fans a glimpse as they bid adieu to Africa. Taking to Instagram, Kareena shared a picture which she captioned, "Leaving a bit of our hearts in the wild...Africa 2023..." In the picture, Kareena held her younger son Jeh's hand and Saif walked holding Taimur's hand. All of them can be seen walking towards their aircraft in the open ground. Kareena and Saif tied the knot on October 2012 in a private ceremony in Mumbai. They were blessed with Taimur in 2016 and welcomed Jehangir Ali Khan in 2021. Fans will see Kareena in Rhea Kapoor's The Crew, which also stars Kriti Sanon, Diljit Dosanjh, and Tabu. She also has Sujoy Ghosh's next thriller film which is based on the book The Devotion Of Suspect X. It also stars Vijay Varma and Jaideep Ahlawat. She also has director Hansal Mehta's next untitled film. Saif will be next seen in the upcoming film Adipurush alongside Kriti Sanon and Prabhas. Apart from that he also has the Hindi version of the popular Nordic drama series The Bridge in his pipeline. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Veteran actor Zeenat Aman in her recent Instagram post talked about her love for London. She calls the city her 'second home'. While she treated fans to a photo of herself from the streets of the UK capital, she also spoke about why her followers might not often find her promoting brands via her posts as often as other celebrities of Bollywood. Also read: Zeenat Aman shares pic from Shalimar mahurat, reveals her gown 'certainly turned some heads' Zeenat Aman on not promoting many brands through her social media account. The 71-year-old wrote, Oxford Street has changed over the last 45 years, but not nearly as much as I have. Im in London for a brief visit, and its been such fun to show the boys my old haunts. Between personal visits and film shoots, the city was a second home of sorts for many years. In my twenties I would make a beeline to this street to browse the aisles of Selfridges. I loved their summer fashions, none of which were available in India at the time. So when I found an outfit I liked, Id buy it in multiple colours! Once my shopping bags were in hand, it would be time for further retail therapy at Harrods, she shared as she took a walk down memory lane. She posted a photo where she is seen posing candidly in London. She was in an all-black look with a long black coat. She also revealed her decision to not promote more than three to four brands a month. She said, Since Im on the subject of shopping, I have to say that Ive noticed that many Instagram profiles are more akin to advertising billboards than blogs! Its a bit of a pity, but it has helped me decide my own approach to this app. Though collaboration requests are pouring in, Im determined to broach these with caution. I do not think I will share more than three or four, clearly labelled, collaborative posts a month, and I will most definitely not copy-paste captions. I have grown to be possessive of this space we are creating and want to retain its integrity. Both for myself and for those who follow my page. She also extended her gratitude to her followers. Zeenat joined Instagram last month and has been sharing insightful details of her life with unseen photos. She also shares her thoughts candidly which is much appreciated by her fans. Currently, she has over 149K followers on her account. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON To highlight the importance of water and raise awareness about the global water crisis, World Water Day is being observed on March 22 every year. According to the United Nations website, the idea behind celebrating the day is to "support the achievement of sustainable development goal (SDG) 6: water and sanitation for all by 2030." World Water Day: The day is celebrated around the world since 1993.(Representative image/Unsplash) The main objective of the day is to aware and inspire people to sustainably manage the freshwater resources and learn more about water-related issues like water pollution, water scarcity, inadequate water, and lack of sanitation, and take appropriate steps to make a difference. History: The resolution to observe World Water Day was first adopted by the UN General Assembly on December 22, 1992, after which March 22 was declared as World Water Day and is celebrated around the world since then. The first World Water Day was observed in the year 1993. Significance: Everyone knows that 'Water is the elixir of life'. From drinking to cleaning and other things, life cannot sustain without it. While many people are privileged to have running water 24x7, there is a huge population around the globe that does not have access to any amount of water. According to UN, at present, one in four people (two billion people worldwide) lack safe drinking water. Around 1.4 million people die annually and 74 million will have their lives shortened by diseases related to poor water, sanitation and hygiene. As per the estimates by OECD, global water demand (in water withdrawals) would increase by 55% by 2050. Various organisations, NGOs and individuals celebrate the day in their own way to conserve water in a bid to tackle water crisis. Theme: The theme for World Water Day 2023 is 'Accelerating the change to solve the water and sanitation crisis', emphasising the necessity of taking stern action to address the global water crisis. The UN said, "Billions of people and countless schools, businesses, healthcare centres, farms and factories dont have the safe water and toilets they need. There is an urgent need to accelerate change to go beyond business as usual". The UN is also kickstarting the UN 2023 Water Conference- the first event of its kind for nearly 50- to unite the world around water from March 22-24 in New York, United States. Huge crowds of devotees thronged to Maa Durga temples on Tuesday to pay their obeisance to the goddess on the first day of Chaitra Navratri which began on March 22 and will end on March 30. During the nine-day celebrations, people pray to the nine avatars of Goddess Shakti.(Istock) Read here: Chaitra Navratri 2023: Here's how the Hindu festival is celebrated in different parts of India The festival of Navratri is devoted to worshipping the nine incarnations of Durga where each day of this festival holds a different significance and is dedicated to the nine avatars of Maa Durga. During the nine-day celebrations, people pray to the nine avatars of Goddess Shakti, and on the last day, observe Ram Navami - celebrating Lord Rama's birth. Jammu and Kashmir: Devotees offer prayers at Mata Vaishno Devi temple in Katra PM Modi wishes the citizens on Chaitra Navratri UP CM Yogi Adityanath offers obeisance at Pateshwari Devi Temple External Affairs Minister greets people on Navratri Watch: Early morning aarti being performed at Jhandewalan temple in Delhi Watch: Devotees throng to Mumbadevi temple in Mumbai Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde took part in Navratri Shobha Yatra in Thane Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Chouhan wishes people on Navratri Watch: Early morning aarti being performed at Chhatarpur temple in Delhi Assam: Devotees flock to Kamakhya Devi temple in Guwahati Nitin Gadkari greets the nation on Chaitra Navratri Home Minister Amit Shah wishes people on Navratri Having just experienced the city's first foray into ranked choice voting with the 2022 mayoral and Ward 9 council seats, the Corvallis City Council has made some tweaks to the program, although some members seemed to wish they had other options. The system allows voters to indicate their candidates in order of preference. If nobody receives more than 50%, the one with the fewest first-choice votes is eliminated. Those votes go to the candidates listed as a second choice. The process continues until one candidate has the majority. The changes, made Monday, March 20, are meant to align with similar changes Benton County officials who oversee local elections recently adopted. After the county's recent experience overseeing ranked choice voting in the two Corvallis elections, staff revised the rules to clarify processes and better respond to voting software parameters, according to a City Hall staff report. When there is a change whether its state, county we want to be lockstep with our election procedures, so there isnt any question about whats going to occur, Deputy City Attorney David Coulombe said. Following some discussion, the council voted unanimously in favor of both an ordinance and resolution codifying the revisions. The updates include defining which ballots move on in subsequent rounds and how a winner is determined. They also clarify when an automatic recount is needed and allow the ability to eliminate those candidates who are mathematically unable to win in a single batch. While he believes ranked choice voting is an alternative that could improve on the standard plurality system, Councilor Tony Cadena said hes worried the Benton County revisions dont move the needle on a more robust implementation of ranked choice. At the same time, I want to acknowledge that the county is operating under constraints, and ranked choice voting is still very much in an experimental phase for elections officials, said Cadena, who won his Ward 9 seat using ranked voting. The Benton County Board of Commissioners approved its revisions at a Feb. 21 meeting. Cadena suggested anyone who is interested in the subject could review the meeting recording, which he said reinforces the notion that the county is still in a learning mode. A specific criticism from Cadena: The revisions limit voters to choosing their top three choices plus one write-in for races featuring more than three candidates. He said that seems to go against the goal of drawing more candidates and limits participation. He said the limitation appears driven by cost and technology limits. To me, thats the tail wagging the dog, he said. As the first Oregon mayor elected through ranked choice, Charles Maughan noted his years of support for the system, but also isnt happy about the limit of three choices, finding it at odds with the purpose of ranked choice. He urged public outreach to state and local officials to help continue refining ranked choice. There are other systems out there of ranked choice voting, and theres been studies done showing that the one were using is meh," Councilor Jan Napack said. Two Corvallis races featured three-candidate ranked choice voting in the November election: mayor and Ward 9 (northeast). Voters waited three weeks to find out Maughan and Cadena had won their positions. Corvallis City Council members approved ranked choice in January 2022, following in the steps of Benton County, where voters passed a measure installing ranked choice in 2016. The county conducted the first election in Oregon using ranked choice voting in 2020. Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Corvallis Gazette-Times. Related stories: Welcome to hindustantimes.com updates platform where you can find breaking news from India and across the world. Find fast updates about the latest news as it breaks. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Search for Waris Punjab De chief Amritpal Singh has been extended to other states on Tuesday after Punjab Police on Wednesday released several photos of the radical Sikh leader so that he can be identified even if he has changed his looks to bluff the police. In one of the photos, Amritpal Singh looks clean-shaven. The India-Nepal border is under a close watch. The Uttarakhand Police conducted a combing operation at gurudwaras, hotels in Uttarakhand's Udham Singh Nagar district, close to the border. The Punjab Police issued a lookout circular and a non-bailable arrest warrant against Amritpal Singh. Read | Why cant 80,000 cops nab one man: HC on Amritpal Amritpal Singh might have changed his looks to prevent identification, police said on Tuesday. Here are the latest updates on Amritpal Singh: 1. The Punjab Police on Tuesday revealed details of how Amritpal Singh fled. He visited Gurdwara Sahib in Nangal Ambian in Jalandhar and escaped on a motorcycle after changing clothes. Read | He ate food: Eyewitness reveals how Amritpal planned escape 2. Four have been arrested on charges of aiding him to escape. Manpreet, Gurdeep, Harpreet, and Gurpej helped Amritpal Singh escape in a Brezza vehicle. The vehicle has been seized and Arms Act has been invoked as a rifle has been recovered from the vehicle. 3. Residents of the village where Amritpal Singh took refuge on March 18, when the crackdown began, said they were unaware of anything. They got to know only after the police came for an investigation on Tuesday. 4. Amritpal Singh also had food at the Gurudwara. The 'Babaji' of the Gurudwara admitted that the radical Sikh leader came there. 5. Amritpal Singh changed into a shirt and pants and escaped from the gurudwara with three others on two bikes. 6. Several unverified videos of how Amritpal Singh escaped emerged. In one video, the car could also be seen at a toll booth. 7. In the court, police said during the chase. Amritpal brandished his .315 rifle with the objective of creating fear amongst the public. 8. Police released many pictures of Amritpal Singh in different attires as part of its efforts to arrest him. In one of them, Amritpal is clean-shaven. 9. National Security Act has been invoked against Amritpal Singh. A total of 154 people have been arrested as part of the crackdown. 10. Amritpal Singh's uncle and driver have been booked in a separate case for taking shelter for two days at the residence of the sarpanch of the Uddowal village in Mehatpur in Jalandhar, at gunpoint. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON No decision has been taken yet on preparing a National Register of Indian citizens (NRC) at the national level while the move to update the National Population Register (NPR) and the first phase of Census 2021 was postponed due to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, the government has told the Parliament. Union minister of state for home affairs Nityanand Rai gave the information in Rajya Sabha. (HT PHOTO) Union minister of state for home affairs Nityanand Rai gave the information on Tuesday in response to Bharatiya Janata Party Rajya Sabha member Sushil Kumar Modis question about the NRC, Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and NPR. The CAAs passage in December 2019 to fast-track the citizenship process for non-Muslims, who have entered India from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh before December 31, 2014, triggered protests across the country. Opponents of the law insisted it is discriminatory and unconstitutional as it left out the Muslims and linked faith to citizenship in a secular country. They said it could result in the expulsion or detention of the Muslims unable to provide the documentation if the law is seen in the context of a proposed pan-India NRC. A process carried out in Assam to detect undocumented immigrants led to the exclusion of around two million people from the NRC in 2018. The NPR is a comprehensive biometric database of all usual residents in India. It has triggered controversy with its opponents arguing the exercise is linked to the NRC. The government has described the NPR as the first step towards a nationwide NRC. It later maintained there is no link between the two and that an all-India NRC was not on the anvil anytime soon. The ministry of home affairs was granted an extension for the seventh time to frame rules for the CAA last year. Eligible people can submit applications for Indian citizenship under it once the rules are notified. A bomb cyclone slammed into Northern California, knocking down power lines and leaving at least 150,000 people without electricity. Flights at San Francisco International Airport were grounded and at least one person was reported to have died in San Mateo County, south of San Francisco, Bloomberg reported. California Bomb Cyclone: Cars sit abandoned on roads as floodwaters from the Tule River inundate the area after days of heavy rain, in Corcoran, California.(Reuters) This was a violent, sudden windstorm. Were seeing impacts probably that are similar to a strong tropical storm or a weak hurricane," Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at the University of California at Los Angeles said. Here are top updates on the bomb cyclone in California: Read more: Vladimir Putin's cheers to Xi Jinping's Ukraine peace plan: But West, Kyiv' The rapidly strengthening low-pressure system brought 80 miles per hour wind gusts. About 260,000 homes and businesses across the state lost electricity, according to PowerOutage.us. California has witnessed a series of storms since late December, bringing flooding rains and record snowfalls. More than 20 people have died and billions of dollars in damages and losses have mounted In California. Santa Cruz County reported downed electrical lines and car crashes. In the Central Valleys Tulare County, authorities ordered evacuations as the fear of wider flooding loomed. The heaviest rainfall was expected today, authorities warned. The storm is expected to linger through late Wednesday as it pushes into Nevada and Arizona, forecasters noted. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A new analysis of samples taken from a market in Wuhan, China during the early days of the pandemic are the strongest evidence yet that the Covid-19 virus jumped from animals to humans, some researchers say. Covid origin in Wuhan: The World Health Organization has called on China to fully share the genetic data.(Reuters) The samples found evidence of the presence of the novel coronavirus along with genetic material from multiple animals including raccoon dogs, which are susceptible to the disease according to a report published Monday on the Zenodo.org open science website, which builds a case for the Huanan Wholesale Seafood Market as the epicenter of the pandemic. Read here: China could've and should've shared data on Covid origin soon: WHO's takedown In some samples there was more animal genetic material than human genetic material indicating possible SARS-CoV-2 infections in animals, the report says. Like many studies released quickly during the pandemic, it has not yet undergone review by the scientific community. Those involved worked to finish the report after early findings garnered intense interest and a flurry of media coverage last week. The World Health Organization has called on China to fully share the genetic data the researchers analyzed, which appeared briefly in a database before being taken down. For for some outside experts, the whole situation has only sparked concerns. I worry a lot about our jumping on tidbits that are incomplete and cannot be verified, said David Relman, a professor of microbiology and immunology at Stanford University. I think we need to take a deep breath and insist on the kind of process and science that any important issue, especially this one deserves. Relman said this is true on both sides of the debate over Covids origins. Hes long advocated for both theories a laboratory accident or natural spillover to be investigated with equal rigor. The report is the latest chapter in a fraught search for answers about how the pandemic began. On Monday, President Joe Biden signed into law a bill to declassify intelligence on the origins of Covid-19. The US intelligence community remains split in its findings, with the the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Department of Energy concluding that Covid-19 likely came from a lab accident. The latest report further complicates the picture. These data do not provide a definitive answer to the question of how the pandemic began, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Friday in a press conference, but every piece of data is important in moving us closer to that answer. The scientists generated their report after samples uploaded by Chinese scientists briefly appeared in the open-access genomics database GISAID. Florence Debarre, an evolutionary biologist at the French National Centre for Scientific Research, fortuitously spotted the data in early March and reached out to an international group of scientists who have authored papers supporting the hypothesis that Covid-19 originated at the Huanan Market. The scientists had been hunting for what theyve called invaluable sequencing data for more than a year. Its the first time weve been able to identify a genetic fingerprint of the virus and a potential intermediate host in the exact same place, Stephen Goldstein, a University of Utah virologist who contributed to the analysis, said in an interview. Its completely consistent and expected from what youd see in a zoonotic spillover event. No Smoking Gun The samples show that DNA from raccoon dogs a distant relative of foxes sometimes sold in Chinese wet markets like the one in Wuhan appeared in environmental samples taken from the Wuhan market linked to the earliest Covid cases in 2019. Natural SARS coronavirus infections were previously detected in raccoon dogs at another market in China after SARS emerged there in 2002. The animals are also capable of shedding the virus, studies have shown. Read here: Raccoon dogs at Wuhan market emerge as possible Covid origin source in new study Seeing that raccoon dog DNA was indicated in the samples, was one of the most incredible moments of my career, Goldstein said. DNA from several other animal species known to be susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 were also found in the samples, including Malaysian porcupines, and bamboo rats among others, the WHO said in a statement Saturday. This strongly supports the idea that animal-to-human transmission spawned the pandemic, according to the scientists who performed the analysis. The presence of virus and potential host genetic material in the market is exactly what one would expect under the zoonotic origins hypothesis, said Joel Wertheim, an associate professor at the University of California San Diego, who was involved in analyzing the samples. Others are less convinced. The rush to draw conclusions when very little information was initially available is not the way careful and thoughtful science is done, Relman said. Access to the data analyzed by the researchers is key, as it will allow for a more informed discussion about the strength of the new evidence, Francois Balloux, director of University College Londons Genetics Institute, wrote on Twitter. Hidden Data The existence of the data wasnt a secret. Disease detectives that arrived from Beijing during the early days of the pandemic ordered environmental samples to be collected from drains and other surfaces at the market. All current evidence points to wild animals sold illegally, China Center for Disease Control Director George Gao and colleagues wrote in the agencys weekly bulletin in January 2020. All but two of the positive specimens came from a section of the markets western wing, where many shops sold animals. We have found out which stalls on the seafood market in Wuhan had the virus, Tan Wenjie, a researcher at China CDCs viral disease control and prevention institute, was quoted telling the state-owned China Daily newspaper at the time. It is an important discovery, and we will investigate which animal was the source. Read here: Covid 'most likely' leaked from China-controlled lab: FBI director's assertion But those samples were never shared, until they emerged in GISAID earlier this month. And after Goldstein and his team reached out to Gaos, the sequences again disappeared from the GISAID site. We were surprised to see it taken down, Goldstein said. The questions of timing are questions that the China CDC can answer. The records are currently being updated with newer, additional data as part of a review of a manuscript thats been submitted for publication, GISAID said in a statement. While existing records may be temporarily invisible while they are being updated, the group doesnt delete records, it said. The WHO is encouraging researchers using the data to collaborate with their Chinese counterparts, according to the statement. The story isnt over, said Gerald Parker, director of the Pandemic and Biosecurity Policy Program at Texas A&M Universitys Bush School of Government and Public Service. We still need an objective, transparent investigation with forensic vigor that brings together the intelligence community and the scientific community. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday said he had held "productive talks" with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on his visit to Kyiv. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.(AFP) "Our talks with Mr. Kishida were quite productive," Zelensky said in his evening address. "I also heard a very concrete willingness of Japan to work together with us to even more actively mobilise the world for international order, to protect against aggression, to protect against Russian terror," he said. Registering a strong protest against the pulling down of tricolour flying atop the Indian High Commission in London, the Indian diaspora gathered outside the office demanding strict action in the incident. Urging the British government and London mayor Sadiq Khan to act swiftly against Khalistani supporters who disrespected the Indian flag. The Indian diaspora in the UK staged a protest outside the High Commission in London after the tricolour was pulled down by pro-Khalistani supporters. In videos shared by news agency ANI, a huge crowd of protestors were seen waving Indian flags in a nod to the large outpouring of support from the NRIs in Britain against the pro-Khalistani act. Also read: UK soon to feel Modi govt heat over Tricolour incident One protestor told ANI that the government and mayor should step up action instead of releasing statements. Another protestor expressed dismay and outrage at the insulting act and asserted that the community stands united against the desecration of the flag. In a separate video, a British police officer was seen grooving along with the diaspora to the song Jai Ho from the movie 'Slumdog Millionaire'. News agency PTI also shared videos of protestors who condemned the Khalistani movement. "will never win because it's a movement based on terror," said Jayu Shah of Friends of India Society International (FISI) - an international NGO working to promote India. The tricolour was pulled down days after Punjab Police launched a crackdown against radical preacher Amritpal Singh, who is fighting for the creation of Khalistan - a proposed independent nation for Sikhs. On Monday, members of the Sikh community expressed their solidarity with India by staging a protest outside the UK mission in Delhi.The external affairs ministry in New Delhi, meanwhile, summoned the senior-most British diplomat to lodge a protest. The British High Commissioner Alex Ellis in a tweet on Tuesday criticised the attack on the Indian High Commission in the UK as disgraceful. He wrote, "I condemn the disgraceful acts today against the people and premises of the High Commission of India - totally unacceptable." (With inputs from ANI) SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg warned China on Tuesday against supplying lethal weapons to Russia, as leaders of both countries were meeting in Moscow for talks. Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with China's President Xi Jinping at the Kremlin in Moscow on March 21. (AFP) Also Read| Xi Jinping tweaks Chinas position on Ukraine war, goes the Russia way "We haven't seen any proof that China is delivering lethal weapons to Russia but we have seen some signs that this has been a request from Russia, and that this is an issue that is considered in Beijing by the Chinese authorities," Stoltenberg told reporters in Brussels. China should not provide lethal aid to Russia, that would be to support an illegal war. Recent public appearances of Kim Jong Uns daughter Kim Ju Ae have rather sparked hatred towards her among North Korean citizens, instead of love and respect. This comes as in a country plagued by chronic food shortages and widespread poverty, merely surviving is a struggle for many, reported Radio Free Asia. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un talks with his daughter Kim Ju Ae at a banquet to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Korean People's Army the following day, in Pyongyang, North Korea February 7. (via REUTERS) Also Read| South Korea agency reveals details on Kim Jong Un's daughter: Shes good at' Therefore, reports of the latest father-daughter event upset many people, a resident of the northwestern province of North Pyongan told Radio Free Asias Korean Service. It makes me angry that my situation is so hard to bear, and Kim Ju Ae, who we all know is eating and living well, is showing up on TV in her fancy clothes so often, the report quoted the source as saying. On February 25, the North Korean leaders 9-year-old daughter wore a fur-collared long coat with golden buttons, festooned with a golden brooch and high-quality leather gloves at the dedication of a new street in the capital Pyongyang. This was one of her latest official public appearances and the third in February. As per experts, the recent introduction of Kims daughter into public life is either a part of a propaganda effort to soften her fathers image by portraying him as a family man, or that she is being positioned to one day rule after her father. Fancy clothes, round and rosy cheeks' Among the other things the North Koreans noticed about Kim Ju Ae are her round and rosy cheeks with long hair and picture-perfect dresses. The citizens of the country compared her appearance with the condition of skinny children of the common people who cannot even eat three meals a day due to a lack of food. The people are saying things like, She must be eating so well, her face is so white and plump like the moon, the source was quoted in the report. Most people arent able to eat properly so their cheekbones stick out from their faces even more than ever before. South Korean experts estimate that North Korea will be short 1 million tons of grain this year, about 20% of its annual demand, reported the Associated Press. Following talks with China's Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Chinese proposals could be used as the basis of a peace settlement in Ukraine. Cautioning against steps that may push the war in Ukraine to an "uncontrollable phase", Vladimir Putin accused West and Kyiv for not being ready for peace. Russia-Ukraine War: Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Chinese President Xi Jinping toast during their dinner.(AP) Read more: Ukraine conflict, energy cooperation: Key takeaways from Putin-Xi summit "We believe that many of the provisions of the peace plan put forward by China are consonant with Russian approaches and can be taken as the basis for a peaceful settlement when they are ready for that in the West and in Kyiv. However, so far we see no such readiness from their side," Vladimir Putin said. China's proposal was a 12-point paper calling for a de-escalation and eventual ceasefire in Ukraine, news agency Reuters reported. The US has dismissed China's proposal but Ukraine has welcomed China's diplomatic involvement before. John Kirby, National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the White House said, I think you've seen over the years that these two countries are growing close together. I wouldn't go so far to call it an alliance. (it's) a marriage of convenience, because that's what I think it is. In President Putin and Russia, President Xi sees a counterweight to American influence and NATO influence, certainly on the continent and elsewhere around the world. Read more: Russia's Putin hails special ties with Beijing' after Xi talks "I am convinced that our multi-faceted cooperation will continue to develop for the good of the peoples of our countries," Vladimir Putin said. Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin called on the US to stop "undermining global strategic security" in a joint statement while pledging more regular joint military drills saying that the closer relationship between Beijing and Moscow it did not constitute a "military-political alliance". SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan urged chief justice Umar Atta Bandial to allow him to join court proceedings through a video link in cases lodged against him, claiming he could be killed if he deposes physically. In a letter to Bandial, the Pakistan Tejreek-e-Insaaf chief also requested him to club the cases registered against him. Pakistan's ousted PM Imran Khan has been booked in close to 100 cases facing charges like terrorism, murder, blasphemy, attempted murder and treason. Addressing the nation on Monday, the ousted leader claimed that a death trap was laid out at the court complex in Islamabad on Saturday where he had to attend a hearing in the Toshakhana gifts case. He further claimed that around 20 unknown peeople, in an apparent reference to intelligence agencies men, were present in the complex to kill him. Khan also shared a footage of the court complex swarmed by police personnel, claiming that the plan was to eliminate him by staging a fight. The scenes I was confronted with as I entered the gates of Judicial Complex. Let there be no doubt that this force along with the 'Unknowns' - namaloom afraad - were there not to put me in jail but to eliminate me by staging a mock fight & pretending my death was an accident, he said in a tweet. Allah, the Greatest Protector, had other plans. Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf alleged these men planned to strangulate Khan with the rope they were holding. The PTI chief requested the chief justice to probe as how these "unknown people" managed to enter the high security zone (judicial complex). "In fact they were stationed there to kill me." "If I keep being exposed like this then it won't take too long for them to kill me," Khan said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted Chinese leader Xi Jinping for two days of closely-watched talks on Monday and Tuesday. Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin enter a hall for talks in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, June 5, 2019. (AP) Here are five key takeaways from the Putin-Xi summit: - 'A new era' - The two days of talks at the Kremlin were heavy on pomp and ceremony as Putin and Xi hailed a "new era" in the two countries' relationship. The Russian leader said that bilateral cooperation "has truly unlimited possibilities and prospects" and toasted the "prosperity" of Russian and Chinese people at a state dinner after the talks. The summit was seen as a coup for internationally isolated Putin just days after the International Criminal Court announced it had issued an arrest warrant against the Russian leader for the "unlawful deportation" of Ukrainian children. China analyst Alexander Gabuev said that the Hague-based court's arrest warrant "only increases" China's leverage over Russia. "Xi Jinping can't be embarrassed by meeting Putin, and the verdict only puts Xi's 'dear friend' in the Kremlin deeper into his pocket," said Gabuev, senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. - Ukraine conflict - Xi called for dialogue over the conflict, while Putin praised China's peace initiative for Ukraine and said it could form the basis of any future settlement if both Kyiv and the West are ready for it. "However, so far we have not seen such readiness on their part," the Russian leader added. Also read: Xi Jinping tweaks Chinas position on Ukraine war, goes the Russia way The two leaders also signed a declaration saying it was important to "respect the legitimate concerns of all countries." The declaration stressed it was important to prevent the Ukraine conflict from getting out of control. "The parties call for an end to all steps that contribute to the escalation of tension and prolongation of hostilities, to avoid a further deterioration of the crisis," it read. - Security and military cooperation - The declaration signed by Putin and Xi said the two countries were concerned by NATO's growing presence in Asia and accused Washington of "undermining" global security. "The parties call on the United States to stop undermining international and regional security and global strategic stability in order to secure its unilateral military advantage," the two countries said. Speaking to reporters after the talks, Xi said that as permanent members of the UN Security Council Moscow and Beijing will promote a multipolar world and contribute to food and energy security. Chinese-Russian relations are important for "the modern world order and the fate of mankind," added Xi. Moscow and Beijing said they will regularly conduct joint military exercises and ramp up cooperation between their armed forces. - Energy cooperation - Putin -- who is seeking to redirect Russia's energy supplies to Asia due to Western sanctions -- said that Moscow could meet Beijing's "growing demand" for energy resources. He said an agreement had been reached on the Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline, which would send Russian natural gas to China via Mongolia. Russian energy giant Gazprom said on Tuesday it had reached a daily record in gas volumes supplied to China through the existing Power of Siberia pipeline. - Economic cooperation - Russia has been pummelled by multiple rounds of unprecedented Western sanctions over Moscow's assault on Ukraine, and Putin said that expanding economic cooperation between the two countries was a "priority" for Russia. The two leaders signed a declaration on the development of key areas of economic cooperation through to 2030. Putin particularly stressed cooperation in agriculture, and said Russia was ready to ramp up supplies of meat and grain to China. He also said that by joining forces the two countries could become world leaders in IT and artificial intelligence. Also read: Russia's Putin hails special ties with Beijing' after Xi talks Putin also said Russia favoured the use of the Chinese yuan in trade with Asia, Africa, and Latin America. "President Putin and I agreed to step up comprehensive planning at the highest level, increase trade in energy and resources," said Xi. Despite Russia's keen interest, analysts have warned that there will be limits to the relationship. "President Xi will stop short of aligning China with Russia at the expense of the country's relationship with the West," said economic consultancy Macro-Advisory. After a video of Pakistan education minister Rana Tanveer Hussain allegedly using a Hindi expletive went viral on social media, he issued an apology on Monday. The minister faced backlash online for the inappropriate remarks made at a graduation ceremony in Lahore's Government College University (GCU). Calling it an accident, Hussain said that he felt sorry about the incident. Pakistan Education Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain issued an apology for using the inappropriate word in his speech, He wrote, Yesterday at GC University Lahore, i had a slip of tongue during my speech. I feel sorry about that and take my words back. In the purported video, Hussain is heard telling the gathering about how the vice-chancellor of Faisalabad Agriculture University, Rana Iqrar, used foul language while narrating to him about how he worked in the university despite hailing from the ruling class of the Rana tribe. Sharing the video on Twitter, one user compared the incident to the state of education in Pakistan and added that the language indicates the dearth of literacy. The user wrote, This is our Education Minister, Rana Tanveer Hussain. Just look at this man's language & tell me why anyone should be surprised to see the dismal state of education in this country. He couldn't even fake it for a graduation ceremony. The lack of education shines through & through. Also read: IMF says Pakistan must complete 'few remaining points' to get $6.5 bn loan Despite the apology, Hussain's comments have enraged netizens, who slammed him for using derogatory language at a college function. Another user criticised, "The filth is engrossed so deep within that it all just oozes out as a matter of fact". Yet another person suggested that it wasnt an accident and that it demonstrated the ministers regular behaviour. The person commented, "It wasn't a slip of the tongue, it was proof of your normal behaviour." Calling it shameful, several users called for the ministers resignation while others opined that people holding such positions of power should display professionalism and lead by example. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON WASHINGTON In January, just six weeks after the Justice Department announced a raft of fraud charges against Sam Bankman-Fried, founder and CEO of crypto exchange FTX, Sen. Ted Cruz introduced a resolution calling for businesses operating in the U.S. Capitol to begin accepting bitcoin and other digital currency. As politicians across the Capitol were calling for greater oversight of an industry that had caused billions of dollars of losses for investors, Cruz, a Texas Republican, was digging in, cautioning against overregulation of a technology that has become popular among anti-establishment thinkers for its challenge to the conventional financial system and which is a growing business back home. Most members of Congress dont understand crypto, yet they are hell-bent on regulating an industry they know nothing about, he said in a statement, after declining an interview request. Cruz has emerged over the past two years as an increasingly vocal advocate for cryptocurrency, part of a small collective of bipartisan and mostly younger politicians who have embraced the technology despite misgivings among many in Congress about its high energy use and potential for fraud. The industry has pumped millions of dollars into Washington in that time through campaign contributions, much of it through super PACs with limited visibility into where the money goes. Public records show Cruz received a $5,400 contribution last year from the co-founder of the crypto exchange Kraken. He also owns a relatively modest amount of bitcoin, one of more than 30 financial holdings listed on a disclosure form last year. Most of Cruzs fellow bitcoin boosters, such as Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Ind., the House majority whip, are looking to establish a regulatory regime around cryptocurrency, something the industry itself is advocating to bring order to the market. House Republicans earlier this year announced the creation of a new subcommittee within the House Financial Services Committee overseeing cryptocurrency and other financial technologies. But Cruz has carved out his own space outside those regulatory efforts, mostly focused on promoting and expanding cryptocurrency in the United States. His approach has been high level instead of getting into the weeds, said Ron Hammond, government relations director at the Blockchain Association, a trade group for crypto firms. He isnt on the relevant committees. Largely his interest seems more about political ideology. Still on the fringe After China banned bitcoin mining in 2021, concerned about the industry's high energy demands, crypto firms moved to set up mining operations in other countries, including the United States, drawing support from politicians in states like Texas, who saw mining operations as a booming if volatile new industry for rural economies. Cruz has not come out against regulation of cryptocurrency altogether, but he has been generally skeptical of politicians efforts to do so, warning the United States risks driving the industry overseas as China did. At a speech before the conservative Heritage Foundation last year, Cruz described cryptocurrency as a remarkable innovation that offered the opportunity to undermine the power of the Federal Reserve and other central banks. Money doesnt have to be the exclusive province of politicians to play with at their whim and to fund their latest endeavor to get reelected, he said. Rather, money and value could be found through blockchain, through a distributed ledger that everyone had access to, that nobody was in charge of. That vision is far outside what most economists predict as the future of cryptocurrency, which remains at the fringes of the global financial industry. But such sweeping, anti-establishment declarations are in keeping with a political career in which Cruz has sought to carve out his own brand apart from the Republican mainstream, focused on issues like personal liberty and the growing national debt. During the speech at the Heritage Foundation he quipped the GOP should adopt the slogan, Republicans, we spend slightly less than the trillions the other guys are trying to spend. Cruzs outsider status has played well with Texas Republicans, particularly those from the far right who are generally suspicious of government. And cryptocurrency has emerged as an important issue for a a certain subset of Republican primary voters in Texas, said Mark Jones, a political science professor at Rice University. They are very concerned about liberty, personal privacy, he said. (Cryptocurrency) provides them with anonymity to conduct their affairs without the government knowing what theyre doing. In some cases its to avoid taxes, in others they just have a fear of government. What unites them is a desire to be as far off the radar as possible. Practical considerations And theres a practical side to Cruzs advocacy for cryptocurrency, as Texas has emerged as a destination for bitcoin firms. Bitcoin mining requires large amounts of electricity to run powerful computers that plug in number after number until they come up with the correct 64-digit sequence for one of the 900 bitcoins released each day. And in Texas deregulated power market, one can purchase large amounts of electricity relatively cheaply. So far, roughly 30 crypto mining operations have opened in Texas, including what was claimed to be the largest mining operation in the world at Riot Blockchains operation in Central Texas, drawing support from Republican Gov. Greg Abbott and politicians from both sides of the aisle. We are providing the platform for those who are involved in blockchain, for those who are involved in bitcoin, to make sure they are going to have a location they can come to, Abbott said at an event hosted by the Texas Blockchain Council last year. Cruz has become a regular presence at such forums, bringing the same studied verbiage to the topic as he did arguing before the U.S. Supreme Court as Texas solicitor general. And he is a bitcoin investor himself, reporting in early 2022 he purchased between $15,000 and $50,000 worth of the cryptocurrency though in a report six months later he said the value of his investment was between $1,000 and $15,000. Lee Bratcher, president of the Texas Blockchain Council, said he first began meeting with Cruz about cryptocurrency two years ago and was impressed to see he was reading "The Bitcoin Standard," a book by a Lebanese economist arguing for bitcoin as an end to centralized banking. He was reading pretty technical books, Bratcher said. There are a lot of politicians who are supportive of our industry, particularly in the state legislature. Cruz is probably the highest profile. He seems to come at it from a more philosophical perspective. Besides the bill encouraging business in the U.S. Capitol to accept bitcoin, Cruz has also introduced legislation forbidding the Federal Reserve from issuing its own digital currency in response to Chinas move to do so there in 2021. He also introduced a bill eliminating a provision within the $1 trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Law of 2021, which increased taxes on bitcoin companies something that Hammond, of the Blockchain Association, said wasnt realistic." For Cruz, crpytocurrency has offered another platform from which to go after his political opponents on the left. He criticized President Joe Biden for taking millions in campaign contributions from Bankman-Fried. And he has mocked Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren, of Massachusetts, for trying to control cryptocurrency with her "sticky, socialist fingers," after she introduced bipartisan legislation designed to reduce the use of cryptocurrency for money laundering. At an event hosted by the Texas Blockchain Council last summer, Cruz said there was a clear and present danger of crippling regulation coming from Washington. I've been leading the effort to try and stop that, he said. I worry sometimes in the bitcoin world theres a sense of utopian, We are inevitable, so we dont need to worry about government. Courtesy / Courtesy Sempra said Monday that it will move ahead with construction of a $13 billion liquefied natural gas facility in East Texas, becoming the second company to reach a final investment decision on a Gulf Coast LNG facility in as many weeks. Sempra Infrastructure, a subsidiary of the San Diego-based energy conglomerate, also said it closed its joint venture with Houston-based ConocoPhillips, which agreed to buy more than a third of the Port Arthur LNG project's annual production and a 30 percent stake in the development. KKR, which owns 20 percent of Sempra Infrastructure, also agreed to buy a non-controlling interest in the project, the companies said. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate WASHINGTON President Joe Bidens commitment to shifting the United States away from oil and other fossil fuels fell into further question Monday after his administration cleared Conoco Phillips to move ahead on a controversial oil drilling project in Alaska. The Bureau of Land Management said Houston-based Conoco could proceed in developing up to 199 oil wells, along with hundreds of miles of ice roads, pipelines and other infrastructure, on federal lands in Alaska's North Slope, a project that had drawn opposition from environmental groups over its contribution to climate change. With the administration expected to make a decision on whether to continue offshore oil and gas leasing in the Gulf of Mexico by the end of year, the approval of Conocos Alaska project raised renewed speculation as to how the administration will handle leasing on federal lands and waters for the remainder of Biden's time in office. Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., said the decision left an oil stain on the administrations climate accomplishments and the presidents commitment not to permit new oil and gas drilling on federal land. The Biden administrations decision to move forward with one of the largest oil development projects in decades sends the wrong message to our international partners, he said. Biden made news during his 2020 presidential campaign when he called for a transition away from the oil industry. But Bidens position on oil appeared to soften following the spike in oil and natural gas prices last year in the wake of Russias invasion of Ukraine and the lifting of public health restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic. His administration has approved a raft of oil and natural gas export projects in recent months. And in his State of the Union speech last month, Biden told Congress were still going to need oil and gas for a while. The Alaska project, named Willow, is projected to produce up to 576 million barrels of oil over the next 30 years, adding considerable new production at a time government officials are increasingly concerned about the future of global oil supplies. Conoco had originally planned to develop five drilling sites on the North Slope, but the Bureau of Land Management said Monday the company would only be allowed to develop three. The company also agreed to give up existing oil leases across 68,000 acres of Alaskan wilderness. "This decision strikes a balance, allowing for development to occur in the (National Petroleum Reserve) consistent with the terms of existing leases while at the same time requiring the implementation of robust protections for surface resources, as well as measures to limit greenhouse gas emissions and thereby reduce climate impacts," the bureau wrote. That attempt to find a middle-ground approach is in keeping with the administration larger climate strategy, which Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm characterized last week as a managed transition to clean energy, reducing emissions while trying to limit spikes in fossil fuel prices. 'Lean green' Its unclear how that strategy will translate in the Gulf of Mexico, where oil drillers are anxiously waiting for the Biden administration to release a five-year offshore drilling plan that is already nine months overdue. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland has held open the possibility of not holding any offshore oil and gas lease sales in the Gulf. And while its not anticipated the administration would go to that extreme, it is unlikely to approve the twice-yearly Gulf lease sales that were standard practice in earlier administrations, said Kevin Book, managing director at consulting firm Clearview Energy Partners. Theyre signaling theyre not going all the way to the (political) center, he said. Even with an energy war on, theyre trying to lean green. So far, the question of how to manage the nations oil industry in light of climate change has offered no easy answers for the Biden administration. Oil produced from the project estimated to produce 239 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions over the next three decades, according to the Bureau of Land Management, and the decision to approve the Willow project drew immediate pushback from environmental groups, which signaled they planned to challenge the decision in court. Biden approved Willow knowing full well that itll cause massive and irreversible destruction, which is appalling, Kristen Monsell, a senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a statement. People and wildlife will suffer, and extracting and burning more fossil fuel will warm the climate even faster. Biden has no excuse for letting this project go forward in any form." At the same time, Biden is facing increasing pressure from the oil industry and even some members of his own party to allow oil and gas projects to proceed. Earlier this month Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., attacked the Biden administration after obtaining an internal memo in which an official at the Department of the Interior recommended a higher royalty rate for an offshore lease sale in Alaska because it would likely reduce oil production helping meet the administrations climate targets. If this is what this administration truly believes and is how they are going to make decisions, it is unacceptable, Manchin said. Its a clear and intentional threat to energy security and the all-of-the above energy policy Congress has consistently reinforced. Steve Gonzales, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer Houston gasoline prices fell for the second consecutive week as crude prices retreated from their recent highs and demand slipped with the changes in season. The average cost of a gallon gasoline in the Houston area fell 5 cents over the past week $3.10, according to the fuel-price tracking service GasBuddy. Prices here are 12 cents higher than a month ago and 18 cents higher that a year ago. WASHINGTON - Hydrogen fuel production is not significant enough to figure in any calculation of U.S. energy supplies, lagging behind even fringe technologies like using the earth's own heat and plant debris as energy sources. But anyone walking into the annual CERAweek by S&P Global energy conference this week might have a hard time believing it. Conference organizers have scheduled more than three dozen events about hydrogen energy, including sessions about how to transport hydrogen overseas and whether there will be enough hydrogen fuel to go around. "Building a low-carbon hydrogen economy requires massive investment in production technology and infrastructure. This investment could strain supplies of key ingredients, from cement to platinum group metals to renewable electricity," one session advertised. CERAWeek: Conference growing as Houstons energy industry broadens its focus What's driving the interest is not the status quo but an imagined new industry, whereby long-haul trucks, cargo ships and heavy industries that are not easily electrified adopt clean hydrogen fuel as their energy source of choice either produced from electrolyzers powered by wind and solar farms or from natural gas with the emissions stored underground. At present, actual hydrogen demand is largely limited to its niche use as an additive in the production of gasoline and certain chemicals totaling 94 million metric tons last year, according to the International Energy Agency. But many analysts see that market growing exponentially in the years ahead, with S&P Global predicting demand will exceed 600 million metric tons by 2050. Helping fuel the frenzy are a raft of government subsidies. Over the past two years, nine countries, representing 30 percent of global energy emissions, have released hydrogen energy plans in their bid to mitigate climate change. U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm last year called the $8 billion in federal funding for regional hydrogen hubs a "once-in-a-generation opportunity to lay the foundation for the clean hydrogen future." And with the world's oil and gas industry descending on Houston this week, the question is when those executives are going to start making financial commitments to start building hydrogen production facilities. The technology is at the center of their climate strategies, hydrogen fuel being a logical market for their natural gas. But at an event in Washington last year, Jigar Shah, director of the Department of Energys Loan Programs Office, commented all the big players are on the sidelines going to conferences and saying yes but not willing to sign an agreement." The problem is that in order for companies to begin investing billions of dollars in new hydrogen facilities they need a guaranteed revenue stream, and so far it's been slow going. There is no end of hydrogen announcements, with large retailers such as Amazon and Walmart have made commitments to buy hydrogen fuel for their trucking fleets. And truck manufacturers such as Cummins are developing hydrogen-fueled engines. Only so far, it's not been enough to get oil executives to commit significant money to the technology. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate For the longest time, fusion energy was one of those topics that seemed more like science fiction than actual science. Youd hear about research being done at some government lab somewhere. No one ever seemed to make any real progress, but the concept of replicating the unfathomably hot and explosive reaction by which the sun warms our corner of the Milky Way Galaxy was so fantastic and the implications for the worlds energy sector so great fusion always managed to find its way into news stories from time to time. And then one day it was real. At 1:03 a.m. on December 5 scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory shot a high-powered laser at a small pellet of radioactive fuel to create a nuclear fusion reaction that generated more energy than was used to ignite it proving that a world powered by fusion energy was at least theoretically possible. Walking into the auditorium at the Department of Energys headquarters in Washington this week for the official announcement, there was a palpable sense of history unfolding. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm took the podium to call the breakthrough one of the most impressive scientific feats of the 21st century, adding it was what President Joe Biden would call a BFD. For the six scientists selected to fly to Washington to represent a research team that began its work in the early 1960s, walking on stage in front of Washington dignitaries and media to explain how they had achieved their breakthrough capped what had been a surreal eight days. They mostly spoke in the highly technical language of nuclear physicists, talking about how a flaw the size of a bacteria on the fuel capsule could ruin an experiment. Its really hard under those bright lights, one of the scientists commented afterwards. But when a reporter asked them to describe the moment they realized they had made scientific history, they smiled with unchecked joy. Arthur Pak, an experimental physicist, said he woke up at 3 a.m. to check the results. When he saw them, he said, he thought holy smokes and went back then corrected himself to say he tried to go back to bed. Tammy Ma, a plasma physicist, said she was waiting for a flight at San Francisco International Airport when she got the news, prompting a mix of crying and jumping up and down. Annie Kritcher, principal designer on the team, described having vivid dreams of all possible outcomes that night, before waking up to see the experiment had been a success. You see one diagnostic and you think maybe thats not real, and then you see more and more diagnostics pointing to the same thing, she said. For so many years that moment had seemed like it might never come. As Ramanan Krishnamoorti, vice president of energy and innovation at the University of Houston, noted in a phone call later that day, fusion research had long been the subject of bad jokes among scientists in other fields, who considered it a fools errand. Those jokes will stop, he said. Figuring out what this breakthrough will mean for the world will have to wait. Scientists say it will likely be decades before the technology can be refined and made efficient enough to make sense for use on power grids. But for a brief moment in that auditorium, housed in the basement of a brutalist 1960s era concrete building on the National Mall in which so many Nobel laureates have worked, suddenly anything seemed possible. In the run-up to this years elections, we consistently discussed two key topics in our interviews and interactions with small business owners. No, its not grants or financial aid, which are usually only temporary solutions that do little to help the business. These two key themes are digitisation and compliance. SMEs number one problem Reduced tax burdens and decreased administrative work for taxation and compliance are key focus areas for SMBs. The Labour Party has vowed to implement a responsible and measured multinational tax avoidance programme to improve transparency and close tax loopholes. It said it intends to implement anti-avoidance measures proposed by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), which include a minimum 15% tax on multinational corporations profits, more equitable profit distribution (particularly from digital firms), and limiting debt-related reductions to 30% of a companys profits. And while the Labor Partys proposed tax cuts will benefit everyone earning more than $45,000, Lower taxes for small businesses, in particular, are always a plus, especially for those still struggling following the economic difficulties of the previous two years. While these promises appear to be spot on, SME owners are sceptical. Chris Dahl, Director of Sales and Growth, Pin Payments, says that while Labor has briefly stated that support for SMBs is essential, specifically the digital economy, cash flow, and other age-old small business issues, there is little evidence to show what financial or tangible support will be provided. The business community is tired of false promises and a general lack of support, particularly after two years of lockdowns and the pandemic. We need to see a roadmap by the Labor government which outlines exactly how they will use funds to get every Australian SMB online, so these businesses are not left behind. As per the MYOB Business Monitor, which surveyed 1000 Australian SMEs a few days before the election about the issues they want to see prioritised and related insights, 66 per cent of SMEs consider compliance cost reduction to be their most crucial business-related issue. Earlier, the Morrison government said it would give eligible businesses the option of reporting taxable payments system data via software. Businesses that choose automatic reporting will no longer have to fill out the annual Taxable Payments Annual Report. New systems will be in place by December 31, 2023, with implementation beginning January 1, 2024. In addition, the government said it would create systems to allow all trusts to file income tax returns electronically. The ability to pre-fill beneficiaries tax returns will be made by digitising the reporting of trustee and beneficiary obligations. SMEs want to future proof their businesses Returning to the MYOB survey, the second most important priority for businesses is digitisation, with 48 per cent of respondents saying they would vote for a government that provided more support to improve digital capability and business skills to future proof their businesses. However, one-third (31%) still do not have any online presence. Twenty-three per cent believe that digitising aspects of their business is still too expensive, and 29 per cent believe that some tax incentive would help them get started digitally, as per the survey. The Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA) recently urged the newly formed government to appoint a Cabinet Minister for the Digital Economy. According to AIIA, it is necessary to broaden the scope of digital accountability within a single ministers portfolio. The proposed Minister of Government Services and the Digital Economy would be directly responsible for ensuring that Australia has a leading digital government by 2025 and a leading digital economy by 2030. In terms of Labor policies, support for digital technology adoption must be prioritised, adds Mark Khabe, Co-Founder of PRIME BPM. The post-pandemic world is digital. A stronger uptake of digital technologies will be key to helping SMBs grow, transcend borders for more opportunities and hire relevant talent from any part of the world. The Albanese government must invest in Australias digital future. A more robust digital economy will help small businesses to operate on a level playing field both locally and internationally. Top examples of business integration among SMEs using digital tools include tax and BAS lodgement and payments (51 per cent), compliance (38 per cent), cash flow, invoicing, and online payment platforms (40 per cent), and productivity, project, and inventory management (29 per cent). Heres the Pre-Budget and Pre-Election Policy Submission 2022, detailing 24 key recommendations to support Australias tech sector to grow by AIIA. Keep up to date with our stories on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Emergency rules set by the Texas Public Utility Commission that increased the wholesale price of electricity price to $9,000 per megawatt-hour during Winter Storm Uri were invalid and must be reexamined, a state appeals court ruled Friday. The long-anticipated opinion from the Third District Court of Appeals in Austin said PUC board members issued two unlawful rules an operation of executive fiat that allowed the Electric Reliability Council of Texas to increase the emergency price of electricity 650 percent for five days. The decision, according to legal analysts, could be a multibillion-dollar victory for companies such as Luminant Energy, Pattern Energy, Exelon Generation, Constellation NewEnergy and Brazos Electric Coop, all of whom had to buy electricity on the wholesale market during the storm and claim they were charged too much. If the decision is upheld, the PUC may have to order electricity generation companies Calpine Corp., Talen Energy, TexGen Power and others that sold power at the $9,000 wholesale rate to issue refunds that could add up to billions of dollars. The impact of the ruling on retail electric consumers whether some will be reimbursed for the higher charges or whether taxpayers will be on the hook for any refunds if the ruling is upheld will likely not be known for years, according to lawyers familiar with the litigation. RELATED: Electric bills likely to rise under ERCOT revamp plan approved by PUC Lawyers for both sides of the case declined to comment on the specifics of the decision Friday, but all agreed that an appeal to the Texas Supreme Court is likely. Attorneys for the PUC argued in court that the companies suing the agency are simply upset at losing money during the freeze, which cost upward of $130 billion in overall damages, according to the state comptroller, and was responsible for about 200 deaths. They warned the judges against second-guessing decisions made by the PUC and ERCOT during the emergency. The PUC also argued that the court did not have jurisdiction to overrule the agencys rulemaking. In a 42-page opinion, Austin Appeals Court Justice Edward Smith rejected the PUCs arguments, writing that the Texas Legislature gave the court the power of review and jurisdiction and that state law requires that the PUC set rates based on a preference for reliance on competition rather than regulation. In extreme circumstances under extraordinary pressure, the commission exceeded its power by eliminating competition entirely, Smith wrote. The Legislature clearly stated that the commissions rules must be limited so as to impose the least impact on competition. Instead, the orders had the maximum impact on competition conceivable by setting a single price for power and directing ERCOT to take all necessary steps to ensure the market cleared at that single price, the court ruled. The typical wholesale electricity price in Texas can be $30 per megawatt hour. During Winter Storm Uri, the price rose to just above $1,200 based on market forces and demand. But the PUC board, believing that the market demand-based system was not operating properly, issued rules to set the wholesale price at the legal cap of $9,000 per megawatt hour and kept the price there for four days. RELATED: Ruling blocks natural gas companies from liability for February 2021 storm damages The storm hit Texas on Feb. 14, 2021, bringing with it snow, freezing rain and subzero temperatures. While electric service went out in large portions of the state, especially in the Houston area, power demand surged in other areas, such as Dallas. At the same time, many electric generators went off-line, and natural gas providers also were unable to supply product to companies producing electricity. During a six-minute Feb. 15, 2021, meeting, the PUC decided to address the gap between supply and demand by issuing an emergency rule that reset the maximum price at $9,000 per megawatt hour up from $1,200 and made the $9,000 price retroactive to Feb. 14. The commission met the next day and rescinded the retroactive part of its order. Allyson Ho, a partner at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, representing Luminant, said during oral arguments last April that the PUC simply disregarded legal procedures. It did not follow the law, Ho argued. It is not too much to ask the PUC to follow the rules, follow the law. The PUC has staked out extreme and unprecedented positions in this case. Texas Assistant Solicitor General Lisa Bennett, representing the PUC, told the judges that the PUC didnt violate Texas law because the agencys actions were merely a direction to ERCOT, not rulemaking. She argued that the law provides wide discretion for the PUC to make such decisions. The PUCs actions were taken during an extreme emergency and because of a flaw in the system, she said. We were at negative reserves, but the price was not going up, Bennett told the judges. WASHINGTON - Environmental groups on Wednesday sued to block Conoco Phillips from developing an oil and gas field on Alaska's North Slope. In a lawsuit filed in Alaska federal court, groups including the Center for Biological Diversity and Greenpeace claimed the Bureau of Land Management failed to accurately assess the full impact of the project on climate change and the region's wildlife in its approval Monday. "Its shocking that Biden greenlit the Willow project despite knowing how much harm itll cause Arctic communities and wildlife, said Kristen Monsell, a senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity. Now we have to step up and fight for these priceless wild places and the people and animals that depend on them." The Bureau of Land Management declined to comment. A spokesman for Conoco Phillips said the company had undergone a five-year review leading up to Monday's decision, which he described as "a thorough process that satisfies all legal requirements." The Willow project, as it is known, stretches over hundreds of miles of Alaskan wilderness, requiring the drilling of close to 200 wells along with ice roads, pipelines and other infrastructure. It is projected to produce up to 576 million barrels of oil over the next 30 years, generating more than 200 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions at a time the Biden administration is moving to shift the nation away from fossil fuels to fight climate change. In their lawsuit, the environmental groups argued that the Willow project was likely to spur on additional oil and gas development on the North Slope, generating far more greenhouse gas emissions than estimated by the Bureau of Land Management. They pointed to numerous oil and gas companies with leases in the area that were likely to "use (Willow) as a jumping off point for new development. "Conoco Phillips has described Willow to its investors as the 'next great Alaska hub,' saying it had identified a staggering amount of oil, possibly as much as 3 billion barrels, of nearby prospects that could be accessed if the Willow infrastructure were in place," they said in a press release. The Willow project sits within the 23 million-acre National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, which was set aside for oil and gas development in 1923. The Biden administration announced on Sunday it was considering putting additional protections on 13 million acres within the reserve, limiting future oil and gas activity. "With these actions, President Biden continues to deliver on the most aggressive climate agenda in American history," the Interior Department said. However, some of the oil reserves around the Willow project fall outside those areas being considered for protection, Monsell said. The worry is it will lock in drilling outside certain protected areas, she said. Thats the last thing we need right now. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 3 1 of 3 Michael Hsu Office of Architecture Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Michael Hsu Office of Architecture Show More Show Less 3 of 3 Michael Hsu Office of Architecture Show More Show Less The award-winning Michael Hsu Office of Architecture (MHOA) has issued a Request for Proposals from nonprofits in Houston and Austin looking for pro bono architecture services. MHOA created a Design for All Partnership to support nonprofits through design last year and this will be the program's second year. The 2022 recipient was the Austin Angels group, which supports children and families in foster care. MHOA designed a welcoming community center on part of a 2.5-acre former church facility in Buda. Austin Angels is now raising money for that project. Development along FM 1488 in southwest Montgomery County is continuing with Magnolia-based developer Kane Dunbar beginning construction on a new retail and professional center that will bring more than 14,000 square feet of space to the FM 1488 corridor. Country Forest Plaza, at 11828 FM 1488, will offer spaces from 1,300 to 5,715 square feet. The center, on about an acre and a half, will have a contemporary architectural style and include outdoor patio seating and drive-through capabilities for the space on the east side. Replacement of aging school buses is a focus of a proposition in La Porte ISD's $234 million bond package on the May 6 ballot. "Currently, our buses have poorly functioning air conditioning or no air conditioning, and they have limited seatbelts," said Adam Holland, the district's communications director. The $5.6 million for bus replacement would be part of $164 million that would be provided by Proposition A, one of three propositions in the bond package. Other money from Proposition A would fund an educational center/field house, improvements at all district schools and upgrades for facilities and safety and security. Proposition B, for $15 million, would fund personal electronic devices for all staff, teachers and students in all grades and technology upgrades that would be phased in over 10 years. Proposition C would provide $56 million for replacement of Bulldog Stadium. The district does not anticipate that approval of all three propositions in the package would result in an increase in its property tax rate, which is $1.2565 per $100 property valuation. Holland said district buses, which cost $140,000 each, generally last from seven to 10 years. He said half of the current fleet of more than 85 buses is approaching or has exceeded that range. The bond proposal would allocate funds to replace four buses annually for over 10 years. The replaced vehicles would be a mixture of buses for general and special education uses. The new buses would include seatbelts, interior and exterior cameras, air conditioning and WiFi so students could do homework on long routes, Holland said. La Porte ISD buses transport more than half of the district's students between home and school each year, traveling more than 314 routes in the 55-square-mile district, he said. The district had about 7,000 students in the previous school year. The district puts more than 250,000 miles on buses each year transporting students for extracurricular activities. With La Porte High School classified as a 5A school in District 8, its teams travel to New Caney, Port Arthur, Crosby and Kingwood as well as closer destinations like Baytown. That is unlikely to change much when the University Interscholastic League holds its biennial realignment in February. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate School was in session at Dekaney High in Spring where senior Aaron Hernandez was having what he thought would be just a normal Tuesday in journalism class. Little did Hernandez know hed leave class with a check for $100,000. Representatives with Spring ISD and the American Productivity & Quality Center surprised Hernandez in his classroom with an oversized ceremonial check, revealing he was one of four Houston area seniors selected as a C. Jackson Grayson Scholarship recipient. SCHOOL RANKINGS: Spring ISD middle school among top 10 in Houston region District officials kept the reason for their visit a secret by saying they were coming to talk about college. I did not see it coming, Hernandez said. I thought it was just going to be some people from the district coming in to say hi but other than that I was honestly taken by surprise. The APQC is a nonprofit that provides data and insights to help its member organizations with decision-making and skills. The organization started the scholarship program to honor the companys late founder, Charles Jackson Grayson. The program awards scholarships to four to six high school seniors in the Houston area each year. The scholarship awards each student $25,000 per year for tuition, books and fees, totaling $100,000 for their four-year college education. GRANT EXPRESS: Spring ISD spreads $13,000 award across district for classroom needs including iPads and learning Lisa Higgins, CEO of APQC, said the scholarships purpose is to change lives. She said they look for students in financial need who have excelled in leadership and extracurricular activities. For Higgins, seeing the students reactions to the scholarship announcements is her favorite time of every year. To see the difference that it makes in each of the childrens lives, families and siblings lives its the best night of sleep I get all year long, Higgins said. Hernandez is a senior at Dekaney High School, but is originally from Brownsville. He moved several times as a kid because of his parents jobs. Hernandez starts his day off with school. After hes finished with classes, he leaves to pick up his little sister while his mom is at work. He then heads to Hopdoddy Burger Bar where he works from 4:30 to 10:30 p.m., up to 35 hours a week. Despite his busy schedule, Hernandez said his days are simple but sometimes wishes he could hang out more with friends. He struggled with maintaining school and work during the pandemic but said he had a choice to either drown or keep himself afloat. Im really happy; Im grateful that I applied myself, Hernandez said. I persevered dealing with some mental issues and really glad that I am here right now. Hernandez, a 4.0 student at Dekaney, had several colleges in mind after high school including the University of North Texas, Texas A&M, University of Houston and University of Texas at Dallas. But he decided to attend Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Ore., to study computer science after graduation. After college I plan to work at a tech company and if that doesnt work out, or if I had to pursue a different career, I really hope to get into AI because obviously AI is the future, Hernandez said. Working toward that will not only support me financially but being able to apply philosophy and sociology into AI is just brilliant and mind-boggling, being able to process that information. Hernandez said everyone is going through different struggles but for someone in his shoes, his advice is to keep persevering. Even though youre trying hard, you cant give up trying because its like dead water if you stop trying, you are going to sink, Hernandez said. Hernandez wasn't the only student who was awarded a scholarship from APQC. Fort Bend ISD student Jasmin Esemu-Ezewu also received the $100,000 scholarship. The Hightower senior has plans to become a surgeon after college. She also holds an associate degree in science, which she earned while in high school. Higgins said that 400 students applied this year. APQC will begin accepting scholarship applications Oct. 8 through the end of November, or whenever they get 100 completed applications. Applicants are narrowed down to four to six scholarship winners. APQC will also offer paid summer internships, mentoring and skill development to help the recipients be successful in pursuing their education and careers. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate BOISE, Idaho (AP) A woman charged with conspiracy and murder in connection with the deaths of her two children and her new husband's late wife will no longer face the death penalty, a judge ruled Tuesday. Lori Vallow Daybell is scheduled to stand trial starting April 3. Both she and Chad Daybell her newest husband have pleaded not guilty to murder, conspiracy and grand theft charges in connection with the deaths of Vallow Daybells children 7-year-old Joshua JJ Vallow, and Tylee Ryan, who was last seen a few days before her 17th birthday. They are also charged in connection with the October 2019 death of Chad Daybells late wife, Tammy Daybell. Prosecutors were seeking the death penalty for both defendants, but Vallow Daybell's attorneys said it should be taken off the table in her case because they will not have time to fully review a large amount of evidence that was turned over in recent weeks. During a Tuesday morning hearing, 7th District Judge Steven Boyce agreed. He noted that Vallow Daybell has not waived her right to a speedy trial, so the proceeding could not be rescheduled to give her defense team ample time to review the evidence. The death penalty still applies to Chad Daybell's case, however. Prosecutors say the couple used doomsday-focused religious beliefs to further a plan to kill the kids and Tammy Daybell, and that it was part of a plot to steal social security funds and insurance money. Idaho law enforcement officers started investigating the couple in November 2019 after extended family members reported that the children were missing. During that period, police say the couple lied about the childrens whereabouts. Their bodies were found buried later on Chad Daybells property in rural Idaho. The couple married just two weeks after Chad Daybells previous wife, Tammy Daybell, died unexpectedly. Tammy Daybells death was initially reported as due to natural causes, but investigators had her body exhumed after growing suspicious when Chad Daybell quickly remarried. Vallow Daybell is separately charged with conspiracy to commit murder in Arizona in connection with the July 2019 death of her previous husband, Charles Vallow. He was shot and killed by Vallow Daybells brother, Alex Cox, who claimed it was self-defense. The Arizona legal proceedings are on hold while the Idaho case is underway. AP MINNEAPOLIS (AP) One of the state's lead prosecutors who helped convict Derek Chauvin of murder in the May 2020 killing of George Floyd has been appointed as a judge in Hennepin County, Minnesota's governor announced Tuesday. Gov. Tim Walz said Matt Frank "will be a remarkable judge who will approach this position with the understanding that justice is a process, not a result. Houston Chronicle file The Texas Rangers were in the hot seat the second weekend of December 1968 during a landmark civil rights program on Latinos in the U.S. Leaders with the state law enforcement agency disputed claims that the Texas Rangers discriminated against Latinos. Among the allegations were claims that the Rangers "used brutality and acted as strike breakers against Rio Grande Valley farm workers in the summers of 1966 and 1967. A man was charged with murder Tuesday in the death of his 2-year-old daughter, whom authorities allege he used as a hostage to threaten his girlfriend and then killed by leaving her unsecured in the front seat of his sports car as he led police on a chase Monday. Deontray Flanagan, 25, was booked into Harris County Jail and formally charged Tuesday morning, hours after the chase that led to the girls death, according to Harris County court records. According to charging documents, the girl, identified by the initials Z.F., died after suffering blunt force injuries from being thrown around the car during the 45-minute chase. The girl was unsecured in the front seat of Flanagan's Camaro as he drove it more than 30 miles, sometimes weaving into wrong-way traffic and hitting other vehicles, according to prosecutors. After his arrest, Flanagan told police the girl struck the dashboard of the car during the chase and said he was "only worried about himself" and "was not thinking about" her, according to charging documents. Flanagan is accused of going to a day care around 10:15 a.m., where the girls mother had dropped off her daughter earlier, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said, who added that Flanagan was believed to be the girl's biological father. He then drove to a nearby Walmart and confronted the mother at work, demanding to see her phone. MORE HOUSTON AREA CRIME: Divers recover child's body in Pasadena bayou; believed to be missing 2-year-old Nadia Lee Flanagan is accused of holding the child hostage and strangling and beating her during the confrontation, according to court documents. Prosecutors said he was trying to extort his girlfriend into giving him her cellphone password. Gonzalez said Flanagan hit the woman in the face and then fled the store with the child. Investigators began working to find Flanagan shortly after that. Police spotted his red Camaro near the intersection of Greens Road and Interstate 45, and officers began following in a chase that took them to Stuebner Airline. The Camaro eventually stopped in a field near St. Dunstans Episcopal Church, 14301 Stuebner Airline, about 7 miles from where the chase began. Police initially treated the situation as a standoff. A negotiator then approached the car and soon discovered the child had been injured, Gonzalez said. At about 12:40 p.m., an assault team was able to approach the car and remove Flanagan and the child, the sheriff said. Flanagan's bond was set at $1 million, according to court records. He was being held at Harris County Jail as of Tuesday evening, records show. matt.degrood@chron.com john.ferguson@houstonchronicle.com U.S. should never have invaded Iraq 20 years ago: article Xinhua) 09:42, March 22, 2023 Protesters gather during an anti-war demonstration in Washington, D.C., the United States, March 18, 2023. (Xinhua/Liu Jie) "The consensus now, even among formerly hawkish Republicans, is that the United States should never have invaded Iraq 20 years ago," says The Washington Post. NEW YORK, March 21 (Xinhua) -- The United States broke Iraq -- U.S. forces succeeded in the campaign 20 years ago to topple the Iraqi regime, shocking and awing their way to Baghdad in a matter of days, but what followed turned into a debacle for the U.S. grand strategy, and a traumatic nightmare for much of the Iraqi society, said an article published by The Washington Post on Monday. "The initial glimmers of hope and optimism felt by some Iraqis faded as a dysfunctional, unstable status quo took root, shaped far too often by sectarian enmities and kleptocratic elites," said the article. "The war, driven by the hubris of the Bush administration and a supportive Washington establishment -- as well as what has to be described at this point as a vengeful post-9/11 bloodlust that permeated American society -- is now widely seen as a generational American mistake," it noted. Iraqis paid the biggest price: According to Brown University's Costs of War project, many of the 306,000 estimated deaths in the Iraq war were of civilians killed by "direct war related violence" between 2003 and 2019, a span of time that saw Iraq convulsed by waves of insurgencies and counterinsurgencies, and its cities ravaged by terrorist attacks and airstrikes. "The consensus now, even among formerly hawkish Republicans, is that the United States should never have invaded Iraq 20 years ago," the article said. An older genre of conventional wisdom in Washington maintains that the Bush administration's real failure came only after it deposed the Iraqi regime, when it turned out that the United States didn't have a real strategy for managing what came next, it added. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) We spend a lot of time at work, and I have learnt over many years that the culture of the organisation makes/breaks the companys success. Being an authentic and open leader is critical to success, especially in the retail world I work in. Vanessa Brennan, Mockas CEO For over fifteen years, Mocka has been championing women in business. With a talented and diverse group of women leading the way, the contemporary furniture brand has prioritised ensuring that women are well-represented at all levels of the organisation. Vanessa Brennan, Mockas CEO, is proud to be part of the transformation that has taken place for women in the workplace over the past decade. She believes that supporting each other is crucial to maintaining this progress. At Mocka, promoting women in business is not just a mere talking point but a fundamental value that is demonstrated through the companys leadership team, she says. Women have played a crucial role in every aspect of the companys operations, including supply chain, product design and development, warehouse management, customer service, and marketing. Mocka was established in New Zealand in 2007 by a couple expecting their first child. Frustrated with the limited options for stylish and affordable nursery furniture, they decided to develop their own pieces. Since then, the company has grown and expanded its product range while continuing to prioritise gender diversity and inclusivity in the workplace. They developed a range of items that could afford and were stylish, including the iconic Mocka Balance Bike, Mocka Original High Chair & Mocka Aspiring Cot. With a mission to cater to various life stages of families and provide quality, design-led furniture that is accessible to most households. The company began with nursery furniture but quickly expanded to include decor for the entire home, leading to its success in New Zealand and subsequent expansion into Australia in 2013. The Adairs Group acquired the company in 2019. As the new CEO of Mocka, Vanessa Brennan shares her personal and professional interests in home design and furniture. With over 20 years of experience driving customer and digital transformation, Vanessa has held senior leadership positions in various areas, including strategy, brand and marketing, digital, product and merchandising, and customer and people experience. Her entrepreneurial spirit and multi-platform and multi-category expertise have earned her a strong reputation for integrity. While fascinated by the constantly evolving trends in the industry, Vanessa was particularly drawn to Mockas unique offer in the market. She is proud to lead her team in the highly challenging retail environment and merge her personal and professional passions. Combining her love for home design and furniture with her expertise in the retail industry, Vanessa considers it a privilege to work in a role that allows her to do what she loves. I really loved the business model and the fact that our customers can now get this beautiful, designed product. From a professional perspective, I am a retailer at heart and being able to lead and navigate my team across a highly challenging retail environment is where I personally thrive. It really is a privilege to have a role that allows me to combine my personal and business passion into one. Our starting point is always our customer The adage Customer is King has been a cornerstone of many successful business philosophies for generations, emphasising the vital role customers play in the success of any business. It serves as a reminder that customers are the lifeblood of any organisation, and their satisfaction should be the primary focus of any business. In Vanessas view, customer-centricity is more than just offering excellent service; its about deeply understanding the needs and wants of customers, anticipating their desires, and offering solutions that cater to their specific requirements. She acknowledges that modern customers are more informed and have higher expectations than ever before. To meet these expectations, Mocka regularly tests new designs with limited quantities and in different colourways to understand how customers respond before committing to manufacturing larger quantities and more styles within a range. This allows the company to stay ahead of the curve and meet the ever-evolving demands of its customer base. As Vanessa puts it, We are constantly looking for ways to improve our product offering and customer experience. By putting our customers at the heart of everything we do, we are able to build strong, long-lasting relationships that help us to stay ahead of the competition. We often test new designs with limited qualities and in different colour ways to understand how our customers respond to them before we commit to manufacturing larger qualities and more styles within a range. Our product development process considers a few aspects. Our starting point is always our customer. We have mapped out key customer personas to understand their needs, aesthetics and life stages, and its important that our products meet their functional, quality and design needs. Global and local trends in interiors, colour palettes, lifestyle and economy play an important role when we develop our new ranges. Our customers are at the heart of our business, and we have made important adjustments in the operational and communication parts of our business over the past 12 months to cater more effectively to the needs of our customers. Some of these adjustments include partnering with courier suppliers who are more equipped to deliver to our expectations; overhauling our Customer Service operations by offering support in-country across phone, live chat and email, including weekend support; and creating a more seamless internal communication channel to funnel customer feedback to relevant departments for investigation and action. There is, of course, a lot more we would like to do, and we have an exciting roadmap for this year. Adapting to the changes The furniture industry is constantly evolving, and for Mocka, a furniture brand that values design and affordability, incorporating key trends into its strategy is crucial. One such trend is the evolution of the home. No longer just a place for rest and relaxation, homes are now also workspaces, and this shift has influenced Mockas approach to furniture design and development. They focus on form, sustainability, nature, and a refined strengthening of functionality and multipurpose spaces and products. In addition, functionality and versatility are important category-specific trends that Mocka prioritises. They recognise that customers want more from their furniture and aim to create products that can adapt and evolve with their changing life stages and physical spaces. The focus is on form, sustainability, nature, and a refined strengthening of functionality and multipurpose spaces and products. A category-specific trend that is vital in our space is the need for Functionality and Versatility. We want more from our furniture so that it can adapt and evolve with our life stages and physical space; for example, dining chairs that stack save space, and additional storage incorporated into bed frames facilitates tidy spaces. The Furniture segments revenue is estimated to achieve US$2,726.00m by 2023, with an anticipated annual growth rate (CAGR 2023-2027) of 15.02%, as per Statista. As a result, it is projected that the market volume will reach US$4,771.00m by 2027. The mantra of success: Building a strong company culture Vanessa believes that as a leader, culture is of utmost importance to them, regardless of the industry. She believes that a companys success depends on its organisational culture, which is why they focus on it extensively. I focus on creating a culture that supports this type of work environment it is all about being a team player but as well building trust. Culture is everything and is the key element I focus on as a leader no matter what industry I work in. We spend a lot of time at work, and I have learnt over many years that the culture of the organisation makes/breaks the companys success. Being an authentic and open leader is critical to success and especially in the retail world where I work in. We are faced with challenges daily, which means we get things right some days and some days that isnt the case. To succeed in a retail world, you must be adaptable to change daily, resilient and not afraid to try new things, which sometimes you can get wrong. Keep up to date with our stories on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Less than a week after attorneys representing the man accused of killing 10 people at Santa Fe High School in 2018 sought to remove the judge overseeing the case, prosecutors are formally opposing that request. Galveston County District Attorney Jack Roady this week filed a response to a motion to recuse Judge Jeth Jones, arguing defense attorneys reasons to seek removing him werent enough to show unfair bias. Even assuming arguendo that defendants allegations are true, he has not established bias or prejudice by Judge Jones that would warrant recusal, the motion asserts. Indeed, defendant faults Judge Jones only for his remarks, unfavorable rulings and opinions expressed concerning the efforts taken so far, and proposed future efforts, to restore defendants competency. MORE ON CASE: Man accused in deadly Santa Fe High School shooting could face new mental health evaluation Defense attorneys must show not just bias, but that the judges bias denies a defendant due process of law, the motion asserts. Nicholas Poehl, one of attorneys of Dimitrios Pagourtzis, 22, last week accused the judge of being determined to hire someone to find his client competent to stand trial and moving to do so behind the scenes, even as he publicly agreed to keep Pagourtzis committed for at least another year at the North Texas State Hospital in Vernon. Jones last week said rules around recusal motions stop him from commenting on them. But the motion will be referred to regional Presiding Judge Susan Brown for handling, Jones said. A hearing to determine whether to approve the recusal motion is tentatively set for 9:30 a.m. April 20, according to Galveston County court records. Pagourtzis was committed to the hospital based on mental health evaluations by three doctors. He is facing charges of capital murder of multiple persons and aggravated assault against a public servant in connection with the mass shooting, according to court records. He has been committed to the state hospital since November 2019. He is accused of entering Santa Fe High School on May 18, 2018, with a sawed-off shotgun and a .38-caliber pistol, and killing eight students and two teachers and injuring 13. A junior at the school at the time, Pagourtzis admitted to being the mass shooter after his arrest, according to court documents. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The first community meeting hosted by the Texas Education Agency to address questions from the Houston Independent School District community quickly devolved into an emotional, chaotic gathering punctuated by shouting that ultimately left many questions unanswered. The meeting comes less than a week after the state agency announced plans to take over the largest school district in Texas in response to chronic low academic achievement at a Fifth Ward high school and prior school board mismanagement. The state takeover announcement, which followed a years-long court battle, sparked outrage that carried over Tuesday night into a tense public meeting in the crowded Westbury High School auditorium. EXIT CRITERIA: HISD must meet these three strict goals to get out of TEA control Alejandro Delgado, deputy commissioner at the TEA, started the meeting with a presentation about the state-appointed board of managers. Now Playing: Residents of HISD face off with officials from the TEA about the planned takeover of the district at Westbury High School, March 21, 2023. Video: Anna Bauman It was soon interrupted by someone in the audience. We got questions, the man said. We want to know about our schools, our people, our communities. Others began shouting, too. Everybody here has questions, one said. We dont want to talk to you, someone else said. Karen Warren/Staff photographer Delgado sped through the presentation with information about the application process, roles and responsibilities for the managers, who must live within the school district boundaries. The TEA has so far received 138 applications for the board of managers, Delgado said. The question-and-answer session that followed the presentation was similarly loud, with people shouting their disapproval and telling officials not to skip any questions. A state representative appeared to be shuffling through note cards with questions that had been collected from the audience. About 40 minutes into the hour-long session, U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee was met by applause when she took the stage and restored order in the auditorium while speaking out against the takeover. "You are owed answers about this takeover," she said, adding that she planned to call Education Commissioner Mike Morath after the meeting. "He cannot have meetings like this and not answer your questions." Karen Warren/Staff photographer Two 17-year-old students sat among the crowd in their high school auditorium. "A lot of people, they are feeling a lot of mixed emotions about this," said Brandon Lopez. He wants to give the TEA a chance to "hopefully elect a good board so we can actually see change within the district." CATCH UP: Everything to know about the unprecedented HISD state takeover and the school district's future Mostly, Lopez said he wanted to ask about how the takeover will impact parents and students like him and kids in the long run. "That was the main issue here," he said. Following the meeting, Stephan Hester, a particularly vocal audience member, said he felt frustrated by the lack of progress. "I feel like us as people, we need to come together and fight this situation," he said. "This is injustice. It's not right." Hester, a Kashmere High School graduate, said the takeover feels like an insult to him, his community and the entire district. He worries that the appointed managers may choose to close schools such as Kashmere, Wheatley High School and Jack Yates High School and convert them into charter schools, exacerbating gentrification in the city's historically Black neighborhoods. "That's my main concern, closing down the schools in my community or turning the schools in my community into charter schools where the kids in the community don't have access to decent education," he said. Karen Warren/Staff photographer Savant Moore, a parent with kids attending Wheatley High School and McReynolds Middle School, said he plans to apply for a position on the board. He hopes that state officials will listen to the community and that the board will be have representation from all corners of the city, not just certain neighborhoods. "All you can do is try to be part of the solution," the Fifth Ward resident said. "It shouldn't be adults bickering back and forth. At the end of the day, it's about the children." MANAGER APPLICATIONS: What you need to know to apply for Houston ISD's new Board of Managers Tuesday's meeting was the first of four public forums scheduled by the TEA over the next two weeks. The second will take place at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at Cesar Chavez High School. Community march planned for next week Additionally, the Greater Houston Coalition for Justice is hosting a march against the takeover at 9 a.m. next Friday at Cesar Chavez High School in southeast Houston. Community leaders urged people to attend the event. Civil rights leader Virgil Wood, 92, will lead the march as grand marshal, according to organizers. "If we want to send a real resounding message that adamantly opposes takeover, lets show up with high numbers," said Johnny Mata, presiding officer for the justice coalition. "We appeal to the state and the Texas Education Agency: 'Dont disrupt the progress thats already been done at HISD. Progress is being made.'" The march will take place on a school holiday that commemorates the high school's namesake, a labor leader and civil rights activist who fought for better working conditions on farms. PUSH BACK: Houston justice coalition files federal discrimination complaint over HISD takeover Isidro Garza, a LULAC member, said he hopes people celebrate the activist's legacy by showing up to the march. "Its the unknown that we fear," he said about the takeover. "We know where were at our schools are progressing." Meanwhile, he said, the community does not know how the state appointed board would run the district. "The one thing that we do know is, to me, it just feels like big government taking over local control," he said. The ACLU of Texas is concerned about possible voting rights violations stemming from the state takeover, said Ashley Harris, an attorney with the organization. The legal group wants the state to "put a pause" on the takeover, she said. "These are voters of color and their concerns that are being overridden by a state agency who is not accountable to these local voters," she said. "We urge the TEA to reconsider these actions." DEEP DIVE: Texas is set to take over HISD. Heres why state interventions rarely improve academics Dr. Audrey Nath, an HISD parent and pediatric neurologist, said she was shocked last week to learn about the state's plan to take over the district. Her son attends kindergarten at Wharton Dual Language Academy, the family's neighborhood school. "From speaking with other parents, there just has not been a single parent who has expressed at the school or a playground that we really need a takeover," she said. "We very much value the local control that we have for our school district." The elected board implements policies and makes decision with input from parents and community members, Nath said, including on important issues like school safety or weapons on campus. "This is just one of many issues where I'm left wondering, is the TEA going to remove our voices and remove the policies that we put into place to protect our children?" she said. "I just havent seen any answers to these questions." On the books, the average student-to-teacher ratio across Houston metro schools remains consistent since the 2017-18 school year but the data obscures challenges that have surfaced since the pandemic and virtual learning changed the landscape of education. Across the nation, schools had to adapt to problems such as teacher and substitute shortages by combining classrooms and using asynchronous learning techniques where students learn material on their own schedules. Though data on student-to-teacher ratios provided by the National Center of Educational Statistics shows a steady number of students per teacher, a school-wide ratio is not always reflective of a typical classroom. The ratio is the result of dividing the number of full-time teachers by student enrollment. This means it both masks classes with large and small numbers of students and depends heavily on the supply of teachers and students. Harris County non-charter public schools lost 20,000 students during the pandemic. And since the 2017-18 school year, 519 schools about 68% of the areas regular public school campuses have seen lower enrollment numbers. The data behind charter schools tells a different story. Enrollment in Harris County charter schools has increased by nearly 15,000 students since the pandemic started. Among campuses that have been open since 2017-18, 59 percent have increased enrollment. Seven of these 79 schools have more than doubled their enrollment size in that period. Because both enrollment and teacher counts trend in the same direction downward for non-charter schools and upward for charter schools most districts maintain an average ratio of about 15 or 16 students for every one teacher in schools that have not been designated as alternative or for special education. Texas law dictates there must be fewer than 22 students in pre-kindergarten through fourth grade classrooms and districts must average less than 20 students in fifth grade through 12th grade classrooms. This law doesn't apply to charter schools. According to district averages, all but two Houston area districts maintained student-to-teacher ratios within the legally permitted range (22-1 for preschool through fourth grade and 20-1 for fifth through 12th grade). On an individual campus level, 65 total schools exceeded students-teacher ratio limits. About 65 percent of those campuses are charter schools. However, charter schools are not subject to the Texas Education Code regarding class size limits. Nineteen elementary schools or preschools had a ratio higher than 22-1 during the 2021-22 school year. Ten of these schools belong to KIPP Texas Public Schools, a public charter school with nearly 60 schools across the state. Additionally, 45 high schools and middle schools had a ratio higher than 20-1. Twelve of these schools are within KIPP. Houston ISD had eight magnet schools, three charter schools and three non-charter schools with a ratio of more than 20 students per teacher. The teacher shortages Overall, Harris County non-charter schools gained about 1,700 teachers since the 2017-18 school year. But despite these gains, more than half of the countys 761 non-charter school campuses have fewer full-time teachers compared to five years prior. In HISD, the number of teachers decreased from 5,930 in 2017-18 to 5,166 in 2021-22. Enrollment also dropped by 12,600 students in that period. The districts median ratio is about 17 students per teacher in 2021-22, but this number can vary depending on grade level, campus and availability of teachers, according to an HISD spokesperson. HISD previously told the Chronicle that some of its campuses had to combine classrooms because of teacher shortages. In cases like these, two different classes may be taught together by one teacher with the help of an educational assistant or a long-term substitute. The data wouldnt reflect the actual classroom size, which would be one teacher for twice the amount of students. Additionally, Houstons large refugee population has led some schools to add more students to their enrollment than are typically allowed by law. In these cases, districts like HISD request classroom-size waivers in order to serve those populations. Fluctuating enrollment In addition to the movement to charter schools, the pandemic gave way for thousands of students to miss school due to absenteeism or lack of resources to learn remotely. According to communications director for Texas American Federation of Teachers Nicole Hill, teachers across the state made efforts to find students who didnt return. HISD educators walked door-to-door to find students who may have slipped through the cracks. Between missing students and students moving to charter schools, the student-to-teacher ratio has remained steady according to the NCES data. There were lots of, what I consider, valiant attempts to bring (students) back and to make sure they were being taken care of, Hill said. I think what you're seeing now with the (student-to-teacher ratio) numbers is more like people leaving public school districts, whether it's permanently or temporarily to go to charters that are rapidly expanding. In Harris County, about 69 charter schools have popped up since the 2017-18 school year, putting the charter school count at 148. The number of non-charter public schools has increased by 37. And though the student-to-teacher ratio remains consistent, Hill said the pandemic exasperated existing problems in Texas education system. You have students leaving, you have teachers leaving, which may work to depress the average [ratio], Hill said. But it doesn't necessarily mean that all is hunky dory on the campus. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The University of Houston has closed an academic building for the semester after a student apparently died by suicide there on Monday, raising fresh concerns about the mental health crisis among college students as the death is the second one in that building in six weeks. The deaths have devastated community members who wonder why university officials had not taken earlier steps to secure Agnes Arnold Hall, which has reportedly been the site of multiple suicides over the years, including one on Feb. 15 and another in 2017. In addition to concerns about building safety, questions are being asked about access to mental health services at UH. Students are hurting on our campus: It is clear they do not have access to the resources they need," Student Government Association President Joshua Martin said in an Instagram post. "We must have an open discussion where students have a safe space with administration to hear their concerns so that together we can develop a path forward." MORE HIGHER ED: U. St. Thomas graduates first class of students with learning differences The university notified students of the death on Monday, immediately closing the building Tuesday and pointing students to various campus mental health resources including UH Counseling and Psychological Services; the Academic Student Assistance Programs 24/7 access to counseling and individual crisis intervention; and the National Suicide Prevention Hotline number, 988. Google Maps UH President Renu Khator also announced that she is setting up a task force to address mental health and suicide prevention at UH, using the help of the school's College of Medicine and city experts. "I recognize mental health is posing serious challenges on all campuses nationwide, including our own," she tweeted. "Clearly, we need to go deeper into our system and do more, Khator wrote in another post. This is devastating. Lets pull together and help one another and find long-lasting solutions. CRISIS HOTLINE: Houston suicide crisis call center working to meet surge in calls to new 988 hotline A time of mourning Freshman Gabrielle Palermo said she has struggled to walk past Agnes Arnold since the death on Feb. 15. It just reeks of death and sorrow, she said. And now its doubled. Palermo was one of many students on Tuesday who came by Agnes Arnold to stop and reflect. She dropped off pink wildflowers and sat for a while on a nearby bench, looking up. Others passed by in the normal course of their day, even walking on an outdoor path that traverses through the building. No caution tape remained, although university officials said that they enhanced the presence of security on Tuesday afternoon. Provost Diane Z. Chase told the university community in an email on Monday that administrators were working to determine the use of Agnes Arnold in the long term. Classes, testing and student organization activities will meanwhile be relocated for the rest of the spring semester. We are considering all options," she said. Once a plan is finalized, it will be shared with our community. As of Tuesday afternoon, more than 1,800 people had signed an online petition calling for the university to close the building and retrofit it to restrict easy outdoor access from higher levels. Freshman Hunter Foster said he feels the building is a problem. My initial response walking by, I was like, I already know what it is, he said. It is so awful. Heather Butina-Sutton, who received her undergraduate degree at UH, said she returned for her Ph.D. program and was surprised to see so many renovations around campus but not at Agnes Arnold. She has attended seminars and taught at the building. These tragedies are something that I think the people who work in Agnes Arnold have to carry with them, especially the faculty who have been here a long time, she said. Flashpoint Colleges and universities are at a flashpoint in mental health care as more students are reporting suicidal thoughts since the pandemic, said Norma Ngo, director of UH Counseling and Psychological Services, or CAPS. That possibly stems from difficulties re-emerging to a different world after long periods of social isolation, she said. In 2022, 41.8 percent of UH students who triaged at the school counseling center stated they had experienced suicidal thoughts, according to the university. Visits to CAPS dropped during the pandemic, but use is climbing again, although not to pre-pandemic levels, Ngo said. She added that she believes ample resources are available to students for short-term help, but some still dont know about them or decide not to seek service because of stigma. Many university counseling centers like UHs arent built for long-term treatment and lack specialists who can provide more intensive care, Ngo said. A lot of the desire that were hearing from our students is to be able to see us more often, she said. Butina-Sutton, the Ph.D. candidate, said she had a good first appointment with CAPS several years ago but struggled to get an appointment with the same counselor a second time. She said she imagines that people in similar situations don't always take the time to find care off-campus, especially if they struggled to seek help in the first place. For those first appointments with CAPs, that is a big first step for students, she said. It can be difficult to do those assessments because essentially you say, I have a mental health problem. UH is currently collaborating with the JED Foundation in a four-year process to build on mental health, substance use and suicide responses, and officials around the university this week affirmed a commitment to bolstering student mental health. A counselor was made available Tuesday and Wednesday at the Office of Human Resources to speak informally with people affected by the student deaths. We want them to know there is at least one, if not many people that they can talk to," Ngo said. "If they could find a way to connect with one person ... we can talk with them and help them to have a plan for every minute. We dont have to plan too far in the future, but literally taking one step at a time. People who are having thoughts of suicide are asked to call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 988. Counselors can also chat at http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/. samantha.ketterer@houstonchronicle.com A federal judge in Amarillo suspended the Food and Drug Administrations approval of mifepristone, a key medication used in combination with another drug to facilitate abortions, after hearing arguments in a lawsuit filed by anti-abortion groups. The plaintiffs, including the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine and the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians & Gynecologists, requested U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk to order the FDA to immediately suspend or withdraw its approval of the drug, arguing it is unsafe despite researchers saying decades of scientific evidence proves otherwise. Kacsmaryk issued a preliminary injunction last week that would undo the FDA's approval of mifepristone nationwide. ABORTION PILLS: Texans are using a European company to obtain abortion pills after Roe v. Wade ruling More than half of all abortions in the United States are completed using a regimen of mifepristone, which blocks a hormone needed for the pregnancy to continue, and misoprostol, which empties the uterus. President Joe Biden's administration has since appealed Kacsmaryk's decision and requested an emergency stay of the injunction. A federal appeals court could weigh in this week. Kacsmaryk's decision could affect access to the drug in states where abortion remains legal, especially following the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade a year ago. Since Senate Bill 8 was implemented September 2021, at least 1,300 Texans a month have traveled to those states for abortion care, according to the Texas Policy Evaluation Project (TxPEP). The consequences of the Texas court's decision could be far-reaching, abortion rights advocates say, though the immediate, practical implications are unclear. Here is what we know so far: Competing ruling out of Washington State A ruling out of Washington State could offer relief if the injunction goes into effect due to Democratic attorney generals of 17 states and the District of Columbia suing the FDA on Feb. 23 for allegedly restricting access to mifepristone. U.S. District Judge Thomas Rice, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, is presiding over this case. He ruled last week that the FDA cannot alter access to the drug while the lawsuit proceeds. The caveat to Rice's ruling is it's only limited to the 17 states and the District of Columbia. The states named in the lawsuit are Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington. The Texas judges recent rulings favor conservatives Kacsmaryk, 45, was nominated by President Donald Trump to the Northern District of Texas and confirmed in 2019. He is a devout Christian with a history of antiabortion beliefs, according to the Washington Post. Conservatives have sought out his court in a practice known as forum shopping, because he tends to rule in their favor, the Post reported. Kacsmaryk's recent high-profile decisions include vacating Biden administration protections for LGBTQ workers, and temporarily blocking the administration from ending a Trump-era policy intended to restrict immigration at the southern border. Pulling an approved drug off the market is complicated A federal judge does not have the authority to unilaterally pull an FDA-approved drug off the market, two health law experts told the Chronicle. The federal agency follows a formal process to make that happen, and it is unclear whether or how quickly that process would take place, according to a brief published by TxPEP. However, states, pharmacists and manufacturers can decide on their own whether to produce and dispense the drug, based on the mifepristone ruling, experts say. Federal efforts to expand availability of the drug already have come under fire. Earlier this year, the FDA said it would allow retail pharmacies to dispense mifepristone with additional certification. After 21 Republican attorneys general, including Texas AG Ken Paxton, threatened legal action against pharmacies, Walgreens announced it would not dispense mifepristone in those states, according to media reports. LATEST CHALLENGE: 5 women sue Texas, saying its abortion ban put themselves or their fetuses at risk We want to be very clear about what our position has always been: Walgreens plans to dispense Mifepristone in any jurisdiction where it is legally permissible to do so," Walgreens spokesman Marty Maloney said. "Once we are certified by the FDA, we will dispense this medication consistent with federal and state laws. Providing legally approved medications to patients is what pharmacies do, and is rooted in our commitment to the communities in which we operate." Mifepristone was approved for abortions, but can treat other conditions In 2000, the FDA approved mifepristone to be marketed under the brand name Mifeprex to terminate a pregnancy through seven weeks, based on thorough and comprehensive scientific evidence that the benefits outweighed the risk, the agency says on its website. In 2016, the agency determined it safely can be used to end a pregnancy up to 10 weeks gestation. There have been no safety concerns for Mifeprex or its generic alternative since the drug became available. Depending on what the judge decides in the lawsuit, the drug no longer may be available for other uses, such as completing a miscarriage. Some pregnant Texans already have said pharmacists have declined to dispense the drug for a miscarriage, even though the state provides an exception for such situations. Mifepristone also has been effective in treating hypercortisolism, when the body produces too much of the hormone cortisol for a long period of time, sometimes associated with rapid weight gain, hair growth, hypertension and diabetes. MORE FROM JULIAN GILL: Texas' abortion laws led to 3-day delay for Houston woman's pregnancy loss treatment, doctor says There are broader concerns about whether the lawsuit could affect other FDA-approved medications. The concern is that this lawsuit is going to open up a huge can of worms where a lot 'controversial' medications, that have been approved and been safe and effective for a long time, are going to be questioned under this process, said Seema Mohapatra, an expert in health law and bioethics at SMU Dedman School of Law. Misoprostol-only regimen is safe for abortions The lawsuit also seeks to restrict access to misoprostol. Thats unlikely to happen, however, because it was initially approved to treat stomach ulcers, Mohapatra said. It also is commonly used to induce labor. Misoprostol-only medication has been used successfully for many years and is the primary method of medication abortion in parts of the world where access to mifepristone is restricted, said Dr. Bhavik Kumar, medical director for primary and transgender care at Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast. The two-drug combination is more effective, but using misoprostol is just as safe, with fewer than 1 percent of patients experiencing serious complications, Kumar said. Asked whether abortion clinics could offer a misoprostol-only regimen if mifepristone no longer is available, Kumar said everything is on the table to protect as much access to safe, legal abortion care as possible. Every (Planned Parenthood) affiliate is in a different situation as the legal landscape varies significantly state by state, and providers will have to assess independently what is possible to continue making care available for their patients, Kumar said in an email. Planned Parenthood health centers will remain committed to doing whatever is possible to ensure patients can get the care they need, including choosing the method of abortion that is best for them. Editor's Note: This story has been updated to reflect that Walgreens has not yet dispensed mifepristone in any state, and that the pharmacy chain says it plans to dispense the drug in states where it is "legally permissible." julian.gill@chron.com jonathan.limehouse@chron.com It's the holiest time for Muslims around the world as they embark on Ramadan a celebration of God revealing to the Prophet Muhammad the Quran. Ramadan tradition includes fasting during the sunlit hours of the day for 30 days. After the sun goes down, Muslims gather and break fast with a meal called iftar. This year, the holiday is expected to start on March 22 depending on the sighting of the new moon. Here's wear you can break fast around Houston: RAMADAN: Ramadan in Houston: Halal restaurants adjust hours, plan events for month of fasting 2023 Ramadan Houston: Restaurants offering iftar dinner, meals Houston Iftar The annual Houston Iftar is back, starting at 5 p.m. April 2 at the Bayou City Event Center. The event will include a keynote address from Mayor Sylvester Turner. 9401 Knight Road Nazif's Grill Make a reservation at Nazif's Grill any day of the week. The Turkish Grill will be hosting an authentic iftar buffet for Ramadan with live instrumental music on Fridays. Buffet is $37 for adults and $18 for kids 5-7 years old. Additionally, the restaurant will host a special Ramadan event 7-10 p.m. April 1 at the Bougainvilleas Events Venue & Catering, 12126 Westheimer Road. The event will feature prayer, a grand buffet, live music and dancing. Tickets for the event range from $70 to $150 based on seating. 8821 Westheimer Road #109 Bar BQ Village Offering all your iftar favorites, Bar BQ Village is hosting a Ramadan Buffet every day during the holy month. Buffet options include chicken biryani, malai boti, mix pakora and kheer. Buffet is $16.99 for adults, $11.99 for kids 4-10 years old and free for children under 4. Reservations are encouraged by calling 832-593-7252. 17118 West Little York Road Pakwan House Head to Pakwan House for an iftar buffet any day during Ramadan. The buffet will offer iftar favorites along with Pakistani and Indian flavors. Buffest costs $18.99 per person. You can reserve your spot online or by calling 832-328-0786. 14617 Beechnut St. Chai Shai Hillcroft Chai Shai is bringing back it's iftar buffet with curry, barbecue, Chinese and other options. Buffet starts at $14.99 a person. The restaurant is also offering iftar catering. 6632 Southwest Freeway Mai Colachi Pakistani restaurant Mai Colachi is pausing Sunday brunch to have a grand buffet every day. The buffet will have traditional iftar foods like khajoor, along with main courses like papdi chaat. Buffet for adults and kids 5 and up will cost $24.95; kids under 5 eat free. Reservations can be made over phone at 281-240-0786. 15425 Southwest Freeway., Sugar Land Do Darya If you're looking to stay home but don't want to dirty the kitchen, Do Darya Kabab House has you covered. They'll cater your Ramadan feast and grill kababs right in your backyard. 14639 Beechnut St. Suite B-2 A Houston Chronicle investigation into how some private attorneys earn enormous sums to represent thousands of indigent people accused of crimes in Harris County at a cost of $60 million to taxpayers last year is prompting widespread calls for reform, as well as a county audit of the program. The 10 highest-paid private attorneys each pocketed more than $450,000 last year, with one pulling in $1 million. Dozens of attorneys not all among the highest-paid took on far more cases than county-employed public defenders are allowed. Their caseloads also exceeded state-recommended limits. Obviously, these numbers are huge, said Jed Silverman, president of the Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association. Its wrong, its offensive to your average person off the street, and it calls into question whether or not these accused people are getting effective assistance of counsel. CHRONICLE INVESTIGATES: Harris County spent $60 million on court-appointed lawyers with big caseloads. Critics call it a waste. Here's a look at what officials are doing to address the issue, and other proposed solutions. Audit launched Late last month, the Harris County auditor told county leaders that his office "started a review of court-appointed attorneys' fees." The audit aims to examine everything from the attorneys' billing practices to whether they're visiting clients in jail. "Our goal is to be able to analyze the different hours attorneys spent on different aspects of the case," said Chief Assistant Auditor Errika Perkins. She added that she expects the audit will take at least a couple of months before results can be publicly released. Two of the county's Democratic commissioners, Rodney Ellis and Leslie Briones, separately are pushing for an expansion of the public defenders office, which employed about 130 lawyers to represent indigent clients last year. But Silverman and others say those changes wont be enough. Everybody involved has to double down to fix the problem, said state Sen. John Whitmire, who also is running for mayor of Houston. Theres no justice for victims, defendants or society the whole damn things broken. For their part, judges and county staff say theyre trying to improve the situation by increasing attorney pay and mentorship opportunities to entice more attorneys to take cases. Harris County courts have faced so much turmoil in recent years due to the COVID-19 pandemic and Hurricane Harvey that many attorneys stopped taking appointments, forcing judges to overload some of the ones who remain. A state-funded study in 2015 found that attorneys could only reasonably handle at most 128 felonies or 226 misdemeanors a year, though some think those numbers are too low. Regardless, attorneys in Harris County regularly exceeded those limits last year. The top-paid lawyer, Jeanie Ortiz, made $1,006,007 for work on 399 felonies and 207 misdemeanors, setting a statewide record among court-appointed attorneys, according to the Texas Indigent Defense Commission. The felony judges recently voted to substantially improve the hourly rate for court-appointed attorneys. As of Feb. 27, they now can bill $175 per hour on first-degree felony cases, up from $120. Attorneys taking the lead on capital murder cases now will earn $225 an hour, up from $150. From $765 for 15 minutes' work to $44 Judges made another crucial change recently: Court-appointed attorneys now can bill only hourly instead of earning flat fees for things like court appearances, a day in trial, or spending a week taking cases in a single courtroom all of which encouraged volume of cases over quality work. IN-DEPTH: Harris County judges criticized over pace of court-appointed lawyer reform Murray Newman, president-elect of HCCLA, offered an example: Under the old system, he would get paid $255 for each court setting for a first-degree felony. Many of his clients are facing three or more first-degree felony charges, and all the court hearings for those charges generally happen in the same morning. That meant he could walk away with $765 just for having shown up for 15 minutes, Newman said. Under the new system, he will be able to bill only for those 15 minutes, earning just $44. That incentivizes you to work harder and longer on the cases you already have," Newman said. Felony judges also recently streamlined the application process for new attorneys to take court appointments. They now vote on new applications monthly instead of once a year. While those reforms are considered positive steps, much more needs to happen, officials say including expanding the public defender's office, putting more resources toward oversight of court appointments and addressing the courts' backlog. Public defenders limitations The public defenders office takes less than one-fifth of indigent cases in Harris County. Public defenders earn an average annual salary of $115,000 and have strict caseload limits that are far lower than some of the overloaded private attorneys who take court appointments. So adding more of them seems like a no-brainer. But in a county as populous as Harris, its unlikely the office could ever take on more than half of indigent cases. Thats in part because state bar rules prohibit the office from representing two co-defendants at the same time in order to avoid conflicts of interest. We have a lot of good private lawyers that are willing to take court appointments, and we should make use of them, said Alex Bunin, the countys chief public defender. The office has another big limitation: It does not employ attorneys who are qualified to handle capital murder cases, which are among the most work-intensive because they can lead to the death penalty. Nearly all of the defendants in capital murder cases are indigent, so theyre represented by private attorneys, and taxpayers are footing the bill which can come out to hundreds of thousands of dollars for a single case. Bunin said a priority right now is to expand the office more generally rather than add a separate specialized unit to handle capital cases. In order to take half of indigent cases, Bunin said the office's annual budget would need to more than doubled over the next three years, from $32 million to $76 million. That increase would likely be offset by savings on payments to court-appointed attorneys, he said. Court appointments oversight The Texas Constitution places oversight of indigent defense from the assignment of lawyers to cases to even deciding how much theyre paid solely in the hands of judges. Critics say judges dont have the time or the qualifications to assign the proper lawyers to indigent defendants or to make sure theyre doing a good job. You need an independent system to handle appointments, said Genesis Draper, one of 16 judges in Harris County who presides over misdemeanor cases. She said the managed assigned counsel program recently launched in Harris County creates such a system. The MAC created a computerized method for appointing indigent cases so that judges are no longer involved. It also has 20 full-time staffers overseeing and providing support to court-appointed attorneys across the county. But it only operates in the misdemeanor courts, and it does not limit attorneys workloads. READ MORE: Harris County's system for defending the poor remains inadequate, state audit finds David Fleischer, another misdemeanor judge, said theres such a shortage of private attorneys willing to take indigent cases that many judges fear limiting their workload would deny some people representation altogether. The MAC was set up solely to ensure that lawyers were not overloaded. But what do you do when you don't have enough lawyers, but you still have the same amount of defendants or even more? he said. They still need representation. Melissa Morris, one of 23 state district judges who presides over felony cases, said the felony judges hope to create a MAC by 2024. The courts backlog Harris County has become nationally known for its backlog of court cases. Some cases have languished for as long as a decade with no resolution, racking up costs to the taxpayer for prosecution, defense and other costs like housing defendants in jail. As courtrooms have opened back up, some of the old cases are being resolved. But the number of new felony cases filed by the office of Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg is also increasing though the pace of that increase and the reason for it are in dispute. Elizabeth Conley/Staff photographer Several defense attorneys, including Newman, who was a prosecutor from 1999-2008, said prosecutors are filing too many charges that they cant later prove in court. Melissa Morris, the newest state district judge, agreed. Im seeing cases that are filed where probable cause is lacking, Morris said. Nathan Beedle, a trial bureau chief in the district attorneys office, called Newman's allegations ridiculous. We do not make the phone ring, he said. The police officers in the field call our office and present us with facts. Theres either probable cause to file a charge or there is not. Beedle added that just last week, the district attorneys office began using an infusion of federal funds to help clear the backlog of cases. Qualified prosecutors in the office will spend some nights and weekends reviewing lower-level felony cases that are over a year old, as well as misdemeanors that are less than six months old, to see which ones could be resolved quickly. Harris County paid a private attorney $1 million to represent hundreds of low-income people accused of crimes last year, according to a recent Houston Chronicle investigation. That eye-popping sum is one of many: The 10 highest-paid court-appointed attorneys in Harris County all pocketed more than $450,000 last year, which is more than three times the average salary of a full-time, county-employed public defender. In all, the Chronicle found that the county paid hundreds of private attorneys a total of $60 million to represent poor criminal defendants in 2022. Thats prompting calls for reform, as well as a county audit. Several of top earners took on far more cases than the countys public defenders are allowed, but a few were paid for their work on just a handful of capital murder and other serious felony cases. For some, last year was an outlier because they were able to finally resolve cases that had been languishing in the courts system for years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. MORE: Houston leaders demand reform over attorneys' giant salaries, caseloads: 'Whole damn thing's broken' Thirty-eight attorneys in the county took on at least twice the felony caseload recommended by state guidelines, data show. Most of them aren't even in the list of top earners. Here are the 10 attorneys who earned the most from Harris County on court appointments last year. 10) Tucker Graves Pay: $472,659 Cases: 364 felonies The Texas Indigent Defense Commission has found that attorneys can reasonably handle at most 128 felonies in a year less than half of Graves caseload. But Graves said that many of his cases had actually been pending for several years due to Hurricane Harvey and the pandemic. He also said most of his clients have multiple felony cases that prosecutors filed based on the same incident, which inflates the caseload numbers. Last year was an anomaly because the backlog finally started to ease, said Graves, a past president of the Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association. Cases were being set for trial, they were getting dismissed. That explanation is in line with state data. In 2021, for instance, Graves earned less than half the money and reported less than half the caseload that he did in 2022. Elizabeth Conley, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer 9) Lisa Andrews Pay: $490,833 Cases: Four capital murder cases and 30 felonies Andrews earnings on just a few dozen cases are an example of an issue that has long plagued Harris and other counties: The taxpayer burden of capital murder cases, which can lead to the death penalty. A single case can cost millions to prosecute and defend, and hundreds of those cases are pending in Houston right now. Andrews said each one of her capital cases had been pending for years due to the pandemic, inflating her caseload and earnings last year when they all resolved. Prosecutors dismissed one case, and in another, they changed their position mid-trial and offered the defendant 20 years in prison, Andrews said. 8) J. Julio Vela Pay: $514,980 Cases: 119 felonies and 266 misdemeanors Like Andrews and Graves, Vela said last year was an outlier year for him since many cases stalled during the pandemic. State data support this explanation, showing lower earnings and caseloads for him in previous years. Vela is one of the top-performing criminal defense attorneys in Houston. According to the web site showmethejustice.com, which monitors attorneys wins and losses in the Harris County courts, he took 18 cases to trial last year more than any other Houston lawyer. He won 12 of them, also a record. Vela added that he has asked not to receive any new felony court appointments, but judges still ask him to take certain cases because no one else is available. 7) Jerome Godinich Pay: $585,950 Cases: Four capital murders, 296 felonies, and one felony appeal The Chronicle has reported on Godinichs workload as far back as 2009, when a Chronicle investigation found he had missed deadlines to file appeals for three separate indigent clients on death row. In 2020, he was paid $539,000 for his work on 309 felonies and a whopping 18 capital murder cases. Godinich did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Silverman and other defense attorneys described him as hardworking and diligent. He literally gets up at 5, goes to the Y, works out, is sitting in the office by 6:30 and leaves at 7, six days a week, said Patrick McCann, an appellate attorney who has worked on some cases with Godinich. Nick de la Torre/Houston Chronicle 6) Riddhi Desai Pay: $586,972 Cases: 620 felonies, 121 misdemeanors and three felony appeals According to state data, Desais caseload last year is quintuple that of what an attorney could reasonably handle while adequately representing clients. Her caseloads were somewhat lower in previous years, but still around double or triple what state guidelines recommend. The largest share of Desais earnings came from work on 168 felony cases assigned by Judge Nikita Harmon, who declined to comment. An additional 79 of her cases came from District Judge Kelli Johnson. Johnson said that her staff tries to avoid assigning indigent cases to anyone that might be overloaded, but that its sometimes unavoidable due to the shortage of attorneys. In an email, Desai said that she is currently working on 172 open misdemeanors and 199 open felony cases. I am not accepting any new cases, she wrote, adding that more than half of her indigent clients are facing more than one charge. 5) Cheryl Shooks Brown Pay: $593,023 Cases: 470 felonies and 85 misdemeanors Browns workload last year is about as much as what four full-time attorneys should be handling, according to state data. County court-at-law Judge David Fleischer assigned all her misdemeanor cases, for which she earned just $32,460. Fleischer said that Brown has not accepted any new misdemeanors in his court in several months. Its good, because if youre too busy and youre taking too many felonies, you have to be able to recognize it, he said. Its not fair to the client in misdemeanor court if you cant really handle their case with the time and care thats needed. District Judge Brian Warren, who assigned 50 of Browns felony cases, said Brown gets a significant number of cases because she speaks Spanish. Unfortunately, there is a shortage of lawyers [who] both speak fluent Spanish and accept appointments in the criminal courts, he wrote in an email. Brown did not respond to multiple requests for comment. 4) Todd Dupont Pay: $642,853 Cases: 291 felonies Duponts caseload is more than twice what state guidelines recommend. It was higher in some previous years, according to state data; he was paid for work on 458 felonies in 2020, for instance. Dupont did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Several defense attorneys praised his work and pointed out that he recently won a not guilty verdict for an indigent client accused of indecency with a child. Todd is a very respected trial lawyer who is often appointed on habitual offenders and serious first-degree felonies, said McCann. He is someone I would call if I were in trouble. 3) Anthony Osso Pay: $667,027 Cases: Eight capital murders and five felonies Like others, Osso said his earnings last year are an outlier because so many of his cases languished for years with no resolution. Last year, two of his cases finally went to trial, and a handful of others were dismissed or resulted in pleas. Everything that was worked out last year had been pending, just on average, maybe three to five years, Osso said. At least one of his cases had been pending since 2016. Yi-Chin Lee/Staff Photographer 2) Jimmy Ortiz Pay: $748,450 Cases: Two capital murders and 213 felonies Ortiz did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Other attorneys praised him as an excellent trial lawyer and pointed to his work on several challenging death penalty cases, including that of a man convicted of killing a sheriffs deputy who chose at the last minute to fire his attorneys and represent himself. By then, Ortiz had worked hundreds of hours on the case 144 of which were spent questioning prospective jurors with two other lawyers, according to expense claims. The defendant, Robert Solis, was ultimately convicted and sentenced to die. Ortiz expensed nearly $100,000 in 2022 for his work on Solis case, records show. Hes in demand because hes a good trial lawyer, Osso said. Godofredo A. VAsquez/Staff photographer 1) Jeanie Ortiz Pay: $1,006,007 Cases: 399 felonies and 207 misdemeanors Ortizs earnings last year set a statewide record among court-appointed attorneys, according to the Texas Indigent Defense Commission. Her caseload is four times what an attorney should handle based on state guidelines. It has also been high in other previous years. In 2019, she was paid for work on 562 felonies and 144 misdemeanors. The Chronicle also reported on her caseload in 2014. Ortiz did not respond to multiple requests for comment. More than $100,000 in payments to Ortiz came from her work as a contract attorney in a single misdemeanor court. Such contracts are no longer allowed under a new "managed assigned counsel program" in Harris County. Ortiz also has not opted to participate in the new program, which means she wont be receiving anymore misdemeanor cases. Yi-Chin Lee/Staff photographer Nicole Hensley contributed reporting. NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) Tanzanias health ministry on Tuesday confirmed that five people have died and three others are being treated for the Ebola-like Marburg disease. Health Minister Ummy Mwalimu said the cases were identified in the western region of Kagera and the government had managed to control its spread to other regions. Like Ebola, the Marburg virus originates in bats and spreads between people via close contact with the bodily fluids of infected people, or surfaces, like contaminated bed sheets. Without treatment, Marburg can be fatal in up to 88% of people. Marburg outbreaks and individual cases have in the past been recorded in Angola, Congo, Kenya, South Africa, Uganda and Ghana, according to the World Health Organization. Kenya and Uganda are on high alert due to the recent cases in Tanzania. WHO representative Zabulon Yoti, who spoke during the Tanzania health ministry press briefing, praised the government for what he called its swift response and transparency. The acting director of the African Unions public health agency, Ahmed Ogwell Ouma, tweeted that Africa CDC would deploy immediately to strengthen response and limit the spread of the disease. The rare virus was first identified in 1967 after it caused simultaneous outbreaks of disease in laboratories in Marburg, Germany, and Belgrade, Serbia. Seven people died who were exposed to the virus while conducting research on monkeys. There are no authorized vaccines or drugs to treat Marburg, but rehydration treatment to alleviate symptoms can improve the chances of survival. Many of us are familiar with that intoxicating rush of dopamine that comes from getting positive attention from our peers. Children feel it most. Around the age of 10, kids begin craving these "social rewards." It's a natural milestone, the beginning of a roughly 15-year period that psychiatrists believe is one of the most critical stages for human brain growth. It also happens to be the same age that many children, thirsty for visibility and acceptance, begin exploring social media apps from TikTok to Instagram to Snapchat. While these platforms satisfy a childs desire for social connection they can also distort vulnerable minds like a fun-house mirror. The same regions of the brain that trigger addictions to drugs and alcohol become activated, leading to craving for friends or strangers to tap the thumbs up or heart icon. Teen struggles in decades past facing school bullies, fear of missing out, not feeling attractive are amplified and ever present, only a buzz or ping away. We are only just beginning to fully understand the damage these apps can inflict on children as young as 8 years old. Recent research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that nearly three in five teenage girls felt persistent sadness in 2021 and one in three girls seriously considered attempting suicide. One in five girls had also been the target of electronic bullying. While other explanations for the increase in suicidal ideation and depression are possible smartphone use in general, for instance many psychiatrists and experts see a direct association with social media. Statehouses across the country are attempting to respond to this burgeoning crisis, introducing and passing legislation that aims to protect teenagers from the developmental harm that comes with excessive internet use. It's an issue that should have us all concerned and united in finding a solution. The wellbeing of our children is beyond partisanship it should be, at least. In Texas, the recent approach to tech regulation is unfortunately linked to broader culture war politics. In 2021, the Legislature passed a law currently being challenged in court prohibiting large social media companies from banning users posts based on their political views, a result of the growing belief among many Republican lawmakers that major tech companies have an anti-conservative bias. Texas is one of 22 states that have instituted bans against the social media app TikTok, largely out of fear that it's owned and operated by a Chinese company which could, in theory, wield our own user data against us. None of these measures has addressed the harmful effects of youth being overexposed to digital platforms. State Rep. Shelby Slawson (R-Stephenville) is hoping to change that. Slawson recently introduced a bill, House Bill 18, which aims to protect minors from content that promotes self-harm, suicide, eating disorders and substance abuse. Slawson told the editorial board that parents are powerless against social media platforms' proprietary algorithms, which are so opaque even many tech experts don't fully understand how they work. "We want parents to be able to see, first and foremost, what's being collected on our kids, and have the ability to opt out of that collection and to opt out of these algorithms as well," Slawson said. Slawson's bill, which has broad bipartisan support in the House, is modeled in part after similar legislation signed into law in California last fall. The Texas bill would impose legal penalties if teenage users were exposed to bullying, harassment and sexual exploitation; predatory, unfair, or deceptive marketing practices; and ads for products or services illegal to minors such as drugs and alcohol. Any app or website that violates these conditions could be subject to a civil lawsuit brought by a parent or guardian. The requirements would apply to any digital service provider that collects personal identifying information from teenage users and either targets or appeals to minors. The bill would also allow parents to request access to whatever data a provider has collected and stored from a user who is a minor, including browsing and search history as well as the user's private correspondence, which includes texts and video chats. Providers would have to grant parents access to control a minor's privacy settings, restrict ability to make purchases, and monitor the amount of time a minor spends using the platform. To some this may sound like nanny state overreach, yet Slawson's bill would also bring some much-needed transparency to tech companies that prefer to operate in the shadows, and would still pale in comparison to the more punitive approach adopted by the European Union, which bans targeted advertising aimed at children and also prohibits the algorithmic promotion of content that could be harmful for minors. We urge Texas lawmakers to pass this bill and for the governor to sign it. Yet we also share the concern voiced by some civil liberties advocates that the bill could have unintended consequences, such as over-moderating content or collecting more information from younger users than necessary because of age verification requirements. Advocates have also noted that prescriptive parental controls could be harmful to kids vulnerable to abuse, particularly children who identify as LGBTQ. Given that the state attorney general has tried to use the power of his office to invade the privacy of transgender Texans, it's imperative that the final version of this legislation explicitly prohibits any sort of digital surveillance that prevents vulnerable youth from accessing critical resources such as support groups. The ultimate goal of this legislation is not simply to prevent children from accessing particular digital platforms. There are benefits to using social media, from maintaining friendships to interacting with more diverse peer groups than a child might meet in person to providing safe spaces for self-discovery and expression. But the least lawmakers can do to encourage children to be responsible digital citizens is to ensure that the websites and apps they use are not vehicles for self-harm. It is an undeniable fact that only a founder can truly understand what it is like to create and run a business and have the stubborn optimism required to make it succeed. Stuart Low, CEO and Founder, Biza.io Biza.io, a financial technology company, was founded in 2017 by Stuart Low, a former head of innovation at Rabobank Australia and New Zealand. The company had humble beginnings, with Stuart operating out of his garage in Sydney, Australia, before establishing its core engineering team in Brisbane. Stuarts motivation for starting Biza.io stemmed from his work with the Data Standards Body, an agency responsible for creating Consumer Data Rights (CDR) standards. He recognised that financial institutions needed technical partners to help them meet their obligations and address challenges related to the CDR. This realisation prompted him to launch Biza.io with a mission to provide cutting-edge technical solutions to financial institutions. Despite limited resources, Stuart managed to bootstrap the company for the first four years of operation. However, his hard work paid off when Biza.io successfully raised $7.5 million in its first round of funding in August of last year, with OIF Ventures and Jelix Ventures as lead investors. With this infusion of capital, Stuart has been able to expand his team, which now comprises 16 skilled professionals. He has ambitious plans to hire up to 30 more employees this year, reflecting his companys rapid growth and increasing demand for its services. Stuart has over 20 years of experience in the finance and telco industries, having gained diverse expertise in distributed systems, API architecture, data storage, and identity infrastructure throughout their career. Prior to their current role, he served as the Engineering Lead within the Data Standards Body (DSB) responsible for Consumer Data Rights (CDR). Before that, they spent almost five years as the Head of Innovation for Rabobank in Australia and New Zealand. During my time at the DSB, it became apparent that many organisations were going to struggle with delivering on their obligations for the CDR and software proposed by the government was great for demo purposes but not for implementation in the real world. Consequently, I left the DSB to start my own business, Biza.io, in 2017 to help data holders and data recipients to meet their CDR regulatory obligations through our SaaS product coupled with a focus on leveraging the nascent ecosystem toward delivering value for organisations and consumers alike CDR has the potential to reshape the consumer landscape in Australia Drawing upon their experience and expertise in the Consumer Data Rights (CDR) realm, the individual identified a gap in the market for a pure-play CDR vendor that could provide guidance to organisations navigating the CDR journey and help them fully leverage its benefits. I understand and strongly believe that the CDR has the potential to reshape the consumer landscape in Australia, and what one can achieve through CDR is very exciting for consumers, businesses and innovation alike. I not only had the core knowledge and expertise, but I also had a unique perspective on solving the problem at hand. The business had a unique opportunity to capitalise on this capability in a blue ocean environment. Challenges faced During the first five years of Bizas operation, the founders commitment to the business was unwavering in the face of potential failure, ultimately leading to profitability through bootstrapping. It is a reality that only those who have founded and managed a business can fully comprehend the challenges and unwavering optimism required to achieve success. As we successfully raised $7.5m in a Series A funding round, led by OIF Ventures and Jelix Ventures in August 2022, the next challenge has been to maintain and strengthen the culture we had when we were a team of six people as we approach 40. I think the Consumer Data Right will be a transformative piece of national infrastructure that enables data to flow cleanly, consistently and with informed consent, enabling consumers to access high quality, lower cost products as well as providing a springboard to innovative market offerings which no one has yet thought of. Biza.io has developed a suite of products from scratch that are tailored to meet the unique needs of Consumer Data Rights (CDR). With the rapid pace of change in the ecosystem, it is essential for organisations to be CDR-compliant from the outset. However, they also require the flexibility to extend beyond CDR compliance to avoid the endless cycle of lifecycle management in pursuit of the next compliance deadline. To address this need, Biza.ios platform is designed to provide the flexibility necessary to support both current and future use cases for the CDR. Moreover, the platform has been developed to ensure that it remains relevant and up-to-date with the evolving regulatory landscape. This level of flexibility allows organisations to focus on their core business objectives and goals without worrying about the constraints of CDR compliance. In addition to the platforms flexibility, Biza.ios experience in the CDR ecosystem is unparalleled. Biza Holder as a Service (HaaS) is a comprehensive solution that provides organizations with a turn-key approach to delivering their Consumer Data Right (CDR) obligations. Typically, the engagement process begins with the establishment of a test environment, followed by a lightweight API integration with the customers source systems. Once the integration is complete, the solution is tested and refined, and the process to promote it to Production is streamlined to ensure a seamless transition. In most cases, Biza.ios HaaS solution enables customers to get from project initiation to Production readiness in as little as six weeks. This rapid turnaround time is made possible by the HaaS solutions ability to cover all technical requirements of the CDR, allowing customers to focus their efforts on identifying the necessary data sets and presenting them in the prescribed format. By providing a comprehensive turn-key solution, Biza.ios HaaS solution enables organizations to effectively manage their CDR obligations with minimal effort and maximum efficiency. The HaaS solution eliminates the need for customers to develop complex technical solutions from scratch, allowing them to focus their attention on more critical business objectives. With the Biza Holder as a Service (HaaS) solution, organizations can seamlessly navigate the ever-changing regulatory landscape of the CDR and unlock its full potential. Keep up to date with our stories on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Regarding Big Oil loves the war in Ukraine. But change is coming. (March 9): Its a pretty safe bet that the hundreds of thousands of Houstonians and millions of Texans who make their living and provide for their families in natural gas and oil jobs and jobs supported by the industry disagree with a recent opinion piece that ran in your pages. The claims in the article disparage hard-working Americans who work every day to bring reliable, affordable energy to homes and businesses as well as Americas allies overseas. U.S. oil and natural gas power the economy and help stabilize global markets. Even so, as CERAWeek speakers in Houston noted last week, the world faces an oil supply deficit that must be addressed to keep the energy crisis that gripped Europe last year from spreading. American energy is pivotal; U.S. producers shipped 140 percent more liquefied natural gas to Europe in 2022 than they did in 2021, helping avert a winter catastrophe and building a lower carbon world. We fundamentally disagree with the articles authors: The world needs more oil and natural gas, not less, because lives and livelihoods depend on the reliable, affordable energy they provide. Thats where our industry is focused: on meeting demand with American resources and reducing emissions now and in the future. Megan Bloomgren, senior vice president of communications at the American Petroleum Institute, Washington DC Regarding "Tomlinson: Hydrogen and geothermal startups steal the show from fossil fuels at CERAWeek," (March 13): I see Chris Tomlinson gleefully writing that fewer oil and gas company CEOs spoke at the recent CERA conference, apparently hoping that means less oil and gas production here in the US. Someone needs to educate Mr. Tomlinson that not only do fossil fuels make up far and away the majority of the power generation in this country, they will continue to do so for long after he is gone to the Great Beyond. Further, natural gas is cheap, plentiful, clean-burning, environmentally-friendly, and works when the sun doesnt shine and the wind doesnt blow. Business writers would be well-served to understand that ALL forms of energy generation will be required in the future as we have increased demand, instead of simply pushing their very limited green agenda. Bob Fowler, Point Blank Regarding "Manchin: The Biden Admin panders to climate activists. I won't support their nominees." (March10): Sen. Manchin says hes for energy security however that rings hollow to the millions of Texans who went through the freezing weather without power during Winter Storm Uri that cost hundreds of Texans their lives. That energy crisis was largely due to our over-reliance on fossil fuels particularly methane or so-called natural gas power plants. The limited supply of gas was sold at exorbitant prices giving corporations billions in profits in a few days. That cost was passed onto Texans with higher energy bills for decades to come. Manchins emphasis on energy security for Americans also ignores the fact that corporations are making billions exporting U.S. methane gas and crude oil outside our borders, including to China. This is also increasing the price of energy in the U.S. Plus people in fossil fuel dominated states like Texas are suffering the health and safety consequences, including frackquakes in West Texas, as well as air and water pollution from the wellhead to the export terminals. The Freeport gas export terminal had an explosion which injured people enjoying a day at the beach. It could have been much, much worse. We cant forget the climate impacts of fossil fuels. There is a way out. When the US entered World War II to fight fascism we quickly transitioned our economy to meet the urgent need to win that war. We face a similar crisis with the climate and need to shift our manufacturing and our priorities to meet our current existential challenge. Robin Schneider, executive director of Texas Campaign for the Environment Subscribers to Register-Star or The Daily Mail are eligible to receive full access to HudsonValley360. If you have an existing print subscription, please make sure your email address on file matches your HudsonValley360 account email. Imperial Valley News Center White Supremacist Gang Leader and Members and Associates Convicted on Racketeering and Murder Charges Anchorage, Alaska - Five members and associates of a violent white supremacist gang, the 1488s, were convicted Monday in Alaska by a federal jury of RICO conspiracy, murder in aid of racketeering, kidnapping, and assault. Evidence presented at trial showed that the 1488s are a violent prison-based gang operating inside and outside of state prisons throughout Alaska. The 1488s use Nazi-derived symbols to identify themselves and their affiliation with the gang, including a 1488 patch tattoo which depicts an Iron Cross superimposed over a swastika. The tattoo can only be worn by made members who generally gained full membership by committing acts of violence on behalf of the gang. The gang has written rules and a code of conduct, including the creed that the only currency we recognize is violence and unquestionable loyalty. Evidence presented at trial showed that Filthy Fuhrer, formerly known as Timothy Lobdell, 45, founded and led the 1488 gang from inside Alaskas maximum-security prison, where he is serving a 19-year sentence for the attempted murder of an Alaska State Trooper. Fuhrer ordered members of the gang to commit violent kidnappings and assaults in the free world outside of prison. Trying to impose greater organization and structure with non-incarcerated members, Fuhrer believed that some members were defying the 1488 code of conduct and diminishing the power and influence of the gang. Fuhrer sent out a trusted lieutenant with a list of directives, these directives culminated in the kidnapping and assault of two low-level gang members on April 2, 2017, and July 20, 2017, and the kidnapping, assault, and murder of Michael Staton on Aug. 3, 2017. According to evidence presented at trial, 1488 members Roy Naughton, aka Thumper, 43; Glen Baldwin, aka Glen Dog, 40; and Colter ODell, 29, worked with Craig King, aka Oakie, 56, who was a member of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club, to kidnap and murder one of the victims, who had previously stolen from both King and the 1488s. King lined a room with plastic, where he and the 1488 defendants beat and tortured the victim. Baldwin and ODell then took the victim out to the woods, shot him, and burned his body. ODell earned his membership patch into the 1488s by committing the murder of Staton. The guilty verdicts today strike a significant blow to the highest levels of the 1488 gang, said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Departments Criminal Division. The Department of Justice and our law enforcement partners remain committed to combating and dismantling violent white supremacist gangs. Violent gangs, especially those based upon racial hatred, are a plague to our society, said U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker for the District of Alaska. As this case demonstrates, the crimes of organized prison gangs often go beyond the prison walls bringing violence into our communities. Todays convictions are a major disruption to the operation of the 1488 prison gang and hold accountable those who order or commit brutal and heinous crimes. We will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to identify, investigate and prosecute violent gang crimes regardless of where they take place. There is no higher priority than keeping our communities and the citizens of Alaska safe. Todays verdict demonstrates the FBIs commitment to investigating and dismantling violent gangs, regardless of where they are being operated and who is leading them, said FBI Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the Criminal Investigative Division. In collaboration with our federal, state, local and international partners, we will aggressively target and pursue violent offenders. This verdict sends a clear signal to others who engage in gang violence that we will hold them accountable and bring them to justice. The inhumanity shown by members of the 1488 criminal enterprise, to include the kidnapping, torture, and murder of Michael Staton, is a gruesome example of why we must identify and dismantle violent criminal organizations, said Special Agent in Charge Antony Jung of the FBI Anchorage Field Office. The morally despicable extremist prison gang has been seriously undermined thanks to the robust and effective, coordinated law enforcement and prosecution efforts shown throughout this case. These convictions will certainly make our community a safer place. Fuhrer was convicted of racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy in aid of racketeering, murder in aid of racketeering, kidnapping resulting in death, three counts of kidnapping conspiracy, two counts of kidnapping and two counts of assault in aid of racketeering. Naughton was convicted of racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy in aid of racketeering, murder in aid of racketeering, kidnapping resulting in death, three counts of kidnapping conspiracy, two counts of kidnapping and two counts of assault in aid of racketeering. Baldwin, ODell, and King were convicted of racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy in aid of racketeering, murder in aid of racketeering, kidnapping resulting in death, and kidnapping conspiracy. All five defendants face a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole for the murder. The FBIs Safe Streets Task Force and the Alaska State Troopers, Alaska Bureau of Investigation, investigated the case in conjunction with the U.S. Attorneys Office for the District of Alaska and the Criminal Divisions Organized Crime and Gang Section (OCGS). Investigative assistance was provided by the IRS Criminal Investigation; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcements Homeland Security Investigations, Anchorage Police Department (APD), and the State of Alaskas Department of Corrections. Trial Attorney Jeremy Franker of the Criminal Divisions OCGS and Assistant U.S. Attorneys William Taylor, James Klugman and Chris Schroeder are prosecuting the case. Imperial Valley News Center Rewards Offered for Capture and Conviction of Leaders of Honduran Drug Trafficking Operation Arlington, Virginia - Monday, the U.S. Department of State announced a reward of up to $5 million each for information leading to the arrest and conviction of three Honduran nationals indicted in the Eastern District of Virginia on charges stemming from their roles as leading figures in a drug-trafficking operation. On October 8, 2015, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Tito Montes-Bobadilla, aka Alejandro Montes-Bobadilla or Pimpi, 32; Herlinda Bobadilla, aka Erlinda Ramos-Bobadilla or Chinda, 61; Juan Carlos Montes-Bobadilla, aka Mono, 35; Noe Montes-Bobadilla aka Ton, 38; and two others with conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine. The Department of State is offering $5 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Tito Montes-Bobadilla, Herlinda Bobadilla, or Juan Carlos Montes Bobadilla. The three Bobadillas are currently fugitives and are believed to be armed and dangerous. According to court documents and allegations in the indictment, from 2006 until the date of the indictment, Juan Carlos Montes-Bobadilla, his mother Herlinda Bobadilla, and his brother Tito Montes-Bobadilla allegedly were leaders in the Montes-Bobadilla drug-trafficking organization (DTO), or Los Montes, one of the largest drug cartels in Honduras. Noe Montes-Bobadilla led the Montes DTO prior to his arrest and extradition to the United States in 2017. Noe Montes-Bobadillas brothers, Tito Montes-Bobadilla and Juan Carlos Montes-Bobadilla, allegedly led cells within the DTO with their own supply and distribution networks. Their mother, Herlinda Bobadilla, allegedly assisted her sons in the importation, transportation, and distribution of cocaine. Through these efforts, the Montes DTO allegedly distributed thousands of kilograms of cocaine destined for the United States. The Montes DTO allegedly had its base of operations around Francia, Honduras, in the Department of Colon. The Montes DTO allegedly received shipments of cocaine via boats, clandestine aircraft, and even submarines by South American suppliers. Individual shipments allegedly carried hundreds of, and sometimes more than a thousand kilograms of cocaine. The Montes DTO allegedly worked closely with other drug-trafficking organizations to import the cocaine in Honduras and transport it north through Central America and Mexico to the United States. After his extradition, Noe Montes-Bobadilla was convicted, and, in April 2019, sentenced to 37 years imprisonment on the drug-trafficking charge. If you have information regarding this case, please contact the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) at +504-9452 4032 or +504-9430 7106, which can accept messages from the social messaging applications WhatsApp and Signal, or by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . If you are located outside of the United States, please contact the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate. If in the United States, please contact the local DEA office in your city. Assistant U.S. Attorneys James L. Trump, Thomas W. Traxler, and Anthony Aminoff of the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorneys Teresita Mutton and Douglas Meisel of the Criminal Divisions Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section are prosecuting the case. The Justice Departments Office of International Affairs provided substantial assistance in securing the arrest and extradition of Noe Montes-Bobadilla. This case is being investigated as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Operation Harpoon. An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. Imperial Valley News Center Jury Convicts Dutch National for Participation in Terror Financing Ring Arlington, Virginia - Tuesday, a federal jury convicted a Dutch woman on charges stemming from her participation in a terrorist financing ring in support of the Somalia-based terrorist group al-Shabaab. According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Farhia Hassan, 38, was involved with a group of women from more than a dozen countries around the world who ran a fundraising ring to provide financial support to al-Shabaab from in or about February 2011 through in or about July 2014. Through conduits in Nairobi, Kenya, and Hargeisa, Somalia, the group of women funneled cash payments via money remitters directly to members of the terrorist group. According to members of the conspiracy, the money was used to fund safehouses and to purchase trucks and weaponry in support of al-Shabaab. The women coordinated the payments using online chatrooms. Hassan, in particular, was involved in fundraising in the Netherlands under false pretenses by representing to donors that money was being collected to fund charitable ventures, such as schools for orphans, when it was in fact being funneled to terrorists. Two U.S.-based members of the fundraising ring, Muna Osman Jama, 41, of Reston, Virginia, and Hinda Osman Dhirane, 51, of Kent, Washington, were convicted in 2016 for their participation and were sentenced to 12- and 11-years imprisonment, respectively. Hassan was convicted of conspiracy to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization. She faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison when sentenced on July 22. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Departments National Security Division, U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber for the Eastern District of Virginia, Assistant Director Timothy Langan of the FBIs Counterterrorism Division, and Assistant Director in Charge Steven M. DAntuono of the FBIs Washington Field Office made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Anthony J. Trenga accepted the verdict. Assistant U.S. Attorneys James P. Gillis and Danya E. Atiyeh for the Eastern District of Virginia are prosecuting the case, with valuable assistance provided by Trial Attorney Kathleen Campbell of the National Security Divisions Counterterrorism Section. The Justice Departments Office of International Affairs provided substantial assistance in securing the arrest and extradition from the Netherlands. Imperial Valley News Center $300 Million Yacht of Sanctioned Russian Oligarch Suleiman Kerimov Seized by Fiji at Request of United States Suva, Fiji - Fijian law enforcement executed a seizure warrant freezing the Motor Yacht Amadea (the Amadea), a 348-foot luxury vessel owned by sanctioned Russian oligarch Suleiman Kerimov. Fijian law enforcement, with the support and assistance of the FBI, acted pursuant to a mutual legal assistance request from the U.S. Department of Justice following issuance of a seizure warrant from the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, which found that the Amadea is subject to forfeiture based on probable cause of violations of U.S. law, including the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), money laundering and conspiracy. The U.S. Treasury Departments Office of Foreign Assets Control designated Kerimov as part of a group of Russian oligarchs who profit from the Russian government through corruption and its malign activity around the globe, including the occupation of Crimea. In sanctioning Kerimov, the Treasury Department also cited Kerimov as an official of the Government of the Russian Federation and a member of the Russian Federation Counsel. According to court documents, Kerimov owned the Amadea after his designation. Additionally, Kerimov and those acting on his behalf and for his benefit caused U.S. dollar transactions to be routed through U.S. financial institutions for the support and maintenance of the Amadea. This ruling should make clear that there is no hiding place for the assets of individuals who violate U.S. laws. And there is no hiding place for the assets of criminals who enable the Russian regime, said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. The Justice Department will be relentless in our efforts to hold accountable those who facilitate the death and destruction we are witnessing in Ukraine. Last month, I warned that the department had its eyes on every yacht purchased with dirty money, said Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco. This yacht seizure should tell every corrupt Russian oligarch that they cannot hide not even in the remotest part of the world. We will use every means of enforcing the sanctions imposed in response to Russias unprovoked and unjustified war in Ukraine. This seizure demonstrates the FBI's persistence in pursuing sanctioned Russian oligarchs attempting to evade accountability for their role in jeopardizing our national security, said FBI Director Christopher Wray. The FBI, along with our international partners, will continue to seek out those individuals who contribute to the advancement of Russias malign activities and ensure they are brought to justice, regardless of where, or how, they attempt to hide. This seizure of Suleiman Kerimovs vessel, the Amadea, nearly 8,000 miles from Washington, D.C., symbolizes the reach of the Department of Justice as we continue to work with our global partners to disrupt the sense of impunity of those who have supported corruption and the suffering of so many, said Director Andrew Adams of Task Force KleptoCapture. This Task Force will continue to bring to bear every resource available in this unprecedented, multinational series of enforcement actions against the Russian regime and its enablers. The U.S. Marshals Service will continue to contribute our expertise in support of Task Force efforts to take possession of seized assets of Russian oligarchs during these forfeiture operations, said Director Ronald L. Davis of the U.S. Marshals Service. The seizure was coordinated through the Justice Departments Task Force KleptoCapture, an interagency law enforcement task force dedicated to enforcing the sweeping sanctions, export controls, and economic countermeasures that the United States, along with its foreign allies and partners, has imposed in response to Russias unprovoked military invasion of Ukraine. Announced by the Attorney General on March 2 and run out of the Office of the Deputy Attorney General, the task force will continue to leverage all of the departments tools and authorities to combat efforts to evade or undermine the collective actions taken by the U.S. government in response to Russian military aggression. Upon receipt of a mutual legal assistance request from the United States, Fijian authorities executed the request, obtaining a domestic seizure warrant from a Fijian court. The Amadea, International Maritime Organization number 1012531, is believed to be worth approximately $300 million or more. The yacht is now in Lautoka, Fiji. This matter is being investigated by the FBIs New York Field Office with assistance from the FBI Legal Attache Office in Canberra, Australia, the Department of States Diplomatic Security Service, and the U.S. Embassy in Suva, Fiji. Trial Attorney Andrew D. Beaty of the National Security Divisions Counterintelligence and Export Control Section and Trial Attorney Joshua L. Sohn of the Criminal Divisions Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section are handling the seizure. The Justice Departments Office of International Affairs, the U.S. Attorneys Office for the District of Columbia, Customs and Border Protection, and the U.S. Marshals Service provided significant assistance. The United States thanks the Fijian authorities for their cooperation in this matter. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} One EU scare story currently doing the rounds is that millions of Britons may face prosecution, or even go to prison, for taking selfies in front of famous landmarks. Were you to photograph yourself in front of the Angel of the North, for example, you would have to black out the monument before posting the picture to Facebook, unless its designer, Sir Antony Gormley, had personally permitted you to use the image of his most famous work, The Daily Telegraph has warned. This hare was set in motion by a report due to go before the European Parliament on Thursday, written by a German Pirate Party MEP, Julia Reda, an intrepid campaigner against copyright. In the UK there is what is called freedom of panorama, meaning that copyright laws do not apply in public spaces such as the hill on which the Angel of the North stands. But if you were to post a photograph of the illuminations on the Eiffel Tower without permission, for instance, you would breach French copyright law. Reda proposed that freedom of panorama should apply in every EU state. A committee has proposed an amendment that would make French copyright law standard across the EU. Do not be alarmed: freedom of panorama is not under immediate threat. The European Parliament may not accept the amendment, and anyway does not have the power to pass laws. It is not a given that there will be one standard body of copyright law across the EU. In the House of Lords, the business minister Lucy Neville-Rolfe confirmed that freedom of panorama is written into British law. As for the French, the Government recognises the diversity of EU member states laws in this area and strongly believes member states should retain their current discretion. Quite the endorsement... I think hed be an excellent leader of the Labour Party. The Chancellor George Osborne declared in the Commons yesterday that like the Unite union he is backing Jeremy Corbyn, voice of the antique left, in Labours leadership election. Talking therapy In the past, an MP would admit to having mental problems only after being caught doing something wrong which required an excuse. Only recently have one or two talked about these previously taboo issues when they are not in political trouble. Simon Danczuk, the Labour MP who made his name campaigning against the sexual abuse of children, went on BBC radio yesterday to admit that he is seeing a psychiatrist about his depression, insomnia, heavy drinking and occasional aggressive outbursts. This follows the excruciatingly public break-up of his marriage, in which he accused his wife, Karen, of having an affair which she denies and she described him, on Twitter, as alcoholic, arrogant and bad tempered. After his radio interview, the tone of their Twitter discourse improved markedly, when she tweeted: Very proud of Simon Danczuk admission today. Its the first step to getting better. Me & our boys are right behind him through this. The Notorious HMRC I hope I wont run into copyright problems by mentioning that the Department for Work and Pensions has posted a rap on Facebook, the lyrics of which are Can I have your attention/about the workplace pension? Did I forget to mention/millions of people are already benefiting from being involved in the workplace pension?/So, can I have your attention? Poetry. Pure poetry. For the first time in nearly a decade, Australia will begin the week with a Federal Labor government. While it is still early, we try to figure out what business and startup sectors can expect from Anthony Albaneses government in the near future. Thousands of micro, small, and medium enterprises at the heart of the economy have suffered from months of lockdown to contain the virus and subsequent production restrictions. Many of Anthony Albaneses campaign promises were repeated in his victory speech, including strengthening medicare, addressing the aged care crisis, establishing a federal anti-corruption commission, and working collaboratively with businesses and unions to boost productivity, wages, and profits. According to Mark Khabe, Co-Founder of PRIME BPM, as the Labor Party prepares to take power for the first time since 2013, SMBs hope that their numerous long-standing issues will be prioritised. Its encouraging to see that the Labor party has recognised the pivotal role that the sector plays and has pledged its support to help SMBs bounce back from the disruptions of the last two years. Greater government support will strengthen the sectors contributions to employment creation and economic growth. However, SMBs need to see these policies play out in practice. Small Businesses are a priority The Labor Party has promised to deliver on several small business issues throughout their campaign. More significant support for digital technology adoption, on the other hand, is clearly at the top of the list for SMBs. The post-pandemic world is digital. Therefore, stronger uptake of digital technologies will help SMBs drive more profit, expand their footprints and hire remote, borderless teams from any part of the world, Mark added. The Liberal government had laid out an ambitious vision of making Australia a top 10 data and digital economy by 2030. The Labor government needs to now live up to this promise. Were pleased to see that cash-flow issues are being addressed by the Labor party, which is a long-standing issue for SMBs. Likewise, Labor has committed to reducing the time small businesses spend doing taxes and cutting paperwork and regulatory red tape. We hope these are all positive initiatives to play out in practice. Furthermore, the Labor Party has pledged to address the issue of late payments for small businesses by ensuring that there is a mechanism in place for small businesses to receive payments within 30 days. Cash flow has long been a problem for small and medium-sized enterprises, and it has been exacerbated significantly by the economic difficulties of the last two years. However, Chris Dahl, Director of Sales and Growth, Pin Payments, says it is not enough to save businesses already bleeding money. Were pleased to see that the Labor party has prioritised these. However, it is not enough to save struggling businesses, he argues. Second, Labor has pledged to strengthen SMEs bargaining power with more significant partners by illegal, unfair contract terms. Chris believes this is a significant step toward combating business inequality and injustice and protecting small businesses from corruption. Likewise, the Labor party promises to reduce small business transaction costs at the point of payment with a clear timeline for implementing least-cost routing. Small businesses are disproportionately impacted by higher transaction fees that eat into profits around $804 million a year. This is a welcome change for small business owners. Least cost routing allows a business to choose online route payments in a way that benefits them and their customers, which will hopefully encourage greater adoption of online payments for SMBs. Jobs and skills The Labor party has already promised to tackle job insecurity and low wages head-on, likely addressing the skills shortage faced by SMEs. Labor promises to invest in the skills Australia needs to drive future economic growth in their campaign. Labor will give Australians free TAFE, create more university places, and address the skill shortages impeding our COVID-19 comeback. The Labor Partys jobs and skills development policies are promising in terms of skill shortages and employee upskilling. But according to Mark, the training initiatives and funds should not be limited to the Australian workforce. Many local businesses like ours rely heavily on talent overseas. Our strategy is borderless, so we have remote staff worldwide working as per Australian hours and an Australian head office. As digital transformation changes business operations, the government should not limit business and staff incentives to Australia, Mark said. The Labor government should support the digitalisation of businesses and understand that many SMBs now employ remote worldwide staff. The small business and digital policies should reflect that, as this will ultimately help Australia-based businesses to expand their global footprints and benefit the national economy. While Chris is optimistic about increasing jobs and skills through the 465,000 fee-free TAFE places for Australian students studying in skill-short industries. Small businesses may see a significant benefit from this, as upskilling employees will become easier and likewise talent will have access to skills programs through TAFE to upskill, Chris said. The 20,000 extra university places over 2022 and 2023 will also help fill the gap for industries suffering from skill shortages, which will immensely enhance the small business community. While more significant investment in digital skills-based trades would have been beneficial for SMBs, it is encouraging that the Labor party is, at the very least, addressing jobs and skills in their policies. Better business sustainability practices Sustainable business practices will be critical in 2022, and the government must address this as the most crucial issue for voters this year. Businesses must emphasise their operations and practices to fulfil their corporate responsibilities to the Paris Agreement and UN human rights standards regarding supply chain transparency. A myriad of environmental issues and considerations arise for businesses of all sizes. The Labor Government needs greater frameworks, regulations and support so businesses can ensure theyre adhering to standards. We hope to see this under the Albanese government, Chris notes. Likewise, the creation of stronger policies surrounding business sustainability will assist SMBs, who are often time-poor and have limited staff, to follow a clear framework or roadmap surrounding their environmental and climate-related duties. Businesses are often unaware that their operations are not in line with sustainability or lack the support or knowledge to change this. Its the Labor governments responsibility to ensure the business community acts by promises made under international treaties, including the Paris Agreement. These next four years, Albanese will be under public scrutiny as the world looks to combat climate change across every area of life, including business. Meanwhile, Mark believes that the Labor party, through the support of greater digitisation, will also back environmental sustainability. It enables remote working and reduces carbon emissions related to commuting. Greater initiatives surrounding hybrid work models may reduce energy use related to reductions in office energy consumption. In terms of environmental and financial benefits, developing policies that yield co-benefits needs to be the focus of this government, Mark adds. Keep up to date with our stories on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} After they had killed Osama bin Laden the Americans confiscated his private library, in which there were many strange and interesting tomes. One in particular, Terror Franchise, written by Saleh al-Somali, al-Qaedas now dead external operations chief, had an interesting take on why Tony Blair stepped down as Prime Minister in 2007. It was the voters who did it. Voters have done bad things, according to Somali. They are the ones who vote in favour of human alien satanic practices such as homosexual marriages and infant butchery in the wombs of their selfish heartless prostitute mothers, he notes. But on the plus side: The voters are the ones who demanded Americas pullout from Vietnam, and they are the ones who pulled out their Spanish troops from Afghanistan and they are the ones who turned the evil Tony Blair into a lame duck and ended his 10-year carrier of arrogance and American subordination with disgrace!! There also appears to be a suggestion that the MPs expenses scandal of 2008 was a consequence of the suicide bombings which killed 52 people in London in July 2005, because deadly martyrdom operations against the London subways were executed, which trashed the haughty Tony Blair and started (By the grace of the Almighty) a chain of tribulations and disgraceful revelations in the British governing parties. There is a causal link that completely passed me by. De-jumblification sale Boris Johnson used a word that I, for one, had never heard before. Asked for his view on his partys policy of allowing housing association tenants to buy their homes, he said he was for it, if it delivers more homes, more low-cost homes and if and only if the policy does not lead to what you might call the de-jumblification of London. I havent found jumblification in any dictionary, though it sometimes appears on the web. What the Mayors words imply is that he likes the rich social mix that makes up Londons population and doesnt want uniformity imposed on this jumble. Baby steps of a high-flyer So here I am, fresh back from maternity leave but feeling about 102, gripped by a vertiginous fear that the third child was a step too far. I am standing on a cliff edge marked woman who failed. My baby is blessedly robust and easy, yet I cant remember the names of colleagues, have lost my security pass and need a thesaurus to write. My brain is on the blink. Such was the cry of one professional woman written a little over five years ago. Since finding her brain on the blink Camilla Cavendish has been a highly regarded columnist for The Sunday Times, chaired the review into healthcare assistants in the NHS after the Mid Staffs hospital scandal and is now taking over as head of the Policy Unit in Downing Street. That third child was not a total career stopper then. Scottish Tories scent prey Amazing the things that cause offence. It was a bit rough-edged of Tom Gray, an SNP councillor in Perthshire, to dismiss fears about the impact that the T in the Park music festival has on the osprey population with the caustic comment: I dont know a single osprey to have topped itself because it had to move its nest. He has apologised and expressed deep regrets but sorry is not enough. There is a complaint outstanding with Scotlands Commissioner for Ethical Standards, a petition calling for him to be driven out of public life, and the Tories in Perthshire hope to force his resignation. Osprey suicide is evidently a very sensitive topic in Perthshire. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} The Tory MP Daniel Kawczynski had a struggle making himself heard at Prime Ministers Questions today because he was the next to be called after David Cameron had accused the shadow Chancellor Ed Balls of political masosadism. It was a slip of the tongue that had MPs rocking with laughter. No one present had ever heard the expression masosadism before, but apparently it exists, and applies to those who derive pleasure from pain but also occasionally like to dish it out too. When Mr Kawczynski was finally able to put his question, it was a dull one, about how his Shrewsbury constituency has thrived under a Tory-led government. When he is not talking about his constituency, Mr Kawczynskis main interest is the Middle East. He was in Riyadh this year as a guest of the Saudi government, and in 2011 he told the Saudi-British Relations website that he was writing the most pro-Saudi book ever written by a British politician. Saudi Arabia is a land of public beheadings, amputations, and the lash. Today, a Syrian drug smuggler became the 75th person executed by the Saudis this year. A few months ago, Raif Badawi, who co-founded a website called the Liberal Saudi Network, was sentenced to 10 years in prison, a massive fine, and 1,000 lashes, for holding the wrong opinions. Obviously, if 1,000 lashes were administered in one session, the victim would be dead before it was over, so to ensure that he feels every cut, they are inflicted 50 at a time, in public, after Friday prayers. Perhaps Mr Kawczynskis forthcoming book could include a chapter about masosadism and Saudi law. Cleggs vital port of call David Cameron is having to get used to handling Prime Ministers Question without Nick Clegg sitting impassively at his side. The Deputy Prime Minister has been absent for three weeks in succession. Today he was in Penzance, to announce a 150,000 study into whether the town needs a new breakwater. Ive spent four years dutifully sitting there on the green benches and this year I thought it would be a nice change to get out of the Westminster, he told the Western Morning News. Penzance is in the St Ives constituency, which the Liberal Democrat Andrew George held in 2010 by a perilously small majority. So Clegg was really telling the locals that if they want that breakwater, they had better re-elect their MP. Quietly does it, Ed Politicians often choose a day like today, when the news was dominated by the Autumn Statement, to slip out an announcement on the quiet. Today, Labour announced that Ed Miliband had made a few minor adjustments to his front bench, including the appointment of Lord Bach, a former Justice minister, as shadow Attorney General. The previous holder was Emily Thornberry, who was sacked for posting a photograph on Twitter of a house in Strood bedecked with England flags. Asking for the moon In the past two years servicemen have been accused eight times of exposing themselves in public, according to the written answer in the Commons. The MP who tabled the question was Madeleine Moon. Evolution farrago St Johns Episcopal Church in Edinburgh has displayed a mural entitled Evolution showing Adolf Hitler, Sir Oswald Mosley, Nick Griffin and, at the front, the smiling face of Nigel Farage. Its an insult to Ukip voters in Scotland, Scotlands furious Ukip MEP, David Coburn, told the Edinburgh Evening News. But at least it implies that Farage is a higher life form that the three men behind him. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} The story of Tony Benns famous battle to forsake his seat in the House of Lords has come full circle. When the minutes of todays proceedings in the House of Lords were posted on the website, it was confirmed that his oldest son, Stephen, has taken up the title of Viscount Stansgate, which his father renounced. The older Benn made constitutional history when he announced in 1960 that he did not want the title that had been awarded to his father, William, a former Cabinet minister who was made a life peer in 1942. Tony was not expected to inherit the title, which should have gone to his older brother, Michael, but Michael Benn was killed in the war. There was no precedent for a peer to renounce a peerage, and Tony Benn had to fight a long battle before he was allowed to resume his seat as MP for Bristol South. His victory made it possible for Alec Douglas-Home, the 14th Earl of Home, to find a Commons seat and become Prime Minister in 1963. The fact that Stephen Benn is now officially the Third Viscount Stansgate, after the legal experts in the Lord Chancellors department had gone into the legalities, does not make him a member of the House of Lords. However, when the Labour government abolished most hereditary peerages in 1999, they did allow 92 to remain, four of whom are Labour peers. If one of those four were to retire or die, there would be a by-election, and the fact that Stephen Benn has claimed the title his father renounced would make him eligible to run. The youngest of the peers is aged 63, the oldest is 85. Ebola before Ed, pleads Tony Kay Burley cannot really be faulted for trying. Sky Newss veteran interviewer had Tony Blair on a live feed from Sierra Leone. The former Prime Minister wanted to talk about Ebola, but she was keen to draw him out on Ed Milibands qualities as party leader. I dont really want to talk about that today, said Blair. Burley persevered: Dont you think the Labour Party would really appreciate maybe 60 seconds comment from you? Blair chuckled: I doubt it. Pressed further, he protested: Oh please Kate, Ive had this a thousand times... Ive said he has my support and thats the end of it. Im putting that down as a lukewarm endorsement, Kay Burley tweeted afterwards. Some Russians never forget Vladimir Bukovsky was a founder of the 1960s civil rights movement in what used to be called the USSR, who spent the best part of a decade in and out of confinement until he was suddenly plucked out of a labour camp in December 1976 and deposited at Zurich airport as part of a deal under which the leader of the Chilean communist party, Luis Corvalan, was simultaneously released. A few days later, he met Margaret Thatcher privately. She was, she wrote later, immensely impressed by his intellect and physical courage and helped secure him an academic post in Cambridge, where he has lived ever since. Curiously, the communist regime never stripped him of his Russian citizenship but now it appears that the Putin regime has. The World Affairs website reveals that Bukovsky, who is now 71, applied to renew his Russian passport. After seven months of silence, the Russian Foreign Ministry has replied that he cannot have a new passport because they cant confirm that he is a Russian citizen. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} One of the many ways that George Galloway attacked his Labour opponent, Naz Shah, in Bradford West during the general election was to suggest that she was pro-Israel, a damaging allegation to make in a constituency with such a large Muslim electorate. He even tweeted a picture of jubilant, flag-waving Israelis with the caption: Thank you for voting for Naz Shah. Naz Shahs maiden speech, in which she described Galloways behaviour as misogynistic, vitriolic, [and] very dangerous, has been well publicised. She followed it with a less well publicised intervention in a debate on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in which she described the Israeli settlements on the West Bank as stolen land, called on the government to recognise the Palestinian state, and described Gaza as an open prison. When George Galloway thinks someone has lied about him he does not hesitate to reach for his lawyers, but is none too careful about the insults he hurls at others. All pumped up Iain Duncan Smith has defended that ridiculous fist pump with which he greeted George Osbornes announcement of the National Living Wage. Interviewed on LBC, he admitted that it might have been over the top, but claimed that as a Tottenham supporter he is so unused to winning that he has to make the most of such an occasion when it comes along. An uncommon mistake The Conservative MP Graham Evans appeared in the Commons to insist that the Government must do more to commemorate the First World War and particularly the fact that I quote the Prime Minister Harold Wilson was severely wounded in 1915 at the Battle of Loos. A remarkable achievement considering that Harold Wilson was not born until 1916. He meant Harold Macmillan. Lilliputs leader cult People Before Profit, a relatively new addition to the rich tapestry that is Britains far left, made its debut as a wannabe parliamentary party in last years Rochester and Strood by-election, in which its candidate collected 69 votes 15,799 short of what he needed to win. The party did better in Lewisham Deptford at the general election, scoring 666 votes. There has since been a terrible row about whether it is worth fighting parliamentary elections. A breakaway group, which says that it is, includes the Marxist historian Tobias Abse, whose father, the Labour MP Leo Abse, piloted the legislation that legalised homosexuality in the 1960s. On his Facebook page, Abse complains that an authoritarian leader cult has infested People Before Profit. A leader cult in Lilliput: if you ask me, it is that number 666 that done it. A Nazi moment When Nigel Farage was looking for allies across Europe to make up a group in the European parliament, one of his most eccentric choices was a 72-year-old Pole named Janusz Korwin-Mikke, founder of the fringe Renewal Freedom and Hope party. Its co-founder, Robert Iwaszkiewicz, still sits alongside Ukip MEPs in the Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy Group. In the European Parliament, Korwin-Mikke used a mix of English and German to express his disgust at a proposal to introduce an integrated ticket system for travel across the EU. All the time if there is voting, we are voting for the unification of everything. This time it is ein Reich, ein Volk, ein Ticket, he declared. To illustrate his point, he raised his arm in a Nazi salute. Six million Poles, or one fifth of the countrys population, are estimated to have died in the 1939-1945 war. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} David Cameron has said he will rule nothing out meaning that he just might call for a No vote in a referendum on EU membership if his negotiations in Brussels come to nothing. But Ken Clarke doesnt believe a word of it. The pro-EU Tory, who has spent more years in government than any other living politician, is sure that Cameron is not so unprincipled as to sacrifice his lifelong support for the EU for the sake of clinging to office. He said at a lunch organised by the Institute of Economic Affairs today that Cameron had promised a referendum for the same reason that Harold Wilson did 40 years ago as a way of managing an unruly party. That has not stopped the right wing from putting him under constant pressure to go further, and make exit an inevitability. Mr Clarke added: The reason we have this anarchic situation with the public is most of the public dont believe that any of the political establishment have a principle in their body. If you wish to confirm that you dont have a principle in your body, then you only have to have some leading Conservatives campaigning for a No vote in a referendum, or forming a coalition with Ukip. Its utterly preposterous. They would be treated, quite rightly, with disillusion and derision by ordinary members of the public. You would have me going bananas if I thought David Cameron was contemplating campaigning for a No vote. It was never his intention. There are limits to how far you can go to stand on your head. Cameron will be flattered to know that Ken Clarke thinks there is a man of principle in there, somewhere. Murdochs new squeeze Congratulations to the New York-based website Gawker for their forensic investigation into whether Rupert Murdoch has been tweeting while under the influence of alcohol. I am told that the personal unhappiness that caused him to send mysterious messages such as Po to his 558,000 Twitter followers can be traced to the break-up of his marriage to Wendy Deng. That is very understandable. How many of us in our adolescence did not take refuge in drink when our girlfriends or boyfriends dumped us? But I am reliably told there is good news: new love has entered Rupert Murdochs life. And the Murdoch children do not mind because although she is almost 30 years younger than his 83 years, she is still past the age at which there would be any danger of more Murdoch children emerging from the relationship to claim their share of the inheritance. The unkindest cut of all There was a moment during the press screening of the forthcoming BBC 2 documentary Inside the Commons which produced a burst of cruel laughter from the audience of hacks. Talking about the vastness of the building, the Tory MP Nicholas Soames described coming upon a bar of whose existence he was previously unaware during 30 years as an MP. No sooner had he said the word bar than the camera cut away to a shot of Charles Kennedy, who led the Lib Dems to their greatest political success, but whose career was cut short by a drink problem. The first episode follows the progress of two newly elected women MPs, Labours Sarah Champion and the Tory, Charlotte Leslie, as they learn Parliaments arcane rules and practices. After a rowdy Prime Ministers Questions, Ms Champion exclaims: The behaviour in there is just disgusting, really embarrassing, juvenile! She added that the offenders were men in their fifties. Ms Leslie explains that she went into politics because I have always been angry. I feel like smashing brick walls down. Yesterdays headlines The Environment minister, George Eustice, when challenged on what the Government has done to alert dog owners to legislation that will oblige to fit their pets with microchips announced that Dennis the Menaces dog, Gnasher, has a new microchip. Actually, that news is two months old. It only shows that MPs do not read The Beano. Not that I am suggesting they should. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} David Cameron must think the two kitchens story is doing Ed Miliband serious damage, because he managed to work no fewer than five jokes about it into Prime Ministers Questions. Cameron and George Osborne are very sensitive about their image as two posh men who do not know what everyday life is like. They evidently want as much as possible of the same to be directed at Miliband. Meanwhile, Cameron had himself photographed in The Sun, making a sardine and mayonnaise sandwich in a well-stocked kitchen, and he has proudly told Sarah Sands of the London Evening Standard: The kitchen is where you spend all your time. It needs a sofa you can slump on, a table you can sit at, a kitchen you can cook in, a place children can do their homework there has always been a kitchen at the heart of everything. If he is prepared to let the world into his kitchen, what is his problem with Milibands? The answer is that Ed and Justine Miliband stand accused of trying to make their home appear more Spartan than it actually is by being photographed in a small, austere kitchenette when they have a larger kitchen on a lower floor. You shouldnt pretend to be something you are not, Cameron told the Standard. It is an interesting pitch by Cameron that he is truly upper-class and rich, where Miliband is something he pretends not to be. I can see why it might hurt Miliband, but it is not going to do much for Cameron. A bookie-bashing Budget It was rash of Ladbrokes to offer odds of 10-1 that George Osbornes Budget speech would include a two kitchens joke. They admit it has cost them. The rumour is that, combined with odds of 4-1 that he would say were all in it together, it has set them back 20,000. Archer turns up for once There is a section of the gallery overlooking the Commons reserved for MPs and members of the House of Lords. It was, of course, full today. Sitting between Lord Mandelson and Lord Feldman was Lord Archer of Weston-Super-Mare, better known as Jeffrey Archer. He has not spoken or voted in the Lords for more than 14 years, since he was expelled from the Conservative Party, arrested and jailed for perjury. But he was never expelled from the Lords because, until this month, that could not be done. The only reason Lord Archer never clocks in is that he chooses not to. This month, the law was changed, and a peer who behaves as Lord Archer once did can be expelled from the House of Lords. But he need not worry: it is not retrospective. Mandy is Strictly desirable Claudia Winkelman, co-host of Strictly Come Dancing, has named Lord Mandelson as the politician she would next like to see on the show. Not a bad choice. The journalist Anne McElvoy danced with Peter Mandelson when he was a new MP and found the experience glorious. The MP for Hartlepools taut thigh muscles were locked behind mine as we flung this way and that, she wrote. Emboldened by our unexpected compatibility, we dabbled in the twist, the waltz, the hoe-down and a fetching hip-bumping number of our own invention. When they played one of those songs of the early 1980s, to which everyone does the same preposterous routine with their arms in the air, we abandoned all dignity and did that too. I shall try to get that image out of my mind. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Nick Cleggs salary was halved when he lost his position as Deputy Prime Minister, falling from 134,565 to 67,060, but he may yet save himself the embarrassment of having to shop at Lidl instead of Waitrose. He has been signed up as a corporate speaker by Leading Authorities, a Washington-based agency. The accompanying blurb says that he occupied the second-highest office in the country at a time when the United Kingdom was recovering from a deep recession, adding: Despite the hugely controversial decisions Nick Clegg successfully maintained his partys support for a full five-year term of office. The agency tactfully omits any detail of what finally became of the Lib Dems under Cleggs leadership. If you want to hire him as your after-dinner speaker, he is yours for 35,000. Two engagements a year, and his income is back where it was. Uncertainty over Badawi Stewart McDonald, MP for Glasgow South, has written to Tobias Ellwood, a Foreign Office minister, asking him to explain his mystifying claim in the Commons this week that the case of the Saudi blogger Raif Badawi is under review by the Saudi Supreme Court. Badawis family believed the court had ruled against him and that there is an imminent risk of his public flogging being resumed. McDonald, who raised the Badawi case in Parliament, is asking that Ellwood either elaborate, or correct the record if he mis-spoke. The Foreign Office insists the minister did not mislead the Commons, but will not say any more. One day, hopefully, we will know what is happening to this brave man who faces being publicly tortured, possibly to death, for his opinions. Spin doctor struck off Billy Luffingham, who was the Green Partys campaign director, has quietly quit. He made the announcement on Twitter several days ago. Mysteriously, there was no reaction: no one wished him luck. That silence may arise from the fact that one of his roles was media training the party leader Natalie Bennett, whose most memorable media appearance was on LBC, when she suffered an excruciating brain freeze. After that incident, Luffingham sent for outside help to prepare her for the second TV leaders debate. His choice was Stephen Pritchard, whose full-time job is director of drama at Colstons, a 13,000-a-year private school in Bristol. Luffingham is an old boy of the school. So is his national campaigns assistant, Zak Bond. It was said that Colstons is to the Greens what Eton is to the Tories. The young and the restless That very authoritative tome, The Times Guide to the House of Commons 2015, is out, and I read in it that Jack Dromey, Labour MP for Birmingham Erdington, and husband of Harriet Harman, was born on 21 April 1964. Dromey became famous as the organiser of a strike at a London factory called Grunwick, in 1977. What a precocious 13-year-old he must have been! Other sources say he was born in 1948. The grass is always greener... There is an old argument about how the Hertfordshire town of Hemel Hempstead got its name. It is a very old name, predating the Norman conquest. One theory is that the hemp bit refers to the plant from which cannabis is derived. This is a source of great amusement for those campaigning for cannabis to be legalised, because the MP for Hemel Hempstead, Mike Penning, is also the Home Office minister in charge of drugs policy. Parliament has broken up for the summer, and I am taking a break. This column will reappear in the autumn. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Jeremy Corbyn, as we know, was on stage at the Durham Miners Gala at the weekend. The other three leadership candidates were also in town, but did not appear on stage. This was not because they were tongue-tied: it is because the organisers did not want to hear them. The Morning Star reports that a request that Andy Burnham be allowed to speak, made via an adviser, was turned down, and that an aide who made the same request on Yvette Coopers behalf was told: If you swim across that river, underwater, right to the other side and you come up alive, you still wont get an invite to the Durham Miners Gala. Dave Hopper, leader of the Durham miners, has vowed that as long as Im general secretary of this union, therell be no right-wingers here. Tartan Army isnt barmy The regimental discipline of the 56 Scottish Nationalist MPs is awesome. There were two examples in one day. On fox hunting, they announced that they would deliver 56 votes against the Government in a free vote on a matter, and the government whips, seeing that this was no idle threat, backed off to escape defeat. Then Mhairi Black, the 20-year-old MP for Paisley and Renfrewshire South, delivered her maiden speech in the Commons, and the entire SNP contingent turned out in support. It was a reasonably good speech, confidently delivered, with one good joke, in which she quipped that her MPs housing allowance made her the only 20-year-old in the UK to get help from the Chancellor finding somewhere to live. She sat down to uproarious applause, for which her SNP colleagues got a ticking off from the Deputy Speaker, Eleanor Laing. Social media was then bombarded with SNP messages lionising the speech as if it were one of the greatest parliamentary perorations of all time. Thus a star is made, by party solidarity. One MP from that chaotic organisation that calls itself the Labour Party exclaimed enviously: Theyre a Leninist party! Gala pie in the face Jeremy Corbyn, as we know, spent part of his weekend on stage at the Durham Miners Gala. The other three leadership candidates were also in town, but did not appear on stage. This was not because they were tongue-tied: it is because the organisers did not want to hear them. The Morning Star reports that a request that Burnham be allowed to speak, made via an adviser, was turned down, and that an aide who made the same request on Yvette Coopers behalf was told: If you swim across that river, underwater, right to the other side and you come up alive, you still wont get an invite to the Durham Miners Gala. Dave Hopper, leader of the Durham miners, has vowed that as long as Im general secretary of this union, therell be no right wingers here. The thought was there I will call a House of Commons Greek solidarity meeting of Labour colleagues this week, the Labour MP Jon Trickett promised on Twitter. I hear the meeting was all set up, only to be cancelled when the Greek government acquiesced in the deal forced upon it in Brussels. Wheres that again? Jess Phillips, newly elected Labour MP for Birmingham Yardley, is not impressed by the strange customs of the House of Commons, such as the rule that MPs never address each other by name but by the constituencies they represent. She told Huffington Post: All that stupid Right Honourable Gentleman. Its designed to make you feel like when you get it wrong, youre some sort of stupid newbie. I dont know where half the constituencies are, let alone who represents them. A return to the fold As the Lords considered the Cities and Local Government Bill, which would create elected mayors in regions such as Greater Manchester, the Government suffered a series of defeats on points of detail. They lost one vote by 219 to 162, another by 224 to 158. What makes these votes unusual, however, is the fact that they both included Lord Hanningfield. Hanningfield has only recently been allowed back in the building, after he was caught by a tabloid photographer going into the Lords to sign on and claim his 300-a-day tax-free allowance, and coming out 20 minutes later. To see him actually voting is a rare privilege. On the website Theyworkforyou, the last recorded occasion on which he voted was in October 2006. That was before he was sent to prison for fiddling his expenses. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Grant Shappss first Commons appearance in his new role as a minister for International Development was a terrible disappointment to those watching from the gallery. Though we had been told this new challenge was in no way a come-down from his Cabinet position as Conservative Party chairman, it was as if his fellow ministers were treating him as the junior member of the International Development team. He was allotted the task of answering question seven on the order paper, while Justine Greening and Desmond Swayne dealt with numbers one to six. That became apparent only because there was a moment, about 20 minutes into the half-hour session, when David Morris, who was due to ask question seven, thought he had been called by the Speaker and jumped to his feet, whereupon Shapps lifted the notes prepared for him by civil servants and made ready to move into action. It was a misunderstanding. John Bercow had actually called David Burrowes, sitting next to Morris, to ask a supplementary to question six. Time ran out; question seven was never asked. Shapps then had to leave the front bench, where he had sat for 30 minutes without saying a word. Was it an unfortunate mix-up? Dont rule out that Bercow did it on purpose, a certain minister told me afterwards. And dont quote me on that. Javid does a double-take Sajid Javid, the ambitious new Business Secretary, told the Commons a self-deprecating story as he made his first appearance opposite Chuka Umunna, his Labour shadow. He claimed that, when first elected in 2010, he was flattered by the way people seemed to recognise him. It was only after an excited member of the public took a selfie with him that he discovered it was because they thought he was Chuka Umunna. Mixed messages Ivan Massow is picking up support in his drive to be Tory candidate in next years London mayoral election when Boris Johnson pulls out. On his campaign website, he admits: I resigned from the Conservative Party at the turn of the century, wanting to jolt the party out its 1950s mindset, and while I still stand by my decision, Im older and wiser now. For the sake of complete accuracy, he could have added that he did not just leave the Tories, he very publicly joined Labour, only to depart after a few years. Mosleys formative years Max Mosley, who fought shy of publicity until his unusual sex life filled the front page of the News of the World, has given an interview to GQ magazine about being the son of notorious parents. His father, Sir Oswald, founded the British Union of Fascists. His mother, Diana, and her sister, Unity Mitford, were fans of Adolf Hitler. They were groupies, he told his interviewer, Alastair Campbell. His father also met Hitler twice but did not much like him; he was more a Mussolini fan. He also euphemistically describes his father as sexually active, though when Max was born the press inaccurately speculated that he was Hitlers child, by Unity Mitford. It was Fleet Street at its worst, he said. He saw nothing unusual in visiting his parents in jail as a child because he was brought up by nannies and tutors, so did not know how odd his background was. A magnificent blunder An Environment Agency press release was headed Magna Carter celebrations. This inspired a string of suggestions on Twitter as to what Magna Carter might refer to. Is it the title of a film in which Michael Caine throws Michael Gove off a multi-storey car park, for example? Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} The tributes paid to Charles Kennedy were genuine. He was a supremely talented and popular political leader destroyed by an addiction to alcohol. I was granted the first interview with him after his election to the Lib Dem leadership in 1999. He was talking a lot of sense, but not providing me with anything that would make an eye-catching headline, so as the interview drew to a close I asked him about cannabis. His predecessor, Paddy Ashdown, had battled hard to stop the Lib Dems from taking a soft line on drugs. I knew very well that Kennedy did not agree with him. Getting him to say so would make a great front-page story. Kennedy did a double take, the adviser at his side made a move as if to tell him to shut up, but after a moments thought, he went staunchly on to give a straight answer. He said that the law on cannabis was too harsh, drug laws generally were a mess, and that there should be a Royal Commission to clear them up. The following morning, I turned on the radio to hear Ann Widdecombe, the Conservative shadow Home Secretary, fulminating about Kennedys irresponsibility. Charles Kennedy clearly has yet to learn how a responsible party leader should behave, she said. This is an unbelievable first commitment which will alienate many of the people who put a cross by his name. I never heard an angry word from Kennedy for dropping him in it. Charles Kennedy - his political career in pictures Show all 18 1 / 18 Charles Kennedy - his political career in pictures Charles Kennedy - his political career in pictures 1986 Charles Kennedy at the SDP conference in September 1986. He had become Britain's youngest MP three years earlier and the party later merged to become the Liberal Democrats. Getty Images Charles Kennedy - his political career in pictures 1987 Charles Kennedy attends the Joint Liberal Assembly, October 1987. Getty Images/Hulton Archive Charles Kennedy - his political career in pictures 1999 Charles Kennedy being congratulated by his girlfriend and future wife, Sarah Gurling, and mother Mary after being elected Lib Dem leader in 1999 PA Charles Kennedy - his political career in pictures 2001 Charles Kennedy greeting supporters at a rally before the 2001 general election, when he was the Lib Dem leader Getty Images Charles Kennedy - his political career in pictures 2002 Mr Kennedy at his wedding to Sarah Gurling, outside the House of Commons in London. The couple divorced in 2010. Getty Images Charles Kennedy - his political career in pictures 2003 Charles Kennedy speaks during a question and answer session at the Liberal Democrat Party annual conference in Brighton Getty Images Charles Kennedy - his political career in pictures 2004 Charles Kennedy and his then wife arrive at the British Academy Television Awards in London Getty Images Charles Kennedy - his political career in pictures 2005 Charles Kennedy unveiling a Lib Dem campaign poster ahead of the 2005 general election Getty Images Charles Kennedy - his political career in pictures 2005 Charles Kennedy with his then wife Sarah and new born son Donald James on 12 April 2005. He returned to the election campaign trail days later Getty Images Charles Kennedy - his political career in pictures 2005 Charles Kennedy celebrating the Lib Dems' gains after the 2005 general election, when the party won 62 seats Getty Images Charles Kennedy - his political career in pictures 2006 Charles Kennedy admitted his drink problem and called a leadership election in January 2006 Getty Images Charles Kennedy - his political career in pictures 2006 Charles Kennedy is canvassing in Dunfermline for a by-election a month after his resignation as Lib Dem leader Getty Charles Kennedy - his political career in pictures 2006 Sir Menzies Campbell, Lord Rennard and Simon Hughes give Charles Kennedy a standing ovation after his speech to the party conference in September 2006, his first since his resignation Getty Images Charles Kennedy - his political career in pictures 2007 Charles Kennedy and his predecessor Paddy Ashdown congratulating Nick Clegg on his election as Lib Dem leader in December 2007 AFP/Getty Images Charles Kennedy - his political career in pictures 2010 Charles Kennedy with Nick Clegg on the campaign trail ahead of the 2010 general election Getty Images Charles Kennedy - his political career in pictures 2011 Charles Kennedy launching the pro-AV campaign for the 2011 proportional representation referendum in Glasgow Getty Images Charles Kennedy - his political career in pictures 2014 Charles Kennedy with Danny Alexander and fellow Lib Dems campaigning for a 'no' vote in the Scottish independence referendum in 2014 AFP/Getty Images Charles Kennedy - his political career in pictures 2015 Charles Kennedy campaigning with Jo Swinson in East Dunbartonshire in April ahead of the 2015 general election, where he lost his seat Getty Images Not the Beebs fault The Daily Mail, of course, will never pass an opportunity to attack the BBC. In March, after Kennedy had put in an excruciating performance on Question Time, the Mail suggested that it was the BBCs fault for letting him go on air when drunk. Yesterday, their columnist Andrew Pierce repeated the accusation on Twitter. For the record, Kennedy was not given alcohol by anyone from the BBC. Other participants in the programme have told me that he turned up at the studio at the last moment, and did not join them in the hospitality suite. He must have been drunk before he arrived. Assuming that the floor manager even spotted the problem in time, was he or she supposed to tell a politician of Kennedys stature to go home and dry out? Reaching for the stars The author Dominic Shelmerdine, who put a book together by writing to famous people asking them what their first ambition was, solicited a reply from Charles Kennedy that having watched the Moon landings on television at the age of 10 one of my first ambitions, not surprisingly, was to be an astronaut. Crossing the fine line I hope you realise what a fine line you are treading, read an ominous email from Matthew Smith, a Ukip councillor, after I noted that police investigating alleged electoral fraud in Norfolk had seized his computer. I hope I wont be crossing that fine line if I just mention that Matthew Smith has been sentenced to 200 hours community work and disqualified as a county councillor for five years after admitting that he forged signatures on a nomination paper. Rearguard action The Labour MP Ronnie Campbell was rebuked by the Speaker John Bercow yesterday for mentioning a ministers bottom. Why dont you get off that backside of yours? he said to the health minister, Ben Gummer. May I just exhort you to have some regard to considerations of taste. This is a new minister, said the Speaker. Do we infer that it is OK to say that sort of thing to an old minister? Its getting close to the end of the fiscal year, which can only mean one thing: its almost time to file your tax return. And were here with more information to assist you and your business in every way we can. While most businesses may use a registered tax professional to file their tax returns, we know that some people (particularly sole traders) prefer to do it themselves. So, if you try it yourself, we recommend checking out the ATO guide to assist you. The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has released a small business tax time toolkit to assist small businesses and tax advisors in correctly completing their income tax returns. ATO Assistant Commissioner Andrew Watson reminded small businesses to include all income, including earnings from side hustles. Almost half of the 1.9 million sole traders also have non-business income, like salary and wages or income from investments, so make sure to double-check youve included it all before you lodge. Dont fall into the trap of leaving out non-business income thinking we wont notice. Small businesses should include all income in their income tax return, including cash, coupons, EFTPOS, online, credit or debit card transactions, and income from platforms such as PayPal, WeChat or Alipay. What to include in your businesss assessable income Include the following in your assessable income calculation: All gross income (before tax) from your regular business activities, including internet sales, sales income (cash and electronic), and foreign income The gross income does not include the goods and services tax (GST). All other business revenue that is not generated by your regular business activities, such as changes in the value of trading shares, capital gains, isolated profit-making transactions, and cash rewards for your company Suppose your business receives cash payments for goods or services, in the form of all your cash earnings, income earned through coupons, vouchers or gift cards, income your business deposited into a mortgage or personal credit card or bank interest, dividends, franking credits. In that case, you must declare them as assessable income. What to exclude from your businesss assessable income For income tax reasons, not all payments you receive are taxable. You do not have to include an amount in your tax return if it is not assessable income. The following are not assessable: betting and winning at gambling (unless you operate a betting or gambling business). Earnings from a hobby, gifts, or inheritance GST you have collected non-assessable non-exempt government grants, prizes and awards unrelated to your business money you have borrowed. The ATO also reminded small businesses (including sole traders) in the building and construction, courier, cleaning, information technology, road freight, security, and investigation or surveillance industries that payment information is provided to the ATO through the taxable payments reporting system. For sole traders, this will be available as pre-fill in your tax returns, whether you are using a registered tax agent or doing it yourself. Just remember, its important to cross-check your records against the payment information pre-filled by the ATO before lodging to ensure it is complete and accurate, Mr Watson said. The ATO has also reminded businesses that most government payments or financial support received due to COVID-19 must be included as taxable income. In contrast, some others are exempt and should not be included. The ATO has detailed information listing how all support payments should be treated on its website. Deductions On deductions, Mr Watson reminded businesses to only claim what they are entitled to and that their business structure affects their entitlements and obligations. How sole traders, partnerships, trusts, and companies claim deductions are often different. There are three golden rules for what the ATO accepts as a valid business deduction: Click here to know about the weird and wacky things you can claim on your tax return. The expense must have been for your business, not for private use If the expense is for a mix of business and personal service, you can only claim the portion that is used for your business Dont forget, eligible businesses can claim an immediate deduction for the business portion of the cost of an asset in the year the asset is first used or installed ready for use, Mr Watson said. If your home has been your main place of business (for example, if you relocated your base of operation from an office to your home because of COVID-19), you can claim deductions for the portion of expenses related to running your business. It may be tempting to over-claim a deduction for your business, but its not worth the risk. Make sure you are eligible, only claim the business portion of expenses, and keep complete and accurate records to provide appropriate evidence for any deductions you plan to claim. Lodgement deadlines Mr Watson reminded small businesses who lodge their tax returns that they must lodge by 31 October. But if you have a registered tax agent, you will have more time to prepare and lodge. Ensure you are on the books with your tax agent before 31 October, so we know you are not planning to lodge your return. Disclaimer: Dynamic Business does not provide tax, legal or accounting advice. This article has been prepared for informational purposes only by our contributor and should not be relied on solely for tax, legal, or accounting purposes. You are strongly encouraged to consult your advisors to determine how the information may relate to you or the specifics of your business. Source Keep up to date with our stories on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} I savour the email I received less than a week before polling day from Raheem Kassam, who was then one of Nigel Farages advisers. He is not any more. He was one of the pair Ukips economics spokesman Patrick OFlynn had in mind when he claimed that Nigel Farage had been led astray by wrong uns. The email had the tag line worst journalism ever and told me that I suffered from a complete lack of understanding of polling and of basic journalism. I had been to South Thanet and concluded that because the Conservatives were better organised, Farage was likely to lose. Mr Kassam knew for a fact that Farage was marching to victory. Naughty Nigel, the lesson Turning to the Department of Educations Primary National Strategy document, one of the books primary school children are expected to study is Tony Rosss Naughty Nigel. Teachers are urged to read it to the children, and then throw out questions for discussion, such as Can Nigel change the way he behaves? Any four-year-old who knows the answer should contact Ukip. Farron spared kiss of death Tim Farrons campaign to be the next Liberal Democrat leader is doing well, though it almost hit the rocks yesterday when Lembit Opik, former Lib Dem MP for Montgomeryshire, was asked on Daily Politics whom he was backing. Opik is a lovable disaster. He gave his unqualified backing to the partys leader Charles Kennedy in 2006. Almost at once Kennedy was forced out of office. He ran Mark Oatens leadership campaign. Oaten did not just lose; his career collapsed in scandal. In 2010, he lost Montgomeryshire, which had been a Liberal seat almost without interruption since 1886. Since then, he has tried many things, but nothing has worked. Had Opik uttered the fatal words Im backing Tim, the Curse of Opik would have guaranteed that the next Lib Dem leader would be anyone but Farron. Mercifully, he replied: Any time I back anyone they always lose, so I cant say. Lib Dems mowed down again It is good that the Lib Dems have attracted thousands of new members since last weeks massacre of MPs. One of these recruits, Dr Simon Gilbert, has written a blog explaining why running the party is like mowing the lawn. To do either, he argues, you must look neither to the left, nor the right, but directly ahead. You could say the same about jumping off a cliff. How to speak mandarin To show that the Civil Service is moving with the times, the Cabinet Secretary Sir Jeremy Heywood has posted more than 80 tweets. The 81st landed him in a spot of bother. It included a photo of David Cameron meeting the Civil Service heads of department, which quickly drew a long string of sarcastic responses because every one was a middle-aged white male in a suit. Each, apart from Cameron, wore a tie. Stung by the reaction, Sir Jeremy followed it up with another tweet. Judge diversity in the Civil Service by facts not photos, he pleaded. Mail purges Cameron critics Today, the Daily Mail says farewell to its former star columnist Simon Heffer, who was on the payroll until this week though he was silenced weeks ago because of his inveterate hostility to David Cameron. His last column was aptly headlined Goodbye to the Man Who Could Never Admit He Got It All Wrong. Actually, it was a reference to Ed Balls, not the Heff. Meanwhile, in the Mail on Sunday, the Peter Hitchens column has failed to appear for two weeks. That looks like a purge of two of Camerons right-wing critics. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Early mornings will not be the same without James Naughtie, who has been a cerebral anchor for Radio 4s Today programme for longer than most of us can remember. How we will miss the great Naughtie question the sort of question that gave you time to shower, dress and have breakfast before it reached its final question mark, like the 183-word blockbuster he put to the US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on 31 March 2006. But the question, he said, is not whether liberal democracy you talked about this in your lecture on the eve of this programme is a good thing or a bad thing, as most people in this country, as in yours, think it is a desirable state. The question is how you go about bringing it. Now let me remind you, and Im sure you know these words from President Bush himself in the presidential debate just before he was elected October 2000. He said, if were an arrogant nation, they will resent us speaking about the United States. Now the problem is that many people who try to look at this fair-mindedly, look for example at the question of extraordinary rendition, people taken to third countries where there may be practices that amount under international convention as to torture and they know that they go through our airspace. And the government said, well, really request every time a permission is requested every time this happens. Is a rendition flight only allowed through our airspace if the British government has been informed? Rice replied in 23 words. A Naughtie disciple? The Liberal Democrat MP Greg Mulholland caught it from the Speaker, John Bercow, for ignoring a plea for brevity. After a question he was asking had stretched to 64 words, he was sharply told to sit down, and ticked off for discourtesy. He did not like that, and let it show whereupon Bercow told him: Dont shake your head, mate. I am telling you what the position is: you were too long. And as the MP stormed out, the Speaker told his departing back: Leave! That is fine we can manage without you. Exs scandal Some days you see ex-MPs wandering about the Houses of Parliament, apparently unable to grasp that they are ex. The Press Association has obtained a list of 381 who hold passes that allow them back in the buildings, so long as they are not engaged in commercial lobbying. Some may think this scandalous, but generally these lost souls look more sad than seedy. They demonstrate the wisdom of the old Jewish custom that when a body was brought to a cemetery fellow members of the synagogue would shout in the corpses ear: Know that thou art dead! As clear as Day... Doris Day is older than the United Kingdom so it was alleged by Angus MacNeil, MP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar (known to the English as the Western Isles), in a debate on the Scotland Bill. This is an interesting but contentious piece of trivia. MacNeil bases his claim on the premise that the UK has existed in its present boundaries since the secession of the Irish Free State on 6 December 1922. He also assumes that Doris Day lied about her age. Last year, the reclusive star made a rare appearance on her balcony to wave to adoring fans who remembered her as one of the greatest box-office draws of the 1950s, and had gathered to mark her 90th birthday. She has always claimed that she was born in April 1924, but there is scholarly evidence that she was in fact born in Cincinnati in April 1922. If so, it can be argued that she really is eight months older than the United Kingdom. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} There have been reactions from all around the world to the shocking story of the Saudi blogger Raif Badawi, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison, 1,000 lashes to be administered in public, 50 lashes at a time, and a hefty fine, for having opinions unacceptable to the Saudi authorities but one person not talking about it is the Foreign Office minister, Tobias Ellwood. Stewart McDonald, MP for Glasgow South, arranged a Commons debate on civil rights in Saudi Arabia during which he raised the Badawi case. Replying for the Government, Mr Ellwood claimed the case is in the Supreme Court and is under review. We therefore cannot interfere with that process, in the same way that the Saudi authorities would not interfere with our process. When challenged, he insisted: The case has returned to the Supreme Court, which reflects the fact that the leadership has taken stock of international opinion. The punishment has stopped and is under review. Until that process moves forward, it would be incorrect to comment on another countrys judicial process. The last the world heard was that in June the Saudi Supreme Court had upheld Mr Badawis sentence, and it was reported then that his only remaining hope was a royal pardon. I asked the Foreign Office if they could throw light on Mr Ellwoods statement. More than seven hours after he spoke, I was told that their Saudi desk was working on a reply. When it comes, I will gladly pass it on. Huffington Post 1; PM 0 As lobby journalists were quaffing champagne at the Downing Street end-of-term party, someone mentioned to David Cameron that Andy Burnham had said he would carry on supporting Everton even if he won the Labour leadership. Cameron was asked if he ever managed to watch Aston Villa, whereupon Owen Bennett, of Huffington Post, interjected: Or West Ham? Cameron affected not to hear. EUs heart of darkness During the same evening, Cameron said his summer reading will include Dark Continent, by the historian Mark Mazower, who debunked the idea that it was always Europes destiny to be the home of freedom and democracy, arguing that extremism, particularly right-wing extremism, is every bit as much part of the continents heritage. We can no longer afford to simply think of it as a dead load that by itself time will bury in oblivion, he warned. That should provide the Prime Minister with a few arguments when it comes the EU referendum. The dwarfs revenge The Commons had been in session for only a few minutes when John Bercow threw a wobbly. The Chancellor, George Osborne, was replying to a question on the economy from the veteran Labour MP Barry Sheerman, and used the chance to express mock regret that the Labour Party is not listening to the sensible voices of the old intake. The Speaker was correct to rule him out of order, because Labours internal turmoil is not Treasury business, but did so with shocking vehemence. Sit down! he barked, and when Osborne appeared to be ignoring him, added: Chancellor, sit down, man! I told you to sit down, so sit down! Onlookers wondered why he was so angry. I think it was because of the exchange that preceded it. The first person to put a question to the Chancellor was the Tory backbencher, Sir Simon Burns. It was an exercise in sycophancy. What progress, he asked, had the Chancellor made with his long-term economic plan? This was answered with a few minutes of self-congratulatory blather, after which Sir Simon put a second question. Did the Chancellor agree that his Budget clearly demonstrated the Conservatives are the natural party for hard-working families? Sir Simon is not always so respectful. He once called Bercow a sanctimonious dwarf. Hearing him wasting time with toadying questions is I hear what drove Bercow into a fury. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Norman Baker has been making use of the freedom of Parliaments backbenches since he resigned his old job as a Home Office minister. Today, the Lib Dem MP took advantage of health questions in the Commons to put the case for legalising the use of cannabis for medical purposes. Before he was a minister, Mr Baker was a persistent champion of causes other MPs feared to touch. He wrote a book, The Strange Death of David Kelly, about the scientist found dead in a wood in 2003 after being caught in the crossfire of a row between Downing Street and the BBC over the integrity of the case the government had made for going to war in Iraq. As the discussion about the medicinal qualities of cannabis moved along, the Labour MP Ian Austin asked: Has the minister assessed whether the use of cannabis can result in paranoid and deluded behaviour, leading people to believe that it is possible in this country to mount a huge conspiracy to pervert the course of justice involving the police, the ambulance services, the security services, the Government of the day and the media, and to pretend that someone who had killed themselves had actually been murdered? The minister, George Freeman, replied that the answer did not fall within his ministerial responsibilities. Words of wisdom David Mellor, the former Cabinet minister, may be feeling that the world does not love him after his charmless remarks to a London cabbie filled the front page of The Sun. He felt the same in 1992, when he was forced to resign from the Cabinet after a run of bad publicity that began with a story of extra-marital nookie. At least, back then, he had his friendship with the broadcaster Sir David Frost to console him. I feel everyone in the world hates me, he told Sir David. To which Frost responded: Thats not true, David. You havent met everyone yet. Scottish closet disclosures Pink News seemed pleased with the ministerial team appointed this week by Scotlands new First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon. It pointed out that Scotland now has three openly gay ministers though all are junior ministers: there are no out gays in the Scottish Cabinet. That was just not good enough for Gregor Murray, an SNP councillor from Dundee, who tweeted: Cabinet 10 per cent homophobic and 0 per cent LGBTI. Prominent SNP members are very annoyed with him. But is there a homophobe in Ms Sturgeons Cabinet? Absolutely not, says the SNP. Hack attack on the PM A startling message popped up today on Rachel Johnsons Twitter feed. The Mayor of Londons younger sister appeared to have tweeted: @David_Cameron why are you such an egg-faced c***? Another message, minutes later, confirmed that her account had been hacked. But was it Boris who hacked it, one wag asked. No rules for the wicked? No member of the House of Lords can ever be stripped of that privileged title, no matter what. Lord Taylor of Warwick, who has been to prison for expenses fiddling, regularly claims his daily tax-free attendance allowance. In June alone, he claimed 4,500. The Lords is drawing up legislation to enable it to expel the most egregious offenders, but has decided that it will not be retrospective. The Tory peer Lord Finkelstein thinks that is a problem. He cited what he called an entirely hypothetical example. Suppose that a peer had committed perjury, but no one knew he had until years later, and when he was found out, it emerged that the offence predated the passing of the Act; so the liar could not be stripped of his title? Danny Finkelstein had his fingers burnt when he was advisor to the then Tory leader, William Hague, who allowed Jeffrey Archer to be Tory candidate for London mayor. That decision blew up in their faces when it emerged that Lord Archer had committed perjury in a libel trial. He spent two years in jail, which in no way affects his right to turn up at the Lords and claim the 300 a day allowance, should he choose to. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Gordon Ramsay has had a bad week. In addition to losing a court battle over a rent agreement, which will set him back more than 2m, he has suffered the insult of having David Cameron say he would rather eat at Nandos than in an establishment run by the celebrity chef. Asked to choose between Harvester, a Gordon Ramsay pub or Nandos, Cameron said: Ive been to a Gordon Ramsay restaurant, Ive been to Nandos and Ive been to a Harvester. I think Nandos is the best value for money. The Prime Minister was a guest on Capital Xtra, an urban dance music station, where he was questioned to see how cool he is. A sad fact of contemporary politics is that being cool is thought to be a necessary qualification for high office. To his credit, Cameron was impressively ignorant of the sort of stuff that is aimed at people less than half his age. He said he preferred Bryan Ferry to hip-hop, admitted that I havent quite got into why everyone is interested in the Kardashians and revealed that though he has watched Big Brother, he is not a fan. Our costliest councillor Robert Bleakley, Britains most expensive councillor, is in trouble again. He had complained to police that he was being harassed by television crews who followed him into last weeks meeting of Wigan Council. Far from acting on his complaint, the police have complained about him, demanding the council apply the strongest of sanctions. What the councillor said to merit this we do not yet know. He has told the local Wigan paper that he said nothing offensive at all and has witnesses to back him. The police claim that his comments were frankly vile [and] reveal him to be a thoroughly unpleasant and nasty character. It is thought he may have made some remark about the two policewomen who were murdered in 2012 by a thug named Dale Cregan. Bleakley was described by the leader of Wigan council, Lord Smith of Leigh, as Britains most-expensive councillor because he was able to claim an 11,000 allowance when he turned up to a meeting for the first time in five months. His long absence may be connected to the fact that he has been banned from speaking to female employees of Wigan Council because of his behaviour towards them. He is repaying the 2,400 bill he ran up ringing sex chat lines using his council-funded mobile phone. Welcome to Bongoville What is the capital of Bongo-Bongo land? Andrew Neil asked, when the former Ukip MEP Godfrey Bloom appeared on BBC2s Daily Politics show today, it being a land that Bloom once claimed was a recipient of UK overseas aid. Well, Bongoville, one presumes, Bloom replied. Helmet hair: might catch on I do not think there is much to like about Ukips only Scottish MEP, David Coburn, but I confess I enjoyed reading his monstering of Alex Salmond and the economic case for independence that was based on a barrel of oil being worth $110, rather than the $50 it now fetches. If we had all voted Yes, Scotland would have its begging bowl out to England, he has told the Daily Record. The last thing I want to see is my country with a begging bowl out to anybody because of a bunch of economic numpties who dont know anything about finance. And if it had happened if Scotland had voted Yes theyd be hanging Salmond and Helmet Hairdo and all her silly friends. Theyd be stringing them up from lampposts by now. Helmet Hairdo appears to be his name for the SNP leader, Nicola Sturgeon. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} George Galloway never one to understate his own achievements was heard on BBC Radios Today news programme talking up his victory in the Bradford West by-election. We successfully won the biggest swing of the 20th century on mainland Britain, he proclaimed. The swing from Labour to the Respect party in Bradford West was indeed impressive. It was 36.6 per cent. But it was not as big as the 37.9 per cent swing against Labour scored by the SNP in Hamilton in 1967, or the 44.2 per cent swing from Labour to the Liberal Party in Bermondsey in 1983, or the 49 per cent swing from Labour to the independent, Peter Law, in Blaenau Gwent at the 2005 general election, or the 44 per cent swing from Conservative to Ukip scored by Douglas Carswell last October, so it would not have been the biggest swing in the 20th century, even if it had taken place in the 20th century, as Galloway seemed to think. Nor is it the biggest swing of the 21st century. Ukip Clacton needs EU aid The people of Clacton will be pleased to know that the Government is going to be forced to take action to prevent inadequately treated sewage being pumped into the sea along its coastline. There are European Union rules about this, and Clacton is one of four locations where the rules are allegedly being broken, so the European Commission is taking the UK government to the EU Court of Justice. Ironic that Clacton should be protected in this way, only six months after they basically told the EU to get off their backs by making Douglas Carswell Britains first elected Ukip MP. Bercows way with Tories If anyone is wondering why the Conservatives loathe the Speaker, John Bercow, the language he used when telling the Tory MP Gregory Barker to calm down is an illustration. It is better to remain silent and look a fool than to speak and remove any lingering doubt, he said. Not long afterwards, Bercow heard himself being praised by Gordon Brown for his unfailing courtesy to all sides. Courting media intrusion? Aidan Burley, who arrived in the Commons as MP for Cannock Chase in 2010 with the promise of a brilliant political career, bowed out today on a sour note. He complained that unwanted and often unwarranted media intrusion into his own and his familys life had made him decide that it was no longer worth carrying on. If only he had not helped organise a Nazi-themed stag party and acquired a Nazi uniform for the groom to wear, perhaps he would have avoided that distressing intrusion. Harmans secret file Politicians do not always like what is written about them, but it must be particularly frustrating when they know something has been written, but they do not know what it is. Harriet Harman has been trying for decades to read the file that Special Branch compiled on her when she was involved in the National Council for Civil Liberties in the 1970s. Today in the Commons she demanded an assurance that she will be allowed to see the full file. The Home Office Minister, Mike Penning, was jeered as he replied: I would love to give you that assurance but I cant. Succession for girls Some good news for the unborn child of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, should she be a girl: the 2013 Succession to the Crown Act finally became law, on Parliaments last day. It means that she will not lose her place in the line of succession to any younger brother she may have, as Princess Anne did, and she can marry a Roman Catholic. This law now applies everywhere where the Queen is head of state. That is Antigua, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Solomon Islands and Tuvalu. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} I came from a poor Irish, not particularly well educated background I am in fact a pleb, Bob Geldof said in evidence in the Old Bailey libel trial on behalf of his friend, former Tory chief whip Andrew Mitchell. Not particularly well educated? A strange claim from an alumnus of Blackrock College, Dublin. Other old boys of that school, though not Sir Bob, are locked in battle with Irelands education minister, Jan OSullivan, who has threatened to legislate to force Irelands elite schools to widen the social mix of their intake, to give more children from poor Irish backgrounds a better chance of getting to university. This threatened assault by the state on the private school system has outraged Shane Murphy a Rockman, who says: Any threat to the ethos and traditions of Blackrock College should be resisted. A concentrated effort on the part of all past students and their families will likely be required to ensure that the current proposal is defeated. Fees at Blackrock College range up to 17,250 (13,810) a year not the sort of money your average pleb can afford to spend. Only if its illegal A highlight of the evening event in the Commons held in memory of that courageous Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, who died in prison five years ago, was a private exchange between the Tory MP John Whittingdale and Nadya Tolokonnikova, a member of punk rock trio Pussy Riot, who endured 22 months in prison for her anti-Putin antics. Mr Whittingdale formally invited Pussy Riot to perform in Parliament. The answer was a polite no. She explained: We only perform when its illegal. Blank expression What is the Russian for Pussy Riot? the Labour MP Chris Bryant asked Masha Alekhina, who also survived 22 months in the gulag. The answer left him looking blank, so he asked: Why did you choose the English phrase Pussy Riot? Because you can pronounce it, she replied. Extraordinary strength The courage of these people. Evgenia Chirikova is an environmental campaigner, not a popular cause in a country whose main export is fossil fuel. She said Russia has four major exports coal, gas, oil and corruption. She rebuked the UK, calling it the main repository of choice for money stolen by the Russian kleptocracy, but apologised for sounding emotional as she related that all the friends who had campaigned with her are either killed, or died, or left the country or are in prison. There were some Russians who took notes but never applauded, so no doubt her remarks have been reported back. The following morning, Chirikova returned to her young family in Moscow. Preventive support David Cameron was very positive in his reply to the Tory MP John Baron at Prime Ministers Questions. Baron, a persistent Tory rebel, has been trying to get the Government to make a one-off payment of 25m to veterans of nuclear tests. Having previously got nowhere, he heard the Prime Minister say he has listened very carefully, that it is a very important cause, hinting something will be done soon. His reply, of course, is no way connected to fears that if Ukip wins todays Rochester and Strood by-election, the next Tory to defect might be John Baron. Naming places isnt easy Nick Clegg conceded on his LBC show that his party is not going to sweep to victory in Rochester and Strood but the contest was on his mind. He took a call from a listener, Sue, from Stroud, in Gloucestershire. Youve got an election there tomorrow, said Clegg. Stroud, Strood easily confused. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} During a break at the high-level Govern Up conference at Westminster today, which brought together civil servants, politicians and advisers from all of the main political parties, who should be seen standing to one side, engrossed in an intense private conversation, but Ed Milibands chief of staff, Tim Livesey, and Johnny Oates, who does the same job for Nick Clegg. I wonder what they were talking about. Could it by chance have been about how to form a coalition after Mays election? Give that Ukip man a map Nigel Farage has so much on his plate that he does not know where Sandwich is. When an edition of Magna Carta that belongs to Sandwich Town Council turned up in the Kent county archives, Farage, who hopes to be the next MP for South Thanet, posted an excited tweet congratulating Sandwich, in Thanet. Separately, Ukip sent a letter to Sandwich residents, in Farages name, inviting them to a meeting at which the make-up of Thanet District Council would be discussed. But Sandwich is not in Thanet. It comes under Dover District Council. That is the sort of basic error that really annoys residents. The first thing parliamentary candidates should do is get to know the area they are responsible for, an enraged member of Sandwich Rotary Club, David Robertson, 81, told the Kent Mercury. Reckless waste of money The Ukip MP Mark Reckless has been given a date when old Conservative Party colleagues expect to see him in court. Rochester and Strood Conservative Association is claiming 3,012, plus 185 in court costs, from Reckless and the former Tory agent, Chris Irvine, who both defected to Farages party in September. The claim against them is that, two days before they jumped ship, they committed the Tory association to printing campaign literature that had to be thrown away. A court date is set for 12 March. Writ not so large The secrecy that surrounds family courts is almost absolute if the courts judge that publicity might be harmful to children or other vulnerable people. When John Hemming, the Liberal Democrat MP for Birmingham Yardley, raised a point of order in the Commons today, about something that had been on the agenda for a committee of the European Parliament, he was politely but firmly told by the Speaker, John Bercow, not to say another word. In return for his public silence, he has been promised a private session with Bercow and his advisers, at which tea will be served while they hear what he wants to say. But in this internet age it is hard to keep a lid on anything. The writ of a British family court does not run in Brussels, and information that Mr Hemming was not allowed to give out in Parliament, and British newspapers are not allowed to publish, is easily accessible on the internet, in the minutes of the relevant committee. By the way, it is not that interesting to anyone not directly involved, so do not ring me asking to hear more. Cameron misquoted According to the official record, David Camerons reply to a long, discursive question from the longest-serving MP, Sir Peter Tapsell, the Conservative member for Louth and Horncastle, began with the words: It is difficult to answer the Father of the House without a long, historical exegesis It is a case of Hansard tactfully recording what someone meant rather than what he actually said. Everyone listening clearly heard the Prime Minister say hysterical. Long and hysterical are words that aptly describe the entire waste of time that is Prime Ministers Questions in the dying days of this parliament. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} More than 215,000 of the vast sums that the Conservative Party poured into marginal seats in the run-up to the general election came from the mysterious United and Cecil Club. In the Register of Members Interests, 51 Tory MPs declared donations to their constituency parties from the club, ranging from 1,000 to 10,000, in the first three months of this year. Most beneficiaries are new MPs, though there are a few who won their seats in 2010 by narrow margins. The three whose parties received 10,000 each were sitting MPs Kris Hopkins and David Morris and Ben Howlett, who took Bath from the Lib Dems. United and Cecil is a members association with only one known purpose to collect and disburse donations to the Conservative Party. On the Election Commission registry, its address is given as a 2m private house near Slough. Most of the MPs who have benefited from it give its address as a stables near Windsor, run by Tim Lord, former chief executive of the Tobacco Manufacturers Association. A few give its address as Munslows, an accountants firm in High Holborn, London, and one entry suggests it is based in the same building as the Carlton Club, a short walk from Parliament. United and Cecil has no contact details and its membership list is not public. It does not need to declare its sources of money as it comes in individual donations below 7,500. Given the clamour the Tories raise about Labours union donations, you might think they would have qualms about being funded by a secretive organisation, but apparently not. Major donors to the Conservative Party Show all 10 1 / 10 Major donors to the Conservative Party Major donors to the Conservative Party Michael Farmer Hedge fund: RK Capital Management Worth: 150m Total donation: 6,556,092 Rex Features Major donors to the Conservative Party Sir Michael Hintze Hedge fund: CQS Worth: 1,055m Total donation: 3,221,027 Major donors to the Conservative Party Lord Fink Hedge fund: ISAM Worth: 130m Total donation: 3,172,007 EPA Major donors to the Conservative Party Chris Rokos Hedge fund: Brevan Howard (pictured) Worth: 230m Total donation: 1,344,850 Google Street View Major donors to the Conservative Party Andrew Law Hedge fund: Caxton Associates Worth: 350m Total donation: 1,226,411 Rex Major donors to the Conservative Party Sir Paul Ruddock Hedge fund: Lansdowne Partners Worth: 300m Total donation: 818,783 Rex Major donors to the Conservative Party David Harding Hedge fund: Winton Capital Worth: 750m Total donation: 593,765 Major donors to the Conservative Party Hugh Sloane Hedge fund: Sloane Robinson Worth: 185 Total donation: 533,500 Major donors to the Conservative Party Sir John and Peter Beckwith (L) Hedge fund: RiverCrest Capital Worth: 350m Total donation: 520,996 Rex Major donors to the Conservative Party Alexander Knaster Hedge fund: Pamplona Capital Management Worth: 1,266m Total donation: 400,000 Conservatives in the money Meanwhile, it is customary to look through the Register for MPs who are making vast amounts of money outside Parliament, such as the Tory MPs Stephen Phillips and Geoffrey Cox, who are also high-earning barristers, and Boris Johnson. A comparatively new entrant to this club is Nadine Dorries, whose sideline as a fiction writer brought in more than 100,000 in 12 months. BBCs belated apology The BBC needs to tread carefully in its dealings with the Tories, with a decision pending on the licence fee and charter renewal. That may be part of the explanation for a graceful apology received by the former Conservative chairman, Grant Shapps. His complaint was that the BBC got very excited about a story that an anonymous Wikipedia contributor had been barred from contributing to the site after making flattering additions to Shappss entry. It was implied, but never substantiated, that Shapps or someone he knew was doctoring Wikipedia. The BBC was not so interested when the story turned out to be flakey, and the culprit was exposed as Lib Dem activist. James Harding, the BBCs director of news, has written to Shapps, admitting that the BBC did not give the later development enough coverage. Im sorry we didnt do as much as I would have liked, he wrote. The Rock displays its might Gibraltar may be small, but it does not lack ambition. It has a Supreme Court, which has ordered a right-wing Spanish union called Manos Limpias (Clean Hands) to pay 30,000 damages plus 35,000 costs for libelling the Rocks Chief Minister Fabian Picardo, whom they accused of smuggling, drug-trafficking and money-laundering. But Manos Limpiass boss, Miguel Bernard Remon a defender of those who held high office when Spain was under fascist rule has told the site Spain Report: I dont recognise his authority, the sovereignty of the Gibraltar government or that bogus court. I cant see this being resolved amicably. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} One of the more extraordinary revelations thrown up by the HSBC scandal is that a rich man who counts as non-domiciled under our tax system, and is therefore exempt from paying tax on money earned outside the UK, can hand this status down to his British-born children. Thus Mark Lewisohn, a senior banker at UBS, who was born in London, educated at Cambridge, lives in Holland Park, and holds a British passport, is legally entitled to be a non-dom because his father, Oscar, a former non-executive director of HSBC Swiss branch, is Danish. The Conservative MP Zac Goldsmith could have been another beneficiary of this most generous rule, had he not chosen a political career. MPs are not allowed to be non-doms. The number of non-doms almost doubled during the 10 years that Tony Blair was prime minister, but now Lord Myners, who was a treasury minister under Gordon Brown, has been asking questions. How many British citizens, born, raised and living in the UK, are claiming non-dom tax status because of a parent or grandparent who came from abroad, and how much tax is being lost to the treasury by this route? he asked. Answer: the Treasury has absolutely no idea. Would the Treasury consider allowing people to inherit non-dom status from their mothers, instead of their fathers? he also asked. Answer: certainly. If your father was not married to your mother, and your mother is non-dom, you can be non-dom too. But if they were married, you must look to your dad. It all makes perfect sense, doesnt it? Lib Dems and drugs I am not sure that this tweet, from Greg Hands, the Tory deputy chief whip, is in the best possible taste LibDem drug legalisation policy is explained by the LibDems being on 5 per cent and UK users of illegal drugs being on 8 per cent but it is quite funny. Woolfe spooks Farage Only hours after Nigel Farage announced that it was Ukip policy not to allow people with life-threatening illnesses to immigrate into the UK, the partys immigration spokesman, Steven Woolfe, said that, on the contrary, the party would not turn away the fatally ill. Woolfes career as a leading figure in Ukip got off to an unusual start in 2010. He was not a member of Ukip, though he had spoken at a Ukip conference. He was at home, watching Spooks on television, when the phone rang. It was Nigel Farage inviting him to be Ukips spokesman on financial affairs. If they continue contradicting each other publicly, Farage may soon wish that he watched Spooks too instead of making that call. Watford, the promised land According to a job advertisement from Watford borough council, as Communications and Engagement Section Head, you will be responsible for leading a talented team to the promised land. Having been brought up in Hertfordshire, I wouldnt demand the promised land: just getting out of Watford would do for me. Browne finds the exit An odd incident in the life of the high-flying Foreign Office minister Jeremy Browne was when he was caught on Google street map on Praed Street, in London, with his ministerial red box and then disappearing, as if he had gone into the Paddington Hotel. The images were posted on the Guido Fawkes website, which wondered why he appeared to be popping into a hotel in the middle of the day. Browne said he wasnt, and anyway it wouldnt matter if he was. The map has recently been updated, so it is all in the past. Sadly, so is his brilliant political career. He is leaving the Commons in May. This weekly feature from Dynamic Business runs down the weeks top funding rounds from Australia and the US. Check out last weeks biggest funding rounds here. Chronicle banks $7.5 million from Accel & Square Peg Chronicle, the presentation platform, has secured a funding of $7.5 million from a group of angel investors working with top tech giants. Accel and local VC Square Peg spearheaded the investment round. The group of angels includes professionals from Apple, Google, Meta, Slack, Stripe, Superhuman, OnDeck, and Adobe. DataMesh Group has raised $30 million in a Series A DataMesh Group, a payments software scale-up, has raised $30 million in a Series A funding round. NAB Ventures led the round, with participation from Deutsche Bank, ANZs VC arm, 1835i Ventures, Wunala Capital, Fifth Estate, and Peregrine Corporation. NAB Ventures had previously invested $12 million in a pre-Series A raise in late 2021. Partnar banks $200,000 Seed round Partnar, a B2B marketing partnerships platform, has raised $200,000 in a Seed investment from Melbourne-based early-stage VC Skalata Ventures. The startup aims to connect businesses and brands for collaborations amidst rising costs and decreasing reliability from online advertising. Digital connectivity receives $3.5 million funding boost NSW Telco Authoritys Next Generation Digital Connectivity initiative has received $3.5 million in funding to provide critical connectivity solutions during disasters, enhance technology, and keep communities connected. The NSW Government is partnering with select businesses to trial different connectivity solutions for emergency services, government agencies, and the community. Aeroseal Raises $30M in First Close of Series B Funding Aeroseal, a Dayton, Ohio-based climate tech company, raised $30M in Series B funding. The company intends to use the funds for expansion beyond buildings into gas pipelines and into new geographic markets. Since 2010, the company has sealed more than 260,000 buildings around the world saving billions of dollars in energy savings. Spreetail Raises $208M in Funding Spreetail, a Lincoln, NE-based ecommerce accelerator for manufacturers, raised $208M in funding. The company intends to use the funds to enhance technology efficiencies and support brand partner growth. The investment follows the acquisition of Buy Box Experts a performance marketing agency with a deep-seated history of driving brand success on Amazon.com. Australian Business Growth Funds total investments exceed $100m The Australian Business Growth Fund (ABGF) has surpassed $100 million in total investments following its first investment announcement of 2023. ABGF has invested $15 million into Derwent Industries Group, an advanced metal manufacturer based in Australia that services critical infrastructure projects and key industries such as water, mining, rail, and defence. This investment brings ABGFs total investments across the portfolio to $100.5 million. Keep up to date with our stories on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Visiting Parliament is about to become much more fun, for children aged seven and over. At the south end of the Palace of Westminster, furthest from Big Ben, a 7.4m new building has sprung up in amazingly quick time the diggers first arrived last September for the new Parliamentary Education Centre, intended to help get schoolchildren interested in politics. Inside, it is spacious and child friendly. There is a room where visiting school parties can munch their packed lunches. On its walls are coats of arms borrowed from Parliaments art collection, bearing instructive slogans like Bonne et Belle Assez (Good and beautiful enough) and Ubique patriam reminisce (Remember ones country). There are four themed learning spaces a modern term, I believe, for what used to be called a classroom, only these are more fun than normal classrooms, because of the clever things visiting children can do with specially provided iPads. For instance, in the monarchy-themed learning space they can call up a picture of Charles I on the iPad and if they line it up with the kings portrait on the wall, he starts talking. They can do something even weirder in the adjoining discovery room. They can turn the room into a virtual House of Commons debating chamber, and hear the voice of the Speaker, John Bercow, telling MPs off for behaving badly just like in a real classroom. An honourable mistake? In the Commons chamber on 15 July, it was the turn of the Foreign Secretary, Philip Hammond, to be ticked off by the Speaker. While reporting to Parliament on the deal with Iran, Hammond addressed the venerable Labour MP, Sir Gerald Kaufman, as the Honourable Gentleman. Bercow was not having that. He pointed out: The Right Honourable Member for Manchester Gorton is not an Honourable Gentleman, but a Right Honourable Gentleman and the Father of the House. Only in the mother of parliaments. Critical time for Corbyn Anyone who has any hope of ever living to see another Labour government will have been in despair upon reading the opinion poll, published by The New Statesman, showing Jeremy Corbyn on course to be the partys leader; but spare a thought for what it would do to the man himself. All his political life, Corbyn has stood for the principle I quote that democracy depends on people being able to participate, check, balance and criticise what the leader does. Criticising anything and everything the Labour leader does has been Corbyns single-minded mission for 32 years. But how do you fight for the right to criticise the leader when you are the leader? Would Corbyn check, balance and criticise himself? Will he mount a leadership challenge, against himself? Confusing. Plenty of ifs about this Butt Welcoming a Queen tribute act to the stage at a local festival, Conservative councillor Francis Purdue-Horan announced that he had arranged for them to perform the 1970s Queen hit Fat Bottomed Girls in honour of all the girls of Bingham in Nottinghamshire. Binghams political establishment is divided over whether this was offensive or funny. I have no opinion on that. I just note that the place where the festival was held is called Butt Field. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} White Dee, heroine of the Channel 4 documentary series Benefits Street, has been advised by her agent to shun politics. If the bookies are correct, she has a better chance than any other challenger of unseating the incumbent Labour MP Shabana Mahmood in Birmingham Ladywood where she lives, but her manager, Barry Tomes, thinks she should forget it. He has advised his client, whose real name is Deirdre Kelly, that she can make more money by being a media personality. She is thought to have been paid 100,000 for appearing on Celebrity Big Brother. Who would want to be an MP and earn 50,000 a year? he told the Birmingham Mail. She could earn a lot more than that just by being Dee Kelly. I am not sure about this advice. Firstly, MPs are better paid than Tomes thinks. Their basic pay is 67,060, the expenses are still pretty good, and so is the pension. And there is nothing to prevent an MP from picking up a fat fee for going on reality television, as George Galloway and Nadine Dorries have demonstrated. On the other hand, Shabana Mahmood is defending a majority of 10,105, which leads me to think that Tomes has a point after all. Fired up by Jay-Z You cant be the moaning man in the pub, Liz Kendall, Labours shadow care minister, advises her colleagues, via an interview in The House magazine. Actually, the moaning man in the pub often has a real point underneath it all. But mostly you end up not listening. In other words, smile as you talk about the cost of living crisis. Look happy, as you proclaim that a Conservative election victory will be the end of the NHS as we know it. Good advice. And on a happy note, she revealed that she mostly listens to rap music on her iPod, including loads of Jay-Z, but from the old days of The Black Album which she thinks is brilliant, particularly if Im about to speak in the Chamber. Imagine firing yourself for a debate on care for the elderly with lyrics like: I got 99 problems but you aint one.... Get your oats According to TripAdvisor, the best restaurant in Cardiff, out of 946, is The Clink, inside Cardiff prison, where food is prepared and served by prisoners. Do they I wonder serve porridge? Sorry. Fit for a Lord The man we used to know as Sir Robert Rogers, the Clerk of the House of Commons who fell out with the Speaker, John Bercow, was introduced to the House of Lords today so he is now Baron Lisvane of Blakemere in the County of Herefordshire and of Lisvane in the City and County of Cardiff. The two Labour deputy speakers, Lindsay Hoyle and Dawn Primarolo, and the former Tory deputy speaker, Nigel Evans, took the trouble to watch his introduction. Even if the Speaker did not rate Sir Robert, others did. Brittans inequality battle Leon Brittan was reckoned to be the cleverest of the so-called Cambridge Mafia, a group of six future Conservative Cabinet ministers who knew each other as students. The others are all alive. Four Michael Howard, Norman Fowler, John Gummer and Norman Lamont are in the Lords. Ken Clarke is in the Commons. They were big noises at the universitys students union in the early 1960s, when there was an argument over whether women should be allowed to take part in debates. Brittan was one of the young men who battled against this innovation. People would not listen to them as speakers, he proclaimed. They would look at them as women. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Somebody at Conservative HQ blundered in style by giving out too much information when they uploaded the photographs of hundreds of wannabe Tory MPs. The captions under 112 of the pictures categorised the seats they are fighting as non-targets meaning that the Tories plan to put minimal effort into winning them. The incriminating information has been taken down, but not before it was spotted and stored by a blogger named Richard Taylor, who posted the full list. Some of the designated non-targets are seats the Tories already hold with comfortable majorities, but most are not. I imagine the Labour Party will be grateful for this glimpse of the Conservative battle order. Going by the 2010 results, Labours most marginal Birmingham seat the 19th most marginal in the UK is Edgbaston, held by Gisela Stuart with a majority of just 1,274. Yet the Conservatives have been pouring all the money and resources they can spare into Birmingham Northfield, held by Richard Burden with a majority of 2,782. Now Labour organisers have confirmation of what they suspected: that Edgbaston is a non-target and Northfield is the battle ground. Another non-target is Plymouth Moor View, which Labours Alison Seabeck held last time by only 1,588 votes. Seemingly, the Ukip surge in Plymouth has made the Conservatives give up there. The leak implies they have also given up on Rochester and Strood, where the MP Mark Reckless deserted the Tories and won a by-election for Ukip. Imagine what it does to the morale of a Conservative candidate struggling to build up support to be publicly written off by party headquarters as a no-hoper. Kramers goes off track The Lib Dem Transport minister Susan Kramer produced a fine example of politicians speak and how it corresponds to the world outside when she answered a question about people who commit suicide by throwing themselves under trains. A comprehensive national rail suicide prevention programme is in place, she proudly announced. The evaluation has indicated that the programme has been particularly successful in bringing together a wide range of different organisations in planning, promoting and delivering complex activities at both national and local levels. Meanwhile, in 2013-14, the most recent year for which figures are available, 279 people killed themselves on the railways: the highest annual total on record. Building up to a punchline Philip Collins, a former Labour adviser who now writes for The Times, told an amusing anecdote in todays paper about a politician who fluffed a witty line that Collins had written for him. There is a story about Samuel Johnson probably apocryphal that he once saw two women leaning out of windows on either side of a narrow street, arguing furiously. Those two women will never agree, he reputedly said, because they are arguing from different premises. Collins wrote: It struck me as a perfect speech opening. If only I hadnt given it to a politician for whom it made no sense. He related the set-up perfectly but then concluded with the immortal line: Those two women will never agree because theyre arguing from different buildings. How loyally he avoided naming the guilty politician. But something stirs in the memory. There was a speech delivered in Salford last June by Collinss former editor, James Harding. He told the same story, except he named the obtuse politician who ruined the punch line. It was the only politician known to have employed Collins as a speech writer. Tony Blair. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} A document has been unearthed that proves that the SNP secretly approached the Tories to do a deal after the general election. No matter what Nicola Sturgeon may say, they were anticipating if not hoping for a Conservative victory. The price they demanded for co-operation was a free vote on devolution. But this was a while ago. On 18 November 1976, to be precise. The approach was made by the late Hamish Watt, the SNP Whip in the Commons, and the father of Maureen Watt, Scotlands minister for public health. He talked to a Tory whip, Bernard Weatherill, a future Speaker, who reported to Margaret Thatcher that I gained the impression that since the SNP were likely to be the dominant force in Scotland after the general election and since we were likely to be the next government, he was anxious to come to some sort of working arrangement with us. Weatherills note is in the archives of the Margaret Thatcher Foundation at Churchill College, Cambridge. There is no record of any response from Thatcher. Exonerated after mistaken identity In Tory-held Stourbridge, in the West Midlands, the Labour candidate Pete Lowe was accused of misleading voters with his Born, bred and believes campaign, after the Ukip candidate, James Carver MEP, uncovered his birth certificate, which shows that he was born in Wolverhampton. Lowe says he has always lived in Stourbridge, but in 1968, when his mother was expecting twins, there was a complication and she was rushed to Wolverhampton hospital. One twin died; Pete Lowe was the other. Mr Carver has apologised, by phone and on Twitter. Thatchers insult legitimised Speaking at an event in Leyton and Wanstead for Labours John Cryer, Rodney Bickerstaffe, who created the Unison trade union from a merger of smaller unions, mentioned that he was conceived in 1944 in Whipps Cross Hospital in the constituency, where his mother was a nurse. His parents were not married and his father took off before the baby arrived, a month before the war ended. That was considered scandalous in those days. It meant, Bickerstaffe said, that when Margaret Thatcher or Tony Blair called him a bastard, they were right. Sibling of the day As the oldest of three siblings I would be very upset if one of my younger siblings started trying to compete on my turf. David Camerons biographer, Isabel Oakeshott, gives Sky News her very personal reason for thinking Ed Miliband should not have run for the Labour leadership. Quote of the Day We should stick pompous Michael Fallon on the end of a nuclear missile and fire it off into space. The world would be a happier place. Michael Fallon got personal with Ed Miliband, so Ken Livingstone got personal with him. A lesson on the limits of the Union Leaders of six parties in Scotland held their debate in Aberdeen University against a backdrop that included a set of five fascinating works of art known as the Black Paintings. Painted by an unknown hand about 360 years ago, they used Old Testament images to warn Charles II to stay faithful to the National Covenant of 1637, which laid down the terms on which Scottish Presbyterians were prepared to accept union with England. Despite their obvious relevance, nobody so much as mentioned them. The Independent has got together with May2015.com to produce a poll of polls that produces the most up-to-date data in as close to real time as is possible. Click the buttons below to explore how the main parties' fortunes have changed: All data, polls and graphics are courtesy of May2015.com. Click through for daily analysis, in-depth features and all the data you need. (All historical data used is provided by UK Polling Report) Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} A 29-year-old woman who allegedly used fake documents to enrol in a New Jersey high school meant no harm and was only trying to recreate her happy teenage days, a court heard. Hyejeong Shin, who is originally from South Korea and moved to the United States when she was 16 to attend private boarding school, pleaded not guilty to a charge of providing a false government document on Monday. Her lawyer, Darren Gelber, said his client knows she erred with her plot to re-enrol in high school and has applied to enter a pretrial intervention programme that could eventually lead to a dismissal of the criminal charge against her. Shin is accused of using false documents to start at New Brunswick High School in January, where, according to authorities, she befriended some other students, got their phone numbers, and continued to communicate with them even after she was barred from the school grounds. Officials have since advised students not to contact the Rutgers University graduate. The womans matriculation at the high school prompted some to express concerns about school security. The womans lawyer, however, said she was only trying to return to a place of safety and welcoming and an environment that she looks back on fondly when she resumed her high school career. Shin is scheduled to appear in court again in May. Close Trump claims NYC courthouse staff were crying when he was arrested Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Ron DeSantis supporters are going after Donald Trump in a new political ad, criticising the former president for campaigning against fellow Republicans and for discussing potential cuts to entitlement programmes. A super PAC supporting the Florida governor released a new television ad accusing Mr Trump of spending airtime and money attacking the likely Republican presidential candidate. Why is he spending millions attacking the Republican governor of Florida? Trumps stealing pages from the Biden-Pelosi playbook, the ads narrator asks. While tensions mount between the two men pitted to be key rivals for the Republican vote in 2024, Mr Trump is also weighing in on Fox News defamation case with Dominion Voting Systems. In an early morning Truth Social post on Monday, the former president falsely claimed Dominion's lawsuit would be weakened if the network stands by his 2020 presidential election lies. In other news, financial disclosures with the Federal Election Commission show Mr Trump raked in millions after news of his criminal indictment and his prediction of his arrest last month. Filings also reveal that he made more than $5m from speaking engagements, between $100,000 and $1m with his NFT scheme and less than $200 from Truth Social. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Former President Donald Trump called on supporters to descend on the Manhattan Criminal Court on Tuesday to protest as he is on the brink of being indicted for his role in paying off adult movie star Stormy Daniels. Some of those supporters did show up. But they were outnumbered by demonstrators who support the indictment of the former president, a Manhattan native who achieved just over 12 per cent of the vote in his former home borough in the 2020 election. The demonstrators there called for Mr Trumps arrest and chanted No one is above the law. It was not, some observers mused, the type of protest Mr Trump was likely hoping for. Mr Trump said over the weekend that he expected to be arrested on Tuesday, but the day ended with no further news on his legal status. The total number of demonstrators was relatively small given the size of pro- and anti-Trump rallies in the past, and there were no reports of violence. Over the last few days, New York officials have been bracing for potential protests or unrest if or when an indictment lands. Barricades have been erected round the Manhattan Criminal Court where Mr Trump could appear to face charges and local, state and federal law enforcement agencies have been meeting to prepare security plans. The grand jury is now expected to convene in Manhattan on Wednesday afternoon where it will hear from at least one more witness. It is not clear who exactly this witness is. Mr Trump could then be indicted on criminal charges by the close of the day. If an indictment is handed down, the former president is not expected to appear in court until sometime next week after Mr Trumps attorneys and the Secret Service make arrangements with prosecutors to turn himself in. A supporter of former President Donald Trump protests near the office of Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg (Getty Images) This would mark a historic moment for America, making Mr Trump the first current or former president to ever be criminally indicted. The indictment would carry added weight given that Mr Trump is not only the former president, but also the leading Republican candidate for president in 2024. Manhattan prosecutors have been investigating whether Mr Trump falsified the Trump Organizations business records when Mr Trumps former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen made a payment of $130,0000 to Ms Daniels days before the 2016 election. Prosecutors claim that the money was used to silence Ms Daniels about an alleged affair she had with Mr Trump. Mr Trump has long denied having an affair with the adult film star. Mr Trumps former fixer and personal attorney Cohen was convicted of tax evasion, lying to Congress and campaign finance violations related to the payments to Ms Daniels. He was sentenced to three years in prison. Last week, Cohen and Ms Daniels both testified before the grand jury as the investigation ramped up. Then, on Monday, Mr Trump ally and Cohen foe Robert Costello gave testimony at the request of the former presidents team in a bid to pick holes in the credibility of Cohens testimony. Mr Trump himself was also invited to testify an invite he unsurprisingly turned down. As well as a possible indictment in Manhattan, Mr Trump is also facing a number of other criminal and civil legal concerns related to his efforts to overturn the result of the 2020 election and his real estate dealings. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Former president Donald Trumps demands that his supporters protest, protest, protest his potentially imminent indictment have prompted law enforcement officials to tighten security measures around New York City while monitoring potential threats. Across far-right social media accounts and message boards reviewed by The Independent, the former presidents prediction of his own arrest was the evidence they needed to support long-running conspiracy theories that Democratic officials and President Joe Bidens administration have weaponised the federal government against him. But unlike the January 6 attack on the US Capitol, which was organised openly across social media platforms, discussion of protesting Mr Trumps potential arrest has largely revolved around denouncing the Manhattan district attorneys investigation and echoing the former presidents incendiary and dramatic rhetoric about the state of the US. Prominent QAnon influencers, Trump loyalists, Christian nationalists and civil war accelerationists including figures who were once central to the Stop the Steal effort that fuelled the crowds before the riot in the halls of Congress two years ago have expressed some sceptism over the former presidents latest demands, or have refused to participate in his defence at all. Still, the criminal prosecution of the former president remains a line in the sand for right-wing extremists, and thus have the potential to manifest in violence toward government targets or political officials, according to a coalition of federal law enforcement agencies monitoring such threats. Mr Trumps announcement on 18 March was met with an immediate increase in violent online rhetoric and expressed threats toward government and law enforcement targets perceived as participating in a political persecution of the former president, as well as more general calls for civil war, according to the report. Demonstrations near his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida have drawn only handfuls of supporters. A small group of people waved Trump flags at passing cars in The Villages retirement community on 21 March. A demonstration outside the New York County District Attorneys office on 20 March organised by the New York Young Republican Club was largely outnumbered by members of the press. Mr Trump later shared a video from the group at the rally to his Truth Social account, and the organisers said the small crowd size was intentional. A non-credible bomb threat was made to a nearby courthouse the following day. The New York City Police Department said the threats were deemed illegitimate and stated that the there are currently no credible threats to the city. Neither a small demonstration outside Trump Tower in midtown Manhattan nor a caravan of Trump supporters from Long Island raised any security concerns, police said. (AFP via Getty Images) QAnon-amplifying accounts with large followings on Truth Social have echoed their trust the plan slogan believing that Mr Trumps potential arrest would trigger a national downfall, making him a martyr that his supporters would rally around. QAnon influencer The Patriot Voice said the most effective protest would be wearing red MAGA hats. Far-right activist and failed congressional candidate Laura Loomer told supporters not to show up outside Mar-a-Lago because streets will likely be shut down; she instead told people to show up at his first 2024 campaign rally in Waco, Texas on 25 March. She joined protesters at The Villages on Tuesday. Ali Alexander, one of the organizers of the Stop the Steal rallies who is now campaigning alongside white supremacist Nick Fuentes for Kanye West, suggested to his followers that protesting in New York City in the single most hostile jurisdiction will lead to jailtime or worse. Previously, I had said if Trump was arrested or under the threat of a perp walk, 100,000 patriots should shut down all routes to Mar-a-Lago. Now, Im retired, he wrote on his Telegram channel. Ill pray for him though! He also said he spoke to InfoWars host and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, and hes not protesting either. Weve both got enough going on fighting the government, he added. No billionaire is covering our bills. (Getty Images) Others, including far-right US Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene, have suggested that federal agents or fed assets could intentionally turn protests violent. Far-right influencer Paul Joseph Watson asked his Twitter followers whether they believe protests are a J6-style trap, referring to a conspiracy theory that federal agents entrapped rioters to participate in the Capitol attack. A crowd gathered at Trump Tower to support the former president were also accused of being feds. QAnon-related folks and some MAGA adherents are talking about how this is one big trap in some cases, that this is an operation intended to get (Trumps) supporters in trouble, according to Oren Segal, vice president of the Center on Extremism at the Anti-Defamation League, speaking to Reuters. He told USA Today that there is not any cohesive movement in terms of where these protests should happen. Recommended Inside the Stormy Daniels hush money payment that could lead to first Trump charges The Institute for Research and Education on Human Rights has reviewed three distinct waves of online far-right activity in the wake of Mr Trumps call for protests, starting with the amplification of his demands, followed by claims that they are a trap set by law enforcement, according to the institutes executive director Devin Burghart. A third wave compromise is underway, with attention focused on Mr Trumps rally in Texas on 25 March. But for others across far-right social media spaces, the former presidents supporters have felt a sense of betrayal in the aftermath of the Capitol attack, fuelled by his baseless narrative that the election was stolen from him, while hundreds of his supporters face charges connected with storming the Capitol. Has he called for protests about these poor guys? No. But hes calling for us to protest about his arrest, one user wrote in a pro-Trump Telegram channel. It doesnt sit right with me. The European Union is activating a crisis reserve for farmers in three eastern nations handling an influx of Ukrainian crops that's lowering local prices. The European Commission, the bloc's executive, will provide 56 million to Romania, Bulgaria and Poland, Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski told reporters in Brussels late Monday. Three of Ukraine's major Black Sea ports reopened to grain exports last year, but seaborne trade remains slower than normal, forcing farmers to continue routing crops via EU neighbors. "This is support for the countries with farmers affected by the increase of import from Ukraine," he said. "We observe an increase of supply, a huge increase of import for the bordering countries." The decision was triggered for Bulgaria and Poland as the combination of their own production and imports from Ukraine exceeded a five-year average before Russia's war in Ukraine. Romania was added due to its hub position for the so-called solidarity lanes, the commissioner said. Romania will receive 10 million, Bulgaria about 17 million and Poland 30 million. The amount can be doubled through co-financing from the budgets of the member states. Hungary and Slovakia have also had more Ukrainian crops coming in. But they will not receive support from the fund as their combined volumes of production and import do not exceed the five-year average, Wojciechowski said. Bloomberg. A shareholder in a software company whose investors include U2 drummer Larry Mullen and British stand-up comedian John Bishop claims it has been damaged due to the irrational, unfair, wholly unfounded and oppressive actions of Mr Bishop. The claims have been made in High Court proceedings by Maltese-registered BAK Holdings Ltd which says that its interests as a shareholder in Hears Technology, which was set up to help those with hearing difficulties, are being oppressed by Mr Bishop, a shareholder and director of Hears. The dispute arose out of the breakdown of the relationship between John Bishop and BAK. In one of the actions, which was mentioned before Ms Justice Eileen Roberts, BAK claims Mr Bishop has set Hears on a course for its dissolution and demise. Among its claims BAK says Mr Bishop terminated the employment contracts of all of Hears staff on June 24 last while he was attending the Glastonbury music festival and terminated the lease the company had for a premises in Co Kilkenny. BAK further claims that Hears is only being kept in existence by Mr Bishop to pursue litigation in other separate proceedings against the Maltese entity and its director Brendan Morrissey. Those proceedings, BAK adds, are an attempt to intimidate and bully BAK and Mr Morrissey into walking away from Hears. Mr Bishop denies any wrongdoing. A letter from his solicitor in response to allegations stated that all employment law has been adhered to and the company was left with no choice but to implement redundancies due to BAKs attempts to scuttle the company. In its proceedings BAK, which rejects Mr Bishops claims, seeks a High Court declaration that due to Mr Bishops actions the affairs of Hears are being conducted in a manner oppressive to the applicant. The court heard Mr Bishop and BAK. a technology development company, each hold 42.5pc of Hears shares while Larry Mullen, Joseph Bishop and GF Portfolio Ltd hold 5pc each. BAKs oppression claim is the second set of proceeding brought arising out of what the court was told was a falling out between the shareholders of Hears. Last year Hears itself had proceedings against BAK and Mr Morrissey admitted to the fast-track Commercial Court list. It is claimed by Hears in that action that Mr Morrissey has defrauded the company of approximately 1m that allegedly was paid to BAK for software services independently valued at 215,000. The claims are fully denied. In a sworn statement in the oppression proceedings Mr Morrissey said he played a central and pivotal role in establishing and developing Hears. On Monday, Padraig Lyons SC with Brendan Savage, instructed by solicitor Setanta Landers, for BAK said that the accusations made against his client in the commercial court are false, trumped-up allegations. Ms Justice Roberts agreed to adjourn the matter for a month to allow Mr Bishops lawyers prepare an application to stay the proceedings. This weekly feature from Dynamic Business runs down the weeks top funding rounds from Australia and the US. Check out last weeks biggest funding rounds here. Parker raises $157M in funding Parker raised $157M in funding. $31.1M in Series A venture funding led by Valar Ventures. $70M in debt, comprised of venture debt from Triple Point Capital and warehouse debt from Jefferies. With over $300M in transaction volume since inception, Parker is used by brands like Amour Vert, Italic, SpikeBall, Canopy, and Caraway. Fairmatic raises $46M in funding New York, Bangalore, India and Tel Aviv, Israel-based AI-powered commercial auto insurance company Fairmatic raised $46M in funding. The round brought its total financing to $88M. The company intends to use the funds to accelerate growth and expand operations. Zed raises $10M in Series A funding San Francisco-based Zed Industries raises $10M in Series A funding. The company is using the funds to scale its operations and build the team as it continues to iterate on its product. Zed provides a multiplayer code editor that allows multiple developers to navigate and edit within a shared workspace. SimConverse has raised $1.5 million in Seed funding SimConverse, a healthcare simulation startup that helps healthcare professionals communicate better through simulated patient conversations, has raised $1.5 million in Seed funding. The funding round was led by Folklore Ventures with support from Artesian. SimConverse was founded by Aiden Roberts and Will Pamment, who met while studying medicine at university. MoreGoodDays has raised $3.5 million MoreGoodDays, a healthtech startup based in Melbourne, has raised $3.5 million in funding for their digital solution to managing chronic pain. The funding round was led by Blackbird with support from Giant Leap, Side Stage Ventures, the Snow Foundation, and LaunchVics female-focused sidecar investment program, the Alice Anderson Fund. Nexl has raised $4 million in new capital Nexl, a customer relationship management (CRM) and revenue operations software startup, has raised $4 million in new capital. The funding round was backed by B2B-focused VC EVP, along with follow-on funds from Vulpes and Saniel Ventures. Nexl was founded by Philipp Thurner, who was previously head of innovation at Gilbert and Tobin, a top tier law firm. Lewi Software has raised $200,000 in Seed funding Lewi Software, a software startup founded by two University of Queensland graduates, has raised $200,000 in Seed funding backed by Melbourne VC Skalata Ventures. Lewi Software is focused on transforming chemical engineering, particularly in the area of wastewater management, which has suffered from underinvestment in software compared to the rest of the $4 trillion global chemicals industry. Keep up to date with our stories on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Plans for a major multi-million euro waste-to-hydrogen production facility in Co Longford have advanced, with two London-listed firms having inked an agreement to jointly develop the plant at a site beside the former Atlantic Mills site in the county. They have also terminated a previous agreement that would have seen them jointly develop the facility in Co Tipperary. The planned energy project at the Fisherstown Energy Park in Clondra, Co Longford, will use waste non-recyclable, mixed waste plastic to generate hydrogen. Its promoters have said it will be among the first plants of its kind in Europe. The proposed facility turns the non-recyclable plastic into syngas, from which new products and energy can be produced. An Irish unit of UK-based Hydrogen Utopia International has been granted a three-year option to buy a 25-year lease on the Longford site. It paid an option premium to the owner of the land for the first 12 months of the option, and quarterly payments thereafter until the option expires. The Fisherstown park already has an electrical substation and the hydrogen project can potentially use existing waste water treatment facilities that previously serviced Atlantic Mills, which manufactured denim. The Atlantic Mills facility, owned by a Dutch firm, closed in 1999 with the loss of 180 jobs. The defunct factory and the adjacent land was reportedly bought in 2021 for 5m by the Mashup Group, the firm that owns the Schoolbooks.ie business. Hydrogen Utopia International said on Tuesday that it has agreed payment and heads of terms with UK-listed Powerhouse Energy Group for the joint development of the Longford hydrogen energy project. Powerhouse Energy is also paying Hydrogen Utopia a total of up to 400,000 in cash for having identified the Longford site and securing the lease option. The midlands location was also selected due to the Governments Just Transition Fund (JTF), a 169m fund thats been established to benefit the midlands region following the closure of peat-fired electricity generating stations and the ending of commercial peat extraction. It was approved by the EU last year. The fund is earmarked to support a wide range of businesses, including SMEs and start-ups, as well as research and innovation, transfer of advanced technologies, tourism and affordable green energy. "This deal enables us to jointly pioneer a waste plastic to hydrogen plant in an attractive EU jurisdiction with allocated JTF funding, said Guy Peters, the executive chairman of Hydrogen Utopia. Utilising the skills, technological expertise and the relationships of both companies' teams shouldenable us to deliver a plant that will act as a circular economy showcase to the world, he added. Michael Lohan has been appointed as CEO of IDA Ireland IDA Ireland has appointed Michael Lohan as the new chief executive of the state agency. The incoming CEO is currently global head of life sciences at the IDA and also leads the talent transformation and innovation departments. He has been a member of the executive leadership team since 2017. Mr Lohan will take up the new role on April 17. He is set to replace Martin Shanahan, who announced he would step down from the job last October after an eight-year term. Before joining the IDA in 2003, Mr Lohan held a number of positions in the private sector, including roles with Nortels European operations in Galway and IEC Electronics. He was formerly a design engineer at Longford Architectural Metalwork. A qualified electronic engineer, Mr Lohan also holds a masters degree in technology management from the University of Galway. The IDA supports jobs growth in Ireland by attracting and retaining foreign direct investment to the country. There are now 300,000 people working for around 1,800 foreign companies based in Ireland, according to the state organisation. Jobs in IDA client companies rose by 9pc to over 301,000 in 2022, representing a net gain of 24,019 jobs across the year. This reflects a 43pc rise from 2021 levels, with the highest proportion of new jobs added in the business, financial services and ICT sectors here. Interim chief executive Mary Buckley will continue in the job until April 16 and will then return to her role as executive director. Michael Lohan was selected from a strong field of candidates, both internal and external, following a rigorous recruitment process, chairman Frank Ryan said. He will continue to lead IDA in the attraction of foreign direct investment to Ireland and the winning of investments for regional locations, he added. Just over half of all new investment last year went to regions outside of Dublin, the agency reported last year. Lets get down to brass tacks. This is the only question that really matters. The failures of Silicon Valley Bank and now Credit Suisse have reawakened the trauma of the Great Financial Crisis, when the entire global banking system was on the verge of collapse. But a key difference this time around has been the quick action of regulatory authorities to step in to make sure depositors get their money when they need it and that the financial system can continue operating as normal. Shares in the Irish banks staged a recovery on Monday morning after wobbling early on in what could be a sign of investors beginning to differentiate between strong and weak banks. Read More After the declines of the last week and a half, AIB, Bank of Ireland and Permanent TSB have given up a lot of their gains for the year and are back to December levels. But thats after a huge rally in 2022 as their profit outlook improved. For now, all signs suggest the banking system in Ireland, though not without problems around competition, is not facing any existential risks. That isnt to say fear is totally unjustified. There are undoubtedly weak institutions out there. For now, all signs suggest the banking system in Ireland is not facing any existential risks But the regulatory changes at the European level mean their problems can be isolated and resolved quickly, as Public Expenditure Minister and Eurogroup President Paschal Donohoe was keen to point out on German broadcaster Deutsche Welle. European Central Bank president Christine Lagarde also said the bank was ready to respond as necessary to preserve eurozone stability a clear call-back to Maria Draghis whatever it takes pledge in 2012. Expand Close Mario Draghi. Photo: Guglielmo Mangiapane/Reuters / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Mario Draghi. Photo: Guglielmo Mangiapane/Reuters Why was Switzerland able to burn bondholders so easily? One of the big changes since 2008 is clarity on how to distribute losses in the event of a bank failure. When Irish banks burned through their capital in the crash, the government of the time insisted it couldnt burn the bondholders without losing access to funding for a generation. But the rules are different now. The forced sale of Credit Suisse to UBS over the weekend wiped out the holders of so-called additional tier one (AT1) capital. These are loss-absorption bonds sometimes called contingent convertibles or coco bonds meant to stand between shareholders and taxpayers. So far, so good. But the Swiss financial authorities allowed 3bn in equity to be preserved, which represented about a 50pc haircut on the stock price. This was based on a permanent writedown clause in the contracts Yet the action essentially upended the expected order of resolution, causing outrage among bondholders who lost close to $16bn and are reportedly considering lawsuits. The action essentially upended the expected order of resolution, causing outrage among bondholders Unsurprisingly, Bank AT1 bonds, including those issued by Irish banks, fell significantly this morning as a result, with AIBs dropping 15 percentage points. The European Banking Authority (EBA) moved to calm fears of disorderly bail-ins by reaffirming the order of resolution if a bank in an EU country were to fail. In particular, common equity instruments are the first ones to absorb losses, and only after their full use would Additional Tier One be required to be written down, the EBA said in a statement. However, that reassurance will have to contend with a view forming in the markets that loss absorption buffers in the banks may not always work as labelled. "We believe this AT1 writedown by a systemically important bank will have negative implications for the wider European banks AT1 market as well as overall funding profile and cost of equity for the banks," JPMorgan strategists Kian Abouhossein and Amit Ranjan said. What happens now? There is no obvious next candidate for a bank failure, but that isnt to say the market wont find one. Everyone is watching share prices nervously for signs of fragility. As weve seen, things can unravel quickly once confidence evaporates. But Irish banks are among the best capitalised in Europe a legacy of being among the worst last time around and are flush with deposits. They are also not badly exposed to rate hikes, as their excess liquidity mostly gets parked with the ECB rather than in rate sensitive bonds, as was the case with SVB. The real question is what happens to the three domestic banks in the event of a downturn scenario. Markets are now indicating that last weeks half-point hike by the ECB was the last one of the cycle While economic forecasts as recently as a few weeks ago were relatively bullish on the short-term prospects of the Irish economy. Those outlooks may, in retrospect, look naively optimistic. Expand Close ECB President Christine Lagarde. Photo: Reuters / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp ECB President Christine Lagarde. Photo: Reuters Markets are now indicating that last weeks half-point hike by the ECB was the last one of the cycle. Higher rates and market nerves will mean stingier funding conditions overall and, therefore, slower growth. A sluggish economy usually means lower profits for banks and more bad loans. While there is nothing to indicate Irish banks will have major problems with credit quality, investors will be alert to even slight vulnerabilities in the coming weeks and months. Perhaps more pertinently for the Irish taxpayer, who still owns a sizeable chunk of the banking system through majority stakes in AIB and PTSB, the implications of the current panic for dividends, buybacks and sell downs are not good. Volatility from this crisis means its going to take longer to get paid back for the last one. The Queen Consort has shared her love for poetry with poet and Waterstones childrens laureate Joseph Coelho to celebrate World Poetry Day. Camilla met the performance poet, playwright and childrens author in the Clarence House library to discuss their mutual love of verse. In a video of the conversation, shared by childrens reading charity BookTrust, Coelho asked Camilla if she enjoys reading poetry and for her thoughts on the power of reading poetry out loud. She replied: I think its wonderful. You know, its a hundred years back, but when I was at school, we had to learn things by heart. We need your consent to load this Social Media content We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content. Manage Preference And you think, Oh, goodness, I could never recite them now. But little things youve learned as a child that you think are long forgotten, those suddenly pop up and suddenly these verses come back to get you. And I love reading poetry, but if you read it out loud, it takes on a different dimension. I love the rhythm of poetry. I love feeling youre being taken along by a poem, that youre almost in it. And I think as a child, you learn so much from poetry because such lines that go together, they sort of sink into your brain. During the conversation, which was organised by BookTrust, Coelho also spoke to Camilla about his Poetry Prompts campaign which uses videos to help break down the barriers which often surround poetry and open it up to children from all backgrounds. Expand Close Waterstones childrens laureate Joseph Coelho (David Bebber/PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Waterstones childrens laureate Joseph Coelho (David Bebber/PA) While explaining Poetry Prompts to Camilla, Coelho said: Every Monday we release a video to get kids writing, and I get kids saying to me, Oh God, we wrote this poem and weve written this poem. And they have their display boards up in the classroom because often writing, I think, for many children can be quite a scary prospect. And so if we can just try and enable them to see that actually putting pen to paper doesnt have to be that scary. Video of the Day And I feel very passionately about letting kids know that they are writers, too, because once they realise that they are writers, then it gives them a new appreciation of the printed word, because their voices are valid and they start to explore and discover the voices of others. Camilla replied: But I think with poetry, too, to get children writing poetry early is wonderful because to get them to be able to get the rhyming, getting the rhythm of poetry, it also gets some thinking in a different way, doesnt it? They discussed how Coelho became a poet and the legacy he hopes to leave when his tenure as childrens laureate ends in 2024. Coelho succeeded Dame Cressida Cowell last year. Literature lover Camilla, who set up her own Reading Room online book club, is a passionate advocate of encouraging children to read. She holds a number of patronages related to literature, including the BookTrust and the National Literacy Trust, and has presented the prestigious Booker Prize. Gardai are issuing a renewed appeal for information on the whereabouts of Cork woman Tina Satchwell on the sixth anniversary of her disappearance. Gardai in Midleton continue to investigate the disappearance of 47-year-old Ms Satchwell, who went missing from her home on Grattan Street, Youghal, Co Cork, on March 20, 2017. Yesterday marked the sixth anniversary since she was last seen. Ms Satchwell is described as 5ft 7in, of medium build with blonde shoulder-length hair and blue eyes. Detectives believe that someone in east Cork has information about what happened to her. Senior officers have said they do not believe that she left Ireland for the UK, where she had lived for a period, as had been initially suspected in 2017. Read More No trace of Ms Satchwell has been found despite a six-year garda operation which included an exhaustive trawl of CCTV footage from Irish ports and airports. The last major targeted search in respect of her disappearance took place in March 2018, when 60 gardai and support officials conducted a painstaking examination of Mitchells Wood outside Castlemartyr in east Cork. Nothing of significance was discovered. Ms Satchwells sister, Teresa Dingivan, has repeatedly stressed that she will never stop seeking answers. Were at a loss. You would have thought youd have sightings the first year, the second year, but as the years go on, you wonder what happened to her. Is she out there? Its six years. So many days, weeks, months, years not knowing. Our hearts are breaking not knowing where she is, Ms Dingivan told the Irish Examiner. Someone must have known where she went, someone must know what happened to her. Just please put our minds at rest. Were at a loss. You would have thought youd have sightings the first year, the second year, but as the years go on, you wonder what happened to her. Is she out there? Just put our minds at rest. Bring closure to us. Its like time has stood still for six years. You cant just vanish off the face of the earth. She had no bank cards with her, no ID. Someone else was involved in her disappearance, Ms Dingivan said. An Garda Siochana is seeking to speak with any person with any information on Tinas whereabouts or who may have information relating to her movements on the day she went missing. Any new information, not matter how insignificant it may seem, will be welcomed by the investigation team. This information will be treated in the strictest confidence, gardai said. Anyone who has any information can contact Midleton garda station on 021 462 1550, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111 or any garda station. More than half of victims who have been subjected to stalking or harassment in Ireland never report such threatening behaviour to gardai. The shock revelation was contained in the first Irish study conducted into stalking and harassment, as well as its consequences for victims. Conducted by University College Cork ( UCC) researchers Catherine OSullivan and Ciara Staunton, in conjunction with the Sexual Violence Centre Cork, the report makes 10 key recommendations on how such worrying behaviour can be better dealt with. The study was conducted among more than 1,000 participants and was launched in response to the bravery shown by stalking victims Una Ring and Eve McDowell. One key recommendation is that stalking be made a new criminal offence. This would act as a complement to the existing charge of harassment on the statute books. Other recommendations include enhanced training for gardai about dealing with stalking and harassment issues, as well as a national information campaign to highlight such unacceptable behaviour. The main objective of the study was to focus on the process of stalking and harassment, the effects on those who have been stalked and harassed, and their responses to these behaviours, Dr OSullivan said. Dr Staunton said stalking and harassment took a serious toll on those targeted. Our findings identify a range of avoidance behaviours used by victims to protect themselves and reveal the social, financial, physical and psychological consequences of stalking and harassment. The study found that, in the majority of cases, those who are stalking or harassing a person are known to them. However, in a considerable portion of cases, the perpetrator can be categorised as a stranger or someone who saw the victim by chance. An alarming 44pc of people who said they had been subjected to stalking or harassment confirmed that the perpetrator threatened to harm them or their families. In more than one in four cases, complainants said that photographs or recordings were taken without their permission. In almost one in five cases, images of a personal nature were shared by the perpetrator. Of the 1,000 people who responded to the study, 367 said the perpetrator threatened to harm themselves in front of the victim. Text messages, WhatsApps or emails were the most common forms of malicious communications identified by respondents. Almost one in four said they had been the subject of malicious social media posts aimed at damaging their reputation. Many of those in the study said they felt compelled to quit clubs, change their personal behaviour and even alter travel routes to work or school because of concerns about stalking and harassment. Some 45pc of those in the study said they required professional help to deal with the psychological trauma of having been targeted. Around 42pc of respondents said they had contacted gardai over the harassment, but more than 50pc said they had never contacted gardai. Governor Ron DeSantis has been widely and rightly criticised including by prominent members of his own party for dismissing the Russian invasion of Ukraine as a territorial dispute of little concern to the United States. Yet, while he says countering Russia is not a vital national interest, he claims that checking the economic, cultural, and military power of the Chinese Communist Party is one. DeSantis worries that US aid to Ukraine could draw us into a hot war with a nucleararmed state, but he expresses no such concern about US aid to Taiwan even though, in the event of Chinese military action against Taiwan, US forces would be far more likely to fight China directly. This distinction US aid to Ukraine bad, US aid to Taiwan good makes little strategic sense. Both Ukraine and Taiwan are worth supporting, and both Europe and Asia matter to the US. But its a dichotomy rooted in a century of Republican foreign policy thinking. In the 1930s, Republicans were isolationist when it came to Nazi Germany but were more sympathetic to sanctioning Japan and supporting Nationalist China. The America Firsters saw support for Britain as a plot by the Eastern Establishment, international bankers and Jews to embroil America in another world war, but they romanticised Free China as a fertile ground for Christianity and capitalism. In the early years of the Cold War, Republicans such as Senator Robert A Taft were opposed to joining Nato or sending US troops to Europe, but, during the Korean War, they supported General Douglas MacArthurs desire to wage war on Red China with the help of Taiwan. Dwight D Eisenhowers victory over Taft for the 1952 Republican presidential nomination vanquished the Asia First wing of the GOP and made Republicans a firmly Atlanticist party. Now the pre-Eisenhower GOP is back with a vengeance, thanks to former president Donald Trump, who reveres Vladimir Putin while reviling China. DeSantis, who as recently as 2015 supported arming Ukraine, is following his lead. Admittedly today, as the political scientist Colin Dueck has pointed out, the Asia First argument actually has more validity than in 1940s or 1950s. But if China is now Americas top threat, Russia is a close second and it has far more nuclear weapons. Moreover, China and Russia are partners, and Russias difficulties in conquering Ukraine may discourage China from trying to conquer Taiwan. A few analysts argue that the US cannot afford to support both Ukraine and Taiwan. But Americas billions in aid to Ukraine are a tiny portion of a defence budget that is approaching $1tn. US spending of 5.6pc of its defence budget to destroy nearly half of Russias conventional military capability seems like an absolutely incredible investment, argues the Centre for European Policy Analysis. But its safe to say DeSantiss turn against Ukraine is motivated by politics, not principles or a thought-out foreign policy. Today, 40pc of Republicans say the US is providing too much aid to Ukraine the view espoused by Fox News host Tucker Carlson and Trump. Meanwhile, 76pc of Republicans cite China as Americas greatest enemy. Why are so many Republicans soft on Russia and tough on China? There are five main reasons: * China is an economic threat; Russia isnt. (Both parties blame China for the loss of US jobs while ignoring all the jobs created by USChina trade.); * China is nominally a communist country; Russia isnt. (In practice, however, both combine capitalism with authoritarianism.); * Putin has made a play for right-wing support by posing as a defender of Christianity and traditional values; * There is growing antiAsian racism in America; * Many Republicans will oppose anything Democrats support, and Democrats are backing Ukraine. Whatever the explanations, the return of so many Republicans to a quasi-isolationist, Asia First foreign policy is ominous. If the GOP succeeds in blocking further US aid to Ukraine, it could allow Putin to win the war, and that would make him a greater threat to Nato. If Trump were to return to office he would be likely to pull out of Nato altogether. DeSantis might not be too far behind. And then we would be back to the pre-Pearl Harbour world. The case was heard in the Court of Criminal Appeal on Monday. A Cork man who sexually assaulted his sleeping younger sister years after raping her when he himself was a child has failed in his appeal against the severity of his sentence. The man, who is now aged 40 and cannot be named to protect the identity of his victim, was jailed for four years in June 2021 by Mr Justice Michael White at the Central Criminal Court for the rape and sexual assault of the child in the family home. The man had denied the rape of his younger sister, who was aged between five and nine years old at the time, while he was aged between 12 and 14 years old. Years later, the man was 21 years old when his then 16-year-old sister woke up on a couch to find him removing her clothes and sexually assaulting her. He was convicted following a trial in April 2021 of a single count of rape in the family home in Co Cork on an unknown date between November 25, 1995 and January 17, 1998. He was also convicted of sexual assault at the same address between March 19, 2004, and November 23, 2004. The man had pleaded not guilty to both offences and had no previous convictions at the time of his sentencing. At the Court of Appeal on Monday, Colman Cody SC, for the appellant, submitted that the amount of time between his client's sentencing from when he committed the offences should have been given more weight in mitigation. Mr Cody said his client was married with a young family and had an otherwise flawless record. Mr Cody said that if the sentencing judge had considered each offence on their separate merits due to the amount of time that had also passed between them being committed then there would have been no reason to elevate the sexual assault when it came to sentencing. Mr Cody said that the sentence for the sexual assault had been "disproportionate", even though the rape conviction had been taken into account. Counsel noted that no part of the sentence had been suspended. Mr Justice John Edwards, presiding at the three-judge court, said the circumstances around the sexual assault were that the victim woke up on a couch to find the defendant taking down her clothes, which forced her to prepare for another rape. Mr Justice Edwards said it was "not just curiosity" but "something much more sinister" that motivated the man. Ms Justice Isobel Kennedy said the victim had turned 16 and had to fight off her brother in "a serious incident", which "significantly aggravated" matters for the accused. Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy said he was "not impressed" by the appeal and that the appellant had done "very, very well" in mitigation after a seven-year headline sentence had been identified. Jane Hyland SC, for the State, said the proper headline sentence had been correctly fixed by the trial judge, noting that the girl's older sister had to intervene regarding the rape. Ms Hyland said that the sentence imposed was a "proper and just" taking into account the man's age at the time of the sexual assault. In dismissing the appeal, Ms Justice Kennedy said the headline sentence of seven years could have been "more serious" for the man "given what had previously occurred". Ms Justice Kennedy said the rape and sexual assault occurred in the family home and that there could not be any doubt the man knew what he was doing was wrong due to the reaction of their older sister who intervened. When fighting off her brother as he sexually assaulted her years later, Ms Justice Kennedy said the victim's fear of what might happen was "well held". Ms Justice Kennedy noted the victim spoke of her feelings of "shame and worthlessness" in her statement, which the woman read to the sentencing court. She said the appellant had not pleaded guilty, which lessened any mitigation on offer to him. She said the court did not view it proper or just to interfere with the sentence and therefore dismissed the appeal. At the sentence hearing, Mr Justice White said the most seriously aggravating factors were the breach of trust and that the victim was a young child. He said the victim was of the view that if she had not woken up during the assault, the crime would have been more serious. Mr Justice White said there had been no acknowledgement of guilt by the accused man and that the most significant mitigating factor was the man's age. The judge said if the court had been dealing with the offence of rape alone, committed when the accused was a juvenile, it was likely that a non-custodial sentence would have been applied. He said if he had been dealing with just the sexual assault, then a short custodial sentence would have been imposed. Several renters from Cork facing eviction have uploaded their stories to Uplift's map aimed at highlighting the potential impact of the ending of the eviction ban around the country. An online map has been published by an activist campaign group to illustrate the location of renters, many of them in Cork, about their fears of eviction once the ban ends in advance of this weeks crucial Dail vote Uplift.ie has published the map on its website and it maps renters all over the country who have been willing to tell their stories about what they fear if they are evicted once the ban is lifted. And, according to Uplift.ie director, Siobhan ODonoghue, the plan is to update the map with the votes of local TDs in each constituency once the result of the vote becomes known after Wednesdays debate. "In the Dail on Wednesday, TDs have a choice to keep people in their homes by voting to extend the eviction ban or they can decide to throw them to the wolves, she said. The newly launched Eviction Map has only been live for a few hours and it's already painting a picture of immense suffering. Having a safe and secure home is a fundamental foundation on which we build our lives, she said. Politicians need to be brave and stand up for their constituents by voting to extend the eviction ban - and well be watching closely to let the public know how each TD voted. Read More Each of Corks Government TDs is mentioned by name in the statement issued by Uplift.ie. Sinn Fein TD Pat Buckley told The Corkman last week that approximately 500 renters faced eviction in Cork should the Government plan to end the ban go ahead as set out in legislation on March 31. Housing expert Rory Hearne is also involved in the campaign and he warned of the enormous psychological damage which would be done if the eviction ban was ended, as predicted, on March 31, without adequate alternative arrangements for accommodation being put in place. Expand Close Several renters from Cork facing eviction have uploaded their stories to Uplift's map aimed at highlighting the potential impact of the ending of the eviction ban around the country. / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Several renters from Cork facing eviction have uploaded their stories to Uplift's map aimed at highlighting the potential impact of the ending of the eviction ban around the country. "The job of government is to protect its people, not inflict trauma on them which is exactly what will happen if the eviction ban is lifted. The stories told by Cork renters are harrowing in some cases. Gary and his family are facing homelessness in six weeks should the eviction ban be ended. "Me and my wife have been renting over 50 years combined, he said. "Since first having kids we have been evicted twice in three years- the first time illegally. "We have nowhere to go in less than 6 weeks. Another Cork renter, Elaine, said she had had to put up with horrific living conditions and a constant threat of eviction. Im on a council list for 26 years, I'm disabled and now will be homeless. Tenant Martin confessed that he was terrified about the prospect of eviction which he said would happen in the coming months while Jon said he had been given notice to leave his home after he brought a complaint about his landlord to the Residential Tenancies Board. Another renter said she couldnt pay the 1500 a month that was being sought in properties nearby and that there were no rental homes available within 50km. Housing campaigner Frank OConnor, who has highlighted the issue of dereliction in Cork and throughout Ireland, said that it was an emergency but it wasnt being treated as such. "Clearly we have a lot of properties in Cork City and right across the County which are owned by the local authorities and really there should be a massive push, indeed it should have happened already, on these. "Theyre still quoting figures of 75 weeks for bringing back properties in Cork City and weve seen properties that have been empty for four and a half or five years and theyre finally starting to work on them. Mr. OConnor, who along with his partner Jude Sherry run the Anois agency, said that another measure which could be considered was compelling property owners who were offering their houses or apartments for short term letting on platforms such as Air B&B but who havent registered their properties officially or sought the appropriate planning permission to make it available for use for people who are homeless or in danger of becoming homeless. He also suggested that some tenants who were facing eviction were considering overholding their properties. In those cases tenants who had been served notice to quit inform the property owner of their intention to stay on in the house or apartment beyond their eviction date but they would continue to pay their rent. He said this option was fraught with uncertainty as overholding could affect a renters prospects of getting new accommodation and there was also the danger that a landlord would take an opportunity of locking an overholding tenant out if they left the property for any reason, even for a short time. The Uplift map is located at this link and features 26 stories from Cork renters. Goods wait in trucks on the Chinese border in the northern province of Lao Cai in February 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Giang Huy Vietnam will begin reducing its unofficial exports in 2025 to prevent congestion at land borders, especially with China, according to a draft government decree. Currently goods are exported through land borders both officially with quotas and unofficially without quotas. Exports worth under 8,000 yuan (US$1,160) per person per day fall under the unofficial category and enjoy privileges such as waivers of quarantine, contracts, proof of payment, and taxes. The privileges are nominally meant for people living in border areas, but traders take advantage of them to import or export large volumes of goods, leading to congestion as trucks line up at border gates, especially with China. Draft amendments to the existing decree envisage reducing exports under the unofficial category from January 1, 2025, so that fewer goods escape the tax net. Besides, the unofficial exports will need to meet stricter quality and traceability standards. The export of goods under official quotas will be encouraged. From 2028 goods will only be exported through land borders under official quotas. This year China introduced food safety management protocols at border gates on its unofficial imports. China is a large trading partner for Vietnam, with bilateral trade reaching nearly US$178 billion Last year. Vietnams exports rose by 8% to $119.3 billion, and imports by 4.5% to $58.4 billion. A senior Cork County Council official has said the authority will look into a proposal to build a new fire station in Charleville across the road from the existing one on the Killmallock Road. The need for a new fire station in the town has been raised by Cllr Ian Doyle (FF), who said that the current building was no longer fit for purpose. I have been bringing this up for a long time and while I realise there are other fire stations in the county due to be upgraded before Charleville, the current facility is in a very poor state of repair, said Cllr Doyle. The lack of operational space in the building is ridiculous. These is only room for one fire tender in the building and when that backs into the station the fire-fighters do not have enough space to work on either side of it. It also means the other tender has to be parked outside of the station, he added. Read More Referring to previous debates in council meetings on the issue, Cllr Doyle said there had been talk about the authority looking around Charleville for a suitable site for a new fire station. It has come to my attention that a site across the road from the existing station could be available due to a change in business there, said Cllr Doyle. I wonder if this could be looked in to by the council, he added. The head of the councils environmental services directorate, Louis Duffy, said that while the lack of space in the current fire station was something the authority was keen to address, priority has been given to upgrading two other stations, including the one in Mitchelstown. I will get details of the site you mention from you and see if that does present an opportunity for us, said Mr Duffy. However, he warned that this process could take some time. The senior fire officer and his staff have prioritised the stations that need upgrading and the order in which they will be done, said Mr Duffy. Charlevilles time will come, but its not there just yet, he added. A 42-year-old man who was driving a commercial vehicle without a driving licence or insurance has been fined 700 at Swords District Court. Anthony Costello, Applewood Mews, Swords pleaded guilty to driving without insurance or a valid driving licence and using a commercial vehicle without a certificate of roadworthiness on January 12th, 2021. He also pleaded guilty at Swords District Court to driving a motor car with no insurance or valid driving licence on June 8th, 2021 in a separate incident. The court heard Garda Sarah Sherlock stopped the defendant shortly before 9am on January 12th at Applewood in Swords. The vehicle in question was a commercial vehicle and there was no certificate of roadworthiness displayed. There were no discs displayed on the vehicle and the defendant did not have a driving licence, Sergeant Patricia McGarrity told the court. A demand was made for Costello to produce documents within 10 days but he failed to do so. In relation to the second incident, Sergeant Patricia McGarrity said Garda Garvey was on mobile patrol at Applewood Avenue West in Swords on June 8th, 2021 when he stopped a vehicle driven by the defendant. The garda spoke to the defendant who admitted having no driving licence or insurance. The solicitor for the defence said Costello has a 12-week-old child and a partner who has a chronic neurological condition which prevents her from driving. He said the first vehicle was a commercial vehicle and the defendant intended to convert it but the costs were prohibitive and he had to let it go. His friend lent him a vehicle in the meantime and a neighbour was helping him to fix it up and prepare it for the NCT test. There was something wrong with the battery and his neighbour told him to drive it round the square and it was while he was doing this that he was stopped by Garda Sherlock, the solicitor added. He said Costellos life would be severely impacted as a consequence of a disqualification. The defendant did not have a driving licence on the first date he was stopped because he was having serious difficulty renewing his licence because of Covid. In relation to Garda Sherlocks matter, Judge Deirdre Gearty imposed a fine of 350 for having no insurance and said she wouldnt disqualify him in this instance. She also imposed a fine of 100 for driving without a valid driving licence and 250 for using a car without a certificate of roadworthiness. She struck out all of Garda Garveys matters in their entirety. Labour health spokesperson Duncan Smith has said that the government must engage with workers in the community and voluntary sector. The call comes following the government waving through a Labour motion calling for pay rises for community and voluntary sector workers. Deputy Smith said: "The Minister for Health is on the record saying that a WRC process could resolve this issue and he needs to do all in his power to make this happen. Read More Government did not oppose Labours motion, nor did they propose any amendments. Whilst it was disappointing that the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform was not present, the Minister for Health and Minister Anne Rabbitte agreed with the aims of our motion. Deputy Smith said that while agreement is all well and good, now we need action. He added: Community and voluntary workers who care for our most vulnerable must be shown respect by this government. Thats why we brought forward our motion to ensure they are heard. "The reality is that we are in the middle of the worst cost of living crisis in memory, and these workers are fighting for pay parity. The last thing they want is having to picket, but they are being left with no choice. A local protest group has been successful in its bid to protect a Swords greenbelt which it has been campaigning tirelessly on for years. Members of Save Swords Greenbelt Campaign protested outside County Hall recently for protection of the greenbelt surrounding Knocksedan, Ridgewood, and Rivervalley. Following a lengthy debate at recent Development Plan meetings, a motion was defeated which would have allowed the greenbelt to be rezoned as a residential area. The motion was ultimately withdrawn, meaning it will not be going forward for the next phase of public consultation, and the lands will effectively be maintained as a greenbelt until the next development plan process in six years time. A spokesperson for Save Swords Greenbelt Campaign told The Fingal Independent: Were absolutely thrilled, I think what it shows is that when the community comes together in large numbers we can actually achieve good things I think its a nice blueprint for the future, that if councillors try to put forward something thats not in the interest of the community, we can stand up and say no, thats not in our interest and we want it removed. According to the spokesperson, the executive said there was already enough land zoned in Fingal to cope with population growth. There was no need or justification, therefore, to re-zone a valuable greenbelt. Read More He said: The bottom line is that it should protect the greenbelt, but as a campaign were not standing down. Were staying vigilant because we dont know if new legislation will be brought in or theyll try to re-zone by the back door or something like that. Green Party councillor, Ian Carey, who was at the Development Plan meetings, said: ...there was a general consensus that we should be protecting and preserving those lands, both for biodiversity and the potential they have for delivering the likes of sporting amenities. The feeling was, and it would be my feeling too, that we shouldnt really zone those lands and hand them over for development just yet. We should be holding on to the open space and greenbelt that we have thats close to the centre of Swords for creating biodiversity, creating wildlife corridors, but also protecting sporting amenity that we really badly need in the town. Cllr Carey said massive credit must go to the community campaign who were real impetus behind saving the greenbelt lands. It was heartening to see so many people come together and get their point across to protect that space, he concluded. Cllr Brigid Manton (FF), who put forward a motion to rezone lands at Brackenstown, Swords told the council she was aware that her opinion did not meet with the agreement of other Swords councillors, but she believed her opinion was valid. Cllr Manton said there were thousands of people on social housing lists, and thousands of young couples living in Swords who cannot get a house. She believed that by working with the landowner who in the past had donated land back to the community much needed houses can be built for our people. The people of Fingal are to receive immediate help with the cost of living, according to Fine Gael TD, Alan Farrell, who was speaking after Ministers Heather Humphreys and Michael McGrath announced payment dates for eight upcoming Budget Cost of Living Supports. Deputy Farrell said: Starting from next week, eight lump-sum payments totalling 1.2 billion nationally will be made to help people with the cost of living. Fine Gael is determined to put money back in peoples pockets and assist them with the rising cost of living. My colleague Minister Heather Humphreys recently delivered the largest social protection Budget in the history of the state, with a mix of lump sum supports and increases to weekly payments. As well as the significant supports in the Budget for 2023, people in Fingal are going to receive immediate help with the cost of living. From next Monday, October 17, the Autumn Double Lump Sum Payment will be paid to social protection recipients including all pensioners, carers and people on disability payments. There will be a double payment of Child Benefit on November 1. On the week commencing Monday, November 14, there will be four significant payments. A 500 Disability Support Grant will be paid to people with disabilities; a 500 Cost of Living Payment will be paid to those in receipt of Working Family Payment; and a 200 payment will be made to people in receipt of Living Alone Allowance. A 400 Fuel Allowance Lump Sum Payment will be paid in the same week to 78,336 households in Dublin. Minister Humphreys also secured a major expansion of the Fuel Allowance Scheme which will see many more households in Fingal supported with their fuel cost for the first time from January. On the week commencing Monday, November 21, a 500 Carers Support Grant will be provided to all those in receipt of the Carers Support Grant. A 100% Christmas Bonus will also be paid on the week commencing December 5. Deputy Farrell concluded, Thanks to Fine Gaels careful management of the economy over recent years, all of this is possible without borrowing. A 38-year-old man accused of money laundering following the seizure of a large quantity of cash has been sent forward for trial. Carl Buckley was served with the book of evidence at Swords District Court. The defendant, of Holywell Green, Swords is charged with possessing 53,000 in cash, deemed to be the proceeds of crime, at Holywell Commercial Centre, Swords on February 4, 2022. He is also accused of possessing a further 5,500 of cash, deemed to be the proceeds of crime at Holywell Crescent, Swords on February 5 this year. Buckley was arrested after gardai intercepted two vehicles in Swords earlier this year. State solicitor Derek Mangan said the DPP was seeking a return date for trial to the present sittings of Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Judge Dermot Dempsey gave the alibi warning, informing the accused that if he intends to rely on the defence of alibi he must, within 14 days, notify the Prosecution of this in writing. He made a section 56 order in relation to video tapes of garda interviews. The judge assigned solicitor John Hennessey and one junior counsel on free legal aid. The court heard the accused is on bail and there was no objection to bail continuing. Judge Dempsey sent Buckley forward to the present sittings of Dublin Circuit Criminal on November 10. Ossian Smyth, Minister of State for Communications; Emer Corridan, General Manager of Cahernane House Hotel;, Peter Hendrick, Chief Executive Officer, National Broadband Ireland and Gerard OSullivan, Business Development Manager of retail broadband provider Ivertec at the ceremony to mark the Cahernane Hotel becoming the 25,000 premises in Ireland to be connected to the NBIs high speed fibre broadband network. Photo Domnick Walsh Cahernane House Hotel in Killarney provided the backdrop to a landmark occasion for National Broadband Ireland (NBI) and the ongoing efforts to roll out high speed broadband services across the State. According to the NBI its network is now available to almost 6,500 homes and businesses in Kerry. On Friday a ceremony was held at the historic hotel to mark the fact that it recently became the 25,000th premises to be connected the high-speed fibre broadband network NBI is installing nationwide under the Governments National Broadband Plan (NBP). Minister of State, Ossian Smyth and NBI Chief Executive, Peter Hendrick attended the ceremony where they were joined by Gerard OSullivan of Kerry retail broadband provider, Ivertec to mark the milestone at the hotel. The hotel is located on the edge of Killarney National Park and dates back to 1877. County Kerry has the highest proportion of jobs directly depending on the tourism and hospitality sectors at 18 per cent, and access to high speed broadband can allow enterprises in this sector to attract new business, deliver efficiencies and use technology to provide a better experience to customers. Cahernane House Hotel, General Manager, Emer Corridan outlined the benefits of broadband to the business while the positive impact of the NBP for the tourism and hospitality sector was also highlighted at the event. Weve experienced great benefits from being connected to the NBI fibre network with guaranteed minimum download speeds of 500Mbps, having previously had download speeds of 16Mbps, said Ms Corridan. Our business is more efficient and most importantly, our guests are extremely satisfied with the broadband access they now have when they stay with us. We are part of a hotel group and high speed broadband has made accessing central systems and meetings so much easier with a big reduction in travel time, she said. Mr Hendrick said reaching 25,000 connections was a major milestone in NBIs fibre roll-out November saw the highest number of premises connected to NBIs high-speed gigabit fibre network in a single month to date. Were also on course to be live in every county across the country by the end of the year so that there will be premises in all 26 counties which can order broadband from an NBI retail partner, he said. In Kerry, 6,465 homes or businesses in Tralee and Killarney, and surrounding areas, can connect now and can find out how by searching their Eircode on nbi.ie. Already 35 per cent of eligible homes and business are connecting to the network, said Mr Hendrick. Cahernane House Hotel is a great example of how transformative high-speed fibre can be for tourism and hospitality businesses in rural Ireland. Research has shown that 84 per cent of business travellers say Wi-Fi access influences them to choose a particular hotel so the potential to win new customers from this market and beyond is clear, Mr Hendrick said Minister Smyth said access to high-speed fibre broadband is transformative and will increase potential business and tourism opportunities, for Killarney and businesses across Kerry and the south west the region. To mark the occasion the NBI also made a number of donations to local charities and organisations including Banna Inshore Rescue; the Killarney Cardiac Response Unit; Island Organix; Cheshire Kerry; Inch Community Council and St Vincent De Paul Killarney. John and Kay Sayers from Listowel with a picture of the FTB Syndicate owned, Hairy Molly, at the Cheltenham Festival of 2006. Photo by Domnick Walsh. Dreams are made and broken in the blink of an eye in horse racing. Tales of unrestrained joy have long been a neighbour to misfortune. And yet, at its best, the sport makes light work of lifes problems and ensures unreachable dreams are sometimes within reach. Its precisely how one might describe Hairy Molly when opening the cover to his story. Its 17 years since the wonder horse owned by the Listowel-based FTB Syndicate achieved the impossible dream by winning the Champion Bumper at Cheltenham. Many owners dare to dream of a festival winner, let alone revel in the reality. For owners Kay and John Sayers and Tina and Joe Guerin, that day in the Cotswolds in 2006 is forever safe in the memory bank of Cheltenham triumphs. A prized picture of Hairy Molly and Paul Carberry - seconds after crossing the finish line at Cheltenham - hangs on the wall of the Sayers family home. Today, Hairy Mollys success belongs to the rich archive of stories told around Listowels streets. The story starts like any other: John Sayers and Joe Guerin went to see a man about a horse. A friend of Johns, Willie Sheehan, introduced them to the late Joseph Crowley, the shrewdest of shrewdest trainers from Piltown in County Kilkenny, and father-in-law to flat trainer Aidan OBrien. Willie, Joe, John, and his daughter Emma, went to Crowleys yard where they had the pick of three horses. When all considerations were done, Hairy Molly was chosen and so started his never-to-be-forgotten connection with Listowel. The horse had impressed with his sharp action, balance and quick turn of foot on the gallops that morning. A good walker with plenty scope to grow into a chaser, the for sale sign was taken down they had found their horse. We thought we might win a local race or two with him. We had always dreamed about owning a horse. Then John, Joe, Tina and I said we would go and do it. The timing was right, Kay says. Read More Hairy Molly duly obliged when winning his first bumper race at Nass in January 2006 - a track that would account for three of his six career wins. Hairy Molly was our first horse. When you think about it, we bought him in October, and he went to Cheltenham in March and won. We started on a serious high, Kay explains. The owners still feel extremely privileged to have indulged in the opportunities created by their horse. To win at their local track would have been fantastic. But a win at Cheltenham surpasses everything they hoped for. We know that everyone with a racehorse its in the back of their mind to go to Cheltenham someday. We went just feeling fantastic we were going there. If we finished fourth or fifth, we would celebrate. But to win was beyond belief, Kay says. The build up to the 2006 Cheltenham Festival involved the entire town of Listowel. Leading up to the race, people on the street - some of whom were unknown - wished the syndicate members the best of luck. Listowel is a racing town renowned for its support. They know a good horse when they see one. On the day of the race the nerves were a dime a dozen. Joe and Tina Guerin, who were spending part of the year travelling between Australia and Ireland, never felt removed from the buzz of it all. Joe flew into London and took a taxi to Cheltenham. We went to the course early in the morning. We were lucky to get into the stables and see all the horses; Beef or Salmon was very close by that day, explains Kay. The pre-saddling area had a great atmosphere. I recall there being great camaraderie amongst all the owners. Everyone was wishing everyone else the best of luck. That was really special to see: the behind-the-scenes side of Cheltenham. The buzz in the parade ring is just absolutely indescribable. I have one really strong memory of Hairy Molly in the parade ring and his head was down. I turned to one of the lads and said: I hope today is not the day hes going to get depressed. He was very settled but did look depressed. But he got over that very quickly. Theres always concern when you go to Cheltenham wondering how the horse has travelled over, Kay says. Kay, John, Joe and Tina all felt their horse was doing well for most of the race. In the final few furlongs their hearts skipped multiple beats while the roars went up a decibel or two. Could he really win? They thought. The race finished, and we assumed wed finished second. We had two very good friends from Listowel, Con McCarthy and Brian Quille, in front of us who decided we had won. When the result was called it was just phenomenal, Kay says. We have great memories of the late Eric Browne who came running to meet us, and that night celebrating with the late Eamonn OCarroll. They were two giants of horse racing in Listowel and its brilliant to have them in our memories of that special day. "We were getting messages and calls all that night from people back home. One person told us the road was blocked back in Listowel with people celebrating, she adds. Standing on the winners podium at Cheltenham takes a few seconds at most. Its the distillation of a dream, the full-on realisation that what has just happened is for real. We appreciated every second of being on that winners podium, Kay says. It was the last race of the day, and the place was emptying out a bit. But there was still a fantastic amount of Listowel and Kerry people that stayed on to wish us well. As is traditional with Irish winners, we had to sing a song. We sang a verse of My Silver River Feale by Bryan McMahon. We blasted that out from the podium at Cheltenham. Kay is full of praise for the horses trainer. Joe Crowley passed away in 2020 at the age of 91. Kay describes him as a fantastic trainer and communicator who was always warm and welcoming whenever they visited the yard to see their horse. His head lad was Damien Byrne, who travelled to Cheltenham with Hairy Molly in 2006. Gareth Power was Joes stable jockey and he got on fantastically well with Hairy Molly, especially riding at Nass. Joe was extremely knowledgeable. We went to Piltown after Cheltenham and had a party with the staff. It was very important to share the win with them, Kay says. The Limerick-based trainer Michael Hourigan once said of horse racing that its a sport that would tame lions. The highs - if one is lucky enough to reach them - are quickly followed by the lows. By 2010, Hairy Molly had settled in nicely to his chasing career. With two wins under his belt over fences, on August 19 he was making a debut before the home crowd at Killarney Racecourse. All the portents for another special day were in place when disaster struck. Game to the last, Hairy Molly fell at the final fence and was killed. The air was sucked from his owners, who adored their horse. It was a unique day in one sense as Joe had some friends from Australia over to see the race, Kay explains. We had decided it was the last time Hairy Molly would run, and we were going to bring him home to keep him as a family pet. We have a son with an intellectual disability, and he was able to walk the horse and interact with him. The horse had a beautiful nature, she adds. Seeing him fall was absolutely horrendous. Its very hard to describe as its a massive loss. Apart from the fantastic days out we had with him, we became very attached to him because of his gentle nature. It was devastating. Its a very difficult part of owning horses. There is a huge emotional wrench. He always gave his all, Kay says. But the lasting memory of Hairy Molly is at Cheltenham - the horses finest hour. Its here that his fading image will forever linger in the minds eye of his owners. His true resting place. He still comes up very regularly in conversation. Even when were racing round the country his name always comes up. I think its because the name is very distinctive. The locals still talk about him as it seems everyone in Listowel had a bet on the horse, Kay says. When you go into Jets Bar theres a picture of Hairy Molly. If you go into The Horseshoe Bar theres another picture in the restaurant upstairs on the wall. Were constantly reminded of that day. Weve had other horses and winners since. But its an exceptional privilege to have a winner at Cheltenham. Well never forget it. A Tralee man has this week achieved quite the feat as he received top marks in Ireland and 6th in the world in an accountancy exam. Nikolaj Perekotij, a student with AccountancySchool.ie, recently celebrated success in his ACCA (Association of Certified Chartered Accountants) exams where he achieved first in Ireland and 6th place in the world in his Advanced Performance Management exam. Nikolaj started his career in the Treasury department of Kerry Group, as part of the graduate programme where he also pursued his ACCA qualifications with AccountancySchool.ie. I really enjoyed the approach of AccountancySchool in terms of flexibility, including the blend of remote vs in-person, recorded sessions and practice exams. The lecturers were also very engaging and really at the top of their game. The ACCA qualifications open up the world to you, my focus now is to find an area of work that I will be really passionate about, he said. Dave ODonoghue, Managing Director of AccountancySchool.ie offered his congratulations to Nikolaj. Congratulations to Nikolaj on his great results. We are delighted to again be celebrating a number of best in Ireland and best in the world results this year. Our students consistently achieve the highest marks both locally and internationally. For all of our students, we give them the keys to a hugely rewarding career in accountancy and financial management. Currently, there is an acute shortage of accountants not just in Ireland but globally and ACCA trainees, affiliates and members are in high demand throughout the world. The ACCA qualification offers an open door into the accountancy profession and AccountancySchool.ie is proud of the part we play in helping young people to achieve their dreams, he said. Taiwan leader to visit Latin American allies with stops in US Taiwan's leader Tsai Ing-wen speaks outside her office in February, 2022. Photo by AFP/Sam Yeh Taiwan's leader will visit diplomatic allies Guatemala and Belize next week while also making stopovers in the United States, the island's foreign ministry said Tuesday, as it aims to shore up ties in Latin America. Tsai Ing-wen will depart Taiwan on March 29 for the 10-day trip, stopping in New York and Los Angeles while en route to and from the Central American countries, according to the ministry. During her trip, Tsai will meet Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei and Belize's Prime Minister John Briceno, the foreign ministry said. Asked if Tsai would meet US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in Los Angeles, Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Yui said only that her "transit itinerary is being arranged appropriately with the US side". McCarthy said earlier this month that he would see Tsai in his home state of California. On Tuesday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin reiterated his country's opposition to Tsai meeting with US officials. "We firmly oppose any form of official exchanges between the U.S. and Taiwan," he told a press briefing in Beijing. "China has made solemn representations to the U.S. in this regard." In Washington, State Department spokesman Vedant Patel downplayed the significance of Tsai's transit and said it was normal for Taiwanese dignitaries to meet members of Congress or hold public events while on US stopovers. "Transits are taken out of consideration for the safety and comfort and convenience and dignity of the passenger and are consistent with our One China policy, which also remains unchanged," Patel told reporters. Leevy play at the Stag & Doe Sessions in The Greyhound Bar in Tralee next week. The Greyhound Bar in Tralee will, this St Patricks Day weekend, play host to another of the hugely popular Stag & Doe sessions which as always has a fine line-up of original artists for music lovers to look forward to and enjoy. The team behind the Stag & Doe events announced this week that they are proud to be collaborating with The Dirty Disco as part of the one year anniversary of their Patricks Day celebrations. The Dirty Disco will be hosting the Stag & Doe sessions event over the course of the weekend in the Greyhound with some of the best local and Irish DJs Dessie Mac, Redwah, Luke Reidy, James OCallaghan & Ricky Clifford on Friday March 17 followed by up-and-coming artists Mario Mannering and Leevy taking the stage on March 18 with a live DJ set from Tralees Luke Reidy & James OCallaghan to top the weekend off. Mario Mannering was born in Glenties in Donegal and his latest single Bad Thing was recorded and produced at the Stonewall Studio, Sinning, Oberhausen, Bavaria and was co-produced, mixed and mastered at the studios of RadioLee.ie in Tralee by Derek Berrill in December 2022. Having lived and worked in Tralee, Mario is delighted to be bringing his music to the sessions. A graduate from Munster Technological University Kerry, Leevy is the music project of Gaeltacht reared songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Amhlaoibh McSweeney. Tickets are from 10 and are available from The Greyhound Bar Tralee or on the door on a first come first served basis. Two day tickets are available at a discount rate of 16. For more information, head to the Stag & Doe Sessions page on Facebook. Welcome! Discover your full benefits as a Premium subscriber. 1. General queries Independent House, 27 - 32 Talbot Street, Dublin 1, Ireland D01 X2E1 Email: info@independent.ie For press releases and PR queries please contact: inews@independent.ie Telephone: +353 (0)1 705 5333 2. Subscribe Sign up for 7-day digital access here Sign up to home delivery of the Irish Independent and Sunday Independent here Sign up for our newsletters here Sign up for our regional epapers here 3. 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If you wish to submit an article removal request you can do so here. Commercial content guidelines Commercial content guidelines can be viewed here. Contributor guidelines Our terms and conditions for contributors can be viewed here. Bruce Willis and Emma Heming at the Los Angeles premiere of "His Way" Photograph: PacificCoastNews.com Bruce Williss wife, Emma Heming Willis, was teary-eyed as she thanked the actors fans for the kind wishes on his birthday on Sunday (19 March). I have started the morning by crying as you can see by my swollen eyes and snotty nose, Emma said in a video posted to Instagram Stories. I just think its important that you see all sides of this. She continued: I always get this message where people always tell me, Oh youre so strong. I dont know how you do it. Im not given a choice. I wish I was but Im also raising two kids in this. Sometimes in our lives, we have to put our big girl panties on and get to it. And thats what Im doing, she said. But I do have times of sadness, every day, grief every day, and Im really feeling it today on his birthday. Emma also said that she was putting together a reel for her husbands birthday. As much as I do it for myself I do it for you because I know how much you love my husband, she said, before telling herself, Dont cry, Emma. In the caption of the reel which carried old videos of Willis enjoying time with his family, Emma wrote: He is pure love. He is so loved. And Ill be loving him always. Happy Birthday my sweet. My birthday wish for Bruce is that you continue to keep him in your prayers and highest vibrations because his sensitive Pisces soul will feel it. Thank you so much for loving and caring for him too. Bruce was recently diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia. Video of the Day In an update shared online, the Willis family said: We now have a more specific diagnosis: frontotemporal dementia (known as FTD). Unfortunately, challenges with communication are just one symptom of the disease Bruce faces. While this is painful, it is a relief to finally have a clear diagnosis. Calling it a cruel disease, they went on to say that FTD is the most common form of dementia, and because getting the diagnosis can take years, FTD is likely much more prevalent than we know. Today there are no treatments for the disease, a reality that we hope can change in the years ahead. As Bruces condition advances, we hope that any media attention can be focused on shining a light on this disease that needs far more awareness and research, they added. Bruces diagnosis came almost a year after it emerged that he had almost a year afterhis representatives revealed that he had aphasia. Hollywood stars were among those to send messages of love and support to the actor following the new diagnosis. The rise of rental on the Irish fashion scene is real. Just ask Rhoda McDonagh. The former banker set up the Designer Room rental business in her Sandymount home in 2017, and last Sunday she had quite a coup when a gold sequinned dress she rents for 200 for four days ended up on the Oscars VIP carpet. It was a pinch-me moment, said Rhoda, who has a selection of 500 designer gowns in sizes 6-18. The rental sector has grown so much in the last five years. During the pandemic, I had to pivot to running a pre-loved platform, but people are back dressing up again and I now have 40 to 50pc repeat customers who see my showroom and website as their extended wardrobe. Her average rental is 200, and the most expensive dress, a yellow Erdem that cost 3,500 originally, rents for 250, including dry cleaning. Rhoda said the reaction to actress Kate Nic Chonaonaigh, who played Mam in An Cailin Ciuin, wearing a Mac Duggal gold gown to the Oscars has been phenomenal and she has been inundated with requests for appointments. I specialise in dresses for black-tie events, gowns women could be wearing for four to six hours and you can really see the shift in attitude, how consumers have picked up on circular fashion and are conscious about spending on big ticket items that they might wear only once or twice, Rhoda said. Read More Accountant Rachel Hennessy has seen her figures climb since she opened her Happy Days online rental business and Leopardstown store 13 months ago. The sustainability factor is a huge factor in peoples decision to rent She sold her Google shares to build a business in the fashion rental sector, where revenue worldwide is expected to increase to over 6.55bn by 2026, according to data firm Statista. Video of the Day Next Thursday, Rachel will open a pop-up on Dublins South Anne Street as rental increasingly becomes a badge of honour with consumers. The sustainability factor is a huge factor in peoples decision to rent, she said. People realise they are not wearing what they own. I think in the past people might have been embarrassed to say they rented something or bought second-hand, but that has completely changed in the last couple of years. Expand Close Kate Nic Chonaonaigh at the Oscars. Photo: Kate McCullough / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Kate Nic Chonaonaigh at the Oscars. Photo: Kate McCullough Kate Middleton endorsed rental when she wore a green Solace London dress rented from British fashion company Hurr in Boston last December. Carrie Symonds wore a 2,870 (3,273) Christos Costarellos dress, rented for 45 from My Wardrobe HQ, for her 2021 marriage to Boris Johnson, Rachels most popular rental brands last year were Rixo and Self Portrait, which rent from 70 to 80 for three days, with rates for five and 10 days also available. Blue and pink were last years most rented colours, she said. Sequins will continue to be popular, and I think shorter will be popular for summer weddings. An orange Karen Millen dress still remains our top rental. There is just something about this dress, its just lovely on, it suits lots of figures. It is 12 months since Brown Thomas introduced Rent it! when its Dundrum store opened. Over the past two years, Ive spoken to many brides to be and there is definitely a market for a pre-loved or vintage dress, not a new one Shelly Corkery, group fashion director of BTA, said making considered fashion choices is the new norm and customers are enjoying the concept and mix of special pieces from contemporary brands such as Aje, Rebecca Vallance and Rachel Gilbert with the typical rental being four days. In Listowel, Co Kerry, Sarah Fitzgeralds Sustainable Bride has a collection of 15 vintage and pre-loved dresses available from 350 to 550 to rent. Over the past two years, Ive spoken to many brides to be and there is definitely a market for a pre-loved or vintage dress, not a new one, she said. They like the great price point versus a new dress, they try to live a sustainable life and this idea fits well. They love the idea of the dress having a past and future and they want to spend money on other more important things, like a good band. Roxanne Parker, the Sustainable Stylist, said: When people are buying for themselves, they tend to think about the cost-per-wear, but when you rent a one-off for a wedding or party its an opportunity to have a bit of fun with an outfit and to do something more out there, and I think thats one of the strong points of the rental industry. Another growth area has been in peer-to peer rentals, where you can rent out your clothes and accessories through platforms such as Greens Are Good For You. The development has proved to be a handy source of extra income wrapped around clothes and accessories already in your wardrobe. Its that time of year again, when shop windows nationwide are full of tricolours and 40 shades of green in the run-up to St Patricks Day. However, the Irish fashion sector wants the annual focus on Irish products to become a year-round thing. It is time for Irish retailers to pull on the green jersey, said Eddie Shanahan, chairperson of the Council of Irish Fashion Designers (CIFD). He says a swing of 1pc to Irish brands would generate more than 15m of wholesale value, adding that this would make a significant difference to the growth of Irish fashion brands. Such a swing would also result in job creation and help retain Irish-educated designers in Ireland CIFD was set up as an advocacy and business development organisation supporting professional Irish designers. It has 54 members with skill sets across clothing, jewellery, millinery, accessories and lifestyle products. Mr Shanahan said: With the Irish market for apparel estimated at approximately 4bn, and 77pc of Irish consumers saying they are prepared to pay a premium price for locally made and sourced brands, there are only upsides to supporting Irish fashion. Expand Close A Caterina Coyne silver sequinned gown with cut-out back detail and puff sleeves / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A Caterina Coyne silver sequinned gown with cut-out back detail and puff sleeves His figure of 77pc comes from the PWC Pulse survey. He added: The impact would also contribute to an improved sustainability profile for fashion consumption in Ireland. Video of the Day Read More This is because independent Irish designers are focused on quality, small production runs, trans-seasonal collections and the resuscitation of what would previously have been considered old season material stocks. Among those showcased was Caterina Coyne, the Galway-born dancer-turned-designer Such a swing would also result in job creation and help retain Irish-educated designers in Ireland. Thirty-seven members of CIFD yesterday showcased their new spring/summer collections in a 30-minute film. Strong on colour and print, the collections crossed from leisure wear to party wear and occasion wear. Among those showcased was Caterina Coyne, the Galway-born dancer-turned-designer. Ms Coyne will have a big interest in the Oscars ceremony on Sunday night. An Cailin Ciuin has been one of the great success stories in a memorable year for Irish film. Cleona Ni Chrualaoi, producer of the Irish-language movie, and 13-year-old Catherine Clinch, the lead actress, will be dressed by Ms Coyne for the LA event. Expand Close A sea-blue tulle glitter dress with high-low hem and train from Carolyn OSullivans Not Another White Dress / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A sea-blue tulle glitter dress with high-low hem and train from Carolyn OSullivans Not Another White Dress Ms Coyne opened her Coyne on Sunset store in LA last year. In her new spring/summer collection, her floor-sweeping dresses include an asymmetrical polka-dot silk number with puff-sleeve detail (865). There is also a silver sequinned gown with cut-out back detail (1,450). For fans of her work who might prefer a shorter look, her pink taffeta Amy mini dress (360) comes with an additional decorative sequinned top (245). Carolyn OSulllivans supremely romantic sea-blue tulle glitter dress with a high-low hem and train was a real show stopper. The designer is based in Dungarvan, Co Waterford. She set up her modern, unconventional bridal range called Not Another White Dress in autumn 2021. This season, her pink peony suit in silk jacquard features a cropped tuxedo jacket, matching mini shirt and a cathedral-length train. Inspired by the colours of the evening sun shimmering on water, she also did a sunset inspired dress in silk organza, silk dupion and silk taffeta to create a luxurious effect. Xi Jinping has promised to build Chinas military into a great wall of steel in his first speech since he secured an unprecedented third five-year term as president. Addressing an audience of 3,000 delegates at the National Peoples Congress, he said that safety is the foundation of development, and stability is the prerequisite for prosperity. Mr Xi pledged build the military into a great wall of steel that effectively safeguards national sovereignty, security and our development interests. Having made himself into the nations most powerful leader since Mao Zedong, Mr Xi also said that the country must achieve greater self-reliance in science and technology. Beijing has long held such an aim, but deteriorating ties with the West, and particularly the US, over technology and security has injected more urgency. The UK has also pledged to double the funding allocated to building its Chinese expertise across government in response to growing concern over the security challenge posed by Beijing. Mr Xi is expected to tighten party oversight over security matters, a move that comes after he replaced top security officials with his trusted allies. At a closed-door meeting last week with government advisers, Mr Xi said the West, led by the US, has implemented all-round containment to suppress China. The US, UK and a number of other nations have expressed concerns over the threat of military action from Beijing against Taiwan and the countrys aggressive stance in the South China Sea. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has described the Chinese Communist Party as posing an epoch-defining challenge. Developing the economy is the fundamental solution for creating jobs In his speech, Mr Xi stressed the need for China to oppose pro-independence influences and secessionist activities and the interference of external forces, with Beijing regarding self-ruling Taiwan as a renegade province. He said that national reunification was the essence of national rejuvenation, suggesting that the issue of Taiwans relationship to China will be a big part of his new term. Meanwhile, Chinas new premier, Li Qiang a staunch ally of Mr Xi sought to inspire confidence within the business community by saying in a speech that the environment for businesses will improve and that equal treatment would be given to all types of companies. Mr Li was handed the second-most powerful position in Chinas Communist Party at the weekend and is tasked with reviving the worlds second-largest economy after three years of Covid-19 restrictions. Developing the economy is the fundamental solution for creating jobs, Mr Li, said. Private entrepreneurs or enterprises will enjoy a better environment and broader space for development ... we will create a level playing field for all kinds of market entities and we will make further efforts to support private entrepreneurs to grow and thrive, he added. At the opening of the annual parliamentary session, China set a GDP growth target of about 5pc, its lowest goal in nearly three decades, after the economy grew just 3pc last year. Achieving the target would not be easy, with China facing many difficulties this year, Mr Li said, with his 90-minute address coming in shorter than the speeches given by his predecessor Li Keqiang in recent years. Also yesterday, Chinas parliament approved changes to a law that would allow it to pass emergency legislations more quickly. ( Independent News Service) A massive fire raced through a crammed refugee camp for Rohingya Muslims in southern Bangladesh, leaving thousands homeless We currently dont have an estimate for damages but there are no reports of casualties, said police spokesman Rafiqul Islam. The blaze was brought under control but it is not clear what started it. I couldnt save anything. Everything burnt to ashes. Many are without homes. I dont know what will happen to us, said 40-year-old refugee Selim Ullah, a father of six children. The refugee camps are prone to such blazes. A massive fire in March 2021 killed at least 15 refugees. A million refugees have fled to Bangladesh from Myanmar over several decades. Indias government has opposed the legal recognition of same-sex marriages by saying they are not comparable to traditional marriages, according to a filing made in the countrys Supreme Court. The federal governments 56-page filing in the countrys top court on Sunday was in response to legal challenges made in recent months by LGBT+ couples. Activists are seeking changes in laws for the legal recognition of same-sex marriages. At least 15 pleas have been filed in the court, setting the stage for a legal battle with Prime Minister Narendra Modis government. The cases will be heard in the Supreme Court on Monday. If the court recognises same-sex unions, it could mark a victory for LGBT+ rights activists in Asia as other countries in the region have decriminalised homosexuality but stopped just short of recognising same-sex marriages. With a historic judgment in 2018, Indias Supreme Court scrapped colonial-era laws to decriminalise homosexuality but had not legalised same-sex unions. The rationale given by the government in Sundays filing has been that there cannot be any deviation from widely accepted norms. Living together as partners and having sexual relationship by same-sex individuals...is not comparable with the Indian family unit concept of a husband, a wife and children, the government said. The filing invoked the accepted view that marriage took place only between a man and a woman in India and is a holy union, a sacrament and has sanskar [values]. Any deviation from this widely accepted norm in human relationships can only happen through the legislature and the court cannot be asked to change the entire legislative policy of the country deeply embedded in religious and societal norms, it said. The governments response to the 2018 landmark verdict on Sundays filing was that it did not mean a default recognition of same-sex marriage as a fundamental legal right in the country. The government said that the court had never accepted gay marriage as part of the fundamental right to life and dignity but at the same time, the state does not hold other forms of unions to be unlawful. It added that any interference with current marriage laws would cause complete havoc with the delicate balance of personal laws in the country and in accepted societal values. Several Asian countries have been gradually moving towards the acceptance of same-sex unions, as seen in landmark judgments in Japan and Singapore. Taiwan became the first Asian country to legalise gay marriage in 2019. Singapore last year repealed a colonial-era law to legalise homosexuality but took steps to bar same-sex marriages. Thailand recently approved laws to allow such unions. Japan is the only country among the G7 nations that does not legally recognise same-sex unions, although the public broadly favours recognition. Japan was forced to blow up and destroy its flagship space rocket minutes after it blasted off yesterday, after one of its engine ignitions failed to properly operate. The embarrassing and costly action occurred during the debut launch of the countrys new heavy-lift H3 rocket, which took off from the Tanegashima space port and hurtled toward the Pacific Ocean moments later. The same rocket had an aborted launch last month. The incident strikes another blow to Japans efforts to become a competitive global space power. The flagship H3 launch vehicle took off at 10.37am local time, Hiroshi Yamakawa, president of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), said. It was carrying an advanced optical satellite. But the second-stage engine did not ignite. Because it is not possible to put the rocket into the planned orbit, we sent a destruct signal to the rocket, minutes later at 10.51am. A destruct command has been transmitted to H3, because there was no possibility of achieving the mission, the agency said in a memo. Japans space agency will set up a task force to investigate the reason behind the failure. Yasuhiro Funo, JAXA director for launch implementation, said the vehicle had plummeted into the deep sea off the Philippines coast, and that the rocket was unsafe and had to be intentionally destroyed after it failed to operate and missed its targeted orbit. The H3 rocket is about 63 metres tall and Japans first new model in decades, according to JAXA. It is billed as Japans next-generation heavy-lift launch vehicle, and a successor to its H2 rocket that is due to be retired. Made by JAXA and contractor Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, it is designed to be low cost and allow for the launching of government and commercial satellites into space. The H3 rocket is extremely important for the government, private companies and universities, from the stance of ensuring independent access to space and also to ensure our international competitiveness, Mr Yamakawa said. Japanese officials hope the H3 will allow them a cheaper way to compete with others, including Elon Musks SpaceX company. It was carrying an advanced land observation satellite, known as ALOS-3, that would have let it engage in observation, mapping, data collection for disaster response and monitor nearby military activity, including North Korean missile launches. ( Washington Post) At the meeting (Photo: VNA) The meeting was co-chaired by Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son and Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Prak Sokhonn in the framework of the latter's ongoing official visit to Vietnam. In his remarks at the meeting, FM Son expressed his delight at the fruitful development of the traditional friendship and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Cambodia, saying that stakeholders in the two countries have coordinated to successfully organise important events and commemorative activities in the Vietnam - Cambodia Friendship Year 2022. The events have contributed to further tightening the bilateral relations, and raising awareness of people of the traditional friendship between the two countries, he said. For his part, Prak Sokhonn said bilateral cooperation mechanisms and cooperation between ministries, sectors and localities of th two countries have been strengthened and proven effective. He added that the meeting offered an opportunity for the two sides to discuss how to further improve the effectiveness of bilateral cooperation at regional and international forums. The two sides discussed cooperation outcomes among ministries and sectors in recent times across all fields of politics-diplomacy, defence, security, border control, economy, trade, investment, transport, education-training, culture, sports, tourism, health care, and justice. They shared pleasure at the two sides' close coordination in successfully organising a high-level meeting between the Communist Party of Vietnam and the Cambodian People's Party on February 18, 2023; the official visits of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue to Cambodia in 2022; as well as other activities to mark the 55th founding anniversary of the diplomatic ties. Defence-security cooperation has become an increasingly important pillar, while economic cooperation has been also a highlight in bilateral relations in recent years. Last year, two-way trade hit 10.57 billion USD, up nearly 11% year-on-year. Vietnam is Cambodia's third largest trade partner in ASEAN. Vietnam has so far 205 valid investment projects worth 2.94 billion USD in Cambodia, ranking first in ASEAN and among the five biggest foreign investors in Cambodia. The two sides agreed to continue effectively implementing signed agreements; strengthening security and defence cooperation; working together to boost economic connectivity and deal with difficulties facing businesses of both countries; and maintaining the stable growth of bilateral trade and investment. They also concurred to step up partnerships in transport, tourism, agro-forestry-fisheries, telecommunications and information technology, labour, natural resources and environment, whilst promoting cooperation among localities and within the Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam (CLV) Development Triangle. They agreed to work closely in searching for, collecting and repatriating the remains of Vietnamese soldiers who fell down in Cambodia during wartime. On behalf of the two governments, FM Son and Sokhonn signed the meeting's minutes. The 21st meeting of the committee is scheduled to be held in Cambodia in 2024./. An army personnel in India has been booked for allegedly making a hoax bomb call to the police on Monday after he missed his second flight for the day. Ajmeer Bhadraiah, 59, was to board an Indigo flight from the southern Indian city of Hyderabad that was on its way to Chennai. He was, however, denied entry for arriving late. Having missed his 5.15am flight, the man also failed to board the second flight he had booked for 10.15am, and got into an altercation with the airport staff. The said passenger argued with the Indigo employee and asked him to allow to board the flight, said R Srinivas, station house officer (SHO) at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport police station in Hyderabad. The passenger threatened to stop the flight and called the police control room informing them about a bomb in flight 6E-6151, and demanded that it be stopped from taking off, Mr Srinivas said in a press note shared with The Independent. Upon learning about the bomb threat, the SHO contacted the caller, while simultaneously alerting the Bomb Threat Assessment Committee at the airport, reported The Times of India. As the police pressed him for details, the man who served as a superintending engineer of Military Engineering Services, confessed to making a hoax call. The fake bomb threat call inconvenienced many passengers, said Mr Srinivas, adding that police action has been initiated against the accused as per law. He has been charged with intimidation and violation of Aircraft Act, reported The Times of India. He made the call out of frustration after missing two flights as he was upset that he could not report to duty, a police official told the outlet. Top diplomats from the Group of 20 industrialised nations have ended a contentious meeting in India with no consensus on the war in Ukraine. The Indian foreign minister said discussions of the war and Chinas widening global influence had dominated much of the talks. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said there were divergences on the issue of the war in Ukraine which we could not reconcile as various parties held differing views. If we had a perfect meeting of minds on all issues, it would have been a collective statement, Mr Jaishankar said. Members agreed on most issues involving the concerns of less-developed nations such as strengthening multilateralism, promoting food and energy security, climate change, gender issues and counterterrorism, he said. China and Russia objected to two paragraphs taken from the previous G-20 declaration in Bali last year. The paragraphs stated the war in Ukraine was causing immense human suffering while exacerbating fragilities in the global economy, the need to uphold international law, and that the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons is inadmissible. Host India had appealed for all members of the fractured Group of 20 to reach consensus on issues of particular concern to poorer countries even if the broader East-West split over Ukraine could not be resolved. While others, including US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, chose to highlight their roles in addressing world crises, the divide was palpable. Last week, India was forced to issue a chairs summary at the conclusion of a G-20 finance ministers meeting after Russia and China objected to a joint communique that retained language on the war in Ukraine drawn directly from last years G-20 leaders summit declaration in Indonesia. The talks began with a video address to the foreign ministers by Indian prime minister Narendra Modi. He urged them not to allow current tensions to destroy agreements that might be reached on food and energy security, climate change and debt. We are meeting at a time of deep global divisions, Mr Modi told the group, which included Mr Blinken, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang and their Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, saying their discussions would naturally be affected by the geopolitical tensions of the day. We all have our positions and our perspectives on how these tensions should be resolved, he said. We should not allow issues that we cannot resolve together to come in the way of those we can. In a nod to fears that the increasingly bitter rift between the US and its allies on one side and Russia and China on the other appears likely to widen further, Mr Modi said that multilateralism is in crisis today. He lamented that the two main goals of the post-World War II international order preventing conflict and fostering co-operation were elusive. The experience of the last two years financial crisis, pandemic, terrorism and wars clearly shows that global governance has failed in both its mandates, he said. Mr Jaishankar also spoke and told the group they must find common ground and provide direction. Mr Blinken, according to remarks released by the State Department, spent much of his time describing US efforts to bolster energy and food security. But he also told the ministers pointedly that Russias war with Ukraine could not go unchallenged. Unfortunately, this meeting has again been marred by Russias unprovoked and unjustified war against Ukraine, deliberate campaign of destruction against civilian targets, and its attack on the core principles of the UN Charter, he said. Mr Blinken said 141 countries had voted to condemn Russia at the United Nations on the first anniversary of the invasion. Several members of the G-20, including India, China and South Africa, chose to abstain in that vote. As at most international events since last year, the split over the war in Ukraine and its effect on global energy and food security overshadowed the proceedings. But as the conflict drags on past 12 months, the divide has grown and now threatens to become a principal irritant in US-China ties that were already on the rocks for other reasons. China accused the US of promoting war by supplying Ukraine with weapons and violating Chinese sovereignty with support for Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its territory. The US says it wants peace, but it is waging wars around the world and inciting confrontation, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told reporters in Beijing. While emphasising the need to respect and maintain the international order, the US has vigorously pursued illegal unilateral sanctions, putting domestic law above international law, she said. What the US should do is to reflect on itself, stop confusing the public and making irresponsible remarks, earnestly shoulder its responsibilities, and do something to promote the de-escalation of the situation and peace talks. In the meantime, Moscow has been unrelenting in pushing its view that the West, led by the US, is trying to destroy Russia. Ahead of the meeting, the Russian Foreign Ministry sharply criticised US policies, saying that Mr Lavrov and his delegation would use the G-20 to focus on the attempts by the West to take revenge for the inevitable disappearance of the levers of dominance from its hands. Xi Jinping was awarded an unprecedented third five-year term as Chinas president yesterday, strengthening his path to remain in power for life despite severe economic challenges. In a ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Mr Xi raised his right fist and placed his left hand on a red leather book of the Chinese constitution as he was sworn in. The most powerful leader since Mao Zedong pledged to build a prosperous, strong, democratic, civilised, harmonious and great modern socialist country as Chinese Communist Party (CCP) lawmakers broke into applause. Mr Xi, who turns 70 this year, is the first head of state to serve more than 10 years since Communist China was founded in 1949. His appointment in a ceremonial vote he won by 2,952 to 0 was a foregone conclusion as members of the National Peoples Congress are appointed by the CCP whose top ranks have been filled with his allies. First to congratulate Mr Xi were North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian president Vladimir Putin, who said the third term was acknowledgement of his achievements as the head of state. Read More After the vote Mr Xi stood to a standing ovation from lawmakers and chatted with his top lieutenants Wang Huning, Zhao Leji and Li Qiang, who is expected to be to be named premier today. Mr Li is best known for ruthlessly enforcing a zero-Covid lockdown on Shanghai last spring as party boss of the Chinese financial hub, proving his loyalty to Mr Xi despite complaints from residents over lack of access to food, medical care and basic services. The parliament also appointed Zhao Leji as the new head of the National Peoples Congress and appointed vice-premier and party veteran Han Zheng as vice-president. In 2018, Mr Xi abolished two-term limits on the presidency, effectively allowing him to rule for life. Mr Xi and those awarded other posts were believed to have run unopposed as no candidate lists were distributed. The election process remains almost entirely shrouded in secrecy, with the exception to the process by which delegates to the congress placed four ballots into boxes placed around the vast auditorium of the Great Hall of the People. Mr Xi was also unanimously voted commander of the two million-strong Peoples Liberation Army (PLA), a force that takes its orders from the party. Since securing powerful posts as head of CCP and military leadership at the party congress in October, Mr Xis leadership has faced challenges of unprecedented mass protests over his zero-Covid policy and anger over the deaths of people after its abandonment. The Chinese economy has also faced the brunt of three years of strict Covid restrictions and the waning confidence of investors. Meanwhile, China has brokered a deal for Iran and Saudi Arabia to resume diplomatic relations, in a major diplomatic coup for Beijing that appeared to leave the kingdoms US ally out in the cold. The agreement to restore ties, including embassies and missions, within two months was reached after four days of meetings in the Chinese capital between delegates from the long-time foes, the two countries said in a joint communique with China. The agreement includes their affirmation of the respect for the sovereignty of states and the non-interference in internal affairs, it added. The breakthrough marks Chinas emergence as a key player in Middle Eastern politics as the US and the West pivot away from the region. ( Independent News Service) German prosecutors looking into historical cases of sexual abuse by clergy in the Munich archdiocese have said they investigated the late Pope Benedict XVI on suspicion of being an accessory to abuse, but later dropped the probe. Munich prosecutors examined 45 cases of possible wrongdoing by church officials that arose from a report into how the archdiocese handled abuse cases between 1945 and 2019. The then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was archbishop there from 1977 to 1982, and the report by a law firm commissioned by the archdiocese and released in January 2022 faulted his handling of four cases during that time. Benedict, who died in December nearly 10 years after his retirement as pope, asked for forgiveness for any grievous faults in his handling of abuse cases, but denied any personal or specific wrongdoing. Prosecutors said that three (at the time) living church personnel managers were listed as suspects for a time during their investigation, German news agency dpa reported. They were Benedict; Cardinal Friedrich Wetter, his successor in Munich who served from 1982 to 2008; and Gerhard Gruber, a former vicar general. They said all the proceedings were dropped over time because they failed to turn up a sufficient suspicion of criminal action by the three. In the two cases in which Benedicts possible involvement was looked at, that was because they fell under the statute of limitations, as did any possible accusations of being an accessory, dpa reported. As a cardinal in Rome and as pope, Benedict did more than anyone before him to turn the Vatican around on clerical sexual abuse, pushing through revolutionary changes to church law to make it easier to defrock predator priests, but much more remained to be done. Google has announced it is allowing more people to interact with Bard, the AI chatbot the company is building to counter Microsofts early lead in a pivotal battleground of technology. The tech giant is opening a waiting list to use the artificial intelligence tool which is similar to the ChatGPT technology Microsoft began deploying in its Bing search engine to much fanfare last month. Last week, Microsoft embedded more AI-powered technology in its word processing, spreadsheet and slide presentation programmes with a new feature called Copilot. Until now, Bard had only been available to a small group of trusted testers hand-picked by Google. The California company is not saying how many people will be given access to Bard in the next stage. Initial applicants will be limited to the US and the UK before Google offers Bard in more countries. Expand Close ChatGPT (Alamy/PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp ChatGPT (Alamy/PA) Google is treading carefully with the rollout of its AI tools, in part because it has more to lose if the technology spits out inaccurate information or takes its users down dark corridors. That is because Googles dominant search engine has become a de facto gateway to the internet for billions of people, raising the risk of a massive backlash that could tarnish its image and undercut its ad-driven business if the technology behaved badly. Despite the technologys pitfalls, Bard still offers incredible benefits such as jumpstarting human productivity, creativity and curiosity, Google said in a blog post written by two of its vice presidents, Sissie Hsiao and Eli Collins, with assistance from Bard. As a precautionary measure, Google is limiting the amount of interaction that can occur between Bard and its users a tactic Microsoft has imposed with ChatGPT after media coverage detailed instances when the technology likened an Associated Press reporter to Hitler and tried to persuade a New York Times reporter to divorce his wife. Google is also providing access to Bard through a separate site from its search engine, which serves as the foundation for the digital ads that generate most of its profits. In a tacit acknowledgement that Bard may be prone to straying into manufacturing falsehoods, which are being called hallucinations in technology circles, Google is providing a query box connected to its search engine to make it easier for users to check the accuracy of the information being displayed by the AI. Bard made an embarrassing blunder shortly after Google unveiled the tool by prominently displaying a wrong answer about a scientific milestone during a presentation that was supposed to show how smart the technology could be. The gaffe contributed to a nearly 8% drop in Google parent firm Alphabets stock in a day, wiping out about 82 billion in shareholder wealth and underscoring how closely investors are watching how Google handles the transition to AI. The West bank has been a hotbed of violence in recent months. Photo: Reuters/Raneen Sawafta. The Israeli parliament on Tuesday paved the way for Jewish settlers' return to four settlements in the occupied West Bank by amending a 2005 law that ordered their evacuation in a move condemned by the Palestinian Authority and the EU. The US State Department said it was extremely troubled by the move. The repeal of certain clauses in a previous disengagement law would allow Jewish residents to return to four West Bank settlements they were ordered to vacate in 2005 on condition of approval by the Israeli military. Yuli Edelstein, head of the Israeli parliament's Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee, hailed the move as "the first and significant step towards real repair and the establishment of Israel in the territories of the homeland that belongs to it". Since the 1967 war, Israel has established around 140 settlements on land Palestinians see as the core of a future state, where more than 500,000 settlers now live. Besides the authorised settlements, groups of settlers have built scores of outposts without government permission. Most world powers deem settlements built in the territory Israel seized in the 1967 war as illegal under international law and their expansion as an obstacle to peace, since they eat away at land the Palestinians claim for a future state. The parliamentary vote, one of the first major steps by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's hard-right coalition, came days after Israeli and Palestinian officials agreed on moves to curb violence and incitement amid escalating tensions. The Palestinian Authority swiftly denounced the decision. "This is a condemned and rejected decision and it is contrary to all resolutions of international legitimacy," Nabil Abu Rudeineh, a spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, told Reuters. In its own condemnation on Tuesday, the EU said the Knesset decision was "counter-productive to de-escalation efforts" and "a clear step back" from a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. "We call on Israel to revoke this law and take actions that contribute to de-escalation of an already very tense situation," an EU spokesperson said in a statement. Two Russian police officers stand in front the door of the Memorial office in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, March 21, 2023. The Russian authorities on Tuesday raided homes and offices of multiple human rights advocates and historians with the prominent rights group Memorial that won the Nobel Peace Prize last year. (AP Photo) Russian authorities have raided the homes and offices of human rights advocates and historians with the prominent rights group Memorial which won the Nobel Peace Prize last year. The wave of searches, after which police took Memorial activists in for questioning, is part of a sweeping crackdown unleashed by the Kremlin against dissent in recent years, which has intensified after Moscow invaded Ukraine more than a year ago. The group said the raids and the interrogations are connected to a criminal case launched by Russias Investigative Committee against the activists earlier this month. The investigation was opened on the charge of rehabilitating Nazism, punishable by up to five years in prison. Memorial runs a database of victims of political repressions, which includes three people who were convicted in Soviet times over collaboration with Nazi Germany. The group said authorities are using those names on the list in their case against Memorial. Oleg Orlov, the groups co-chairman whose apartment was among those searched, told reporters the allegations were idiotic, before being hauled into a police station by a masked officer in a bulletproof vest. Later on Tuesday Memorial reported that the authorities had launched a separate criminal case against Mr Orlov on charges of repeatedly discrediting the Russian army. It is a criminal offence under a new law adopted after Russia sent troops into Ukraine and is regularly used against Kremlin critics. Mr Orlov faces up to three years in prison if convicted. We need your consent to load this Social Media content We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content. Manage Preference Memorial, one of the oldest and the most renowned Russian rights organisations, was awarded the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize along with imprisoned Belarusian activist Ales Bialiatski and Ukrainian organisation the Centre for Civil Liberties. Memorial was founded in the Soviet Union in 1987 to ensure the victims of communist repression would be remembered. It has continued to compile information on human rights abuses and track the fate of political prisoners in Russia while facing a relentless crackdown from the Kremlin in recent years. The group had been declared a foreign agent, a designation that brings additional government scrutiny and carries strong pejorative connotations, and over the years has been ordered to pay massive fines for alleged violations of the foreign agent law. Russias Supreme Court ordered it shut down in December 2021, a move that sparked an outcry in Russia and abroad. Tuesdays raids came after President Vladimir Putin called on the police to harshly suppress any attempts of the adversaries and their agents on the territory of our country to rock our society. The action against Memorial elicited outrage among Russian opposition figures. Dmitry Gudkov, a Russian opposition politician in exile, called it an act of intimidation. You give them the Nobel Prize, we give them a criminal case, he wrote on Facebook. Terror. The very terror, the memory of the victims of which is preserved by Memorial, Mr Gudkov added. TikTok has rolled out updated rules and standards for content and users as it faces increasing pressure from western authorities over concerns that material on the Chinese-owned video-sharing app could be used to push false information. The company released a reorganised set of community guidelines that include eight principles to guide content moderation decisions. These principles are based on our commitment to uphold human rights and aligned with international legal frameworks, said Julie de Bailliencourt, TikToks global head of product policy. She said TikTok strives to be fair, to protect human dignity and to balance freedom of expression with preventing harm. The Chinese-owned app has come under fire in the US, Europe and Asia-Pacific, where a growing number of governments have banned TikTok from devices used for official business over worries it poses risks to cybersecurity and data privacy or could be used to push pro-Beijing narratives and misinformation. There is no evidence to suggest this has happened or that TikTok has handed user data to the Chinese government, as some of its critics have argued it would do. Chief executive Shou Zi Chew is scheduled to appear on Thursday before the US Congress, where he will be grilled about the companys privacy and data-security practices and relationship with the Chinese government. He said in a TikTok video that the hearing comes at a pivotal moment for the company, after legislators introduced measures that would expand the Biden administrations authority to enact a US ban on the app, which he said is sued by more than 150 million Americans. Some politicians have started talking about banning TikTok. Now this could take TikTok away from all 150 million of you, said Mr Chew, who was dressed casually in jeans and blue hoodie, with the dome of the US Capitol in Washington in the background. Ill be testifying before Congress this week to share all that were are doing to protect Americans using the app, he added. The new guidelines, which take effect on April 21, were repackaged from TikToks existing rules with extra details and explanations. Among the more significant changes are additional details about its restrictions on deepfakes, also known as synthetic media created by artificial intelligence technology. TikTok more clearly spells out its policy, saying all deepfakes or manipulated content that show realistic scenes must be labelled to indicate they are fake or altered in some way. The app had previously banned deepfakes that mislead viewers about real-world events and cause harm. Its updated guidelines say deepfakes of private figures and young people are also not allowed. Deepfakes of public figures are OK in certain contexts, such as for artistic or educational content, but not for political or commercial endorsements. Security observability is the ability to gain visibility into an organizations security posture, including its ability to detect and respond to security threats and vulnerabilities. It involves collecting, analyzing, and visualizing security data to identify potential hazards and take proactive measures to mitigate them. Security observability involves collecting data from various security tools and systems, including network logs, endpoint security solutions, and security information and event management (SIEM) platforms, and then using this data to gain insights into potential threats. In other words, it tells you what is likely to happen, not just whats happening already, as with more traditional security operations tools. Its a significant difference that makes security observability perhaps the most important improvement in cloud security technology thats come along in recent years. However, most people dont yet understand security observability, and thats concerning. According to the 2021 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report, cloud assets were involved in 24% of all breaches analyzed in the report, up from 19% in 2020. Its clear that a lot of people who do cloud security are playing Whac-A-Mole with emerging threats, and a few need to be faster to respond. This will likely worsen as cloud deployments become more heterogeneous and complex with the growing popularity of multicloud applications that use federated architectures. The number of attack surfaces will continue to increase, and the creativity of the attackers is beginning to gain ground. By adopting cloud security observability, organizations can gain a more comprehensive view of their cloud security situation, enabling them to: Detect and respond to threats more quickly. By collecting data from multiple security tools and systems, cloud security observability enables organizations to uncover threats faster and respond to them proactively. By collecting data from multiple security tools and systems, cloud security observability enables organizations to uncover threats faster and respond to them proactively. Identify vulnerabilities and security gaps. With better insight, organizations can take proactive measures to address potential problems before the bad guys exploit them. With better insight, organizations can take proactive measures to address potential problems before the bad guys exploit them. Improve incident response. By providing a more comprehensive view of security events, cloud security observability can help organizations strengthen their incident response capabilities and minimize the impact of attacks. By providing a more comprehensive view of security events, cloud security observability can help organizations strengthen their incident response capabilities and minimize the impact of attacks. Ensure compliance. Cloud security observability can help organizations monitor their cloud security deployment/posture to remain compliant with industry regulations and standards, even supporting audits and other legal accounting. Is this different than what youre doing today for cloud security? Cloud security observability may not change the types or the amount of data youre monitoring. Observability is about making better sense of that data. Its much the same with cloud operations observability, which is more common. The monitoring data from the systems under management is mostly the same. Whats changed are the insights that can now be derived from that data, including detecting patterns and predicting future issues based on these patterns, even warning of problems that could emerge a year out. This gives the operations team time to respond, plan, and budget for these issues before they become another fire to put out. Cloud security observability looks at a combination of dozens of data streams for a hundred endpoints and finds patterns that could indicate an attack is likely to occur in the far or near future. If this seems like we are removing humans from the process of making calls based on observed, raw, and quickly calculated data, youre right. We can respond to tactical security issues, such as a specific server under attack, with indicating alerts, which means it should block the attacking IP address. Cloud security observability can examine a complex array of system data and provide meaning derived from an integrated advanced data analytics and artificial intelligence system. The good news is that most cloud security providers know what cloud security observability is and does. Their salespeople are likely to call any day now. The bad news is that you probably dont have the skills to understand how to properly set it up or, most importantly, how to operate it ongoing. If youre not there now, you need to beand soon. Philadelphia School District superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr. (center) walks with parents after he addressed families, students and staff of Building 21 High School during a meting at Strawberry Mansion High School Sunday. Read more Though Building 21 closed last week because of damaged asbestos flagged during a routine inspection, Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr. said the Philadelphia School District knew about the problem for two years or more and did nothing about it. District officials initially said that inspectors discovered the damaged asbestos in the auditorium and stairwells at the West Oak Lane high school during a routine, federally mandated inspection Feb. 28, and closed the school the next day. On Tuesday, Watlington told parents that district environmental services employees and outside consultants found that the records indicate asbestos damage has existed in the auditorium since June 2021, and possibly longer. Parents learned the information in a virtual meeting Tuesday. Watlington also sent families a letter. READ MORE: A few dozen Building 21 students showed up to Strawberry Mansion for class, but there was no live instruction Advertisement This lack of oversight can be attributed to the districts historic underfunding that has led to the deterioration of our buildings and inadequate record-keeping, Watlington wrote. While this happened prior to my tenure, I am absolutely committed to continuing to improve the process and transparently communicating with our Building 21 community. I will investigate how this information was not immediately available and I will require accountability. In addition, I will align my budget recommendations to address the longstanding challenges. School board president Reginald Streater said the board takes safety and the districts enormous environmental needs with the utmost seriousness, care and concern. Streater said in a statement that the board commits to supporting Dr. Watlington and his team to take swift action and accountability measures to address these environmental issues in the here and now. The news that the district had known about the damaged asbestos angered parents and left staff some of whom have worked in the building for years reeling. Were thinking about our mortality, said Derrick Houck, a music and math teacher at the school. Were thinking about last Tuesday, when we were all together in the auditorium for a Black history month. It was one of the more joyful moments of the year, and now this. Houck and other teachers said they were especially frustrated that the district initially notified parents but not staff, that they had to find out secondhand that they had potentially been exposed to environmental hazards. Theres just anger and fear, said Houck. Were obviously frustrated with the current district administration for keeping us out of the loop as all this news is revealed, and were wondering about [former Superintendent] William Hite, and [former chief operating officer] Reggie McNeal, who were in charge at the time. Weve got no answers from anybody so far. Melvinia Hall, parent of a Building 21 senior, said the news definitely upset me. If yall knew for a couple of years, how is it that yall didnt say anything, and our kids were still going there, having assemblies? Philadelphia Federation of Teachers president Jerry Jordan said it was disgraceful that district officials knew about damaged asbestos for at least two years and did nothing. I understand that staff, students, and parents may rightfully be experiencing anger and fear in response to learning about this hazard in what should be a sacred space of learning, Jordan said in a statement. Dr. Watlington is absolutely right that accountability in the wake of this egregious error is essential. It is imperative that the district work closely with all stakeholders ... to ensure that we all have accurate and timely information about what happened and how to move forward. The PFT president said he appreciated Watlingtons acknowledgement that the situation is representative of the ongoing issues of data and records management and transparency as well as of the decades of disinvestment in our school facilities. These are issues that the PFT has been fighting for years. Philadelphia city officials had sought to have more oversight over environmental conditions inside city schools, establishing a panel that would determine standards and have say over whether district schools were safe enough to open. But the school board sued the city over that law earlier this year, saying it alone had the authority to determine whether schools could open. That case is still pending. Watlington also told the school community Tuesday that the Pennsylvania Education Department approved Philadelphias request to transfer Building 21 students to virtual learning. Initially, the district ordered students and staff relocated to Strawberry Mansion High School, but families pushed back on that plan. Mansion was open to Building 21 students Monday and Tuesday, but few showed up; most students completed assignments virtually. My staff is developing plans and you will receive additional information about this transition by the end of the week, Watlington wrote. As we prepare for the transition, students who do not feel safe traveling to Strawberry Mansion High School for in-person learning will continue to be marked as excused. Families will need to provide administration with an excusal demonstrating their concern. Students must still complete the classroom assignments. Houck said about 40 Building 21 students showed up at Mansion on Tuesday, up from 28 Monday. Some Building 21 students had reached out to their friends to dispel myths about Mansion. Students from the two schools got together, too, on Tuesday, as a gesture of goodwill and common ground. Houck said it was a positive experience for both groups. They talked about everything high schoolers talk about, Houck said. Building 21 students were fascinated that Mansion students got to keep their cell phones during the day; they compared notes about differences and similarities in things like their gyms and cafeterias. But the decision to go virtual left some families relieved. Hall, whose older son was killed in the neighborhood, did not feel comfortable sending her youngest to Mansion, and was prepared to pull him from Building 21 and enroll him in another school, perhaps a cyber charter. Hearing that he wouldnt have to go to Mansion, Hall said: I was so happy. And she was pleased that families showed up and leaders eventually listened. We did it, said Hall. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Dec. 20 Trend: International roundtable entitled "Russia-Azerbaijan in a new system of regional security and economic cooperation. Results of the year and prospects" was held in Baku on December 20, Trend reports. The organizer of the round table was the North-South Political Science Center together with the Baku Network analytical center. Deputy Chairman of the Russian State Duma Committee for CIS Affairs, Eurasian integration and relations with compatriots Artem Turov, Editor-in-Chief of Azerbaijans Trend News Agency Emin Aliyev, Deputy Director of the Russian School of Economics, Professor of the Azerbaijan State University of Economics Elshad Mammadov, head of the South Caucasus Political Scientists' Club Ilgar Valizade, Head of the Sector of the Center for Post-Soviet Studies of the Primakov National Research Institute of World Economy and International Relations Elena Kuzmina, Doctor of Economics, Professor, Head of the Master's program "Diplomacy" at St. Petersburg State University, member of the Valdai International Discussion Club Stanislav Tkachenko, Director General of CBC TV channel Vugar Khalilov, Researcher at the Institute of Economics of the Russian Academy of Sciences Alexander Karavaev and others attended the event. The issues of cooperation between the two countries in various spheres were discussed during the round table. The joint initiatives of Russia and Azerbaijan on the international arena, cooperation within the international organizations; the role of Russia and Azerbaijan as key partners in the creation of a new regional security system in the South Caucasus were discussed. Russia's peacekeeping activity in the region, as well as industrial cooperation, the interests of Russia and Azerbaijan in the creation of a new transport-backbone map of Eurasia; development of cooperation in the North-South International Transport Corridor project in the new realities in the South Caucasus were also discussed. The agenda also included the issues of intensifying the economic integration, development of joint industrial facilities and international tourism. A Trump supporter takes part in a protest near the Manhattan District Attorney's office, Tuesday, March 21, 2023, in New York, in an anticipation of former President Donald Trump's possible indictment. A New York grand jury investigating Trump over a hush money payment to a porn star appears poised to complete its work soon as law enforcement officials make preparations for possible unrest in the event of an indictment. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez) Read more As the question of whether former President Donald Trump will be indicted loomed, supporters and detractors alike gathered Tuesday outside Manhattans criminal court to be a part of the unprecedented event. In front of the Lower Manhattan courthouse, New York police officers assembled steel barricades. Officers of every rank were ordered to wear uniforms and prepare for deployment. Small protests both for and against Trump formed outside the courthouse, the district attorneys office, and Trump Tower in New York. In a post on his social media platform Saturday, Trump claimed that his arrest is imminent, and issued a call for his supporters to protest as a New York grand jury investigates hush-money payments to women who alleged sexual encounters with the former president. Even as Trumps lawyer and spokesperson said there had been no communication from prosecutors, Trump declared in his post that he expected to be taken into custody on Tuesday. When the day arrived, Indictment Watch began trending online and groups started assembling. Advertisement READ MORE: Is a Trump indictment happening? Heres what we know. The pro-Trump gatherings throughout New York were small on Tuesday. GOP members, including Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, said they didnt think people should protest Trumps potential indictment. In some cases, protesters came together to instead call for his arrest. Law enforcement especially in New York and Washington braced for impact, reports showed. An internal memo instructed NYPD officers to be prepared for mobilization at any time, News 4 reported. Senior officials from the district attorneys office and the stage agency that runs the New York courts discussed possible indictment and arraignment security plans, the New York Times reported. Security detailing for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, whom Trump has publicly spoken out against, was also discussed. In D.C., workers placed fencing around the Capitol building. To date, Trump faces more than a dozen investigations, both criminal and civil, which include his handling of classified documents, voter-fraud allegations, and his role in the insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021. On TikTok, observers documented the crowds forming in front of the courthouse and the Manhattan district attorneys office. One video showed the original poster holding a teriyaki bowl outside the courthouse with the caption Tailgating the Trump arrest. Other videos showed people dressed up as and mocking the former president. Popular TikToker @MartyMorua posted a series of videos featuring someone walking outside Trump Tower and throughout Manhattan in a Trump mask and a fake United States Disciplinary Barracks orange prison jumpsuit. Law enforcement officials say they will cover high-profile locations throughout the week as needed. The Associated Press contributed to this article. Exterior of Simon Gratz Mastery Charter, 1798 Hunting Park Ave., Philadelphia. The high school was closed Wednesday because of damaged asbestos, officials said. Read more Simon Gratz High School Mastery Charter will be closed at least through Friday because of damaged asbestos, officials said. While the huge school on Hunting Park Avenue in North Philadelphia is run by the Mastery Charter network, the building is owned by the Philadelphia School District, which on Tuesday performed a routine asbestos inspection, required every three years by the federal government. In a message to Gratz families, Mastery CEO Scott Gordon said the district notified Mastery on Tuesday night that it had found damaged asbestos during the inspection. After a Wednesday afternoon meeting between Mastery and district officials, Gordon announced the closure would last at least through Friday. While we were unaware of the existence of these conditions prior to the inspections, the safety of our students and staff is our primary concern, Gordon wrote. Advertisement Meals will be available for Gratz families to pick up Thursday and Friday from 2 to 3 p.m. on the 18th Street side of adjacent Mastery Prep Elementary, at 1801 W. Pike St. Virtual learning resources are also being provided to students. Gratz is a neighborhood high school that educates more than 1,000 students in Nicetown. It had been a district school for decades but was given to Mastery to operate as a charter in 2011. Gordon said Mastery will provide its next update Friday afternoon, and in the meantime, we thank you for your understanding and patience as we work vigilantly to ensure a safe and prompt return to school. READ MORE: Philly schools knew of damaged asbestos at Building 21 for at least two years before closure The news comes as the district is grappling with damaged asbestos at Building 21, a traditional public school in West Oak Lane. That high school building, on Limekiln Pike, shut last week after an inspection showed damaged asbestos in the auditorium and stairwells. Initially, district officials said the damage was discovered at the routine inspection last week. On Tuesday, Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr. said the district actually knew about the asbestos for at least two years but did nothing about it. The news angered and frightened parents and staff. While this happened prior to my tenure, I am absolutely committed to continuing to improve the process and transparently communicating with our Building 21 community, Watlington wrote in a letter to parents. I will investigate how this information was not immediately available and I will require accountability. In addition, I will align my budget recommendations to address the longstanding challenges. Teachers, parents, union officials, and former Councilmember Helen Gym gathered outside district headquarters Wednesday to call for action around asbestos. Sheba Grant, whose son is a senior at Building 21, said her childs life has been disrupted as a result of a system thats wrong and its broken. Grant said schools attended by Black and brown children are not prioritized. Gym, who is running for mayor, announced that she will unveil a plan to tackle hazards in schools that would increase transparency, improve relocation protocols, establish parent councils, and modernize district schools over 10 years. And she slammed the district for what she described as a robbery of students ability to learn in a safe environment. This district has treated anyone who raised concerns as someone to be managed, or worse as an enemy, Gym said. Teachers who spoke Tuesday said they were frustrated to learn that the district knew of the damaged asbestos in the schools auditorium. Emily Carter, an English teacher who has worked at the school for two years, said she cant stop thinking about a student who practices drums every day in the auditorium, or the fact that the school hosted a Black History Month talent show in the auditorium last Tuesday. READ MORE: In a district with few libraries, this Philly school pulled off a miracle and opened its own They were put in jeopardy, and so were we all, she said. We are going to see this happen time and time again unless we act now. Derrick Houck, a math and music teacher at Building 21, said the episode is reflective of managerial negligence on the part of the district. He said that since Building 21 moved into the space in 2017, teachers worked to secure gym equipment and helped build out a library. Educators are tired of working so hard, Houck said, in the face of what feels like institutionalized disrespect. The school board on Monday called on Philadelphias next mayor to embrace four priorities it says are paramount to the future of the school system. In an open letter released ahead of a board-sponsored mayoral forum Tuesday night, president Reginald Streater said the mayor and City Council who allocate nearly half of the districts funding have an outsized role in ensuring that our children have the resources they need to achieve their greatest potential. Heres what the school board thinks the mayor should prioritize: Increase funding for the district For the citys school system to achieve full funding, the district needs an additional $1.14 billion annually, according to an analysis by the Public Interest Law Center and Education Law Center. (Its current budget is about $4 billion.) So we are calling on city officials to balance the needs of our students with the needs of residents, and to commit to fully funding our schools by increasing the annual appropriations by $318 million within four years, Streater wrote. Advertisement READ MORE: Most Philly mayoral candidates want to create a dedicated revenue stream for arts and culture funding Upgrade school buildings The school system has a stock of aging buildings; officials estimate it would cost $5 billion to fix all 200-plus. At least 85 schools need major renovations, and 21 schools ought to be closed and replaced, the board said. Facilities are currently a hot-button issue: Two district buildings were closed this month because of damaged asbestos. One of them, Building 21, is still closed, and Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr. has said officials knew of the environmental concerns for at least two years before the school was shut for repairs; the district initially said the asbestos was newly discovered. The board is spending more than $2 billion on capital projects over the next six years, but more resources are needed from our city and state partners to make sure all of our students are learning in safe buildings that prepare them for future success. Address gun violence The city must do more to keep the citys students safe on their routes to and from school, Streater said, calling for a coordinated and comprehensive response, including increasing safe corridors around all schools, and ensuring libraries and recreation centers are open when schools are closed. The board also wants the city to create safety zones around schools, enforce gun laws including the prohibition of gun possession by minors and enhance mental health services. READ MORE: Some Philly schools are losing teachers because of parking woes. City Council says it cant do much. Offer incentives to better staff schools With tougher working conditions and salaries that are on average lower than better-resourced, suburban districts, Philadelphia is at a disadvantage to competitively recruit and retain staff, the letter said. The board called on the mayor to provide parking for teachers at every school, SEPTA passes for those who use transit, and other incentives to entice workers loan forgiveness, housing vouchers, and more. It is our collective responsibility to come together and serve as a village for our children to support, educate, protect and inspire them to reach their greatest potential oftentimes overcoming the daunting challenges many face every day, Streater wrote. The board-sponsored mayoral forum is scheduled for 6:30 to 9 p.m. at the Central branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia on Vine Street. The Rev. Alyn Waller of Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church will moderate, with panelists including Richard Gordon, principal of Paul Robeson High School; Sophia Roach, a student at the Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts; Darren Lipscomb, a vice president at the Community College of Philadelphia; and Donna Cooper, executive director of Children First. The event is a nonpartisan educational effort by the board and school district to make the public aware of each candidates views about education in Philadelphia, the board said. Firefighters work to extinguish hot spots at Our Mother of Consolation Parish School in the citys Chestnut Hill neighborhood on Tuesday. Read more A three-alarm blaze struck the historic Our Mother of Consolation Parish School in the citys Chestnut Hill section Tuesday afternoon, officials said. Firefighters responded around 3:40 p.m. to the school, located at 17 E. Chestnut Hill Ave. near Germantown Avenue, and found smoke and flames coming from the roof, Philadelphia Fire Department spokesperson Rachel Cunningham said. No one was inside the building at the time, said Kenneth A. Gavin, spokesperson for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. The convent next door was evacuated because of its proximity to the school. Advertisement We are deeply grateful to the Philadelphia Fire Department for its rapid response, Gavin said. More than 120 Fire Department personnel responded to the blaze, Cunningham said. The third alarm was struck at 4:19 p.m. One firefighter suffered minor injuries and was transported by medics to a hospital for treatment, Fire Commissioner Adam Thiel said. The fire was declared under control at 5:10. The cause and origin of the fire are under investigation by the Fire Marshals Office, Cunningham said. The city has agreed to pay a combined $9.25 million to hundreds of people teargassed, struck with rubber bullets, and detained by police during the 2020 racial justice protests after the police murder of George Floyd. In a settlement order signed Monday by U.S. District Magistrate Judge David R. Strawbridge, the city agreed to pay plaintiffs in four federal civil rights lawsuits, as well as contribute $500,000 to a fund that will provide counseling to victims of police violence and offer community-led programming. That money will be distributed to grassroots organizations via grants through the Bread & Roses Community Fund. The damages awarded to each of the about 350 plaintiffs vary depending on the circumstances of their cases, attorneys said during a news conference at the Paul Robeson House and Museum in West Philadelphia. This power must not go unchecked. It must be confronted, said Paul Hetznecker, one of the civil rights attorneys in a team representing 240 of the plaintiffs. Advertisement He said this is the largest settlement in a mass protest-related case in the citys history. In a statement Monday, Mayor Jim Kenney said that the pain and trauma caused by a legacy of systemic racism and police brutality against Black and Brown Philadelphians is immeasurable. While this is just one step in the direction toward reconciliation, we hope this settlement will provide some healing from the harm experienced by people in their neighborhoods in West Philadelphia and during demonstrations on I-676 in 2020, Kenney said. In the four lawsuits, hundreds of people sued the city, citing extraordinary abuses of police power during unrest that roiled the country after Floyds death at the hands of Minneapolis police in May 2020. Plaintiffs asserted that the heavy-handed tactics police used to disperse crowds trampled their constitutional rights to free expression and freedom from excessive force. READ MORE: Protesters, residents sue Philly police over tear gas, extraordinary abuses of police power The lawsuits focused on two incidents: the mass teargassing of protesters on I-676 on June 1, 2020, and the police use of military-style weaponry on demonstrators and neighborhood residents while attempting to curb looting and violence along the 52nd Street corridor in West Philadelphia, a historically Black neighborhood. Plaintiffs described rashes, pain, and difficulty breathing due to exposure to the noxious chemicals, with some requiring hospitalization and many others suffering mental trauma. In an event that garnered national attention and later an apology from Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw, police surrounded protesters marching on the Vine Street Expressway, then shot rubber bullets and launched tear gas into the fleeing crowd. Many demonstrators were trapped up against a fence, unable to breathe from the gas, while police dragged others down the hill. Dozens were detained. During the melee, three plaintiffs were pepper-sprayed in the face at close range by former Philadelphia SWAT officer Richard Nicoletti, who was later fired, arrested, and charged with assault. Some demonstrators said the response still haunts them, physically and psychologically. Gwen Snyder, a West Philadelphia-based organizer and one of the plaintiffs, was detained on the highway, and said her wrists were zip-tied behind her back so tightly, she lost feeling in her hands. One of her arms still periodically goes numb as she breastfeeds her daughter or pushes her stroller, she said. I was in some of the worst pain Ive ever experienced in my life, she said. Ed Parker, who was similarly detained and zip-tied, said he has had three surgeries to correct the wrist damage. He said the sounds of people screaming and weeping still haunt him. READ MORE: Philadelphia protesters gassed on I-676, leading to pandemonium as they tried to flee The irony is that the Police Department responded to a protest of police brutality, racial discrimination, and excessive force, with further police brutality, said Charles McLaurin, of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. One day earlier in West Philadelphia, a police response to looting and altercations with officers on 52nd Street drew crowds of peaceful demonstrators and bystanders who were met with the same aggressive tactics. People fled from pepper spray and rubber bullets, while tear gas blanketed the neighborhood, sickening children and causing some residents to evacuate. READ MORE: 'I couldn't breathe:' Inside the West Philly neighborhood tear-gassed by police Police fired tear gas at our familys home, leaving my 3-year-old son crying and my 6-year-old son completely terrified, said Shahidah Mubarak-Hadi, a plaintiff in the Legal Defense Funds case, who hid from the fumes in a bathroom and later moved her family out of the area. The house was enclosed in gas, and we were trapped inside with nowhere to go. She called the settlement an important step, but it does not represent full accountability for the harm that occurred. Attorneys from the LDF which represented 20 plaintiffs called the tactics in West Philadelphia racially discriminatory and retaliation against Black residents exercising their right to protest. Kenney later said he regretted the police actions. The city banned the use of tear gas or rubber bullets during demonstrations and created a new deputy inspector general of public safety and a police oversight commission with investigative powers. As part of the settlement, police officials will meet biannually with West Philadelphia community members to discuss the departments use of force and respond to questions and comments. Attorneys noted that the city has also disengaged from a federal program that transfers extra military equipment to local police departments. Attorneys Monday emphasized that the settlement is only one part of their fight to hold the city accountable. Some protesters said they want the city to commit to banning the use of less-than-lethal ammunition like tear gas and rubber bullets. In a statement, Outlaw said that the Philadelphia Police Department is a learning organization, and we remain dedicated to moving forward in meaningful and productive ways. Along with city, state, and community stakeholders, we will continue to work non-stop towards improving what we as police do to protect the first amendment rights of protesters, keep our communities and officers safe, and to ultimately prove that we are committed to a higher standard, she said. Mondays settlement marks the largest but not the first to emerge from the hundreds of claims filed against the city after the 2020 unrest. In 2021, the city agreed to pay $87,000 to a family teargassed in their West Philadelphia home. The city paid $20,000 to a 27-year-old Roxborough man who said he was pelted with rubber bullets and required hospitalization and $267,000 to settle three lawsuits filed against former Police Inspector Joseph Bologna, who physically attacked protesters. And, following October 2020 unrest after police killed Walter Wallace Jr., the city agreed to pay $2 million to a mother who was pulled from her SUV, beaten by police, and separated from her toddler. Earlier this month, New York City similarly agreed to pay $21,500 each to more than 300 protesters who were surrounded and arrested by police in 2020. READ MORE: How George Floyd changed a city 1,100 miles away Jo Dean, a plaintiff who was on I-676, recalled back to the moments before police began firing the tear gas. I remember thinking during that time that if anything was going to change, this would be it. And it didnt, Dean said. I would give up all the money if the police could simply agree to do no harm. Staff writer Jeremy Roebuck contributed to this article. Its getting chippy out there! With the May 16 primary less than two months away, the Democratic candidates for mayor have officially taken the gloves off. So far, most of the attacks have been directed at grocer Jeff Brown, whose big spending on TV ads early in the race appears to have launched him into the top tier of the field. Browns opponents pounced after we reported last week that the Board of Ethics is investigating campaign finance activities related to him. In this weeks newsletter, well look at why only one candidate is focusing attacks on outgoing Mayor Jim Kenney and how gun violence trauma can turn residents away from politics altogether. Well also introduce you to the last Republican mayor of Philadelphia. Advertisement There are 56 days until the election. Anna Orso and Sean Collins Walsh If you see this in todays newsletter, that means were highlighting our exclusive journalism. You need to be a subscriber to read these stories. Philly will be better off if everyone has the facts they need to make an informed decision about this election. If someone forwarded you this email, sign up for free here. Mayor Kenney isnt running. So why is he in TV ads? In his successful campaign for mayor in 2007, Michael Nutter famously focused more of his criticism on the outgoing mayor, John F. Street, than on his opponents even though Street was not running for reelection. It worked because voter dissatisfaction with Streets administration was high. Philadelphians are again unhappy with the state of affairs in City Hall, with 65% of residents saying Philly is headed in the wrong direction, according to a recent poll. But of the 12 Democratic candidates, only former Councilmember Allan Domb has made a big investment in contrasting himself with outgoing Mayor Jim Kenney, who cannot seek a third consecutive term. One Domb ad titled Enough of that features footage of Kenneys infamous July 2022 gaffe in which he said hes looking forward to no longer being mayor . How can you lead a city when you dont really want the job? Domb says in the ad, which his campaign spent more than $300,000 to air. In an interview, Domb said his ad strategy was not personal and that Kenney is a nice guy. Every election people have a choice between change and more of the same, he said. Ill bring real change. So why is Domb is the only candidate running against Kenney? With such a crowded race, the others may feel they need to focus on making voters aware of their own stories. Other campaigns may have decided that focusing on Kenney as opposed to, say, the gun violence crisis isnt the most effective way to tap into voter unhappiness with the status quo. As for Kenney, it doesnt sound like hell be running for anything anytime soon. (Speaking of Nutter and Street, the two have both endorsed former City Controller Rebecca Rhynhart in this years mayors race. Her first TV ads are running this week, and they feature the once-acrimonious pair of mayors sitting side by side and singing her praises.) Community spotlight: Gun violence leaves voters disillusioned Prove something to me to make me wanna get out of my bed, literally before I get shot, to go vote. We put people in the office to help us, and they sell us dreams. That was the message Patricia Garvin, 53, of Mount Airy, wanted to send to candidates running for mayor. Shes given up hope that elected officials can do anything to stop endemic violence, and she said this year is the first big election she might skip. Garvin was one of a dozen residents our colleagues Ellie Rushing and Nate File spoke to about how gun violence has affected their lives. A recent poll conducted by the Lenfest Institute for Journalism and research firm SSRS shows nearly half of Philly residents say gun violence has had a major negative impact on their quality of life. Communities of color bear the brunt of the crisis. People were also interested in solutions that go beyond law enforcement but in the meantime, many residents say they are taking matters into their own hands. What gun-violence solution should the next mayor prioritize? Keep your answer to 50 words or fewer, and we may feature you in an upcoming newsletter. Email us here. The 89th Mayor: Bernard Samuel served during WWII Its been 71 years since Philadelphia had a Republican mayor. Bernard Barney Samuel, the citys 89th mayor, served from 1941 to 1952. That makes him not only the last Republican to lead the city, but also Phillys longest-serving mayor. Samuel was a stout, well-liked Philadelphian from Shunk Street in South Philadelphia who became mayor after the sitting chief exec, Robert Lamberton, died in office after just 20 months on the job. (Lamberton had Parkinsons disease.) Samuel went on to be reelected twice and then got the city charter amended so he could run again in 1947. While a part of the Republican machine, Samuel is known for supporting some things that his party may shun him for today, like backing new city sales and wage taxes. Other things to know about Samuel: Talk about serving in historic times. Samuel headed City Councils Finance Committee during the Depression and then led the city during WWII. Speaking of WWII, Samuel got to do something you only see today during the 76ers pre-game ceremonies. He took a mini mallet to the Liberty Bell to mark D-Day in 1944 and again to celebrate the end of the war in 1945. Samuel is credited with keeping relative calm during the 1941 transit strike, one of the largest transit strikes in the nations history. Under his administration, Edmund Bacon became city planner and that the City Planning Commission was formed. Do you have a favorite Philly mayoral moment as we enter into more modern times? Email us! Julia Terruso What is the Board of Ethics? The tenor of the mayors race changed this week with the news that the city Board of Ethics is investigating campaign finance activities connected to candidate Jeff Brown. Heres what you need to know about this small but important agency: Who runs the Board of Ethics? The board consists of five members who are appointed by the mayor. It is currently chaired by Michael Reed, an attorney with the Troutman Pepper firm, and its professional staff is led by Executive Director Shane Creamer. What does it do? The board interprets and enforces the citys public integrity laws, including those on lobbyist registration, personal financial disclosures, and political activities by city workers. But during the mayors race, youll mostly be hearing about the its work enforcing campaign finance rules. What are those campaign finance rules? The city has lots of laws and regulations aimed at promoting transparency and fair play around the money that flows into local politics. Candidates, for instance, are subject to limits on the size of the donations that they can collect. (In the mayors race, the limits are $6,200 from individual donors and $25,200 from political action committees.) The board can also investigate whether any candidates have coordinated with independent expenditure campaigns, or super PACs, which can take in unlimited donations but are prohibited from working directly with candidates. Why is it investigating Jeff Brown? Its unclear what exactly the board is looking into. By policy, the board can neither confirm nor deny whether it is conducting an investigation. What happens if the board finds wrongdoing? The boards investigations typically end with campaigns paying fines and admitting that they violated the citys ethics laws, which is not something you want to admit when youre running for mayor. In rare instances when the board unearths potentially criminal wrongdoing, the board can refer its findings to law enforcement. How long do investigations take? It varies depending on the complexity of the case and the cooperation of those involved. Sometimes the board wraps up investigations in a matter of weeks. Other times, they can stretch on for months and dont become public until after Election Day. Trivia time Question: All the candidates were asked last week, When you have out-of-town company in Philadelphia, where do you take them? One contender flexed hard and said Palizzi Social Club, the exclusive Italian restaurant where getting a membership is almost as hard as getting Taylor Swift tickets. Who was it? A) Helen Gym B) Jeff Brown C) Derek Green D) Allan Domb Find out if you know the answer. Scenes from the campaign trail Meet John Wood, the former police officer and brand-new mayoral candidate who, as luck would have it, is set to appear first on the ballot. Having good ballot position helps because some voters presumably not the lovely, civically engaged folks who read this newsletter! apparently just go with the first name they see. But dont expect Wood to vault to the top of the field. He hasnt yet organized much of a campaign, and his 15 minutes of Philly fame have so far been, shall we say, less than ideal. Anna and Sean Lamar Hunter is an ex-offender and bakery manager at ParkWest ShopRite. Photograph taken at Shoprite at 1575 N 52nd St where Lamar started as a baker then because a manager. Photo taken on Tuesday, February 28, 2023. Read more You can expect clear, sunny skies with a high of 62 today. Before he launched his bid for the citys top job, Philadelphia mayoral candidate Jeff Brown was mostly known for owning about a dozen grocery stores, where he made it a priority to hire ex-offenders. At his stores, about 1 in 5 employees are people who have been formerly incarcerated. Our lead story shares what his employees have to say about working for the empire. Advertisement If you see this in todays newsletter, that means were highlighting our exclusive journalism. You need to be a subscriber to read these stories. Taylor Allen (@TayImanAllen, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com) Careem Hines landed one his first real jobs at 35 years old after years of jail stints for drug, assault, and gun offenses, and a seven-year sentence after a probation violation. At 44, he now helps run the ShopRite in West Philadelphias Parkside neighborhood as an assistant grocery manager. People who got a second chance at life, like Hines, have become a major piece of Philadelphia mayoral candidate Jeff Browns political platform. The scope: Philadelphia is home to 400,000 people with convictions and criminal records. About 40,000 come home from incarceration each year. Browns Super Stores partner with organizations like Philadelphia Lawyers for Social Equity to provide their employees with record expungement and pardon services at no cost to workers. The criticism: After Brown said Black people have been his lifes work, and touted the jobs hed created by putting grocery stores in predominantly Black neighborhoods, mayoral rival Cherelle Parker said Brown had white privilege wealth. Ex-offenders who are or have been employed with Browns Super Stores and advocacy groups that work with them told the Inquirer that Browns programs mostly work. Notable quote: For a lot of us, its not a second chance. Its the first chance because the reason why you was in the situation was because nobody never gave you a chance, said Lamar Hunter, another employee. Keep reading to learn more about Browns system and why it isnt accessible for everyone. The city has agreed to pay a total of $9.25 million to about 350 people who were teargassed, struck with rubber bullets, or detained by police during the response to the 2020 racial justice protests following the police murder of George Floyd. The city will also contribute $500,000 to a fund that will provide counseling to victims of police violence and offer community-led programming. The settlement is the largest mass protest-related case in the citys history, according to one of the attorneys representing the largest cohort of plaintiffs. Reminders: The lawsuits focus on the mass teargassing of protesters on I-676 on June 1, 2020, and the police use of military-style armored vehicles, rubber bullets, pepper spray, and tear gas on demonstrators and neighborhood residents along the 52nd Street historic Black business corridor in West Philadelphia. Keep reading for more details about the settlement. What you should know today Trivia time Approximately how many black bears are in Pennsylvania? A) 30,000 B) 15,000 C) 20,000 D) 10,000 Find out if you know the answer. What were... Watching: Former President Donald Trump could be charged any day now for hush-money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels before he was elected president in 2016. Reminiscing: Past winters when it actually snowed. Submitting: My cheesesteak bracket. You should do it, too. Unscramble the anagram Hint: Get your fix at Reading Terminal Market MITTS WILLERS Well select a reader at random to shout out here. Send us your own original anagram to unscramble if youd like. Cheers to Andy Gutman, who correctly guessed Mondays answer: Betsy Ross House. Email us if you know the answer. Photo of the day And that is it from me. Ill see you bright and early tomorrow morning. Former President Donald Trump speaks on the third and final day of the Conservative Political Action Conference earlier this month in Fort Washington, Md. Read more Donald Trump took to social media to announce he will be arrested on Tuesday for his role in hush money payments to an adult film star days before he was elected president in 2016. Prior to Trumps scandal-plagued White House tenure, it would be shocking for a former president of the United States to be indicted, fingerprinted, and sit for a mugshot. But given the multiple criminal investigations swirling around Trump, news of a possible indictment is not a surprise. But two pieces of the story stand out as irresponsible and dangerous. First, that Trump implored his rabid followers in all caps to PROTEST, PROTEST, PROTEST!!! Advertisement While the First Amendment guarantees the right to peaceful protests, the tenor of Trumps call to action echoed his use of social media to incite a deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Clearly, Trump does not care about the death and destruction he caused, or the more than 1,000 of his supporters who have been arrested so far, including roughly 350 who have been sent to prison. READ MORE: The old fight against Trump begins anew | Editorial Second, and perhaps more reckless, is how many Republican officials who know better continue to genuflect to the twice-impeached Trump while they imperil our democracy. Instead of letting the legal process play out, the GOP undermines trust in American institutions by fueling Trumps lies and gaslighting. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said an indictment of Trump would be an outrageous abuse of power and threatened an investigation into whether federal funds were being used for politically motivated prosecutions. Since this is a state prosecution overseen by the Manhattan district attorney, this is an empty threat coming from an empty suit. As if reading from the same GOP talking points, former Vice President Mike Pence said, Here we go again. Another politically charged prosecution against the former president of the United States. Pence, you may recall, is someone whom Trump nearly had killed. He wants history to hold Trump accountable since he and the majority of the GOP wont. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R., N.Y.), the third-ranking House Republican, called the news of Trumps likely indictment unAmerican. She added, the radical Left has reached a dangerous new low of Third World countries. Stefanik, once a Trump critic, sold her soul for power. Now she cant grasp how the rule of law applies to everyone in America, even one of the worst presidents in history. READ MORE: Trump hits new low with threat to the Constitution | Editorial Sen. Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.) said, Theyre making stuff up that they never used against anybody because they hate Trump. This coming from a guy who once called Trump a race-baiting, xenophobic, religious bigot and predicted that if we nominate Trump, we will get destroyed and we will deserve it. If Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg indicts Trump, it will be up to a jury to decide his guilt or innocence. Michael D. Cohen, Trumps former lawyer and fixer, pleaded guilty in 2018 to campaign finance violations, financial crimes, and lying to Congress, and went to prison for his role in paying the adult film star Stormy Daniels $130,000 to not go public about her brief affair with Trump. Daniels said the relationship began in 2006 about four months after Melania Trump gave birth to the couples son, Barron. During Cohens sentencing, federal prosecutors said Trump directed the illegal payments to avoid another sex scandal just before the 2016 election. At the time, federal prosecutors did not bring charges against Trump because Justice Department guidelines say a sitting president cannot be indicted. If Bragg brings charges, the case against Trump is not a slam dunk. It will lead to more political division, especially since Trump will likely use any charges to fire up his base, raise money, and claim a witch hunt. Regardless of the outcome, accountability is needed. There is no stopping Trump from going lower, but the GOP could help its tarnished brand by letting justice take its course. Teacher Mari Zuber points to the board while working with her fourth-grade class in January at Neidig Elementary in Quakertown. Read more Lets suppose youre instructing a class of education majors who are preparing to be teachers at an American university. One of them declares that differences in average academic achievement between Black and non-Black children reflect institutional racism in public schools. A second student offers a contrasting perspective. Jim Crow and other forms of legal apartheid disappeared many decades ago, she notes. While differences in academic performance may reflect the legacy of that past, she says, they cannot in and of themselves demonstrate discrimination in the present. Whos right? I can imagine good cases for both claims. But I cant imagine the students actually engaging in that debate if their professor follows a new set of state guidelines for culturally relevant and sustaining education in teacher preparation programs and professional development activities in Pennsylvania. Thats because the guidelines impose simple answers to our hardest questions. Im glad that the state Department of Education released standards for teaching Pennsylvanias increasingly diverse students. But I also worry that the guidelines will indoctrinate our teachers and, by extension, our students about race, instead of educating them about its complexities. Advertisement READ MORE: Affirmative action is about diversity. But campuses wont allow diverse opinions about it. Consider the second competency in the guidelines, which begins with the statement that professional educators should know and acknowledge that biases exist in the educational system. It then instructs them to identify professional learning opportunities ... to understand more about the manifestations of racism and other biases at institutional and structural levels that can result in disadvantaging some groups of learners ... while privileging others. This all sounds like a worthy goal. But I wonder: Will those professional learning opportunities include readings by Columbia linguistics professor and New York Times columnist John McWhorter? I doubt it because McWhorter questions the premise that structural racism in schools can explain why some kids underperform. He doesnt deny that racism including the structural kind exists, of course. An African American who grew up in Philadelphia, McWhorter has experienced various forms of racism across his life. What he questions is whether it is baked into our educational institutions, as the Pennsylvania guidelines declare. Here he cites a famous 1997 study by African American scholar Clifton Casteel, showing that most Black students said they did schoolwork for their teachers and most white students said they did it for their parents. The white kids imagined school as part of their familial comfort zone; the Black kids didnt. If much of the black underperformance in school is due to a subtle attitudinal factor, then it wont work to look at the numbers and say they are due to racism, systemic or not, McWhorter concludes. It isnt that the system devalues the kids, but that they either devalue, or perhaps feel wary about, the system themselves. Im not arguing that McWhorter is right (or wrong). Im simply saying that informed and reasonable people differ sometimes radically about the role structural racism plays in schools. But you wouldnt know that from looking at the state guidelines. Reasonable people differ about the role structural racism plays in schools. Nor would you know that scholars dispute the meaning and effect of microaggressions, another competency in the guidelines. Teachers should believe and acknowledge that microaggressions are real, the guidelines declare, and take steps to educate themselves about the subtle and obvious ways in which they are used to harm and invalidate the existence of others. Coined a half-century ago by the Harvard psychiatrist Chester Pierce, microaggressions refer to repeated slights that nonwhite racial groups suffer. Although each individual insult might be small, they may take an accumulated toll. Yet according to the late Emory psychologist Scott Lilienfeld, we do not have evidence that the targets of microaggressions consistently experience them as offensive. Nor do we have solid research showing that repeated exposure to these terms harms their mental health. Let me be clear: I fully understand why You dont seem Black would offend an African American, or Asians are good at math can be off-putting to a person who descends from China or Korea. But according to Lilienfeld, researchers dont have enough evidence to show that these unfortunate remarks cause consistent harm. Of course, we dont need social scientists to show us that we should try to avoid statements that insult people based on their ethnic or racial backgrounds. But we should also be honest with our teachers, and expose them to diverse voices about microaggressions, instead of pretending that its a settled matter. They might find reason as others have to disagree with Lilienfeld, who died in 2020. But simply ignoring his critique insults all of our teachers, in the guise of informing them. In the first competency they enumerate, the Pennsylvania guidelines urge teachers to engage in critical and difficult conversations about race. I believe in that goal, as deeply as I believe in anything else. Nothing in the guidelines prevents education professors from raising the nuances Ive described here with their students. But the way the guidelines are worded, theyre more likely to generate a single right answer than a genuine set of questions. Theres nothing critical or difficult about a conversation in which different people feel compelled to arrive at the same conclusion. Our teachers and their future students deserve better than that. This post is part of a series sponsored by AgentSync. Advancements in technology have given new life to the slow, inefficient processes common in the insurance industry. While the influx in AI-operated systems has some employees worried about job security, there are plenty of reasons why human touch is still a crucial element of insurance. Automation is on the rise across all industries Weve all heard it said before that sooner or later robots will rule the world. Whether you believe that or not, the facts seem to paint the same picture that no industry is safe from automation. Its estimated that AI will replace 85 million jobs around the world by 2025. While this is great news for consumers who will no doubt celebrate the increased efficiencies automation brings to their everyday lives, what does it mean for those whose jobs are at risk? Well, what if the question on employees minds wasnt, How soon will robots take our jobs? but rather, How can we work with robots to better serve our customers? This way, the conversation surrounding AI doesnt have to end in us versus them. Humans shouldnt be replaced by technology, but empowered by it; in consumer-facing industries like insurance, the human touch is still very much necessary. The growing use of AI in the insurance industry You may be thinking, AI in the insurance industryreally? Sure, historically this industry isnt exactly known for its technological innovation, but as Bob Dylan once sang, the times they are a-changin. As it stands, 21 percent of insurance organizations report they are currently preparing their workforce to adopt AI-based systems. AI has revolutionized the insurance industry, which was once known for being full of time-consuming tasks and manual inefficiencies. The automation revolution has proven beneficial at helping insurance companies grow, save money, reduce fraud, and increase efficiencies. However, leaning too heavily on technology and completely removing the human touch from insurance processes can be detrimental. The truth is, only a human can understand the true scope of a clients needs and the emotion behind each sale. There are multiple areas of the insurance industry that actually benefit from human/machine partnership. 4 areas of the insurance industry that benefit from AI, but still need the human touch 1. Fraud Technology is already helping us stop fraudulent activity in the insurance industry before it becomes a bigger issue. AI-powered fraud detection systems can memorize patterns and alert users to suspicious activity. For insurers dealing with sensitive data, the extra level of security can help build trust with customers. However, while AI-powered systems may alert users to fraudulent activities, they dont actually catch the fraud. That role is still up to the humans. Once a system has signaled suspected fraud, individuals still must act on this knowledge to actually stop the fraud from occurring and determine if the activity is truly fraudulent. Then the humans running the system can feed that knowledge of the attempted fraud back into the AI-powered system to enhance its accuracy next time something fishy happens. 2. Claims processing Claims processing is full of labor-intensive, low value tasks that in many cases are still being performed manually. Not only does this waste employee time but it can also result in human error and extra costs. For these reasons, insurers can and should bolster their use of technology to settle claims faster and more accurately, as well as at a lower cost to the company. In the increasingly automated world, personal engagement when a client most needs it can act as a differentiator. A customers experience throughout the claims process is crucial to an insurers retention and growth. While AI-powered technology should be used to relieve insurer staff from time-consuming tasks it shouldnt fully replace the human aspect of claims processing. Instead, technology should arm professionals with the tools they need to speed up claims resolutions, giving them more time to build customer relationships. 3. Producer onboarding The insurance industry is currently facing a talent crisis, making it difficult for companies to find and keep good producers. With hiring becoming increasingly competitive, agencies with outdated producer onboarding processes risk losing talent to competitors that can offer a more efficient experience. If your approach to producer onboarding is full of siloed data, disconnected processes, and compliance errors, then its probably a good time for an update. AI can be a powerful tool in the onboarding process, specifically when it comes to new employee paperwork, IT setup, and training. While technology can help attract new producers and get them selling faster, it should never replace a genuine human welcome to the company. When it comes down to it, HR is all about people. Removing the human element from the onboarding process completely isnt the best way to show new employees how excited you are to have them on your team. 4. Client communications In the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic, companies across all industries were given grace while they learned to adapt to new no-contact, fully digital ways of operating. Nearly three years into it and many customers now expect businesses to offer digital alternatives or additions to their services. Nowadays, clients communicate via email, video calls, submission forms, and even text. AI-operated chat boxes are an easy way for clients to get answers fast. Online communication makes it easy to send and receive information anytime and just about anywhere. Theres no denying that AI has improved the client experience, but there is a big area in which it falls short: human connection. Insurance customers still want and need the expert guidance of independent agents. No two customers are completely the same and it takes a real person to fully understand the unique needs of each individual policyholder. Making room for partnership between humans and machines The insurance industry is in a unique position. Insurance professionals have the chance to combine best-in-class technology with their best people to offer faster and more accurate service to their clients. Just as refusing to embrace technology will limit agency growth, so too will taking humans out of the equation. Only companies that find ways for employees to use technology to their advantage will be able to provide the efficient and personalized services their customers crave. If youre ready to see how AgentSync can empower your team with efficiency and accuracy, schedule a demo today and let us show you what better looks like. Topics InsurTech Market Data Driven